#i just hope the people i care about who need space... don't entirely regret me meeting them.

[aris-ink]

can you PLEASE write this couple again? soft smut? i literally beg nothing topped this i swear (daddy's got you one) 🎈 https://at.tumblr.com/aris-ink/694418642578849792/lws2mtncn3lz

yes angel 🫰most of us have muddled reflections. I hope sometime you can see them for what they really are, and love yourselves every day for the rest of your lives.

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: romance

warnings: mentions of violence (not towards the reader), allusions to emotional abuse (not by jungkook), hurt/comfort, reassurance, praise, dirty talk, dd/lg, choking, mentions of spanking, riding, rough sex, creampie, soft!dom jk, he is.... in love.....

What's wrong with me?

Jungkook couldn't stand hearing that question. He couldn't stand seeing you cry, and he absolutely couldn't stand the people you lived with.

He refused to call them your family. No one who made you feel so down about yourself deserved to hold such a title. After he beat the shit out of your brother, he wasn't welcome in your house anymore and he had zero regrets. The next night, it took him all of twenty minutes to arrive at your place, stuff your bags into the trunk of his car and take you to his house.

It took all of his self control, however, not to sneak back into your neighborhood and slit the fucker's throat. Mostly because he had more important things to take care of, like helping you settle in. But if there was anything Jungkook has learned over the years, it was that there was no need to hurry when it came to making someone suffer. He knew how to hold a grudge. There was not an ounce of space for forgiveness in his heart for anyone who tore at your self esteem. No willingness to find it either.

By now, he didn't even need to hear you ask the question out loud. One look into your eyes and he knew what you were thinking. One look was enough to make him forget about everything that existed around him; the only thing that felt real and that mattered was you. Your warmth under his fingertips, so solid. The rest was smoke.

"Baby," he whispered into your ear, his hands running over your waist slowly as you sat in his lap. "Look at me."

You lifted your eyes to his, met with a soft smile.

"Nothing," he said.

You blinked at him, so adorably confused.

"What?"

"The answer is nothing," he clarified. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"Oh."

You immediately tried to avoid his gaze, but he wouldn't let you, not now, not ever. Not until his words were burned into your mind, covering all the other scars there.

His big hand cupped your cheek, tilting your chin up.

"Do you trust me?"

You fiddled with the fabric of his shirt, trying to find the right words.

"I- I do. I just wish I was more-"

"Don't say it," he warned. "I mean it, baby."

He hated the word normal. Absolutely abhorred it. His jaw twitched, his thumbs stroking both of your cheeks. Why did you have to grow up surrounded by people who littered in your lake, throwing all of their ugly thoughts, ignorance and hatred into its clear waters? Muddling your reflection so much that when you peeked into it you appeared small and distorted, like a dead, crumbling star, when in reality you were so bright and expansive; an entire universe of wonders. How were you supposed to see it in all the pollution? Some you even caused yourself, because they made you want to erase your image from the rippling surface altogether.

He didn't care how dirty that lake was. He was ready to dive in and suffocate to help you clean it out.

"Color?" He murmured, the tip of his nose pressing against yours.

Your eyes fluttered shut. Even though you weren't sure what he needed the confirmation for, you still answered quietly.

"Green."

Jungkook's mouth parted softly next to yours, his breath hot and minty on your skin.

"Then let go," he whispered. "Let daddy take care of you."

Let daddy take care of you. The one sentence that always made your shoulders relax, seeming to melt all your worries away. His tongue swiped across your bottom lip, warm and wet, teasing, inviting. He pulled you closer to him, already lost in your galaxies, and more than happy to turn to ashes among them.

He heard somewhere that bones were made of stardust. Yours and his must have been from the same star, longing to be reunited, moulded together for all eternity. He kissed you hard, his hands slipping under your shirt to skim your breasts, feel your nipples harden in response to the touch. His cock stirred and twitched at the feeling of your skin, his lungs constricted.

"I am going to fuck all of this doubt out of you, baby," he breathed, tightening his hand on your breast to fondle it. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard you'll only know whatever I say, no other thoughts."

He lowered your panties with one hand, the movement clumsy and hurried.

"Like how much I love you," he grunted, lowering his lips to your neck. "How pretty you are. How amazing."

He twisted your nipple, teeth grazing your throat, a groan fleeing his lips when you sneaked your hand into his pants to palm him.

"Shit, what did daddy say about being a little minx, huh?"

You breathed out a whine, tilting your head back to allow him to press wetter kisses into your neck.

"But I need you, daddy."

Jungkook could feel his eyes rolling back. The sounds you made, the begging, the way you stroked his cock - it was too much. He hissed, his hips rolling forward unconsciously, seeking more, always needing more.

"Are you wet for me, baby? Already soaked your little panties?"

You moaned shamelessly, nodding against his lips. The sound was drowned out by Jungkook's groan, louder, longer.

"So fucking hot."

He let you pull his pants down his thick thighs, just enough to free his cock. It throbbed in your hand, leaking with the need for more friction, for a connection that would leave him buried so deep inside you there would be no space for anything else ever again. Not for doubt, not for fear or pain. Just him.

"Baby," he detached his lips from yours only to whisper these words. "Need to fuck you."

You moaned softly, your arms wrapping around his neck, hips lifting off his lap. His breath hitched when you lowered them again, agonizingly slowly, wet heat coming into contact with the aching tip of his big cock.

"Yeah, good girl. Ride me, baby."

You whined into his neck, sinking down softly to get used to the stretch, gripping him so tightly he couldn't help the stutter of his hips, the veins in his neck prominent with the effort of trying to not fuck into you.

When the skin of your thighs met his, your slick dripping onto him, he moaned into your hair and gripped it in one hand, keeping the other under your shirt.

Up. Then down. These were his favorite sounds; the wet, desperate slapping of your bodies, you falling apart around him like there was no tomorrow, lost in bliss. He let you roll your hips and set your own pace, experiment, torture his poor, damned soul in all the sweetest ways you wished.

But the heat in his body was becoming feverish, the need to take over and take care of you overshadowing reason. The need to pound into you and make your legs shake, hear you scream his name.

Licking his lips, he slid both hands down to your waist, soft to the touch, his hold on you secure and strong as he flipped you onto the mattress. You gasped, fingertips digging into the nape of his neck.

For a moment, he remained still, his eyes locked on yours. Could you learn to see your reflection in them instead?

He buried his face in the crook of your neck.

"I can't do this by myself, baby, I won't," he whispered. "Daddy needs you. Needs you to work with him on this."

Your thighs trembled around him. He looked up at you, dark gaze full of love.

"Promise me, baby."

You hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. That was progress. Jungkook grabbed a hold of your neck, gently at first, making your lips part.

"You're a good girl who doesn't break promises, aren't you, sweetheart?"

You nodded again, your pussy clenching around him. He groaned, pulling out of the sticky heat only to plunge back in roughly, setting a pace so different to yours. The headboard banged against the wall, but Jungkook didn't give a shit. He wanted to come so bad, wanted to take you there with him.

"Fuuuck, fuck," his moans turned raspier, higher, his balls aching with each thrust. "Good girl, is this what you needed? Daddy's love? Daddy's big cock in that tight, pretty cunt?"

"Y-yeah," you stuttered out a whine, sharp nails dragging down the flexing muscles of his back. "Please daddy, please-!"

Jungkook choked you harder, shaking you a little.

"Are you gonna start listening to daddy? Huh? You gonna stop saying all that shit about yourself that makes my heart hurt? Are you gonna let me fucking love you?"

You let out a sob into his neck. He wasn't sure whether it was because of what he said or because of how needy you were, knowing that coming without his permission in this case would do nothing but land you in a whole pile of trouble.

"Color, s-shit, baby, what's your color-"

"Green!" You moaned. "Please. Please, daddy."

Jungkook shuddered, fucking you faster, meaner, punishing you with all the strength he had. You'd be bruised tomorrow, but the way you chanted his name clouded his mind, made his cock throb inside you.

"Answer me first, baby, do you want me to fucking spank you? Answer me."

You clenched around him again. He hissed, satisfaction washing over him when your back arched, words spilling out of your pretty mouth brokenly.

"Yes, I promise! I promise, d-daddy, ohh-"

"That's my good girl," he groaned. "So tight, oh god. Fuck. Come for me, yeah? Come on. Cream daddy's cock, baby. You want me to come inside you, don't you?"

That was enough to make you tense beneath him, his lips quick to capture yours and control at least some of the volume your cries carried throughout the room. Jungkook continued fucking you, his cock pulsing, filling you up with hot, thick strings of cum. He broke the kiss only when his own self control slipped completely, breathy yeahs let out into your neck.

Praises fell from his mouth in whispers when he limped against you, as natural and unconscious as every breath he took. Good girl, so beautiful, feels so good, I love you so much.

He lifted himself up to kiss you, hazy and sated, but the faint smile he noticed on your face made him pause. It looked relaxed. Genuine. Warm.

It made his heart feel like it was no longer attached to his body, but floating, entwined with yours, cells grown into each other, atoms connecting. He smiled back, his thumb brushing over your lower lip.

Maybe you could learn to see yourself in his eyes. At least until your lake was clean again.

💌 taglist: @wonyuknow @imnotlauriane @baalsgurl1913 @bucketofhiros @glowunderthemoon @silv3rswirls @osakis-gf @era-genius @iceprincessviviane

#jungkook x reader #yandere bts #bts x reader #bts imagines #bts smut #bts scenarios #bts reactions

[casanovawrites]

random sentence prompts  ━ from various tv shows, part 3

if you’ve got something good, that just means someone wants to take it, right?

i am not gonna watch that happen again.

i like rules. they bring order to the chaos.

you’re my favorite person in the world, but you’re acting weird.

i don’t want to be anyone’s hero. i just want to be safe and boring and happy.

we did so many bad things. it’s all burnt in my brain.

i know that i am flawed, but i am trying to be better.

if you think i’m a killer, prove it.

i’m, like, perpetually single.

no one in the world had more reasons not to believe in me, but you still did.

everyone expects me to have it all together, but i just don’t.

i don’t care what other people think about me. your opinion is the only one that mattered.

if you’re always a disappointment, then it’s impossible to disappoint.

i got so wrapped up in my own dreams and feelings. i took what we had for granted.

what we are to each other is so much more complicated than any stupid wife or husband or girlfriend. 

it’s too much for me, you needing me.

i want us to go back. back before the mistakes, the lies. back to when we were unstoppable. 

i guess all the time i feel like i’m kind of trapped because i can’t describe how i’m feeling.

you deserve better than me.

everyone keeps saying the only thing that will make this better is time and maybe space.

i didn’t want you to leave last night. 

got to clear the skies for some blue skies, right?

i just don’t want to get hurt again.

everything’s still unresolved, you know?

nobody deserves romance more than you. 

i don't know when i'm going to get over this. but i want to be beside you when that day comes.

is it cold in here, or is it just me?

i’ll get blamed if something bad happens to you.

i’ve got one rule for you. dance with me.

why is this so hard?

can we keep having dramatic yet memorable dates?

if you tell me right now that you’ll never forgive me until the end of time, i’ll leave you alone.

i’m not the problem. you are.

you two are weird in all the same ways. 

forget other people’s definitions. be who you want to be.

if i love you now, imagine how much i’ll love the person you become?

i just don’t see it adding up to happiness for any of us.

i kind of felt like you were running away from me.

i’m not a stranger. i’m just strange. 

every time i do something to be happy, someone gets hurt. 

all year, i’ve tried to do the right thing, but what do i get in return?

you strike me as a queen without her crown.

we’ll always find our way back to each other. 

what’s the point of fighting so hard to stay alive if we’re just going to die alone?

you know there’s a chance. that’s what you can’t square. that’s what hurts.

things went bad for you, things went bad for me.

it’s not that i’m like you. it’s that i love you.

i’m losing my fucking mind, and i’m terrified. 

you knocked me off balance in a good way.

he knew what to do. he always did. and he was a fucking asshole about it.

you should get the hell away from me. i’m poison. i ruin people.

you sound like a bad romantic comedy.

i think we can make long distance work.

you’re not a victim. you’re a killer.

i know kids lie to their parents about stuff,  but you don’t do that. it’s not you. 

you can come back from this. i know you can. you have to. 

people die, they become a threat.

you’re either the cat or the mouse.

when you go down, i hope i’m there to see it.

we’ve always needed each other. that’s what our entire relationship’s been about.

i’m not evil. i just did an evil thing, one i deeply regret.

#ask meme #sentence prompts #rp sentence prompts #prompts #rp ask memes #ask memes #* #meme

[brightcalamity]

NPC Dialogue for L, my polyamorous builder

I saw people doing this meme in the tags, and decided to try it out. Inspired specifically by @pepperonibread's post.

L:

Intro: “Howdy! Welcome to Sandrock. I'm new, too! Got kind of burnt out at building school, and at first kind of regretted coming here where there's so much work to do. But have you noticed how hot everyone is? Maybe it's the dry desert air making me so thirsty.”

Acquaintance:

Hey! How are you settling in? Make sure you don't go out too far - monsters can get pretty scary the further you get from town.

How's it hanging? You tried sandfishing yet? I used to love regular fishing, so it's kind of wild!

So I looked into it, and apparently there are a lot of policies in the Church of the Light that are determined by chapter. Like, how we can have guns here. I wonder what else is different?

I stayed out too late the other night, and when I passed out, I had a dream about...well, never mind.

Buddy:

Howdy! Caught any fish yet? Any big ones? Sometimes I see them swimming through the sand and wonder if I could do that.

Sometimes I get so tired, I just have to sit down and stare into space, and it always ends up I was staring at someone. Kind of embarrassing, but, oh well! So if I do that to you - sorry?

You know, you should stop by the Blue Moon sometimes and relax. A hot meal, a cold drink, and good conversation - you gotta set down the pickhammer and remember what it's all about.

How did Rian land such a great catch? Maybe I need to take a page out of his book...oh, sorry! Howdy! I'm off in my own world again, huh.

How's it hanging? Remember to let the air flow, my friend, or you'll regret it later.

Good Friend:

Howdy, pal! You ever get jealous? I saw Amirah making some pots the other day, and started wishing I was clay. At people? Nah.

Hey! Don't wear yourself out working too hard. Remember! I busted my butt in school, and now look at me.

Caught any big ones recently? I went out a bit too far to check out a new sandfishing hole, and got my ass kicked by the locals. You should've seen me! Running full tilt away clutching a giant fish to my chest like it was made of solid gold.

Howdy. You speak to Heidi lately? She's been so busy...I get it, really, but...never mind.

Sandstorm: I know it's stressful getting behind on work, but take my advice - there's no better chance to stay home and cuddle. Stay safe!

Rain:  I never knew I could miss this so much. I wonder if the sandfish around here care about rain? Does it awaken some evolutionary memory in them, or are they just oblivious?

Player has a new haircut: I wonder who you're trying to impress. Well, you're impressing me!

Player has panda eyes: I hoped you stayed up doing something fun, at least.

Player cuts a tree in front of L: Hooooboy. If you like getting berated by Burgess, good job, I guess.

Player attacks L with a weapon: Uh, watch out! Let's take it to the ring. I guess. Or, better yet, let's talk it out over dinner.

Day of the Bright Sun: I don't really need more stuff, but I love seeing the kinds of things people give as gifts. I really love days like this. Holidays were one of the brief times I wasn't studying in school. I felt guilty the entire time, but it was still worth it getting out.

Showdown at High Noon:  I guess it's good for everyone to practice fighting. Have you heard that there are places where they have a holiday to celebrate love, too? I wish we had that, to balance things out a bit.

Day of Memories: The games are fun, but I always sort of wished the fun parts and the memorial were separated. I guess that's how life is, though? You can't ever entirely separate feelings.

Tour de Rock: I feel like Unsuur should win this by default. But maybe if I win, he'll think I'm even cooler.

Running of the Yakmel:  This must be a real romantic holiday for Cooper and Mabel. Food and yakmel? I actually have no idea what this holiday's about, sorry.

Winter Solstice: Hey, don't miss out on the bonfire dancing! I'll save a spot next to me if I can!

Loved gifts:

Any kind of King Fish:  Holy! Look at that whopper! Are you seriously giving this to me?

Any of Amirah's pottery, or the character figures: Everyone accuses me of being shallow, but it was the craftsmanship of her work that really made me fall in love with her. Amirah, you're amazing.

Liked gifts:

Storage: Oh, thank the Light! And thank you! Maybe I can finally get organized.

Fishing gear:  Babe. You know me too well. Sorry, did I call you babe? Sorry, sorry. I was actually talking your gift.

Any fish other than King:  Ahaha! Howdy, little guy! You'll make a fine dinner or pet, tonight!

Neutral gifts: Wow, thanks! You don't really need to give me gifts to impress me, but I'll take 'em.

Disliked gifts: Huh. Thanks.

Hated gifts: Did I upset you? Sorry.

Complimenting appearance: Wow, thank you! The hair color's not natural, except in the sense that everything that is possible to exist is natural.

Complimenting appearance 2: I think you're pretty, too.

Complimenting work: Well, thanks! I do try! I know I'm easily distracted by a pretty face, but love just gives me the energy to make all my work feel worth it.

Complimenting personality: You catch more fish if you got the right bait.

Asked about her past:

Oh, well. Studying, work, rinse, repeat. After a while, I couldn't remember why I even wanted to be a builder. I'm starting to remember, I think.

The first time I fell in love, there was this big drama when she wanted to see someone else. I remember pretending that I was so upset, but not getting why I should care that much. I was a lot older when I realized other people aren't playing when they're upset about that stuff.

I always thought me and Nia would get married and ride off into the sunset on our gliders. Of course, life doesn't turn out how you imagine. We both had different dreams. But I missed her so much when we went our separate ways.

I think my Ma worries that she and Pa somehow pushed me into working too hard. I keep telling them that I made my own decisions, and thinking about the two of them was the big thing that pulled me off the edge, when it got real bad. I have to do better. I will do better. Even if I don't work as fast as I used to and people think I'm a flake.

Asked about work:

Most of the time people don't really need stuff as soon as they say. I still try, of course, to get it to them in time. But I've had to learn that if I end up running late, it's not the end of the world, you know?

Asked what she likes to do:

Sometimes I look at old books about fish, and then I look at the fish we've got around here - I think fish were always just really weird!

I hate eating alone, you know? Eating is when people really connect - we all gotta do it! It doesn't have to be a date, even if that's what people think I'm all about. I just want to hear about your day.

The more efficient the tools, the more time I have to keep myself sane without disappointing my commissioners. I love seeing things done quickly, and well.

Romance -

Confession response:

Accepted: Oh! You're quite the catch, so of course I accept!

Rejected: Oh...do you know what that means? Do you really want to be with me? I can't change who I am, you know. Maybe I need to think a little, and maybe you do too.

Regular lines:

Don't forget date night! It's easy to forget when we're busy, but spending time together makes everything else worthwhile!

There are always more fish in the sea, but I'm so glad I caught this one. And you caught me.

Do you see us together in twenty years? Time feels so blurry, one commission blending into the next, but no matter how far I try to look, I see you there with me.

#mtas builder

[butch-reidentified]

1/3 Not trying to start anything but the way you talk about mastectomy genuinely doesn’t sit right with me. At the end of the day it’s still a cosmetic surgery and your case where it went on without complications and actually improved your health are in the vast vast minority. It’s a massive risk and no amount of being informed about it could protect people from doctor’s mistakes whose main motivation is getting paid rather than actually caring for their patient’s health.

2/3 Besides, no matter what the reason you might be getting a mast in the current time is (chasing a certain look, removing unpleasant sensations or “gaining an extra level of unfuckable”), the industry as a whole has an agenda. The same doctor who performed your “good” top surgery went on to perform dozens of “bad” ones without second thought. I don’t think this should be financially supported at least not until the whole trans fad blows over.

3/3 Your good personal experience doesn’t erase the fact that the procedure is still incredibly dangerous and the community around it is incredibly predatory, same as it is with all cosmetic surgery. Be as proud of it as you like but your words boil down to “I did it for myself”, they’re as easy to dismiss when said in regards to make-up as they are in regards to mastectomy. (I hope I didn’t come off as too aggressive, this is a very sensitive topic for me. Take care)

Hey! No need to add the disclaimer, I totally understand and agree with you. My post is for radblr only; it should never reach anyone who would be vulnerable. My intention was to share my experience for other detrans women who might feel the same, as I've noticed a number of us feel like we're expected to feel - or at least express - shame and regret about it. I completely agree with you on most of this, but I get the feeling you're assuming that what I wrote here for radblr is something I'd say in other spaces, which is not usually the case. I wouldn't & don't encourage getting this surgery, but I will take a harm reduction approach and try to encourage those considering it to go through the steps I went through first (honestly I think most who did all of that would likely not proceed afterward). Nothing about this post is to encourage anything or to say I'm proud of it. I'm just not ashamed of it and won't pretend to be, which in some rf spaces has felt expected of me.

The one thing I do take issue with is comparing it to makeup. I just find that to be a false equivalence in multiple ways. Obviously surgery is permanent whereas makeup can be stopped at any time. But also, we are pressured to wear makeup from early childhood by everyone on all sides, where transition is pushed by a specific group, onto some girls/women, usually as teenagers. Even then, with how strong the "you don't need to transition to be valid" rhetoric has gotten, I don't think the pressure is comparable to makeup, though I haven't been near those spaces in a few years so things may be different now, idk.

My point wasn't "I did this for myself," but rather more complex than that: "It's not realistic to try to get rid of this surgery entirely, but harm reduction can help, and the potential causes of sex dysphoria may include more than many people realize." In my case, there were a couple of medical elements (cysts, neurological disorder) which likely contributed to the positive impact it had for me. I believe the neurological issues to be at the root of my dysphoria, or at least a major contributor, given my experiences described in that post.

These are possible areas for study moving forward, things that could help us understand intractable sex dysphoria and ultimately protect young people from a predatory industry by tightening up diagnostic criteria drastically.

#mine #ask #i literally just woke up #hope this is coherent lmao

[ca-8]

Yakko x Reader Scenario: When You First Meet

'This is it. The beginning of the end.' 

Gripping on the straps of her backpack, (Y/n) exited the bus and stared up at the water tower that displayed the famous Warner Bros. logo. As expected, it emitted a smug aura onto the entire area; however, surprisingly, there was a slight twinge of mystery to it as well. But she didn't have time to ponder about it, so she only gave it an uneasy look and headed straight for the entrance.

Her heart stopped. She knew the place was going to be busy, but it was like an entire New York City packed in one section! So many writers, producers, actors, large men carrying heavy sets, every type of person working in film was scattered all over the place. It was like an ocean, with the people as marine life doing what they're designed to do, and (Y/n) being the puppy that was abandoned at sea.

The moment it all settled in, an involuntary realization invaded her thoughts. 'I don't belong here.'

The young girl reminded herself to breathe and rushed over to a vacant wall, then pulled out her phone. She had already sent her mother about a thousand messages telling her she was here, but since she hasn't responded, a few more shouldn't hurt. Fingers rapidly typing away, she bit her lower lip, already wishing she had stayed on that bus. 

"Oh, you're just gonna love it!" Her mother's squealing voice had already filled her skull. "You're so talented, I know you're gonna fit right in."

'Yeah, standing around all day with a bunch of people I don't know while doing something I suck at is exactly how I wanna spend my summer.' She let out a soft sigh. 'It's fine. Just shut up and make her happy, (Y/n).'

Several attempts of calling and texting later, no response. (Y/n) sighed again, and her eyes wandered over to the bustling crowd. 'No way. Absolutely no way.' But if she wanted to get the day over with, absolutely yes way.

First, she walked up to a lady looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Um, excuse me," (Y/n) said. 

The lady's head snatched up. "KYLE!" she yelled, her eyes now ablaze with fury, "YOU IDIOT! THAT GOES IN THE WAREHOUSE ACROSS THE STUDIO!" And like there was nothing but a breeze behind her, the lady stomped off to the poor soul that had to face her wrath.

The breeze took a step back and ran around the corner. 'Maybe I'll find someone else instead…!' (Y/n) stopped and spotted a man sitting on the steps that lead to the entrance of a small building. She swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and reluctantly approached him. 

"E-Excuse me, sir?" she stuttered, hoping her voice was louder than the last time. As she got closer, (Y/n) noticed he was chuckling, and his gaze was glued onto a small piece of paper. 

"I...I did it…!" he said. She yelped and shrinked back when he suddenly jumped to his feet. "I FINALLY DID IT! WE'LL SEE WHO'S REGRETTING THE DIVORCE NOW, MARGARET!" And with a manic laugh, the man dashed into the building. 

'...Or maybe I'll just find it myself.'

It wasn't too long before (Y/n) got herself lost. Despite the help of maps that were stuck to some of the buildings, all of them seemed exactly the same. It was like a maze, and with each passing minute, she was more and more convinced that there was no finish line. Even worse, her mother was too busy to respond to anything she sent her. 

'Oh, what should I do?' (Y/n) thought for the thousandth time. No matter how hard she pinched or held them, her arms refused to stop trembling. Not too long ago, the outside of the studio became deserted and she'd hate to walk in a warehouse and possibly interrupt something important, so asking for help again was out of the question.

...Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

A tiny, hopeful smile crossed (Y/n)'s face when she heard the sounds of frustrated grunts around the corner. It was the first time she was so relieved to see a stranger. 

And thank god that stranger was a security guard. Though she wondered why he had a giant net in his hand, she shoved the curiosity as far in the back of her mind as she could and reached up to gently tap his shoulder. 

"Um, excuse me sir?" she asked as loud as she could. 

His head whipped around, revealing angry eyes and a scowl that said he was ready to kill. But right as his gaze landed on her, it changed within an instant. 

"Oh, hello!" he said with a bright smile. 

(Y/n) blinked, cocking her head. ‘What was this guy up to?’

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where (M/n) (L/n) is filming? I'm her daughter, (Y/n), and I'm trying to look for her. She's not answering her phone either."

His joyful expression slowly melted into a confused one. "Uuhhh…(M/n) (L/n)?”

“Yes. She’s a part of Animal Kingdom? Do you know where that’s being filmed?”

“Oh! I know there’s a zoo around here called Animal Kingdom! I don’t think you’ll find it in a film studio, though.”

(Y/n) frowned. “...No, I mean the show. Aren’t they filming in a warehouse today? Do you know where that is?”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Her eye twitched, and she was just about ready to drown the entire studio in the nearest ocean. “N-Nevermind, I’ll just-”

As if the universe wasn’t satisfied with tormenting her enough, the security guard suddenly launched up into the air and flew into the sky. Right before her eyes, the heavens were coated with explosives of every color that ever existed. 

“Oh my god!” (Y/n) yelled. ‘Who strapped fireworks on that guy?!’

“Oh, I knew you’d love it!”

Her eyes were ripped from the loud fireworks show as she was immediately smothered in a hug. “It’s so nice that another girl’s here! All the other ones here are either too busy or just keep shouting about a restraining order for some reason. I dunno, but anyway, I just know you're gonna love it here! Anyway, my name’s Princess Angelina Louisa Cantessa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the third! But since we're friends now, you can just call me Dot.”

This confirmed it. This was a trap set up by her mother to deliberately drive her insane, because how else can someone explain the nut jobs and talking dogs in pink dresses? 

A combination of those two things happened to be clutching her head and digging her face into hers. “...Huh?” (Y/n) mumbled.

‘Dot’ jumped off of her and smiled widely. “Sorry about Ralph by the way. I figured out you were coming at the last second and I really needed someone for your welcoming gift.” she said.

(Y/n) glanced up at the sky where the fireworks were slowly dying down. “Um...Is he gonna be okay?” she asked.  

“Of course he will!” her backpack said.

The teen screamed and threw her bag on the ground. A hand popped out and unzipped it with impossible ease, then a taller boy version of Dot jumped out, pulling up his long brown pants and flashing a grin. 

“H-...H-H-How did you…?!” (Y/n) stuttered, pointing at him. 

“What? Never heard of cartoon logic?” he said, approaching her. “And Ralph’ll be fine. His skull’s so thick, concrete’s the last thing that can kill him.”

“What-?”

“Anyhow,” he walked over to Dot and put an arm over her shoulder, “The name’s Yakko, this here’s my beloved baby sister Dot, and this is-” He stopped, staring at the empty space to his left. He leaned into Dot, whispering, “Say, uh, you don't mind looking for Wakko, do ya sis?”

Dot glanced at (Y/n) for an uncomfortable moment and suddenly shot her brother a glare. "I've got eyes all over this studio, Yakko," she warned, slowly stepping away.

Now (Y/n) certainly knew she didn't see pairs of eyes appear around every inch of her sight. 'Oh god, I didn't breath in drugs on the way here, did I? Actually, that would explain whatever the heck's going on.'

Yakko smiled as he watched his sister leave and turned to (Y/n). He walked closer to her, and she realized that his half-lidded eyes had a strange glint in them. “Sooo, your name’s (Y/n), right? A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

(Y/n)’s face heated up. ‘First I get lost, then see a guy get blown up, and now some other guy’s flirting with me? ...To be honest, this is still better than what Mom had planned for today.’

“So what brings ya’ here?” he asked.

“O-Oh, well, my Mom was supposed to give me a tour of the studio, but I’ve been giving that to myself all day. I tried finding her, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near it by now.” Her eyes wandered over to the ground, but a realization made them perk back up and over to Yakko. “Hey, do you happen to know this place by any chance?”

“Know it? Please, my sibs and I live here, we know this place by heart and soul!” He mumbled something else, along the lines of “Basically made our hearts and souls”. 

Her heart jumped; finally, a piece of good news. “Really?” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

He nodded. “So where do ya’ need to go?” Before she could answer, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and moved in so close, their shoulders were smooshed together. Yakko unfolded it, and it turned out to be the biggest map (Y/n) has ever seen. “Well, from here, you’re gonna need to take a right and continue straight until you get to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibit. But be careful, I heard some of them escaped, and if anyone asks if you’ve seen any of them, don’t tell them I gave one to Dot as a late birthday gift. Anyway, you take a left from there, then a right where you’ll see the lot where they used to shoot Game of Thrones. Now this is only a rumour I’ve heard, but I think some of the producers are still on that set. If you happen to see them, do not, I repeat, DO NOT mention season eight, or maybe just don’t mention the show at all. Actually, don’t even look at them. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t even go there at all, just keep heading straight until you get to the D.C. Universe lot. Then you just take left there, then a sharp right over over, then you keep going straight until you get to here, turn up over there, turn right there, and then you’re there. Did ya’ follow all that?”

(Y/n) stared at his face, which was practically radiating with enthusiasm, and she felt her eye twitch again. “...No,” she said, shaking her head.

His smile dimmed, but it became just as bright as the sun again a split-second later. “Ah well, maps are gettin' old anyways,” he said, throwing the map over his shoulder. “WAKKO!!”

And, low and behold, another anthropomorphic dog popped out of nowhere, and (Y/n) was starting to question if there was an army of them hidden somewhere. But she had to admit, it was pretty cute how this one was dressed in an oversized blue sweater and red hat. 

“Tablet, please,” Yakko said politely, holding out his hand. 

‘You're not gonna walk me there-?'

Wakko suddenly held his head back with his cheeks puffed out, then leaned into Yakko’s hand as he forced out a small object from his mouth. After an incredibly uneasy moment, a tablet glazed in spit was in Yakko's grasp. While he praised the little guy, (Y/n) forced back the urge to vomit.

“E-Ehhhh…?” She couldn’t say anything else while her gaze frantically went back and forth from Wakko and the regurgitated tablet. 

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Yakko said. “(Y/n), this is my dear little brother, Wakko. Wakko, this here’s our new special friend, (Y/n).” 

“Hello!” Wakko greeted, who was suddenly in her arms. “You’re really pretty!”

“Ehh? Thank you? I guess??” she said apprehensively, and finally managed to make eye contact. Despite his...quirks, he's actually a little adorable... She let herself grin a little.

The moment of semi-peace was ruined when she took notice of Yakko’s narrowed eyes. “ALrighty, (Y/n)!” he said loudly, grabbing his little brother by the collar and gently setting him on the ground. “Animal Kingdom, right? Let’s get ya’ right over there.” He moved right beside her and taped the screen a couple times. 

“Um, what’re you doing exactly?” she asked.

“Doing what every person does to get somewhere nowadays.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, and (Y/n) flinched from his touch. “Please keep your arms, legs, and personal items inside the tablet at all times.”

Just when she was about to question him for the hundredth time, he pressed the screen again, and her vision became nothing but white. Her body felt like it was launched into a tornado; a strong force of wind thrusted her back, and somehow, the boy’s arm kept her from flying off from his side. A second later, her feet were back on the ground, the sky was where it needed to be, and reality was back in place. 

Except for (Y/n)’s mentality. 

She stumbled around, trying to find her balance as the world unbearably whirled around her. Finally, she shook her head, and quickly turned back towards Yakko, whose face tried to tell her whatever happened was perfectly fine and normal. 

“What was THAT?” she yelled, staggering towards him and gripping his shoulders.

And he still had the audacity to have that 'why-are-you-freaking-out-so-much-we-do-this-every-Friday' smile. “Thank you for attending Warner’s Travel Tours! I would say my Agent Ralph’ll take your bags, but I left him alone with my sibs, so he’s probably in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by now.”

(Y/n) could only stare at him. Her mind was twisting and turning, trying so hard to make any sense of what happened but only making her headache grow larger and larger. And then, her thoughts just went blank.

She smirked. Then giggled. And a few seconds later, she had burst out laughing whilst holding her stomach. (Y/n) looked back up at Yakko, wiping a tear from her eye. “Th-Thank you…” she said, catching her breath. 

His smile had grown and she thought his white cheeks were red for a moment. Yakko had opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a net suddenly covering his entire body. Ralph was behind him, his skin and clothes burnt and ears practically smoking. “You’re coming with me, Warner!” he said.

And yet, Yakko only grinned. Like physics was his enemy, he disappeared from inside the net and appeared sprouting from the security guard’s back, cheerfully waving at (Y/n). “I’ll see ya’ around, yeah?” he said, then ran around the corner with Ralph sprinting right after him.

(Y/n) giggled and reached for the straps around her back. But when she only felt the (f/c) fabric of her shirt, her smile dropped, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. “Great…” she whispered.

“(Y/N)!” 

She gasped as a pair of arms squeezed the life out of her. Her mother spun her around to face her gleaming smile, which was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your texts! That scene took forever, but I’m glad you found your way here! You’re so smart! Anyway, I know we don’t get as much time now, but there’s still so much we’ll be able to see!...”

She rambled on and on and on and on. Her daughter’s shoulders slumped and she followed her to where she wanted her to go, but the frown on her face didn’t last long when she remembered the fun she had just a few seconds ago. ‘Maybe this summer won’t be that bad.’

#is this how you write him lmao #i love this boi so much #animaniacs #cartoons #x reader #fanfiction #the reader in this is like 15 dont worry lol #im bored #yakko warner

[gl0rious-purpose]

How Far Is Too Far? (Loki x Protective!Reader)

Summary: After moving into the Avengers compound, reader had adjusted to the joking tones of their fellow members. When Loki moves into the building, the teasing from Tony strikes a nerve with the reader.

Word Count: 2059 Words

After living in the Avengers compound since the New York attack, you've watched your teammates insult each other jokingly. Steve would throw jabs at Natasha and Bucky during workouts, Sam would join in and get dragged into a big, playful tussle. Even though you sat on the sidelines with Wanda, you still enjoyed watching them pick on each other. You could easily say you have adjusted to each team members tone to identify when they were messing around. 

When Thor brought his mischievous brother to live amongst you all, the humor laced tones diminished into bitterness whenever he was present. Tony seemed to be the only one who would acknowledge his presence with crude words while the others gave each other knowing looks. You lost track of how many insults that man could throw at Loki throughout the day. You were beginning to think that was all Tony could do to keep himself entertained. While you weren't entirely sure, whenever a harsh jab got spouted in the god's direction, a flicker of hurt crossed his eyes before they returned to their cold appearance. This, of course, worried you since Loki was apart of the team now and deserved the same respect everyone else got. Everyone had warmed up to the idea of him being there after he had proved himself worthy in combat, but Tony was still on the fence.

After returning from a mission, you'd stumbled upon Tony in his workshop talking to himself as he tweaked his suit. If no one else was going to confront Tony about his snide comments, you were. You had seen a completely different side to Loki today when retrieving information. It was almost like he started to trust you guys and they trusted him. Taking a deep breath, you slowly pushed up the workshop door and waited for Tony to acknowledge your presence. When he finally looked up, he gave you a pleased smile before returning to working on his suit.

"Hey kid, how'd the mission go?" Tony grunted as he reached deep into the suit to grab a tool he'd dropped. 

"It went very well. I think Loki's actually starting to trust us." Responding with a hopeful voice, you turned to look for a seat just in case this conversation got lengthy. Tony's face appeared above the suit, eyebrows furrowed at your statement.

"Listen, Y/N. Don't go relying on Mr. Freeze. He trusts no one, but himself." He pointed his wrench at you as if he was scolding you with his finger before turning to find the tool he really needed. A tense silence brushed over you at his words, the only sound being Tony's tools clanging together kept your focus. Briskly standing up, you pushed in your seat. If he was to play that card, let him. I'm not going to stand for it.

"Tony, you seem to be the only asshole here that believes that. I don't understand why you can't just accept that Loki is here to change, not create conflict." You looked at the man across from you, who was clearly taken aback. The silence motivated you to go on.

"The amount of times that man as saved your ass, Stark. You owe him a bit of courtesy as he holds a position on this damn team. How far is too far?" Feeling anger bubbling throughout your body, you reached out and shoved your palm against the counter next to you, taking deep breaths. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tony nodding in agreement, going to open his mouth to respond when someone cut him off.

"And I don't need a pitiful excuse of a Midgardian to stick up for me. Maybe you should keep your nose out of other people's businesses." Loki's cold, irritated voice rang out from behind the both of you. Tony only looked at you ask you turned around to face the God of Mischief. You felt the anger dissipate as your fiery determination left your eyes. Loki's cold demeanor seemed to of softened as he realized that he had hurt you. Regretting his words, he tried to muster up the courage to reach out to you, but you backed away from him. Diverting your eyes, you straightened up your posture and nodded in response to his words.

"That's fine by me." You gritted your teeth as you rushed out there, bumping into the god's shoulder as you rushed out of there as quickly as possible. You didn't mean to of upset Loki by any means, you were just tired of Tony walking all over him like he was a rug that no one liked. Once out into the corridor, tears seemed to brim your eyes as you briskly walked to your room, picking up pace every second you could. When you reached the floor you ironically shared with Loki, you almost collapsed in the living room. Any other time, those words would've never fazed you. Hell, they would've make you smirk in response to his cruel statement. But this time? This time it was different. It didn't take you long to realize you had developed feelings for the god, but you were afraid to reveal them. What if he judged you for falling for him? Gathering your emotions, you stumble up the stairs to your room. The quicker you could get up to your room, the less of a risk of Loki coming up and seeing you.

"God, why does this hurt so much?" Your strained voice cracked as your back hit your door, sliding quickly down it. Quite sobs racked your body as the tears just kept pouring down your face and your body curled up into an upright fatal position. Your self-loathing thoughts swam around your head faster than you could get the chance to process them as you rocked yourself. The thoughts soon laced themselves together, making you fall into a mindless fog. You tried to stop sobbing, trying to regain control over your breathing as tears slowly made their way down your flushed cheeks. Your ragged breaths seem to drown out the sudden knock at your door. After a couple minutes, the door suddenly swung outward, reminding you that you still had to convince Clint to come fix your door. Your body fell back onto the floor against someone's shoes. Realizing you didn't lock your door, you looked up into the soft, concerned eyes of the guy you were just trying to defend. Sniffling, your hands shot up and pressed against your tear streaked cheeks, quickly wiping your face so tears weren't present. After a couple seconds, you scrambled to your feet, quickly walking into your room to avoid any violent confrontation with him.

Blowing your nose, you heard your door close. Thank the Gods, I'm alone now. You thought as you sighed raggedly before turning around into the firm chest of Loki. The sudden impact didn't make him budge, but it made you try to back away to give him space. Instead he gently grabbed you and pulled you back in, wrapping his arms tightly around your frame. You tensed at the sudden contact, frozen in place. Loki's hands started rubbing circles on your midsection, hoping it would ease you into the hug. Minutes passed before you finally relented and tightly wrapped your arms around his torso as if your life depended on it. The movement caused a low chuckle to emit from the man holding you, the sound's rumble against you caused you to shiver. Comfortable silence fell upon you two as you both embraced each other.

"So," Loki's now soft and sincere sounding broke the silence. "Why are you in here crying?" He asked, but you knew he already had a good idea of why you were in here crying. He just needed clarification. Do I really want to give him that? You questioned yourself as you swallowed the lump in your throat.

"None of your business, Frosty" you muttered, adding the nickname to try to lighten the mood as you shoved your face into his chest. A disappointed sigh escaped his lips as he pried you away from his body, far enough for him to try to look you in the eye. Except you just looked away from him, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. He watched your eyes flicker to different objects lying in your room as you tried to find something to focus on.

"Y/N" He spoke, expecting you to respond with a glance.

"Love?"

"Darling?"

"Sweetheart?" He stopped, trying to think of a nickname that would bring you to look at him.

"Angel?" Loki tried to lace the name with as much love and care as he could, move his head to try to meet your eyes. Even though the room was dark, he was able to subtly see your flushed cheeks grow red at the nickname as your eyes slowly met his. Giving a small, victorious smile, he decided to go on.

"It's my business if you're crying because of me." He stated, making it clear that it wasn't up for debate. You nervously took your bottom lip into your mouth, chewing on it as you thought about what you wanted to say to him. His eyes pierced right through you, expecting an answer. Sighing, you threw yourself  down onto your bed, shoving your face into your hands, rubbing them down it before resting your chin on your palms.

"I just...got tired of seeing Tony insult you like that. I've watched your expression long enough to know that his words hurt you, and I thought I could get through to him. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries." You paused as he sat down beside you, scooting over so your knees were touching.

"Loki, I care about you. Hell, I'd do anything to prevent any pain that comes to you. I lo-I like you too much. I'm sorry." You looked up at his face that held no expression, hoping he didn't catch your slip. When he didn't respond for a couple minutes, you diverted your eyes to the ground. You examined a piece of paper you must've dropped. Sighing, you dropped your hands and went to to grab the paper off the ground. An icy hand reached up and grabbed your wrist, causing you to quickly look back to Loki. Meeting his eyes, a ghost of a smile played on his lips as mischief filled his eyes. Narrowing your eyes, you went to pull away as he pulled you towards him, adjusting so he was laying backwards. He pulled you on top of him, smiling up at you.

"I.. appreciate that you love me enough to stand up for me. It's really touching." You felt your cheeks heat up again at his words, frowning at the fact he caught your slip. He noticed the frown and moved a piece of hair behind your ear. You looked him directly in the eye, breath hitching as the gesture got very intimate for you.

"And I would do the same for you. Not because I'm your teammate, but because I can't lose you. For Norns sake, not you. I've lost so many people I care for. I love and care you too much. I can't even put what I feel for you into words, Angel." Loki sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to put together more words for you. He opened his eyes just to watch you, but you quickly brought his lips to yours, hoping the emotions you felt towards him transferred via the kiss. They must've as you felt him smile widely into the kiss, moving his hands to the back of your neck to pull you closer. After several minutes, you had to pull back for air, watching Loki's eyes flutter open. He smiled at you, running his hands through your hair.

"So, I guess the feelings mutual, huh?" You joked, grinning at Loki. Growling, he rolled you over and pinned you, leaning in to capture you into another kiss.

"I guess that also means you're mine" Loki stated as he pulled away from the kiss, voice laced with lust and possession. You laughed at the sudden possessiveness. Loki growled and quickly fucked his head against your throat, nipping your neck gently with his teeth. Breathing in sharply, you entangled your hands in his dark, silky hair.

"I guess so~"

You can also read this fic here <3

#Loki #Loki x Reader #Fluff #Angst #Marvel One Shots #MCU #Love Confessions

[justcourttee]

I love your sibling Jasonette so much!! If you don't mind, could you do Marinette's first meeting with the rest of the Batfam? Also, this is probably a stupid question but are the rest of the sibling Jasonette stories connected?

Not a stupid question at all! I wrote them so that if you read all of them, there are parallels so that they could be connected, but if people didn’t want to read all of them, they could also stand on their own :)

I also NEVER mind writing more sibling Jasonette ;) Hope you enjoy! @moonlitjiminie 

Family Game Night

“What if they don’t like me?”

Jason stopped in his tracks, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Is that even a real question that you’re asking me? I’m honestly offended right now that you would even think they had an option to not like you.”

He dramatically placed his hand over his heart as if her words had fatally wounded him earning a small giggle from the girl. Slinging his arm over her shoulder, she managed to breathe a small sigh of relief as they made their way up the long staircase.

Jason didn’t even bother knocking as he threw open the manor doors, effectively dragging her in with him.

“Master Jason, what a pleasure to see you attend family game night and with a guest in tow, how lovely.”

An older man stood in the foyer, his sly smile warming Marinette to the core instantly. Jason narrowed his eyes playfully at the man, a sly smile of his own tugging at his lips.

“Marinette, let me introduce you to the only sane person in this household. Mr. Alfred Pennyworth. He likes to pretend he’s just a humble butler, but we all know that he secretly runs the whole thing around here.”

Alfred bowed deeply to Marinette to which she could only curtsey in return.

“It’s a pleasure, sir. I am sorry for invading your family time. I was under the impression that my presence was a known factor tonight.” Her narrowed eyes shot to Jason who simply shrugged, his smirk as arrogant as ever.

“Nonsense, a friend of Master Jason is a friend to all. You are by far the most pleasant friend he has brought to this event.”

Marinette almost wanted to ask about the context of his remark, but something in her gut told her she really didn’t want to know.

“Please, follow me to the sitting room. The rest of the family has already arrived.”

They walked in a comfortable silence down the hall, Marinette nerves slightly frayed now knowing that nobody expected her appearance. Alfred pushed open two oak doors, revealing a brightly lit room filled with many laughing faces. When Jason said he had a lot of siblings, Marinette thought two or three. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

“Oh my god, Jason brought home a girl!”

Instantly all sounds in the room paused as many heads turned their attention to where Marinette stood in the doorway. Hesitantly, she raised her hand in greeting, a sheepish smile gracing her face.

“Everyone, this is Marinette, the legendary designer MDC, and my sister. She’s flown all the way from Paris to meet you losers for some reason so be nice.”

Marinette mumbled a quiet hello as a few smiles broke through the room welcoming her. Instantly, a blonde girl jumped up to drag her back to where she was previously sitting, ignoring Jason’s protests.

“You just have to play on my team tonight! Are you any good at Pictionary? I mean I’m not great, but I can say with utmost confidence that I can beat most of the people in this room.”

“That’s not true!” Marinette’s attention was split as one of the men started an argument with her as to who was the better pictionary-ist. She didn’t even notice when Jason had sat beside her, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

“The rude blonde is Stephanie Brown. She’s Timmy boys girlfriend, who would be the dead zombie looking kid over there.”

Marinette’s gaze followed to where Jason pointed, a small giggle escaping at his accurate description. The poor boy looked like he hasn’t gotten a good night's sleep a single day in his life. 

“The rude boy arguing with Stephanie would be Dick. He practically rivals your optimism except his happy go lucky actually disgusts me.”

The man paused from his argument, a horrified expression on his face.

“I like to think my optimism is a blessing.”

That earned a collective groan from the room to which he simply crossed his arms into a pout.

“Anyways, continuing, the redhead is Barbara Gordon-Grayson who unfortunately has trapped herself in the position of Dick’s wife. A tragedy really for such a beautiful woman, I mean she could’ve had me and instead she chose him? The world just isn’t right.”

Another protest came from Dick’s direction as he turned his pout into Barbara’s outstretched arms as her attempt to not laugh failed miserably.

“The one staring you down while trying to pretend he’s not interested at the same time would be your future husband Damian.”

Marinette felt her entire face flush red as she reached back slapping Jason in the stomach as hard as he could.

“Todd, I do not appreciate harassing this young woman. You are beneath her in status and beauty therefore you should not be allowed to get off with this insult to her self so easily.”

Damian stood from his spot, careful not to make eye contact with Marinette as he sped past her toward the room’s only exit. She wanted to call out and ask him to stay, but the pink on his cheeks caused her to pause. He probably was just as embarrassed as her and just needed some time to breathe.

“Jason, that was mean! Look at how flustered you made him!”

Jason simply laughed as he reached over to ruffle her hair.

“Trust me, he never gets ‘flustered’ that was all you.”

For the second time that night, Marinette felt her face flush.

“He’s right you know!” Her eyes turned back to the blonde from earlier who stared her down with a playful expression in her eyes. “Demon spawn definitely has a crush on you.”

The rest of the family took turns picking at her, taking jabs until she was sure there wasn’t one part of her that wasn’t bloodshot red.

“Alright, alright, give the girl some space. We want her to return eventually!”

Marinette smiled gratefully toward the dark-haired man.

“After all, I need to get to know my future daughter-in-law.”

She instantly regretted her friendly gesture as the room exploded once more, smiles and laughter filling the room. Why exactly had she let Jason talk her into this?

“Okay, okay, really though guys. It’s game night! Time to pick team captains.”

Stephanie’s devilish smile sent shivers through Marinette’s spine. It was purely chaotic, reminding her of another blonde that she had left behind.

“I vote Marinette and Jason, the ultimate sibling showdown!” Dick puffed out his chest as his voice mimicked what sounded suspiciously like a wrestling ref that her father loved to watch.

“I’m down, how about you princess?”

Marinette bit her lip as her eyes glanced around the room at their waiting faces. Her eyes caught sight of one brooding face that she couldn’t seem to pass by. He also seemed to be waiting, his eyes nervously glancing from her position to the door as if he might bolt at any moment.

“It’s game on Todd.”

They shook their hands defiantly, both wearing dangerous smirks. Maybe she could salvage her pride tonight; not just hers’ but Damian’s as well. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Ladies first.”

Marinette and Jason stood on opposite sides of the room, both watching each other with an intense look that came from their competitive natures. She scanned the eager faces of his family thoughtfully. She had no idea what any of them were good at, but she wanted to maintain appearance for the psych of it.

“Damian.”

Everybody broke out into smirks as they shared knowing looks. She didn’t bother to pay them any mind as the pink-cheeked boy rose to stand with her.

“Wrong move princess, demon spawn hates game night more than he likes to win. My first choice? Stephanie.”

The girl pumped her fist in the air as she joined Jason on his side. Marinette leaned toward where Damian stood, hiding half her face behind her hand.

“Time to strategize, who is my best bet?”

Damian stared at her with a bewildered expression.

“C’mon beau garçon, I need your help if we’re gonna kick Jason’s ass.”

He nodded slowly as if that were a perfectly reasonable excuse to kick into gear.

“Grayson is the leading contender if you wish to win tonight.”

Marinette nodded as she motioned for Dick to join them as well. Jason raised an eyebrow at her as he called over Tim, challenging her to pick from the remaining two.

“Okay Damian, Barbara or Bruce.”

He didn't bother responding as he pointed at his father, leaving the redhead to Jason’s team.

It was five hours of intense games, Alfred keeping score as an unaffiliated third party,( after all, they had all agreed that he was the fairest way to keep the games moving.) They all sat in anticipation while he tallied the scores. She couldn’t seem to calm her nerves as she stared at Jason’s cocky smirk.

Marinette felt a warmth brush by her kneecap. Instantly her head snapped to where a hand rested before her gaze reached back up to his face, a light red dusting across her cheeks. Immediately his hand retracted.

“I’m sorry if that was inappropriate, your knee was just bouncing anxiously from the corner of my eye and it was a slight bother.”

Marinette muttered out a small sorry before they both broke their gaze, the blush evident on both of their cheeks.

“And with a final score of 5-4, the winning team is… Miss Marinette!”

Her whole team jumped from the couch in excitement. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Damian’s neck. Realization crossed her face as she quickly retracted her hug, her entire face as red as could be. God, she hadn’t been this much of a blushing mess since she was thirteen.

They all chatted idly for a few minutes before Jason finally intercepted, insisting he had to get her back to her apartment before it got too late. The whole family waved her goodbye, minus one red-faced teen who instead handed her a small piece of paper as discreetly as he could, ignoring the taunts from his family behind his back.

As they drove back to her apartment, Marinette couldn’t hold her excitement anymore.

“I don’t know why you were warning me so much, I think I’m in love with your family Jason.”

His familiar smirk sat on his face as he turned into the apartment’s lot.

“I told you they were going to love you, and what do you know? I didn’t even have to give Damian your number, you two worked it out on your own. I truly believe they are planning out your wedding right now.”

Marinette shook her head as she reached over the console to hug Jason tightly before stepping out of the car. She wanted to deny accusations of what happened tonight, but she knew it would just fuel his picking.

Besides, even she couldn’t deny that she was excited for the next family game night and if she saw a certain Wayne there, well, that really wouldn’t be so bad.

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@damianette-is-life @ash-amg @rebecarojas07 @heaven428 @long-lost-peace @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @moongoddesskiana @nach0ava

#daminette #jasonette #maribat

[i-love-hobbies]

Hooty analysis

(This gets really sad.)

"Eight years ago I was looking to hide from the Emporer's coven." Considering this line and

this frame (there is no decoration plus the box) its safe to assume that she settled down after she found King.

She needs protection so even if Hooty isn't apart of the house originally she probably found him around this time.

We also have the line:

"You thought me and I turned out just fine." - s1ep9 Hooty.

Did she thought him to speak? Could he be an adult but until Eda there was no one that could talk around him? We're NEVER getting the answers! (Disneyyyyyyyyyyyyyy if you don't give Dana spin-offs!)

Anyway considering how loyal he is to her she definitely got him out of a lonely situation. While never close they were on speaking terms for eight years. And everyone else that has lived in him is connected to Eda. The other people who visited were connected to Luz (who is connected to Eda).

So s1ep18 comes and Hooty is fighting with the guards. And the next scene he's in even though no one realises he's there is this one.

HE KNEW! He's eyes were open! Eda and Luz after this were GONE FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT!

Considering he's hyped up as some sort of a god and he was never caught sleeping by the coven. I'm headcanoning that he only sleeps as a coping mechanism.

So then Luz comes back and we can all guess how that conversation went.

All of this happens and considering that porta-Hooty exists. In s1ep19 Luz and King probably just leave without telling him (or he is too heavy for Luz to carry). Knowing that King is nine and Luz blamed herself they weren't really rational.

He was left alone for a whole day and from the shorts we know they have a crystal ball. He either fell asleep again or watched the news and then fell asleep. (He didn't react when everyone came back.)

I think after all of that he got fear from being left alone. Which probably already existed but this absolutely worsened it.

Then a week and a half passes where everyone is about to starve to death and HE CAN'T HELP, he doesn't wanna be annoying and probably doesn't tell them he can be of use if they carry him(no one knew about porta-Hooty until s2ep3).

For that period he also notices how Lilith feels lonely so he tries to befriend her in s2ep1 while being in her personal space.

THAT DOESN'T WORK!!!

So he finally does the unthinkable.

"Sorry, Lulu! I mean, sorry Lilith!"

Hootcifer and Lulu

This is his probably first real friendship. So he is careful but he is also Hooty and has been thought by the individualist Eda (whatever that teaching was). So he doesn't really become a sidekick. This is a genuinely healthy relationship.

We see them just hang out in s2ep2 and "Wow I bet even Eda couldn't do that." SHE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THIS WORDS I CAN GUARANTEE. Someone acknowledged her powers that wasn't a teacher.

In s2ep3 is where they're friendship really shines.

In that infamous screenshot "watching the ink dry is the best part" he is the one to look out for her and snap her back to reality. She not only acknowledges it but also asks him to go with them. Later on in the episode she trips and he catches her and she returns the favour by comforting him when he feels regret for the first time (ignore the words "first time").

Things they did together in the episode are also:

- talking with King

- talking about King with Luz

- traveling together

- falling for King's claims

- having each others' backs in a fight

s2ep4:

- Hooty for the first time on screen (ignoring s2ep1) fails to comfort her (to be fair to Hooty she was drunk and had a nine year old partner)

- Lilith leaves and doesn't show in any way that she will miss him (I don't think penpals is helping) AFTER HE FAILED (I really hope I'm just overthinking).

#toh #the owl house #toh hooty #hooty #toh lilith #lilith clawthorne #toh lulu and hootcifer #lulu and hootcifer

[tinyboxxtink]

"Caught In The Storm" *Part 9*

So....did y'all like that cliffhanger?

Because...HAHAHA JK THAT'S NOT THE ENDING.

No, but actually...it was the original ending, but the original ending ended up being REALLY short. So, I wrote an ALTERNATE ending, that actually I really would prefer being the ACTUAL ending, but it had to go a different direction BEFORE the cliffhanger, so....you see my dilemma.

SO---

Here's what we're gonna do:

I'm going to put the ORIGINAL ending first, and then space it out, and put the ALTERNATE [better tbh] ending.

That way, you can have both. And I don't have to backtrack to undo my mistake due to my ADHD brain changing things 24/7.

Kay? Cool.

Also no neither of these are the ACTUAL ending, I refuse to have an odd number of chapters. REFUSE. So chapter 10 will be like an epilogue. Don't look at me like that.

Tag List

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@word-scribbless

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@aprildecker-blog

@gibbs274

@lolliepopsicle

@objection-argumentative

Part 10 (Epilogue is here!)

(This Gif is For the FIRST ending, there's a 2nd GIF that would be SPOILERS.)

Short Simple Ending #1

Raphael sat in his loft drinking scotch, for which he had done most of the day. He wasn't dressed, he hadn’t showered, he was a mess. He didn't know if he could ever come out of this. He sat there wallowing in his regret and sorrow, going over every interaction you two had ever had in your entire lives of knowing each other pinpointing everything he could have done differently. What he should have done differently, and the fact that if he had, you'd be there with him right now instead of getting married to someone you didn't love. He's just in the middle of chastising himself again when he heard a knock at the door.

“Liv, I told you I don't need your help; You can't help me right now!” he yelled to the door

“It's not Liv…”your voice came softly through the door.

His eyes lit up, he raced to the door and threw it open. Revealing you and your wedding dress, sopping wet.

“Well I hope you're happy!” you stomped into his apartment angrily.

“...What would I be happy about? Where is your husband? He asked half jokingly.

“I Don't HAVE a husband,” you spat.

“Really now?” He was enjoying this too much.

“No, I don't. And you just made me humiliate a poor, generous, loving, caring, amazing man. And I just dumped him in front of all of his friends and family, and in front of a million fans on a live stream and now everyone knows and I'm probably laughing stock right now!!!” you screamed angrily, pacing the apartment.

“I did all that?” He smirked.

“Yes, you did!” you crossed your arms as you walked back to him.

“And how did I do that?” He took both of your hands and pulled you closer, still smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“By telling me you love me!!!” you kept your angry face stoic. “How could I marry Nathan when I knew that I was supposed to be with someone else?”

“You couldn't,” He smiled.

“I couldn't…” You whispered as he pulled you even closer and took you in his arms.

“I love you Rafael,” you looked right into his big green eyes. It was the first time you had actually said it to him in those exact words, with all the love and emotion you had always meant it to be.

He stared at you for a moment, running through the words in his mind. He had yelled them so angrily and upset at you last night, not the way you needed. Not the way you deserved.

“I love you too, Y/N,” He smiled, cradling your face before pulling you into another mind blowing kiss; it had only been the second time you had ever kissed in your lives but it felt like you had done it a million times, like it was supposed to be this way. Like it was always supposed to be this way.

You were so glad you stayed through the storm.

-----

Actual" Really Long, Detailed, Funny Ending #2

-----

"But you don't love him,'' Rafael pointed out.

"You don't know that!" You snapped.

"Yes I do!" He shot back.

“How could you possibly know that?”

"Because you have never looked at him the way you look at me!" He exclaimed.

Your face went from upset and sad, to absolute rage after hearing him say that.

"You arrogant, selfish, son of a bitch…" you growled.

"How DARE you say that to me?! How DARE you use my own feelings and how much I loved you against me? Get out," You grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door.

"No look I'm sorry Y/N, but it's true. You don't love him and you're only marrying him to spite me!" He continued to dig himself a hole.

"So what?!” You said without thinking, making you both go wide eyed and silent.

“Are-- Are you serious?” He stammered.

“What if I was?” You now had an idea reeling.

“Wha...why would you…?” His eyes narrowed.

“Let’s say that I don’t believe you right now, which I don’t. And I kick you out of here, and I go through with my wedding in the morning? After ALL of this?” You gestured between the two of you.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Rafael asked as he eyed the two empty bottles of champagne.

"Don't even-- Maybe," You stood in front of the view of the bottles. You waved it off, trying to focus.

“What if I told you that the ONLY way that I will believe that you are completely serious and NOT just drunk, is if you try and stop my wedding?” You smirked.

“You’re not--” Rafael started to laugh, but you kept a serious face on. “Seriously?”

“I don’t know Rafael, I guess we’ll see tomorrow who’s ‘serious’ and who’s not!” You slammed the door in his face, leaving him dumbfounded.

-------------

The next day you were in the bridal room getting ready; It was pouring rain outside, it seemed appropriate.

Amanda, Kelsey and Olivia were helping you polish your tiara, ironing your dress, fixing your makeup and all that jazz. Hundreds of fans lined outside the church since someone had leaked where you were getting married. Everything came down to this moment. It was supposed to be the biggest day of your life, and you were terrified. But not for the reasons normal brides would be worried about. For one you were hungover, and for two you had made the most idiotic ultimatum to Rafael last night. Why would you DO that?! Why did he bring out the absolute snarkiest, competitive side of you?

“You're shaking,” Amanda noticed.

“It's just nerves, you need some champagne'' Kelsey grabbed a champagne flute and shoved it in your hand; you downed it.

“You're doing the right thing,” Kelsey assured you, as if she knew what you were thinking. You looked at Olivia and Amanda.

“And what do you say?” You genuinely asked them both.

“I think that whatever you want to do is the right thing,'' Olivia replied, squeezing her hand. You smiled thankfully, glancing at the door.

He hadn’t come yet, maybe he was just drunk. Maybe he was lying in his bed hungover, wondering why he went and made an ass out of himself for no reason. Then again, maybe he was waiting for a big crowd for a huge display of affection, God WHY did you do this...

------

When it was time, you walked up to Finn who was waiting at the doors of the chapel. He was dressed in a tuxedo with a baby blue tie.

“You look beautiful, baby girl,” he smiled. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Now or never,” You smiled, still glancing at the exits. You noted the cameras that were set up to livestream this to millions of people; you had totally forgotten about that. Oh god, now if there was a “public display” it wouldn’t just go to the guests, it would be broadcast around the world!

The Wedding March began to play as the chapel doors opened. You proceeded to walk down the aisle and looked at everyone watching you. All of your past and present family from the SVU squad was there. Grandpa Kragen and Grandpa Munch, Uncle Brian, Uncle Tucker, etc.

Then you looked at Nathan's family, a bunch of white rich stuffy but welcoming people. You noticed all of the crowds lining outside the windows of the church cheering you on, some crying, some holding signs. Then you looked at Nathan waiting for you at the end of the aisle smiling proudly. He really did love you.

You reached the end of the aisle and took Nathan's hands.

“Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today…”

The Preacher went on through the normal wedding exchanges until he got to “the” line..

“If anyone here has any reason that these two should not be wed, please speak now or forever hold your peace,” The preacher announced as you held your breath.

You anxiously looked around the chapel, looking for any sign of Rafael. Maybe he had snuck in the back, or was hiding behind a lady with a hat. He was going to come, wasn’t he? Maybe you were right, maybe you were right along.

….Nothing. He wasn’t there. He didn’t come…

You felt your heart shatter, you were officially dead inside. And now the husk of you was being married off to this poor man.

“Do you Nathan Lee Price, take YN to be your lovely wedded wife, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?

“I do,”

“Y/N, do you take Nathan Lee Price to be your lovely wedded husband, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?”

You looked to Nathan, then you looked to your side of the wedding, then you looked to his side, you looked to the fans outside again, you looked to the sky, looked to the ground and then you looked back at Nathan.

"I…"

“NO SHE DOES NOT!!!!”

The chapel doors swung open revealing Rafael dressed in a tuxedo. The entire room gasped in horror, and you tried your best not to run to him right then and there. He ran down the aisle until he reached the altar.

“I’m sorry sir, we’ve already past the--” The preacher started to talk but Rafael put a hand in front of his face.

“I don’t care, padre,” He chortled.

"Cutting it a little close there, counselor," You muttered.

"You're the one who chose to get married during rush hour in New York City, carino," He winked.

“Man, are you serious? Really? You’ve had all this time, and you decide NOW that you want my fiancé?” Nathan asked him in a hushed voice, trying to be discreet.

Rafael however, was NOT trying to be discreet.

“This woman told me last night, if I really loved her, that I would come and stop this wedding,” He was addressing the crowd. “That I would stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life,” He turned to you and Nathan. “Marrying someone she does not love,”

The room gasped again, Nathan’s family looked horrified. Camera phones began filming, fans outside were going NUTS.

“...Is that true, Y/N?” Nathan asked you with the most pitiful look.

“I mean I--” You looked from him to Rafael, who had a huge grin on his face. Well, you DID ask for this.

“I didn’t use those exact words,” You shrugged apologetically. The pastor closed the Bible, the guests were chattering like mad, cameras flashed, the mob outside began to force themselves inside to see the drama.

“I..I can’t believe this, I can’t believe you…” Nathan shook his head in disbelief.

“Nathan I’m really sorry, I just--” You looked at Rafael again; his grin wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. “I had to be sure that he really loved me,”

“So he had to PROVE his love to you, when I have shown it to you EVERY SINGLE DAY?” Nathan started to yell, forgetting about appearances.

“I mean, no-- it’s a whole thing, you wouldn’t understand--” You started to laugh unintentionally, thinking of how you and Rafael had your own twisted sick sense of humor.

“You’re goddamn right I don’t understand!” He continued to yell.

“...She’s a flair for the dramatic Nate, what can I say?” Rafael smirked as he stepped up on the stair you were standing on and wrapped an arm around you. You really hated that you were enjoying this at Nate’s expense but-- Rafael was right. You wanted him to publicly admit it, and he delivered. And you were ecstatic.

“Yeah well, I hope you’re both happy in dramatic HELL,” Nathan spewed before stomping off out of the chapel with his groomsmen quickly tailing him. His side of the wedding began exiting the chapel furiously grumbling and yelling profanities at you.

You glanced at your side of the room, the entire NYPD. They all surprisingly looked very pleased, although some people like Kragen were skeptical about this suave ADA coming in here and sweeping you off your feet. They shook their heads and a few applauded, especially your current family.

“Oh we’re not done folks,” Rafael announced as he grabbed the preacher before he could leave.

“Wha...what now?” You were confused but growing more excited by the second.

“You wanted me to be sure that this is what I wanted,” Rafael took both of your hands. “And I want you to KNOW that this,” He gestured between the two of you. “This is all I will ever want, for the rest of my life. And I want to prove it to you,” He smiled at you and pulled something from his jacket pocket.

“Oh, Rafa you really don’t--” You started to say that stopping this wedding was proof enough for you, but he was already down on his knees.

“Y/N….Will you marry me?” He asked. “....Right now?” He added, gesturing to the preacher. Now it was your side’s turn to gasp loudly again, as you stared at the huge diamond ring Rafael was holding out to you.

Where did he get that? WHEN did he get that? Had he been planning on proposing to you before? A zillion questions ran through your brain but you did your best to quiet them all so you could focus on the ONE question that mattered right now.

“....DUH!” You finally slapped him over the head playfully and grabbed the ring from him. He laughed and slipped it on your finger before pulling you into a beautiful, perfect kiss. Everyone on your side laughed and cheered, happy their baby girl was getting her happy ending.

“Well alright then, I guess let’s start this thing over!” The preacher laughed, opening his Bible once again.

“Rafael Barba, do you take Y/N to be your lovely wedded wife, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?” He asked Rafael.

“I do,” Rafael beamed at you.

“Do you--” .

“WAIT,” You put up a hand to stop him, making everyone start to mumble curiously again. Rafael’s face fell.

“...Are you serious? You’re changing your mind?” He muttered anxiously.

“No!” You shook your head. “No I…” You looked at the floor. “God this is so stupid…” You laughed to yourself nervously, not really believing you were actually going to admit this.

“....What?” Rafael raised an eyebrow.

“I um…” You bit your lip. “Oh God…” You turned to the preacher. “Sorry!” He brushed it off.

“Baby what are you--” Rafael was seriously starting to worry.

“Please, please don’t freak out,” You begged him. His eyes remained confused, but soft and understanding.

“Okay…” He gave you a look.

“I um,” You took a deep breath. “I may or may not have learned this...just in case,”

You took another deep breath, and recited the words you had practiced in front of your mirror for MONTHS after you had first met Rafael.

“Yo, Y/N, te tomo a ti, Rafael Barba, como mi esposo,”

Rafael immediately broke into the biggest smile you may have ever seen on him, tears instantly wet his eyes as you spoke.

“Prometo serte fiel en lo próspero y en lo adverso,” You continued, vowing you were NOT going to break down crying.

“en la salud y en la enfermedad, Amarte y respetarte todos los días de mi vida.,” You finished successfully without shedding a tear, unlike Rafael who was a full on hot mess of tears in front of you.

“Baby I…” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that,” He whispered, tears still catching in his throat.

“I told you,” You bit your lip. “I have always been in love with you,”

“And I am so in love with you,” He grinned, pulling your face into his for “the” kiss.

“Well I guess you can kiss the bride!” The preacher laughed sarcastically as everyone broke into cheers.

You glanced up at the cameras as you walked down the aisle with your new husband. God you hoped that hadn’t blown up in your face, but if it did-- you had your Rafa to hold you through the storm.

#rafael barba #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba x you #rafael barba imagine #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #law and order svu fanfiction #caught in the storm

[imaginationintowords]

Folklore [song series]

mirrorball

Modern Day AU! Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years.

Word count: 2110

[a/n: thanks for being patient with me! hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! if i forgot to tag you please inbox me]

previous part

Series Masterlist

Age: 20

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Year: Summer 2014

Steve flopped down onto his bed, tired after today's events. Elizabeth softly laid down next to him, Steve wrapped his arm around her bringing her closer to his chest.

"Today was a day," he tiredly says.

"You okay?" She asked him.

After Bucky had left there was a sadness aura that followed Steve for the rest of the party. He had no clue what he had expected Bucky's reaction to be, but definitely not the one he got. He had even prepared himself fo a fight, he was grateful that didn't happen. He just wasn't expecting for Bucky to shut down and leave. Not even accepting his offer of having a conversation later.

He knew that Bucky just needed his space, time to think it all over. But the look on Bucky's face had Steve questioning whether or not he would ever come around.

It threw Steve off when Bucky requested that he breakup with Elizabeth. He couldn't believe his best friend would want his own happiness to suffer.

His whole life he had done everything possible to keep Bucky happy. After what Bucky and his family had to go through with his father, Steve made it his mission to never let his friend feel that way again. Granted he was only 7 when he made that promise to himself, he still kept it.

Steve had never put himself first, at least not until he had made the decision to go to school in California. He had even thought about changing his plans after his breakup with Elizabeth but he knew his parents would've been disappointed with that decision.

He had put Bucky first his entire life, what he's doing isn't selfish. Yet he can't help but feel like the most selfish person ever.

What if he was keeping Elizabeth from truly being happy? What if she just didn't want to break his heart? What if she just didn't want to break his heart during a family event? What if come tomorrow she would tell him the truth, that she was really still in love with Bucky.

He's not sure he could handle that heartbreak.

"Want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" Elizabeth asked, breaking Steve from his self destructive thoughts.

"I won't be mad if you still love him," Steve says, "I'd understand."

Elizabeth quickly sat up to get a look of Steve's face to make sure he was being serious. It nearly broke her to see how defeated he looked. She's never seen him so down, not even after his breakup with Peggy.

"You don't have to pretend to save my feelings," he continues, "If it meant you were happy, that's all I care about. If being with Bucky makes you happy, then please don't let me stand in the way."

"Oh Steve," she gently caresses his face, staring down at him, "I wasn't lying earlier when I told Bucky that I didn't love him anymore. And i most definitely wasn't lying when I said that I love you, because I do love you, with my whole heart. You make me happy. The happiest I've ever been. Bucky was my past. You are my now, and hopefully my future.

"If you can't see how truly great you are, then I must not be doing my job as not only your girlfriend, but you're friend," she says, "Because you make me feel special every single day. And I just want you to feel the way you've made me feel."

"It's not your fault," Steve softly says, grasping her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

"Growing up I've always been second to Bucky," he explains, "Everyone seemed to prefer him over me. Whether it was girls or just our friends. It was always Bucky then Steve."

Elizabeth takes a moment to think back on their time growing up. She couldn't help but feel guilty when she realized that everything Steve is saying is true.

After she and Bucky got together, Steve sort of became an after thought, not because they purposefully excluded him, it never crossed their mind simply because Steve also had Peggy at the time. But after Peggy left, Elizabeth never really got to talk to Steve about how he felt, because she got caught up in her own drama.

"Steve, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, "I should've known then about how you felt. I was so caught up in my own shit, I never realized that you could've been going through your own stuff."

"Liz, it was never your fault," he says, "You were going through your own stuff. And I had learned to suppress it. Plus Bucky was your boyfriend at the time, of course i wasn't really on your mind. Plus it's kind of my fault for allowing it to happen. I never spoke up about it. I just always went along, figuring it was better than nothing."

"Once I got to Berkeley that's when everything changed," his mood shifts a bit to a much lighter feel, "I no longer felt like the shadow of a person. I felt like my own person for the first time ever. I was able to become someone I never thought possible. I am no longer 'scrawny Steve, Bucky's best friend'. I just became 'Steve' or 'Rogers'."

Elizabeth smiled at the way Steve's eyes lit up when talking.

"I had never imagined myself leaving New York, let alone making the permanent move to California," he confesses, "As much as I love it here, California is where I feel I belong. I know you feel it too."

Elizabeth nods her head agreeing with him. She felt the same way, as much as New York was her childhood home, California was where she felt her heart aching for. Where she felt like she belonged, where she could thrive. The more she spent time there, the more it felt like home, that's why moving there wasn't a tough decision for her.

"Coming back here," Steve says, causing Elizabeth to shift back her focus on him, "It just makes me feel like that scrawny kid all over again. I feel like no matter how hard I try to shed that image, Brooklyn will never see me for who I am now, but for who I was then. Like no matter what I do I will always be 'little' Steve Rogers."

"I know you feel it too," he says looking up at her.

She did. She did feel stuck in the past whenever she came back home. It seemed like life stood still here, while outside of Brooklyn everything is moving ahead. She knows it's only because she grew up there, and had nothing to do with Brooklyn itself. Once she was in California, she got a taste of life outside of Brooklyn, and she's not sure if she would want to go back. So moving there was an easier choice for her to make.

"I do," she agrees, "It's why moving to California was an easy decision for me to make."

"I wasn't even sure I was even going to make it to California," he says.

"Why is that?"

"Felt like I was disappointing my parents," he confesses, "We had always discussed me going to Columbia as a pre-med major. That had been the original plan. It wasn't like they were forcing it on me. More like I was forcing it onto myself.

"It was the 'safer' choice, granted the longer one, but in the end it all would've been worth it. For some reason as a child I believed that was the only way my parents would've been proud of me. Regardless of the fact that they were already proud and would tell me constantly. I just put that pressure on myself."

"It wasn't until junior year that Mr. Lawson, my high school art teacher said I should apply to some art schools," he continues, "Then after I had a long discussion with the guidance counselor she agreed as well, saying I would get in no problem with whatever art field I applied in.

"I never really gave my drawing much thought. It was just something I would do. Also a career in art is not exactly financially stable, or at all stable. But I figured it wouldn't hurt to apply to a couple of schools as an architecture major. Never really gave it a second thought."

Steve pauses, "I did get into Columbia."

"Steve, no fucking way," Elizabeth gasp sitting up straighter, "I never even heard."

"That's because I only told my parents," he says, "I got the acceptance email the same day I got NYU's and Berkeley's, where I hadn't applied as pre-med, which my parents didn't know of at the time."

"Wow," Elizabeth responds feeling herself become speechless. She had only known about NYU and Berkeley. She knew about NYU because that was the plan, they, including Bucky had discussed Freshman year. Back when she was still with Bucky, and Steve with Peggy and they all had planned to stay in New York. Before life got complicated.

"When I did get the Berkeley acceptance I had to come clean to my parents about what major I applied under. I was nervous, because a part of me never told them because I was worried I wouldn't get in. So seeing that acceptance it was the assurance I needed. One that really let me know that I could actually do it. And of course my parents were proud."

"Of course," Elizabeth smiles, "They would've been proud if you had decided to not even go to school and just worked in a restaurant."

"That's true," Steve lets out a small laugh, "And I think I more so didn't want to regret the decision. Leaving home to move across the country for a career that could be unstable. It's scary."

"Do you?" Elizabeth asks.

"Do I what?"

"Do you regret it?"

"Not one bit," he smiles, pulling her back down onto his chest.

They laid there in a comfortable silence. Steve ranking his fingers on Elizabeth's arm, feeling himself grow tired.

"I hope you know you're amazing," Elizabeth quietly says looking up at him with pure admiration in her eyes, "That I think you're amazing. I think you're one of the greatest people I have ever known. And if I have to spend my entire life showing you just how amazing I think you are, I will."

Age: 29

Year: 2023

Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Elizabeth giggled as Steve carried her over the threshold into their hotel room for the weekend. He kicked the door closed as he silenced her giggles with a kiss, before placing her on her feet.

"Why thank-you Mr. Rogers."

"You're very welcome Mrs. Rogers," he smiled brightly at his new wife.

Her makeup was slowly fading, hair no longer perfectly done after a night of dancing with their close loved ones. Steve just stares at her lovingly. He ahs never seen her more beautiful and the fact that he gets to be her husband for the rest of his life, he's never felt luckier.

Elizabeth feels his eyes just on her, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, just admiring my beautiful wife," he compliments, causing Elizabeth to blush.

"How about one more dance?" she asks.

"There's no music."

"When I'm with you there's always music," she says holding her hand out for him.

Steve pulled her to him, one hand grasped in her's, while the other lay on her lower back. Elizabeth's head rested on his chest, with Steve's chin softly resting on the top of it.

"You know I think you're amazing," Elizabeth says as they sway softly in each other's arms.

"You might've told me once or twice," he responds.

"Get used to it because I'm going to be telling you that for the rest of our lives."

"Nothing I want more than that," he kisses the top of her head.

"If you'd asked me to runaway with you to join a circus, I would in a heartbeat," she says.

"Oh really? If I lose my job, and having nothing to show for, you'd still be there?"

"Right next to you baby, every step of the way," she says looking up at him, "Plus you won't have nothing to show. You'll have me. You'll have us. With me by your side I'll make sure you never not know how much you mean to me."

"You've made me believe in love again when I thought it wasn't possible. You've made me love myself in a way that I didn't think were possible. You make me a better human being by just being you. I love you Steve, more than anything.

"So if everything were to go to shit, as long as I have you that's all I need. I'll be there reminding you every single day just how special you are to me."

"I love you," Steve smiles as tears fall from his eyes.

#folklore #folklore song series #folklore mirrorball #mirrorball #mirrorball taylor swift #mirrorball song seires #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers x original character #Steve rogers x OC!female #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fluff #angst #fluff #original character series #Steve rogers modern au #steve rogers modern day

[bumbershots]

A CERTAIN ROMANCE

CHAPTER ONE: JUEVES

Author’s note: Hello! I’ve decided to give it a go, this is my first chaptered fic in this website. This story just occurred to me a while ago and I’ve tried my best to make some sense out of the concept which honestly is forever changing on my mind. I hope you don’t find many grammar mistakes, if you do please let me know. Enjoy! (:

Story masterlist ** Word count: 2.3K ** 

It's been years since Harry last had to use the tube, but it's not as hard as he thinks, buying the ticket was fairly simple and soon enough he was sitting on the train comfortably. The northern line wasn't too busy, no delays were announced through the speakers, his journey to Ladbroke Grove station was going to last around thirty six minutes. He suddenly can't remember how long the ride would be on a car. Maybe it's time to start using the London Underground a bit more, contributing to saving the planet, lessen his carbon footprint. With all the aeroplanes he takes a year, he should use it from now onto the rest of his life, he thinks with a bit of guilt.

He changes to the Hammersmith and city line with ease, passing by lots of people, no one truly pays attention to him. The school girls that would usually come up to him and ask for a picture are too busy gossiping among themselves, the grown up adults that are more fond of his solo work are too immersed into their own thoughts about annoying bosses. Harry likes to blend into the crowd that's gathered now at the station and awaits for the train. In the eyes of the others, he's just another guy patiently waiting for the train to hop on and get to his destination. Even though he was on his way to meet with the team that will take care of his house renovation, a property valued approximately on £4.175 million.

The train arrives and he follows the multitude that pile into the wagon, he isn't lucky to find a seat this time but doesn't mind as he finds a good spot to lean against, the doors close just as he skips the ABBA song he doesn't feel like listening at the moment and settles for Hanson instead. He bops his head along the tune before slipping back the mobile in his pocket, eyes traveling along the passengers' faces, trying to guess what they're up to.

A group of lads wearing the Tottenham jersey discuss the latest game, one of them praising Kane's goal and regretting him missing the next match. Harry knows a thing or two about football, he even plays it regularly with his friends not so far away from his home, but he doesn't keep up with Manchester United, perhaps he can do that from now on he thinks before letting his gaze fall upon the pack getting down on Baker Street and the few ones hopping on. Most of them are tourists chatting about the Sherlock Holmes museum, the singer smiles, remembering the first time he visited it with his family, many years ago. Sometimes he longs for those days to be back, so he can do the typical touristy things with the people he loves the most once in a while or have a date without a good amount of lenses focused on his every move.

Not that he regrets being a well known musician, actor, model. It comes with a lot of perks. But he's just moving on from a breakup that might have been his fault. He's a workaholic for sure, even though he's supposed to be taking it easy, his mind can't help but keep throwing song ideas for the next album. That is why Jeff suggested the home renovation, knowing that the project will keep him busy for about three months, maybe more if the contractors up sell their ideas.

Harry makes his way out of the station in one piece and without being spotted, he checks the address again on his phone, confirming the place where the meeting will be held is within walking distance and makes his way before choosing a Pink Floyd song for the six minute walk. He pulls his coat tighter around him, relishing in the forever changing weather of the city, this time he will stay and enjoy it in full, maybe even delight in the autumn too, have his mum over for a couple of weeks, maybe he'll even stay longer and take her to the ice rink.

Just as Harry plots on where to go when his favourite person pays him a visit, he reaches the private front garden off a beautiful car-free garden square. He remembers to text Jack, who doesn't take long to appear in the distance and unlock the gate for his friend.

"You're impossibly early mate," the man greets with an amused chuckle.

"Sorry, had to take the tube because of what you said about car-free development, probably miscalculated the time." Harry admits sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as Jack leads the way through the garden. "Is this where they filmed Notting Hill?" He wonders with another look around.

"Couple of scenes that didn't make the cut, our neighbour Mrs. Black will tell you all about it, if you happen to run into her around Hugh Grant's birthday." Harry laughs as they reach a private entrance with a well-maintained front garden adorning the forepart of the property, he follows Jack inside the home where a strong coffee scent greets them both.

The musician quickly scans the large open plan kitchen/reception room with large glass sliding patio doors to a delightful independent garden where a round table is surrounded by four mismatching chairs. He doesn't remember Jack's old place, but it certainly didn't look as the dream home they're standing in right now.

"Thanks for agreeing to do the meeting here mate," Harry's words are sincere his companion can tell, he tries to shove it off as if it's nothing, handing him the mug with coffee while he pours another one for himself, "I know it can be a handful, the NDAs too." Now he's almost blushing.

"We should be thanking you H, work from home for the next couple of months, my dream come true." Jack manages to make him laugh and feel at ease again, just before the steps of a third party come from the stairs and grow closer towards them. "Just in time, Harry this is Fernando Gonzalez, my housemate and architect of the team." He introduces the tall man to his friend and watches them shake each other's hand, "Fernando this is our client, Harry Styles."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Styles," his voice is soft and melodic, like an aerophone instrument.

"Please call me H, all my friends do," the musician knows this is business, but he wants to have fun too, like Jeff suggested. And the guy looks way too young to be calling him Mister Styles.

"I warned you Fer, he likes to keep it easy, breezy." Jack says motioning both of them to follow his lead and sit down in their dining table that is covered with house design magazines, floor plans of Harry's home and a couple of what the pop star assumes are sketch notebooks. "Alright, tell us about your vision for this project." In all honesty, Harry doesn't know how to answer that.

He fights the urge to say that he had purchased the property knowing that not much is needed to be done to the décor. The style and the flow of the house is already lovely. After a quick glance at the plan he thinks that maybe, more room is needed and, most importantly, a new kitchen-dining-living space that would be grand enough to entertain in, but cosy enough to be the central 'hub' of his home.

"The windows, for starters, have to be replaced." He begins with a tone so confident that the pair before him don't suspect he's improvising the whole thing. "New bathrooms, perhaps from Lusso Stone, demolish an existing rear extension from the top and design and build an entirely new expansive ultra-modern one, like the one at Lou's home." Jack nods understanding what he means, "I also want a kitchen diner extension, pink granite worktops, if possible." Harry finishes before grabbing one of the magazines and starts flipping pages just to look busy.

The whole project can take six months, they let him know, through the summer and autumn. He's elated at achieving double the time he hoped for in the beginning.

"We'll send the paperwork to your team and see you next week to sign it once they approve it," Jack concludes the meeting as they all finish their coffee. "Are you busy on the nineteenth?" His friend's voice is warmer now that he's not on business mode, it makes Harry smile.

"I don't think I am, why?"

"It's Freddie's birthday, you should come, catch up with the lads," Harry nods while thinking about it, a bit unsure because it has been a while since he's seen the rest of the pack, he's not sure they'll welcome him just like that. "They're always asking about you, could be like old times, lads doing laddy stuff," the green eyed musician chuckles at that, not sure if he wants to go back to those activities of their youth.

"Sure I'll go, text me the address a few days before," his friend nods in approval to his request, "I better get going, I have to pick up my sister for dinner, see you both next week." The youngest nods and shakes Harry's hand before Jack leads the way out the house and square. The sun is setting now and the sky is a mix of pink and purple hues just as the two men bid their goodbyes until they meet again in a week's time.

Harry scolds himself for buying a one way ticket earlier instead of sorting out an Oyster card, he'll do that next time, he thinks before stepping into the train and finding a seat in the middle section of it. Led Zeppelin is a good soundtrack for his journey back home, for some reason he is craving the powerful, noisy, speedy rebellion that came with the band's songs, he loved to get so lost in the music that whatever activity he did came in second, every single time. Which is why he almost didn't get off at the King's cross stop, he hurried out of the vehicle, laughing to himself for being so immersed into the music.

The way back to the northern line was now familiar, but not as busy, he decided not to walk too fast after confirming that he had enough time to go home and take a shower before going over to Gemma's. Waiting at the platform he decides to change his playlist, again. Just as he's about to settle for Wings, out of the corner of his eye he spies what the person next to him is listening to and he stops from hitting play on his own device.

The who.

It's been ages since he heard them, three years if he is being honest. The train arrives and the girl next to him puts her phone in her coat pocket as she prepares to board the wagon, Harry does the same, but instead of training his eyes on the descending passengers, he lets them focus on her. She's wearing a nice burgundy coat, a black newsboy cap, high-waisted jeans with a blue polka dot blouse tucked underneath them. She's much shorter than he is, probably about Helene's height, he thinks as they make their way inside.

Without meaning to, he follows her and leans on the wall, across from her. She doesn't seem to notice how his stare is burning holes into her face, he's itching to ask her where did she buy the red boots she's wearing. Harry knows the moment he speaks to her, it will all go to shit. Some of the school girls sitting nearby might recognise his voice, his dimple could pop out to play and give him away too. She might also think he's a creep and kick him in the shin, leaving a nasty bruise that would heal in about a week, unlike the invisible one in his ego.

"Are you telling me, you developed a ten feet tall crush on someone you saw on the tube?" Gemma asks later that night, her fork full of linguine was stopped mid-air, making her brother roll his eyes but nod bashfully. "I'm speechless." The fork resumes its trajectory and she chews her pasta slowly.

"It happens to everyone, only because you both know that there's almost no chance to see each other again." Harry shrugs and bites a piece of bread, still feeling weird about the situation.

"Did she make eyes at you?"

"What?" He's completely taken off guard by his sister's question, his northern accent coming out and making him drop the 't' at the end.

"Yes, did you flirt with each other making eyes," Gemma's eyelashes flutter as if she was a Disney princess meeting her love interest for the first time, Harry shakes his head in denial, "what was it then?"

"I don't know! It was weird, couldn't take my eyes off of her but... she didn't even notice, I sound like a dirty man," he does, his sister agrees but the pink spots on his cheekbones tell a different story.

"I once had a crush like that, with a cashier at Waitrose," she remembers before sipping her wine, "he was nice to look at, one day he wasn't there anymore, just like that." Gemma sighed and took her younger sibling's hand on hers before adding. "If our lives were a Nicholas Sparks novel, perhaps we would be getting ready to have a date with those lovely people but..." Harry laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"How's the sunnies collaboration going?" He asked before taking the last of his gnocchi. Listening to his sister talk about things that she enjoyed was the highlight of his days, he managed to push his silly underground crush to the back of his mind.

But there was the truth of what Harry couldn't see, or say. He'd probably like to have a shot with a girl like that and if Gemma could only see her, she would agree. Agree that there might be a story around there.

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#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles oc #harry styles series #harry styles fan fic #harry styles ou #harry styles imagine #a certain romance

[chaos-writes]

The Lost Boys: Road Trip

Based on one of the most vivid dreams I've ever had. Word count: 2,255. Implied romance with the boys and Star. Tw: none.

“I’ve always wanted to travel and go sight-seeing without any real objective, like moving,” said Lucy, in a dream-like tone. I chimed in, “I’ve had a cross-country road trip planned out for quite a while, but I’ve never had anyone to do it with.” “Oh really?” Lucy asked, “Where to?” “Well, it’ll be a round trip with touring both going and coming back. I'm hoping to go through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, then we’ll go north, through Ohio, and Michigan, then come back home through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, then through the top of California all the way back home.” “Oh my goodness! That sounds like a dream, but also a lot of gas money,” Lucy exclaimed. We laughed.

 

“It really would be, but I have the money saved up in a debit account, so hopefully it'll cover it. There’s also hotels, toll bridges, food, water, all that fun stuff,” I giggled. “But it would be worth it, I have tons of film for my instax camera, and a couple journals to write down my experiences.”

I gestured to her, “I have a couple extras for people that want to tag along,” Lucy smiled but quickly frowned, “Oh, I would love to go, I really would, but I have to work and look after the boys and their grandfather,” she mused. I chimed in, “It doesn't just have to be you, you know, I’ve got quite a few people in mind who could benefit from traveling.” “Well, I'll have to check with my boys and my boss. I’ll let you know if I can or can’t as soon as possible,” lucy said, with a look of disappointment in her eyes. I nodded in understanding and smiled, “Well, whenever you do let me know, I wouldn’t be upset if it was a no. I would be sure to share every detail with you, though.” “Oh, thank you for understanding, it means a lot to me!” “No problem. Well, I guess I'll be on my way then,” I said as I opened the front door.

We said our goodbyes and I headed out on my motorcycle to go and see the boys. It’s getting dark enough out where they should be slowly getting up by now. I wonder if Laddie and Star are there, too. They usually are, but sometimes they’re out and about, since they can handle sunlight a bit better than the rest. I park my bike and I can hear distant yawning and mumbling from where I'm standing at the cave entrance. They all start to float out and stretch one by one, Dwayne being first, Marko being second, David being third, and Paul being last. Of course Paul is last, he’s the heaviest sleeper. This road trip would be nothing to him, if they all agreed, that is. I just have to do some convincing.

Marko slipped his jacket and boots on, and the rest followed suit. They’re all quiet when they first wake, that’s why I don't ‘show up’ until I start hearing conversation and laughing. However, I’ve got to wait for the perfect time to come in, when they’ve been talking for a while and can actually think. “I wonder what Michael’s been doin’” I hear Paul say. “I don’t know Paul,” David sighed. “Maybe he’s been avoiding us…” He paused for a minute, then said, “Anyone hungry yet?” a wave of “not me’s” and “mm-mm’s” spread across the cave. I hear Dwayne grab a torch, light it, and begin lighting the cans all around the cave. The -now illuminated- boys begin bantering about who they should target next and what they plan to do for the day- well, night.

As a result, I put on my big-kid pants and stepped into the cave. They all turned to me, Marko exclaimed, “Hey! There you are!” “Hey guys,” I said, waving. Laddie ran up to me and hugged me from the side. I patted his back and ruffled his hair. Star smiled at me as she greeted me with a wave. I smiled back. Marko and Paul ran to me and squished me in their arms.

“I have something to share with you guys. An idea, really,” I said. All the boys looked at me in curiosity until David spoke up, “Well, what is this… idea of yours?” I beamed at all of them and said, “You all know how much I like going on adventures…” they looked even more puzzled now. “So, how about I take everyone on a really big adventure? A road trip!” They looked contemplative, as if they were considering going or not. “I could go alone…” Paul's and Marko's eyes widened, “But I much prefer having company with me, especially on trips like these.” Dwayne piped up, “So... where would we be going?” I smiled and pulled out a map, “How about I show you guys?”

The boys, Laddie, and Star crowd around behind me as I point around a U.S. map and explain where we’re going and what I'm planning on doing. I point all over the map and across the northern states. "We can add on a couple more destinations if you'd like… this is just more of the baseline plan." "Are we going to any big cities?" Marko asked. "Hell yea! And we're gonna go touring at night and see all the pretty lights and stuff. It'll be so fun!" "I'm down!" Paul says. "Me too!" Dwayne chimed in. "I wanna go!" Laddie exclaimed. Star smiled, and turned to David. The rest of us followed suit. This… is it.

I smiled at David and asked, "So, leader of the pack, are you in?" He paused. We cautiously awaited his answer. Laddie's eyes met David’s as he silently pleaded to go. David finally broke, smiled, and said, "alright. When are we leaving?" The cave uproared in a fit of whooping and hollering, mainly thanks to Marko and Paul, and Star picked Laddie up and twirled him around. "You won't regret this!" I said to David over the noise. "Well, I'm actually looking forward to it." He said. 

We left to go grab a bite to eat, the boys did their thing and I took Laddie and Star to a little Italian place on the boardwalk to eat. I told the boys to meet us there when they were done. “You sure about all this?” Star asked. “Absolutely! I like having an adventure crew. I'll admit though, it's gonna be a little different with a youngin' on board,” I laughed.

After a while, Lucy finally agreed to go with our party and told her boys to look after one another. We all packed our clothes and bought some more for the boys. They needed clothes that were fit for the amount of walking. I also couldn’t let anyone see my boys in blood-stained clothes in public, we’ll look like we got in some freak accident. I rode my motorcycle and directed the boys to my place, where we have a big Volkswagen bus parked out front, fit for a party of eight. Lucy is already there after a phone call telling us she would meet us at my place. We packed our bags into the trunk, all 4 boys could fit their bags into one suitcase with vacuum seal bags, Star and Laddie share a backpack, Lucy has her own suitcase and I have my own backpack. There's a box of toiletries for us all, except for Lucy, who decided on keeping everything of hers separate from the others, which is fair enough. 

It was 9pm, and we made sure everyone went to the bathroom and was all taken care of before we took off. The first drive is twelve-and-a-half hours, from Santa Carla to Salt Lake City, Utah. We toured the entire city on foot for a few hours, and decided on the next driver to take us to our next destination. Before we left Salt Lake, I put all the pictures I took into a scrapbook and wrote down the notes of what happened that day. “Hey, guys? If you want a journal to write anything down about the trip, I have a few extras here! And we can go over everyone’s journals and keep them in a safe space after the trip!” I said, as we all piled into the bus. David, sitting in the same row as me, turned to me and said, “I’d like to document what i’m experiencing. It’s a good idea, considering we’ve got a lot of…time left” he paused. I gave an understanding nod and handed him a journal. Star, from the third row, said, “i’ll take one!” 

We continued across the country and journaled, and took as many pictures as possible. I will never forget how genuinely happy all the boys were, they were so used to the boardwalk and now they get to go places. Laddie would bounce around happily when we toured around on foot. Star and Lucy spent their time quietly admiring land and cityscapes. The boys would get rowdy and restless at night, desperate to get in a fight or two. I've had to intervene more than I want to admit. But overall, they were well-behaved and did great throughout the trip.

The most precious memory to me, though, is when Dwayne, Paul, and Laddie grabbed me to go for a walk. At this point we were in Cincinnati, we checked in a hotel for a couple days, just on the water. A few of us wanted to go walk on the Purple People Bridge before we left. It was getting dark out, so we held close together. We walked across the bridge, Dwayne carried Laddie piggyback style and Paul and I were walking close by. We got down far enough on the bridge that we were close to the water. The sound of the river was calming, less rapid than the water outside the cave. I pointed out all the boats on the water to Laddie and we watched the water and the city in front of us.

What the boys didn't know was there was an event going on in the city. Some sort of charity event, I was never really sure about that part, but what I did know was the boys were really gonna like it.

"Hey, let's stay here for a bit. We're not in a hurry!" I said. "Umm… alright then," Dwayne said. Paul looked at me in confusion, but didn't say anything. Laddie was falling asleep on Dwayne's back, but Dwayne didn't seem to mind.

Soon, lights flicker on, one by one, lighting the whole city in blue. "Look Laddie!" I said while tapping his arm. He hopped off of Dwayne's back and stared at the illuminated city. All of Cincinnati was now an icy blue, and I will never forget the look of wonder in Laddie's eyes. Paul and Dwayne shared the same look as well. We were all starstruck as the night sky before us lit up in a beautiful blue. Paul's smile slowly grew and he giggled. I looked at him with a questioning look.

He turned to me, and said,"Thank you. This is… was, amazing. I don't think you know how much I appreciate you. This…" I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. We held each other close as the city behind us twinkled and glowed. Footsteps came alongside us, the rest of the party decided to try and find us. "Looks like you and Paul are having fun," David said. I wasn't even mad at the joke this time. "We really are, why don't you join us?" I asked. David smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. He wrapped his arms around me from behind as I was hugging Paul, so I was sandwiched between them. Marko stood beside us all. David saw and invited him into the middle with me. I turned around and squeezed Marko as the others adjusted.

Laddie was excitedly pointing out every detail to Star, Dwayne and Lucy and bouncing in pure joy. "Laddie seems to be enjoying this the most. I'm so happy I get to show him these beautiful places." I said. "I will never forget the look on his face for as long as I live."

The rest of the trip went smoothly. We stopped in big cities, small towns, natural parks, and got to see part of Canada from the upper peninsula of Michigan. I wrote down two journals' worth of notes and had to buy another scrapbook to fit all the pictures I took. 

Surprisingly, the whole party responded well to the really long drives we did. When we made it home and said our goodbyes to Lucy as she drove to her own home, it was like this weight was lifted off of us as we stepped into the cave. No more stress of travel, a place to stretch your legs, a place to just be... in peace. Laddie hugged me as Dwayne went around and lit the cave up. "Thank you so much," he said. "You're welcome, little dude!" I said. "Yeah, thank you!" Marko and Paul chimed in. Star walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Thank you for doing all of that for us," she said. "You really didn't have to." "I know, but I love you guys. The least I can do for you is take you on one of my adventures." 

#slash-writes #the lost boys #tlb #fic #tlb marko #tlb dwayne #tlb david #tlb paul #tlb star #tlb laddie #lucy emerson #tlb x reader

[petra-realsnk]

Rivetra fanfic (divergence au)

Here’s the fourth chapter of Digging up a grave! I posted the previous one today as well. From now on, I will have less time to write, so I will upload chapters about once a week. I hope you like it!  <3

Warnings: feelings of distress. 

You can also read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610360/chapters/73203528

Digging up a grave (Chapter 4)

Levi has done everything he can to give her this day. His last favor? To let her enjoy the walk back, even if it comes with an unexpected ending ... Once they’ve returned, Petra will have the opportunity to meet with Eren, with whom she now shares a common destiny.

The last chance

The afternoon was passing without major incidents. Some people showed up at the farmhouse to see Petra, resulting in a great deal of tears. Levi kept his distance from them, watching everything from the railing of the orchard. Every once in a while a few single words would come to him ... "Is that Captain Levi?" Some asked. "Girl, you will stay a couple days at least, right?" Others begged. Petra responded with kindness and great diplomacy to all their questions, without breaking the hugs she continued to receive from her father.

Taking advantage of the fact that Elias was busy talking to the neighbors, Petra took the opportunity to go check on Levi. She came running across the field, and by seeing her, Levi could easily visualize how her childhood could’ve been. 

"Captain!" She yelled as she arrived. "I don't like to see you here all alone, you can come ... These people won't bother you much." 

“We should be going now… We’re already going to be later than expected.” 

Petra felt a little bit saddened, but she knew that Levi had been stretching this as long as he could for her. 

“I know… I’ll go tell my father.” 

“You’re already going?” Said Elias, who was already approaching them. “I really wanted you to stay… I don’t want to see you go so early once more.” 

“Don’t worry, papa. I won’t be fighting for now, so you don’t have anything to fear. I promise you I will come to visit everytime I can! I’ll keep writing to you!” She tried to console him as she hugged him again. “I’m really lucky to be back…” She said, as tears came into her eyes. 

“I’m glad to see you too, darling. Please, captain Levi, keep taking care of her.” 

“Don’t worry…” He lied, knowing that her time was running out, no matter what he did... 

Finally, they said goodbye at the front door, but not before Elias gave them a bag full of black tea and some vegetables. It was bittersweet to see the man standing in the middle of the road, watching his daughter leave again, although Petra would turn from time to time to wave at him. 

“Thank you for taking me home… I am sorry that it got kind of weird, but I had a really great time.” She told Levi when they had been walking for a while. 

“You don't have to thank me... You need to enjoy it while you're still here.” He answered her. 

“I know this is hard for you, but I wish you would take those ideas out of your head for now, so you can enjoy while I’m here as well.” 

Levi raised his pupils to meet her eyes. She was right, although he couldn't help but fear losing her again. 

“What I mean is, that I hope this doesn’t change anything.” Petra told him, without wanting to miss a moment of his gaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He was playing dumb, knowing it was better for both that way. 

Petra smiled. She could read him like an opened book. Levi also knew perfectly well that she could guess him easily, but he didn’t care. He never intended to hide from her, anyway. 

Petra sighted as they made their way back, she had wondered why Levi sent de carriage back instead of telling the driver to wait. Now they had a good way to go, and it was beginning to get dark. Although if he had risked doing so, it was because he had no doubt that they would be safe. She then remembered telling him that she wanted to get some fresh air back in her cell, maybe that was why. 

“You really do listen to me, don’t you?”  She ventured to tell him. 

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do.” Levi replied. 

Elias wasn't the only Ral who could read between lines, he thought. 

They kept walking as the night fell on them. From time to time, they exchanged a few words, especially topics related to the army and recent events. Petra felt that her limbs had become lighter, the visit and the walk had managed to clear her mind. Besides, she had spent a whole day with Levi. It didn't even affect her that much that she had to half confess her feelings. 

Luckily, they reached the city before it was fully dark, so when the night sky fell on them, some street lights still allowed them to see their path. The temperature dropped drastically, and soon it started raining. What had started out as a pleasant walk, quickly turned into a fiasco as the intensity of the rain intensified. They were in a fairly residential area, without much place to shelter. Realizing that walking through that storm was not the best idea, Petra pointed to a small covered portal, where they decided to stay until it subsided. 

“Let 's go!” She told him, before running towards it, visibly amused by the situation. Levi followed her, concerned about her wet cleavage, fearing it would result in some fever. She hopped under the small space while trying to leave enough room for him as well. He then tried to accommodate himself next to her, while running his fingers through his wet hair. Petra glanced at him, thinking that her day had definitely improved… 

They stood very close to each other under the ledge. The street was already deserted by those hours, and anyone who had seen them from afar, would have thought they were a lovely couple having fun. 

The space was so small that Petra had to stand on her tiptoes to fit. Levi wondered if he should grab her waist to help her balance, as an excuse if only. Once he made up his mind, his gesture was gentle, stopping her swaying by putting his arm around her.

Petra had to make sure that that was really happening. She felt her nerves tingling through her body at full speed, and her cheeks lit up for the tenth time that day. Shyly, she placed her hands on him for more comfort. Had she turned her head towards him in that moment, their faces would have been millimeters apart.

“Breathe.” He told her after a while. 

Petra's heart skipped a beat when she realized that she had indeed stopped breathing. She looked at the empty streets and the closed shops, while she felt his warmth, having the certainty that she would treasure that moment forever. Levi began to regret his decision as he became slightly flustered, but he could sense that she was enjoying the moment serenely, which brought some peace to himself as well. They held each other for the next few minutes, and as the intensity of the rain decreased, their hearts raced a bit more.

Then, perhaps carried away by the tenderness of the moment, Petra turned to him with complete confidence. "We should continue walking, it has stopped a bit. " She spoke softly to his ear. At least by saying that, she didn’t feel like she was forcing him to stay like that...

 “We’ll really have to walk these muddy streets, don’t we?”, he answered, without moving in the slightest...

Petra's chest burned with excitement.... Did he really just dodge her suggestion there? 

They stayed there in silence, as they came to the realization that they both wanted to be like that. Petra debated whether to risk it and fully lean on him, although she knew it was entirely inappropriate, especially considering that he was there as her bodyguard mainly…

“Let 's go.” 

With those words Levi snapped Petra out of her reverie. Her spirits deflated as he released her, watching him leap down onto the street. Petra stayed up there for a few more seconds, still clinging to what had happened before. Levi yanked his jacket back, almost being able to feel her gaze in his back. Petra's eyes focused on the collar of his shirt, his neck, and the gradual trim on his messy wet hair. She swallowed hard, dying for something more... 

As she slowly perished, Levi turned around and said, “Are you going to come, or are you going to leave me here dripping? It’s late.”

“Oh. I’ll leave you there.” 

Immediately, Petra got off the step and started walking in the rain, advancing him. The rain came like a blessing on her burning skin, while Levi began to follow her with confidence that he had screwed up. He couldn’t believe his ears. When had she gotten that bold with him? In that moment Levi became aware of how much he had affected her. It was obvious enough already that something was going on between them. Certainly, he must have felt stupid. After everything they'd been through, he had still needed those ten minutes under that ledge to figure it out. 

He accelerated his pace a little until he was next to her. When he reached, he looked at her profile... Her face was beautiful. They walked on in silence, confirming to each other that they had been partakers of a forbidden moment. 

They continued their journey until they arrived at the back door of the barracks. Petra opened it and held it as her captain came in behind her. The space was narrow, communicating directly with the stairs that went up to a higher level. Levi closed the door behind him, while Petra waited. For a moment, they stood next to each other in the orange light. He took off his jacket while she hugged herself, shivering. 

They both knew that this was their last chance, and she hoped he would… 

Levi started walking up the stairs, breaking Petra's hopes once more. She was perfectly aware that she had been surpassing herself with him all day, and that she needed to stop. Her grief, and whatever was going down on her brain, had gotten into her. She was embarrassed to have defined herself as a disciplined soldier back at her place, to now be acting like that.

However, when she was ready to follow him, Levi’s initially determined pace slowed down, stopping about five steps later. Petra looked up in disbelief, as he turned to face her, slightly frustrated with himself. 

Petra gently dropped her arms to her sides, ready for what was about to come. The hardness in Levi's expression faltered as his strength drained. Leaving the mask that had hidden his fears as transparent as crystal. Unable to stop looking at her, he made the pretense of diving down the stairs-

“HI GUYS IT’S LATE! WE WERE WORRIED HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?” Hange screams down the hall cut him bluntly. The moment broke, and they both regained their composure. Hange's presence had finally brought them back to the Survey Corps, making them feel exposed for the decision they were about to make seconds ago. 

“Were you waiting for us, shitty glasses?”  Levi tried to sound normal as he gathered himself in shame. 

“Ooh, what kind of welcoming is that? It’s my job to make sure that you bring her back safely! How’s your father, Petra?” Said Hange as she appeared from the stairwell. 

Petra, who had by then hugged herself again, replied, “ah- He’s fine. He really had a rough time… It was great to see him.” 

The commander rapidly realized something was off with them both, but she let it slip, not before throwing a look of terrifying intelligence at Levi. He caught her reprimand at once, wondering to himself how much could she have figured out… After all, Levi knew he had taken the liberty to send back an empty carriage so Petra could breathe a little more. 

“Well, I’m glad you both guys are back, please head back to your rooms, it’s late.”  

Hange sounded as carefree as usual, but it was obvious that she had talked to them as two young cadets… Levi let out a frustrated "tsk" before continuing his way. They went to their dorms without saying goodbye, tortured by the memory of the surreal night they had gone through. 

After Petra entered her room, she took her dress slowly. It still smelled like him. It felt weird to see it outside her body. That was the dress he had chosen specifically for her, the one she wore while he held her…. The wet fabric started to materialize before her eyes everything she had lived through the past few hours. She put on her borrowed nightgown, and proceeded to sit on the edge of her bed, incapable of lying down without knowing what would have happened if Hange hadn't interrupted them. That horrible heat didn’t seem to leave her skin, making her think that perhaps she had caught fever. 

Finally, knowing that she was not going to be able to sleep at the moment, she decided to leave her room. While she was doing it, she was not sure where she was heading, perhaps to get a glass of water, or perhaps to Levi's room... To clarify the matter.

She went down the stairs, and passed through the hall where his room was located, but she didn't have the courage to knock on his door. Perhaps after she relaxed a bit she could try again, the captain hardly slept anyway. From the other side of the door, Levi heard her steps, wondering if he should go fetch her. 

Petra came into the kitchen where they had tea that same morning. The metal lattice windows let in the moonlight, efficiently lighting the space. She proceeded to grab a glass of water and drank as she looked at the landscape between the bars. She heard footsteps approaching, and she stood up quickly, with her heart pounding, hoping it was Levi.

Finally, the sleepless face of Eren appeared through the door frame. Petra was stunned, though happy to see him again. Eren looked at her with those huge eyes that always gave away his feelings  before he could even say a word.

“Petra…” He said unable to hide his astonishment. He had learned about her return, but it was a completely different thing to see it for himself. 

Petra went up to him, and hugged him. Even she felt surprised to see how much seeing the boy had moved her. After all, he was with them that time...

“Hello, Eren… I’m so glad to see that you’re fine.” She said, trying to ease him with her greeting. Levi had told her he saw them die… She had told him to trust them, but she failed him. 

Eren grabbed her by the arms, as tears came up to his eyes. “Petra… I am so sorry. I saw you…” 

Petra saw the fear in his eyes… She still didn’t fully know how things had gone down, and she felt herself shiver a bit after seeing the horror in his expression. 

“I made the wrong choice… I wanted to trust you… and I couldn’t stop Annie.” His grip was so strong it began to hurt her. She saw something had changed within him as well, and it saddened her to realize how much he would’ve suffered during this time. 

“You couldn’t have known Eren. Plus there’s no guarantee that we would’ve survived anyways. You had problems back then controlling your powers, and the captain told me you had a hard time during your first fight.” 

Eren felt totally impotent, and Petra felt terrible to make him relieve his trauma. 

“I saw it, I saw you when the titan crushed you into a tree.”

Petra's stomach clenched shut, followed by a terrible giddy feeling. Eren didn’t know she wasn’t aware of the details… There was the truth she craved. 

“Isn’t this power terrible, Petra? Look at us… Only an infernal force could do that to a person, and then undo it.” 

Her hands started to shake. That was the reason why she had returned, the power of a titan. She was transformed and then ate a human with that power as well... For the first time, Petra realized the magnitude of her burden. She could see it in Eren's eyes, there were things that he knew that she still couldn't even imagine.

“Eren, you need to focus. Please don't worry about us. We did everything we could, and I'm glad you trusted me, even though I ended up failing you too. Now there is nothing else we can do, just keep trying to make the right choices. Maybe I should have trusted you more that day, maybe it was my fault Eren... But now that I've been given another chance, I promise I won’t fail their memory nor you ever again.”

Years of experience had hardened her, and she had learned to draw courage from where there was none when the situation required it. Her words calmed Eren down a bit, which was a great achievement. 

“Hey… Petra… You have your own titan now, isn’t it? Do you see them?”  Eren said, hideous terror reflected in his huge eyes once more.

Petra’s expression shifted to worrisome. “I- I don’t know what you mean…” 

She then recalled her visions while she was in the forest, and those vivid nightmares. Maybe that was it. 

“It’s nothing. Nevermind.” He brushed it off quickly, praying that she ignored his previous question so they wouldn’t have to delve into it. Neither her nor Armin seemed to experience the same vivid memories he did, aside from some nightmares. After all, Eren himself couldn’t remember his conversion for years. 

“I’m just glad to see you again…” 

As he said that last sentence, he reached out for a handshake. Petra felt a bit saddened when she saw how he tried to end their conversation there, but decided it was fine given his emotional state. 

“Me too, Eren.”  She told him, reaching out to return his gesture. But when their hands touched, a small lighting came out of them, and suddenly they both saw the same vivid memory… An image that certainly couldn’t be from the past. A promise that something was due to happen… 

Petra and Eren stared into each other's eyes in fear. Time stopped as they realized the other knew. Eren’s eyes became teary as his voice shaked,  “No… Please, I can’t-” 

Levi interrupted them by opening the door abruptly, he had been listening to their conversation for a while, since he had finally decided to follow Petra. 

“Hey you both it’s late, time to go back to your dorms.”

By the end of that sentence, he realized something was off. Petra turned to face the captain as white as a sheet. 

“Y- yes sir, we’ll be going now. It was nice to see you, Eren... It’s fine.” Petra gave Eren the warmest look she could, as he stared her back in utter terror. She lowered her gaze and left the room fastly, without even looking at Levi. 

Levi saw that Eren held the same expression he gave after kissing Historia’s hand ... He knew something was wrong with him, but why was Petra involved? Once the boy moderately regained his senses, he walked out the kitchen as well. Levi watched as they both went off in opposite directions, and decided to follow Petra once more, while keeping some distance. He couldn’t let shit fly over his head with the given circumstances. 

He saw her run upstairs and rush into her room, without even bothering to close the door. Adrenaline spiked through his body. What the hell had just happened? Maybe she had learned about their deaths in detail and felt sick, but his instincts told him there was something else.

Levi peeked out her door slightly, and saw Petra vomiting on the sink. After seeing her state, he decided to enter. She realized he was there, and turned to look at him for a thousandth of a second, before throwing up again.

“Did you find out?” He asked, in a softer tone than usual.

Petra started crying, bent over the sink, trying to stand up while hyperventilating. Levi froze. He hadn’t seen her like that since their first mission together… But as she continued to cry, he realized that he had never seen her like that at all. 

“I can’t Levi.” She called him by his name. “I don’t want to die… It can’t be, no- no- no please, not like that.” 

Levi couldn’t move from where he standed. He knew what she was thinking about. As much as he wanted to reprimand her, to tell her to be brave, he had to admit it did torture him too. 

He walked slowly towards her, and held her shaking body from behind. His grip made her cry even harder... How did she sink so low? How was she letting him see her like that? They slowly descended together until they reached the ground, Petra leaning on him, in deathly silence. 

#digging up a grave #rivetra #petra ral #levi ackerman #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #rivetra fanfic #rivetra fanfiction #levitra #rivapeto

[fisheoctrashdump]

"Mystery flavor, huh?" 

The man in front of her smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. 

Tez smirked. "You know, the last time I trusted your cooking, I regretted it." 

"I'm getting better now! I promise, this will at least be palatable." He held the spoon out to her with a hand cupped underneath to catch any potential drips.

She sighed and leaned forward to take the bite she was being offered. The saltiness hit her taste buds immediately, and she grimaced. 

"You lied to me," she said bitterly, barely swallowing the liquid. 

"What? I think it's good." 

Tez shook her head. "Jax." 

"Well, Josine liked it." 

"She likes any soup you make for her." 

Jax laughed and set the spoon on the cluttered counter. "Okay, how would you fix it, then?" 

Tez raised an eyebrow. "That?" She gestured to the pot. "There's no fixing that." 

Jax groaned dramatically. 

"Oh, you know what would be good for next time? Add some sugar to the tomatoes and cook them down before you put them in the soup. Trust me, Jo will love that." 

"Mommy?" 

Tez and Jax instinctively looked down. A small child with curly silver hair stood beside Tez. His tiny hand was curled around the bottom of Tez's shirt, and he seemed troubled somehow. 

"What is it?" Tez asked gently. 

Razi retreated further behind Tez's arm and mumbled something incoherent. 

"I'll start cleaning up," Jax announced. He lifted the pot from the stove and walked it over to the sink, leaving Tez and Razi on the other side of the kitchen. 

Tez crouched down so that she and Razi were eye level. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, and smiled comfortingly at him. 

"Tell me what you're thinking, Razi." 

Razi avoided Tez's gaze. He seemed to grow more upset with each passing moment, until tears threatened to fall. 

Tez rubbed her hands on Razi's arms. "Hey, it's alright. If you can't tell me, why don't you show me?" 

He finally looked at Tez. Reluctantly, Razi nodded and reached for one of Tez's hands. Tez stood and allowed her son to lead her out of the room. She and Jax shared one last curious glance before she entered the dining room.

As they passed the table, Razi coughed lightly, stumbling a moment as he did.

"You okay?" 

"Mhm."

The sound of someone crying entered Tez's attention. It got louder as they approached the doorway to the living room. 

"What happened?" Tez asked. 

Razi froze at the doorway and looked back at Tez. He was still clearly upset. The grip he held on Tez's hand tightened. 

Tez squeezed his hand in return before stepping around him. Razi whimpered, and grabbed Tez's arm with his other hand. 

As Tez peered into the living room, she noticed a broken item. The pieces lay scattered on the orange rug, and standing over this item was Mihdia. Josine, who had settled just behind, looked just as worried as Tez felt. 

"Are you two okay?" Tez questioned. "What happened?" 

The two teens looked up at the sound of Tez's voice. Mihdia's crying paused momentarily before she noticed Razi hiding behind Tez. Her expression darkened as more tears fell. Razi desperately clung to Tez now, and she could feel his tears against her arm as he began to cry as well. 

"Mihdia's snow globe is broken," Josine explained. 

"Razi broke it," Midhia sniffled. "He did it." 

Josine frowned. "You know he didn't mean to." 

"I'm sorry," Razi cried. His small body trembled as his crying rivaled Mihdia's. "I'm really sorry." 

Tez instinctively moved her hand over Razi's head. Her fingers gently pulled at the curls of his hair as Tez assessed the situation. 

"Jax?" Tez called out loudly. 

Several moments passed before Tez saw Jax approaching from the kitchen. He walked across the dining room to meet Tez where she stood. 

Tez gestured to the scene in the living room. Jax looked stunned. 

"Apparently Razi broke one of Mihdia's things. A snow globe?" 

"Oh. Oh, no." Jax looked down at Razi, who only cried harder. 

Tez instinctively stuck an arm out in front of Razi. 

Jax tried to smile at Razi reassuringly, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Razi. No one's mad at you." 

"It was an accident, so I would hope not," Tez snapped. 

Jax gave Tez an apologetic look before he entered the living room. 

"Go away," Mihdia growled. 

Jax looked down at the broken pieces and sighed. "Be careful of the glass." 

"Oh, thank you so much for the warning. I had no idea that glass is something I should avoid." 

Josine grabbed Midhia's arm gently. Her expression was melting from worry to hurt. "Mihdia…" 

Mihdia glared at Josine momentarily before yanking her arm away from her grip. 

"Why are you acting like this?" Josine asked. The desperation in her tone was enough to make Tez feel bad for Josine instead of Mihdia. 

"She needs some time," Jax said to Josine quietly. "Give her some space." 

"You think you know what I need?" Midhia shouted. "What I need is for this to never have fucking happened!" Mihdia gestured the rug. Her tears still fell from her eyes, but it was easy to see they were now fueled by a different emotion entirely.

"I didn't mean it like that." 

"I need dad." 

The sudden calm of Mihdia's voice was jarring. Jax took a half step backwards and cleared his throat. 

"He… he won't be back until tomorrow. You know that." 

"Then I'm leaving." 

"Midhia, please."

The entire room paused to look at Josine after the words she managed to throw in during the argument. She looked scared. 

Mihdia exhaled shakily. "I need to be alone right now." 

She glared sharply at Jax for a moment before she rushed to the stairs. They all listened to her as she left. The sound of a door slamming pulled them out of the daze they were in. 

Tez released the air she had been holding. She met Jax's gaze for a moment before she looked between the two remaining children in the room. 

"Are you alright?" 

Josine shook her head, indicating that she wasn't. At some point during the commotion, Razi had wrapped his arms around Tez's waist and buried his face in her shirt.

Jax took a few careful steps towards Josine and opened his arms to her. She fell forward into the hug and began to weep quietly. Jax held her tight, as if he was the only thing holding her together. 

"Mommy, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." 

Tez's attention was turned back to Razi who now looked up at her, his face tear stained. 

"It's alright, sweetie. It was an accident." 

Razi sniffled and tried to wipe his face with his hand, but Tez stopped him before he could. She searched the room for her bag, and once located, she led Razi over to it. She hastily began to remove the many items contained within until she found the wipes. 

"Is Mihdia mad at me?" Razi asked nervously.

"No, she's not mad at you." Tez lifted Razi's head by pushing his chin up and began to clean his face with the wipe. 

"Am I-" Razi closed his mouth as Tez wiped it. "Am I in trouble?" 

"No." Tez stuffed the wipe in the side pocket of her bag. 

"Is Mihdia gonna tell mama?" 

Tez froze. She opened her mouth, but her voice felt stuck. Razi noticed this, and whimpered. 

"No, of course not. Mama won't know," Tez declared. 

"She's gonna be mad…" 

"She won't, because we won't tell her." 

Razi silently watched Tez with wide eyes, still looking unsure.

"How about tomorrow we could say we're sorry to Mihdia." 

Razi nodded. 

"We could… we could bring her some cookies. You wanna help me make them?" 

Razi smiled. "Can we make the puppy ones?" 

Tez grinned and leaned down, motioning Razi to come closer. "I don't know," she said quietly. "We might attract the cookie bandit if we do." 

Razi giggled. "We can share!" 

"Oh, but he wants all the cookies for himself!" 

She grabbed Razi's sides to tickle him, which caused Razi to squirm and laugh. 

"Okay." Tez lifted Razi up to one of the dining room chairs and sat him down. "I need to go check on Jax and Jo, so you stay here, alright?" 

Razi nodded. 

"You wanna color while I'm gone?" 

Razi nodded again. 

Tez smiled and removed the book and crayons from her bag. She carefully set them down in front of Razi, before she leaned down to kiss him on top of the head. 

"I love you, mommy." 

"Lots and lots?" 

"Mhm." 

"I love you, too." 

-

A bang at Razi's door startled him out of the trance he'd fallen into. He hastily pulled the headphones from his ears and looked away from his textbook for the first time in an hour. 

"Razi? Can you come out here?" 

"Yeah, one second." 

Razi draped his headphones around the back of his neck as he stood from his desk. He stumbled a moment when the wheel of his chair caught on the rug behind it. Razi caught himself by grabbing the desk. 

When he finally reached the door, he noticed his music was still playing loudly. Razi pulled his phone from the front pocket of his hoodie and paused the song that was playing as his other hand turned the doorknob to pull the door open.

In front of the doorway stood his father, Michael. 

"Hey, you have company." 

"Huh?" Razi gave Michael a confused look, but followed him out to the living room anyway. He paused at the end of the hallway as his gaze swept the living room. He finally noticed the two people standing by the front door. 

"Oh, there you are," Galatea said. 

"Took him long enough," Arvid grumbled.

At the sight of Galatea, Razi felt his face burn, and he looked down to double check his clothing. Arvid rolled his eyes and leaned against the closet door behind him. 

"What are you… doing here?" Razi asked nervously. 

"What are we-?" Arvid sighed. 

"You forgot, didn't you? I can't believe you, Puppy," Galatea teased. 

"Forgot… what?" 

"Our plans today? I blew off Izan for this, and now you're saying you're not even going?" Arvid glared at Razi. 

"I didn't… um…" 

"Oh, he's going." Galatea smirked. "Go get ready! We'll wait." 

Razi glanced over at Michael, who only shrugged and left for the kitchen. 

"Okay, I'll… I'll be back." 

Razi left for his bedroom, feeling a little confused. He didn't remember making any plans today. He paused in front of his door and traced his fingertips across the handle nervously. Maybe this is a good thing, he thought. Getting out for the day might help with this feeling.

-

Razi rolled the cord of his headphones between his fingers as he watched the world pass outside. Arvid had taken control of the music and was playing the sixth Simple Plan song in a row, but Razi didn't complain. He listened absently as Galatea teased Arvid. 

"Where are we going?" Razi asked suddenly. 

"Dude, where have you been this past week?" Arvid leaned his head back against the seat. 

Galatea's gaze briefly left the road to glance at Razi in her rearview mirror. 

"Did you have an idea? We can change plans if you want." 

Arvid looked at Galatea in disbelief, but she ignored this. 

"Anywhere is fine, I guess," Razi said. 

Galatea turned the volume down on the music. "What?" 

"I said, um… anywhere is fine. I didn't have any ideas." He paused. "I don't know why I don't remember… making plans?" 

Arvid sighed and readjusted his seatbelt. 

"Just pick a place," Galatea said. "Wherever you wanna go." 

Razi sat in thought. A minute passed before Arvid looked back at Razi. He gave Arvid a pleading look, which signalled to Arvid he needed to jump in. 

"What about the arcade?" Arvid suggested. 

Razi paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, let's do that." 

Galatea didn't seem convinced. "Razi, you don't play video games." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"Well, I wanna try it. To be honest, I've been feeling…" Razi exhaled. "Maybe doing something different than normal might help." 

"So, the arcade it is!" 

Galatea glanced at Arvid briefly. "Sounds fun," she added. However, she still seemed unsure. 

Razi stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket to find the pack of gum he needed to calm down. He unwrapped the stick and put it in his mouth quickly before he turned to look out the window once again. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone vibrate. He saw it was a message from Arvid, and unlocked his phone.

Razi glanced up at Arvid. He seemed to be typing more, so Razi left the conversation open.

"Thank you." 

It was several moments before Razi realized he said this out loud. He frantically began to type out an apology to Arvid. 

"Sure," Arvid replied. He awkwardly reached for the volume on the music and turned it up to fill the silence. 

No one spoke the rest of the ride. The gum in Razi's mouth finally lost its flavor, and Razi removed it to put it in the wrapper it came from. He still felt on edge. There was a moment where he considered taking out another piece, but before he knew it the string of his hoodie was in his mouth. He chewed on it and returned his gaze to the window just in time to see Galatea drive past the arcade. 

He looked in her direction, but decided not to point this out. Either she had a reason, or she just missed the turn and would correct it.

The drive continued for another five minutes. Both passengers were curiously watching Galatea for any clues about their destination. Arvid seemed ready to ask the question, but Galatea put on her signal before he could. 

"We're here!" Galatea said in a singsong voice. 

"Where is here?" Arvid asked bitterly.

Razi observed the building as they pulled into the parking lot. His gaze fell on the sign, and he felt his heart skip. Arvid seemed to come to the same realization at the exact time Razi did. 

"Planetarium?" They both said it, but their tones conveyed opposite emotions. 

"Lame," Arvid hissed. 

Razi finally removed the string of his hoodie from his mouth and felt a smile take him by surprise. As Galatea parked the car, she reached for her phone which had been previously placed in the cup holder. 

"If I'm remembering correctly, they have a showing in about half an hour." Galatea grinned. "Still wanna go to the arcade, puppy?" 

Razi shrugged his shoulders. Arvid turned in his seat to look at Razi as well. 

"This seems fun," Razi mumbled.

"Of course it does." Galatea reached out to the backseat and ruffled Razi's hair playfully. "You know I have the best ideas." 

Arvid scoffed, but otherwise offered nothing to the conversation. 

"You'll have fun, too, Arvie." Galatea smirked at the death glare Arvid gave her from the use of his nickname. 

"Let's just get this over with," Arvid sighed. He unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed the door handle to exit the car. The other two followed his lead. 

As he left the car, Razi could barely contain his excitement. For the first time that week, Razi's mind didn't feel so foggy. He noticed Galatea and Arvid watching him and felt his face burn as he walked quickly to follow them into the building. 

The entrance was a lot more crowded than the parking outside indicated. Razi moved in closer to Galatea and Arvid, trying to resist the urge to reach out and grab them. 

Galatea paused and turned her head towards the younger two. "Wait here." 

Razi nodded. Arvid only folded his arms over his chest and looked around the area. Razi decided to observe his surroundings as well, and began to memorize the area. 

A bump to his shoulder brought Razi back. He looked at the source; a stranger had run into him accidentally. He smiled politely and murmured an apology, but the stranger gave only a passing glance before continuing towards the door. 

"Why didn't you apologize? Motherfucker," Arvid growled to himself. "I hate people." 

Razi laughed nervously in response. The conversations from the strangers around him seemed to get louder until their voices all blended together into an overwhelming noise. Razi didn't realize how close he was getting to Arvid until their arms were touching. 

"Dude." Arvid took a small step backwards. "Are you alright?" 

"Mhm." Razi returned his hoodie string to his mouth and began to chew on the material. 

"You two ready?" 

Razi looked up as Galatea approached them. She seemed to notice something was off, because there was a flash of worry in her expression. 

"I…" Razi frowned, moving towards Arvid again. 

Arvid looked between Razi and Galatea. For the first time that day, he looked visibly concerned. 

"What's wrong?" Galatea asked. 

"I need to use the bathroom first," Razi announced. The sound of his own voice made him pause, his expression reflecting his shock. 

"We'll wait for you," Galatea replied. 

Razi nodded and hurriedly turned away to locate the bathrooms. He wasn't sure if he was going in the right direction, but he didn't want to be there anymore. Razi felt the tears leaving his eyes as he searched. He felt scared. He still wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from, and that scared him even more. 

It wasn't long before Razi gave up his search and made his way to the exit instead. He covered his face the best he could to ignore the strange looks he was being given. As Razi exited, he felt a gust of wind cut through his clothes and make him shiver. The tears on his face were suddenly very cold. 

He wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie and moved as far away from the door as he could. He leaned himself back against the building and pushed his hands into his front pocket. 

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It didn't seem to be helping, though, because the tightness in his chest only got worse. Before he knew it, the sob he'd been fighting off suddenly surfaced. Razi put a hand over his mouth to muffle his cries, but it didn't help much. 

"Stop," he forced out between his tears. "Stop… crying." 

A memory flooded his mind. His mother. Her smile. Her smell. The sound of her voice. He felt his body trembling as his crying worsened. 

"Razi?" 

Razi pressed his hand harder against his mouth. He couldn't breathe. The feeling of someone's hands on his shoulders finally helped him pull in the rattling breath he needed to further fuel his breakdown. 

It wasn't until Razi felt arms around him did he finally open his eyes. The blue hair in his face was unmistakable. Razi's breathing was quick and shallow, and the tears didn't stop, but he finally removed his hand from his mouth to return the hug Arvid had pulled him into. He buried his face in Arvid's shoulder, whimpering as he trembled in Arvid's arms. 

It wasn't long before he felt another set of arms around him from behind. He exhaled and melted into the hold his friends had on him. When he finally felt safe to let go, Razi stood a little straighter and lifted his burning face from the comfort of Arvid's shoulder to face the chilly air. 

Arvid and Galatea released Razi and moved backwards to give him some space. Razi could tell they had questions, but he couldn't bring himself to formulate an explanation. 

"Do you… need to talk?" Arvid asked.

Razi made a small sound to indicate that he didn't, but it resembled more of a whimper. The other two still looked concerned. 

"No," Razi whispered finally. 

"What do you need?" Galatea questioned. 

He didn't know the answer to that. He didn't know what he wanted to do, or where he wanted to be. He didn't know what to say. At that moment, Razi didn't feel like he belonged in a state of existence. 

The beginning of a headache made itself known as a small sharp pain. Razi winced and placed a hand on his forehead. 

"Is…" Arvid seemed unsure about going forward with the question he wanted to ask, but this uncertainty only lasted for a moment. "Is this about Avery?" 

Razi paused, feeling his heart sink. He lowered his arm to rest at his side before nodding, though it was barely noticeable. 

"And mom…" The words felt like ice in his mouth. "I miss them…" 

Arvid raised an eyebrow as he shot a glance towards Galatea. He wanted to ask, but Galatea shook her head at him and mouthed the word "don't." 

"Well, Avery's coming back," Arvid said. He slowly returned his gaze to Razi. "That's something to look forward to." 

Razi shrugged. 

"We're here for you until he does come back," Galatea added. "We won't make you do anything you don't want to, either. I can take you back home now."

"I wanted to… do this," Razi sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me." 

"Nothing." Galatea smiled. "Nothing's wrong with you. Stuff just happens." 

"You both wasted your time on me and I let you down." Razi felt the tears in his eyes again. "I'm sorry." 

"You didn't." 

"I'm so sorry…" 

"Don't apologize, Razi." A pause. "Hey, look at me." 

Razi lifted his head to meet Galatea's gaze.

"I have one more idea. A backup plan, if you're up for it." 

Razi didn't respond. He slowly followed Galatea's gaze up to the sky. 

"We could go somewhere and watch the stars together. Just the three of us. You could talk, but you don't have to." Galatea paused. "Maybe that would be easier for you." 

Razi sighed softly. "But I don't want to waste your time anymore." 

"We're fine, Razi. This isn't about us," Arvid cut in. 

"Come on, puppy. Worst that could happen there is we get eaten by a bear." Galatea lowered her voice. "We'll use Arvid as bait." 

Arvid punched Galatea's shoulder and glared at her. 

Razi exhaled a laugh. "You would be good bear bait." 

Arvid groaned and turned away from the other two. 

"So? What do you say?" Galatea asked, tugging on Razi's sleeve. 

Razi nodded. 

"Hell yeah." Galatea removed her car keys from her pocket. 

"But… wait." 

Arvid and Galatea turned their attention back to Razi immediately. Razi lowered his gaze to stare at his purple sneakers as he felt his face get hot again. 

"Um… thank you." 

Arvid only nodded in response before walking back towards the car. Galatea pressed the button on her keys to unlock the doors, and smiled at Razi. 

"You know, you owe me for those tickets." 

Razi gave her a questioning look. Galatea jerked her head slightly towards the building. 

"Someday, you're coming back here with me. When you feel better. I know you're gonna love it." 

"Yeah…" 

"Yeah," Galatea responded affirmatively. "You let me know when you feel up to it." 

Razi smiled nervously. "I will." 

"You better. Now, let's go."

#jax #tez #michael #hnmp #josine #mihdia #razi #arvid #todd's ocs #hnmp gen2

[1smolbean]

ok rant (? started out as a rant but descended into chaos) time

no but I find it absolutely fucking hilarious that my parents are like "oh just move on from your trauma" and then don't tell me how to do that, trigger me even when I've told them about my triggers, make me talk to people that trigger me, and make me go to places that trigger me. like...ya think maybe, just maybe, that, idk, I might have trouble moving on from those events if I have to relive them all the time? and I've explained it to them but they just refuse to understand it and they don't understand the word "no" either and I just,,,find this the funniest thing ever cause like they don't fucking understand! they don't! and I've told them but they refuse to! and I'm laughing this is so funny they refuse to understand

I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING I'M SORRY THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY LIKE THEY REFUSE TO UNDERSTAND IT AND I,,,,,I JUST JKDJFKDLSJFLDKJFD THEY REFUSE TO GET IT AND THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER THEY REFUSE TO HELP THEIR CHILD LIVE A HAPPY LIFE

what kind of parent does that? a shitty one. they're the most hypocritical people I've ever met cause THEY'VE moved on from their trauma and they respect each other's triggers and my brother's triggers but like,,,not mine and why? CAUSE THEY'RE BAD AT THEIR JOB. THEY'RE BAD PARENTS and I'm literally laughing so hard this is so funny to me and my mother has said before that she is proud of me for not skipping school because she assumed I would but she's proud that I haven't. like,,,,wow okay I literally have no reason whatsoever to skip school though??? why would you assume that? and idk I just find it hilarious that my mother both expects me to get an A+ on every subject and also skip school. like bitch excuse me? that's...HHJFDHSFKHFDSKH THAT'S FUNNY IT'S FUNNY THIS IS FUNNY. I'M SORRY. I'M REALLY SORRY THIS IS HILARIOUS TO ME AND I WROTE OUT A WHOLE GODDAMN RANT ABOUT THIS BUT IT'S JUST THREE PARAGRAPHS OF ME BEING LIKE "MY PARENTS' HORRIBLE TREATMENT OF ME IS FUNNY" AND LIKE...IT IS THOUGH!

I feel like Alvar Vacker and Winter Schnee right now. like I just,,,this is so funny but I also want to stab something right now. is this normal? I don't think this is normal. I should talk to a therapist or doctor but I'm my own therapist and everybody else's too and idk it just seems...wrong to burden people with MY problems when they have their own. i should stop telling people when I'm sad, they don't need that. No, no but they care. why do they, though? my parents "care." they yell at me, say I'm not enough, tell me it's hard to take care of me, but they care. I guess. i think they care. caring is bad. caring for someone is bad. i shouldn't...i shouldn't trust people, because trust gets you hurt. and i hate being hurt. and i shouldn't care about people. i shouldn't care. do i even care? did i ever care? yes. but i won't anymore.

I have gone back to wishing I could acquaint a ridgdly edged object fundamentally used in the construction of walls with my biological father's facial structure. (translation: ok nvm I wanna hit my dad in the face with a brick)

maybe if you didn't yell at me i wouldn't listen to music so loudly. father

father (derogatory)

i am going to lie down on the floor and listen to Special Girl by dodie until i die

i'm the eldest daughter but I'm not a daughter i'm a son but my parents don't care

i feel nothing but the crushing weight of responsibility on my shoulders

I believe I need a counselor, or therapist, or- no, I have one already, I'm my own therapist

I can deal with this on my own

hey mother when you look through my tumblr and read this PLEASE GET ME SOME ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR ADHD MEDS IM NOT DOING TOO GOOD

the powerpuff girls reboot script made me speedrun the five stages of grief I hate it so much

cats opening partially closed doors with their FACES is wild and I love it

I want more soda.

everything hurts and I'm dying

Okay so what the hell happened here Nina please get yourself into shape you need to figure out why you did a 180 from being sad to being angry to being sad to being angry and also that gender can fluid you really be switching from "gender is for mortals" to "none gender left boy" with your emotions too

this picture of Winter Schnee perfectly encapsulates my mood right now

im in pain everybody! were in pain! specifically in my chest! what the hell is happening with my lungs

nevermind we're good now

YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO HURT THE WAY YOU KNOW THAT I DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I FEEL LIKE I'LL BE OKAY AND I HOPE I CAN JUST MAINTAIN IT I WILL NOT LET MYSELF BECOME MY PROBLEM

AND I'M JUST WAITING FOR THE DAY YOU SAVE ME FROM MYSELF 'CAUSE I CAN'T HELP THE WAY I FEEL FOR YOU FOR YOU

AND WRITE IN EVERY SPACE THE WORDS "I LOVE YOU" IN REPLACE THEN MAYBE TIME WOULD NOT ERASE MEEEEE IF YOU COULD ONLY KNOW I'D NEVER LET YOU GOOOO AND THE WORDS I MOST REGRET ARE THE ONES I NEVER MEANT TO LEEEEEEAAAAVEEEEEEEE UNSAID EMILYYYYYYYYYY

*muffled sobbing*

it's projecting onto fictional characters with trauma hours everybody

DO OR DIE YOU'LL NEVER MAKE ME BECAUSE THE WORLD WILL NEVER TAKE MY HEART GO AND TRY YOU'LL NEVER MAKE ME WE WANT IT ALL WE WANNA PLAY THIS PARY I WON'T EXPLAIN OR SAY I'M SORRY I'M UNASHAMED I'M GONNA SHOE MY SCARS GIVE A CHEAR FOR ALL THE BROKEN LISTEN HERE BECAUSE IT'S WHO WE ARE

hey remember that "fuck therapy I'm becoming a knight" post I spam reblogged yeah that's my current mood rn

anyway that concludes round one of my annual mental breakdown don't worry I'll be back in approximately five minutes after drinking an entire bottle of soda

#don't even know what to tag this with so just. lmk if you want this tagged #coco's annual mental breakdown #that is a tag I'm making that a tag #anyway yes I'm fine either join in on the chaos or leave me alone please

[sachigram]

I think a lot about Hearts Like Ours because I've been wanting to comment on the last chapter since it came out and I finally think I can. On another note, I read that "send me some Shizaya prompts you'd like to see! Who knows, maybe I'll write a few" please, don't feel obligated at all, but I can't write myself and I've been thinking about a story for a long time, about Izaya being in love with Shizuo since Highschool but extremely hurt because he hated him on sight, and then on present time +

“And then on present time Izaya finds out that someone is going to hurt Kasuka, Shizuo doesn't answer his phone so Izaya goes to the place himself and without thinking puts himself between Kasuka and the guy who has going to stab him, Kasuka takes him to Shinra and after this Shizuo gets obsessed with trying to know why Izaya would almost die for Kasuka.”

For you, @murasaki19! I wrote this very quickly, and I am sure there are errors, but I hope it cheers you up! <3 Your reviews mean a lot to me, and I’ve missed seeing your name in my notes. I’m always around if you need to talk! 

It happens by accident, really.

Izaya keeps tabs on everyone and everything; it's part of his informant position. Even the most trivial of information can be useful later, like pawns making it across the chessboard. Honestly, it has nothing to do with Shizuo or his family. Still, Izaya stumbles across a plot to kidnap Kasuka, and wars with himself on what to do about it.

On one hand, he hates Shizuo, and therefore, he hates Kasuka. He should revel in the idea of Kasuka being killed or worse, should love the thought of the anguish it would cause Shizuo to lose his precious baby brother.

On the other hand, Izaya has sisters, and he knows Shizuo has helped keep them out of trouble more than a few times, even while hating Izaya.

Something else entirely, Izaya doesn't want Shizuo to lose Kasuka, and it makes Izaya so sick of himself that he can't even look at his reflection on his dark phone screen.

“Fuck,” he mutters, shoving back from his computer. He picks up his phone, goes to Shizuo's contact, hesitates. He can call Shizuo and let the beast handle it. Whether Shizuo believes him or not, Izaya can say he tried, and that should settle his conscience, right? It should be the end of Izaya's involvement.

He presses the 'call' button. It rings once, and then goes to voicemail, and Izaya clenches his teeth, knowing Shizuo ignored the call and likely would delete a voicemail before listening to it. Izaya can't blame him, but still, being ignored always pisses Izaya off beyond anything else.

“Should just let him lose his fucking brother,” Izaya grumbles to no one. Namie left for the day, and no one else will be coming by. Shinra likely would ignore a call from Izaya as well. He's alone in this, as he normally is.

For once, he finally feels the emptiness.

***

He's in the city— He doesn't have a clue what he's doing.

The men who are going to take Kasuka have his work schedule figured out. It's not hard to attain information like that, as long as you know the right people. Izaya himself buys most of his information, and turns around and sells it to whoever asks. It's possible some of these men work with Kasuka, or some of them could have hacked into his file, his schedule, his manager's schedules. Something like this just happened with Kasuka's little girlfriend, right? And then Shinra got attacked. Everyone should have learned a lesson from that, but...

“The more things change,” Izaya mutters aloud.

“Hello?” A man's voice answers him. Izaya sighs, realizing Kasuka heard him and is addressing him. Kasuka is alone— Why is he alone? Where's security? Where's the driver? The car is parked, so where is the fucking driver? “Oh. Orihara-san?”

“Yes,” Izaya says, quieting the questions zipping through his mind. He has an image to maintain, if nothing else, and even if he wasn't consciously planning on coming here, he's here now, and he has to make it look like he meant to be.

“Did you...need something?” Kasuka asks, and Izaya can only imagine how confused Kasuka must be. He's heard awful things for years about Izaya, true things, and all Kasuka knows is that Izaya hates Shizuo, and Shizuo hates Izaya.

“Why are you alone?” Izaya asks, stalling. He moves away from the wall he was leaning against and inches closer to Kasuka.

“My driver is across the street, grabbing to-go food. The guards are right by the door,” Kasuka says in his usual bored tone.

“Inside isn't close enough to stop something from happening,” Izaya says, and Kasuka tilts his head.

“Are you going to attack me or something?”

“I'm only saying, it would be better for you to have someone around, anyone.” Izaya looks over his shoulder, paranoid. He doesn't care about what happens to Kasuka. He's told himself that over and over, and yet, here he is.

“Well. You're here,” Kasuka says with a shrug. “And my driver will be right back.”

Izaya is about to answer and say something along the lines of, 'why wouldn't a big celebrity have his own bodyguards?', or, 'isn't your girlfriend some kind of monster with inhuman strength?', but he doesn't get the chance. Everything happens so fast from there, and even afterwards, Izaya still doesn't know what exactly happened.

All he knows is, he wakes up at Shinra's, and there's a hole in his stomach.

***

“I'm just. I'm floored, you know? I'm totally flabbergasted!” Shinra says jovially as he applies something to Izaya's wound. “Kasuka-san called me and was as close to panicking as can be allowed. He hasn't sounded like that since Hijiribe-san got injured. He drove you here and said you took a knife for him! Could it be that my influence from all those years ago rubbed off on you?”

“Would you please stop talking?” Izaya asks, irritated for many reasons, one of which being Shinra's voice. He has another scar from a knife wound. Izaya doesn't ever want to get stabbed again. It's not fun at all. He wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

“I just wanna know what was going through your head!” Shinra chatters. “Did you know what you were doing? It seems like you don't remember. Did you know the news is reporting you as a hero? They used your name! Hey, are you listening?” Shinra leans over Izaya, squinting at him.

“I don't remember it,” Izaya says, shoving Shinra away. “I was on autopilot.”

“Ah, well,” Shinra says. He leans back in his chair and shrugs a bit. “I think maybe you're working on clearing your bad name. Unfortunately, you'll have to get stabbed a lot more.”

Celty walks in, and Izaya sees his reflection in her helmet. He closes his eyes, not wanting to deal with her, but Shinra laughs at whatever she tells him.

“Kasuka-san is here to visit you. We told him you were awake.”

“What!” Izaya tries to sit up, regrets it immediately. He falls into the sheets with a wince. “I don't want to see him.”

“Sorry,” Kasuka's voice says, already in the room. “They said it was okay.”

“One day, I'm going to sell Shinra to pirates,” Izaya says.

“That might work. A doctor always has value,” Kasuka replies, and Izaya nods. There's silence for a few moments, and then Kasuka clears his throat. “You saved me.”

“I didn't. Or, I didn't mean to.”

“I wanted to thank you.”

“Don't. It's gross; I don't want your thanks.”

“Still,” Kasuka insists, and when Izaya looks over at him, Kasuka is giving him an earnest expression. “I could be in this bed, or much worse. I could be dead. Thank you.”

“Thanking me would be acceptable if I went with the intention of saving you. I didn't. I didn't think about it, and I don't remember it. So really, you don't have to—“

There's a bang in the next room, followed by Shinra shouting.

“WHERE IS HE?!”

“Oh,” Kasuka says, and then he stands. “Shizuo's here.”

“Fucking great,” Izaya mutters. He wonders if Shinra can give him more drugs.

Heavy footsteps thud towards the door, and then it's flying open, revealing a frantic Shizuo. Immediately, he's on Kasuka, looking him over, talking so quickly that Izaya realizes he's already on a lot of drugs, because he can't focus on it. Izaya giggles and moves his hands around in the air, finally feeling the effects of whatever Shinra gave him.

“Why's he here?!” Shizuo barks, and Izaya drops his hands and pouts up at the Heiwajima brothers.

“Can't you have a reunion elsewhere? I'm recovering from an ordeal,” Izaya says, and he blinks as his words slur. “Shinra! What did you give me?”

“Morphine,” Shinra calls.

“I like it.”

“Most people do.”

“Orihara-san—“ Kasuka begins.

“Gross, call me Izaya,” Izaya interjects.

“Uh. Izaya-san saved me. He took a knife for me,” Kasuka continues.

“What? That's fucking impossible. I'm sure he's probably the one who hired those guys to begin with,” Shizuo says, and Izaya tries to be offended, but can't really argue.

“No. Izaya-san showed up on his own, and then some men charged us. Izaya-san jumped in front of me, and then my guards came out from all the noise.”

“I don't buy it. He was involved,” Shizuo argues.

“Even if he was, he paid a price for it,” Kasuka says. Izaya is back to waving his hands around, and he pauses when he feels that everyone is looking at him.

“Am I supposed to say something profound?” Izaya asks. “I think— I think I'm stoned.”

Shizuo marches over to the bed and hovers over Izaya. He glares down at him, and Izaya tries to remember the last time they were this close. Didn't Shizuo headbutt him?

“Why the fuck would you do that? Why would you save my brother?” Shizuo asks.

“I didn't save anyone,” Izaya says, and then he reaches up and touches the tip of Shizuo's nose. “Boop.”

Shizuo snarls down at him, and then someone, probably Celty, drags Shizuo away. Izaya looks up at the empty space Shizuo left and misses Shizuo occupying it. Then, someone else hovers over him.

“I won't forget this, Izaya-san.” Kasuka puts his hand over Izaya's and squeezes. “Thank you.”

“Oh. Go away,” Izaya mutters, and he rolls over. “Being thanked so much reminds me why I'd rather everyone cursed me.”

“I'm sorry you feel that way,” Kasuka says.

“Don't thank him! Don't apologize to him! What the fuck!” Shizuo barks from somewhere, and then Izaya passes out again.

***

Next time he wakes, he's alone.

He reaches for his phone on the table next to the bed. He has messages from Namie, from Shiki, from his sisters. He grumbles and reads through Mairu's babbling about how much she loves him for taking a knife for Yuhei. He replies with a series of emojis, most of them the dancing red dress woman.

Namie asks if Izaya has a brain tumor.

Shiki wants to know if Izaya will return to work now that he's an A-list hero.

“Feeling better?” Shinra asks, and Izaya looks over at him. “You've been pretty out of it.”

“Am I still high?” Izaya asks.

“I hope not. I've been lowering your dosage. Are you in pain?”

“Mm. A little.”

“Do you want more medicine?”

“No. I'd like to think clearly.” Izaya puts his phone down. “I really don't remember it. I just...acted.”

“That's okay,” Shinra says. There's a beat of silence, and then, “You told me some...interesting things while you were doped up.”

“Ugh.” Izaya covers his eyes. “Were we alone?”

“Yeah. Yeah, Celty was in bed. It was just us.”

“Are we alone now?” Izaya asks, his voice muffled from his hands.

“Yes.”

“What did I say?”

Shinra laughs. “You said you didn't want to give Shizuo-kun another reason to hate you.”

“...is that all?” Izaya prompts.

“You might have mentioned loving him. Once or twice.”

“I changed my mind, I want more drugs,” Izaya says, and Shinra laughs again.

“It's okay. Really. I already kind of knew. You aren't as hard to read as you think you are,” Shinra says, and Izaya peeks up at him.

“I knew you knew.” Izaya groans and rubs his eyes. “It doesn't matter.”

“It matters,” Shinra says softly. “Loving someone always matters.”

“Oh, shut up,” Izaya says. “Anyway, can I go soon?”

“I want to keep you a little longer. Your wound is still bleeding a bit, and I can't let you go before I know for sure your stitches won't pop open. It'd be bad if your intestines started to escape, you know?”

“I imagine it wouldn't be good.”

“Have you thought of telling him?” Shinra asks. “Shizuo-kun, I mean. You could tell him.”

“And then what?” Izaya prompts. “He wouldn't believe me, and I wouldn't blame him. No, it's better he not know. I'm glad he wasn't in the room when I was out of it.”

Shinra sighs. “I wish he would have been.”

The day passes slowly. Izaya replies to messages on his phone, barks at Shinra for a charger when his phone starts to die. He and Shinra play cards, and Izaya's chest clenches when he thinks of how long it's been since he spent time with Shinra like this.

“You know, you can come over sometime,” Shinra says, clearly thinking the same. “I'd like that.”

“Your girlfriend hates me,” Izaya says.

“You think everyone hates you. You think it before they even know you. Besides, Celty is a forgiving angel. She doesn't hate anyone. Except, well, I guess she hates cops.”

When the sun starts to set, Shizuo comes back. Izaya pretends to be asleep, but Shizuo isn't having it. He shakes Izaya roughly until Izaya looks up at him through narrowed eyes.

“What?” Izaya asks, and Shizuo glares at him.

“Why'd you save my brother?”

“I told you, I don't know!” Izaya hisses, and he tries to roll away from Shizuo.

“Well, I decided I'm not leaving until you tell me!” Shizuo replies.

Izaya groans at the ceiling, and then he turns to Shizuo.

“You got me. I saved him so you'd owe me one. Now, I can ask you to do anything, and you have to do it.”

“Bullshit,” Shizuo says. “You think I don't know when you're lying? I can tell.”

“I don't know why,” Izaya says.

“Bullshit,” Shizuo says again.

“I don't know what you want me to say. You won't believe me no matter what my answer is.”

“You could try telling the truth. You know, for once.”

Izaya turns over and pulls his pillow over his head, refusing to answer. True to his word, Shizuo plops down into the chair Shinra was occupying earlier and refuses to leave.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Shinra asks a bit later.

“I guess,” Shizuo says.

“I always wanted us all to hang out!” Shinra says happily, and Shizuo and Izaya tell him to 'shut the fuck up' at the same time.

After dinner, and after Shinra offers to hand-feed Izaya for the tenth time, Shizuo winds up falling asleep on the chair, his arms crossed across his chest, his head lolling to the side. Even asleep, he looks irritated. It's not the first time Izaya's seen his sleeping face, but it's interesting nonetheless.

“I guess he's staying,” Shinra says, entering the room. He tosses a blanket over Shizuo. “I think this is progress.”

“He's just a stubborn monster,” Izaya mutters, and when Shinra leaves the room and turns the light out, Izaya is left listening to Shizuo's quiet breathing.

It's been a long time since Izaya slept in the same room as someone. He's used to his sisters falling asleep on him, and he's stayed with Shinra a few times, but this is something new. His worst enemy is unconscious next to him. Izaya knows he should be taking advantage of this, but he doesn't. He spends his time scrolling through his phone, and when he's bored of that, he watches Shizuo sleep. It's creepy, he knows it is. Izaya's always watched people because it's easier than interacting with them. Like this, it's almost like they could be friends, neither of them talking or arguing.

Shizuo twitches in his sleep and makes a noise, and Izaya tears his eyes away.

“I saved him for you,” Izaya whispers, knowing Shizuo won't hear him anyway. After a few minutes, Izaya sits up and carefully detaches himself from various wires. He can't stay here anymore, stitches be damned. He steps past Shizuo and pads down the hallway, collecting his things before he exits the apartment and arranges for someone to pick him up.

It's easier to be alone.

***

A week passes. Izaya works from his bed, relents to letting Shinra come give him checkups, and tortures Namie into bringing him things. By the end of the week, Namie is threatening to smother him with a pillow, which is actually pretty tame for her. Izaya isn't too worried about it. He knows she carries a paralyzing serum with her, after all. The fact she hasn't used it yet means she doesn't hate him too much.

She tells him she's leaving for the day, and he grunts at her, his eyes glued to the screen of his tablet. He's reading about Kasuka's latest gig, silently appraising the raise of security around Kasuka since the incident. Izaya's sisters have since cursed him, saying they'll never get through all the people around Kasuka now. Kasuka recently sent Izaya a fruit basket, and Izaya considers calling to Namie to bring him a pear, but he thinks better of it. She's pretty pissed at him already.

Next thing he knows, someone is in the doorway of his bedroom, loudly crunching on an apple.

“Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, setting the tablet down.

“That lady let me in,” Shizuo says as he strides across the room. “Did Kasuka send you this? The arrangement looked expensive.”

“He did. I don't suppose I could convince you to bring me a pear?” Izaya asks.

“I'll bring you one if you answer my questions honestly,” Shizuo says.

“Still caught up on that, huh? I've already said all there is to say.”

“Your loss, I guess,” Shizuo says with a shrug. “I'll start eating the pears next.”

“I hate you,” Izaya hisses. He crosses his arms and grumbles. “I wish I'd let your brother get stabbed instead.”

“Yeah, well. You didn't.”

“I should have. I wanted to.”

“Did you? Want to?”

Izaya exhales loudly and dramatically. “No. You wouldn't have let my sisters get stabbed. It's the same.”

“Yeah, but... It's not the same,” Shizuo says. “Kasuka is a grown man, and he's supposed to have guards on him. He's supposed to have people. Your sisters don't have anyone but you, and sometimes you're...”

“Inadequate?” Izaya asks.

“One person,” Shizuo corrects. “You're one person, and they escape where you can watch.”

“Dota-chin helps them, too. A lot of people do. I appreciate it, even if I don't say so.” Izaya groans and rubs at his wound under his shirt.

“Does it still hurt?” Shizuo asks.

“Yes. It's not too bad, though.”

“Shinra told me he took a knife for you once. It was crazy. I was pissed at him because I thought, if someone had just killed you then, I wouldn't have had to meet you at all.”

“I might have died,” Izaya says. “Nakura-kun hated me. He might have aimed somewhere more lethal the second time.”

“You didn't care though, did you? You wouldn't have cared if he wanted to kill you. You never cared when I wanted to,” Shizuo says.

“Who can say?” Izaya asks, and then he smiles. “I might have cared a little.”

“I don't want to hate you anymore,” Shizuo says. “You saved Kasuka. No matter what your reasons were, you saved him. And even before... Before, I was thinking I didn't want to hate you. It just seems like if we stay this way...”

“We'll die?” Izaya asks. Shizuo nods.

“I don't want to kill you, and I don't want you to kill me. I don't want to explain to your sisters that I murdered you.”

“So then, what do you propose?” Izaya asks.

“A truce? We can... I guess we don't have to be friends, but we could try not to kill each other. How's that?” Shizuo asks.

“That's fine. Whatever.” Izaya stretches, and then he pouts at Shizuo. “Now can you bring me a pear?”

“Brat,” Shizuo says, but he does just that.

They spend hours together. Izaya has a TV in his room for just this occasion, him getting injured and being bed-bound. Shizuo likes trash TV as it turns out, and Izaya delights in making fun of him for it. By the time Izaya's eyes are drooping, Shizuo is already hunched over, resting his head on Izaya's bed.

“You can stay. If you want.” Izaya wants to rest his hand on Shizuo's head, but he resists. “It's pretty late.”

“Yeah. I will, then,” Shizuo says, and Izaya expects Shizuo to either go down to the couch, or to the guest bedroom, but instead, Shizuo is climbing in bed next to Izaya and settling in.

“I hope your monster scent washes out with regular detergent,” Izaya mutters, hating the way his heart soars and then pounds in his ears at Shizuo's close proximity.

“Oh, fuck you,” Shizuo says, but he doesn't sound mad.

They're quiet for a while, and Izaya thinks maybe Shizuo has fallen asleep, but then Shizuo laughs softly in the darkness of the room.

“What is it?” Izaya asks.

“Just this. Us. If we tried to talk sooner, maybe we could've avoided a lot of things.”

“You wouldn't have listened. I wouldn't have listened either,” Izaya says.

“I know. It had to be this way.” Shizuo hums, and then he moves closer, tossing an arm over Izaya, who tenses up at the contact. “Is this okay?”

“Okay?”

“It doesn't hurt?”

“Oh. No, I mean, it's fine. This is fine.”

Shizuo laughs, moving closer. He inhales Izaya's hair, nuzzles into it.

“For a smart guy, you're an idiot, you know?”

“How so?” Izaya asks, bristling.

“You just are. You're easy to read.”

“I am not!”

“Mm.” Shizuo pulls Izaya closer, and Izaya wills himself to calm down or die, either would be fine at this point. “Tell me, why'd you save my brother?”

“Because I wanted to,” Izaya says, finding there is truth in that answer.

“Okay,” Shizuo murmurs. “That's good enough for me.”

Shizuo's lips press to Izaya's, and Izaya gasps softly, his hands on Shizuo's shoulders.

“I already know why, anyway,” Shizuo says, and Izaya pulls him into another kiss before they can argue.

#asks #murasaki19 #shizaya #izaya orihara #shizuo heiwajima #kasuka heiwajima #prompts #i hope you like it!!!!