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m-aster-of-spinjitzu · 3 years

Text

the hues of an empty sky

Missing memories, or having two of them for one moment - not quite the same, but if there's one thing Jay's leant over the last few weeks, it's that literally nothing makes sense anymore.

Or, some Skybound aftermath, Zane actually expressing emotions about his memory switch being turned off for all those years, and what was supposed to be a 'they tell everyone about the erased timeline' fic, but it turned into a 'two characters who barely interact on screen talk at like one am in the morning, and don't actually tell the other what exactly they're alluding to the whole time' fic that I wrote at like one am-

Also yeah, I realized too late that they split up to look for Wu after s7, we’re just gonna pretend that they waited a few days or something, idk anymore tbh, lol.

(I also didn't have time to edit - so please tell me where the typos are? 😂💛)

Word count: 4539

Prompt: crying, from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Trigger warnings: the main character has a panic attack, and squeezes their fingernails into their hands once or twice but I think that's it.

*facepalms* also, guys, i’m so stupid - i literally just realized that this freaking CHANGES TENSE HALFWAY OHMYGOSH I- i don’t think it’s super noticeable, but ugh, apologies to anyone who actually thought my writing was good lol-

---

It's cold.

Bitterly, freezing cold.

The biting chill of the air is a bit strange for this time of year, but, heck, that's nowhere near the craziest thing that's ever happened to him - not by a long shot.

He sighs, squinting at the stars dotted liberally against the black canvas of the sky.

Cole had once joked that one of them might be the remains of their golden weapons, after they'd hurled the burning mass into the sky - in another alternate timeline; one that only existed in the memories of a certain few.

Gosh - that seemed like such a long time ago.

Wouldn't it be nice to go back to that time, when he'd still thought that their powers were the coolest thing ever - instead of despising them for all the responsibility and sacrifice that came with them? When one of his biggest worries was whether the girl he had a crush on liked him back - not wondering if his friends would survive the night?

"I did not expect to find you awake at this hour, Jay."

Reflexivity, he jumps back, his mind twisting his friend's gentle voice into the- the djin's triumphant, accented one.

You're supposed to be a ninja. What good are you if your friends can still sneak up on you?

"Geez, warn a guy before you sneak up on him! I almost fell off the Bounty!"

"My apologies. I was... surprised to find you awake at this hour," Zane answers. "What are you doing?" "Couldn't sleep. It's too cold," he confesses, not entirely a lie. Ninjago wasn't 'that' far from the Sea of Sand, but he'd grown up in a much warmer area - unfortunately resulting in his practically nonexistent tolerance to the cold. That never failed to stop Kai from teasing him about it, though. He doesn't mention the pressing weight on his chest, almost tangible - or how it constantly makes him feel. Like he's being dragged through the darkness of an empty sky, spikes of fear making everything so freaking terrifying- "You?"

"I have been analyzing my memories of Pixal, in the hope that it may lead me to her whereabouts. However, all my efforts have proved... unsuccessful," Zane answers wearily, shifting his gaze to the sky.

Oh- oh. They'd all be so caught up in the chaos of the last few weeks - hey, it's not like any of them had asked the universe to permanently be out to get them! - that they'd forgotten Pixal was still offline.

"Hey, I'm sure that she's still there somewhere," he says, earnestly. "After all - she wouldn't be your girlfriend if she didn't pull a vanishing act every now and again, eh?"

The question is punctuated with a laugh, but he doesn't say that he's a little worried about her too. They hadn't talked much, but-

I can't see one of my best friends find out that his girlfriend is dead, a quiet voice at the back of his mind points out. Well - been there, done that, wouldn't recommend, he thinks bitterly. Emotional breakdowns and frequent nightmares apply. Anxiety attacks are half off, too!

It's quiet for a few minutes, neither of them seeing a need to break the silence. The wind blows softly through the sails above them; gray wisps of cloud revealing a pale sliver of moonlight that paints the sky in its glow.

It should be a peaceful night: beautiful, calm, no one trying to kill them or destroy their city - for a change.

His hands won't stop shaking.

It should be a peaceful night, but, as usual, the world is too freaking unfair for that-

He hasn't even slept for a full night in weeks! Well, not since- since-

Don't think about it! That's only going to make it worse, duh-

"Are you alright, Jay?"

"Yeah- I- I'm good, thanks," he says quickly, ignoring the way his breathing keeps speeding up. FSM, not this-

Not for the first time, the world suddenly becomes too loud - too much. Every little thing, from trying to breathe properly or even walk- feels insurmountable, because, gosh, oh gosh, it's going to come crashing down if he even moves-

The memory starts off the same as it always does.

Rubble strewn over the temple grounds, his friends literally reduced to nothing more than statues. A shot that hit the mark perfectly, but perfectly shattered his world in the process.

A poison-splattered dress, a terrifying realization.

Her well-aimed joke, but one that never fails to sting every time. Gosh, why hadn't they just allowed her to join their team in the first place? Maybe they could've prevented this- this- whole situation, if they hadn't been so freaking egotistical-

And, again, he's overwhelmed by the sheer sense of helplessness, all his power and training and skills completely useless to one of the people he cared most about. FSM, if only I hadn't used my first w-request so carelessly! If only I'd been able to escape- or, or if only I'd been able to assemble the team faster! If only-

Despite being in what must've been unimaginable pain, she offers a strained smile - a sweet gesture that, ironically, feels like she's poisoning him, because- because FSM, this is all so wrong, it wasn't supposed to end like this-

He watches with horror as her eyes dull and she stills in his arms.

She's gone, FSM, she's gone and it's all my fault-

"Jay?" a voice asks, concern evident in their tone. Distantly, he registers that he's having a breakdown in front of one of his best friends - one of the things he'd been trying really hard to avoid.

Dang it.

"I-" he tries to say, but, great, he's breathing too fast to even get the stupid words out.

"Breathe in for four seconds," Zane says, softly.

Four seconds? Time has no meaning right now, narrowed down to, like - falling down a chasm, terrified of what's at the bottom, except the fear's all around, this- this... foreboding thing of his mind that keeps yelling that he needs to run, or fight, but he can't, can't-

Right. Four seconds.

You're okay, you're fine, no one's trying to hurt you or your friends. She's not dead.

But what if- what if they're being dragged out of this ship right now? What if it was all a dream, and she's dead anyway, because all of us were too stupid to come up with another plan, and none of us could even do anything when she-

After a little while, when he could breathe a little easier, and the fear didn't feel like it was slamming into him from every possible direction, he slowly opened his eyes. Shakily, he wiped a tear from his face - as if that would wipe away all the weeks that had, theoretically, never even freaking happened.

The sky comes back into focus - pinpricks of light against pitch black.

How was he going to come up with some sorta explanation without... well, explaining everything?

Great.

My nerves are frayed, and I have to lie to a walking lie detector - what could possibly go wrong?

"Are you alright?" Zane asks, his brows creased in concern.

"Heh heh, yeah. Probably just too many video games," he replies quickly, laughter a bit strained.

"You were muttering to yourself," his friend replies quietly. Ugh, trust the way-too-observant-nindroid to call him out on the remains of his facade. "If you do not mind me asking, what was 'all your fault'? I am sure that it was probably a misunderstanding."

You're the one who misunderstands everything, he thinks wearily, ignoring the part of him that yearns to tell someone else about... well, everything that's happened because of that stupid teapot. He's not one to keep secrets by nature, and it's been taking a bigger toll of him than he'd thought it would. Is this how Nya felt when she was still the Samurai? "It's- it's nothing, probably just nonsense."

"Are you sure? You seem... quite worried about something."

Dang it, were his hands still shaking? He presses his fingernails into his palms, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.

He's talking to one of his best friends, FSM. Weren't friends able to tell each other anything?

"Do you think it's easier to forget? Better?"

He didn't even realize he'd asked a question until Zane's eyes widened in surprise.

A forest coated in snow, ice crystals dangling from the tree branches above their heads. Plenty of screaming - way too much, he reflects, couldn't they have been a bit nicer? It must've been pretty jarring to learn that you weren't human, or that your father had erased years of your life from your mind - in that weird underground treehouse. Those crazy tree monsters - and the realization that they all had much more power than they'd thought.

"N- nevermind," he stutters, fleetingly thinking of kicking the deck. "That's way too personal, you don't have to answer it-"

"I do not mind," Zane says, a bit sadly.

Oh.

Heck, his friend was way too nice.

They gaze up at the stars for a few minutes, not really seeing them - one drowning under the weight of too many secrets, the other, too many memories.

It's quiet - too quiet.

Ugh, he thinks, sighing, that sounds like something a low-budget horror movie would start with, cringey sound effects to match.

But the silence is a painful reminder of the days he'd spent tossing and turning in a cramped cell - nothing but his worries and the bruises on his leg from that stupid ball and chain keeping him awake.

He's been trying hard - maybe too hard - to avoid being alone, avoid being in a situation where they've gotta be quiet ever since then, because, dang it, his memories always seem to fill the silence, and they're always far more terrifying than they should be-

It's easier, in a way, to be mocked for his stupid jokes than it is to relive a single moment from those nightmarish few weeks.

Almost reflexively, he grasps for something to fill the quiet.

"Heh, this is a bit awkward. It's okay if you wanna leave-"

"I do not mind," Zane echoes, walking a bit closer. "It is not as if I need to sleep. But... I do not quite know what to think of your question."

There comes the answer - or a semblance of one at least, and it's the last thing he'd been expecting.

"You don't know?" he blurts out before he can even think of trying to filter the thought. Way to treat your friend who's been nothing but kind to you, Jay. "But you're- you're a nindroid! You know everything-"

"Pixal," his friend mutters softly, sighing, and the hurt, the fear, laced through the word makes something in his heart practically twist. He knows all too well what it feels like to be in that situation - even if, technically, it had never happened.

Then- "I wish that were true. But I suppose that my emotions make certain situations much more complicated than... than they need to be. Thus I cannot give my perspective on this - or, at least, without sounding quite conflicted."

"You know that you're allowed to be conflicted, right? Even the coolest Nindroids don't know everything."

"...Yes, I suppose so."

Jay frowns at the almost subconscious hesitation, eyebrows creasing in concern.

"Seriously," he starts earnestly. They're both leaning on one of the railings just above the deck now. "Just 'cause you're a nindroid doesn't mean that you've gotta chase some kind of perfection that doesn't even exist."

He doesn't miss how Zane's eyes widen in shock, their bright blue hue glowing a little brighter - and heck, if that doesn't hurt even more than the earlier realization.

"Besides - it's not like none of us haven't made mistakes before. Hate to go all Wu on ya, but they help us learn or some stupid thing like that. Even if the mistake is trying not to make 'em, you know?"

"Thank you," Zane replies, a tired smile on his face. "Even the most advanced tech is susceptible to error, I suppose."

They've all made lots of mistakes, heaven forbid if one of them is still agonizing over messing up over the crazy situations the universe constantly put them in. It's not like they were told they'd have to face more ancient evil armies than they could count, were they?

Maybe it's time to stop focusing on events that never even happened, and pay more attention to your friends. What's the point of being part of this team if you're always scared or selfish?

"Shut up," he mumbles, rubbing his temples. What's the point of fighting if your own brain is gonna fight you whenever it gets a chance? A few seconds later, he schools his face back into his default anxious grin. "Great, cause I- I- could use your advice on something." "Alright," comes the quiet reply, his friend seemingly lost in thought.

"What if you wanted to tell someone something, but you couldn't?"

His breathing starts to speed up again, but he grips the deck until his fingers are practically bruised, stark white against his tanned skin. Not this time-

"Is this what you were referring to earlier? An event that you blamed yourself for?" Zane asks, eyes flitting between the floor and the sky.

Dang it, way too observant as usual. He masks his surprise with a laugh, but the conversation definitely isn't going as planned and, oh gosh oh gosh, what if-

No, there's no way that any of them would even believe that. Besides - no one can remember stuff that they've forgotten, especially if magic's at play.

"Yeah, kinda," and he's surprised by how steady his voice sounds. It's not easy to even think about that- event, talking about it is a whole different thing. A much more difficult thing, but also - a bit, a little bit, easier. "I-" "Apologies for interrupting," his friend interjects. "I suppose that I have not been entirely honest with you." What?

"A few days ago, I discovered a number of deleted memory files buried deep within my code."

Just like that, his whole world tilts out from underneath him.

It takes every ounce of his strength to keep himself from falling into the abyss again.

Wait, what?

Has he really known for all this time? It's been weeks! Surely he would've said something? It can't be, it never even-

The rational part of his mind points out that he can remember every day of those few weeks. Well, he was the one to make the wish - magical logic is kinda stupid, but maybe that's why he had to remember it or something?

Well then, a small voice interjects, why was Nya cursed to remember everything too?

Of course, even the stupid magical logic doesn't even make sense to the one who caused this whole mess in the first place.

"They were almost entirely corrupted - scrambled in a way that I am not familiar with. However, I did realize that certain files bore dates that have not even occurred yet. I dismissed it as a problem with my code, however..."

Breathe, calm down, it's not like he was able to process them or anything-

We agreed that no one was supposed to know! What if they end up blaming us for keeping it a secret this long, or, or-

"I mean, they could've been-" he starts, but the way in which he's nervously twisting his fingers is a pretty clear indication that he's lying, dang it.

"So when you mentioned that you were unable to tell someone something - did you mean that it was because they had quite literally forgotten about it?"

Great. Fantastic. Of course the literal robot has pieced it together by now-

He squeezes his eyes shut for a minute, hoping that if he ignores the problem, maybe it'll go away.

Okay, fine, maybe he's trying to figure out a way to fix this whole mess. Doesn't mean that he's any closer to coming up with a solution, though.

"Er, yeah," he whispers, shoulders slumped, eyes still firmly shut. Because gosh, he doesn't want to - can't, can't - see the realization dawn that, yeah, he's lied to people he's known for years and years, even though they've all seen way too many times that secrets bring nothing but trouble-

"Well, then - I would say that you don't have to tell them," Zane replies, surprisingly... earnestly? That, or he's either too freaked out to understand the tone properly. Could be either.

He opens his eyes, hesitantly.

And it comes as a bit of a shock to find nothing but concern reflected in his friend's.

The almost persistent weight on his chest feels a little lighter now, like the sky isn't as quite so empty.

Well, it still kinda is. But that doesn't hold as much weight as he'd thought it did - not if one of his friends is willing to look past that; past the heaviness of holding up all those memories with nothing his single star, flickering in and out of the darkness, to try and light the unforgiving darkness of the sky.

"Why?" Jay asks, so quietly he can barely hear it himself. "Don't I owe it to them? Do you?"

"No. Definitely not," comes the reply, so full of conviction that he almost stumbles back. Why-

"My father..."

Oh- oh.

"thought it was better to spare me the pain of mourning him than for me to know who I was," Zane confesses, hesitantly. "Not that I disagree, necessarily. I just..."

He trails off, clutching the railing so hard that the wood almost snaps beneath his titanium fingers.

It takes Jay a little while to realize why - why exactly his friend, who has access to a wealth of knowledge and information, is grasping for an answer. Because- because, well, even if someone does something in your best interests - sometimes the choice isn't always up to them. Or maybe it is, but it was... difficult, to say the least, to let go of the fact that his parents had never told him the truth sooner. Not that he blames them, necessarily - it's not like they knew that his father would pass on before he'd even get the chance to meet him - but... it's confusing, and difficult, not to know why you were left at a junkyard as soon as you were born. Maybe if he'd known that sooner, he could've asked the one person who might've had answers - although it's not like hoping for the past to change will actually change it.

They don't even know that you know, a small voice at the back of his mind points out, and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense-

"You wanted a choice," he breathes, eyes widening. A choice - like one that he'd never been given, one that he stills struggles not to hold against two people who've always had his best interests at heart. Even if they did have the right to withhold that one thing, after all they've done for him - the 'what if's' still echo in his mind far more often than he'd like. "There's nothing wrong with that, even if it feels that way. I kinda get where you're coming from, dude, and it's... super confusing, but I'd be pretty mad if my memories were tampered with like that."

So would anyone, he realizes, heart sinking. Oh, great. Not helping-

"I- I suppose so?" Zane answers, but it sounds more like a question than a reply. "However, in the same vein, it would be unwise for you to give away your choice whilst you still have one." "But don't I owe it to everyone? You just said it, it's horrible to alter people's memories and I- I-" "Did we forget... whatever it was for a good reason? "I- I mean, I guess, but..." "Then you do not owe it to us to relive something that we do not even remember." The words should be a relief - and they kinda are. But some part of him really does want to explain the crazy alternate timeline, and everything that happened in it. It's just... really, really freaking difficult.

"What if- what if I wanted to, though?" Jay asks hysterically, running his hands through his hair in a frenzied sort of way. "And I still couldn't? I just, I-"

He cuts himself off with a bout of forced laughter.

Zane takes a moment to reply, the bright blue light in his eyes flickering - a small tell that he was thinking so deeply, his processors were literally sparking up a bit.

"You queried earlier if it was easier, or better, to forget. And while all situations are different, I suppose it is... well, subjective. What do you think?" Zane asks, softly.

Derailing the conversation a bit, but his friend's obviously smart enough to be leading up to something.

Sure, he'll go along with it.

"I mean, there are some things I'd rather forget, you know? I guess we all know what that feels like," Jay replies, the statement with oddly sad air to it. They're still kids, after all, and it gets a bit exhausting pretending that their superhero lives were all fun and games - when they'd just given him enough grey hair to last then lifetimes, and enough nightmares to keep him from ever getting the normal amount of sleep his mum always prattled on about.

Sleep, heh heh. Practically a foreign concept, now.

"And I know that stuff that happens, like shapes us or something - and Master Wu would probably go off on a whole ramble about why we learn from our mistakes or whatever," he laughs nervously, resisting the urge to just fall headfirst onto the deck of the stupid ship instead of continuing the conversation," and how 'our scars only make us stronger', crap like that, but I just-"

"I'm just really... tired of this," he confesses warily, shoulders slumped. "W- I remember so many horrible things, and I-" he breaks off, laughing bitterly. His voice takes on a sort of brittle quality, way too high pitched, "and I can't even talk about them, dude. If that's not the most pathetic thing ever, I dunno what is."

"It does not-"

"Don't say it," Jay mutters, rubbing his temples. "I know, I know, my feelings aren't pathetic, they're always valid, whatever, spare me the lecture-"

"That is not what I was going to say," Zane replies gently. "It just seems that you have answered your own question."

"Gee, which one?"

"I do not know how much helpful assistance I can provide in this situation, but it is understandable to wish certain events had never occurred. However, seeing as we cannot change the past, it seems unwise to dwell on said events if you can avoid it."

Jay stiffens, clamping a shaky hand over his mouth. Something seems to press down even harder on his chest, a heavy sort of weight that causes his breathing to speed up again. Don't say it don't say it there's no reason to warn them this time-

"If you would like to tell any of us about something, of course you are welcome to. It does not to be the whole story, after all. Just make sure that it is the decision you choose, not one you choose because of what you think how it will affect others," Zane finishes quietly, ducking his head as if he's embarrassed.

The stars are still white-hot, burning away some million miles above them.

"Thanks," he says, and puts his hand softly on Zane's shoulder. "I mean, I know - that all makes sense, I guess. It's just- I-"

"You want to?"

"Yeah," Jay starts, sighing, "I do. It's just- it's not just my choice. And I'm pretty much dying already right now, so, as fantastic as making it all worse sounds, hard pass."

Oops, maybe he shouldn't have said that last bit. They'd agreed not to tell anyone about it - even this conversation was cutting it way too close. It wasn't impossible for them to put everything together - they were a pretty smart group, after all, even without their resident inventor and engineer - and Jay didn't really know what he'd think if they did. Fearful? Relieved? Angry?

"That does... not sound great? Dying certainly does not seem-"

"It's called sarcasm, Zane."

"Oh- yes. My memory now accesses the fact that people often speak in that manner. It does seem a bit counterproductive, though. Why not just say what you mean?"

"Shut it, you have no clue how integral to my life it is," Jay replies with a halfhearted grin.

A few seconds later, he remembers something his friend had mentioned earlier, and the grin disappears.

"You know that you can talk to us if you're not happy, right?" he asks, earnestly. Sure, it's not like he could always do that, considering, well, a stupid djin and even stupider magic, but it's not like he needs to. It's- well- he'll be okay, probably. Maybe. Kinda.

Zane's eyes blink on and off again, blue fading in and out. "I... I suppose that I was not quite aware of that."

Okay, they've screwed up way too many times, but this... this is pretty bad. Dang it, how long does it take for them to throw self-preservation instincts at their friend before he freaking- picks them up or something?

"However, will it not hurt those who have experienced the same unfortunate events?"

Dude, not the best question to ask someone wondering the exact same thing-

"It's been... uh, nice, kind of, talking to you. So- I don't think so, and I'm pretty sure someone would say so if it did. Besides, don't we talk about our adventures all the time? It'd probably be better if we... uh, well- heh heh, nothing."

"If we talked about the less than positive elements of them? Perhaps, but I still-"

Maybe it's the fact Zane has always tried to be there for him, or maybe he's too sleep deprived to care anymore, but this is a way too familiar situation and-

Well, not ignoring the issue would be a start.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're family, Zane. We care about each other. And, gosh, that means that we care about you too. Memories are stupid and annoying sometimes, but we have to make good ones too, right? To block out the bad ones a bit, I guess? Kinda, at least."

They both look away from the stars now, grappling for something else to say.

In the end, they leave it be with a hug and a fondly exasperated warning about sleeping, if you happen to need it.

After all, they're family. They don't have to be perfect, or tell each other everything - even if it does take them a long time to realize that, and an even longer time remembering it.

---

The next time Jay startles awake from a nightmare, the sky is still empty - painfully so, like an ache that simmers beneath the surface even when it's not able to be seen.

The hue, though, is a little lighter.

Just a little - the all-encompassing darkness of it is now a navy sort of blue, his star shining a little bit brighter.

It's still not sunrise, not even close - but he'll take it. AN: the ‘sky’ mentioned at the start and end is a stupid metaphor that i somehow ended up liking too much to trash, it’s ‘empty’ because he hasn’t told anyone about the timeline, and Nya’s not included because they never had a chance to tell each other everything significant or even talked about it or processed it on screen. so yeah! if you read this,,, not great thing, can i send you a hug or good vibes or smth? tyy🥺

#ninjago #jay walker #zane julien #skybound #ninjago fic #not the best thing i've written #actually it's not great-#but i spent too long on it to not post it so if you actually read to here i simunltaneously wanna send you good vibes & apologize profusely-#the ending is super rushed but im too tired to try and write a better one yay:/#also dang it- sorry this fits the prompt so badly i-#i didn't realize till after oops #ninbingo #ninjago jay #ninjago zane #ninjago masters of spinjitzu

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axoxtxhxh · 3 years

Text

Not Without Trying - Chapter 2

ReinerxFem! Reader

Warnings: Sex, taking virginity, oral (F receiving)

Word Count: ~4,000

Summary: This comes after the chapter Rain which was the first one of this story. I sort of skipped around a lot. You have to imagine this is about a month after Rain happened where Reiner and the reader had a little time to get closer.

A/N: I wrote this a while ago and am going back over it now to edit and post and I basically cringed the whole time. I don’t think I’m that much better now, but I’m definitely better and I did my best not to edit too much because I honestly want to be reminded of my progress. Anyway, that’s all.

There were good days being a part of the survey corps and then there were really good days. Today was one of the really good days. A mission completed perfectly, no casualties and no missions lined up meant they actually had a weekend. Y/N’s favorite way to celebrate was with drinking and dancing. She loved letting loose and spending time with friends and it feels like the last few months were mission after mission. Finally, a day off to have fun.

The band started playing just after dinner. Nearly everyone started dancing around the mess hall. Everyone was drinking and having fun. Most of the younger cadets were making fools of themselves, but some of the upper ranks were dancing and having fun as well. Y/N was one of the few captains who was dancing. Mike had grabbed her hand at the beginning of the night and she spent most of the time dancing around the room with him causing a number of the other men in the room to grumble wondering when their turn was. One of those men being Reiner. He continued sipping his beer watching Mike laughing and holding Y/N’s waist as he twirled her around the room.

“She dances better without you suffocating her,” he grumbled to himself.

“What’s that?” Connie asked him, laughing while he watched Jean and Eren fight over who was dancing better. Reiner just hugged his beer a little closer, continuing to watch Y/N.

After the eighth song of dancing with Mike, Y/N finally got away and sat down with Reiner. She convinced Mike to go get her a drink and he ran off.

“How’s your night? You look grumpy.” She sat down next to Reiner.

“I’m not grumpy.” He lied.

“Okay.” She mocked his grumpy tone. “You should be having fun! We never get to do this. They even hired a band!” They both looked at the front of the mess hall where they were playing. She watched Reiner take another sip of his beer, his eyebrows lowered. “You’re so annoying!” She stood up, grabbing his arm.

“What are you—” He was yanked out of his seat.

“Let’s dance!” Y/N dragged him over to an open spot and started twirling around him. He spun around trying to follow her, a smiling growing on his face. He caught her mid twirl and dipped her backwards, Y/N laughed at the surprise. They were able to dance for another minute before Mike returned with her drink and took her away. Reiner stood there sulking.

“I have to piss.” He needed to get away and started towards the door.

“Hey dumbass,” Levi called after him, “the bathrooms are upstairs.”

“I need some fresh air, I’ll just use a bush out here.”

“Take someone with you, you’re drunk.” Erwin said.

“I’ll go!” Y/N hopped off her spot on the table, leaving Mike behind, pouting. Stepping outside, the cold air felt so good on her hot skin. She searched for Reiner, but he wasn’t anywhere she could see.

“Reiner?” She called out, peeking around the side of the building. Vacant. She made her way behind the empty carriage. “You better not have gotten lost,” she mumbled. She slowly approached the bushes behind the carriage.

That’s when Reiner seized the opportunity and popped up from behind the bush and shouted, “Boo!” Y/N’s hands flew up and she hit him in the nose. “Fuck!” He groaned, holding his nose.

“Reiner!” She put her hand on his hand covering his nose trying to alleviate the pain this way somehow, moving him over so they could sit on the back of the carriage they were near.

“I thought you were drinking,” he complained, checking his nose for blood. “How do you even have the speed to move so fast?”

“Years of practice.” She smiled. “I’m sorry, does it hurt?”

He moved his mouth around trying to bend and turn his nose. Y/N started laughing at the faces he was making.

“What?” Reiner asked confused. She laughed even harder.

“Your…face…” she was leaning back holding her stomach cackling and Reiner started smiling at her. Unable to resist touching her, he bent forward towards her and started tickling her side inciting an even bigger laugh from her. “I’m going to pee!” She was squirming around on her back, Reiner following her with his hands, still tickling her waist. She caught her breath enough to use her knee to push him forward, launching him forward on top of her. They both continued laughing, slowly letting it die down, loving each other’s company.

Y/N let out one final sigh, smiling over the whole thing and looked up at Reiner, still on top of her. He was also smiling. He looked into Y/N’s eyes. They were half-closed from drinking, but that glimmer in her eyes was always there. A loose hair was pulled from her bun, falling over her face. Reiner reached his hand up and tucked it behind her ear, then smoothed out her hair. She smiled at him.

Maybe on a different day or a different time. Maybe if Reiner hadn’t been drinking. Maybe if they never spent that time in cabin together. Maybe if her body wasn’t radiating warmth that he could feel through his jacket. Maybe if her breath didn’t smell so sweet and her smile wasn’t so inviting. There were so many maybes. So many maybes that maybe could have stopped him from doing it, but all he knew is he wanted her. Using the same hand he used to smooth her hair, he rested it on her cheek. Not really sure exactly how this was supposed to go, he leaned forward and kissed her.

The kiss was unlike anything he had ever felt before. So warm, so soft, he tried moving his lips around a little bit. Y/N did the same. He moved his hands from her face down to her waist and Y/N brought her arms around his neck. She let out a moan into his mouth and Reiner got chills. The kiss became more passionate, deeper. Everything about it felt so good. Their lips were connected, but he could feel it all over his body. Y/N started to wrap her leg around Reiner and quickly woke up to what was happening.

“Oh my gosh…” She breathed out, pushing Reiner off of her. “We…”

“I’m sorry,” Reiner also breathing heavily, cheeks flushing a deep pink. “I’m sorry. I—I couldn’t stop myself.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I was stopping you.” She sat up looking at him. He was on his knees, still looking at her, an innocent but pleading look in his eyes.

“Y/N?... Can we—” He cleared his throat. “Can we do it again?”

Her eyes widened. She was about to ask him why he would want a second drunken kiss when she realized. Her hand flew to her mouth, gasping. “Your first kiss.” Her eyes widened even more. “I was just…”

He smiled and shuffled closer to her.

“Why did you do that?” She was still so confused. “Why did you kiss me? You… Your first kiss.” She couldn’t understand. She sat up starting to move to get off the carriage. “Ughh, I feel like I ruined it. I’m sorry.”

“What?!—No!” Reiner followed her, hopping off and grabbing her hand, “I liked it!”

“Ugh, I drunk-kissed you and I’m not even that drunk.” Y/N brushed leaves off her jacket, unsure of where they even came from. “I need to lie down.” She started walking back inside, Reiner right behind her.

They opened the doors to the building and the band was still playing music, filling the mess hall. Everyone was still dancing and drinking. They were all caught up in watching Jean try to chug a full beer that no one noticed them walk through the room and up the stairs. The upstairs hallway was much quieter. Y/N opened the door to her office and continued through to her bedroom and Reiner froze, not going in.

“Can we just talk a bit?” He held her hand.

“Yeah. So, come in,” She said gesturing to the room. Reiner hesitantly walked in behind her. He stood against the wall as she sat on her bed. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I love you.” Both Reiner and Y/N gasped and stared at each other with wide eyes.

“You love me?”

“No, I didn’t mean that.” He looked around the room unsure of what he was trying to say. “I don’t know. Maybe I do.” He sat on the bed. “I guess I don’t know what it would feel like to be in love.”

“You’re confusing me.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you telling me you have feelings for me or asking me what it feels like to be in love?”

“I guess I’m saying I don’t know, but if I do have feelings for you,” he started, “Is it bad?” She was thinking about it when he continued speaking. “Does it really bother you that you were my first kiss?”

She was about to answer when she realized she didn’t really know. Why was she so bothered by it? It’s not like she worried about it ruining their friendship because Reiner was already ready to do that. The part that bothered her the most was worrying it was bad. She barely knew what was happening when he kissed her. What if it was a really bad kiss? But why does that even bother her? She looked over at him, he was waiting for her response patiently. He was always so patient with her. She could be so annoying, but he always stuck around her. Her jokes weren’t even that funny, but he always laughed. She was often judgmental and came across as mean, but he was never offended.

She looked down at her hands. She cared about him, slowly coming to the realization that maybe it was more than she originally thought. She looked back up at him, still waiting patiently for her.

“Give me a second chance.” She finally spoke.

“You want me to forgive you?” He was confused. “But you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No.” She smiled. “Give me a second chance at that kiss.”

Reiner’s face flushed a bright pink and he smiled shyly. Y/N moved a little closer to him.

“Right now?” He looked at her.

“Well, yeah. Do you want to wait?” She asked.

“No, no!” Reiner insisted. “Now is good.”

Y/N lifted her hand to his cheek to guide his face to hers. They both leaned in until their lips met. Again, those sparks that ran through his body the first time were there too. Was he supposed to want more of her? Was there ever a point where he would feel satisfied? Reiner’s hand quickly moved to her waist and he opened his mouth to allow their kiss to deepen. Y/N’s hand went around his neck and in his hair. His stomach did flips and he let out a sigh, his second hand going to her lower back. He slowly turned her body, lowering her back to the bed, him hovering over her.

Was this love? He felt like he could stay like this forever, his lips on hers, breathing each other in. Everything was perfect.

Y/N was the one to stop the kiss, breathless. She was about to speak, but realized there was nothing to say. Nothing to add to the moment which felt perfect to her. She ruffled Reiner’s hair and he smiled. He backed up and helped her sit up. Both of them still unsure of what to say.

Reiner couldn’t look away. He’d never experienced anything like this. He wanted to touch her, to always keep his hands on her. His eyes never getting tired of seeing her. Her smile, the glimmer in her eyes, her hands. He looked down at her hand in his, playing with her fingers. He looked back up at her noticing her hair tousled instead of its normally tight style.

“Why do you always tie your hair up?” He asked curiously.

“My hair?” She reached her hands up to touch it. “I don’t know. It’s just easier.”

“Can I see it loose?” He reached up to take out the tie, but she pushed his hand away.

“It takes a lot to keep it like this.” She laughed, “It’s easier if I do it.” She slowly removed the pins and ties. As soon as she removed the final pin, her hair fell down in waves. Full, [your hair color] tresses all the way down to her waist.

Oh yes, Reiner was in love. He stared at her, awe-struck and entirely enchanted by how beautiful she looked. He tried to speak, but only managed to say, “I…” He reached up and took a handful into his hands, brushing through it, enjoying the feeling of silk running between his fingers. He smiled at her, then brought his hand to her cheek and leaned in, kissing her. This kiss started out passionately and swiftly made its way to burning fire. Reiner was all over her, hands holding any part he thought she was okay with, his heart racing.

“Have sex with me.” He breathed, pulling away from the kiss and moving his lips to her jaw and neck.

“What?” Y/N tried separating from him, but his grip was too strong. “You just had your first kiss.” He loosened his grip and she stood up. “Don’t you want to… I don’t know, wait a little?”

His eyes were full of lust, pupils blown. “What for?” He held her hands in his, still sitting on the bed. He started kissing her wrists and arms.

“You just… because you’re so… but…” She couldn’t think of anything to say, watching his lips move over her skin.

He stood up, took off his jacket and pulled her in, kissing her cheek and jaw. “If you want me to stop, I will.” He moved to her neck now. “But don’t worry about me, I’m not a kid.”

She put her hand on the back of his neck, letting her eyes flutter closed with pleasure. That was enough for him to pick her up and move her back to the bed.

Reiner continued focusing on her neck and jawline while Y/N unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. She had been wondering what this would feel like, ever since the cabin. She pushed Reiner up and he looked at her.

“Lay on your back,” she directed and he followed. She unbuttoned her jacket and threw it to the side then lifted the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She went to reach for the tank top, but Reiner put his hand to stop her.

“I’ll do this one.” He sat her down on the edge of the bed and lifted her tank top up, dropping it to the side. He then pulled off his shoes and kneeled down in front of Y/N to do the same for her. He lingered where he was, looking up at her, eyes half-lidded.

“What do you like?” She asked him, running her hands through his hair.

“What do you mean?” He mumbled, enjoying her touch.

“Like, what can I do for you?” She didn’t know how else to say it, but he wasn’t getting it. “Do you know what turns you on? Like what makes you feel good?”

“Hmm… watching you enjoy yourself,” He said with a smile. She rolled her eyes.

“I’ll just figure it out myself.” She pulled him up and leaned backwards. He was back at her neck. She rolled over so she was on top of him, straddling his hips. He lifted his upper body to meet hers and kissed her.

“Show me how to take that off of you.” He pointed at her bra. She took his hands and moved them to her back. He followed her hand motions until her bra came undone and he pulled it off of her. He buried his face in her chest and just held it there for a while before he started using his mouth on every inch of skin within his grasp. He reached her nipple and covered it with his mouth, licking and sucking. Y/N shuddered and her head fell back.

Reiner noticed and watched her. He moved on to the other nipple, hoping to get another response. Instead she pulled his head back and brought her lips to his. She sucked on his bottom lip and bit down lightly, running her tongue over it then moving to his upper lip. Reiner kept his hands on her back, pulling her close, loving the soft warm feeling her breasts left on his chest.

She pushed him back and leaned over, kissing his neck. Reiner let out a jagged breath. She pushed her butt down and rubbed against his groin. He grabbed her back and thigh, groaning. She continued grinding her hips against his, causing the occasional moan to escape him. He moved his hand from her back and held onto one of her breasts, squeezing and moving it around his hand causing her hips to start bucking.

She quickly got off of him, breathing heavily. Reiner watched as she sat next to him.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke quietly. “I’m trying to go slow, but this feels so good.” She laid back on the bed, unbuckling her pants. Reiner helped her slide them off. She reached up and grabbed the edge of the bed from above her. “Please don’t stop touching me.” She begged and Reiner was all over her. He made his way up to her lips again.

“Where do you want me to touch you?” He asked, looking for guidance. She pulled off her underwear and opened her legs, steering Reiner’s hand to where she needed him the most. He wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted, but the moment his hand was near her warmth, she was moaning. He used his first two fingers to move around and immediately felt how wet and slippery she was. He wished he could just bury his face into her. For now, he continued moving around, sliding his hand forward. Her hips twitched. He slid his fingers around that area again and she pulled him closer, breath shaking. Continuing on, he moved his fingers lower. Y/N grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Go back.” She laid her head back as Reiner did what she said. Gripping the sheets, Y/N was a moaning mess, so close to her release. How long had it been that she was this desperate, bucking her hips at his slightest touch? For not knowing what he was doing, he was doing a really good job. He sped up and leaned into the crook of her neck, finding any patch of skin he could find, leaving a mark. This sent Y/N over the edge, arching her back and breathing out his name until she could catch her breath.

As soon as her high died down, she reached her arms around his neck, pulling him in to kiss him. The kiss was a lot shorter than she expected as he sat up and made his way to the edge of the bed. He looked down at her legs, gently tracing his finger from her knee to her hip, then up around her waist. In one swift movement, he pulled her down to the edge of the bed where he kneeled in front of her, propping one of her legs over his shoulder, he began using his mouth to explore her warmth.

“Reiner! Wait!” Y/N attempted to stop him, but just as she did, his tongue made its way through her dewy folds and she was thrown back, moaning louder than before. Her grip on the sheets so tight she was worried she would rip them while her thighs closed around Reiner’s head.

Reiner couldn’t get enough, sucking at anything he could get his lips around. He wrapped his arms around her thigh, holding her hips to minimize the jerking. He hummed into her, she released one hand from the sheets to grab his hair, pushing him deeper. His nose rubbed her clit and she let out a strangled groan, unable to maintain the grip on his hair. At this point it didn’t matter. Reiner was rock hard, erection throbbing at every movement and noise that came from Y/N. He used his tongue to search and found the over-sensitive nub and focused all his attention on that, sucking, licking and moaning into her. Watching her move above him, his eyes rolled back as he drank her in. Hands squeezing her hips, he was barely able to control himself. His aching member was crying to be inside of her.

Y/N’s body was trembling. Muscles spasming out of her control as Reiner filled her body with euphoric pleasure. She called out his name as her orgasm rolled over her in hot waves, then stealing her breath, leaving every inch of her body juddering wildly. She lay there, unable to move as Reiner continued his work, slowing down. As her breathing slowed with him, he pulled away, holding onto her clit with his lips until finally he released it with a slick pop. Y/N mewled with one last hip twitch.

Reiner stood up, face flushed and breathing heavily, he looked down at Y/N.

“We need to get you out of those pants.” She breathed and sat up, kneeling on the bed in front of him. She started working at the buckles and he rested his hands on her shoulders. She slid his pants and underwear down and his member sprang free, red-hot and pulsating, precum rolling down the shaft. Y/N placed her hands at the tip and Reiner gasped, squeezing her shoulders.

“Y/N,” he begged, “I really just need to be inside you.” She moved him to sit on the bed and she straddled his hips, hovering. He kept his hands on her back and his forehead resting on her chest. She quickly lowered herself onto him, moaning as she felt him squeezed in so tightly. He groaned and held her closer to him. She worked her hips, getting into a motion as Reiner’s head lifted back, then leaned forward and left kisses on her neck and collarbone.

Reiner’s groans were turning into grunts and coming more frequently so Y/N picked up her pace, building her orgasm with him. His face was buried in her chest again, mouth and hand caressing her breasts. He took a nipple in his mouth and began rolling it around his tongue and teeth. Y/N’s head shot back, increasing the speed of her grinding while also increasing the strength and depth of her thrust.

“Fu—uck!” Reiner’s breath caught. He leaned back on his arm and lifted his hips up slightly, helping deepen the thrust even more. He could tell Y/N was mid orgasm at this point and he was also… just… about… there… His head flew back and his eyes opened wide, pupils dilated, fireworks going off in his brain while his body quivered, fueling the ecstasy. He wanted to moan, but nothing came out. He stayed frozen, mouth open, unable to move until he came back down from his high huffing and panting for air. Y/N crumpled onto him, completely spent, and he held onto her with his hand, mind still hazy.

Y/N sat up enough to lay back down on the bed, pulling Reiner to lay next to her. She nuzzled into his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist, then fell asleep.

He looked down at her, smiling. How was this captain of the survey corps able to steal his heart so easily? He covered them up with the blanket, kissed the top of her head, then fell asleep.

Taglist: @lainessia

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halpertstuna · 3 years

Text

valentines day - jj maybank

requested by: @alexa-playafricabytoto

fic exchange by: @killingbxys @earthlyholland

prompts: “can i kiss you?” “valentine’s day just isn’t really my thing”

trope: roommates

au: collage

word count: 1,040

A/N: sorry this is kinda late and not my best work, got too lazy to edit it, but i hope you like it

-> masterlist <-

(gif credit: @riobeth )

—

“Please please please please pleaseeee” JJ begged through the pout painted across his lips as he practically chased you across the hallway.

“No! And for the love of god, would you please stop asking me!?”

“Come onnnn! Pleaseeee It’s valentines!”

“I said no JJ”

“But why?”

“I already told you, Valentine’s Day just isn’t really my thing” you asserted annoyed.

“It’s one date!” He insisted blocking your way to the science lab.

“Dude move, I’m gonna be late for class”

“Not until you say yes”

You sighed and rolled your eyes, when you noticed your professor approaching the door and took the chance to move passed JJ.

“Sorry Romeo, but that’s not gonna happen” you replied as you entered the door, leaving a smirk on JJ’s face at the nickname.

JJ’s had quite a thing for you ever since he first met you - the day you two became dorm roommates.

He adored your smile, and the way you would light up a room just by your very presence. He valued your honesty and authentic beauty, the boy genuinely loved you.

The only problem was the heartbreak you went through before leaving for collage.

The two of you met right after you got out of a serious four year relationship and you simply weren’t ready to get back into the dating world, yet still, he never gave up.

It’s been almost two years since your breakup and a day before Valentine’s so JJ decided to shoot his shot.

Unfortunately, he chose the wrong date.

Valentine’s used to be your favorite day since your ex boyfriend was a hopeless romantic and always made that day a memorable one, filled with big romantic gestures. After you broke up you kind of lost hope in love and so a day to celebrate it seemed to have no meaning.

JJ saw how down you seemed once you returned from your last course of the day and decided to drop the subject, but not his plans.

The next morning you woke up to an empty dorm room, which was unusual since you and JJ always walked together to your morning classes. You tried calling him but it went straight to voicemail. Skeptical, you got ready for the dreadful day and headed to your lecture.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, JJ was planning a surprise.

It was 9:00 pm when you finished your discussion class. you were absolutely exhausted and a bit worried about JJ since he still hasn’t answered any of your calls all day.

On your way to the dormitory you noticed for the first time that day all of the romance around you. All the heart shaped balloons and PDA. As much as you wanted to say it didn’t affect you, made you sick even, the truth is you were a bit jealous. Somewhere deep down you wished, you wanted, to believe it was possible for you to enjoy a Valentine’s Day once more.

When you got to your shared dorm room, the door was locked. You tried nocking “JJ? Are you in there?”, but there was no response. You attempted at twisting the doorknob again but it was no use.

“JJ this isn’t funny, I just had a really shit day and all I want to do is to-“

“to enjoy this non-valentines-valentines date with me” he cut you off by abruptly opening the door

“A what now?”

“Please do enter” he gestured with his arm.

The entire place was filled with star shaped balloons. “Stars? Really?” You let out a chuckle, “I assumed it was better than hearts” he answered rubbing the back of his neck, “now go change into sweats then get back here, i already laid out a pair on your bed”

You were caught off guard but did as he said. When you returned, an unrecognisable smell filled the air engulfing you.

“what’s that smell?”

“That’s my mum’s recipe for lentil soup, figured it was the exact opposite of a romantic dinner, plus it’s the only thing I know how to make other than an omelette,” he confessed earning a grin from you, “oh and for desert I made chocolate strawberries and I know you’re all anti-valentine’s but I just couldn’t help myself” he added.

“Oh my gosh JJ I really don’t know what to say-“

“You don’t have to say anything” he cut you off, “especially considering the main event of this... fine evening” he said reaching into a bag and taking out three CD’S “all three toy story movies, cause nothing says ‘not a valentines date’ more than talking toys” you giggled at his enthusiasm, the two of you sat on the couche and watched all three movies together, enjoying both the food and each other’s company.

“I can not believe you just cried from an animated movie” you laughed with a few tears still rolling down your cheeks from the ending of the last one.

“Wh- you did too!”

“Yeah but I cry all the time, like when I can’t find the exit in a shopping centre or even when you eat the last cookie. But I have NEVER seen YOU cry!”

“It was a sad ending! He gave up Woody! come on, I’m not heartless!” You guffawed at the way he was defending himself and he joined in.

“Thank you JJ, really” you hugged him then parted. Scanning his face, you noticed chocolate smeared on his bottom lip and took the liberty of wiping it of for him. He enjoyed every second of the feeling of your dainty thumb brush against his lips.

When you were about to remove your hand from his cheek he grabbed it gently, looking deep into your eyes he moved his gaze down to your lips then averted it back to your orbs and asked for promotion, “can i kiss you?”

And with no hesitation you let his lips meet your own, exploring every inch, he finally tasted what he desired most for so long , what was so close yet so far, and finally, his wish was granted.

—

A/N: ik there are 4 toy story movies now but i was afraid of spoiling the last one😔🤚🏻

taglist:

@infinitelycharmed23 @queenofthepouges @bibliophilewednesday @bijleegiregi @princessnnylzays @beth-winchester21

feel free to add yourself to my taglist!

#kjs fic exchange #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank imagine #outer banks fic #outer banks #jj maybank #outer banks imagine #imagine #imagines #rudy pankow #jj maybank x reader #jj x reader #rudy pankow imagine #obx #outer banks jj maybank #outer banks jj #obx jj maybank #obx netflix #jj maybank blurb

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manifestingdestiel · 3 years

Text

Take Me To Church

(Long post, sorry!)

“Hiya, Father.” Dean moves around a bit to get comfortable and thinks about what he could ‘confess’ to in order to bait the monster they were after.

“Pardon me?” The priest is confused by being addressed informally. This was surely not one of his regular church goers. Perhaps this person was new to the faith. Father Delaney looks over and it was officer Allman from before. What sins would he confess to?

“Pardon you? I thought it was the other way around.” He chuckles at his own joke, which he does because he feel out of his element. To Dean, praying was like abasement, calling out into the void… no idea if anyone is even listening. Groveling at the universe. “Just…it’s…” He clears his throat. “So, uh, I’m here to– here to clean house. I need to get some things off my chest.” Dean hadn’t planned beforehand what he would say to the priest but he new it had to be horrid enough to bait the being who had been killing the congregation. It was all unfaithful men… promiscuous… Dean knew what he could say to get the -ghost or spectre or whatever they were dealing with here- all riled up.

Father Delaney nods and prepares himself to be patient and understanding and non-judgemental. He had no clue what Dean would confess to, but he was prepared to listen and support him. “Oh. All right. Continue.”

Dean tries to make another joke to cover up his nervousness. “I’ve never done this before, so… here goes? Gosh, if I had known these benches were so stiff I would have brought a pillow or something!” He chuckles and looks at the ground, contemplating. If this goes wrong would he end up killing himself or Sam? Dean decided to cast such thoughts away. He decided he might as well just go for whatever story he could make up to make him sound as like as much of a jerk as possible. “Um…it’s the... women, Father. Where do I begin?” He chuckles.

The Father chuckles. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” is usual.

“Right. Good. Yeah. So, uh... that, and, um… so, the women. Uh, and this is not something that I’m proud of, but I let them think that we have more of a future than we do, you know?” Dean remembers a time and reminisces for a moment. “Ah, Gina…” He smiles slightly, and then sighs.

“Gina?” Dean’s attention is brought back to the Priest. Right, he had a job to do. Might as well sell it like he did the neighborhood watch persona. He took a deep breath and looked around in the confessional to see if he could spot any peeping toms or listening ears. Dean didn’t quite feel comfortable revealing anything true about himself, especially since he knew someone would be listening.

“Well, now, don’t get me wrong. I mean, she was – it was good times. I mean, you know how it is – the sex, the lasagna – but I was not honest with her. And sometimes, I was seeing two, maybe three girls at the same time, sometimes in the same day. Haha, you get the picture. And it wasn’t just Gina. It was endless. It’s making me sick…”

Now there was some truth to that last line. His sleeping around has resulted in nothing good. Ben might have been, maybe is his son. Sam had to kill his Amazonian daughter. All it did was temporarily fill the void, just to leave it empty again. At least he felt something different. Something that wasn’t the guilt, pain, resent, and confusion that he walked with everyday. But, he wouldn’t be able to tell Sam any of this. It wasn’t because he wouldn’t understand. It was really because he had to keep up the image of invincible big brother, it was because he wouldn’t know where to begin with how to express himself. There’s so many emotions he doesn’t know how to describe, so many he suppresses… There’s so much inside of him that he feels. Some days he doesn’t think twice about it and other days it’s all he can think about. Each day it gets a little bit harder for Dean and he knows it. He doesn’t want to admit it but he knows it. Dean can’t believe he’s getting emotional with a near stranger. He blinks away a few would-be tears and takes a deep breath.

The Priest looks over at him concerned and then nods slowly. “And you wish to be forgiven, my son?”

Dean clears his throat and remembers to keep up with his performance. He has a job to do. “I do. I-I need to clean up my act…” He smiles, a transparent facade.

Father Delaney examines Dean and sees the anguish within his micro expressions. He wouldn’t pry, for sake of privacy but he did want to be sure and help Dean in any way he could. “As penance, you shall say five ‘Hail Mary’s’ two ‘Our Father’s ’, and reflect on your transgressions.”

“And then, that’s it? then I’m good to go?”

“Well… One would hope some inner exploration might occur. The prayers are just the beginning to some serious soul-searching.”

“Hmm… You done any soul searching yourself, Father?” Dean begins to wonder if perhaps he should suspect the priest.

“That, I have. I continue to do what I can, when I can. We all have our crosses to bear, agent. But it doesn’t mean we are alone. There will be peace when we are done.”

Dean is lost in thought for a moment, reliving all of the recent events, and some of the past ones. Was peace in the cards for Dean? He thought he deserved less.

Father Delaney sighs and looks ahead, thinking that perhaps if he didn’t look at him, then Dean would feel more comfortable and less like he’s being held on trial. “Is there anything else on your mind, Agent Allman?”

Dean chuckles, using laughter to mask his fear and anxiety; his weariness and his frustrations. “I don’t know…” Dean looks over at the priest and sighs. “There’s a lot of things I got on my plate… with the job, you know. It’s bloody. Messy. I have seen things that you wouldn’t believe...“ Dean looks down. “I just…”

“It’s alright, son, take your time.” He reassured Dean.

“What if I said I…I didn’t want to die…yet, you know, that I wasn’t ready?”

The Father asks a question. “Are you expecting to?”

“Always. You know, the life I live, the work I do…I pretty much just figured that that was all there was to me, you know? Tear around and jam the key in the ignition and haul ass until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later, I’d go out the same way that I live – pedal to the metal, and that would be it.” There’s a tense tightness in his chest as he says this. He thought that all he was worth was worth. Canon fodder. Soldier. Scapegoat. He thought he would die bloody and that would be it.

The Father noticed Dean spoke in past tense which led to another question. “But now?”

“Now, um… recent events, uh… make me think I might be closer to that than I really thought. And…I don’t know. It- It’s terrifying. I mean, you know, there’s still so much I feel I have left to do. There’s things I want to do, places I want to see... There’s… people in my life I want to spend more time with….” Dean pauses for a while after that.

“Unfinished business? Well you should tell those people how you feel. Tell them you appreciate them. Tell them you love them. Lots of people regret not doing that before it was too late. And I certainly hope it’s not too late for you, my son.”

Dean nods slowly. “There’s all these new feelings that I-I-I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time…”

The priest smiles slightly. “I see…” He looks over at Dean and nods. “They…” He paused for emphasis, must be very special to you. “ Dean nods and his heart feels heavy. “Go a little deeper, perhaps… than with ‘Gina’s. Explore yourself some more.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m just starting to think that… maybe there’s more to it all than I thought. I used to operate in a small little,” he glances and The Father and chuckles, “department, you could say. Same old rodeo everyday, and on Thursdays we have pie.” He smiles. “But now there’s a whole lot more out there. I learn a bit more every day. I always thought it would just be black and white, you know? Simple job. Catch the baddie, go home. But now a whole wide world has opened up, and… maybe it’s not all junk…” Dean clears his throat. “I just mean to say, that after a certain encounter a few years back, things have changed. Everything. It made me realize some things…”

Father Delaney nods. “Learning there’s more to the universe than your tiny world can be a frightening discovery. Especially when it prompts you to rediscover parts of yourself...” The Priest looks over at Dean. “Do you truly believe in God, Agent? Because that can be a comfort.”

Dean sighs. “I believe there is a God. But I’m not sure he still believes in us.” He falters, and then clears his throat.

“It’s okay to have doubts. We all have them. You just have to find your truth and what you believe for yourself. I believe we are all God’s children, Agent Allman. That there are angels above watching over us. I believe that no matter what happens, we will be where we need to be, when we need to be there. It will all work itself out. Have faith and you shall see.”

“Faith, trust and pixie dust. Got it.” Dean smiles and waits for a bit before standing. “Thanks Padre.”

Dean walks out of the confessional feeling lighter. He had forgotten he and Sam were working a job, and he shuddered. It was time to get back to work. He tucked away his vulnerability once again.

There’s a little headcanon of mine 😌 This is what happened in my version of spn, so to speak. 😁 this is what I think took Dean so long. Hope you enjoyed 😝

(Edited)

#supernatural #destiel #spn #manifest destiel #dean winchester #castiel #mishapocalypse #jenpocalypse #jensen ackles #misha collins #deancas #supernatural headcanon #spn headcanon #headcanon

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flowerpowell · 4 years

Text

Unexpected (Drake x MC)

PART FIFTEEN

A/N: So... Dani and Liam kinda took over this chapter but I hope it’s okay. I promise it is getting somewhere! Also, sorry for the delay in posting, I had a hard time with writing anything. Also x2, this chapter may suck because I think I forgot how to write in English. Pardonne-moi.

Rating: PG

Word count: 2256

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @desireepow-1986 @hopefulmoonobject @dcbbw @kingliam2019 @the-soot-sprite @thequeenofcronuts @badchoicesposts @burnsoslow @annekebbphotography @alesana45 @axwalker @walkerduchess @ao719 @texaskitten30 @lodberg @cordonianroyalty @emichelle @siriusxxvideos @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @samihatuli @choices-lurker @i-miss-trr @drxkewalker @nikkis1983 @innerpostmentality @msjr0119 @bascmve01 @mind-reader1 @edgiestwinter @drakesensworld @queenjilian @princessleac1 @saivilo @yukinagato2012 ♥

“Hey, can you please pass the charger?”

Dani looked up from her bed and wordlessly threw the charger at her sister.

“Thanks.”

“Are you going to call Drake?” She asked but already knew the answer. It had been a few weeks since Riley moved out from Drake’s cabin and moved into Dani’s hotel room. She said she talked with Drake but decided it was better for them to stay separate. She still visited him when it was his turn with Bartie.

“Nah, I’m just looking at furniture for my restaurant.”

“Riley...”

“Please, Dani, stop. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ri, it’s been weeks. You’ve seen the lab results, Drake didn’t do anything wrong, he was tricked!”

“I know. And this is why I shouldn’t be with him.”

“That makes no sense.” Dani shook her head.

Riley swallowed hard before blurting out, “we both will be safer that way.”

Dani turned to her and sat down on the bed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean... It’s better for us if we’re not together.”

“But--”

“I tried to love my parents but they didn’t care about me. I loved my grandma and she left me. I... liked Drake and he got drugged. I just... I need to accept the fact that I should be alone.”

“This is nonsense! Riley, people--”

“Dani, please. I made my decision. I just wish Drake would hate me already. It’d be easier for us.” She said quietly. Drake tried to talk to her, call her but she wouldn’t answer back. She expected him to give up but he never did. Never... until this week. It was Thursday and he hadn’t called for the whole week. Riley wasn’t sure if what she felt was a relief or a hearbreak.

Dani shook her head. She loved her sister but couldn’t understand her. The only thing she knew was that she couldn’t fix her sister’s relationship. She had to do it herself.

Dani had been meeting up with Liam for the past few weeks, trying to figure out the way to bring Drake and Riley together but nothing seemed to work. Nothing because Riley was too stubborn.

She looked at her phone and read a message from Liam.

“You’re smiling like an idiot. Is it Liam?” Riley asked and Dani looked at her sister innocently.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I need to go though. And I might pick up some coffee to wake me up,” she added.

“What’s up with you and coffee? You always hated it!”

“I never hated it, it just always made me feel like I was having a heart attack. But I’ve been so tired recently that coffee is the only thing that keeps me awake.”

“Man, you must be pretty stressed,” Riley murmured and went back to scrolling.

“Yeah, well, my sister is now living with me because she had an argument with her husband, my brother-in-law was drugged and my father is sending me to law school. I guess I am pretty stressed,” she answered and her eyes widened in horror. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound so passive aggressive. I’m just really tired.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t know about the law school. Why did you agree? You hate law!”

“Do you remember the last time I tried to disagree with father? This is why.”

“Dani... Maybe you should talk to him. And stop caring so much about everything. It only makes you sick!”

“Someone has to care,” Dani replied and. Riley sighed.

“You know... Not everything that’s weighing you down is yours to carry.”

Dani looked at her, surprised, but Riley was already focused on her phone. She shook her head and left the room.

~~~~

“I talked to Drake, he’s ready to give up,” Liam told Dani as they were drinking coffee. “He’s tired of not knowing why Riley is acting the way she is acting.”

“I know, I’d be pretty frustrated too. But he can’t give up. Riley... is a mess. She has many issues she needs to figure out but I’m sure she’ll finally realize she wants to be with Drake.”

Liam sighed, “I just hope it won’t be too late.”

He took empty mugs and put them back on the drawer. Dani walked up to Liam’s desk and looked at his laptop.

“Is that the footage from Savannah and Betrand’s disappearance?” she asked and chucked when Liam raised an eyebrow. “Riley told me everything.”

“Yes. The first one is what our police found and the second one was lost but Madeleine’s detective found it and she gave it to us.”

“Madeleine, huh. And it’s not fake?” Dani asked as she watched the two videos carefully.

“Nope. The footage is legit. No editing, no photoshop, no--”

“NAILS!”

“No nails?” Liam asked. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“No! I mean, look!” Dani took Liam’s hand and paused the video. “The first footage, they go in. Look at her nails,” she zoomed in a little. “Perfect manicure. Love the color though. I wish my father let me wear dark polish too.”

“Okay, manicure. What about it?”

“Look at the second video, the one taken an hour later. She has pretty much no polish on! Either her nails grow extremely fast or she chipped it or...”

“Or?”

“Or the video was taken much later. Like, about three, four weeks later. Which would kinda explain why both of them look a bit stiff.”

Liam swallowed hard as he felt dizzy. He sat down and looked at Dani. “How did you even notice that?”

“I work in a bank, remember? Noticing the details is a part of my job. Plus, I’m kinda obsessed with dark manicure.”

“You’re wonderful, you know that?” Liam asked before realized he said it out loud. Dani blushed.

“Yes, well, umm, so that means... they were kept somewhere. And are alive. Or at least were so the video could have been taken.”

“Seems like it,” Dani nodded.

“And if you say her manicure was around a month old, it’s the time between us finding out they are gone and Drake’s outburst at Madeleine in the court.”

Dani’s face lit up. “That’d make perfect sense, she recorded the video so Drake would stop suspecting they’re still in Karlington!”

“I need to call Drake.”

“And I’ll call Riley!”

A whole thirty minutes later, Drake was watching the footage with his fists clenched and anger written all over his face. Riley was seated in the other corner of the room, comparing pictures of Savannah’s hand that Liam quickly printed.

“I hate them. I HATE THEM!” Drake hit the table, spilling the tea from his mug. “I’m gonna make them pay for what they did to my sister. THIS BI--”

“Drake!” Liam raised his voice. “Please. I know you’re angry but--”

“Angry? Just angry? I am furious and I’m going to show this little spoiled brat what--”

“Drake! She can’t know we know or everything will get lost,” Liam explained and Drake sat down, breathing heavily. “We need more evidence. Her manicure is not really gonna be enough,” Dani added, offering him a fresh cup of tea.

“So what, I’m supposed to sit and do nothing?”

“Not nothing, just acting as if everything is normal so we can gather more evidence.”

“I can’t do that, my sister might still be alive and she’s in danger!”

“Oh my gosh, Drake, just sit your ass down and stop making a bigger mess!” Riley yelled, stunning everyone.

“Why are you so mad? What do you want from me?!” Drake asked, raising his voice Dani flinched.

“A divorce,” she answered, quietly this time.

“Great then, because that’s exactly what I want too. Who needs a wife who doesn’t even care about her husband being drugged. Liam, divorce us now.”

Liam’s eyes widened and he looked at Dani who only shook her head ‘no’.

“I-I can’t can’t,” he said and Dani showed him a thumb up.

“What do you mean you can’t? You said you’d annul our marriage!” Riley inquired.

Liam looked at Dani again, panicking, and Dani started showing him some strange gestures. He shook his head to let her know he didn’t understand but Riley noticed that and looked at her sister as well. Dani quickly stopped gesturing and looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be admiring it.

“Because... a new law has just been introduced!” Liam lied and nodded his head as if to make it more believeable. Riley narrowed her eyes.

“New law? About divorce?” Drake asked, confused.

“Yes, new divorce law. It says that the couple has to be married for at least a year before annuling their marriage. Sorry guys, my hands were tied.”

“Aren’t you the King?” Riley asked.

“Umm, yes but... but...”

“The referendum!” Dani cut in. “Liam couldn’t do much, the nobles voted him out!”

“Exactly!” Liam nodded.

Drake looked puzzled and Riley was looking between Liam and Dani.

“Right,” she said. “Anyway, I gotta go. Let me know if you find out something!”

“The in-depth analysis of the footage should be tomorrow,” Liam told her and she nodded in understanding before leaving.

“Well, I should be going too,” Drake said and started heading out.

“She still cares a lot about you, you know,” Dani said and Drake turned to her. He looked conflicted.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“You two will be fine, I know it. Just give her time, please,” she asked and Drake nodded slowly, before exiting the office.

“That was close,” Liam whispered after a few minutes of silence.

“Too close. But good thinking with the new law!”

“Good thinking with the referendum! We make a good team, don’t we?” he smiled softly at her and she retured the gesture. He felt his heart skipping a beat a little.

Stop it. It’s not gonna happen, stop hoping for it like an idiot.

~~~~

“Are you sure you really can’t go?” Riley asked her sister for the tenth time that day.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I feel too sick,” Dani rasped. She was lying in her bed, feeling miserable.

“And this is not just an excuse so I’ll be there with Drake?” Riley raised an eyerbow.

“Liam will be there as well. I wanted to come, I promise. I just feel terrible.”

“Well... Okay. Feel better soon, then,” Riley hugged her sister and headed out, leaving Dani alone.

Dani groaned as she buried her face in the pillow. She was lying for a few hours, mindlessly watching funny videos of dogs online when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she answered, assuming it was either Riley or her parents.

“Hi.”

She sat straight immediately after hearing his voice. Seeing Liam there, in her hotel room, while being in her pajamas, was the last thing she expected to happen that day.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to cover herself with the comforter. Despite the fact that Liam had seen her naked before, she still felt weird about him seeing her like that.

“Riley told me you are sick so... I wanted to check on you,” he smiled at her sheepishly. “I also brought soup that my mom used to make for me and it always made me feel better.”

“Thank you, that’s so... thoughtful,” she smiled at him, trying to swallow a giant lump that was formed in her throat. There was a King in her hotel room. A King who just brought her a soup because she felt sick. And she was in her pajamas that had little Mickey mouse faces all over it.

While Dani was internally panicking, Liam took out the jar with the soup and heated it a little in the microwave.

“Be careful, it’s hot,” he warned her as she took the jar from his hands. He sat down next to her when she was eating the soup and filled her with everything he found out after the analysis. It felt almost strange. Nice but... strange. It felt cozy. It felt home. It felt dangerously good and Dani was scared.

At some point, Dani finished the soup and lay down for a bit and Liam joined her. They were lying on her bed together, on two different sides on her small bed, both silently looking at the ceiling, their index fingers intertwined.

No words were exchanged but the silence still felt good. And if only they could hear each other’s thoughts, they’d be surprised at how similar there were.

I know I’m not perfect, I know I made a lot of mistakes but please, let me stay in Cordonia with him. Let something happen so I can stay here with him. Give me a sign, anything. I can’t imagine not being here.

I’m so ungrateful, I know. I know I shouldn’t be asking for this but please. Please, make something happen so that she stays here. Anything so that we could be together. I know I probably don’t deserve this but I’ll do everything to make her happy. I can’t imagine being without her.

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kaffeinic · 5 years

Text

Caffeinic | Bang Chan

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Epilogue

Pairing: Reader x Barista!Bang Chan

Genre: Neutral // Fluff // Romance

Warnings: None

Preamble: You’ve been going to the same coffee shop for the past four years. You’ve ordered the same thing almost every single day, and you never, ever skip on that part of your morning. So, when Mrs. Park hired a new barista and the once serene café was suddenly flooded with people every second of the day, you were less than thrilled.

You stared at the scene before you. Junseok was sweaty and tired, panting heavily. Chan was holding a half-brewed cup of coffee, seemingly moving closer to you. Seoyeon was leaning low with a deep v-neck shirt toward Chan, but turned to Junseok with disgust when she saw his ragged state. You sat in your chair, gingerly fiddling with the handle of your mug, not completely sure what to do next.

“Are you alright?” Chan asked Junseok. The messy boy stood up straight and brushed himself off. He walked toward you and smiled.

“Could I speak to you for a moment?” He asked. You looked up at Chan, who seemed just as confused as you, then looked back at Junseok.

“Okay.”

He led you to the exit of the café, holding the door open. You hesitantly walked through as he followed suit. You noticed that his hands were shaky and his gaze seemed to be avoiding yours.

“I got your text,” He said. “and I’m here to tell you that I feel the same.” He looked at you with a shy smile, which was returned with a confused raise of your brow.

“What do you mean?” You asked. He smiled and grabbed your hands.

“You sent me a text about how you feel about me.” He said, smiling. His grin slowly dissipated when he noticed that you weren’t aware of what was happening. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so confused?” He asked.

“Why are you confusing me?” You retorted. “I still haven’t seen my phone since the party.” You explained. Junseok’s eyes widened as he released your hands.

“I-” He fumbled. “I’m so sorry. I got a text from your number saying that you wanted to be more than friends.” He explained. “Which you apparently didn’t send. I feel like such an idiot. Oh my gosh, I just-” He stuttered. “I can’t believe I just told you that. Oh no.” He ran his fingers through his hair and turned away from you.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” You said. You then realized why he was so bent out of shape. “Oh. OH.” You suddenly were reanimated, moving around nervously.

“Do you like me?” Junseok had turned to look at you, his eyes sincere and his mouth turned into a worried frown.

“I-” You began. “I am interested in someone else; I’m sorry.” You said. He looked down, tears brimming his eyes. After a moment, he raised his head, smiling.

“It’s Chan, right?” He asked. “I thought you seemed close during the party.” He was quiet for a bit until you broke the silence.

“Are we still friends?” You asked him, hopeful. Though you may not feel an attraction to him, you had enjoyed his company. He truly was a great guy.

“Of course. I’ll see you at the university.” He said, twiddling his thumbs. He looked at you sheepishly, running a hand through his hair again. “Bye, Y/n.”

You looked at him with concern. “Okay, see you.”

He waved as he walked down the sidewalk. Part of you felt absolutely horrible for hurting him. You looked back and forth between the empty space Junseok once stood and the café’s entrance. You slowly made your way back inside, sitting down quietly.

“Y/n?” Chan said. You looked up at him and smiled. “What was that all about?” He asked. You contemplated telling him the details, but decided against it.

“Junseok got a text from my number.” You said. “I didn’t send it.”

“Your phone is still missing.” Chan said. He stared off in thought. “Someone must be sending texts in your name.” He paused. “How did they get through your passcode?” He asked. You looked at him and blinked.

“I didn’t have one set.” You explained.

“Of all of the irresponsible-” Chan started on a tangent, spinning around in annoyance. “Are you kidding me?” He asked. “Setting up the security is step one!”

After a few more minutes of scolding you as he worked, Chan fell silent. You attempted to take a sip of your coffee, but it had become cold a long while ago. Your expression soured at the room temperature latte, causing Chan’s face to light up as he laughed at your reaction.

“That was gold. Wow. I should just serve you cold lattes.” He paused. “Because I’m cold hearted.” He paused again, waiting for you to laugh. “Get it?”

“Oh, I got it. It just wasn’t very good.” You retorted. He laughed through the pain, getting back to work. You giggled at the interaction before deciding it was a good time for you to leave. You needed to at least attempt to shut down your phone.

After gathering your things and saying your goodbyes, you made your way back to the subway station, wiping a bead of sweat from your forehead. You needed to get to your data provider to turn off the service to your number until you got your phone back.

When you entered the store a clerk immediately tried to talk you into buying a new phone, rather than finding your old one, at which you rolled your eyes and insisted on trying to search for your phone instead. Once that was taken care of, you decided you’d turn in for the day and chill at home. You spent most of the time reading books and watching your favourite television shows. Still, you felt that deep hollowness in your stomach. Why would someone tell Junseok that you had feelings for him?

Sighing for the umpteenth time, you turned off the television, closed your book, and washed up for bed. You tried to get some sleep, but you didn’t really have good results.

After an entire night of tossing and turning in your bed, you showered, styling your hair for the next day. There were dark bags under your eyes and your skin was dull with fatigue. Huffing, you gathered your things and walked out of the front door, locking it behind you. The first few classes at the university weren’t very eventful. You heard your professor drone on about the Korean language and how intricately it can be spun into wondrous stories with hidden meanings. You quite enjoyed that lecture. Comparatively speaking, that is.

You dragged yourself to your last class of the day, running a hand through your now messy hair. You heard someone call your name from behind.

“Y/n, hey.” It was Junseok. He still seemed a bit nervous after your last conversation. Being perfectly honest, you were, too. His hands were stuffed precariously in his pockets as he glanced at you. “It’s good to see you.” He said. You shot him a smile.

“Likewise. Is this your last class?” You asked him. He nodded, but said nothing. “Mine, too.”

After that somewhat clumsy conversation, you two parted ways and took your seats. The last lesson bored you half to death, but you made it through without taking a nap - at least not too long. Oops.

It was now time for you to make your way to the café. You didn’t have nearly as many textbooks on hand today, which helped a bit with the walk you had to take. For the most part, the café was still quiet. You checked your watch, realizing that the majority of the high school students weren’t yet out for the day. With that, you smiled to yourself.

“Hello, beautiful.” You heard Chan greet you as soon as you walked in the door, earning him a shy smile.

“Hi.” You said. He laughed at your demeanor.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked. You shrugged.

“Not bad. Lectures aren’t the greatest thing in the world, but that’s not unusual. What about you?” You said. “Is Seoyeon still stalking you?” Chan openly laughed at your choice of words.

“I haven’t seen her in person today, but through social media, yes. She must not have any responsibility to be able to be online as much as she is.” He muttered. He looked considerably better today than he did yesterday, but you could still find signs of fatigue. “Can I ask you a question?” Chan asked. You perked up and nodded.

“Yeah, of course.” You said. Chan looked down a bit, a sweet smile gracing his face. His dimples puckered his cheeks and it made your heart flutter.

“Can I take you on that date?” He asked. You blinked in confusion. Suddenly, the realization hit you.

“Oh lord. I completely forgot with everything that was going on yesterday! I’m so sorry!” You exclaimed. You thought back to the plans Chan had made with you to go to his favourite coffee house, smiling.

“Yeah, I know. I just thought you had enough on your plate.” He said. “Honestly, I wasn’t up for it, either. Seoyeon is relentless.” He explained. It was then that you thought about just how much she seemed to want him. A twinge of jealously washed over you, and your expression darkened. Chan noticed immediately. “Are you alright?” He asked. You nodded.

“Yeah. I’m just worried.” You said. Chan walked around the back counter and closer to you, placing his hands on your shoulders.

“You don’t need to worry, love. She is the last person I want to be anywhere near.” His hands lightly rubbed up and down your arms. You felt the heat from his fingertips sinking deep into your skin. It felt like fire.

“I know.” You laughed. “I’m dumb. Sorry.” Chan smiled and leaned in, pulling you into a hug. You slowly wrapped your arms around his torso, taking in his scent. Not long after, you heard someone clearing their throat from the back of the café. It was Mrs. Park.

“You two seem well acquainted.” She said, smiling.

The three of you laughed as you pulled away from Chan’s embrace, his hands lingering on yours. You looked away.

“Coffee?” He asked. You looked up at him and nodded.

“Coffee.” You said.

Hey, guys! Let me know how you feel about this chapter. As always, I truly appreciate a good reblog, especially with some feedback! Comment, hit that like button, and have an amazing day! I’ll see you guys again soon! 💕

* DISCLAIMER: I do not own any gifs/photos used in this post. I do own the written content. Do NOT repost/edit. *

🏷 @a-toxic-galaxy • @hoshithehamster • @woo-for-woojin • @lovely-little-lesbib

#kpop #fanfictions #headcannons #reactions #skz #stray kids #ships #imagines #bang chan #chan #3racha #felix #christopher bang #cb97 #chanana #barista #cute #boyfriend #au #coffee #drabble

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monstersandmaw · 6 years

Note

Hello! Thank you for opening requests. If it's okay i'd like to request a lonesome male fae with a non binary chubby reader, sfw if it's possible thank you very much.

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Oh gosh, I’ve sat on this request for months. Like, months. But I knew I was going to do it for you, and had it all planned out (on paper and in writing and everything!) and then I discovered that it’s your birthday today, so I had to do it. Happy birthday, my beautiful demon-muse-friend!!

The setting for this is the day of my orc girl, Bronwyn, and her female reader’s wedding, but they don’t feature. Instead, the fae who is officiating their marriage is the subject of this little tale. It’s sfw, and features a reader who’s gender isn’t mentioned. I hope you like it!!

_____________________

As you traipsed into the little town, exhausted, and utterlyfed up, you saw little triangular pennants hanging over the main street in awide loop, fluttering in kaleidoscope colours in the breeze. It drew a smilefrom your lips, despite your mood. You’d been walking for days, you had almostnothing left, and yet someone here was happy, and having a party.

The noise of merriment and song rose from the back garden ofone of the buildings, and as you neared it, you realised it was the villageinn. The sign of the White Lady inn swung in the breeze, showing you adelicately painted rendition of the waterfall that you’d passed a few milesback, which had the same name. Not wanting to enter the pub if the celebrationsfor someone else’s happy day were in full swing, you looked around and saw ahuge water trough with broad, stone edging, sitting just beside the inn. Takingyourself over there, you cupped your hands and drank deeply of the clear, freshwater. It was cold, but it felt so good. Your own waterskin was empty, and yourfood rations were running out.

As you sank gratefully down onto the edge of the fountainand took a moment to rest your feet and enjoy the strains of music floating upfrom the party going on just out of sight behind the building, a movementcaught your eye, and you saw a figure standing in the archway to the passagewhich led along the side of the inn. He was clearly coming from thecelebrations, but he looked somehow utterly lonely.

After a moment, he noticed you too, and began to approachyou slowly, giving you plenty of time to get up and leave if you didn’t wanthis company, his hands hanging loose at his sides in a non-threatening, gentlepose.

Gods, but he was beautiful. He was tall, and perhaps a bitsevere looking, with long dark hair, and bright eyes, and he wore a long, darkblue, almost ceremonial robe, trimmed with silver and embroidered with patternsof the summer constellations. As he drew nearer to you, he looked almostsurprised by his own actions, but he smiled at you, and asked you who you were.Unthinkingly, you simply told him your name, and said you’d come a long waythat day.

“So I see,” he said kindly in his quiet, rich baritone. Ithad a sad harmonic to it somehow, which you couldn’t quite identify, but whichyou seemed to feel in the very depths of your soul. “And what are you doing outhere alone?” he asked. “The inn may be full of wedding guests, but there’salways room for one more, I’m sure. Mama Gilla wouldn’t hear of someone goinghungry in her town…”

You had to smile at that, but it faded quickly. “No moneyfor food or a bed,” you shrugged. “I suppose I’ll sleep between the trees againtonight…” you said. “It’s not so bad at this time of year.”

He frowned, his strong, handsome brows knitting together inconsternation, and his slender hand went to his pocket. He drew out a glintinggold coin, and your eyes went wide with surprise. Before you could sayanything, he said, “I will offer you this coin in return for a single smile.”

“What?” you asked stupidly.

He chuckled, a lovely, whickering sound, like a contentedhorse. “I’ve seen plenty of smiles today, but they were all for someone else.None were truly for me.”

“That’s a heavy price to pay for just a smile,” youcountered, staring at the coin.

“It’s my demand. I’ll set the price.”

You looked at him a long time. “You’re fae, aren’t you?” youasked eventually, and he nodded once. “What are you doing here?”

“Officiating at a friend’s wedding, believe it or not,” hesaid. “There’s an ancient belief in these parts that to be married by a faebinds you to each other on a deeper level.”

You cocked your head to one side. “That’s not the case?” youasked curiously.

He laughed again, adjusting his weight slightly on hisslender legs. His long blue robe lifted in the breeze which whispered along theroad, and you felt your heart skip a beat as his long, dark hair was liftedfrom his slim shoulders to reveal his chiselled jawline and high cheekbones inthe shifting sunlight of the late afternoon. He seemed completely unaware ofhis good looks as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think my presence makes theirpromises any deeper,” he said.

Unthinkingly, you smiled broadly at his comment, and he heldout the coin to you. “There,” he said. “Perfect. Thank you.”

“That’s it?” you said, fingers faltering just beforeaccepting the gold coin. It would buy you bed and board from here to the nextkingdom, probably.

“I swear on my true name that the only price I ask in returnfor this gold coin is a smile from you, traveller,” he said formally.

“I feel bad accepting it though,” you murmured, and he setthe coin down on the edge of the fountain. As you reached to pick it up, yourfocus left the fae, and when you glanced back up, he was nowhere to be seen.Disappointment sank deeply into you, and you turned the coin over in yourfingers. It was still warm.

You stayed in the inn that night, and Mama Gilla, the goblinwho owned the inn, was only too happy to change it into coppers and silvers foryou, which would be more practical for the road anyway.

At dawn, you set off while all the wedding guests were stillasleep, and a chorus of chirruping forest birds filled your ears as you trampedalong the road, well rested and full of delicious food, heading away from thecity far behind you and out into the world beyond.

Then, as you rounded a corner, you saw another travellerwalking the road ahead of you.

His back was towards you, but the slope of his shoulders wassomewhat familiar, as was the long dark hair now tied back in a neat ponytail,and he walked with an easy grace in the same direction as you. In his righthand he carried a sturdy yet elegant walking staff, and on his back was a smallpack. As if sensing your approach, he halted, and turned back to look at you.

You smiled broadly as you approached, but it soon faded to aworried frown as you saw him shaking his head, looking serious. “What’s wrong?”you asked as you caught up with the fae from the day before.

“You give me another of your beautiful smiles, and I have nomore gold to offer you in payment,” he said.

“What’s your name?” you asked in return. “Or at least, whatcan I call you?”

“Kiridai,” he said immediately, and you knew instinctivelythat that was his true name. “Is that the price you ask for your smile?”

“No,” you laughed, “Of course not. I just wanted to knowyour name. There’s no price this time. My smile is my gift,” you said, but hedidn’t seem happy with that either. “Now what?” you asked.

“A gift should be met with another gift, else the onereceiving is in the giver’s power,” he said gravely.

You rolled your eyes playfully, sensing that he was a very serious fae, but not a dangerous one. “Only by fae rules,” you scoffed. “Besides, wouldit be so terrible to be in my power?” you asked playfully.

Kiridai actually snarled at that. “What can I give you?” hedemanded.

“You don’t deal with people very often, do you?” youlaughed, and he seemed taken aback at that, but not displeased. “I’m surprisedthey asked you to officiate a wedding!”

His shoulders slumped and his head bowed sadly.

“Fine,” you laughed, giving in. “If you insist, I would lovefor you to walk with me and show me your favourite thing about this forest,”you said.

Kiridai seemed pleased with that as your price, and youwalked with him along the road for perhaps a mile before he turned off the pathand took a narrow deer track through the beech trees. He paused briefly tocheck that he had set a good pace for you, and when he discovered that you hadkept up with him, he smiled bashfully over his shoulder, his eyes glittering,and he said, “Almost there.”

At the top of a short incline, he halted beside a littlerocky cliff. Water trickled from the rock into a natural pool, which, despitethe gentle flow of water, was still as glass. Sitting on the surface of themirrored pond were delicate, wild water-roses, the like of which you had neverseen in your whole life. Each one was as large as your hand, pale andbeautiful, and you soon found your feet faltering and your eyes widening at thesight of them.

Their delicate fragrance filled the glen, and he ushered youforwards toward them with a graceful wave of his arm. “This,” he said, “Is myfavourite place in the whole world.”

“I can see why,” you breathed, inhaling the scent of rosesand hearing the soft, glittering tinkle of water.

Glancing back at him, you saw him watching you with adelighted expression on his handsome face. “I’m glad you like it too,” he saidearnestly.

“Thank you,” you croaked. “It’s beautiful.”

“I could bring you nowhere else,” he said. “A beautiful soullike you is worthy of being in such a beautiful place.”

___________________________

Happy birthday, friend. Thank you for your endless support and ideas which keep me inspired on a nearly-daily basis. You deserve every happiness in the world.

Just to add, requests are not currently open, this was a special one-off for a lovely friend. Sorry folks! Don’t send me requests after you see this…

___________________________

#male fae #fae #non binary reader #non binary character #happy birthday

517 notes · View notes

sansofhumor · 5 years

Text

title: hey, kid, you’ve goat this rating: pg? characters: sans, papyrus, frisk, asgore tags: sanscentric, referenced character death, AU, death and grief

notes: this is uhhhhhh, raw and not edited bc i die, boy. super self-indulgent. no questons asked. where’s asriel?? chara?? no one knows don’t ask me!! here it is on Ao3! ((for content warnings: the character death isn’t for any of the listed characters, and isn’t described, but the fallout is... basically the whole fic.)

sans hesitates after stepping in the building, glancing around haphazardly. there's a cashier to his left, and walls of clothing in every direction except for in front of him, which has uh, watches? he looks up but the signs aren't very informative. womens, mens, housewares. aren't all these clothes technically house-wears? heh.

"Hello! Do you--uh, do you need help?" The cashier stutters when he turns to face them, but makes a remarkable effort at keeping the surprise off his face and smiling.

((readmore for mobile))

"uh, looking for a suit, or something." he shrugs, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Let me get you some help!" The cashier speaks into a headset and then tells sans someone will be right there. he shrugs. that's fine. suppose it'd be easier to let someone who might know what they're doing take the reins.

in a matter of moments, another employee comes racing down the aisle stuttering to a stop before him. it's not very busy in the store but they look stressed anyways. despite that, they're smiling. they introduce themselves.

"How can I help you today?"

"just looking for a suit jacket. black. uh cheap?" he says, tacking that last bit on as an afterthought.

"Hmm. Well we aren't going to have a very big selection, but let's look in our clearance!" They lead the way and sans awkwardly follows, into the racks of clothes. They stop in front of a small selection and sans tilts his head looking at what's on offer.

"Do you know your size?"

"uh, round?" he says, looking down at himself then back up at them.

"Try this one?"

he does. the arms are long, but it hangs alright.

"Hmm, that's a regular, so we're looking for a 40, 42 short." They mumble, picking another jacket. this one is grey. he shrugs into it easily enough. it's still a little long, but better.

"heh, something wrong?" he asks and the associate winces.

"You need black, you said?"

"yeah, uh. special occasion."

"We don't have much here, there's the grey. Darker grey. Blue. We have some sixty percent off stuff?" They nervously shuffle their feet. he takes a look at the tag. Forty five dollars and it's 90% off.

"eh, sure."

sans takes a look at the jackets, but they're all navys and tans. the associate looks mildly embarrassed, still clutching the slightly too long, dark grey jacket.

"That's all we have, uh, in that price range… do-- when do you need the jacket?”

sans looks at his wrist. it’s bare. he shrugs. “sooner the better.”

“Yeah, the earliest we’re going to get some more markdowns is in a few days. Uhm, and all we have is this--the dark grey. And the black in a smaller size.” They awkwardly shuffle again, gripping the jacket.

“yeah, see, it’s for a uh funeral. gotta be black.” he reaches out and tilts the sleeve so it catches the fluorescent lighting, “or white i guess.”

They start shaking their head immediately, reluctantly informing him they don’t carry white outside of prom season.

“Uhm, I don’t know if this is the first store you tried. Uhm, but the only other place I can think to try is a thrift store--”

“well,” sans shrugs, “i’m actually. late. already.”

the human boggles.

“Oh, I’m--” they frown, “We can-- gosh we don’t have any coupons or anything out. Uhm, you can always return it later? If you’re only going to use it once, I mean. We’ll take it back, no problem.”

“sounds like work,” he breathes. and work? it’s just not like him. she’d understand. “she wouldn’t recognize me in a suit anyways.”

“Oh,” the human glances at him before looking away, “Uh. I--”

“welp. i’ll get outta your hair then.”

“Wait--” sans waits. “Uhm, I just. You look like you’re going through a rough time? Are you uhm, gonna be okay?”

in general, or right now? because, as long as he, you know, doesn’t think about it, he’s fine. he looks at their face. oh, they’re asking-- “it’s fine, i’ve got a shortcut. no breakdowns while driving for me, at least none of the emotional kind, heh.” he sees them whisper ‘breakdowns’. they look like they want to laugh but not offend him. they wrestle the urge down.

“Okay.” they look down at the coat again. “I think… I think whatever you show up in will be okay. She-- she’ll understand.”

sans wishes they’d laughed instead.

“you’re right, tori never let me get her goat anyways, knew i was always kidding around.” he waits just a second before he remembers this person won’t get the joke. he sighs.

“Well. I hope you uh…” they frown hard for a moment. he waits patiently. it’s what he does. “I hope you have... I hope your day is--” they look like they are about to quit. he smiles. well, he’s always smiling. “I hope your spirits lift soon! It’s a shame to see them so … depressed?”

he gives the joke a second of breathing room. the human’s face slowly morphs into one of unrestrained horror. he starts chuckling, then laughing, his breath leaving him in a woosh of amusement. “heh, gotta say, kid, that was a real rib tickler.” they breath a sigh of relief. “you gotta future in amateur comedy, if this sales thing don’t work out. anyways, i’ll leave you to it, kid. thanks for giving me a chuckle, you really made someone’s day.”

“Uh, bye, then!” they give a wave. he walks into the dressing room. he’s gone when they check in on him.

monster funerals are pretty cool. monsters turn to dust when they die, so the most integral part of the ceremony is spreading dust on their most loved things. normally a monster will have a small ceremony, with their surviving family and their close friends spreading the dust on a favorite book, or instrument. maybe, the dust would get split between those who had been closest to the fallen. however, when someone who touched the souls of almost every monster living falls down, the arrangements are a bit different.

Toriel hadn’t been a small monster. but still, her dust doesn’t amount to much. the urnful of ash doesn’t look like it should be all that’s left of the boss monster. it looks small, dainty almost, and though Toriel had never been ungainly, dainty wasn’t a word sans would use to describe her. regal maybe.

there is a line, a procession before him, of monsters. some with various knicknacks gripped in their limbs, some with nothing. all of them there to honor Toriel. she had loved the people in her community and she had touched so many lives and all those souls want closure. some hold precious memories-- “Toriel gave me this recipe while planning for the PTA bake sale, she said it was for her favorite pie”--and they receive a sprinkle of dust, so toriel’s essence can live on in those happier times. some only have the memories in their head, but they still want to be there, to offer their sympathies.

the urn grows deeper as it is emptied of toriel’s dust. if sans were prone to feeling bitter, if he could muster up the effort, he might be tempted to feel bitter about this. tori’s dust being spread so thin, across so many monsters. by rights, tori’s kid should be the one who gets to lay tori’s dust where they want. Tori’s kid, and maybe Asgore, her ex husband, depending on how she felt before she fell. but her dust was spread thin the way her love never was, and if he thinks about it, this is really what tori would have wanted. this ritual, spread across so many, is something to give the monsters in the community hope. to keep their will up even when a pillar has fallen.

besides, why should he get upset over this? it’s not like he wants any of her dust for himself. he has nothing to spread it over, no mementos or sentiments he can hold onto. just a door and some jokes they spent hours and hours on. the soft memory of her braying laughter, the noise of his bones knock knocking against wood. he hadn’t settled in her life, and he’d made sure she couldn’t settle in his.

though, the way his soul feels, he was maybe not too successful at the latter.

he stands at the edge of the gathering until everyone has filed away. he sees a couple monsters he knows-- the neighborhood watchdogs, the school’s coach and science teacher. he sees his brother as well. he sees them all come and go until only asgore remains. he stays until asgore leaves as well, returning to the quaint and tidy house toriel had lived in. he makes his way to the tree they’d stood under. the tree hadn’t meant anything special to toriel, but he isn’t going to interrupt what remains of her family with his tired jokes.

he raps his knuckles against the tree. “knock knock.”

nobody answers.

“hopper.”

“hopper happy on the other side.”

he waits and knocks again.

“knock knock…. baaa….. can’t you tell yourself? i’ve gotten your goat!” inspired, he follows that up quickly with another one. “knock knock… goat… what goat, can’t you see i’m kidding around?” he chuckles.

then he knocks again.

“knock knock…. your leaf….. you’re leafing me bonely, pal.”

and finally: “knock knock. i’ll fish…. i’ll fish you a lot.”

he sighs and thunks his head against the tree trunk. well, that’s as much of a eulogy as he is going to make. kind of went off on a tangent there. welp.

there’s another knocking sound, but this one doesn’t come from him.

“who’s there?” he answers the call obligingly. he’s informed that there’s an interrupting drop bear waiting at his door. “interrupting drop bear who--” a kid tumbles into his arms from the branches above. they’re lucky he’s magical.

“oof, there you are, kiddo. was wondering where you were hiding. oh, you’re wondering why i was late? i had problems with a suitor.” they look at him questioningly. “couldn’t find a suitable jacket.” they look at his worn hoodie and nod their head in agreement. he chuckles and sets them on the ground. “‘sides, better later than never, am i right?” they only shrug.

“well, come on, time to get you inside and fed. it’s getting late.” they take his hand, and he forces himself not to pull away. he walks them up to the door of toriel’s cottage home and knocks, two quick raps out of habit.

“I’ll be just a minute, who’s there?” that’s asgore.

“i’ll be just a minute.”

“Oh, I’ll be just a minute who?” Asgore asks, opening the door, a tired smile on his face. he probably only answered that way because he recognizes sans voice.

“i’ll be just a minute is you,remember? i’m sans. this is frisk.” he winks. “hey, ‘gorey. goat your kid.”

Asgore blinks, smile trembling a moment before pulling himself back together.

“Ahh, yes… my, hmm. Frisk, I had been wondering where you were at. Thank you, for bringing them home safely, Sans.”

“no prob, i’ll just get outta your way now, then--”

“Nonsense, please, let me invite you in for a cup of tea. I’m sure Frisk would appreciate the company.” as would i, he doesn’t add, but sans can read it on his face well enough. of course asgore doesn’t want to be alone right now. well... sans isn’t very good company right now.

“nah, it’ll just go straight through me, you know that.” he huffs a laugh.

“If you are quite certain, there are some leftovers in the kitchen, still.”

“well, if ya add food into the equation, guess i’m a variable after all.” asgore does not look like he gets the joke. sans won’t explain it.

the dinner is an awkward affair. there’s the remains of a snail casserole, heated up by fire magic. Frisk is sitting next to him, asgore is seated at the head of the table, though not the side that toriel would’ve taken. asgore made tea for them all anyway, and sans drinks it. it’s floral, and it dissipates like all magic food.

“She had a Last Will and Testament notarized,” asgore announces, not quite out of the blue.

“that requires some, uh, foresight.” he comments. asgore glances at him and shuffles his cutlery around.

“We’re reading it tomorrow, in the morning at the courthouse.”

“prompt, sounds good.” he doesn’t know why asgore would be telling him this. he looks at asgore’s face, catches his eyeline, follows it to the kid. “ah,” he says.

“Ah?”

“you need a kidsitter?” he asks. frisk wrinkles their nose at him. they’re not a-- “yeah yeah you’re not a baby, did i call you one?” he winks and frisk pouts. “i don’t have plans, i can make sure your kid is flat as a pancake by the time you come back.”

he’s not really sure why anyone thinks he’s responsible enough for kid duty. toriel had asked him quite a lot. well, he supposes frisk makes it easy most of the time. sure they get into tight spots, but they aren’t nearly the hellion papyrus was at that age.

“That’s not-- actually. Yes, that would work out fine, I believe. Would you like to stay the night then, so you do not have to make the trip twice over?” asgore is incredibly good at looking pleading and open and soft.

“eh, gotta text papyrus. he might want a sleepover with his favorite human too. you willing to host that?” he asks. he, uh, doesn’t really want to spend the night under tori’s roof when he knows that he won’t stumble upon her laughing in her kitchen or reading in the armchair by the fireplace. unfortunately, his brother is really cool and everyone knows that.

“I’d be delighted to have your brother here. He’d be welcome.”

he texts papyrus. papyrus would REALLY, REALLY LOVE TO HAVE A “SLEEP” OVER AT THE HUMAN’S, SANS! BECAUSE I AM SUCH A GOOD AND PREPARED FRIEND, I WILL BRING ALL THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT. SPAGHETTI, PUZZLES, A VACUUM!

his brother really lightens the mood when he arrives. bearing puzzles and tupperware containers of food--and dragging a vacuum he insists on using before the night is up--he forcefully injects smiles and optimism into the small gathering. gosh. sans brother is just so cool.

asgore gets along well with Papyrus, he makes a pretty good foil for sans’ excitable brother. still, he bows out of the party games early, thanking them both for offering to keep an eye on the kid the next day.

sans watches the kid and papyrus giggling together over their puzzle game. they keep trying to entice him to join them but he’s content with dozing on the couch. they rouse him enough to tell him they're ready for bed, looking at him expectantly.

“hmm, you're right it is getting late. ‘night, then.” he rolls over, mostly to hide his amused face.

“SANS!”

he snickers, catches himself, and turns it into a loud snore.

the kid tugs at his jacket as papyrus yells some more. he keeps pretending. the tugs on his jacket stop, and papyrus goes quiet. sans gets suspicious.

“ONE. TWO. THREE!” there’s a rush of movement and then the kiddo is landing in him. he lets out a whoof of air as they settle on him.

“ah, nice of you to drop in.” they giggle. papyrus, who is still holding their arms where he helped soften their landing, scoffs. “oh, you wanted a bedtime story before catching some shut-eye?”

“OF COURSE WE DO SANS! IT’S TRADITION!”

“well, can’t say no to tradition, i guess. settle in.”

papyrus squeezes onto the couch next to them, and sans begins the story with “once upon a time".

the next morning sans wakes to the sound of people getting ready for the day. none of them are being quiet about it, all of them used to him sleeping through anything. he’d actually had a decent amount of sleep though, and as such his mind is reluctantly drawn to wakefulness.

the house smells like breakfast spaghetti, so papyrus must’ve convinced asgore to let him in the kitchen already. asgore’s deep voice was commenting on something something sauce, so he is also in the kitchen. that leaves…

he opens his eyes and meets frisk’s. they grin at him, steady. he returns the smile.

“morning, kiddo. youre up already? heh, yeah we all know who the lazy bones here is.” he sits up and notices that the kid is dressed in a jumper instead of the pajamas they fell asleep last night.

“ready to chill today?” he asks.

they pout at him, smile melting off their face. he raises the ridge above his eye sockets. they just shrug and tug on his sleeve again.

“alright, time for breakfast, then.” he lets himself be pulled up and dragged to the table where papyrus has already set everything out.

“oh, neat, bro, spaghetticakes. my favorite!”

“SANS, YOU SAID MY SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE WAS YOUR FAVORITE?”

“yeah, bro, if you make it, it’s my favorite.”

“AWWW, A GENUINE COMPLIMENT!” papyrus takes a moment out of his busy routine to skip over to sans and give due affection. sans soaks it up like a sponge, albeit a lazy one

“so, getting ready for that willing?” sans asks asgore, who is busy pushing his breakfast around his plate.

“Ah, yes. That. That is. I have received word that Frisk should be present, so it turns out your supervision will not be necessary. I am sorry for inconveniencing you and your brother.”

“doesn’t seem like the kid wants to go.”

“Be that as it may.” asgore starts, and then let’s go, as if it explains everything.

“why not just, you know, let the kid hang out here. no need to drag ‘em with you.”

“It’s very important they attend.” he sighs, resigned. “If sparing them this would benefit them in the long run, I would do so.” he admits. “Again, I apologize for inconveniencing you.”

sans shrugs at the kid. he tried.

“OH. NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE! THOUGH IT DOES SEEM MEAN TO HAVE GOTTEN FRISK’S HOPES TO HANG OUT WITH A COOL SKELETON LIKE ME UP AND THEN NOT FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT PROMISE…. PERHAPS WE CAN STILL ‘HANG’ AFTER YOUR COURT THING?”

frisk nods excitedly. they want ice cream.

“I do have something to attend after the meeting. I was planning on taking Frisk, but if you’d still like to watch them?”

“OF COURSE!”

“Would it be too much trouble to accompany us to the reading then? That way no one will have to make this trip twice.”

sans narrows his eye-sockets. “was really planning on, uh, taking it easy today.”

“NONSENSE SANS. YOU TAKE IT EASY EVERYDAY. WE’LL JOIN YOU.”

well. now papyrus would just carry him there if he tried to stay behind.

asgore prefers wearing those tropical shirts with the obnoxious patterns and dad shorts. today he’s wearing a suit. sans wonders where toriel was hiding an asgore sized suit-- why she was hiding an asgore sized suit-- or if asgore had brought it with him and hung it somewhere in toriel’s closet. the guest room closet, perhaps, but still toriel’s.

sans would be wearing that suit jacket if he’d ever gotten around to buying it. as it is, he’s dressed in his dirty blue hoodie. everyone else in the room is wearing clean, somber colors. except papyrus of course, in his bright scarf.

he doesn’t mind. he’s too busy passing notes to frisk, who is on the verge of tears. he wants to be mad at asgore. but he looks on the verge of tears as well. the kid opens the note. it’s a poorly drawn caricature of the human reading the legalese of toriel’s will. it startles a chuckle out of the kid.

“The house will be donated to the Monster Wellness Association, under conditions that they use it in line with their mission statement, stipulations on page 8.”

Frisk tenses again and sans wants to grab their hand and take ‘em to get ice cream right now! all this was doing was making the kid realize how much of their mother they were losing at once. not just toriel herself, but the kitchen she cooked in, the fireplace, the cozy room sans had “helped" paint (there was one skeletal handprint underneath the even coat).

“All of my worldly belongings are bequeathed to my child, Frisk. Frisk may part and parcel them how they choose, though I ask them to consider donating what they do not wish to keep or give to friends to a reputable charity.”

the kid’s breath starts to hitch. sans doesnt know how to help. he has a feeling silly notes wont cut it his time. instead he puts his hand out, and isnt surprised when the kid grips it shakily.

“Concerning Frisk, as I am their only gaurdian and there is no next of kin to take on that role, I will offer my intentions here.” asgore shuts his eyes. ouch, that’s rough, buddy. maybe calling frisk his kid was a little premature. but what else was sans supposed assume? though asgore and toriel had broken up years ago, sans just thought. you know. asgore would, uh. Inherit the kid?

“Though, perhaps unexpected, I believe this the best course of action for everyone involved. I would like to name C. Sans guardian of my child, Frisk.”

because asgore actually had kid, heh, raising experience and toriel had known him for-- wait. What?

“what was that?”

frisk looks at him with wide eyes.

Papyrus looks at him with wide eyes.

“WOWIE BROTHER! DOES THIS MAKE ME AN UNCLE?”

even he knows it would be a dick move to shortcut the hell out of there. the kid still has his hand so he can’t anways, unless he wants a hitchhiker. he does glare in asgore’s direction. asgore avoids his eyeline. coward.

well. perhaps sans shouldn't be throwing stones.

he keeps his peace so the rest of tori’s will can be read. quietly biding his time, trying to catch asgore’s eyes, avoiding the kid’s. he still doesn’t take away his hand, and the kid hasn’t let go, but he doesn’t think that reassures either of them.

once the place nearly clears out, sans stands and corners the officiator. asgore seems to have a similar idea.

“OH! FRISK WHY DON’T WE LOOK FOR ICE CREAM. OUTSIDE. WHERE ICE CREAM IS?”

papyrus meets sans’ eyes for half a second. long enough for sans to feel properly chastised and encouraged, like papyrus had found time to lecture and give him a pep talk all within a glance. a pepyrus talk. Heh.

once theyre both gone, he faces the front of the room.

“so you knew about this, ‘gorey?” there’s a question mark, but it isn’t really a question.

“I could not find the right time to bring it up. Toriel had, ah, discussed it with me before. I thought she was planning to have this conversation with you, and it was not my place to intercede and yet…” he trails off.

“you want the kid, don’t you?”

“I do, of course. And will take them in if you find you're not ready to take the responsibility.”

“thought you’d put up more of a fight,”

the boss monster squares his shoulders and faces sans, for real. his stare flinty, stern.

“Do not mistake me, Sans. You are my friend, but if I thought for a second you would do wrong by Toriel’s memory, we would already be in a courtroom.” his eyes soften just a bit, “As it is, that would leave Frisk in a precarious position, and I would not wish to do that when there are other, less drastic means.”

sans hummed, shrugging his shoulders under his jacket. “youre hoping i back out so theres no fuss or muss, eh?”

“You,” asgore scratches his nose, caught out. “You are not known for taking on such responsibility, by your own admission, my friend.”

“hmn,” sans acknowledges his point, “so i, uh, what, refuse custody and the kid gets to go home to your place?”

“Well,” the human interrupts, “Frisk would be temporarily placed in child services, as you are the only officially named next of kin. They’d go down the list-- perhaps your brother, since he is your next of kin-- evaluating each person’s qualifications as guardian. It could take quite a while before Mr. Dreemur is considered, though I’m sure it could be expedited.”

sans narrows his eye sockets, “whattabout what the kid wants, eh? you’d just ship ‘em off with strangers when there’s plenty of monsters they know who’d be willin’ to take ‘em in?”

the human shrugs, “Not me, personally. It’s the system.”

“The process would not take long at all,” asgore says, “It would be quite quick after I submit my application.”

“why was tori so deadset on me havin the kid anyways,”

“I’m afraid it is more that she didn't want me to have them. She was still quite mad at me, despite how she pretended at aloofness.”

sans considered. “why wouldnt she want you to step in, ‘gorey? youre not terrible, whatever your differences. she never had a problem with frisk spending time with you.”

Asgore’s mouth flattened, as did his ears. “Her arguments were… several. I suppose. I am often quite busy, caring full time for frisk would require careful scheduling. I also live quite a distance away, and moving would most likely require frisk to change school zones. They are not unimportant issues but also not something I cannot overcome.”

“yeah, thats what i figured too, but if that were it, tori would've still listed you as an option… something you ain’t telling me?”

sans carefully examines asgore’s face. the tightening of his jaw, the wrinkle between his brows. considers toriel, what she would say about her and asgores lives, when they were together.

he used to be so reliable, she said.

sans would argue that asgore is still reliable. busy, yes. he is the official monster delegate, wielding almost unparalleled political power of course he’s busy. but even as such he always makes time for frisk, his duties, his friends, his hobbies. though sans can see the weight of it on him, he also knows asgore would not let it interfere with frisk’s care.

but then he stopped being reliable for toriel. made decisions about their lives he didn’t consult her about. and when she did try to talk to him about it, he nodded and listened and was sad and contrite but did not bend. it became something toriel could not-- didn’t want to--overcome. so she left.

“what if frisk doesn't want to switch schools?”

“I don’t foresee it being difficult to persuade them of the advantages of a different school district. They aren't a troublesome child.”

“‘course not. hey, why don't we ask them?”

“What?” asgores eyebrows climb up his worried forehead.

“yeah, seems like something they should have a say in, ya’know.” he walks to the door as asgore stumbles over his words.

“You do not think-- all of this stress they are already under-- I understand the importance of--”

and he pulls the door open, a skeleton and a child tumbling into the room when they didn’t scramble back fast enough. sans raises an orbital ridge at his brother. papyrus pops back up and dusts off his body.

“WHY FRISK… IT LOOKS LIKE THE ICE CREAM IS NOT HERE??”

sans shakes his head and looks down at frisk. “whaddaya say, kiddo?”

frisk looks up at him, nervously, before glancing at asgore. the big guy just waves a little, smiling softly. he really does just want the best for frisk, he just has a tendency to make decisions first and cry about them later.

“hey, ‘sall right, buddy, it’s not a decision you have to make now, alright? we can have another sleepover and talk about it in the morning.”

frisk nods, cautiously standing up, reaching for Papyrus’s hand. they go get icecream.

despite the will it still takes awhile for toriel’s wishes to go through with finalization. this mostly means sans is spending a lot of nights on toriel's couch while waiting for frisk’s decision. finally the deed for the house changes names and sans gets the notification.

frisk is still a child, there's no way they know what they will have wished they'd kept and what to give away. still, sans has no part in this process, and he's slowly realizing asgore doesn't quite have a say either.

“I can have the important things moved to my home, or a storage facility for Frisk to go through when they are feeling up to it. I can have a list of charities by tomorrow as well, for the rest of it.”

“they gave us time, no one is gonna kick us out because frisk hasn't sorted through everything.” sans feels the need to say, since frisk is still in their room.

“I would not throw away anything of sentimental value.” asgore seems offended.

“didn't say so, buddy, just think that maybe frisk should have a say instead of dealing with whatever we think is important instead.”

asgore's nostrils flare, but his shoulders slump and he nods his head. “We shouldn't tarry, however kind the MWA are being.”

sans thinks that the MWA will let them stay as long as they need, but he doesn't press the issue. he decides he should ask the kid how they want to go about this. he kind of doesn't want to deal with it. but if frisk doesn't make their decision, asgore will and though sans isn't the sentimental type he can tell frisk is. what if they throw away a pie tin, and in twenty years frisk will have a break down because they dont have their mother's pie tin to make their mother's favorite pie?

well, maybe he's over thinking this.

he knocks on their bedroom door, then lets himself in.

frisk is a lump on the floor, not even under any blankets. sans steps into the room.

“what's up, kiddo?” they turn to look at him, and their face is miserable. yeah, hearing that it was time to pack up and divide what was left of your mother's life would do that to you.

“you don't have to do it on your own, kiddo. you’ll have all the help you can want.” frisk wipes under their eyes hastily, though they aren't crying. “i can call pap, he’ll be down to help with everything. he can bring undyne--she probably won't suplex anything if you ask her.”

frisk’s smile is wobbly.

“asgore has got a place set up to help store everything you want, you don't have to worry about space.” frisk hiccups softly, surprising themselves and sans cant help but chuckle at their surprised expression.

he takes the opportunity to shuffle closer and pat their back reassuringly. humans are so weird, with their flesh and trapped air bubbles and reflexively convulsive muscles.

when they calm down, frisk tugs his sleeve enough to get his attention. he inhales a bit sharp. they smile at him hopefully.

“...yeah, you got me, too.” their smile grows. he gets an idea, and lets himself drop on them. he hears them make a noise of surprise. “oh no,” he says, “looks like you really got me, you're too strong.”

frisk is giggling, pretending to shove him away with their small hands. “i can't escape, your gravitational pull is just too strong,” he leans more weight onto them, carefully. frisk is laughing now, breathless as they flail their limbs, pushing at his loose jacket and his rough bones. with a jolt they finally collapse, and they both fall flat.

he laughs, and waits until they focus on him again, their cheeks and eyes red, but not from stifling tears anymore. “hey, kiddo.” frisk hums in acknowledgment. “looks like your stuck with me, huh.”

their hand finds his again.

he finds he's starting to mind it less.

the kid is looking indecisive at the trash. sans is leaning against the counter. he's sure that toriel would have asked frisk to take the garbage bag to the curb as one of their chores before-- well. and now the kid is frozen, sad eyes staring at the garbage can with something heavy crawling across their back.

sans doesn't know what it's like, longing so deeply for something. sometimes, he's not sure he really knows what feeling anything is like anymore.

there's nothing more that sans wants than to leave frisk to have this moment alone. but he'd already promised the kid that they were stuck with him, and it's not like he is going to make himself useful by actually packing up tori’s--now the kid’s--belongings. so he stays, and watches frisk's shoulders stiffen with decision.

they take out the trash.

it's one more thing they're saying goodbye to.

a lot of the furniture has been parceled between the friends gathered to help frisk. undyne had snagged quite a few kitchen appliances, asgore had been surprised and touched when frisk gave him toriel's bookshelves and her treasured chairiel.

there were quite a few things frisk was donating as well, both to a monster shelter--a lot of toriel's non-perishable foodstuffs and blankets--and to the mwa group moving in.

some other things were for asgore's storage system, to be considered another day--toriel’s clothes, her stacks of books, the teaching supplies.

frisk seems reluctant to actually keep anything for themselves, despite sans insisting that they can keep every item in the house. not like asgore cant afford that much storage. there's a lot that frisk lingers over, but hesitates to grab. a book of snail facts that frisk rubs a finger over before placing it in a box headed for asgore's house.

sans, despite everything else, knows the importance of bedtime stories and he knicks the tome when noone is looking.

and now frisk is getting teary eyed over the trash can. sans doesn't want to psychoanalyze that, but it's not like he can stop himself from reading the tense lines in their body.

he hops up onto the kitchen counter, the movement familiar enough to him. he knocks into the knife block, and frisk’s eyes snap to him. their gaze slides over to the knives, contemplating.

they drag a new box to the counter and reach towards the cabinets, ignoring the knives.

“oh, you think since i'm up here i'm game to help you?” he leans back, resting against the backsplash, short enough that the cabinets dont bother him.

they shake their head and rattle the box insistently and sans relents.

“‘k. but only ‘cause youre even shorter than me.” and instead of reaching up to hand the mugs in the cupboard to the kid, he just turns their soul blue and lifts them up to the cabinets.

they laugh, delighted, and plop the box on sans' lap, before getting down to business.

frisk isn't going about this methodically, though they are being thorough. it probably doesn't help that the rest of their friends are disorganized themselves, each deciding to tack different areas. mostly this means that frisk has already helped undyne and papyrus pack up a lot of the dishes and pots and pie tins--frisk didn't keep any for themselves, but gave Papyrus everything from the casserole dish to the smallest tart round. sans doesnt know why, his brother doesn't really bake and always looks quizzical when sans offers a quiche on the rare occasion sans gives him a night off from dinner duty--but there are still coffee mugs since undyne has too many already and Papyrus doesn't really drink things that can't be put into a normal glass.

frisk carefully pulls these down and hands them to sans, who dutifully wraps them in newspaper and places them into the box. toriel had a lot of mugs, a lot of funny ones and collectible ones. he huffs a laugh at i like you a latte as he wraps the papers around it.

frisk laughs as well, and hands him another, this one saying this is some with a picture of a koala and a tea bag. that one is very good.

another mug, another joke. “that's what.” -she is particularly clever and sans can see it delighting the part of toriel who loved teaching.

frisk gestures to be let down and as soon as their feet touch the tile they take off to another cabinet, digging through the contents before running back to sans and the box.

sans wraps up a salt shaker and tilts his head and the ceramic battery sculpture paired with it. frisk huffs and shakes some pepper out of the batter and sans is positively delighted.

“a salt and battery!” sans laughs, doubling over on the counter, “that one really--” he tries to catch a breath between his chuckling, “that one really packs a punch, kid!”

frisk helps sans off the counter when he gets over his laughing fit, and gathers a few more punny kitchenware for the box before giving it back to sans.

“alright, where do’ya want this one?” he follows frisk's direction and sets the box down, deliberately separate from but still related to Papyrus’ stack of boxes.

“oh--” he, uh, he doesn't know what to say now.

frisk looks at him, expression determined.

“IS THIS ONE MY BROTHER'S THEN?”

Papyrus swoops in and snags the box from between them.

“ah, pap--”

“YES, SANS?” Papyrus looks guilelessly at sans, cradling the box. frisk is nervously biting their lip. okay. yeah, this isn't the hill he's going to die on. he can just. put them in a drawer somewhere and not look at them, or something. no need to get worked up about this. ‘s not like his kitchen is already going to be filled up with tori's left behinds.

“there's uh, ceramics in there. so.”

“OF COURSE I WILL BE CAREFUL WITH THEM, SANS! THAT'S WHY I AM CARRYING THEM. I AM THE BEST AT CARRYING THINGS. I CARRY YOU ALL THE TIME!”

“you're right.”

Papyrus spins on his heel and marches out the door like he's afraid sans is going to unpack the box if he isn't fast enough. sans sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.

most of the house is packed up now. undyne os clattering somewhere throwing junk in a box to be donated probably. asgore is marking things to be put in storage.

a touch nudges his hand, and sans looks down to see the kid looking at him from beneath their fringe. the kitchen is clear enough for frisk, the kid is content that anything left can be claimed by their friends or given away now that they've gotten sans to accept the box.

sans lets his hand turn so he can catch frisk's fingers. “alright, what's next?”

frisk tightens the hold and leads him down the hall, to toriel's room. sans feels his grin take a nervous shade, but. he said he'd be there for the kid, he can't run away now.

frisk’s grip is too tight.

the door creaks open and sans is led inside. the lights are off and the kid does not turn them on, so neither does sans. they tug him over to a desk where they finally let go of his hand. he’s in it too far to leave now, so he puts his hands in his pockets while the kid carefully goes through the desk drawers.

tori’s room is quaint, tidy. like he would expect from her, if he had to guess. her bed is tucked in a corner, taking up more room than a standard but less than a king, the covers smoothed and well made but not like a perfectionist did them up. there is a chest and a dresser. everything is unassuming.

frisk closes a drawer with care so sans takes his cue and refocuses his attention on them.

they are holding out a book.

“oh, kiddo…”

oh, kiddo indeed. they hold out the book insistently. sans does not take it. they insist again. sans dodges.

“c’mon that’s, kid… it’s-- that’s uh,” he runs out of words.

they pull back the book just to flip it open, searching for a page to show him. he doesn’t want to see it. they show him anyways. it’s just a simple planner, a teacher’s agenda. days divided into squares with notes written in the corners. almost like a journal. there’s an entry circled and sans can’t help but read it.

Why did the skeleton want a friend? …. Because she was feeling BONELY!

frisk closes the book and offers it again like a question. sans shakes his head.

“i just…” it’s too much, he doesn’t say. he’s been doing good at not thinking about it. he’s been doing really good and avoiding the thoughts and memories and expecting her braying laughter after he tells a joke and finding its absence instead.

he spent so much time trying to minimize the damage. he can remember the first time he stopped and realized this was going to hurt, when it ended and known he’d been in too deep to stop it from hurting at all because toriel had made it so hard to just not care but he had been preparing himself for the inevitability that she’d get tired of him, or offended? or that he’d mess something up like he always does and she’d be out of his life, because the only good thing he ever managed to keep was Papyrus and that was inexplicably in spite of everything sans ever did.

this was so much worse than he was expecting.

all that effort and now everywhere he turns there’s a space that isn’t empty but doesn’t have potential anymore. his next words don’t have the potential to make toriel laugh, anymore. the spaces between his fingers no longer have the potential to get chalky with flour. he’ll never be able to tell tori that, yeah, this time he’d tag along as a pta chaperone for a fieldtrip, make some prime parents from hell jokes, yeah? all this time keeping himself a couple feet withdrawn, content to whilst away the maybes and somedays and now all he has to show for it is a sad kid and a journal telling him how lonely tori was.

he wasn’t much good for anything, but he’d had a chance to be a good friend. now that, like everything else, was gone.

he can’t meet the kid’s eyes. he knows he has some kinda responsibility here but. he’ll mess it up anyways, won’t he? he already is. he actually already has. he’s surprised Papyrus isn’t more messed up than he lets on.

he’s through the bedroom door almost before he’s made a decision, but he doesn’t step into the hallway of toriel’s house. instead he steps onto the clashing carpet of his and his bro’s second floor, the door behind him clicking shut. he stands there for a moment.

he guesses that it was time for the punchline to hit. it took such a long while, of course it was sure to be a knockout.

there’s nothing left to do, but slip into his room and clock out for the day.

he gets away with it for longer than he expected, honestly. and the wake up is far gentler than he expects.

“SANS?”

papyrus finally knocks on his door. it’s been… sans squints at the dark of his ceiling. well, it can’t have been too long, none of his bosses have called him, at least.

“SANS… MAY I COME IN?”

sans shifts his head to peak out at the door frame. everything’s dark so he’d be able to see if the frame was on. it’s not. he looks back at the ceiling. he hears Papyrus shifting as he waits for an invitation. sans knows he should say something but he can’t bring himself to. Papyrus finally settles against the door, sans can hear him slide down against it.

“I HAVE FINISHED PUTTING AWAY… EVERYTHING. EVEN THE MUGS. I ASKED IF YOU WANTED THEM ANYWHERE SPECIFIC BUT… YOU DIDN’T ANSWER. SO I PUT THEM IN THE CUPBOARD! THE ONE YOU CAN REACH. I HOPE THAT IS OKAY.”

that’s considerate of him. sans should say so.

“I WILL TAKE YOUR SILENCE AS THE RINGING ENDORSEMENT I AM SURE IT IS. THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT DISCOURAGED BY YOUR CONTINUED SILENCE AT ALL.”

sans stays silent.

“OF COURSE… IF YOU WERE TO BREAK YOUR SILENCE BY. PERHAPS. SPEAKING TO ME. OR EVEN MAKING SOME SORT OF SOUND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU ARE, IN FACT, ALIVE IN THERE, IT WOULD NOT BE REMISS.”

that makes sans blink. oh right. yeah. right. he pushes himself up. he should say something but. but that still feels like too much. like if he said something it might. it might start something he can’t stop. he pats around for his phone.

he digs it out of one of his pockets. it’s still got a charge--thank you alphys--and it’s set to silent. there are some missed notifications but he ignores them to pull up papyrus’ contact. he composes a message. short, sweet, to the point: im awake

he hears the buzz of Papyrus’ phone.

“OH-- OH GOOD. GOOD.”

his voice sounds shaky, relief in every octave. good going sans, brother of the year, there.

“FINALLY YOU BREAK YOUR LAZY STREAK! CONGRATULATIONS, BROTHER, YOU ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO BREAKING YOUR SELF IMPOSED ISOLATION AND REUNITING WITH SOCIETY. I’M VERY PROUD OF YOU.” the thing is, Papyrus doesn’t even sound sarcastic, because he is very proud of sans.

“YOU MISSED UNDYNE SUPLEXING ASGORE AFTER YOU. LEFT.” Papyrus offers in the silence sans let grow. “SHE KEPT TRYING TO SNEAK UP ON HIM AFTER THE FURNITURE WAS CLEARED. ALPHYS HAS PICTURES. PROBABLY.”

“FRISK SPENT THE NIGHT TO HELP UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, WHICH THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THEY ARE ON A TEMPORARY BREAK FROM SCHOOL AND AS SUCH DOES NOT NEED TO GET UP EARLY AND BE CAREFULLY DELIVERED TO THE CAMPUS AS IS CUSTOMARY FOR A HUMAN THEIR AGE.”

despite everything, sans can tell Papyrus is trying to lead up to something. sans still cannot find his voice, but his brother is doing his best and what would sans be if he didn’t try, too? he rolls carefully onto the floor.

“I HAVE CONSIDERATELY RESEARCHED THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF FRISK’S SCHOOL SYSTEM, AS A SELFLESS BOON BECAUSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT ONLY THOUGHTFUL AND GENEROUS, HE IS PREPARED! IT WAS NOT BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO DISTRACT MYSELF FROM. THINGS.”

sans stumbles in his fumbling steps to stand.

“I AM NOT SURE YOU ARE AWARE, BROTHER, BUT THERE ARE TWO SETS OF HOURS, REFLECTING EACH OTHER. THIS MEANS THERE IS A SEVEN IN THE MORNING AS WELL AS THE EVENING. THOUGH THIS IS AN HOUR I SEE VERY OFTEN, AS A RESPONSIBLE MEMBER OF SOCIETY WITH A DEDICATION TO HIS JOB, IT IS ONE I KNOW YOU ARE UNACCUSTOMED TO ENTERTAINING. REGARDLESS… THIS IS THE HOUR FRISK MUST BE UP TO START GETTING READY FOR THEIR SCHOOLING, IF THEY ARE TO MAKE IT ON TIME.”

Papyrus’ voice trills, the way it does when he starts up his monologues, settling into his speech. sans can almost see the way his hands gesticulate, gloves underlining the points in his words.

“AND OF COURSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL RELISH THE CHANCE TO TAKE OUR TINY HUMAN FRIEND TO SCHOOL ON THE WAY TO HIS IMPORTANT JOB! HOWEVER THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I MUST BE UP MUCH EARLIER THAN EVEN SEVEN IN THE MORNING, AND FRISK CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO MAKE THE LONG AND POTENTIALLY PERILOUS PATH THEMSELVES… “

here his hand would flutter, nervously, as if conjuring the next set of words he has to speak.

“AND, THOUGH APPARENTLY BREAKS ARE MANDATORY AND MUST BE TAKEN DESPITE A HEALTHY WORK ETHIC--” Papyrus audibly stops himself from going on a tangent. “--THERE IS NOT ONE LONG ENOUGH AT THE RIGHT TIME TO PICK THEM UP AFTER SCHOOL.”

“AND. THOUGH MY COOKING IS UNPARALLELED AND FILLED WITH PASSION, HUMANS NEED MORE THAN MAGIC TO KEEP THEIR GROSS HUMAN BITS RUNNING PROPERLY. AND HUMANS NEED A LOT OF SOCIAL INTERACTION, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, IN THE FORM OF SUPERVISED ‘PLAY DATES' WHICH ARE NOT COVERED IN THE DATING MANUAL! “

“AND THERE IS A THING CALLED PTA? AND ONE MUST JOIN THE PTA IN ORDER TO FULFILL OPTIMUM GUARDIAN POTENTIAL AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS JUST DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO ATTEND EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IF THEY DO NOT OCCUR BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5PM AND 4AM, WHICH THE SCHOOL ASSURES ME THEY DO NOT! I CANNOT BELI--”

sans opens the door and Papyrus tumbles backward, falling onto the floor with a noise of surprise.

“what's a matter, bro? all this worrying is making you fall down.” the weight of the sentence hits sans all at once. “i mean, fall over-- uh, that's, sorry, that one was awful.”

“NYEH HEH HEH, SANS!” Papyrus laughs from the floor, giving sans a faint sense of unreality. Papyrus laughing at a terrible joke while sans looks down at him. things have been weird lately.

“stop laughing, bro, we really gotta get your funny bone checked out.”

“FORGIVE ME IF I ENJOY JAPES THAT REQUIRE A LITTLE MORE BACKBONE THAN YOU LIKE TO MAKE!”

sans shakes his head. this is one of those times he would choose to smile if he had a choice. his brother is really the best. even if his brother is working himself up for some reason.

“what’re you really upset about?” sans asks, letting his shoulder lean against the doorframe.

“I AM NOT UPSET! I JUST. WANT TO SUPPORT YOU IN THE THINGS YOU DECIDE TO DO.”

“support me?” sans crosses his arms. Papyrus gives him an incredulous look, like sans is the one acting topsy turvy today.

“I KNOW YOUR MEMORY GETS WEIRD WHEN YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE SAD NAPS. BUT YOU CANNOT FORGET YOUR COMMITMENT TO FRISK WHILE THEY CHOOSE IN WHICH DIRECTION THE REST OF THEIR LIFE WILL GO!”

“that’s exaggerating just a bit, bro.”

“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW IT IS NOT!”

sans shrugs. then sighs. “i think… i already messed this up.”

“BUT NOT IRREPARABLY, BROTHER. MISS TORI-- THE HOUSE IS PACKED UP NOW, AND FRISK CANNOT STAY THERE ANY LONGER. ASGORE HAS BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO, AND YOU ARE THEIR LEGAL GUARDIAN FOR NOW! SO THEY WILL BE RETURNING HERE. YOU CAN APOLOGIZE!” papyrus squints up at sans. “OR MAYBE PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED, BUT RESOLVE TO DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE!”

“ouch,”

“I’M ONLY SAYING THE TRUTH. YOU’RE VERY AVOIDANT. BUT EITHER WAY, I AM HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. OR. I WANT TO BE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU.”

“things would… have to change a lot, huh.”

Papyrus is not a monster that enjoys hiding his feelings, and so it’s very easy for sans to see the concern and doubt in his brother’s face as Papyrus leans back and stares up at him. his brother radiates openness, an easy ear to listen to him, if either of them had ears.

“heh, have to start scheduling my naps again, huh.”

“YOU MAY HAVE TO EVEN QUIT ONE OF YOUR JOBS TO FIT THEM ALL IN!” papyrus is way too excited by that.

“yeah, heh.” he swallows. they can afford for him to drop a job or two, but doing so makes sans uneasy. sure he’d have more time off, Papyrus doesn’t need sans to provide a cushion anymore, and it’s been a long, long time since sans has needed to “figure something out” when bills started piling up in the mail.

“what if they decide to stay?” he asks, hunching inwards.

“THEN THESE CHANGES MAY BE PERMANENT FOR US! I CAN SUBMIT CHANGES TO MY AVAILABLE HOURS, SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF. AGAIN.”

“you love your job.”

“I WOULDN’T BE QUITTING SANS! IN FACT, I HAVE A SUSPICION THAT MY BOSS WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE IT IF I STOPPED CLOCKING IN ON THE WEEKENDS.” Papyrus shakes his head wryly.

“okay, yeah, maybe you should stop doin that.” he crosses his arms and hisses air through his teeth. “i want to argue that you shouldn’t have to step in when i can’t uh, can’t do something myself, or by myself. but you’re being frustratingly good at cutting off my points of argument.”

“THANK YOU! I HAVE BEEN PRACTICING. YOU’RE VERY GOOD AT DEFLECTING AND I NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN MY OFFENSE IN RETALIATION.”

“you shouldn’t have to do that, i should just be able to talk about this without getting, heh, rattled.”

“AND WE ARE BACK TO THE LOWEST TIER OF HUMOR. BROTHER. ALL MY LIFE, YOU HAVE BEEN HELPING ME! ALONE! AND I WOULD BE DOING YOU A DISSERVICE IF I INSISTED I NEEDED TO ‘PAY YOU BACK’ FOR ALL THE YEARS YOU SUPPORTED ME. BUT, I WOULD LIKE THE CHANCE TO HELP YOU, TOO. I WOULD LIKE THE CHANCE TO DO THINGS. WITH YOU. AND FEEL LIKE I AM HELPING.”

“AND, I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO ‘PAY IT FORWARD’. I LIKE FRISK VERY MUCH, AND IF THEY CHOSE TO STAY WITH YOU--WITH US--THEN I THINK I WOULD LIKE LEARNING HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEM AS WELL. I WOULD LIKE TO BE THERE FOR THEM, THE WAY YOU WERE THERE FOR ME.” he doesn’t need to say “the way no one was there for you,” but sans can read it off his face easy enough.

he must make some sort of expression, because Papyrus finally sits up, kneeling so he can glare into sans’ face.

“YOU ARE THINKING ‘but Papyrus, I was terrible at raising you when I, myself, was a child and had no idea what I was doing’ BUT YOU ARE WRONG. AS PROOF: LOOK AT ME, I AM EXCELLING AT LIFE!” Papyrus gestures at the whole of himself, smiling broadly. sans laughs half-heartedly.

“you are pretty great, bro. but you deserved a better life than what i could give you. frisk deserves a better one, too. and they had tori-- uh. they had tori. there’s no way i can live up to her. i don’t know why she named me anyways, unless it was a joke.” it’s a joke sans would laugh at, too, in any other situation.

“SANS.” Papyrus actually puts his hands on sans’ shoulders and gives him a shake, the frustration welling up in him. “I DO NOT KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT I CAN PUT IT. BUT! YOU! DID THE BEST THAT YOU COULD! AND YOU WILL DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN IF FRISK DECIDES TO STAY WITH US! I KNOW YOU ENJOY PRETENDING TO BE LAZY AND ACTING LIKE YOU DON’T EXPEND ANY EFFORT. BUT SOMETIMES IT SEEMS LIKE YOU BELIEVE IT, AND I CANNOT STAND THAT.”

“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT, YOU’RE GOOD ENOUGH SANS! TORIEL CHOSE YOU, INSTEAD OF ANYONE ELSE, BECAUSE SHE KNEW THIS! AND SHE HAD EYES! SHE COULD SEE HOW MUCH EFFORT YOU PUT INTO FRISK, EVEN AS JUST A FAMILY FRIEND! IT WAS NOT A JOKE. YOUR LIFE ISN’T A JOKE, SANS. YOU’RE MUCH BETTER AT THINGS THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE, AND IF YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IT, THEN I WILL BE RIGHT HERE TO CONTINUE TELLING YOU.”

‘“aw, geeze, pap.”

“AND,” Papyrus looks to the side, shifty eyed, “IF YOU CANNOT BELIEVE ME--”

“hey, no, pap--”

“YOU SHOULD READ THIS.” Papyrus pulls out the same book that startled sans into running away in the first place. it’s plain cover unassuming in papyrus’ gloved palm.

“Papyrus…”

“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP IT, BUT YOU SHOULD READ IT. WHEN YOU CAN. SANS, I KNOW TORIEL MEANT A LOT TO YOU. THOUGH YOU TRY TO HIDE IT? FOR SOME REASON? I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY, BUT IT’S VERY HARD TO PRETEND YOU DO NOT LIKE HER WHEN YOU ACTUALLY PICK UP THE PHONE WHEN SHE CALLS, OR DITCH YOUR EVENING NAP TO SLEEP ON HER COUCH AND EAT HER FOOD OR-- OH,”

Papyrus stops in the middle of his rant. sans’ shoulders are shaking. sans doesn’t know when that started, this whole conversation makes him want to crawl back into the depression on his mattress.

“I’M SORRY.” Papyrus sets the journal down. “I FORGOT, I’M SORRY.” he carefully puts his arms around sans’ shoulders, like any pressure will make crush sans. after a second, papyrus pulls sans closer, and makes the loose cradle into a real hug. “IT’S OKAY, SANS, IT REALLY IS.”

sans’ face is pressed against the fabric of Papyrus’ shoulder. Papyrus’ arms are locked around sans like, like something sturdy and lasting. something safe. and despite that cold feeling in his chest, the ice that crawls up his spine when he stops to think about anything, the purple karma that drips from his hands when he looks at them. despite everything, in this one moment, he thinks maybe Papyrus is right. maybe it’s okay.

sans, for the first time in, stars, years, starts to cry.

it’s not that sans is trying to ignore the apology he owes, or that he’s trying to prove Papyrus right. it’s just that he needs to figure himself out, and do it in a very compressed time. so while Papyrus puts together a quick lunch, and takes the kid out (for more icecream) and comes back with increasingly exasperated but still supportive side-eyes and pointed remarks about the living room and emotional depth, sans hides in the basement.

there’s a photo album sans keeps there, with some other things that he likes to avoid direct contact with. he hasn’t actually opened the album in years, but he can’t just throw it away. even if just because it’s not only his, but papyrus’ too. what if twenty years in the future, indeed.

sans knows he has issues. he can even trace why he acts like that for a good number of those issues. he didn’t have the chance to be a picky eater as a kid, so now he’s just a garbage disposal. he got in the habit of scrimping so he could make the bills, and even though he’s got a safety net now, it’s a habit he’s unwilling to break.

some of them are harder for him to place--he like making people laugh, to the point that he knows he can be obnoxious or will have to work harder at being taken serious. maybe making jokes is easier than honest emotional labor (true). maybe making people laugh is the fastest way to take control of a situation (true)--but he can conjure up a guess or two.

sometimes, he just. doesn’t know, and thinking about it doesn’t really help--sometimes he’ll order something online, only to get it twice even though he’s pretty sure he only got it once. he only ordered one of them, he should return the second, but he’s always so certain it’ll take care of itself. why would it take care of itself? it’s not like his purchases and bank account get reset after a week--so he doesn’t think about it.

so. grieving. it’s not something he has practice with, not for lack of opportunity. it’s why he has a photo album collecting dust in his basement. it’s why even Papyrus doesn’t say much about their past when anyone inquires about the skeleton brothers. it’s why he’s avoiding the child of a deer friend.

oh, she would’ve like that one.

but he was right, earlier. papyrus deserved a better life than the one sans managed to cobble together, no matter what papyrus has to say about it now. and frisk also deserves better than a bag of bones too bitter, too scared to figure out how to open up a little.

he was also right, in that frisk should still get to choose.

“SANS?” papyrus calls down the basement stairs.

“yeah?”

“TIME FOR DINNER?”

“are you asking me?”

“OF COURSE NOT, I AM ANNOUNCING THAT IT IS TIME FOR DINNER! FRISK IS SETTING THE TABLE, PLEASE COME UP, I DO NOT WANT OUR MEAL TO GET COLD!”

sans smiles from the dinner table, winking at frisk when they turn to set a plate down and sees him.

“bro, we’re waiting on you now.”

Papyrus whirls around at the sound of sans’ voice, eyebrows comically raised for someone who has been living with sans their whole lives. he gathers himself expertly and stomps his foot, seamlessly falling back into their familiar, comfortable roles.

“SANS YOU LAZYBONES! YOU COULD HAVE WALKED UP THE STAIRS!”

“but i didn’t wanna miss your spescapula cooking!”

“SANS! YOU KNOW MY COOKING IS WORTH MORE THAN AN EASY PUN!”

“you’re right bro, didn’t mean to punsult you.”

“THAT WAS EVEN WORSE!!”

“you’re smiling anyways.” sans settles back into his chair.

“I AM! AND! I HATE IT!”

there’s a clatter of utensils, as frisk kneels on their seat to serve themself, and sans takes the serving spoon from frisk’s hands before papyrus can, motioning them to push their plate closer. “don’t worry kid, i got you.”

frisk doesn’t hesitate to let him dump a spoonful of mash potatoes on their plate, and doesn’t object when sans’ grin turns mischievous. he adds another spoonful, and another. and another. and another.

“SANS!”

“what, you gonna deny the kid a well balanced dinner?” he asks. frisk looks delighted at the slightly leaning tower of potatoes stuck to their plate. Papyrus’ shriek of frustration makes something loosen in sans’ rib cage.

frisk is a good, even tempered kiddo. there’s no comparing them to papyrus at that age. but the guilt that settles behind his jaw when he thinks of them is the same sort that fills him up with he thinks about his brother’s babybone era.

the kid is staying in Papyrus’ room for the moment, and sans lingers in the doorway. only a little bit creepily. he grips the book in his hand. maybe this is a bad idea. sans should just let frisk get to sleep. they got a lot going on, he doesn’t need to interrupt them.

he takes a step back towards the staircase. then sidles back to the door. he’s let things go long enough already, though. it doesn’t matter how unruffled the kid acts, sans knows they feel bad about how he acted back at tori’s. and whether they already have forgiven him or not, he needs to let them know it’s not their fault. that he’s the one who is sorry and needs to make up for it.

it reminds him sharply, of being young and confused but determined, facing the door papyrus insisted on slamming in his face because SHUTTING A DOOR IS A PHYSICAL PUNCTUATION MARK SANS, AND THIS ONE IS AN EXCLAMATION! and having no idea what went wrong or how to fix it, but knowing he couldn’t let this one lie.

the door opens.

“ah, sorry, i--ah geeze really?” frisk looks tiredly up at him. okay, so he forgot they could see his shadow under the door frame. that’s only mildly embarassing.

“did you… want a bedtime story?” he asks. they step away from the door. “yeah, course i have time, kiddo. i wouldn’t offer if there was anything i’d rather be doin.”

he follows them inside, and though he can tell they are trying to be even keeled, the speed they use to jump back into Papyrus’ bed makes it clear they’re excited about this. he follows at a more sedate pace, thinking over his decision. he could always dig out Fluffy Bunny instead, that’s a classic. but, that wouldn’t mean the same thing. he’s gotta show his hand.

“alright,” he says, settling himself onto the bed with frisk. “let me know if you want a different book, but i thought you might like this one.” he pulls turns the cover so frisk can see.

“99 snail facts.” a sharp noise escapes frisk, but they don’t protest. sans lets himself smooth their hair over before opening the book.

“number 99, snails have tongues covered in hundreds of little teeth. okay, that’s, terrifying.” frisk laughs. “yeah i guess it works like a chainsaw? or a file. look here’s a diagram.” he flips the book to show frisk, who nods at the picture. “figure a, the radula, with rows of teeth. wow, didn’t know snails were so rad. number 98, snails are part of a group called gastropod molluscs that means, uh, soft stomach foot-- hey, i resemble that remark, heh.”

he pages through the book with frisk, and if either of them get misty eyed about it. well, at least they can wipe each other’s tears. he pats frisk’s head one last time, before hopping off the bed and turning out the light for them to sleep.

papyrus is waiting for him downstairs, still settled on the couch. he turns to stare as sans makes his way over, scooting to the side so sans can flop onto the couch. sans’ face still has residue on it from story, and he scrubs it against the couch fibres. Papyrus doesn’t protest.

“what’s it, paps?” he mumbles into the cushion.

“FIRST, I’M PROUD OF YOU FOR OPENING UP TO FRISK!”

“thanks?”

“SECOND: IS EMOTIONALLY HEAVY READING MATERIAL THE THEME WITH YOU RECENTLY?”

“oh,” papyrus is holding the album. “didn’t think you’d find that so fast.”

“IT WAS ON THE TABLE. YOU DIDN’T EVEN HIDE IT IN A JOKE BOOK. I MEAN, IF YOU AREN’T READY AFTER ALL--”

“nah, pap, if i weren’t ready, it’d still be collecting dust downstairs.”

“... ARE YOU SURE?”

sans sits up and turns to face papyrus. his brother looks nervous, with an undercurrent of excitement and worry. this is something sans should’ve done a long time ago. instead of dwelling on the guilt he lets himself fall against his brother’s side, grabbing for the photo album. Papyrus gives it to him, and he opens the cover.

there’s an oval frame, and in that frame is a washed out photo of papyrus’ baby face, mouth open in what sans’ is sure was a ear-piercing shriek. there’s a blurry skeletal hand in the frame, like the suddenness of papyrus’ yell made someone jerk across the camera. below the portrait papyrus 19XX? is written sans’ handwriting. he tilts the page towards papyrus, who reaches out and flips it.

“WHO’S THAT?”

sans runs a finger across the old photo. something sharp twists behind his sternum, the same thing as always. the thing that makes him want to throw away all these mementos and forget they ever mattered to him because if he doesn’t, he’s afraid his soul is going to shatter. but he’s been hiding for way too long now.

maybe it’s time sans admits he deserves something better, too. he looks at papyrus’ curious face. he taps his finger against the photo.

“that was the royal scientist.”

“WHAT’S A ROYAL SCIENTIST AND WHY ARE THEY IN OUR PHOTO ALBUM?”

“oh yeah, the dreemur family used to be, like, filthy rich back in the day. so everyone would call ‘em the monster nation’s royal family. pretty sure they were actually a royal family at some point. anyway, he got that nickname ‘cause the dreemurs liked sponsoring his pet projects.”

for some reason, with papyrus’ bones digging into his side, sans felt the prickling sensation of ice start melting off his back. Papyrus passes him a ceramic mug as he settles into the story.

tomorrow the kid might decide they’re better off living with asgore. or they might decide they like living with sans and papyrus better. sans might freak out again, or he might be able to wait until he’s not gonna scar the kid for life again. either way, he’s making sure they know they’ve got options, and that he (and papyrus and asgore and all their friends) are behind them 100 percent.

but until then, he’s got this. his brother, these photos, a mug with a lame pun, and the warm feeling that he might actually be doing something right for once.

#i dont have a pun for writing #undertale #sans #frisk #papyrus #sanscentric #this is for you anon [blows kiss]#sorry about the formatting i cannot be arsed to type correctly ever #this wasnt supposed to get so long :/#this is incredibly self indulgent sorry

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chemicalmagecraft · 5 years

Text

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 7

A/N: Writer's block is officially my worst enemy and can go die. My official second and third worst enemies, by the way, are tests and hairdressers.

Sorry about the delay in getting this out, but finals and gradation happened and then there's the fact that I have a tendency to slack off for a couple of days after graduation bECAUSE I'M FREE! And then I had to get a job...

Edit: Thank you for that, Magnussen osbourne, I didn't catch it at all.

xoxoxo

"Do you think I'll make it?" I fretted. I knew I got a lot of points, but I couldn't help but worry I might not get in. At least completing the quest had made my level go up from eighteen to twenty...

"Guuuuh!" A sigh cut into my worrying. I turned to see an incorporeal Dune lying down on my bed and fiddling with an ethereal sniper rifle that I have no idea where she got. She was really fond of the rifle for some reason, so I just asked her to just not have it out when she's visible. "You do realize that you got like forty points, right, Master?" she asked, then pointed her rifle at me. "And I'd eat my rifle if you didn't get any bonus points for saving that one girl with the gravity hands."

"Disagree with harshness," Halitus muttered from where he was sitting on my desk, "agree with sentiment."

"Yeah, so stop worryin'," Dune told me. "Maybe you should look in that magic book of yours to calm yourself down."

I nodded. I had 11,300 Skill Fragments, which really wasn't anything to sneeze at. I pulled out my Skill Grimoir to see if there was anything that I might want to buy. Only one really stuck out to me that I didn't think I could figure out without the book, a skill called Illusion Barrier. It said something about letting me make enemies, which seemed like it might be useful. At least, it seemed like it could be a good way to level up, especially that part where it said that I could make monsters. I was only level twenty despite my stats being higher than even Kacchan's, so leveling for me seemed to only work from fighting and quests, which meant that getting the bonuses to HP and MP for each level up would be a little difficult without easy access to enemies. Plus, it wasn't really that expensive at 500 SF. I clicked it, pressed yes on the confirmation, then dismissed the book when I was done. I frowned as I looked over the new skill in my mind. "That's odd..." I muttered.

"What?" Halitus asked.

"The way the skill is performed, I don't really get how it does what it does," I answered, then thought for a moment. "Though to be fair, I'm pretty new to magic."

"Well?" Dune asked. "Use it!" She'd sat up and was looking at me expectantly. I did as she asked and... nothing seemed to happen, aside from a slight drop in MP. To be fair, I'd used the empty setting because I didn't want to be immediately attacked by monsters, but I was expecting at least something. I looked around to see if my room was any different, but couldn't spot anything. Still, though, something felt off.

"Update," Halitus muttered.

"There's something weeeeird here, Izuku," Dune added nervously.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"Everyone's gone," Halitus stated.

"What!?" I asked.

"They vanished when you used your new skill," Dune clarified. I looked at my minimap and saw that the dots that symbolized other people had just gone. I looked outside. Even the animals were gone. I ran downstairs to see that Mom had just vanished in the middle of cooking dinner, as evidenced by the unattended food. "I really hope that this is just Illusion Barrier," I muttered before dropping the skill. To my relief, I saw Mom standing there after a layer of reality seemed to shatter and drop away.

"Ah!" she shouted. "You scared me, Izuku!" She blinked and then asked, "Did you just teleport, sweetie?"

"Sorry," I apologized. "That wasn't exactly teleportation, but..." I thought for a moment. "Can I test something?" I asked.

"Sure, sweetie, but could you please explain what's going on?"

I nodded. "I got a new skill called Illusion Barrier and I want to see if it works like I think it works," I explained, then pointed to a cup on the table. "Could you please watch that cup for me?" When she nodded, I activated Illusion Barrier and she disappeared. Or rather, I disappeared, leaving her behind. I immediately took the cup, tossed it into the air, caught it, and canceled Illusion Barrier. The cup shattered along with the skill as I returned to reality.

"What was I supposed to be looking for?" Mom asked.

"I wanted to know what would happen to an object that I touch in the Illusion Barrier," I explained. "If you didn't see anything, then that means that using it causes me to exist on another layer of reality, which makes the skill useful for so much more than just grinding. I could use it for stealth, hostage-rescuing, dodging attacks, and possibly more if I could figure out a way to see the real world within the barrier..."

"Ummm… I have no idea what you're talking about, honey, but as long as you're being safe, I'm glad," Mom told me. "Dinner will be ready soon, so why don't you stay down here?"

xoxoxo

I stared at my Skill Grimoir, frowning. I wanted to find a way to see through the Illusion Barrier without dropping it, but I didn't really know how. "I can't really make skills out of nowhere," I muttered, half to myself and half to my elementals. "With the buffs that I'd made, I used the base of Healing Hands, and the other skills I was able to make with mana manipulation and perhaps Mana Affinity thanks to their simplicity. With this, however, I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do. I figured I wouldn't even need any sort of remote viewing-type spell after I got you guys thanks to how useful are." At this comment both of my elementals thanked me for the complement. "Even then, I don't even know if modifying remote viewing is even the right thing to use for that. Considering the fact that it's called Illusion Barrier, some form of truesight might be needed..." Before I could start figuring out some form of remote viewing or truesight, Mom burst through the door looking really frantic.

"Izuku, you got a letter from Yuuei!" she said, holding up a letter. I'm not sure, but I feel like at that moment my face matched hers.

"OH MY GOSH!" I said, then snatched the letter. "THANKSFORBRINGINGTHISTOMEI'MJUSTGOINGTOGOTOMYROOMTOOPENITUPI'LLTELLYOUHOWITWENTLOVEYOUBYE!" I shouted as I rushed to my room. As soon as I closed the door, I ran over to my desk, turned on the lamp, and ripped open the letter. A small, circular device fell out and began to emit light from the top. I gasped when the light projected into a screen showing All Might's smiling face.

"I'M HERE IN THIS HOLOGRAM!" He shouted exuberantly. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner, young man, but I had paperwork to do!"

"Why are you-" I started to ask, then was cut off by All Might continuing, probably because that was a recording and not a holophone.

"I'm glad you asked, young man! See, I've been hired as a teacher at my alma mater, Yuuei!" A voice that I didn't quite hear came from somewhere offscreen, accompanied by a hand. "Hm? What's that? I've got to do how many?" He turned back to face me. "Sorry to cut this short, young man, but I have to make this quick! Not only did you get thirty-eight villain points from the robots you destroyed, but you also got sixty rescue points from saving your fellow examinee, for a whopping total of ninety-eight!"

"Rescue points?" I asked, despite the fact that it was a recording.

"Why yes, rescue points! It was the entrance exam for a hero school, was it not? Yes, a student's resolve to rescue others, even if they should lose out on the opportunity to get a few more points, is something that should be rewarded! And you, who was willing to destroy the monstous zero-pointer to save someone, have shown a heroic spirit that the staff of Yuuei would be remiss to turn away!" I started to tear up as his grin grew wider. "That's right, Midoriya Izuku. Welcome to your hero academia." I cried tears of joy as the hologram shut off. I let myself cry for a few minutes from the sheer realization that I was going to the school that I'd wanted to get in to for almost all of my life, and had been told that I had no chance of ever getting into. When I was done, I dried my eyes and looked over the papers that were in the envelope. Just the standard hero school forms and a letter from the principal congratulating me on how I'd been accepted into Yuuei. I might have teared up some more from that. I signed my parts on the forms and went outside. Mom was standing in front of the door with a nervous look on her face. I smiled, answering the question that was written all over her face. When she was done crying, I handed her the envelope and said, "There's some forms in there that you need to sign and mail back, plus the designs for my hero costume. I signed mine, so I'm going to do some training to make sure that I'm ready for Yuuei."

Mom smiled. "Of course, honey. I'm so proud of you. Go, do your magic."

xoxoxo

I looked around from the roof of my house. With everyone gone and the sun down, it looked like a ghost town. The skeletons shambling around really only added to that. After having tested to make absolutely sure that Illusion Barrier left me completely divorced from reality and I wouldn't just randomly destroy things from within the barrier, which would be bad, I'd used the other setting: Skeletons. While the barrier was completely empty at first, small cracks opened in the ground that each allowed a single skeleton with no equipment to climb out before closing. After just a few minutes of that, skeletons littered the streets in all directions. They weren't very tough according to Observe, but there were a lot of them, so I bravely retreated to the safety of my roof, where thy couldn't climb and didn't seem to want to spawn. "You do realize that you're gonna haveta start fighting at some point, right?" a now-tangible Dune told me as she looked down the scope of her rifle.

I nodded. "I'm going to, but I want to try something first." I concentrated on my magic. I might not have been able to automatically find a way to peer through the Illusion Barrier, but I felt like finding some form of eyesight-enhancing skill might have been a good place to start. I channeled magic to my eyes in a similar way to my enhancement skills, making sure to not overload them because I could tell that that wouldn't be pleasant. After a few seconds of careful magic-working, my vision blurred and then sharpened, to the point where I could hone in on individual details on the closer skeletons and could see the farther skeletons clearly despite it being nighttime. Ping!

A skill has been created through a special action! Infusing your eyes with mana has created the skill 'Hawkeye' to enhance vision!

Hawkeye (Active) LV1 EXP 0.00% MP 50

One's eyesight is an incredibly powerful tool that is to be cherished. This skill allows the user to see with more clarity than normal, greatly enhancing the gift of sight.

Additional 50 MP used per minute.

The skill wasn't quite what I was looking for, but it felt like a step in the right direction. Even still, the ability to enhance my sight was definitely a useful skill that I wanted to cultivate. But first... "Did the skill I just got do something to my eyes?" I asked my elementals.

"Green glow," Halitus remarked. "Larger pupils."

I nodded. "So using Hawkeye in public is out of the question..." That just meant I'd have to get creative. I looked at one of the skeletons that was far away. "Could either one of you hit that one skeleton?" I asked as I transmitted the image to them.

"On it," Dune said as she cocked her rifle. The reason why I asked them was because, unlike me, they seemed to not have any drop in MP used for magic anywhere in their range, unlike me. As I watched the skeleton, I heard her pull the trigger, which somehow caused a spear of rock to protrude out of the ground and at the skeleton, launching its ribcage away and destroying it. I nodded. "Hey, how 'bout you try to to kill one of them now?" she asked.

I activated my Earth Aura in answer, then jumped off the roof to an area that was denser than normal with skeletons and used Earth Burst when I landed. Bones flew everywhere before dissolving into dust. From that, I got almost half as much SF as I'd spent on Illusion Barrier. Even with Born Lucky, the skeletons weren't worth much EXP and SF thanks to being weak, the highest being at level five, but there were a lot of them. My Sense Danger and Bloodthirst skills warned me that more skeletons were coming, so I activated Earth Aura again. The cracks in the ground that signaled the skeletons spawning opened up and the bony arms shot out. Before the rest of the skeletons could climb out, I stomped my foot, sending out a shockwave that killed the skeletons before they could even finish spawning. Unfortunately, the large amount of noise I'd made caused the rest of the skeletons to come after me. "Nope," I said, then switched to Air Aura and parkoured back up to my roof.

I looked down at the angry mob of skeletons looking up at me expectantly and said, "I really hope that these skeletons are as easy to kill as in Skyrim..." I thought for a moment about how to best make an AOE attack without dropping down there again to use Elemental Burst. I held my hands out and condensed air mana in the same way that I made Spiral Mana Bomb. When it was fully charged, I shot it into the crowd with surprising speed. The new spell, which I called Tornado Bomb, lived up to its name when it made a swirling wave of air so strong that it ripped all of the skeletons apart. As their bones disintegrated, I got 741 SF and another level up. After I dismissed the text boxes, I noticed that their dust wasn't disappearing, just swirling around in the last eddies of the Tornado Bomb. As I watched, the swirling of the dust picked up speed, then started flying towards the small crater from where the bomb hit. A crack that was much larger than the others opened up and the dust began to pour inside it. When all of the dust had poured into the crack, a large armored hand shot out of it. A skeleton clad in full samurai armour that was definitely over two meters tall climbed out.

Spirit of a Fallen Warrior

LV 34

Skeletal Samurai

I gulped. Sure, I had pretty high stats, but this was my first time facing any enemy with such a high level aside from friendly spars with Kacchan. The samurai drew his katana and pointed it at me. For a second, I thought about running away, but shook my head and abandoned the thought almost as soon as it came. I'd be a horrible hero if I decided to run from any fight that looked like there was a chance for me to lose. The first thing I did was layer all of my buffs. Using Observe, I noted that it had a low DEX compared to its other stats. I turned Air Aura back on, made a katana of my own, and jumped at the samurai. I managed to land behind him and turned to swing my sword at him, meeting his blade as it came down on me.

"Halitus! Dune!" I shouted. Spears of earth shot at the skeleton as the wind picked up and pushed it off of me. While it was off balance I swung at the elbow of its sword arm, hoping to cut it off. I cut through the armor and the bone, but the arm refused to fall. A quick Observe told me that that took a small chunk off its health, though. The skeleton swiped at me again and I jumped backwards before I could be cut. From there, I sent a volley of Air Slashes at the samurai. They didn't do much, but they did manage to take some more health off, which was a win. I exchanged the Air Aura on my blade for Fire Aura and dashed back at the skeleton. We struck swords again, but this time its sword started to glow red from the flames. I willed my fire to grow hotter and slowly cut through the softened metal. When I cut all the way through, I used Power Strike to make my sword swing faster as I chopped into its neck. Like with before, my sword cut through a bone but didn't disable the skeleton, probably because it was already in pieces but still held itself together with magic. Before I could get back, the skeleton cut me with the remnant of its sword. Fortunately, my Physical Endurance was already almost level one hundred from me biting myself over the course of ten months, so it didn't hurt too much. I jumped back and started to heal myself. The skeleton charged at me, but because it was so slow I was able to dodge easily and stick my sword in it again. This time I overloaded the Fire Aura and let go. I jumped back as the Fire Burst engulfed the samurai, making use of Hawkeye to keep an eye on it through the flames. Thankfully, the skeleton was almost out of HP, so I just shot Mana Bolts at it until it died, which was surprisingly effective. When its HP reached zero, it fell over from the force of the last Mana Bolt and started crumbling. Thankfully, this time the dust actually disappeared, leaving behind a scroll and giving me a level up. I picked up the scroll, which caused a window to appear.

You have picked up the skill book for the skill 'Vacuum Slice.' Would you like too learn it?

"Huh," I said. "I guess that this is another form of the Skill Grimoir," I muttered. "Does this mean that Illusion Barrier is working with my Quirk?" As I was inspecting it, I vaguely felt something roughly tapping me on the back, but I brushed it off. "I guess that that was where my confusion was coming from," I mused. "It wouldn't be the first skill of mine that works with my Quirk, but this is the first time that I know of that a skill was modified..." I was tapped on the back again. "What is it?" I asked as I turned around. I saw a group of skeletons pounding on my back as hard as they could, which apparently wasn't very hard. I checked and saw that I still had Defense up and Regeneration on for a few more seconds, so I was taking one or two damage from the hits and just immediately healing it off. "Huh," I said. I renewed my buffs to make sure they couldn't do anything to me and switched to Earth Aura just in case. Because the skeletons couldn't actually hurt me, I learned Vacuum Slice, causing the scroll to dissolve like the words in my Skill Grimoir. Vacuum Slice actually didn't seem like that bad of a skill. It was almost the exact same thing as my Air Slash, but it wasn't air-element and cost less. The only problem was that I could only use it with a sword or some other kind of blade as a medium. It seemed like I could also use it to enhance my sword by not letting go of it. I tested that theory by creating my trusty katana and slicing through the skeletons. I then realized that I had no baseline to how hard a skeleton was to cut with Bound Blade alone and ran over to another skeleton to cut it. "It does let me cut things easier," I muttered.

I decided that I was probably okay on fighting skeletons for the night and ducked into a bush so I could switch Illusion Barriers. Without the skeletons to impede me, I simply walked home. On the way home, I brought up my skill menu to to see if how my skills were doing.

xoxoxo

"Should water ever rise up to drown you, call me for help," the small girl in blue ninja garb said before melting into water.

"Of course I will, Rayne," I told her. Unlike the last two times, I didn't even feel tired. I immediately summoned her back, though. Thanks to Summon Basic Elemental upgrading to Summon Lesser Elemental, she looked like she was about ten years old, not eight. My other two elementals also looked older, and for whatever reason Dune had gained some gray spots to her camo. Rayne had light blue clothing, like Halitus, though she had navy blue as well as sky blue and her hair was the same colors as her clothes. Her hair was done up in two buns with yellow ornaments on them. She had a scarf made of some strange white material that made it look like it was made of seafoam or something and small white circular sunglasses that didn't cover her eyes at all. "Hello again," I said.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "What do you need me for?" she asked then unsheathed her sword what the heck? "Do you need me to stab anything?" Her tone was still totally cheerful even as she brandished the wave-themed ninja sword she'd pulled out of its sheath on her back.

"A-ah! That-that won't be necessary! I just wanted to talk!" I quickly explained.

"Awww," she complained. "I wanted to stab something!"

"Weapon buddies!" Dune shouted and waved her gun in the air in a way that I didn't even need to know anything about gun safety to know that that was the exact opposite of gun safety.

"Weapon buddies!" Rayne agreed. She waved her sword around with Dune. I was really glad that I'd decided to do the ritual in the Illusion Barrier.

I edged over to where Halitus was sitting. "I think we should let them finish before we start talking," I said.

"Yes," he agreed.

xoxoxo

A/N: And now we know what happens if someone grinds for ten months before getting ID Create. By the way, I called it Illusion Barrier and not ID Create like in The Gamer is because I think Illusion Barrier sounds cooler than ID Create. Sue me. And sorry about that last scene being rather abrupt, but I didn't really know how to introduce Rayne better.

By the way, I made a Tumblr (lol meta). It's the same as my username if you were curious. You guys should probably send questions there if you want them answered. And if you make fanart and want to show it to me, that'd be perfection.

And I'm not saying Pastor Tommy McMurtry is sexually attracted to pumpkins, I'm just saying that we don't really know for sure (look up Mr. Atheist if you don't get it). Happy rainbow month, everyone.

#The Gamer Hero Deku #Gamer Hero Deku #fanfiction #GHD CH7 #BNHA

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andipxndy-writes · 5 years

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The Triplets - Rick & Laura

[[Oh my gosh it’s been 5ever since I’ve actually posted anything on any of my blogs on this site. But here I am, back because my muses decided to pop up!

Anyway, I wrote a thing! Basically, in my procrastination, I’ve been reading through a bunch of old threads, and I got really sucked into my threads with @a-simple-rper and fell in love with these characters and their relationships and... well, basically, I was so inspired that this thing got done in, like, a day and a half. Which is probably a new record for me, considering I’ve actually edited through this thing more than once (I never go back and edit, lol) and it’s more than 5.5k words. I’m actually very proud of myself.

So here’s my cute thing! Edited to completion, methinks. Enjoy!]]

The Triplets

When Rick had woken up that morning, he hadn’t known what to expect. Well, he kind of did – Laura in bed beside him, the light of the sun rising filtering through the curtains, a day filled with work ahead of him.

What he did not expect was to wake up to an empty bed, the bedroom door wide open. He frowned as he sat up, stretching and yawning before heading towards the door and out into the corridor. That was strange… Laura usually woke up after he did.

His unasked question of where exactly his girlfriend was, was answered by the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom. His brows furrowed even more at that – Laura hadn’t been drinking last night, so why was she sick? Did she eat something bad? As far as he knew, nothing had been out of the ordinary.

Approaching the door, he knocked on it. “Laura? You in there?”

There were a few seconds of silence, before Rick heard the feeble “yes,” that he knew could only come from his partner. Which was less than comforting.

“What’s wrong? Did you eat something bad last night?” Getting straight to the point was Rick’s favourite mode of action, and he felt that it was definitely important to use right now, considering she didn’t sound all that great.

“N-no…”

Rick waited silently to see if she would elaborate, but when she didn’t say anything further he sighed. This didn’t make sense. Why was Laura sick?

It seemed as if Laura could sense Rick’s struggle on the other side of the door, so she called out, “Door’s open.”

Rick barely hesitated before pushing the door open, trying not to appear too worried as he did so. He wasn’t surprised to see Laura leaned against the toilet, head resting on her arm on the seat. What did surprise him was the weak, tired smile she gave him.

“How long have you been here?” he asked slowly as he moved to sit beside her, rubbing her back. Weird thing was, she didn’t feel that clammy, or hot, so she couldn’t have been ill…

“A couple hours,” she replied, her voice croaky. “It’s been mostly up and down. I feel good for a few minutes and have a glass of water, then I throw it all up again. It sucks. And dry heaving is the worst part.”

Rick frowned deeply at that, the usual slight amount of concern breaking through his normally stoic expression.

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened.”

“What?” He hadn’t been expecting that either. Laura was always in bed when he woke up – he hadn’t noticed her being away first thing in the morning until today.

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just a little worse today…”

“Do we need to go to a doctor about it?”

She appeared to contemplate the decision, before the small smile appeared on her face. “No need. Though, you might want to grab your phone.”

His eyebrows rose at that, and he waited for her to elaborate, hoping that she’d actually do so this time.

That was when she picked up something that had been sat on top of the toilet cistern and held it up for him to see, and it took him less than a second to realise what it was.

A pregnancy test.

A positive pregnancy test.

“You might want to call your ma about this one. Because it looks like we’re getting a second chance.”

“And how are you today, Ms. Banks?”

Laura shifted slightly on the bed, looking away from the ultrasound scanner and up at the sonographer. “I’m alright, I guess.”

Honestly, though? She was very nervous, and even Rick could see that on her face. The last time they’d been in this situation, it hadn’t turned out well at all – they’d finally got their hopes up, only for it to be ripped away from them for some reason or other. She was scared of it happening again.

Heck, even Rick was scared of it happening again.

This was their second chance, and they didn’t want it to be ripped away from them like before. They were being extra careful now, doing everything the midwife and the doctor had suggested, making sure there was no room for a single thing to go wrong.

The doctor nodded, smiling comfortingly at the couple. “That’s good, that’s good.” She stopped typing at the computer to face the couple fully. “Now, as you know, we recommended you come in earlier than most just to make sure everything’s alright with this pregnancy, considering what happened in the last one. We’ll be asking some more questions, and keeping a closer eye on you too, just to make sure this one goes smoothly. That sound good to you both?”

The pair nodded, and Laura took Rick’s hand, squeezing it lightly.

The sonographer nodded once. “Good. Now, as we’re having an early scan, we’re going to be doing it vaginally, just so we can see everything. Is that alright with you? It requires a bit more prep than just lifting your shirt, and could take a fair bit longer, but we’ll be able to see more and make sure your baby is healthy.”

After Laura nodded her consent, she headed off to the bathroom to prepare for the scan, lying on the bed awkwardly when she was done. She glanced up at Rick, who (for some reason or other) was looking away.

“If you’re doing that to give me some decency, I’d like to remind you of what position I was in for me to end up here in the first place.”

He turned back to her with a slight smirk. “Are you sure it was this one? I’m pretty sure it was another.”

“Are we really going to have to recall back to that night?”

“I think we can do that.”

“Maybe later,” the sonographer interjected casually, causing Laura to blush. Rick coughed slightly to cover up his laugh.

The couple’s eyes were focused on the ultrasound screen as the probe was moved about, getting the necessary image. It took a good few minutes of staring at seemingly nothing, but then the sonographer spoke.

“Aha! Here we go.” She pointed at the screen. “So, here’s your uterus, and that right there… right there, is the foetus.” After a bit more movement on the screen, she paused. “Hang on…”

Rick and Laura frowned at each other, before looking at the doctor.

“Is something wrong?” Laura asked, and she found her hand in Rick’s again, squeezing it. She didn’t want anything to go wrong. It couldn’t be happening again. They’d barely even started…

She found her heart rate decreasing when Rick squeezed back, getting rid of the fear caused by the doctor’s silence.

The doctor didn’t answer for a little while, seemingly focusing on the screen, before she eventually let out a laugh. “Well, you two are in for a real treat.”

Laura blinked at the sudden change in atmosphere. “What?”

The doctor moved the probe again, before turning to the screen. “Right, so here we have a fetus…” She pointed to another position on the screen. “And we have fetus number two…”

“Oh God…” Rick muttered.

“And fetus number three, kind of separate from the other two but still very much present.”

Laura’s jaw hung open, her eyes wide. “Are you… are you serious?”

The doctor nodded, a smile on her face. “Congratulations, you two. You’re having triplets.”

Laura sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, standing sideways. She’d long since given up on wearing her usual skinny jeans and tight shirts, since she pretty much popped right out of them, but she wasn’t exactly sure how good she looked in the winter dress Kat had bought her. She was big, yes, but this just made her look huge.

“Are you coming down?”

Laura looked over at the door to see Rick stood there, in a shirt and jeans himself. She turned back to the mirror with a sigh. “I will…”

“Our parents are waiting.”

“Our moms are probably just chatting it up whilst our dads just sit there.”

“If you’re here much longer, Sam will be forced to entertain.”

Laura winced. They both knew how much her dad loved Sam.

Then again, her father didn’t know that she was pregnant yet. Her mother knew, and so did Rick’s parents, but she most definitely knew what sort of reaction she’d get from her dad at this. Then again, he either found out now, or when she was literally about to pop.

“Is George here yet?”

“He’s entertaining the twins.”

“Is the turkey out of the oven?”

“Just as you instructed.”

“What about…?”

“It’s all ready, Laura.”

Laura was pleasantly surprised when she felt Rick’s arms around her, a kiss placed on the top of her head before he rested his on hers. She smiled and leaned back into him.

“He’s gonna be mad…”

Rick raised a single eyebrow at her in the mirror. “He’s fifteen weeks too late to complain.”

Laura smirked. “Well, that’s an attitude I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“It’s just the truth.”

She laughed, kissing what she could reach of his arm before patting his hands so that he let go. “Okay, okay. I’m ready.”

Rick let go of her, taking a few steps back and letting her walk past him to the door. Noticing how her back was straighter, how the way she walked was a lot more confident, he smiled a little.

That’s his Laura.

Lying in bed, arms wrapped around Laura as she leaned up against the headboard, Rick couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a Sunday morning – even if this whole situation was only happening because Laura had demanded it and hadn’t budged until he’d agreed.

Whilst he had his eyes closed, simply resting and enjoying the peace, Laura was reading a book she’d been given at the clinic, flipping through the chapter on 20 weeks. Reading through the various pieces of information, and looking through the various pictures on the pages, she scowled.

“I look like a whale.”

“Hmmm?” Rick opened his eyes when she spoke, looking up at her.

“I look like a whale,” she repeated, still scowling down at the book. “Look at all the women in these photos, Rick. They can probably reach their toes whilst sitting down.”

Rick blinked at her, though his face appeared as blank as ever. What had brought this on? “You’re pregnant with triplets.”

“And I’m a whale.”

“You’re not a whale. You’re pregnant. With three babies instead of one.”

“I feel huge.”

“I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

When she glared at him, he sighed and decided to elaborate.

“You’ve got to be three times as big to fit them all. It’s fine. You’re fine. And beautiful.”

Her expression softened, and she blinked at what he said, blushing. The blush only got darker when he sat up and leaned over to kiss her softly. And then she gasped, pulling away suddenly with wide eyes.

He frowned, concern appearing on his features almost immediately. “What is it?” he asked, trying not to convey how concerned he was through his tone. Had he done something wrong?

“I think… I think I felt a kick.”

It took a few moments for what she said to fully register in Rick’s mind. And then, all of a sudden, it clicked.

A kick.

When Laura saw the small smile beginning to spread on his face, she took his hand and placed it where she’d felt the kick. She knew it was probably futile, feeling for a kick in the same place when the next kick could be anywhere, or not even be felt at all.

She was pleasantly surprised when there actually was a kick in the same place again, right against the palm of Rick’s hand. Looking at him, she didn’t bother stop the laugh coming out at the genuinely surprised expression on his face. Seeing expressions like that, clear on his face without any of his usual restraint, brought her a level of joy that very little could compare to.

Except, probably, the feel of their babies kicking for the first time.

When Rick had first met Laura’s family, it had been pretty awkward to be introduced as her boyfriend. Especially since he was not only much taller than her, but much older and a whole lot more Southern. He was quickly singled out as the odd one out in any family gathering, which he supposed he could deal with. After all, Laura still loved him, and it wasn’t as if her dad hated him for being in a relationship with his daughter, like he did Sam; though, her mother did seem to favour the other a whole lot more than him.

Finding out that she had more extended family, made up of her mother’s sisters and their children, was something Rick thought he would be able to handle. After all, the twins were nice. Their cousins couldn’t be that bad, could they?

He was proven wrong the moment Laura’s mother stepped into the bar with two women he’d never met before.

“Oh, what is that horrid smell?” the older woman asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she looked around the bar.

“Must be the drunkards,” the younger responded casually, her eyes focused on her nails. The response caused Jane to roll her eyes before approaching Rick at the bar, leaving the two women to disapprove of the place.

“Rick, how are you doing?”

“Well thanks, Jane.” He looked up from wiping down the counter. “Did you need Laura?”

“We’ll need her in a bit. Probably when Kat gets here.” The smile melted off her face. “As soon as she steps through that door, start us up on a tab. I’m going to need a drink or two to deal with them.”

He simply nodded, tossing the rag onto his shoulder. “I’ll go give her a heads up.”

“Thank you, Rick.”

He gave another nod before turning and heading into the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to find Laura at the stove, whipping up the next order at a slower speed than usual. Granted, she wasn’t letting her rapidly expanding stomach get in the way of her cooking, but even he could tell that having three babies was draining her energy faster than usual, and reaching for anything below knee height was a struggle for her on a good day. She looked over at him when the door opened, smiling.

“Hey, Ricky, is everything okay?” she asked as she turned back to focus on what she was doing. Even if she looked huge at only 24 weeks, Rick still thought she looked as beautiful as ever.

“Your mom’s here.”

“Oh?” Laura turned to reach for a ladle, lowering the heat on the soup and beginning to spoon it into the waiting bowls. “Did she want something?”

“She’s here with two women.”

“Really?” She paused. “What did they look like?”

“Blonde, like you. She also said something about Kat joining you guys when she gets here.”

Laura was silent for a few moments, before swearing violently under her breath and leaning the ladle on the side of the pot. “Keep an eye on the soup for me,” she muttered as she waddled past him to the door, opening it a little and peeking out. As soon as she spotted her mother, she shut the door quickly and swore again, this time more loudly.

“That’s my aunt and cousin.”

Rick’s eyebrows rose.

“They don’t know I’m pregnant.”

Now Laura’s swearing made sense.

Rick pursed his lips a little as he tried to think of a solution to this. All of them involved Sam, and all outcomes were disastrous. “Do you need someone to stall?”

“My mom knows I’m in here. I’m stuck. Unless I can hide this.” She gestured to her bump.

“That’s 6 months of Rick’s hard work in there,” Sam chirped from the serving window as they approached to deliver orders on their trusty notepad, and take the completed ones to the waiting tables. “You can’t be hiding that.”

“I kind of need to right now.”

Sam blinked at her, before glancing over their shoulder towards the dreaded table. “Is this about the two ladies mom is sitting with? They gave me the stink eye when she introduced me.”

“What they said behind your back must’ve been ten times worse.” Laura groaned and ran a hand over her face.

Rick watched her closely. “Do you need to sit down? You’ve been standing for a while.”

“Probably…”

“Uh, I don’t know whether this is a good thing or not, but Kat just got here and mom is signalling to me to call you,” Sam muttered, a look of genuine sympathy for Laura on their face. “You want me to stall for you?”

Laura sighed, running a hand through her hair and pushing it back before shaking her head. “No, I’ll… I’ll head over.”

Rick nodded, nearing her and kissing her softly. “You’ll be fine. I’m here if you need.”

“That soup is burning.”

He quickly turned to switch it off, causing Laura to laugh as she turned towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she made her way slowly out of the kitchen and towards the table her mother was sat at. Luckily she was approaching from behind her aunt and cousin, facing her mother. She looked incredibly nervous as she reached the table. “Hey, mom, Kat.”

She should’ve expected the scathing comments that were coming.

“Oh, that bastard doorman knocked you up too?” Lara sneered. “I told you, mom, it’s a harem in here.”

Laura spoke before Kat could spit something angrily from where she sat. She could’ve seen the anger boiling from a mile away. “No. I’m dating the barman.”

Lara’s eyes widened. “You mean, that mammoth?”

Her aunt sneered. “Look at you both, having children out of wedlock like heathens. I would’ve thought you taught them better, Jane. This stupidity must come from your husband.”

Jane glared at her sister. “Now, don’t you start, Elizabeth.”

Before anything else could be said, Sam approached the table, the first drinks of the tab on a tray. “Ladies,” they greeted, with their usual grin. When they noticed Laura was standing, though, they frowned. “Laura, you shouldn’t be standing.”

“Oh, and you have an idea on what she should be doing?” Elizabeth asked snarkily, almost glaring at Sam.

They bristled at her tone, but a look from Jane ensured that they said nothing as they placed down the drinks that had been requested earlier, sending Laura and Kat smiles as they left.

As soon as they were gone, Lara scoffed. “What a fool. I cannot believe Katherine stooped to that level. And had little bastards with him.”

Laura had barely blinked before Kat snapped and punched Lara in the face, hard. “Don’t you ever insult Sam or call my children bastards again, you bitch. Otherwise that punch will feel like a tickle compared to what I’ll do to you.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened as Lara reeled back on her chair, screeching and holding her bloody nose. “Katherine!”

“Oh, don’t you start,” Laura sneered, pulling out a chair and sitting down without invitation – her back ached like hell. “I can’t deal with your whining.”

“How dare you speak to me in that manner!”

Before Laura could reply in a sarcastic manner worthy of Allie in one of her annoying moods, her mother spoke. “I think, perhaps, it’s time you took your child and left, Elizabeth,” Jane stated calmly, though the expression on her face was steely and dark. “And you can show yourself out.”

Elizabeth glared at her sister. “If you think that I am lowly enough to be forced to follow your instructions—”

“Is there a problem here, ma’am?”

All five ladies looked up to see Rick stood by the table, drying a glass in his hands with the usual stony expression on his face. Though, Laura could see the anger hidden behind his eyes. And apparently, so could everyone else.

His appearance was all Elizabeth and Lara needed to get out of there, both of them grabbing their bags and walking hurriedly towards the door without looking back. As soon as they were gone, Rick focused on Laura, his eyes softening and his expression concerned.

“Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Laura responded, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself (and the agitated flutterings of the babies growing inside her) down. “Just need to rest a bit.”

Jane looked guilty as she leaned on the table. “I’d originally come to check on you both before those two decided to tag along… without my consent.” She sent Laura an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“No, it’s fine, mom. Besides,” Laura grinned at her twin, “I finally got to see the results of Sam’s boxing lessons.”

Kat grinned as she cracked her knuckles. “Oh, sweetie, that was only the beginning.”

Rick gave a small smile as he headed back to the bar, the three women laughing behind him.

If there was one thing Rick hated more than looking ridiculous, it was looking ridiculous in front of other people.

Still, for the sake of his girlfriend and their babies, he sat quietly in the lesson, Laura between his legs and leaning back on him, all four of their hands resting on her now very large bump. Today happened to be a lesson on breathing exercises – and Rick wasn’t sure whether he was looking forward to it.

“Right, now I want you to relax into your partner – think calming thoughts as you slowly breathe out… then in…”

Rick’s hands remained on the bump as Laura leaned back into his torso, her eyes closed as she focused on her breathing.

“Remember, start with a slow breath out to relax your muscles… and think calming thoughts… the stress will only make the pain worse…”

“Did Sam and Kat have to do these…?” Rick asked Laura lowly, leaning down so that only she could hear him.

“If they didn’t, would you make us leave?” Laura muttered back in retaliation.

Rick just rubbed her stomach comfortingly, smiling a little when he felt a couple of kicks. “I’m just saying… they’re pretty uneventful.”

Laura opened her eyes and looked up at him. “What kinds of things were you expecting to do?”

“Stress will make the pain worse, so imagine the stress leaving your body as you breathe out…”

“I don’t know, but maybe something more than breathing exercises…” Rick responded.

Laura scoffed. “Last week you were bouncing the birthing ball like a basketball and commented on all the stupid stuff Sam would do with it if they found it in the bar…”

There was a loud clearing of a throat, and both of them looked towards the teacher, who was glaring at them.

“It would be nice if, after paying for the class, you actually bothered to listen,” she quipped.

“Sorry,” Laura mumbled, and Rick ducked his head, hiding the smirk growing on his face.

The teacher watched them for a few moments, before nodding and continuing with the class. “Now, as I was saying, let the stress flow out of your body like a stream from a spring…”

“You got in trouble with the teacher,” Rick muttered into Laura’s ear with a smirk, and she huffed, pinching his arm in retribution.

“Ass,” she grumbled, though a small smile had formed on her face.

Walking through the supermarket, Laura sighed, leaning heavily on the shopping trolley as she moved. Her feet hurt, her back ached, her hands and feet felt swollen, and she was exhausted near constantly, but today was the only day Rick was willing to leave the bar under Sam’s supervision and go baby shopping with her.

Baby shopping that was taking a whole lot longer than she’d anticipated.

Looking into the trolley, there were a ton of baby outfits and even more diapers there, as well as three baby carriers that could transform into car seats very easily (thank goodness). At that moment, Rick was looking at some strollers, a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Laura asked, sounding pretty much as tired as she felt.

“Three-kid strollers are really expensive…” he muttered, looking between the different types. “What do you think?”

Laura straightened up and looked at the different options available – basically, one. Which was definitely very expensive. “What about a double and a single?” she suggested.

Rick looked over at her. “We’d have to take them on walks together.”

“It’d get you out of the bar more.”

He rolled his eyes at her, before turning back to the strollers. “I guess… but wouldn’t the triplet one be better in the long term?”

Laura opened her mouth to answer when she suddenly felt a discomfort in her lower back, and she leaned more fully on the trolley, breathing slowly.

When Laura didn’t answer, Rick turned around to see her leaning on the trolley. “Laura?” He approached her, rubbing her lower back slowly.

“Braxton Hicks,” she replied, answering the unasked question. “Just real uncomfy right now.”

Rick nodded, before realising she couldn’t see him. “Need to walk around a bit?”

“Yeah, but my back kills…”

He sighed, continuing to rub as she hummed to herself, probably to stop herself from groaning from the discomfort. He had an idea, but he wasn’t sure if it would be allowed… “Want to head over to the sofa section?”

She turned her head to look at him, a frown on her face. “Why?”

“You need to put your feet up.”

“You want us to get kicked out of Wal-Mart?”

“They’d kick out a pregnant woman for resting?”

Laura pursed her lips. Rick had a point… “Okay, help me out…”

Sighing, Rick walked slowly up the stairs, running a hand through his hair. The bar was finally closed for the night, but today had been hectic. The Carter twins had just started Pre-K, because Kat was back to working as a lecturer and Sam worked every day anyway. Except, some kid had turned up at school with chicken pox a week before and now the twins were spotty, itchy and tearful every day, so Kat and Sam had to take shifts taking care of them and making sure they didn’t scratch their skins off.

So he was down a worker.

Then there was the fact that Laura was officially not allowed to be on her feet for more than ten minutes at a time. Which meant that she wasn’t allowed to be in the kitchen – at least, that was how Rick interpreted it, even if she’d fought to get it interpreted differently. Luckily, it had reached the summer, and some kids were on summer break, so Allie offered up the services of her cousin (who happened to be a high school teacher) so that the kitchen could stay open and business could keep bringing in profits. Particularly because it was family season.

The lack of a doorman and the usual chef made it harder for Rick to deal with a shift, considering he also had to do crowd control, and there wasn’t exactly anyone to serve the food (unless that kid who volunteered to help out counted – Rick was pretty sure the kid expected payment for his service).

Now, though, he was looking forward to just relaxing in bed with his woman and letting all the stresses of the day just melt away. Tomorrow, hopefully, Sam would be back for a shift and take some of the stress off Rick, but tonight was a night to relax.

Opening the bedroom door, Rick wasn’t surprised to see Laura sat up in bed, reading with the book set on her bump as she rubbed it fondly. She looked up when she realised Rick was there, and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He shut the door and approached the bed. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I’ve rested pretty much all day. I’m not that tired.” She rubbed her stomach. “Plus, it’s their playtime apparently. Mama isn’t allowed to sleep.”

He chuckled as he pulled off his shirt, approaching the bed. “Need me to have a talk with them?”

Her expression soured. “You make it worse. Every time.”

“Hey, at least I’ve tried.”

“Your kids don’t take you seriously. You need to sort that out.”

He just chuckled again, stripping down to his underwear and lying down beside her. “Not long before I’ll be able to.”

Being 31 weeks along, the doctors had suggested that Laura only keep pushing until at least 34 weeks before she delivered – it was certain that she wouldn’t be able to carry to full term, but they needed the babies as developed as possible before they took them out and kept them in the NICU until they were healthy enough to survive on their own. Which meant Laura would be stuck on bed rest for at least three weeks.

She’d only been on rest for half a week, and Rick could already tell she hated it.

A nervous expression appeared on her face, and Rick sat up. “Nervous?”

She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. We’re having three kids. In at least three weeks. What’s not to be nervous about?”

“Remember that you’ll – we’ll – have a support network. We’re not alone in this.”

She smiled widely at that, closing the book and setting it on the bedside table. “Yeah… yeah, I guess…”

He leaned over and kissed her softly, gently cradling her head in his hands as he did so. He rested his forehead against hers as he pulled away. “We’re a team. We can make it work. We can do this.”

She narrowed her eyes at him as she pulled away. “You took that from the antenatal class. You were actually listening?”

“You were the one who got told off for not listening.”

“That was your fault!”

The summer was usually the busiest season for the bar, simply because people were more free to do what they wanted – especially with the kids out of school. Since it had become general knowledge to the regulars that Rick was going to be a dad, Rick more often than not found himself chatting with a dad who had dropped the kids off with the grandparents and was chilling whilst their significant other was at work, and conversations ranged from the sweetest things kids did to the times they literally caused heart attacks, and Rick certainly wasn’t looking forward to the latter.

However, it was when he heard the call that he realised kids started giving heart attacks from before birth.

“Rick!”

His heart leapt into his throat as he shot Sam a look, and the other raced over to take his place at the bar as he ran upstairs to see what was going on. He stiffened when he realised Kat was stood there in the corridor, supporting her pregnant sister.

Her pregnant sister, who was stood with her hands braced against the wall, her face scrunched up in pain and a slowly growing pool of liquid around her feet.

Please let that be pee, please let that be pee…

“Her waters just broke,” Kat explained, rubbing Laura’s back. “She’s been having contractions since this morning.”

Rick’s heart clenched at that. If she’d been having them, why hadn’t they called earlier? He hadn’t been that busy, had he? God, was she in labour?

Oh God, she was in labour.

“Grab the baby bag from our room – it’s under the bed,” he instructed, quickly moving to take Kat’s place in supporting Laura. “Sam has the truck keys.”

“I’ll get it all ready for you.” Kat raced off to do as Rick explained, leaving the pair in the corridor.

Leaning down, Rick kissed Laura’s cheek as he rubbed her lower back and realised her face was wet from tears. “Remember, breathe. Breathe out slow, then in. Don’t panic.”

As Laura began to follow the instructions given in the classes, Rick realised he was also using the breathing technique to keep calm and that his heart was beating twice as fast as usual.

It felt like forever, but Laura eventually relaxed, her breathing returning to normal and her hands unclenching from where they had been scratching at the wall in pain. But the tears kept flowing. Rick leaned down again and kissed her cheeks, letting her know he was still there.

“You ready to move?”

Laura forced out a laugh, still braced against the wall. “Do I have a choice?” She took a deep breath. “And here I was hoping I could hold out for another week…”

“You’re 34 weeks already. You’ve made it far, and you’ve done well. I’m proud of you.”

She smiled at that. “Really?”

He smiled back. “Really.”

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly to stop the flow of tears. “Okay then. Let’s go have our babies.”

Rick could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d got emotional in his life: his first wedding; leaving home; that time with his dad when he was a teen…

But this definitely topped that list.

Staring through the windows to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, his eyes were focused on three incubators with wires and tubes leading out of them. Inside them, three babies laid, tiny and helpless and premature, unable to breathe without the aid of a machine.

And as helpless and as tiny as they were, and as terrified as he was to now have three tiny lives entrusted into his care, Rick couldn’t deny the overflow of love he felt as he watched them. The emotion was just… so much more than he was used to.

That’s what he would attribute the crack in his voice to as his mother answered the phone.

“Ricky? Is everything alright?”

“Ma…” He smiled, his eyes still glued to his two daughters and son. “You’re a grandma…”

#universe development: the simple life #muse development: laura banks #written for: asimplerper #writing: mine #writing: rp writings #//in which aj does a thing and is proud

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finnsxprincess · 7 years

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the unexpected

A/N: special thanks to @lusterrdust for editing this oneshot!

“you did something that took my breath away, something that I couldn't ask for more, something that was unexpected. you loved me, and that was enough. that was more than enough.”

- kelly bitangcol, "the unexpected"

It was lunchtime and Betty wandered down the busy hallway of Riverdale High, having one specific destination in mind. Her head was filled with unwanted thoughts, unwanted memories, and she just needed to find a distraction. Of course, the Blue and Gold office was the first thing coming to her mind.

If anyone would have asked her what her most cherished place in this school was, she would have answered the school's newspaper office, which had been her safe haven for the past couple of months. However, the exact reason why might not have been what everyone else were expecting.

With everything going on with her older sister Polly, the murder of Jason Blossom, and her parents lying to her every single day, she'd been craving for a place to detach herself from the daily drama; a place where she could just forget about everything for at least several hours.

At first, that place had been the Blue and Gold office. The smell of fresh paper and ink made her feel safe—relaxed, even. She had asked the one and only Jughead Jones to help her revive the school's newspaper, and he reluctantly accepted her offer. Almost every day after classes, the two of them would meet there and work on their murder board, trying to find out more about the case of Jason Blossom. It had been surprisingly beneficial for the blonde to entirely focus on something that was unrelated to her problems at home; and with Jughead by her side, every single worry of hers simply dashed out of her mind, only leaving the best behind. And every day, she was looking forward to their writing sessions at the school's newspaper.

But a few weeks or so in, she found her comfort in some other places, and that was something she would never have expected. Day after day, the raven-haired boy listened to her ramblings. He quickly became her mental support—an anchor in such hard times. She was conflicted about her feelings toward him, but he made sure to clear that up for her by kissing her lips and holding her tenderly as though she was a piece of art or rare jewel lost in the middle of sea. And that's when she understood her safe haven was now in Jughead Jones the third, the so called "weirdo" of Riverdale. She had found peace in his arms and comfort in his expressional blue eyes, and she loved that.

She loved him.

✿

As soon as she stepped into the room, her eyes landed on the boy. He seemed to be intensely focused on what he was doing. His eyes were stuck onto his computer screen, his fingers dancing swiftly across the keyboard and his brows curved upward in a way Betty found extremely adorable. And obviously, he didn't have the slightest idea she had just walked in.

With a smile, she headed in his direction, making sure to not alarm him. She had lost count of the times she managed to scare him, and every time her attempts succeeded, she felt slight joy overwhelm her.

"Hey, handsome." She seductively murmured into his ear after carefully placing her hands on top of his shoulders, leaving a quick peck on his cheek.

And as expected, Jughead jolted out of his deep pondering state. "Gosh, Betty! How many times will–"

"How many times will I get to frighten you again?" She asked, a proud smile tugging her lips apart. "I don't know, let's see..." she looked up as though she was actually thinking about the question, resting her thumb and index finger on her chin before feeling his hands gently shifting her in front of him.

"C'mere," he murmured, a smirk slowly making its way upon his face. It was just impossible for the boy to remain mad at her, no matter how much pleasure she took out of scaring him. It was utterly adorable to him—how excited a single gesture could make her feel—and it was during moments like those that he couldn't ignore the sudden urge to kiss her.

Betty sat on Jughead's laps, placing her legs on each side of his, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she understood what he tried to do, her cheeks tinting with a light shade of pink. Her smile couldn't seem to fade away as their lips touched—the warmth and tenderness of his lips on hers overwhelmed the blonde with strong, utter happiness. It was quick and soft, but Jughead appreciated and cherished each of them.

"So..." the blonde muttered after their mouths parted, slightly biting her bottom lip as if trying to taste him once more. "What are you working on?"

Jughead eventually detached his eyes from hers to glance down to his computer screen. "You know, something involving some scarlet study..." he answered, a smug smile on his face.

"Oh, shut up, Sherlock." Betty giggled as she untangled herself from the boy and got up on her feet, unconsciously twirling her fingers through the blonde curls hanging from her ponytail.

The boy's eyes followed hers, a playful grin curving his lips upward. "What? I mean it's true, have you ever looked at the person in question's hair?"

"Juggie! Don't make fun of the dead," she exclaimed, wrapping her fingers around his arms and forcing him up from the wooden chair he sat on.

"Sorry, but I can't always control my sardonic humour. I thought you'd know that by now." Jughead murmured, his mouth barely opening. He was being dragged by the blonde across the room toward the auburn coloured couch, the place where him and Betty used to brainstorm in order to come up with new ideas, or simply where they used to talk about nothing and everything, sharing quick kisses here and there.

They sat next of each other on the sofa, heads leaned against the other and hands intertwined. The boy didn't say a word; he wasn't exactly sure why she made him quit his writing session to sit on a couch with her, but he wasn't complaining about it. Betty Cooper was special. Not the kind of special that everyone would use to talk about someone practicing some weird habits, but the kind of special referring to the special place she held in his twisted heart. She was the first and only girl to have ever made him feel that way, the first and only person who managed to make him feel certain things, who made him want certain things. She possessed his mind practically all the time, she was his anchor to reality and the most precious thing he could call his. Without her, he was a complete mess. He could hardly ever get out of his never-ending state of darkness and emptiness, but she managed to make this feeling go away. She could pull out unfamiliar feelings he had buried down his heart after his mother and Jellybean left him with his drunken dad, mostly the feelings of safety and love. Or simple happiness, which he experienced whenever his eyes met hers, and watched the heartwarming smile tugging her pink, soft lips apart. She made him feel complete, loved and wanted. And he never wanted to let go of the girl he believed to be his angel, despite the fact that he was convinced he did not deserve her at all.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice when her sudden change of mood occurred. It's only when he felt something wet touching his neck and reached his hand up to wipe it away that he realized it was a drop of water; it was Betty's tears. His heart clenched and he immediately unwrapped his arms from her body to gaze into her blue eyes, where tears freely fell from them. He frowned a little, holding her face in his hands as he attempted to understand what was happening. Obviously, she tried to avoid his eyes but he wouldn't let it happen.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Juggie..." she whispered before taking his hands off her face and looked down to her laps. She tried to stop the tears from falling but it was so hard, almost impossible.

"Betty..." Jughead whispered, his hand reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting the tip of his fingers trail down the column of her neck before putting a halt to his hand by leaving it on top of her shoulder. His thumb unconsciously formed small circles on her blue shirt as he finally decided to add something else. "What's wrong?"

She stared back into his eyes this time, bringing her hand to cover his on top of her shoulder. "The truth is, I don't even know what's wrong right now, I just... I-I don't know what's wrong with me, Juggie..." that's when she felt his hands grab each of hers,—which were now fists,— and turned them over to have a better view. Digging, she was digging her nails into her palms once again, and Jughead wondered if she even realized what she was doing. Slowly, he forced her fingers open from each of her hands and replaced the newly empty space with his own hands, knowing by that way she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. He quickly felt the squeeze her hands gave his as her worried eyes glanced into his own; she seemed terrorized, and to see her that way pained him in ways he couldn't possibly explain.

"Betty, you are so much stronger than this," he told her softly, the worries in her teary eyes reflecting his own as he leaned closer to depose a sweet, tender kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes at the touch and wrapped her arms around him, gripping tightly the fabric of his sweatshirt. She considered for a while whether his words were true or not, but ended up believing him. After all, maybe he was right.

When the bell announcing the ending of their lunch period rang, new worries settled down Betty's mind. Her fingers dug deeper into his sweatshirt instead of into her own skin, desperately trying to steady herself. She didn't want to leave the only person bringing her comfort so soon, just when she was starting to calm down.

And then, Jughead got an idea. A brilliant one, even. He slowly untangled himself from her before pulling his sweater off —even though he only wore a white t-shirt underneath,— being extremely careful to not make his crown shaped beanie fall off his head as well. "Here, take it." He said, handing her the sweatshirt. "If you get any urges while I'm not there, squeeze the fabric instead. I'll take it back whenever you won't be needing it anymore."

Betty looked at him in disbelief, but accepted what he was offering her without complaining. After all, Jughead giving her one of his sweatshirts was almost the same as a dream coming true, as he wasn't the kind of boy to share his things with anyone. Besides, it smelt exactly like him, and it had become her new favourite scent for the past couple of weeks. Still, she was confused about the reason of his generosity.

"I want you safe, Betty." The boy explained as he helped her putting the sweatshirt on, which was slightly too big for her. They got up from the couch, their eyes locking for a brief amount of time as Jughead's thumb wiped the few remaining tears on her cheeks. "Also..." he swallowed thickly after being done, his eyes drifting away from her face and slowly grabbed her hands with his.

"What?" Betty asked, curious.

"I love you. I love you so damn much and I'm going to do anything it takes to make you feel better... including sharing my things with you." He smiled a little, bringing her hands together and lifting them up to his lips. He deposited a gentle kiss on top of them, as though pouring all his strength and love within her.

This time, the tears that fell from Betty's eyes weren't tears of sadness, but genuine happy tears. And Jughead knew that, because a smile appeared on her face, and their lips melded together after sharing a passionate hug.

"I love you too, Jughead Jones." She whispered, cupping his cheeks.

And that day as they both walked out of the room and parted in their restrictive classrooms, the two other members of the core four could not believe their eyes when they spotted the blonde wearing the sweatshirt belonging to the one and only Forsythe Pendleton Jones iii.

Who would've expected it?

ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10974204

#bughead fanfiction #bughead one shot #oneshot #bughead #Betty cooper #jughead jones #my writing #riverdale

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yuna-dan · 7 years

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Musical Memories

Okay so this is a "challenge" I've done in all my fandoms!! So I thought, why not? Supposedly you need to put your music on random, and the songs that come out you have to write a little thing. Anyways, I'm on the phone so I can edit that much. I hope you like it!! - Warning: ImpliedViolence. ImpliedAbuse. Self-esteem issued. ImpliedCharacterDeath. Nothing Graphic. - 1. Enchanted - Taylor Swift (Royality) Prince Roman look around the ball, holding a glass of champagne on his hand, occasionally taking a sip and smiling. A fake smile. Denying every lady who wanted to danced with him. All of this, all the fake friends and fake love he was surrounded by, was getting too much. Too fake. Too unreal. He felt someone tapping his shoulder, and he turned to see a spectacled boy smiling at him, showing a small tooth gap. “Hello, excuse me, are you busy?” Roman arched his eyebrow, “What for?” “Oh you see,” he took a step closer, to whispered into the ear of the royal one. Roman felt his breath been taken away. “I want to explore the palace, but I don't wanna be alone,” he pointed at another spectacled guy. “He's supposed to be taking care of me. And I want to annoy him. You in?” Roman smiled, “It'll be my pleasure, Uhm?” “Patton.” “Well Patton,” he grabbed his hand and his knuckles. ”I'm enchanted to meet you.” The fact that no one found them all night, was a mastery. 2. Don't wait - Joey Graceffa (Prinxiety) The dragon roared for one last time, and Anxiety felt worse. Useless. I know. Pathetic. Yeah, I'm aware. The dragon laughed at Anxiety, digging his claws into his flesh again. A pain that Anxiety hated, but became to familiar with it. Later that day, while washing his burns and scars, he felt something cold against the back of his neck. “Don't move, or I'll kill you.” Anxiety rolled his eyes, a really morbid thought crossing his mind, yet he raise his hands up like a peace offer. “What?" “I want you to show me the way, where the dragon is... I know you live under his commands.” “Unfortunately...” The man opened his mouth, but Anxiety spoke first. “Just follow me.” - “My name is Roman...“ the prince mumbled while riding his horse behind the young man. “And what should I do with this information?” Roman raised an eyebrow, “Normally, you would tell me your name.” “Not happening, mate.” - “You are a prisoner without chains, Anx.” They were in front of a warm fire, trying to keep themselves warm in the darkness of the night. “I supposed you are right, Ro.” Prince chuckled slightly at the petname. “Why don't you run away?“ “I don't know.” I'm a huge coward. - “This dragon is not a normal dragon!” Roman shouted as covering for the fire, “You control it. Anxiety. Don't run away anymore. You are a wizard. I'm here. I'll be here. You'll be okay...” And for a moment, Anxiety believe him. - “The darkness can be such a lonely place on your own.” Anx mumbled, feeling Roman's hand pressing the wounds in his back. “I'm glad you were there with me...” “Me too.” And when they kissed, the place look brighter. 3. Prove you wrong- He is We (Logince) At the beginning Logan didn't notice it. He knew something was off, he saw the way Roman would flinch sometimes. Sadly he noticed until it was too late. It didn't passed that much time when Roman started using make-up to cover dark bruises on his arms. He noticed the way his eyes wouldn't shine anymore. How he would smile less. Gosh he missed that smile. “Roman,” he said at lunch, while Roman lazily move his food around the dish. “You can come to me. I love you.” For a moment, he smiled. “I love you too.” “I-You can live with me, Ro. If things get to hard.” He smiled again. “I might take you on that one.“ Gosh Logan would do anything for that smile 4. Demons - Nightcore Version (Moxiety) Anxiety was sitting on the couch, trying to control his breathing. If this get out of his control, it'll affect Thomas... he didn't want that. Not yet. “Anx, has anyone told you, you have beautiful eyes?” Patton spoke out of nowhere, probably sensing the attack. “I-Pat, we have the same eyes.” Morality shook his head. “We do. But yours shine more. They are pretty.” He felt a pair of lips against his forehead. “So, so beautiful.” He felt another kiss on his eyelids. “I love them. I love you.” He kissed his lips. And maybe if Patton loved his demons, maybe one day, Anxiety would loved them too. 5. Chocolate - Jesse & Joy Logan was chewing some chocolate, absentmindedly while working on the next plan to avoid procrastination. He grabbed a huge chunk, putting one part on his mouth. “You know Logan?” Patton was leaning against his door. “Have I ever told you why I think our love is like chocolate?” Logan rolled his eyes, expecting some horrible pun, when he felt Patton's hand moving his chin up. Since the chocolate was still between his lips, Morality leaned closer, bitting some of the chocolate while kissing his boyfriend. “It's sweet. And perfect. But not everyone can like it.” And Logan could see that. 6. Once Upon a December - Anastasia Soundtrack (Lamp Sanders) No one really understood his addiction with that movie. They just knew that whenever they heard the songs from the bathroom or his room, Anxiety was having a bad day. Anxiety would act annoyed when they entered without knocking into his room, with cookies, popcorn and blankets. But everyone knew he loved when they hold him. 7. One Last Time- Ariana Grande (Prinxiety/Logince) Roman held the hand of his boyfriend, leaning against his shoulder. “Thanks,” Logan looked at him, raising a questioning eyebrow. Roman chuckled and kiss his cheek, earning a blushy Logan. “For waiting for me. It was hard to move on...” Logan smiled, and put the sunflower against the tombstone. “Anx is okay.” “He better be.” And while walking away, he felt something against his other hand. And the huge necessity of crying. “I'm sorry. I just needed to hold you hand, one last time.” He felt something against his cheek, and suddenly he was sobbing against Logan. “It's okay.” But it wasn't. 8. I want to hold your hand- The Beatles (Moxiety) “Is this weird?” “Of course it is!” Roman shouted from across the mindscape. “You never let go his hand. I bet you two pee while holding hands.” Anxiety chuckled, but ignore the prince. “I think it's cute.” And he kiss his knuckles. 9. Tomorrow- Annie Soundtrack (Lamp Sanders) Anxiety sighed, already feeling the stress against his shoulder. He hated feeling so empty while so many thoughts race his mind. It was the worse. He didn't notice he started playing with the rubber band on his wrist, pulling it up and down against his skin. “The sun will come out...” “Tomorrow." “So ya gotta hang on, 'till tomorrow.” He felt the voice of his boyfriends, caressing his hair out of his eyes, kissing his hair. Maybe tomorrow we'll be better, as long as they were with him. 10. The Lazy Song- Bruno Mars (Analogical) Anxiety curled against Logan when the teacher tried to move away. “Anx. I have to go to work...” he mumbled, kissing the top of his head. “No. Call in sick. Let's do nothing today.” “Ugh. Fine. You lazy brat.“ and with that, he kissed his lips, feeling asleep all over again -- ((Authors Notes: 1. KingdomAU. In my mind Patton was a duke or something. Idk. 2. I've notice I have something for Kingdoms AUs. Anyways, this is mostly based on the video and a book. Anxiety created the dragon unconsciously because he repressed his own magic. 3. Human AU. Nothing much to add?? No one makes that much Roman Angst. 4. CannonVerse. By the part "Look into my eyes, is where my demons hide." 5. CannonVerse. Nothing else to add but go over YouTube and listen to that song. 6. Nothing to add. 7. HumanAU. Anxiety died. Roman was his boyfriend. I feel the song is the ghost of someone singing to his significant other, so yeah. Logan was a good friend of both of them. 8. Highschool AU. My goodness I love writing this one. 9. Someone make a post of Anxiety loving theatre music!! And I just love the idea of them singing that song to each other. 10. Human AU. Nothing to add. If you want to write something base on this fics go ahead! Just like give me credit and tag me!!! (So I can read it!) hope you all enjoy it!!!

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afincf-tirwer · 7 years

Text

Omegle chat

You: hI

You: *Hi

Stranger: hi!

You: Have you seen welcome to the madness?

Stranger: oh yes many times now

You: It is the best things

You: AND headcanons

Stranger: yes yes yes

Stranger: yuri sneaking into the club to watch otabek dj is so great

Stranger: thank u kubo

You: It's so great and adds to their dynamic of Otabek just being like "Yuri please." and Yuri being like "I WILL DO EVERYTHING I WANT"

Stranger: i highly believe he had to get otabek to do his makeup as they hid in the lockeroom before hand so he could get away with it all

Stranger: they like facetimed georgi or something to instruct otabek on what to do with the makeup

You: Stole Viktor's 1000 dollar make up

You: Returned some of it empty.

You: Some of it ruined

You: He wails to Yuuri

Stranger: oh most definitely

You: Oooh and the sunglasses he throws are Viktor's, he just grabs and skates off.

You: Viktor wails so loudly when they're thrown across the ice because "YURI THOSE COST MORE THAN YOUR GRANDFATHER'S CAR"

You: He claws his way across the ice to rescue them after the skate

Stranger: those shades are gucci

Stranger: yuuri is just...pretending he doesn't know viktor in that moment

You: He had hell trying to distract Viktor because he was *sure* he was missing make up

You: So he was trying to find Yuri while Yuuri was trying to get him on the ice.

Stranger: yuri and otabek definitely had impromptu craft night at the hotel in which they had to cut stips out of yuris tank top

You: Or he just stole it from Chris.

You: I mean he ran off to his room and was like

You: "GIVE ME SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE YOU BLUSH"

Stranger: honestly i could see that

Stranger: god it makes u wonder.....what the hell did chris do for his skate

You: Oh gosh

You: Oh no

Stranger: he skated naked i guess

You: But like when Yuri starts stripping on the ice. Everyone thinks "is yuri more naked than chris has ever been? ...no"

Stranger: that was some wild stripping

Stranger: no holding back with that backbend

Stranger: the nipples were OUT

You: And Otabek was like "oh shit"

Stranger: imagine when he was like otabek....please...i need you to SHOOT ME WITH A FINGER GUN

You: "YOU NEED TO FINGER BANG ME"

You: "WHAT????"

You: "You know? Finger guns?" "....oh"

Stranger: omg

Stranger: finger bang

You: And just I imagine Yuri either being completely unaware of what just came out of his mouth. Or he's being a lil shit.

Stranger: i feel like he wouldn't know

Stranger: he pretends hes all bad but hes honestly innocent and doesn't know anything

You: He's knows stuff

You: but then forgets it and stuff just comes out and he doesn't think about the implications

Stranger: poor otabeks just like !!!!!!!!!!!! on the inside

You: and he has no idea what to do because "Mr Katsuki will kill me if I corrupt him"

You: I just headcanon Yuuri to be super protective and just trains Viktor to death glare Otabek whenever he comes over

Stranger: otabek would be so scared of doing anything wrong when yuuri's watching

Stranger: if hes standing close and yuuri walks over...otabek takes like 4 steps back

You: and is like "see i'm not touching him" "i'm not doing anything"

Stranger: when yuuri sees them on otabeks bike and yuuris like THAT IS UNSAFE!!!!!!!!!

You: "YURI NO YOU CANNOT RIDE THE BIKE WITH OTABEK"

You: and like the video of Otabek saving Yuri from the fangirls made things worse because you know "kidnapped"

Stranger: oh man yuuri would not be happy

You: like all of his parental figures would be very suspicious of Otabek and like because he's so polite most of them come around. Except Yuuri and Viktor. Viktor because Otabek helped with the destruction of the make up and Yuuri is just like "I don't trust you"

Stranger: viktor never forgave and he never forgot

You: Yuri is like "get over it old man, you forget literally all your promises so how do yo-" "THAT EYESHADOW COST 1000 DOLLARS. YOU RUINED THE WHOLE THING. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE OR FORGET."

Stranger: it was special edition too

You: It cannot be replaced.

Stranger: it had the GLITTER FINISH, YURI

You: "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

Stranger: he's scarred for life because of this

Stranger: possibly needs therapy

You: Yuuri keeps having to remind him that he has lots of other make up. You bought two of them Viktor.

You: "BUT NOW IT WILL RUN OUT MORE QUICKLY"

Stranger: they only sold it for a 2 month period, yuuri

Stranger: he can never get this again

You: He bought two for a reason!

Stranger: what's he supposed to use now??? his chanel eyeshadow??? that looks CHEAP, yuuri

You: "I DON

You: "I DON'T WEAR CHEAP MAKE UP YUURI"

Stranger: yuuri has to deal with viktor refusing to leave the house because how can he go out in public without proper makeup

You: And eventually Yuri caves and buys 1000 dollar make up for him'

You: He still wails that it's not the same

You: but still

Stranger: it can never be the same

Stranger: r.i.p black matte sparkle shadow 2k17

You: Both Yuuri and Yuri are so done and shoves Viktor out of the door

Stranger: poor viktor

Stranger: hes sensitive

You: He was hurt by the make up

Stranger: it was a part of him

You: Poor Viktor he got no support from it

#yuri on ice #otabek altin #yuri plisetsky #Viktor Nikiforov #yuuri katsuki #omegle #i like this chat it made me laugh #Abnie speaks

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captainvictoryboat · 7 years

Text

Behind The Scenes 3 (8/???)

Author’s note: In terms of my writing, I’m am almost done with BTS 3. Once i get all the editing out of the way, I will be posting my scenes more regularly! But for now, i will continue to post rather randomly. Sorry for any errors. Sorry for any cultural/environmental inaccuracies.

Genre: Angst/ Drama (Jhope/ V)

Word count: 1785

City: Tokyo, Japan (Both days)

Summary: Y/n makes a promise to herself while V learns finally find out a bit of what’s going on inside Rap monster’s head.

Other parts: HERE

This is my GIF. I made it based off of this scenario series.

TOKYO

Your first day in Tokyo was not so great. The entire day felt as if you were made of tears and all you could do was cry at any chance that you were out of the boys’ sights. It wasn’t because you were tired from the schedule or the time change, but over the fact the monster “got rid” of Meihui. You had just gotten to know her and now she was gone. It hurt you to see how Jhope was different around her. He spent every second with her and was so cute with her, but almost every word out of his mouth was a lie. All he ever said were empty promises. “The rest of the tour is going to be long, but it’s going to be fun!” “You can spend two weeks with us in Seoul and I’ll make sure to video chat you any chance I get when you come back to Taipei.” “Don’t worry I’ll come back to Taipei and visit you.”

Meihui was just so innocent. She would blush whenever Jhope so much as looked at her. Whenever he showered her with compliments she would get so embarrassed that she would dig her face in his chest, only making him compliment her more.

You were stuck in an endless thought cycle the entire time you were alone in backstage. “Are his drugs really that important? If he so easily lied to Meihui, what makes things different with me? What if he has always been telling me things that I want to hear? Maybe I’m not his friend… Maybe I’m someone he is just helping Namjoon deal with. This could all be one big scheme!”

TOKYO DAY 2

Like the night before, you spent your time alone backstage crying over Jhope and Meihui.Once the show was close to an end you took the time to calm down and used the guys’ makeup to redo your face. When the guys came in, you kept a straight face the whole time and barely spoke.

As you were all about to leave, Rap monster announced that he and V were off to a deal. They were going to leave with Minho in one van and the rest of you would leave with Hiro back to the hotel. You saw Rap monster and V take the little green pills Jhope showed you back in Beijing and then they were off.

Without Rap monster around, you all had the opportunity to sit how you wished and this time you sat in in the back, taking the window seat before Jungkook could. Both Jimin and Jungkook sensed something off with you, but were too tired to bring it up, so all they did was sit next to you.

Suga looked back at you as he climbed onto the van. He was a bit confused that you didn’t sit next to him.

As usual, Jhope was the only member pumped up and was the only one that actually said anything. “Y/n! What are you doing back there?!? Come here with us! We never see you!” He whined.

While you were alone backstage, you had made up your mind to protect yourself. In doing so, you promised to not let yourself get any closer to Jhope. When he called out to you, you didn’t say anything, you just ignored him.

“Awww is y/n tired?” He asked with aegyo. “C’mon y/n smile! Don’t be so mopey!”

You only stared back at him, still no words coming out of you. Your silence got the attention of the two maknaes sitting next to you and they exchanged looks, practically communicating telepathically.

Jhope still wasn’t getting the hint. He reached over to try and playfully poked you try and cheer you up.

You slapped his hands away immediately. He barely even touched you, but you glared at him to back off.

Suga turned around, curious about your unusual behavior. “What’s wrong?”

You glared at him too. You remembered that he was doing the exact same thing to Aiko as Jhope did to Meihui and it just hurt you even more. “Nothing.” You growled.

“Tell me what’s wrong y/n!” Jhope begged. “Maybe I can help you feel better!” The innocent optimism in his voice made you feel a bit guilty for giving him the silent treatment, but not enough to actually talk to him.

“Just leave her alone.” Suga advised. “She’s tired like the rest of us.”

Jhope pouted even more, but turned around and sat down.

Jimin nudged you. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

‘I’ll tell you later.” You mumbled.

Back at the hotel, Jimin questioned you again.

“Eh, just forget about it. It’s nothing.” You told him.

“It seems like alot more than just nothing.”

“Like I said, it’s nothing… I’m sleepy now so goodnight.” You said ending the conversation.

Jungkook was already laying in your bed. You could feel him staring at you as you made your way under the sheet that separated the two of you.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” He whispered.

“Yup! Goodnight!”

MEANWHILE: V POV

It was now 2am and V, Rap monster and the rest of Rap monster’s sad excuse of henchmen were done with the drug deal.

V didn’t exactly know how to categorize how this deal went. It didn’t go well, but it didn’t go horribly. The deal didn’t last as long as expected and no guns or knives were pulled out, not even a single fist thrown. He and Rap monster’s other back up guys just stood around as Rap monster and an old Japanese dude in a fancy suit talked for a few hours. That’s what he like about the meeting with the old-school yakuza, all the deals seemed to have a business-like vibe to them. However, like every past old-school yakuza meeting, Rap monster didn’t get his way. Rap monster just wasn’t able to convince the head honcho to take any drugs. Like the previous year, the guy’s mentality was to keep drugs out of Japan. He was willing to join forces and distribute shit to other countries, but Rap monster turned him down. If Rap monster went that route, there was no profit for him. Now that the deal was over, he could see the death stare Rap monster was giving the old guy. If Rap monster had a better gang in Japan, maybe he would have actually started a fight, but he knew better that to do something so stupid.

Rap monster was definitely not happy about the deal though. He punched the van’s side mirror clean off. “Those old fucks need to update their way of thinking! They are sitting on a gold mine of possibilities!” Rap Monster grabbed his hand now feeling some pain. “Ah fuck!” he grunted.

“I’ll wrap it up back at the hotel.” Minho said from the passenger’s seat. “…hasn’t completely healed from the gun shot and he goes doing this...” He grumbled under his breath.

Rap monster continued to mumble to himself as he took a seat in the van. “The deal in Fukuoka better go well. This other guy is new generation yakuza, only a few years older than us too. Maybe he’ll see things the way I do.”

“Why don’t you bring Hiro to the next one?” V suggested. “Didn’t you say his uncle was a member and that his uncle was trying to get him in the gang?”

“His uncle was a member, but when they found out Hiro was only half they tried to kill him remember! They offed his whole family, stupid!”

“Well sorry!”

“Those old shit heads don’t know how to use what they got anymore. If I was that old fuck, I would have used Hiro to infiltrate any fucking Korean gang! But no, stupid shit head killed everyone. Stupid bitches couldn’t even kill the right motherfucker! They wasted their time killing everyone else except him!”

V was exhausted and Rap monster’s incessant whining was annoying him already. “Well then why did you even make him the manager? He didn’t even let you do shit in the beginning either!”

Rap monster turned around and glared at him. “I needed the heads up on what was out there and we got a ton of valuable shit out of him.” he growled shutting V up.

The three of them were quiet most of the way back. V was about to doze off when he heard Rap monster calling out to him. “Tae?”

“Yeah?” He rubbed his eyes to try and keep them open a bit longer.

“You’ve been keeping an eye on Jungkook and y/n right?”

“Yeah.” He huffed putting his hands to his temples. He was just so tired and didn’t want to talk anymore.

“How are they together?”

“Um, they are good I guess. *yawn* They come off as more legit now.”

“What about when they aren’t in public?”

“My gosh! He isn’t gonna stop with the questions!” He thought. “Um, they seem to have gotten closer, more friendly I guess.” He said. Finally he could feel himself waking up again.

“Ok.”

“All those questions for an “ok”!” V thought. He snapped and couldn’t stop himself from opening his mouth. “You know what? I don’t get the fucking point of them making them date! For Jungkook, being in a relationship isn’t some fucking punishment! Sure, he can’t go fucking around, but he’s gonna do it again eventually! And all that cute shit isn’t even making y/n uncomfortable anymore. What’s probably gonna happen is they are just going to fuck again, possibly even start liking each other!”

“I know.”

“You know?!? So, what’s the whole fucking point then?!?” He couldn’t stop himself from raising his voice.

“Love.”

There he went again with the stupid one word answers. V hated when Rap monster did that. Rap monster always did it as a way of belittling him to make himself feel even more superior. But as always, that tactic worked and V just couldn’t help but try to figure out what was going on in his head. “Love?!? No one here believe in stupid love! Especially not you or Jungkook!”

“Jungkook used to… until I took it away.” Rap monster said calmly.

“Exactly my fucking point! What the fuck does love have to do with anything?!? Are you trying to make up for the shit you did? Cuz like I said that-is-not-a-pun-ish-ment!” He emphasized. “I’ve been thinking about this whole scheme and I can’t get your angle on this. You know what? Maybe you didn’t think this through Namjoon.”

Rap monster let out a long sigh, as if frustrated by V’s “stupidity”. “I’m not making up for anything. I’m going to take his love away again.”

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Transcript of How to Attract and Hire the Best Talent

Transcript of How to Attract and Hire the Best Talent written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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John Jantsch: This episode of The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is a platform that helps growth-focused eCommerce brands drive more sales with super-targeted, highly relevant email, Facebook and Instagram marketing.

John Jantsch: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. This is John Jantsch, and my guest today is Dr. Sabrina Starling. She’s the author of How to Hire the Best, and the CEO of Tap the Potential. She also goes by the moniker of the business psychologist, so that’s probably my first psychologist on the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Sabrina, welcome.

SSabrina Starling: Thank you, John. I’m honored to be the first psychologist on the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. There’s so much commonality with marketing and psychology.

John Jantsch: There’s no question there. But we have to answer the burning question that I am sure you’ve been asked many times: what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

Sabrina Starling: Well, the simple answer to that used to be that psychologists don’t prescribe. The basic difference is that psychiatrists go through medical school, years and years of medical training, and then they specialize in psychiatry at the end of medical school. Psychologists go through graduate school and don’t go to medical school. The majority of our training is focused on understanding people, and how people function in the world.

John Jantsch: Well, certainly small business owners could probably use a dose of that. I know over the years working with thousands of business owners, I’ve have at times felt like I was providing … certainly wouldn’t call it psychology, but I would provide some sort of talking them off the ledge, or …

Sabrina Starling: Yes. Yeah. I always say that people are so complex that I decided I needed to get a PhD in psychology just so I could understand people. As small business owners, we need to understand people because that’s how we grow our businesses. People are the heart of these businesses.

John Jantsch: Well, I have talked to many, many entrepreneurs and I will say that … I’ll bet universally, I know a lot of people say, “Well, gosh. Marketing’s hard.” But I bet you universally there would be agreement on hiring and managing people is probably the hardest part of growing a business. Because most entrepreneurs, it’s just not their strength.

Sabrina Starling: No, it’s not. I think what’s interesting is once we’ve cracked marketing and we figured that out, then we need to know people. Because we have to add team to scale with all the new business that we’re bringing in because we’ve learned marketing.

John Jantsch: I sometimes find that people learn from the negative side before they’re ready to embrace the positive side. I think a lot of the hiring that people do, and where they’ve had it not out, is because they were hired a certain way and they’ve seen other people do it. They’re just kind of copying what they’ve seen done and what they think is supposed to be done. How are business owners getting it wrong in the hiring process in general?

Sabrina Starling: Yeah. Well, I mean, that’s just exactly it. We don’t really know what we’re supposed to be doing. We just kind of copy what has been done to us in the past and what we’ve experienced. The typical hiring practice, if we follow that, that sets us up to mis-hire about 75% of the time. What I mean by the typical hiring practice is we get really busy and we decide, “You know what? We could use some help around here. Let me write up a really quick job ad, and put it out there everywhere, and see which applicants come in. I’ll pick from the best of that group, and then I’ll invite some of those in for an interview. Then out of those that I interview, I’ll pick the best person.”

Sabrina Starling: Well, the reason that causes us to mis-hire is because that is out of alignment with A-player behavior. A-players are not on job boards reading job ads. They’re not sitting at home in their jammies doing that. They’re employed elsewhere right now, they’re probably very busy in their other job that they have elsewhere, and they move from one opportunity to the next. We have to use all of our good marketing skills to figure out how do we get in front of the right A-players for our business, and then attract them to want to work with us.

John Jantsch: Okay. Obviously now I need to say, “Okay. What should we be doing?” You kind of set up the … I think you’re absolutely right. I mean, the people that we really are after are not looking for us. How do we kind of turn the tables then and attract that person?

Sabrina Starling: Yes. It’s about being very, very intentional and setting ourselves up to really differentiate ourselves as employers in the marketplace. Again, using everything we know from good marketing, we have to be different and we have to stand out. We need to know what it is that the A-players we want to attract would value about us, and what are we … and rather trying to create that and just … “I’m not doing this now, so I should go out there and do that.”

Sabrina Starling: Start with what are we doing well. We can ask our current team members, who are our better team members, what is it that you appreciate most about working here? What’s different and unique about this role versus any other jobs you’ve done in the past? That is going to start cluing us in to how we as employers stand out.

Sabrina Starling: What’s, I think, really surprising for a lot of small business owners is we don’t have to do grand things like have pool tables, and let our kids … our team members. I’ve just been talking about kids recently. We don’t want to have to our members playing pool for them to feel like, “Wow, this is a great place to work. I get to play pool on my lunch breaks.” It’s the simple things, like just being respectful, and having a respectful work environment, treating team members like family, giving them flexibility to take care of work life balance and family needs that they may have.

Sabrina Starling: We as small business owners kind of take that for granted. It’s just kind of how we do things and how we roll, and we don’t realize that that’s very different than corporate America. If we’re talking to somebody who’s had a corporate job, it could be a breath of fresh air for them to come to work in a small business.

John Jantsch: I think you’re absolutely right. A lot of the small businesses just do that because they think that’s the right way to do that … do things. That’s who they are. How do you actually communicate that in a way that then starts attracting? I mean, you can’t go out there and necessarily say, “Oh, we’re like family here.” I mean, to me that doesn’t play very well.

Sabrina Starling: Yeah. And it kind of can sound kind of empty. The best thing that we can do is getting our current team members to talk out there about us, and get the word on the street about the business going. With social media now, we have really simple tools at our disposal. First, we need to understand A-players hang together. If you have an A-player on your team … and by A-player, I mean someone who is highly motivated, who’s a get go-getter, who solves problems, and doesn’t just stop, and give up, and wait for you to tell them what to do.

Sabrina Starling: Those kinds of people know other A-players. John, look how you and I connected. You commented on Mike [inaudible 00:07:57]’s post, I commented back. I like to think I’m an A-player. I like to think you’re an A-player. I think Mike [inaudible] is an A-player. That’s how A-players work.

Sabrina Starling: Our team members are like that too. If we have some sort of … something they do that we’re really proud of, and we feature them in our social media and we say, “Joe really went out of his way for this customer this week, and look at what he did. I’m so proud of Joe,” and you tag Joe in that post. Well, Joe is going to want to share that post with all of his friends and family because he’s feeling really proud. Now all of a sudden, your business is getting in front of all of Joe’s A-players in his network.

Sabrina Starling: When you have an opening later on and you start sharing your job ad, and you ask Joe, “Would you mind sharing this with your network?” Well, now Joe’s network is like, “Oh, yeah. Joe has that boss who brags about him all the time. That’s very different than my boss who gripes at me all the time.”

John Jantsch: Yeah. And the beauty of that too is that’s … yes, that’s attractive to maybe a potential hire. But that’s also a really pretty attractive message to the market in general about what kind of company you are.

Sabrina Starling: Absolutely. That’s the beautiful thing is the things that we do to really position ourselves as a brand that our ideal clients and customers would gravitate towards. We just need to be a little bit more mindful of incorporating our best team members in that, and pulling them in whenever possible, and letting them take center stage in our marketing.

John Jantsch: I want to remind you that this episode is brought to you by Klaviyo. Klaviyo helps you build meaningful customer relationships by listening and understanding cues from your customers. This allows you to easily turn that information into valuable marketing messages. There’s powerful segmentation email auto responders that are ready to go. Great reporting.

John Jantsch: You want to learn a little bit about the secret to building customer relationships, they’ve got a really fun series called Klaviyo’s Beyond Black Friday. It’s a docu-series, a lot of fun, quick lessons. Just head on over to klaviyo.com/Beyond BF, Beyond Black Friday.

John Jantsch: So, your most recent edition of How to Hire is the contractors edition. I know for one that right now in that particular industry … and I’m sure there are others like that, but it seems to me like there’s such a shortage of people that want to do that kind of work. That are going to school to get into those trades. What’s a company … I mean, I guess on one hand what we’re saying is that it’s makes us even hyper important in that industry. But what do you do when it’s not simply a matter of hiring A-players? It’s: how do I get anybody that’s interested at all?

Sabrina Starling: Absolutely. We have to understand that in any population, about 10% of the population is going to be A-players. When you have a shrinking labor pool like the construction industry is dealing with … because for years, kids were encouraged to go to college instead of go into the trades if that was their inclination. Not only have we had a lot of people leave the construction industry when the recession happened, they never came back. Now we also are missing an entire generation of workers in that industry.

Sabrina Starling: It’s a very small labor pool, and we have to really get resourceful when it comes to filling open roles in our businesses. It is not about hiring skillset. It is much more important to hire for fit with our core values or our immutable laws. The A-player personality, that resourcefulness, as well as to excel day in and day out. Skillsets can be trained, and there may be entry level positions that we’re going to have to look at in our businesses and create apprentice programs.

Sabrina Starling: I know for a contractor looking at doing that, you’re working 90 hours a week to keep up with the demand as it is. You’re like, “What? This lady’s telling me to start an apprentice program? Who has time for this?” What I would really encourage you to consider doing is niching down. Get a very specific niche that you focus on, that you have the opportunity to be the best in the world at in that niche. Because the projects that you do will be very similar over time, it makes it much easier for you to train somebody … because they’re doing a lot of repetitive work, and that makes an apprentice program much more doable.

John Jantsch: Well, I actually have a client in Kansas City, Missouri that did just that. They were a pretty good size remodeling contractor. They actually partnered with a couple local schools, and are running six or eight apprentices through a semester, and a couple have turned into really great hires.

Sabrina Starling: Absolutely. I really think that’s going to be what a lot of contractors are looking at doing. In my book How to Hire the Best, I include sample job ads. One that I included this time around that I didn’t include in the previous edition of How to Hire the Best is a job ad that is positioned for hiring for growth. That would specifically target someone who has come out of a trade school program … even at, like, a six to eight week program, and now you’re bringing them in the business. Here’s what you expect them to be able to do right away, and here’s what you expect them to be able to grow into doing.

John Jantsch: I mean, one of the ways you get A-players is you take them from somebody else. I mean, let’s face it. That happens, right? How do you kind of skirt that potential sort of community scar?

Sabrina Starling: Oh, yeah. Here’s the thing. Poach is a bad word, so we don’t say poach, we say ‘attract.’ If we are going to become employers of choice and really be that leader that is respectful of our team members, that creates a good work environment, that’s going to be attractive. When you’re out on job sites, and you’re dealing with the other trades, and they see how you conduct business and how your team feels … and really thinking about what is the word on the street about your business?

Sabrina Starling: Like, when your team members are at a barbecue on Friday evening, are they the ones saying, “You won’t believe what my boss had me do this week. He had me work all this overtime, and then this happened, and then he yelled at me.” Is that going to be the word on the street? Or is it going to be that your team member says, “Oh my gosh, my boss is so nice. He told me thank you for doing this simple thing the other day. It was really no big deal, but he actually stopped told me thank you.” Is that going to be the word on the street? Because if that’s the positive interaction with team members is the word on the street, you are going to be in a much better position to attract great team members to your business.

Sabrina Starling: In the book, one of the resources that I share is a very simple method of having a business card, and it says on there, “I see you doing a good job. I want to acknowledge you for that.” On the other side of that business card is: if you’re ever looking for an opportunity, come talk to me. You can just hand that whenever you’re out in public, or you’re on a job site, and you see someone doing a good job. You’re just simply acknowledging them for doing good work. They’ll hang on to that.

John Jantsch: One of the things that happens amongst businesses when things get competitive is they start lowering prices. The flip side of that, I suppose, in hiring is at what point is sort of offering the highest salary play a role, or is that just like lowering your prices? Is that a bad practice?

Sabrina Starling: It’s a bad practice. I advise against it, and I think all small business owners everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief on that one. When we think about it, money only goes so far as a motivator. Once our base level needs are met … and depending on where you are in the country, it’s about $75,000 is the annual income that someone needs to just feel covered and taken care of. Once our base level needs are met, money quits being a motivator. What is motivating is how we are treated, how we feel a part of something, and having a larger purpose that we’re taking part in.

Sabrina Starling: That’s really what we want to be building in our businesses is the story of the business, and what is it that we do that has an impact, and the work we’re doing as a team member with us. How were you the hero in that story? And the piece about what to pay to attract great employees is you want to be above the 50th percentile. The Bureau of Labor statistics has this data on their website for pretty much any role that you can think of in a small business.

Sabrina Starling: You can see what the 50th percentile is, the 75th percentile, and the 90th percentile. I suggest … I like starting at the 65th percentile. And saying, “You start out here, and if you do really well and you hit these results with us, then at three months time we’re going to bump you up here, and that’s going to put you in about the 75th percentile of pay.” And then gradually bumping them up over about two years time, and showing them how if they deliver the results you’re looking for, you’ll have them at the 90th percentile.

Sabrina Starling: That in and of itself … if you put that on paper, that really differentiates you. Because most large organizations and small businesses will say, “We offer opportunities for advancement.” And it’s lip service. They don’t do anything to back it up. But if you document it, now you’re different. And if on the other side of that piece of paper you put team member comments about why they appreciate working for you, and their pictures, now you’re standing out again. If you really want to stand out, I recommend bright orange paper and scratch and sniff. When they leave the interview with you, they have this big, bright orange piece of paper. It shows their opportunities for advancement, how they’re going to get to the 90th percentile. Translate that into dollars for them so they really … don’t just say 90th percentile, because that means nothing to a candidate.

Sabrina Starling: Then on the back of that, they see team members who currently work for you. They look like they’re having fun, which that’s kind of different too. Maybe this maybe this is really an opportunity I want to pursue. That’s what it’s going to take to get an A-player who’s employed elsewhere, who may be is having a few bad days at work. Maybe I’ll stay because it’s always easier to stay where we are than make a move. We have to show them that making the move is really going to be something good for them. That is going to be enough to convince them. This is a real opportunity.

John Jantsch: Just like all things today, there’s so much information out there and transparency. You know who’s good and who’s bad. But what do you think about sites like Glassdoor? I know a lot of small businesses … they don’t have a lot of employees and like a lot of things in life, the employee that that was disgruntled for some reason leaves a terrible thing on glass door. Now I’ve got to deal with that. What do you think about … not necessarily what you think about the sites, because you know they are reality. It doesn’t matter what you think of it. But how should a small business address sites like that can maybe damage the story that’s real?

Sabrina Starling: It is really about doing the work on the front end, and showing up, and being authentic. By that, I mean if you’re having regular one-to-one conversations with your team members, then you’re going to ward off a lot of what would be put on Glassdoor as a negative review about you. If you are doing good things, team building activities, and dinners with your team, and pizza parties, and fun things … that is going to ward off a bad review. If you get a bad review and you have plenty of positive PR going on about the company, it actually can be … kind of like what they say to us, John, about book reviews. If somebody leaves that one bad review, it’s more authentic. Because now it doesn’t look like all your friends went on and left you a good review. It gives some context, and I think most team members that we would want in our have an understanding that not everybody is going to be a great fit for our businesses.

John Jantsch: I know you do a lot of coaching on businesses, so that they can get free of having to be there all the time. You talk about the four week vacation, things like that. What are the hardest roles to fill and the ones that … if you’re going to get that four weeks vacation you must?

Sabrina Starling: Yeah. Yeah. It is that it … the construction business project manager really seems to be a hard role to fill, or the person who will do the sales in the owner’s absence. Actually, the sales in the owner’s absence is not as hard to fill. It’s getting the owner to let go of doing the sales. That makes it harder. But project manager overall is a harder one to fill.

Sabrina Starling: The critical roles in the business that pertain to serving the top clients around the most profitable product or offering need to be filled. It’s not just a business owner themselves who needs to be able to take a four week vacation for that business to be healthy. But every single team member deserves the opportunity to be able to leave, and go on vacation, and not have their work pile up while we’re gone. If the work is piling up for a team member and they feel like, “I can’t leave. I have too much of a critical role here.” That is a sign that work needs to be spread out and there needs to be additional training for other team members, so that things can be handled in that team member’s absence.

John Jantsch: Great point. Sabrina, where can people find out more about you, and your work in How to Hire the Best?

Sabrina Starling: Thank you, John. My business is tapthepotential.com. If you want to get How to Hire the Best, you can go to tapthepotential.com/book. If you want to know how you’re doing with getting your business lined up to be a highly profitable, great place to work that lets you take a four week vacation, you can take our assessment at tapthepotential.com/assessment.

John Jantsch: Awesome. We’ll have a as always a those links in the show notes. Sabrina, it was great having a chat. Hopefully we’ll catch up with you soon out there on the road.

Sabrina Starling: Thank you, John.

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