#its been light rain all day and the of course it poured when we wanted to be outside

[slushiepizza]

I Love You, Just Like This

Guy/Honey (Redacted Audio)

Loving has never come easy for Honey. Physical affection nor words of affirmation has never been their forte, yet they desperately wanted Guy to know that they love him more than they could express.

Tags : Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Honey works at Vesta and Kayla is Honey's Coworker, Struggles with Affection/PDA, Swearing

also on ao3

notes : SDHBSHDB this is my first fanfic ever;; and I don't really know what I'm doing

Sheets of torrential rain poured down on Dahlia. Honey looked down upon their now-ruined shoes as puddles started to form under the side of the office building that they’d taken refuge in. They shifted from one foot to the other. It’d been a long, tiring day of work and they’d do anything to crawl under the covers and sleep, yet the late-August weather didn’t seem to be on their side. Sighing, they pulled their work blazer against their cold, miserable body. 

A voice came from beside them. “Damn, it still hasn’t stopped raining?” 

“Yeah. Been thirty minutes and no signs of slowing.” 

Kayla, fellow Vesta Distribution Co. employee, started typing on her phone, the light of the monitor glowed against her face. “Are you also taking an Uber, or-? We could share the ride if we happen to live in the same direction.” 

“Uh, no. Thanks for the offer, though. My boyfriend is coming. Although there’s no telling when he’ll be here. Traffic and all.” 

“Huh,” Their co-worker looked up from their phone. “Is he also from work, or?” 

Honey gave a dry laugh. “No, but, you’ve met him, remember. It’s Guy, my plus one at your engagement party?” 

“...Right. I don’t know, I just assumed that you were friends or something. No offense, but the two of you seemed distant, is all. And I never really pegged you to be the type for relationships.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I’m not sure, it’s your whole…vibe. I guess. You can come across as intimidating. Like, those new-hires you trained? Completely terrified of you. It’s like they’re trying not to shit their pants every time you give them feedback. Same thing with your boyfriend. It’s like you’re tense. You guys didn’t even hold each other’s hand or anything. That’s why I assumed you’re just friends. ” 

Honey tightened their grip on their work bag. “Really,” they said in disbelief, trying to not sound hurt.  “I don’t do it on purpose. And my criticisms were all constructive.” 

They ignored the second comment.

“I know,” Kayla reached out and patted them on the shoulder. “I mean, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re all that…imposing. Much. Anyway, my ride’s here. See you on Monday.” She took out an umbrella and walked away to the awaiting car. 

Honey was alone again, and it gave them all the time in the work to mull over their co-worker’s words. The bright, fluorescent lights of the skyscrapers of Dahlia’s Business District  made Honey feel small. As cars zoomed past, Kayla’s words echoed in their head. 

I just assumed that you were friends or something. The two of you seemed distant. 

It hit them like a pile of bricks. A dull, painful feeling wormed its way in their chest. The sound of rain against the pavement rang in their ears. 

“Honey!” 

They turned around to see him, and oh, how they ached. Guy fixed them with a toothy smile, and looked at them with more love than they deserved as he held the umbrella over their head. He giggled, “Aw, is my honey-baby cold? Tired, perhaps? Never fear, as your noble cavalier is here to rescue you.“ 

“Hey.” In the quiet of their car, his voice quieted to a whisper. “Long day at work?” 

“Yeah, it’s been a shitty day. I’m ready to pass out.” They cleared their throat  and mumbled. “Thanks, by the way. For picking me up.” 

“Of course. I’d never leave my amazing, beautiful, partner stuck in the rain. Alone, in the cold, craving the warm embrace of their sexy and handsome boyfriend.” 

“You shouldn’t have to. It’s late, and I know the shift at Max’s tired you out already.” 

Guy did look exhausted. Honey was well aware of how packed his schedule was, with the pitch meeting that ran all morning and his sixteen-hour shift at the pizza place. There were bags under his eyes, yet when he wasn’t looking at the road, his eyes still gazed at them so warmly. 

“You know that it’s nothing. You underestimate me, Honey! I’m very familiar with being tired, just like how you tired me out last night, eh-” 

“Guy!” They said, exasperated, yet a laugh escaped their lips. “You’re so stupid.” 

“Oh, you love me for it,” he sang as his right hand rested against Honey’s thigh, searching for theirs. Guy’s hand was warm as his fingers interlocked with theirs and gave a reassuring squeeze. 

Silence soon fell over the two of them like a blanket, and all Honey could think was the way the light from passing cars outside the window illuminated Guy’s soft features. His brows furrowed in concentration, yet his eyes were unbearably kind. His mouth curved into a relaxed smile like this was easy. Like loving them was second nature.

It was always like this, with Guy. They knew that he’d do anything for them, things beyond being stuck in bad-weather and traffic when he could’ve been resting after working all day. 

A heavy feeling washed over them. Did Guy know that they’d do anything for him, too? 

Honey loved Guy. More than anything. Yet this much love for someone was uncharted territory for them,  the vulnerable feeling wormed under their skin uncomfortably. A familiar line of thought came, one that they have visited and revisited multiple times whenever they thought about their boyfriend. 

Guy deserved someone who could love him properly. 

They knew this about Guy: when he loved someone, he’d love them with his whole being. It’s the boundless, unrestrained sort of love, with nothing held back. Everyone in his life would attest to that, even if they did so with an eyeroll and sigh. 

A memory came to mind. Back in college, when they weren’t dating yet, Honey had a horrible fever. It’d been their second night at Dahlia, and they were stuck in bed. Guy, the college-assigned roommate they barely knew at the time, stayed by their side with a bowl of chicken noodle soup when all of his friends were out on freshman-year parties. 

Caring for someone never came naturally for Honey. They were used to being there for themselves, and they just drifted. They came and went from people’s lives without saying a word, only making their presence known when necessary. 

It finally dawned on them; they should try harder, for Guy’s sake.

 Acting so indifferent towards him to the point that their coworker never knew that they were in a relationship with him was a clear sign that they haven’t been putting enough effort to love him. The pangs of guilt clawed at their insides, and they desperately wished that they didn’t have so many hard edges. 

“We’re hooome. Now it’s time for a shower and later we can be snug as a bug in a rug-,” Guy turned to look at them and paused. 

“...Honey? Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

They swallowed the lump in their throat. They felt so useless, here they were, being a burden to him again. Guy looked at them with a concerned expression.

”We don’t have to talk about it right now, if you don’t want to. It’s just that- There’s something’s on your mind, isn’t there?

Honey averted their gaze. Please don’t look at me like that. 

“Guy,” they started, trying to force the words out of their mouth.“Do you want me to…do more PDA?” 

Honey was horrified. It definitely was not how they wanted to sound. It’s embarrassing, almost juvenile. 

Guy didn’t laugh. His thumb ran soothing circles in the back of their palm. 

“Honey, no.” he frowned. “Where’d that come from?” 

“Well, a coworker said that she assumed that we were friends. Presumably because we seemed… distant. And she’s right, you know, it is a little weird that we don’t really do that when other people’s around. All because I’m afraid of people staring and I just- can't.” Honey felt warm tears started rolling down their face. 

“And fuck, Guy,” Honey choked back a sob. “I want people to know that I love you. I want you to know that I love you so damn much.” 

“Honey,” his voice sounded hurt. “Can I hold you?” 

As they nodded, he reached for them over the centre console and wrapped his arms around them. 

“I know, Honey. I know. You love me in ways that I can’t even describe. And you don’t have to do anything you feel uncomfortable with to prove that to others. ” 

His honey buried their face in his chest, staining his shirt, yet he paid little mind. “You gave me more love than I deserve. I know you love me because you stayed with me when I struggled to finish my manuscripts. Because you told me to rest when I was sick and refused to stay still.” 

“You were such a little shit back then,” they sniffed. 

“I know!” he laughed.” And you laid down with me until I fell asleep, even when you had a lot of work to do.” 

“I have no doubt that you love me, Honey,” Guy tightened his hold on them. “And I love you, just like this. Just as you are.” 

The rain outside the car slowed into a light drizzle, and in the stillness of the night, there were no witnesses to how Honey cupped the side of Guy’s face and kissed him. 

#redacted guy #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redactedverse #redacted honey #redacted fanfic #slushiewrites

[lelengerine]

presenting ✎ in a season's moment

►pairings | nct's 00 line x reader

► contents + warnings | to be released once the fics are published separately!

► notes | and its finally out!! we’ve been working in this for quite some time (as we’re all new to this sort of thing), yet we put our hearts into each of the works planned for this collab 🩷 the fics can all be read as stand alones and are in entirely different universes, but we hope you all enjoy what we have in store :> do note each of fics are not final and may be edited!

note: this has been discontinued

► they say the seasons resemble different types of relationships — from ones that make your heart pitter patter faster than light, to those that are filled with solemn grief clouding your chest. each one may prove to be different from the other, yet are all bound to be experienced in a lifetime. these are stories over the course of the seasons, transient moments that remain as core memories forever.

where flowers bloom | @winwonies

pairing | jaemin x reader

synopsis | people say winter is the best time of the year because of christmas. but you’d say otherwise when a season like spring exists. all the flowers that bloom around with the breeze of cold air and warmth of the sun shining above their petals is what perfect scenery sounds like. it only makes sense why spring is the season you met your first love. a love that sprouted at the end of winter and continued to bloom beyond the months of spring. a first love that is also your last. or is it?

season passed

fleeting from the sun | @lelengerine

pairing | haechan x reader

synopsis | you and haechan never sit well together, like oil and water, mostly because you’d both rather be up each other’s throats – and not in the romantic sense. summer break is the only time you’re actually freed from his presence, a time for you to sit in the cozy confines of your home, and it’s finally within your grasp as the school year just ended. you were finally settling into your self-made plans for the break, until your best friend dragged you to join the road trip he and a couple of your other friends had planned together. being a good friend meant accepting their offers despite having your own plans already, right? oh, but they didn’t tell you the person you wanted to get rid of was sitting in for the ride too.

season passed

whispering raindrops | @tade-imagines

pairing | jeno x reader

synopsis | rainy season reminded y/n of so many things. in fact, their love story with their fiancé, jeno, was founded on days where water poured from the sky. when they come home one day, tired from work, the pounding rain on their windows couldn’t help but make them reminisce about the times that solidified their and jeno’s relationship. how can someone miss the past so much?

season passed

autumn leaves | @teddyjun

pairing | renjun x reader

synopsis | as autumn approaches, you and renjun can't help but be reminded of your time spent together. when different colored leaves start to fall, it was almost always during this season where the most precious events between you two happen. with a new memory every year, feelings started to grow — but you both thought that risking your 24-year friendship was not an option. as your 25th 'friendversary' approaches, you and renjun think: is it finally time for you to confess, or him to make the first move?

season passed

white memories | @teddyjun

pairing | yangyang x reader

synopsis | yangyang dislikes the winter season, yet he can't seem to pinpoint why. after an unfortunate accident, he was left with only a fragment of his memories — so when you were by his bedside the moment he woke up, he was confused when you told him you were his girlfriend. having no recollection whatsoever, he is then determined to remember your history with each other, yet for some reason, you didn’t want him to.

season passed

#nct fluff #nct angst #nct dream fluff #nct dream angst #wayv fluff #wayv angst #nct fanfic #nct imagines #jaemin fluff #jaemin angst #haechan fluff #haechan angst #jeno fluff #jeno angst #renjun fluff #renjun angst #yangyang fluff #yangyang angst

[smol-stardust]

Comfort Within Rain

Dancing in the rain is fine, but when your favourite mafioso offers to dance with you, who are you to say no?

In love with the chibi mafioso so, here's some Chuuya fluff. He likes wine and music, so he's probs good at dancing right? We stan soft Chuuya :)

Cool droplets pittered down on your skin, glittering slightly as the city lights bounced off the droplets. The sweet thick aerosol scent released by the rocks and dirt spins throughout. The perfume attached to you; brings a familiar comfort and a flood of memories. A fond smile creeps against your face as the warm spring breeze wraps around you, tickling you, evoking emotions words can't quite pinpoint. Peeling off your socks and shoes, you leave them by the stairwell, away from the rain. You hum, swaying gently to the rhythmic pattern of the drops pittering against the ground. Days like this were your favourite, where nature swallowed you up, without a care, simply existing.

Lost in your trace as the natural symphony lulled, you gently glide along to your heart's content. Your hair begins to plaster your face, the refreshing taste of rain seeping into your bones, causing you to submit, letting the tender, watery whispers guide you. You feel a hand slip into yours as you glide along the rooftop in a trance; you blink and spin around. A small smile etched its way upon you as you came face to face with his sapphire eyes; the rain framed his face bringing out his sharp features.

"Sorry darling, but you look like an angel like that. Might I interrupt you and have this dance?" Chuuya murmurs, brushing some hair out of your face with a gentle caress.

You felt your face heat up at the thought that he's been watching you for some time. He stares at you intently while holding you gently like a flower. The urge to submit to the rain and dance with him overpowering you, causing you to nod. His eyes lightened up, giving you that rare genuine smile he reserves for moments like these. Your heart fluttered as his sleek gloved fingers caressed your cheek gently before finding their way to your hips, pulling you closer as the other hand remained in your hand. Chuuya hums as he guides you along the rooftop, his gaze never leaving your face. His usually fiery hair: now darker from the rain, framed his face. Only then do you notice his hat wasn't there, not that you minded, as it allowed you to gain a better view of his features. Your eyes trained upon his endless blues as he guided you along, gently spinning you around. The earthy songs and your intimate heartbeats set the perfect rhythm for the two of you to twirl around in. He pulls you in, warmth radiating upon you. Every so often, you'd take the lead, guiding him into a puddle to relish the sensation of the puddles and the way the water danced along with you in unison. He dipped you down gently and pulled you along as the symphony continued. The harmonic sways and glides of your feet never faltered as you relished in each other's company.

After minutes of the blissful dance, he stops and pulls you into his arms. "You're gonna catch a cold if we stay out for too long," he murmurs.

"Thank you for the dance," you breathe as you nestled into his embrace. Wanting to convey so much: things words could never suffice. But, somehow, you know the message is conveyed in the harmonic moment you shared. Similar to how you felt all the raw emotions he poured into your dance.

"Of course, love," he hums.

"Hold still," He blurts. You arch a brow at the sudden comment and loudness of his voice. "Close your eyes." He pleads softly.

You comply; he had a way of making you feel at ease and at home. So you comply. Feeling his slender fingers brush against your forehead, your eyes snap open. The raindrops floated off your body, glittering ethereally in the night, the city's lights refracting off the raindrops. You let out a wondrous laugh as he brings you in for a dip before he twirls you around. Just as swiftly, he pulls you close to his chest.

"'S beautiful," you gasped in awe. "Thank you…for everything."

"Mm, you are, aren't you? And anything for you, love." he purrs, staring directly into your orbs.

You stared at him, flushing from his words. His familiar smirk threatens to surface as he grins at you, sapphire orbs glittering in the evening rain. You stare intently at each other, afraid to shatter the silence. Chuuya hums softly, bringing his hands to your cheek. You shudder at the feeling of his rain-coated leather gloves. Leaning forwards, he tugs you forward, planting a chaste kiss against your forehead before pressing his nose against yours. You rise to your toes, pressing a kiss against his cheek. Sighing contentedly, you hold each other, gazing over the city and the floating, shimmering raindrops.

"Let's go home, darling," he breathes. "Don't want you getting sick now, do we?"

You sigh wistfully at having to end this so soon. Sensing your slight sorrow, he ruffles your hair and smiles gently.

"Let's do this again sometime." He holds his hand out, a promise as gentle as the breeze, promising something elegantly gratifying.

"Kay," you nod, smiling at the thought and slip your hands into his, ready to return to his embrace in the comforts of your home. Picking you up, he carries you down from the roof, ensuring to pick up your shoes and his hat from their spot. He plops his hat on your head, continuing his way down the stairs with you in his arms. No words were exchanged as you made your way down from the roof. Still, the soft glow of your souls warmed each other and exchanged unspoken emotions on this rainy night in Yokohama, a promise of companionship and something more blooming between you.

#nakahara chuuya #chuuya nakahara #chuuya x reader #chuuya nakahara x reader #bsd chuuya #bsd fanfic #drabble #bsd fluff #chuuya fluff #bsd #✎sparky.writes✐

[littlespacereader]

I’m finally up to date with Doctor Who and I literally love the 15th Doctor and his vibe so much that I literally whipped this together in a day. I’m thinking of possibly making this a mini series like my Supernatural fic and just keep adding to it. Let me know what you think!! Please enjoy💞

The Cafe Caregiver ☕️🍼🍪

Caregiver!Fifteenth Doctor & GN Little!Reader (SFW)

Tags - regression refusal/acceptance, sippy cups, fluff, cybermen (at the end), cookies, the doctor has a thousand nicknames for you, he just finds you adorable, you wear his coat

Nicknames - darling, little one, sweetheart, munchkin, pumpkin, sweet one, love

Some people don’t understand that when it comes to a Little regressing, it isn’t always convenient or vise versa we want to regress but don’t have the time to do so.

I’m sadly the latter of the two options. I’ve spent the last four years in college, sometimes regressing at night after long tiring classes. Now right out of college I’ve been running from job to job, with little to no time to regress.

Regression, well, it started to become an afterthought. Not that I wanted it to, but life didn’t seem to be giving me an opportunity to pause and breathe enough to regress and relax.

Tonight was no different. I just finished another long and tiring work day at the office. Since I’m new I get the pleasure of staying super late, even after everyone else leaves. The life of an intern.

I was making my way down the building to head back to my flat. But I paused in the lobby, looking through the big tall windows at the pouring rain outside.

There was no rain in the forecast? How did I miss this? I mean I only have myself to blame. It’s London, of course it’s raining. And better yet, of course I don’t have a rain coat or umbrella or even a coat to help me stay warm.

So here I was, running like a wet dog down the side way, trying to catch the last bus to my apartment. I ran and I ran and I ran, as fast as my legs would take me down the dark sidewalk illuminated only by the street lamps.

My bus stop was in sight and better yet, my bus was parked right next to the sign. I waved my hands like crazy and yelled out to the bus to stay for just a second longer. But I watched as the bus took off.

I just froze and watched as my bus grew smaller and smaller into the distance. I stood, in the empty bus stop, in the pouring rain, with no jacket to keep me warm and no way home. I was completely in awe of the events.

I honestly wanted to cry. I just wanted to stomp my feet and start crying. But I couldn’t, not yet. I pushed my regression down for a moment. I need a place to gather my thoughts and figure out what I was going to do. But most importantly I needed to get out of the rain.

It was hard to see with the rain coming down as hard as it was. Plus it was late, most shops had turned in for the night.

Just as it felt as though all hope was lost, I spotted a tiny shop across the street with its lights still on. So checking both ways before crossing, I ran across the street and over to the cafe.

The door flung open with a little ding of the bell on top announcing my presence to everyone inside. That…being…no one. The cafe was shockingly empty. You would think it would be full of people like myself trying to escape the rain.

I wiped my feet as best as I could on the mat, I made my way over to the counter. I wrapped my arms infront of me, trying desperately to keep myself somewhat warm. But it was hard to when I was soaking wet and they had the ac on for some reason. Needless to say I started to shiver badly.

I stopped at the counter and looked around. There was no one to be seen. The place was empty. There was no one at the front and there was no noise of people working in the back. The place would’ve been silent if it wasn’t for the soft music playing from a radio on the counter.

There was a bell on the counter next to the register. Maybe they really didn’t know someone was at the front? Just when I went to hit the tiny bell…

Ding!

The bell to the front door dings as a man enters the cafe He paused at the door and takes in my soaked form. Then he said something that made my heart sink and my body freeze.

“Little one, what happened to you?” He asked so genuinely concerned.

I just stared back at I’m utter shock. No one in my life knows about my regression, no one. And here he was saying it so out in the open as if I had a name tag that said “Y/N, a Regressor”

“What?” I asked as my brain started to spiral out. Maybe I just heard him wrong. Maybe I was imagining things.

“Why are you soaking wet? You’re going to catch a cold! Here,” He pulled off his long tan leather coat and draped it across my shoulder. “This should keep you warm.”

He talked with such a gentle and caring tone. He spoke as if he had knew me for years. The coat felt so warm and cozy around my frozen figure. It was almost like a weighted heating blanket.

Finally I found the courage to talk out of my shock, “I didn’t know it was going to rain.” I said with a voice that sounded so small and vulnerable.

“Didn’t-Didn’t know it was going to rain? In London?” He chuckled. “Darling how long have you been here? It’s always going to rain in London. It’s hard to have a clear day here.”

“I…I didn’t remember to bring an umbrella.” I looked down as I tried to stop myself from crying. There was something about the man that just made me start to regress immediately, like the straw that broke the camels back. I felt like I couldn’t hold back anymore. Especially not after everything that’s happened up till this.

“Oh. Oh sweetheart it’s okay. It’s okay, you’re okay. Come here.” He held his arms out for me and I immediately went into them.

He wrapped me in a tight hug as I just cried into the man’s neck. He rubbed my back and rocked me as he whispered reassurance to me. “It’s okay darling. It’s okay. You’re safe, I promise.”

After letting all the terrible and sad emotions out, I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked back at the kind man. He smiled with a warm look of compassion and kindness. He caressed my cheek and wiped the tears away.

“I’m sorry,” I started to say.

“There’s no need to be.”

“I’ve…I’ve just had a horrible day. My job keeps me so late unnecessarily, I didn’t know it was going to rain so I’m soaked, my bus left me here and now I…I don’t know what to do.” I cried to him. I shook my head as more tears fell.

“You don’t need to worry any longer about any of that. We’re going to get you warmed up and back home safe in no time. Okay?” He smiled moving his hands from holding my face to holding my hands in his.

I nodded my head and squeezed his hands back. For having just met the Caregiver I felt an overwhelming feeling of safety with him.

“But for now I have to ask, it’s been a while since you’ve regressed hasn’t it?”

I nodded again, feeling almost ashamed at the admission.

He hummed in agreement, “You don’t need to worry anymore. I’m here to help make it all better Little one. You just regress and I’ll take care of everything else okay?”

Oh God how I wanted to scream yes, how I wanted to just start crying again because someone could see me for what I was, which is an overwhelmed Regressor.

But I settled for a nod again and a small smile.

But there was still some unanswered questions that stopped me for a moment. For example, “Wait,” I squeezed his hand again. “How did you know?”

“Know what darling?”

“That I’m a Regressor? How did you know?” I mean this guy literally just walked in, looked at me and immediately was like “Oh look a Regressor!”

“Where I’m from regression isn’t something so hidden or lesser known than you think. Truth be told I haven’t seen a Regressor like yourself in a long time. It was a refreshing change seeing you. I guess the Caregiver side of me couldn’t stop itself from helping. I’m sorry if I was a bit to forward.”

I shook my head, “No, don’t be. I think your just what I needed, especially after everything.”

He smiled, “Good, I’m honored to be.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“I’m the Doctor,” he smiled, “What’s your name sweet one?”

“I’m Y/N.”

“It’s lovely to meet you Y/N. Now, let’s get something warm in you. My coat is warm but it’s not enough to keep a cold away.”

With my hand in his, he lead me back to the abandoned counter of the cafe. “I think a nice cup of tea would be good for the both of us don’t you think?”

He stopped and looked around the quiet cafe. I chimed in, “I don’t think anyone’s here. When I arrived there was no one around and there still isn’t.”

“Strange… Did you ring the bell?” He points out.

I shook my head. “I was about to before I met you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting you. Would you like to do the honors?” He gestures to the bell.

I couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Of course my little self wanted to ring the hell out of that bell, so I did. I hit the bell once, no one came over. So I rang it about another 50 times. Still nothing.

I looked back at The Doctor confused and he looked at me just as confused. Just as he was about so say something a man appeared out of no where.

“Good evening,” the man said in a robotic tone, “How many I help you?”

The man looked human but there was something very off about him. He talked like a robot, he was emotionless and I don’t think he was even blinking. I stared at the guy as I tried to figure out what he was or if he was actually human.

“Hey,” The Doctor nudged me, “It’s rude to stare you know.”

“Is he even real?” I whispered to The Doctor.

“Of course he is! He’s standing infront of us isn’t he?” He pointed out, but it didn’t answer my questions.

But before I spoke up again, he began to order for us, “We’ll get two cups of tea, one in the cup and another in a sippy cup. I’ll take a croissant and they’ll take a chocolate chip cookie.”

I immediately pulled on his arm, “A sippy cup?!”

He looked at me with a raised eye brow, “Do you think you’re old enough to be holding a glass tea cup right now?”

I looked at him with a defiant look and he looked back at me with the same eye brow raise. But the problem is he was right and he knew and I knew it.

So instead of admitting he was right, I just started to blush and turn my head and body toward his shoulder.

I could hear the smirk in his voice, “That’s what I thought love.” He looked over at the robot…I mean the guy, “That will be it for us thanks.”

“Please have a seat. I will return with your items shortly.”

With that The Doctor led us over to a booth to sit in. Once seated I looked back over at the counter and the guy seemly disappeared again.

“Are you sure he’s not a robot?”

“What if he is? What would be the issue with a robot?”

“What is a robot doing working at a café in London?! And why does it look so lifelike?!” I asked as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Maybe he couldn’t find work on other planets?” He suggested.

That stopped me for a moment, “Other planets?”

“Here is your order sir,” the robot…I mean guy appeared out of thin air. It was so much of a surprise that I jumped a bit from the shock of it.

“Here we are,” The Doctor said taking all of our cups and plates from the tray, “Thank you very much.” He said paying the bill to the very real guy.

“Please let me know if you need anything else.” And with that the robot guy walked away.

“Strange,” I said more to myself than to anyone else.

Before I could even touch anything The Doctor waved this strange device over our food and drinks before looking at it. The device was blue and it made a weird noise.

“What’s that?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

“This is my sonic screwdriver. It can scan for dangerous things and can unlock plenty of other things.”

“Are…do you think the robot guy poisoned us?”

“No! No, the “robot guy” is just that, a robot guy who serves us tea. But with everything in life I like to keep a close and careful eye out for anything.” He explained.

“Like a certain someone trying to sneak a piece of cookie before they’ve had a drink of their tea.” The Doctor added with the raise of an eye brow.

I pulled my hands away from the cookie and blushed like crazy being caught in the act. I turned and picked up my sippy cup. The cup made me feel so Little. The cup, the way the Doctor was caring for me, it all seem to hit me like a train at that moment.

Here I was sitting at a public cafe with a sippy cup in hand and being taken care of by a Caregiver. It was enough to really have me sink into my headspace.

Soon regression started to sink around me like nice warm weighted blanket. I leaned back in the booth and started to drink the nice warm tea from the sippy cup.

The Doctor sat across from me with a smirk on his face as he sipped his own tea. “See,” he said putting his cup down, “You have nothing to worry about. Just let me take care of everything for you munchkin while you take the time you need to regress okay?”

I nodded, still not letting the sippy cup fall from my lips. The tea was amazing and just what I needed to warm me up.

The Doctor leaned forward and started to break apart my cookie into smaller easier pieces to eat. Once finished the two of us started to dig in. I ate the small pieces of my cookie while he ate his croissant.

Soon the two of us were finished. It was getting late, and between that and the nice warm cup of tea and jacket I was slowly starting to nod off at the table. Something that didn’t miss The Doctor’s careful attention.

“I think it’s about time we get you back home and in bed. Don’t you think?” The Doctor smirked.

I nodded, taking the empty sippy cup and putting it back on the table. The Doctor and I stood up from the booth, but right away he could see I wasn’t too strong on my feet. So he decided to lend a hand.

“Is it okay if I pick you up pumpkin?” He politely asked.

I nodded right away, too tired to want to walk back to my flat anyway.

The Doctor lifted me up and onto his hip with ease. “There we go,” I heard him say as I started to relax against him.

He turned to the interesting robot guy, “We’re all set here. Thank you again. Cheers.” And with that he walked us out of the café.

The robot guy continued to watch as we left.

~~~

Thankfully the rain had stopped. The Doctor walked down the deserted sidewalk with me in his arms half asleep. “Now, where do you live?”

I mustered all the energy I could and lifted my head up to tell him the address. Once I did I looked up and over The Doctor’s shoulder to see the café worker. I jumped in The Doctor’s arms which soon got his attention too.

He turned around and witnessed the man. We were a bit away from the cafe now thankfully. With his hair pulled back we could see there was something attached to his face. Something silver with blue lights.

“Doctor?” I asked as anxiety gripped me. I held onto him a little tighter.

“We’re…we’re going to have to make a little detour to your flat Y/N.” He said in a voice that was doing a poor job of covering up worry.

“Hold onto me tightly.” He instructed before he took off down an alley way running. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head against his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I asked in a trembling voice.

“It seems our cafe friend seems to be working for an old enemy of mine called the Cybermen.”

“Cybermen? Who are the Cybermen?”

“Something we don’t want to meet and something too scary for someone as young as you right now. But there’s no need to worry. I promised to take care of you and I never break my promises.”

He continued to run from one alley way to another. In the distance I could hear mental feet marching toward us.

“Where are we going?”

“Well I can’t bring you back to your home with the Cyberman following us. But that just means I’ll have to bring you to my home.”

“Your home?”

I lifted my head up and looked ahead of us. There was nothing there. The alleyway was empty except for an old blue police telephone box at the end of it.

#age regression #age regressor #agere little #agere #sfw age regression #sfw agere #agere post #little space #sfw littlespace #age regression blog #agere community #age regression community #age regression writing #sfw age regressor #age regression sfw #caregiver!doctor #caregiver!15th Doctor #caregiver!fifteenth doctor #15th doctor #fifteenth doctor #doctor who #little blog #sfw little blog #sfw little stuff #sfw little community #sfw little #little!reader #sfw little post #age regression fic #agere blog

[slvtrlv]

hi!

please can i request

1. "you look better in my clothes than i do."

with rafael barba 🥰

~ RAIN. STREET. NIGHT ~

Relationship: Rafael Barba x Female Reader.

Warning: none just a fluff.

Words: ???

A/N: hi, I hope you like it :3

______________________________________

I've always loved the rain. But not when it starts at the most inappropriate moment.

Now I'm running into the apartment after another hard day, besides, I'm all wet after a heavy downpour.

Water drips down my hair and rolls into the neck area, from which I shudder and billions of goosebumps run, from which the trembling in the body increases.

- Damn this rain - I mutter to myself, taking off my sneakers, leaning my hand against the wall so as not to fall into a puddle of water that formed due to my wet clothes.

Rafi has not come yet, although it is already 10 o'clock in the evening. Of course, he told me about a new case that their company is working on at the moment, so our apartment is used to the late arrival of its owners.

I take off my outerwear and carefully tiptoe through the living room to the bedroom to take a hot bath and change clothes.

Strange as it may seem, but the first time I met Rafael was in such weather. It was pouring rain outside, and I was waiting for my bus at the bus stop and the only thing that saved me from the rain was the only tree on the whole damn street. Its leaves have almost all fallen off and only a couple of leaves protected me as best they could, and the bus still did not go. Desperate, I was about to go on, and just at that moment I felt that the rain had stopped coming, well, how to say, the drops were still hitting the puddles. I raised my head and saw an umbrella over me, and a man next to me.

- I don't want to bother you, but I don't think bus will come at such a late hour, – said the stranger. His voice immediately sent warmth through my entire body.

- Well.... What time is it now? - I asked, unable to take my eyes off his.

- It's almost midnight - the man replied. – I'm Rafael.

- Midnight? - I ask, surprised. Although knowing my friend, with whom we can talk non-stop, I shouldn't have been surprised.

- Yeap – God, if we are all your children, then Rafael is definitely your most beloved son.

- I'm Y/N - I say softly, holding out my hand to him.

- Nice to meet you, Y/N – he shakes my hand, which makes me think that absolutely his whole body radiates warmth: his eyes, his smile, his hands.....

- Here take this, otherwise you'll freeze completely – he hands me his sweater. And the only thing I feel is the soft material of the sweater and the amazing cologne.

- Thank you – I answer him, wrapping myself in the sweater more tightly.

That's how we met.

Taking off my clothes and throwing it outside, I went into the bathroom. I turn on the water and.... Cold. Wait… It's a hot water faucet....I turn the faucet in the other direction and there is also cold water.

- Great.... Just wonderful. Now I will definitely shake myself to death from cold and damp – I spread my hands comically, sigh heavily and go to the bedroom to find something that will help me warm up.

Sweater. The same sweater. His.

It is still as soft and pleasant as it was that night.

Rain. Street. Night. And he.

I wrap myself up in it as much as possible, and move into bed to warm up. Without noticing, I fell asleep.

- Honey – I hear a quiet whisper.

- Rafa – I answer half-asleep and open my eyes. The darkness does not allow me to see his face, but I know every detail of him even without the light.

- I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you up, you were sleeping so sweetly – he runs his hand through my hair and kissed me on the head.

- It’s okay, I wanted to wait for you, but I fell asleep – I stretch out my arms to him so that he would join me.

Rafa succumbs to my charms and crawls onto the bed. Comfortably placed.

I am under the blanket, hugging his torso and putting my head on his shoulder and he is hugging me with his left arm around my waist, and with his right arm around my shoulder.

- Is this my sweater? - he grins.

- Yes

- Why?

- I was returning from work when it started to rain. I wanted to take a bath, but there was no hot water, so I had to put on your sweater – I answer him.

- Is that all?

- Of course not, I remembered the day when we met, I was also soaked and frozen to the bone. How you gave me, a stranger, your sweater and how this day brought you and me what we have now – I feel movement from his side and lift my head.

- You look better in my clothes than i do – Rafa kisses me on the cheek and nuzzles my neck – Always.

- I love you – I answer him stroking his hair.

- I love you too, Y/N – looking into my eyes, he says and kisses me on the lips.

For the sake of such moments, I am ready to catch raindrops every day, so that I can wrap myself in his clothes and his warm body.

#rafael barba #rafael barba x female reader #law and order svu #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba x you

[yuanshenexplorer]

"Thank You. Signed..."

Pairing : Wriothesley x Neuvillette Warning : Boy x Boy, Angst (at the beginning) This Pov (even if it's more like an one shot) was inspired by « The DJ is crying for help » by AJR ! Even if it don't really fit the lyrics X) Number of words : 1 476 (Not too bad, I'd say) Hope you’ll like it ! ^^

A subdued light filtered through the few gaps left by the blinds on the closed windows of his home, barely illuminating this room of scattered belongings, unmade bed, and where a dark silhouette stood in a fetal position. He had hidden his face between his arms and, behind a cascade of white hair, was holding back tears. The rain was falling hard outside, as if echoing Neuvillette's malaise, reduced to a huddled, shabby-looking form. In front of him, crumpled and sometimes torn leaves were spread out. A malevolent reminder, circling him like a vulture in front of a carcass.

Another day's work over. Again.

A day worthy of hell. A day of incessant mockery, disgusted glances, sickening insults. Why so much hate? Why be so angry with him? He hadn't done them any harm… Or had he… Maybe once he'd made them suffer…

When the truth had hit their discomfited faces, a truth that disgusted many. This way of being, this attraction, perhaps too different from the others, had upset his way of working. Neuvillette couldn't take it anymore. A tear rolled down his pale cheek, and a bolt of lightning tore the sky in response. In a rush, almost madness, he lunged for his table, his only escape. He grabbed his violin, wedged it under his chin and, without waiting any longer, began to play his heart out. He poured streams of emotion onto those strings.

Surely he'll be receiving complaints the next day.

Surely someone will be banging on the walls, yelling at him to stop. But for once, he wanted to let go. No matter the insults, no matter what will happen tomorrow.

Tonight, he was letting himself go.

Only much later did his instrument stop emitting melancholy wails. When the storm outside stopped roaring, and the rain had finished flooding the streets and accumulating his sorrows. He had no strength left. His energy had been drained, by this rain, by the sounds of his violin, now resting in its place.

He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room, his ears still ringing with the shrill melodies of his instrument. And so, his face framed by his tangled white locks, his cheeks still red from crying, his eyes itching uncomfortably, he fell asleep, praying for a better day.

The next day was no exception to the rule: he woke abruptly, torn from the comforting world of dreams by a violent pounding on his door.

When he opened the door, his face half asleep, his hair a mess, his elegant figure cowering like a defenseless animal, his imposing form looking shabby.

He had a moment of total incomprehension, why hit his door with such force?

Oh…

His violin…

"Would it be possible not to have to endure your music for a week?"

Of course… He must have expected it.

Neuvillette looked at him neutrally. The face of his apartment neighbor came to him like a blurred face, with distorted contours. His constricted throat refused to let out the slightest sound.

Yet he had to apologize. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

"If this keeps up, I'll have to report you. You're annoying everyone with your racket."

His gray, storm-sky gaze darkened. Was he going to be homeless too? That was condemning him to a slow death without comfort.

As he forced himself, his throat tugging at him to try to get out just simple words, a door opened beside them, accompanied by a disgruntled growl.

"What's all that noise?"

An imposing man with tousled hair stepped out of his apartment, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. His sharp eyes glared at the man with the deafening complaints.

"Isn't there any way we can have a quiet morning? I don't need anyone yelling, people yell enough at my work."

His gaze turned to Neuvillette, who was watching him with a worried expression. He too was about to get angry with him. They'd both gang up on him. It was all over.

Yet his neighbor's icy blue eyes only stared at him for a brief moment. A gleam seemed to ignite them for a moment.

What was he waiting for to get angry too?

Did he want him to feel guilty too?

Yet, contrary to what they'd all hoped, for once, Neuvillette didn't blame himself. He wasn't sorry.

So he maintained the contact between them, without flinching, even though his eyes betrayed his mental weakness.

Suddenly, the man with the jet-black mane let out a simple puff of his nose, which for once didn't sound like mockery.

"Nice music last night. Personal composition?"

The man with the long white hair blinked. He'd imagined every conceivable scenario, but what about this one?

He hadn't expected it at all.

"T…Thanks…?"

His voice came to him like a squeak, as if he were regaining the use of speech after years without speaking.

When he looked more than a little surprised, the man next to him could only smile in amusement. His gaze went cold, however, as he turned his head towards the other man, who remained frozen.

"To what do I owe the honor of these unpleasant cries on a Saturday morning?"

The man said nothing, stammering inaudible words.

"No longer able to say anything?

He sighed, crossing his arms.

-Let the poor guy decompress from his days, he's got a right to have passions, hasn't he?

-Y-Yes, but…

-You're the only one it bothers. I don't get the impression you really thought about our sleeping hours when you had the music cranked up on your speakers."

Surely out of arguments, the man turned away from his two neighbors, and left, uttering a string of expletives. The man with the icy eyes sighed, resting one shoulder against the wall.

"We shouldn't hear too much more about it in a while.

-Thank you...

-That's a lot of thanks for me," the man pointed out, smirking.

Neuvillette froze slightly. It was true that it had been a long time since he had thanked anyone else.

"You'd better believe I'm in a good mood…" surmised the white man.

-Even after being woken up by such an energetic fellow?" the other pointed out, frowning.

-I guess so… Sorry to have woken you up."

The man chuckled.

Neuvillette suddenly felt nostalgic. It was the first time in a long time that a man had laughed with him and not at him. He'd missed that feeling.

"I was already awake a long time ago, unlike you."

The white man blinked in surprise. The dark-haired man straightened up, his eternal smile pasted to his thin lips.

"On that note…

He turned around.

-I hope to hear you play the violin again soon."

And so he left, waving politely. Unconsciously, Neuvillette followed him with his eyes, attracted by that rebellious hair and soothing aura, which had made his troubles disappear, leaving him in a torrent of nostalgia and well-being - a sensation he'd really missed.

He smiled. Sincerely. Before gently closing the door of his apartment, he headed for his bedroom, glancing at his violin, before cleaning himself up and dressing comfortably for the weekend.

As he dried his hair, enjoying the gentle rubbing of the soft bath towel, he was startled by the unusual sound of his doorbell.

His gray eyes narrowed in concern. Usually, disgruntled neighbors didn't bother to use it, preferring to pound on the door with their fists, even if it meant threatening to damage it.

So he was surprised to hear this high-pitched but gentle sound, instead of the usual deafening crash.

He hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, Neuvillette opened his door, softly, with distrust.

He was astonished, once he'd opened the door wide, to not notice anyone. His foot stumbled over something, and the sound of a bag being crumpled reached him.

He looked down, only to see a white plastic bag and a can of cold tea, where a post-it note had been stuck.

He picked up the package, absently, and picked up the paper on which someone had jotted down a few words in hasty handwriting.

"Every storm needs a clearing. Wriothesley."

Neuvillette remained standing, the can of cold tea in his hand, ignoring the drops wetting his hand, and the cold metal beginning to spread in his palm.

His mind had understood who had dropped off this intriguing gift, and this little message which, to the man with the violin, appeared as words of encouragement.

He returned to his house, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote a message of his own.

He went outside, delighted with his message, and stuck it on his ebony-haired neighbor's ringtone, his smile never leaving his lips.

"Thank you. Neuvillette."

A single thought occurred to him as he closed the door of his apartment, his heart light and his soul relaxed.

Decidedly, that was a lot of thanks for one man.

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) *** (because I'm not qualified enough to write an entire POV by myself X) Sorry if there are mistakes :')) Just a question, am I the only one who is absolutely obsessed with this ship ? ;-; Have a nice day and thank you for reading this ! ^^

#Wriolette #Wriothesley #Neuvillette #Wriothesley x Neuvillette #Modern Au #fanfiction #POV #Genshin Impact

[lyrical-fanfics]

I think it's the food (Ruggie BucchiXReader)

this is part of a series of one-shots that will later tie into a longer series on my AO3. They're meant to be read like the vignettes in Twisted Wonderland, so if you want a sequel please let me know. Also, let me know if you think you know what the dorm the reader is based on!

The reader is not Yuu. The reader is a student at the OC sister school Fantasia College for girls

3rd person POV

Genre: Some fluff, sick care

Fem!Reader

    A light breeze blew behind the hyena beastman as he hung laundry. He happily hummed to himself, not for the joy of the task, but for what was coming. His phone was placed nearby just in case anything went wrong with his delivery, and he had to go fix it. He waited eagerly for a voice that was sweeter than summer rain, a voice that he would protect fiercely just so its owner continued to make deliveries to him. 

    “Ruggie!” There it was. There was that beautiful voice. 

    And his source of leftover catered food. 

    (Name) came walking through the dorm like an angel, and the sheets around her were the clouds of heaven. Her cheeks were cut by a smile that he had gotten all too used to, and in her hands were the fruits of labor he didn’t have to endure. He quickly rushed over to her, restraining himself from digging around the food that was balanced on trays in either hand. He instead elected to grab one of the trays of leftovers and carry it to a collapsible table he had set up. 

    “So what do we have today?” He watched over (Name) as she placed down the two platters, and removed the lids. “Score! Sandwich and salads! Nice! We can totally take these apart and save the materials to put back together later! Oh! Plus soup!” (Name) laughed as he excitedly scavenged the food that she had brought, setting down her bag full of silverware and dishes. 

    “I hope you like it, Jamie had me make most of it,” (Name) smiles as Ruggie had already begun to dig in before she could even take out a plate for him. She joined him by his side at the food, and he replied by handing over a sandwich to (Name). Their ritual was set in stone, even if (Name) was responsible for catering an event, she would always wait to eat until Ruggie got his fill. 

    “Of course I do! You make some pretty good stuff, (Name)!” Ruggie smiled as he chewed, appreciating and thanking the deal he had with her. 

    For months now, the Ruggie had been getting leftovers from events and meets that (Name) would usually try and get her dorm to eat, resulting in her usually having to throw out a good amount of food. She never felt good about it, and she always ended up eating the same things several days in a row before having to throw out the rest. With this, she didn’t have to throw out food, and Ruggie’s appetite was voracious. He was also a pro at making food last a long time, and storing food for long periods of time. 

    “Thank you, I made the soup myself, the sandwiches and salads aren’t anything special!” (Name) finally got a bowl in Ruggie’s hands, which he immediately filled by pouring soup from a container she brought. His smile caused her cheeks to rouge a bit, and his excitement filled her with light feelings of appreciation. 

    “You make really good food regardless” Ruggie slurped soup without care and smiled at (Name). These times were some of the most special to him. He loved when he got to spend time with (Name) like this… because of the food obviously. He thought. Maybe. He didn’t quite know yet, but he definitely liked the food. Until he figured it out, he protected that time with claws and teeth. He guarded her against the students who hung around the Savanaclaw dorm, anyone who would harass her from delivering the food he so desperately loved. 

    After cleaning up, (Name) helped out with the laundry. She had left for the day early, as she had suddenly felt very tired. Ruggie didn’t think much of it, as he was thinking about the catering that was going to happen the next day, as Barbhandel, the sister dorm to Savanaclaw and the dorm that (Name) was part of, often held many sports practices due to the layout. Barbhandel was the dorm of sports and often held indoor sporting events when things got a bit too cold on campus. (Name), being the Vice-housewarden and the elected mother of the dorm, she was often left with plenty of leftover food. Especially since she had made a good chunk herself. 

    The next day Ruggie waited as he normally did. He texted (Name) where he was going to be. He was going to be cleaning Savanaclaw that day, and he started early to ensure he had enough time for the ritual he cherished. He fantasized about it slightly, thinking while he worked about the food that (Name) would have today. All he knew is that it was something to be leftover from the Archery club. Probably something light and fancy, as the members of the Archery club, were all rather stuck up. He also wondered what (Name) would say that day, but he pushed down that thought over his more selfish desires for food. 

    He finished up and waited in a predetermined spot, just at the entrance of the Savanaclaw dorm lounge. He had a childlike excitement and patiently waited for a few minutes before becoming concerned. He finally checked his phone and found a message from (Name), but he was interrupted by a bag being shoved in his face. 

    “Here.” the curt voice called, causing Ruggie to instinctively grab the unexpected delivery. He peered over the top of the paper bag he was given and spotted a girl that wasn’t his beloved (Name). 

    “Allie? What are you doing here?” Allie Thyme, a girl with a sharp toothy frown and all-around punk aura. Her blunt-cut, two-tone bangs and sneer made her extremely intimidating, but she fit right into the Barbhandel dorm. 

    “I’m not in charge of telling you. Look at your texts dumbass.” Just as fast as she shoved his leftovers toward Ruggie, she walked off without even saying goodbye. Ruggie sneered at the receding Allie before checking his phone. It was hard to believe that she came from the same dorm as the sweet (Name). He found the text that Allie was referring to, and quickly read through (Name)’s words. 

    Hey! I’m sorry, I ran a fever this morning, but I’m sending Allie over with the food I promised! Sorry if she gets lost!

    Ruggie pouted slightly before shrugging the inconvenience off. Free food was free food, right? Nothing to worry about. The food is what made the moment special. 

    He didn’t notice it himself, but his excitement was slightly tempered. He wasn’t as happy or joyous about the food that was given to him. He dug into the bag and found food of the exact quality he was expecting, but something was off. It wasn’t because of the age, or the quantity, everything was perfect, but there was something missing. 

    After a few bites in, Ruggie had tried every combination of blending bites, seasoning, and sauces provided, but nothing was working. It was filling, but it wasn’t satisfying. Ruggie let out a large sigh before putting away the food. Something was missing. He couldn’t find joy in the free food as he normally did. Sure, his wallet was happy, and his stomach was full, but the satisfaction just wasn’t there. 

    He found himself later in the day at (Name)’s dorm. The lack of satisfaction had followed him all throughout the rest of his chores, all through his schoolwork, and even into his free dinner. Clearly (Name) had some sort of seasoning or sauce she forgot to send in the leftovers she brought over so often. There was something he was missing. It wasn’t her cooking, even if all the flavor notes were there. After all, the free food is all he cared about, right? 

    While most of the girls were confused as to why Savanaclaw’s number one errand runner was there, they all happily pointed to (Name)’s room. Most assumed he was there to run her an errand. Some assumed he was her boyfriend coming in to finally take care of her. Some even gave him a dirty look as to why he wasn’t there sooner. Others gave him dirty looks and wondered what he could possibly need from (Name). 

    He came to (Name)’s door and gave it a knock. The outside of the dorms in Barbhandel was decorated wonderfully with a pirate motif. (Name)’s room in particular had a rather cutesy skull and crossbones on it over the more menacing counterparts on other dorms. The entire dorm seemed to acknowledge her sweetness. Ruggie perked up when he heard shuffling inside before the door opened in front of him, revealing a feverish (Name). She looked up confused at Ruggie, who only gave her a wave in response. He did his best to ignore her status, but it was hard to not hold some concern for her red cheeks and tired eyes. 

    “Oh, Ruggie! Did you need something? Did Allie not deliver the leftovers?” (Name) bundled the blanket around her closer to her body. She stifled a sneeze with her blanket corner. 

    “Oh, no, she delivered it,” He began to feel somewhat guilty coming to her, and his goal was muddled in his head. Why was he here? He almost wanted to tuck his tail and run from her, but that satisfaction he was looking for felt close. “I came here to check on you, got your text.” No, he wasn’t. He was here entirely for his own reasons. He wasn’t here for anyone but himself and his selfish desires, but he just blurted it out. 

    “Oh, thank you, please, come in. It’s cold out here in the hallway.” (Name) then shivered at an invisible chill that Ruggie did not feel in the slightest, highlighting how she felt. She was none the wiser of his true reason to be there. Her sweet demeanor and faith in Ruggie made him slightly sick. She really did believe anything that came out of his mouth. Even if for the past few months he had just been using her for food, did she really believe he was there because he cared? 

    He followed in after her, making himself comfortable immediately in her space by finding a chair, but she immediately plopped down on her bed letting out a slight groan. Her unceremonious action surprised Ruggie, as she usually just laughs off any small discomfort or toughed it out. She was clearly uncomfortable with whatever she had. 

    He felt even more guilty now. Why was he here? Did he really need to pester her over some weird lack of satisfaction? 

    “Oh, Ruggie, good thing you’re here.” She turned her head and smiled. How could she smile like that right now? Why did he begin to feel this way? “I couldn’t finish my dinner, so if you want it you can take it.” 

    Ruggie looked over at a plate of curry. The rice had been fully soaked by the gravy, but the plate still looked warm. Barely a bite had been taken out of it, and that rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. Something about her not eating, and just willingly giving up on the food before even taking more than a few bites bothered him. His grandmother rang out in his head in a way that he had never heard before. 

    “Come on, (Name), you know that’s not enough,” he jumped up from the chair he was in, and gently pulled the plate from the nightstand. Stirring the curry a bit to even the temperature, he scooped a bite before sitting on the edge of (Name)’s bed. “I’ll eat the rest if you eat a little more. Can’t have my free food source go and get sicker on me because you aren’t eating.” 

    (Name) laughed and sat up. She gave a smile that filled something inside Ruggie. It was what he was looking for. “Is that why you’re here? I should have known.” 

    “You got me, come on, open up.” 

    “I won’t have to pay you back, will I?” Despite her question, (Name) clearly was going to pay back in full whatever Ruggie requested. He could tell by her good nature and 

    “You will! But consider it part of our deal, I gotta protect my number one food source after all.” He let out a small laugh before smiling again at (Name) “jeez, you’re too much of a goody-two-shoes, someone might take advantage of that good nature of yours if you aren’t careful.” 

    “I’ll be alright, I know you won’t take advantage of it!” (Name)’s earnestness made his heart flutter just slightly. He wanted to protect that innocence and make her right. 

    While (Name) ate, even if it was just a few bites, Ruggie finally felt that bit of satisfaction he was looking for. He didn’t need to eat in this situation. That joyful innocence and twinkle in (Name)’s eye really brought a flavor to him that he knew he was missing. 

Thank you for reading my fic! If you want to continue to follow this fic series as it gets uploaded, follow it on AO3

#twst x reader #twst imagines #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twst #twst #twisted wonderland #ruggie bucchi #Ruggie #ruggie bucci x reader #Ruggie x reader #Lyric's Vignette Series

[ahedderick]

t   Last night, in the last part of dusk, K and I went out to gather up the chicks and put them in their cage on the porch. I’ll bring them in until they’re big enough to join the adult hens and sleep in the coop.

   I picked up one chick and the bowl of feed (it also would draw unwanted wildlife attention if left out.) I had been feeding them very small quantities, and today I gave them a bigger serving. Of course, within an hour after I gave them that, it poured rain. The pellets in their dish turned to mush. The mush is still edible, in fact it’s probably better for them in terms of keeping them hydrated and digestibility. But - argh! Sudden summer thunderstorms* can be so frustrating.

   K scooped the other two little guys, and we trouped back toward the house. As I walked up to the back door, Something hit my foot. Wetly. It then jumped off and through the door into the house.

   Ack! Toad attack. It was a small, feisty one, disoriented by the sudden light and hopping every direction at once. My hands .  were.  FULL and I didn’t want to set the chicken down inside the house to deal with a darned toad. K, coming in right behind me, managed to gently herd it back out with what looked very much like slo-mo soccer footwork. I took a slightly-vexed breath and led the way through the house to the front porch.

   Once there I couldn’t get to the cage because a laundry rack was in my way (THAt laundry didn’t get rained on - but it didn’t actually dry either. I was trying to shift the laundry rack without dropping the small chicken or the feed dish when K yelled “SLUGS! the feed dish is covered in SLUGS, Mom!!”

   And it certainly was. I kept my grip. Teeth gritted. Yelled for my son to assist. The laundry rack half collapsed, threatening to send the clean laundry to the floor. The chicken was being remarkably patient and cooperative, but I was literally losing my grip. On everything at once!

   K got her chicks popped into the cage and grabbed mine (no slugs for her, thanks!), A arrived and took the laundry from me. Once again I have provided humor for the family! I feel so good about that! I grumpily put the feed dish down on the porch floor. Those dang slugs can just. eat as much chicken feed as they want. Grr.

   Early this morning I took the chicks, and their slug-ridden feed/mush back out. I put the feed in the adult chickens’ run. The slugs were far too large for chicks to consume (and HOW would you do the Heimlich maneuver on a chicken with a slug stuck in its beak?). The adult chickens, however, regard slugs as the highest form of treat. MeAT’s back on the mENu, bOyS!

   Good morning, and I hope we all have a good and peaceful day.

* did I ALSO have laundry hung out. Yes. Yes I did

#farmblr #women who farm #chicken keeping #backyard chickens #chickens #chicks #farm living

[dokeythings]

| it’s too late | (dokyeom)

*tried something different. it’s depressing, this is your fair warning🤧*

DK Pov:

the rain slamming into the windshield is still somehow not loud enough to snap me out of my thoughts. the threatening grey cloud was behind me when i slammed my car door and drove away hours ago, and since then the sun has set and the gates of hell have opened up. i squint my eyes as the lights from the passing cars blind me, their shapes disappearing and only bright orbs remain. i should slow down, 95 mph is too fast in these conditions, i know that. my foot has other plans, being driven by my outraged mind. it continues pushing down on the gas pedal.

the fight replays like a film in my head, every moment torturing me in perfect detail. her raised voice ringing in my ears, and the words sticking to my heart like thorns. it all got out of hand so fast. i didn't even have time to think, only throw out rash words and reactions back.

a loud ding rips through the car, the light from my phone lighting up my face. its from her, i read the preview.

'please just come home, you're scaring me. its not safe out there'

funny. now she's going to care about me? i don't know why its possible now but wasn't possible for the last few months. she's felt like a ghost, like she's been right in front of me but so incredibly out of reach. a chill followed wherever she went, the warmth she used to provide me being stripped from my life without any warning. no acknowledgment. no apologies. just a ghost left among the living. i zone out again.

~~~

"i have been here! i've been here the whole fucking time!" she yells.

liar.

"you left a long time ago. i don't even know you anymore y/n! you come home from work and its quiet dinner alone, then lights out. you spend your weekends working or with your friends. you never ask about my day despite me constantly caring about yours. theres no more going on dates and no more coming home to sweet surprises on the kitchen counter. you don't come to watch my practices anymore. you don't ask about the guys or how they're doing, even though they are everything to me and you know that 95% of my daily life is with them. its like you never want to be alone with me. you barely even touch me! jesus do you even love me anymore?" i yell.

"of course i fucking do! i have other things to do besides sit here all day and dote over you dokyeom, i'm sorry if that upsets you" she scoffs, throwing her hands up.

"you used to love hanging out with me. you used to be the most romantic person i had ever met, all my friends were so happy for me that i finally found someone who wanted that as much as i did. now they keep asking me if we are even together anymore. i don't understand what happened. why am i invisible now?"

"maybe you should just tell them we aren't together anymore then, make it easier for them" she replies, her eyes turning a dark shade i've never seen before. i don't know where she's gone, but she's not the woman i fell in love with. i know she's still in there somewhere.

is this really it? just like that?

~~~

the rain pours down harder, if that's even possible. the wheels no longer have a grip on the ground, but for some reason i can't seem to care. just keep driving, i think. just keep driving until everything goes away. life's been hurting too much. i would prefer numbness at this point. constantly having to be the happy one is exhausting. being the one who lightens up the mood. the one who checks on everyone else before myself. the one who goes home to a girlfriend who has nothing to give me anymore.

i'm alone.

the wheel jerks in my hands, my heart races, but i gain control quickly.

another text chimes in. if its her, i don't want to read it. but my eyes dart over to the name.

seungkwan.

i smile blissfully for a moment. they are something worth living for. the memories i've had with them swirl through my head. i grew up with them, i came alive with them. they are everything i have. when y/n's light left my life, theirs never dimmed. live for them, i think.

why is your location off? y/n is freaking out.

another chime.

okay, WE'RE freaking out! all of us. please come home you're scaring us a lot

despite all my efforts, i'm sure they have noticed my aura being off recently. my smiles appear a little less, my jokes being few and far between. i try to keep them happy as best i can, but i'm sinking as i do so. i'm drowning while keeping everyone else afloat.

y/n.

my second other half of me.

my mind drifts to the years of memories we've had before the last few agonizing months. they were perfect, absolutely perfect. she showed me parts of myself i never knew i had. my blood is still boiling, but my lips curve up against their will. i love her so much.

but she doesn't love me anymore. she ended it. all those years and growth gone in a minute.

the car slides over the rain, a car beeps at me when i cross over to their lane.

a new sound rings out from my phone. y'n is calling me. my hand reaches up to answer before my brain can aid me against it.

immediately she speaks, her voice straining and hoarse in a way i've never heard before.

"baby? baby oh my god thank god you fucking answered. where are you? i'm so sorry baby please just come back. let's talk. i don't want to lose you, i love you so much. please come home baby" she cries. from the tone in her voice i can tell she's scared for me. for my mental state. for my impulsivity that sometimes gets the best of me.

the rain is so loud that even over it hitting my car i can hear it pounding on our roof at home through the phone.

our home. the safest place in the world. i won't leave her there alone. we can fix this. this is not going to be one of those moments where i give up. where i take the easy way out.

"i'm coming home" i breath out, forcing myself into the decision. tears threaten my eyes. my throat tightens.

i turn the car around as quickly as i can, speeding up as i head back home. i go even faster now, i can't wait any longer. i'm tired of running. from myself, from her, from everything.

she's still on the phone. neither of us wants to hang up.

it's quiet.

the rain is so heavy that the windshield wipers can't keep up. i can't see. i can't see anything.

pull over. fucking pull over! i don't want to die anymore, i think.

bright lights shine through the window, penetrating the rain drops. i can't even tell where they are coming from.

i squint. i keep driving. i just want to go home.

the lights are brighter now, closer. the rain lets up for a second, and the windshield wipers catch up. the window is clear.

the sound of a horn being laid on pierces my ears. a truck is in front of me. directly in front of me. in my lane.

i don't make a sound, i don't do anything. i can't do anything.

the impact feels like something i could have never even imagined in my worst nightmares. the car spins repeatedly over and over, the sound of the rain luring me into the darkness. then the pain goes away. i feel nothing. i'm numb. god i wish i didn't wish for this numbness. i take it back! is it too late to take it back?

the image of y'n flashes in front of my eyes. i smile once more.

i'm sorry, baby.

everything's black. everything's silent.

"dokyeom?? dokyeom answer me. answer me please! baby! no. NO!!!!" her screams echo through the phone.

it is too late.

#dokyeom fluff #dokyeom imagines #dokyeom x reader #seventeen #dokyeom #dokyeom fanfic #lee seokmin #dk #svt dk #svt seokmin #dk darkfic

[ranger-ribbons]

Soft prompt~

“It’s always been you” - Jake/Noah

Yes please and thank you! Happy Valentine's day, everyone!

~

It's raining. Of course, it is, Jake thinks. Just like every single romance movie Gia conned him into watching. It's okay, of course, Jake doesn't mind. If Jake is going out soaking wet, maybe it'll prove how much he means what he's about to say because Jake hates going out in the rain.

Jake raps on the front door, confident that his intended target would open the door. The Carvers parents didn't have a good relationship with their youngest son. Sure enough, the light over the porch flicks on and someone calls through the door, "Who's there?"

"Noah, it's me!" Jake calls back.

Noah doesn't hesitate to open the door. His shark bow gun is in his hands, shoulders relaxing. "Hey," he says with a smile.

Jake smiles back, fond and forlorn. "Noah," he says seriously, "I gotta talk to you."

Noah frowns, but puts down his main weapon of choice. "Okay," he replies. "Come inside."

Jake shakes his head. "No, it can't wait. I have to tell you now."

Noah raises an eyebrow, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him, but not coming off the porch. He stands in a blue, long-sleeved shirt and star-patterned pants with no socks. He stands with his arms cross, cold in the chill of the rain. "What's wrong, Jake?"

"Noah," Jake says, stepping back into the rain. "Noah, I have to tell you something." He pants, suddenly breathless under the weight of everything he wants to say, everything that wants to come flooding from him heart to pour from his mouth. "And I should've said it a long time ago, but I didn't know then. Please forgive me, Noah, I didn't know."

Noah looks scared now, eyebrows furrowing and eyes misting behind thick, plastic-framed glasses. "Jake, you're scaring me." Which isn't easy to do, Noah walked into a battle terrified and faced off against the Warstar's strongest monsters, only to come out of the battle swinging and fight off the monsters still feasting on the fear of the helpless.

"Noah," Jake says with a smile. "Noah, I love you." The weight of the words lifts, fluttering into the air like wings, giving Jake the ability to tell Noah everything he feels. "I love you," he repeats, "and I have since the moment we met, but I didn't know it then. All these years, I've chased after a girl I though had my heart because I mistook love for friendship. I could've told you a long time ago." Jake laughs a little. "Noah, when you told me that the monster's arrows didn't work on people already in love, you meant yourself, right? That you were in love with me?"

Noah nods softly. Jake knows it had broken Noah's heart to admit that, he'd seen the heartbreak in Noah's eyes.

"I didn't know it, but I'd been hit too. When I fell after Cupitor hit me, it tagged me with its arrow. You were the first person I saw, Noah, and it didn't work to make me all love-dovey like those kids in the park. Noah, I love you." Jake holds out his hand palm up, let's his best friend - his Blue - make the decision to move forward or not. "It's you, Noah," he murmurs, just above the rain, "it's always been you."

Noah sniffles. "You're not messing with me, right?" he asks. "'Cause I couldn't take it if you are."

Jake shakes his head. "No, Cupitor was destroyed. It's magic is gone. I really mean every word I'm saying."

Noah reaches out hesitantly, arms slowly unfolding like if he made contact, this would all be a dream, and Jake would disappear, dripping away like the rain alongside Noah's heart. Noah's hands are cold when he finally takes Jake's hands. Megaforce Blue steps out into the rain - the rain he loves, but Jake hates - and stands with Jake, getting soaked from head to toe the same as Jake is doing.

"Noah, if you'll let me, I'd like to make up for the years we could've been together," Jake whispers.

Noah's lips quirk, just a minute pull on the corner of his lips before a real smile breaks out across his face. "Yeah," he replies, "I'd like that."

Jake grins, then slowly leans in, once more letting Noah make the next move. Noah surges up to meet Jake’s kiss, throwing his arms around Jake's neck. Megaforce Black catches Noah without hesitation. You know... maybe those romance movies where onto something every time they showed a kiss in the rain.

~

@estel-eruantien I love my boys so much, dude. Thank you!

#power rangers #power rangers megaforce #power rangers super megaforce #ask #mutuals #estel eruantien #thanks estel! #writing prompts #soft prompts #fluff prompts #jake holling #noah carver #noah carver/jake holling

[megarywrites]

find the word tag game

tagged by @writingbyricochet (thanks!) and mine were: brilliant, sparkle, charge, and feather. all of mine will be taken from Seafoam, ofc

I'll tag: @thewriteflame @isherwoodj @caitlinbirenbaum @daisywords and @pinespittinink and your words will be: near, necessary, need, never, and news

brilliant

“You don’t have to use any of the hammocks if you don’t want to,” she said as she smoothly slid into the one woven from frilly, olive-green algae. “Some of the others sleep wherever they want. But I really like having my own designated space to retreat to.” I swam a little further up, to the one strung across the beams just above hers. It was made from what looked like a ship’s sail, only it had been dyed violet. At one point, it had probably been a brilliant shade, but after however long it had been submerged in the saltwater, its vibrancy had been greatly diminished.

sparkle(ing)

The sky was devoid of clouds on a day that it should have been raining. The sky was blue and clear, the sun’s warmth beating down on us, its light sparkling on the sea. Even my downcast gaze was not enough to keep the too-bright light from glaring in my eyes. The bells in the latridom started to chime as we stepped onto the cobblestone lane, the Stoli moving out from behind us, flanking our sides to keep the on-lookers and well-wishers from approaching. My chin quivered as I held my head high, willing myself not to cry. Not quite yet. Ma’s steps faltered and I slowed as the Stoli on her side reached out, holding her up. Stroking her arms and back and veil-covered hair.  “Ma,” I whispered, offering her my hand to hold.  Her trembling fingers slid between mine, and I squeezed her hand tightly before I started us walking again.

charge

Dinner for the captains was already plattered by the time we arrived. The Sorma directed us to our places, and I was in charge of serving the vina tonight—a honey-gold vina to accompany the main course, and a pale violet vina that smelled of ender blossoms for the dessert. I could feel Zeno’s gaze on me for the majority of the night, but I didn’t pay him any mind, until he kept moving his goblet out of reach. If Geros hadn’t had been there, I would have smacked the back of his head and grabbed the goblet myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grinning at me when I shook my head slightly.  “Am I annoying you?” he asked softly when he finally relented and I started pouring the violet vina into his crystal goblet.  I glanced up the table, finding Geros deep in conversation with one of the other men. Something about Jou’eou refusing to trade with Grea anymore. “Of course,” I whispered back, being careful to barely move my mouth and give my speech away. His chuckle filled my ear as I moved away and onto Omero.

feather(y)

“Please, let’s head to my home. You can ask all the questions you wish along the way.”  She started forward, wriggling her nearly glowing teal tail to propel herself, the spiny, feathery fins waving around with each smooth movement. I tried to kick my feet, but they moved as one. Were my feet still bound? Again, I attempted to move, but when I looked down to inspect what was the matter, my hair bushed fluidly in my face until I frantically pushed it away.  A tail. I had one, too.

#tag game #excerpt: seafoam #wip: seafoam #mc: thala galanis #sc: solera aurado #sc: mitapi galanis #sc: zeno kokinos #sc: geros kyriaku #tc: omero kokinos #sc: mitha #quite the range today i feel like #the first one is the only one i've shared before i think

[allthewriteplaces]

Magnolia In May ~ Chapter Eight.

Chapter Summary: Just a typical morning in the Shelby household, with lots of fun and of course rain.

Chapter Warning(s): None. Just Tommy smoking.

Word Count: 4992

Chapter Eight

Rain poured softly out the window, the gentle pitter-patter rousing me from sleep. The curtains were drawn and the only source of light came from a tiny crack in them. I felt one arm draped across my waist, and memories from the day before came flooding in like a tidal wave. I turned over onto my side and saw Thomas laying beside me. He still looked the same as he did when I fell asleep — still the same sharp haircut, smooth, perfect skin, sharp eyes, and his body looked like carved stone, the muscles and scars standing out in harsh relief.

Closing my eyes, I could imagine my fingers tracing along the ink of his tattoos.

He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, like all of the burdens and trauma that he’d carried with him for his entire life, melted away. My eyes were locked on his lips, still soft. I wasn’t sure if I should try and kiss him to wake him up, or if I should just continue to admire him like this for a few more moments.

I decided I would go to my room and get dressed, knowing Ruby and Charlie would need to be getting dressed soon, but the second I had contemplated this, he stirred and I closed my eyes again, pretending to be asleep. I’m not sure why, but I really didn’t want to be caught staring at him the way I was.

Propping himself up lightly onto his elbow, lying on his side and facing me on my back, he raised an eyebrow, as though he were coming out of a dream himself and then looked down at me through heavy-lidded eyes. “Morning, sweetheart…”

His voice was a whole octave lower and it was a lot rougher too, no doubt from the smoke, I thought. His packet of cigarettes was still on his bedside table, along with a bottle of whiskey and a glass.

Sweetheart? The nickname sounded like poetry coming from him and I could detect a flutter in my chest. He had such a calming presence, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked into his eyes, those deep, sparkling blue eyes that held so much passion and intensity. He was like a flame, all warmth, light, and intensity that could easily burn you but that you still couldn’t resist.

“Well, do you like what you see?” Thomas looked up as I entered the room and the smile on his face widened into a grin as his eyes lingered on my body, but his gaze seemed to be filled with amusement and playfulness instead of something more vulgar, like the secret glances we traded at the dinner table. I decided to chalk it down to nothing more than his natural playfulness and charisma.

No matter how hard I tried to push those feelings down beneath the surface, they kept popping up again and the blush on my cheeks increased. And it certainly didn’t help that I was practically undressed in front of him. My parents would be rolling around in their graves and no doubt my aunt would faint into my uncle’s arms.

I felt my heart race a little bit, but then a little flutter of irritation welling up inside me as I thought about how many women had been in this bed before me, and my mind conjured up more specific details about what had happened inside these very walls.

Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I instead tried to bring myself back to the present moment, ignoring the ghosts of the past that loomed like shadows in my mind. Another smile made its way onto my own face. I advanced toward the bed, sat down on the mattress with my back turned to him, letting my feet dangle off the edge of it.

He took another drag of his cigarette and glanced over at the stockings in my hand as I took them off, placed them on the chair near the door and then timidly crawled up beside him, sitting with my legs curled up underneath my chin.

“Is this how you treat all of the governesses on their first day, or am I just lucky?” I asked, turning my head to face him. The cool air from the window, which was left open to filter out the smell of smoke and whiskey, sent goosebumps along my bare arms.

“It’s how I treat all the cute ones,” he drawled, his voice a bit deeper and raspier than it normally sounded, possibly because of the smoke, and I thought I could detect a spark of flirtatiousness there, as well. Then his tone turned more thoughtful. “And something tells me you have a lot on your mind, eh?”

His hand slid up the hem of my chemise and his fingertips traced circles on my back and massaged my shoulders. The hairs on my neck stood up, my skin tingled where he touched and my legs clenched together, seemingly on their own. I studied his face, and I studied his.

Silence filled the space between us for a few minutes and I wiggled my toes on the silk quilt. “I guess I’m feeling a little homesick, that’s all. One minute, I was with my aunt and uncle and cousins, and now I am in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t seem real yet, you know what I mean?”

“I can imagine it’d be a lot to suddenly get used to,” Thomas replied with a nod, his tone soft and empathetic, “it makes sense that you’d feel a little overwhelmed, having so much happening so quickly. And you can always talk to me about whatever plagues your mind.”

“I appreciate that,” I said.

He closed his eyes, taking another drag of the cigarette. I watched the clouds of smoke rising up and disappearing from view, as if they were slowly and delicately dissipating all together, and the sight was an oddly soothing and tranquil one. I followed their trail as they evaporated in the air and then eventually grew weaker and finally disappeared, and I felt a peaceful serenity wash over me, like I had just witnessed something magical. I turned to Thomas. His eyes were closed and his chest gently rose and fell. He was completely relaxed.

I would later learn that what drew him to smoke and drink was that it calmed his anxieties about his family and their futures. It also calmed the anxiety he picked up at work. I didn’t know the exact details of his job, he had never said too much about it other than it was a risky business and he’d lost many people because of it, including Grace and Lizzie. It always seemed that no matter how noble his intentions were, the repercussions would always come to bite him in the behind.

“You should try it,” he suggested, holding it out to me, “It works wonders.”

“Maybe some other time,” I answered, politely declining the offer.

“Smart girl.” He put it back between his lips.

“Daddy!” A little voice joined in the conversation and I looked toward the door to see Ruby running over to the bed. I looked over at Thomas who nodded, putting it to the side and I lifted her up.

“Come here,” he chuckled softly and she crawled over to him. Charlie came running in and the bed bounced as he got on and wrapped his arms around his dad. I heard Thomas laugh and he used all of his strength to sit up, then in a turn of events, the cards were flipped and their squeals echoed off the walls as they tried to escape their father’s grip. The three of them wrestled each other on the bed, giggling.

It was an adorable sight, to see them laughing and playing together like this. I couldn’t help but chuckle along with them, enjoying the simple happiness of the moment, moments like these that made life worthwhile, the simple little joy of spending time with the people I cared about most in the world.

Charlie’s mischievous smile as he looked my way was the first indicator that something was amiss. There’s nothing quite so indicative of a prank than a child looking at you with a little grin on their face and their tongue sticking out just a little bit in a half-smile. I also noticed that both he and Ruby leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. There was a mischievous grin on her face that she tried very hard to hold back. I observed them for a moment and then said, “What are you two up to?”

“Nothing!” Charlie said and then crawled up to the headboard and sat down near my pillow. Thomas gave me a wink, his voice filled with excitement at the mischief that they seemed to be cooking up. He seemed to find the idea that the pair were plotting and scheming against me hilarious.

“Nothing, eh?” I repeated. I sat up and folded my arms across my chest, a hint of a smile on my face as I glanced between them, as though I were trying to figure out which one of them robbed the cookie jar. “Ruby, will you tell me what’s going on?”

Ruby looked to her dad and he shook his head, silently telling her not to say anything. She looked back at me and laid down next to me while giggling. Her beautiful brown eyes, which looked so much like her mother’s they could have been twins, crinkled up.

“No. I’m not gonna tell you,” she said.

I decided to play along with them and I slowly moved past Charlie to get off of the bed. “Well, then. In that case, I should get up. You both have school in a couple of hours and we haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

“Oh, I think we have a few more minutes, right?” said Thomas and both of the kids nodded, their giggles becoming louder. He stalked over to me, making a cage around me with his body and pinning me in place, looking down at me with a wolfish grin. Charlie predicted what was going to happen way before I did and held my hands up above my head and down onto my pillow. Ruby moved away just before she could accidentally get crushed by his strong arms. I was surrounded! I had no way of escape! I suddenly realised just what was going on when he began to lightly dig his fingers into my sides.

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and my eyes closed as a few giggles escaped. I tried to squirm, but it only made the sensations more intense and more unbearable. I reached for his hands and attempted to pry them away, but Charlie’s grip was surprisingly firm as I begged for mercy.

“Oh, mercy? Is that what you want? Where’s the fun in that, eh?” The older man teased. He had a look of pure concentration and focus on his face, as if his entire world revolved around winning at this game and I was just an obstacle that needed to be conquered. Just when I thought all hope was lost, Ruby went over to my hands and pried them free. He gasped in mock outrage and in one swift motion, pulled her into his arms and placed her next to me. “You little traitor!”

I smiled over at her as she shrieked with laughter, trying to turn onto her sides or curl up into a ball like I did, but of course it didn’t help when he had such a hold on her that only made it worse for her. His playful growls as he pretended to gobble her up and her laughter made my stomach do somersaults — the good kind — while I laid down, preparing myself for any sudden attacks.

“Jessie! Help me!” she pleaded through her laughter while his hands scribbled on her stomach and sides and even her little feet. I already planned out how I would rescue her from the scary monster holding her captive.

“What do you say, Jessie? Are you brave enough to take on this monster?” he asked. I got up onto my knees and then attempted to free the little girl. His grin only widened and I knew I’d made a mistake. He released Ruby, not taking his eyes off me for a second. “Oh, that’s how it is, eh?”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, she slid off the bed and ran out of the room, down the hall and down the stairs. She was still in her nightgown, but neither of us cared. Charlie let my hands go again and ran after her. Thomas let out a sigh of disappointment, and begrudgingly remained where he was, tempted to continue their little game, but not wanting the other maids to see him in such a compromising position. Then again, they’d probably like it.

“Guess it’s just you and I now, love,” he said with a smirk, his tone one of bemused good humour. His hands were focused on me again and this time, he was showing no mercy whatsoever. Finally, after two more minutes, he tilted his head to one side before slowly lowering his hands and shaking his head gently. He still had a gleam in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his face, taking particular joy in seeing me lose so decisively to him and as if he was already plotting the next stage, but for now I was finally free from his grasp. I sat up and caught my breath. “Don’t assume you’re off the hook yet.”

He reached back over to his bedside table and looked at his watch. I peeked over his shoulder, noticing a small bullet wound there. It took every inch of my self control not to run my fingers across the scars. Snapping out of my daydreams, I looked at the watch. It was nearly seven o’clock. Lessons didn’t start until eight.

Charlie and Ruby didn’t go to school like the other kids, for obvious reasons.

When Charlie was four years old, he had gone back and forth on deciding whether or not sending him to school would be a good idea, or if he should just hire instructors to come in and teach him what skills he needed to know. On the one hand, he wanted Charlie to be able to socialise with children his own age, and to make friends. On the other hand, sending him to school would be like leading a lamb to slaughter, to leave him exposed to the predators who would surely take advantage of such an innocent and caring young man who trusted and looked up to the adults around him. Not to mention, he’d been taken when he was a baby by someone who the community should have been able to trust and had a very disturbing past. That was (and sadly still is) the irony of it, that the most trustworthy people in the world — priests, teachers, nannies and police officers — are often those who will get away with the most diabolical things.

It was the same when Ruby came along. Would it be better just to keep her here where no one could possibly do her any harm, or would it be alright to send her to school, to trust other adults to take care of her?

The instructors came at least twice a week. They learned reading, writing, arithmetic, history, science, French and Latin in short sessions, which would increase in length as they got older, until noon or later if they had trouble with a particular subject. Frances, myself, or one of the other experienced maids, were to remain in the classroom at all times to supervise and report to him if either of us suspected anything sinister or dubious going on. When noon came around, they’d leave and the children could amuse themselves as they pleased until lunch was ready.

I slid off the bed and started to go out the door, but he motioned me to remain where I was. He then grabbed his coat from the arm of the chair and handed it to me. I put my arms through the long sleeves and rolled them up a little past my wrist. I looked up again and saw a smile on his face. “Imagine the scandal! The young governess, walking down the hall with nothing but her nightdress after coming out of her employer’s room.”

“Won’t it be more scandalous if they see me with your coat?” I countered. The coat went all the way down to my lower knees and the fabric, soft as it brushed against my skin, was masked with the scent of cigarettes and cologne. I probably wasn’t the least bit subtle in inhaling it and allowing it to fill my lungs.

He chuckled softly, crossed the floor and took the bottom button in his hand, sliding it through the hole with ease. I noted how short his nails had been trimmed, some of the edges more jagged than the others, and the smudge of ink between his index and middle finger told me that he’d written something last night before he went to sleep.

Heat crept up onto my face and neck as he continued buttoning the coat and adjusted the collar. His fingers traced the outline of my collarbone, teased the hollow of my throat and stroked my jawline and when he leaned in, his mouth was close enough to graze the shell of my ear. “Perhaps if you had remembered your robe in your haste to sleep with me, as you said, we wouldn’t have this problem, would we?”

The small fire on my cheeks became a blaze.

Forbidden thoughts entered my mind and I swallowed thickly, hoping to chase them away. Standing in front of me, wearing nothing but a pair of black pants, and sweat glistening on his muscles, he looked every bit as handsome as he always did and his blue eyes resembled the sea, untamable, beautiful and dangerous if you got swept up in the current.

“Fair enough. I appreciate the gesture, Mister Shelby. I will be sure to return this to you once I have finished getting dressed.” I took a breath and then stepped toward the door, opening it softly.

“Tommy, love. When we’re alone, you can call me Tommy.” I met his eyes once more. There was so much beauty and danger in his eyes then with a nod, I slipped quietly out of his room, tiptoed down the hall and luckily, no one saw me enter my room and shut the door. I took off the coat and set it down on my mattress for a moment, then I plucked my diary out and turned to the next page. I felt like a teenager who had just got home after sneaking out of the house to see the boy she liked— or in this case, man.

Wait, did I just admit that I had a schoolgirl crush on Thomas Shelby?

Certainly not! That would be inappropriate, especially in a professional setting!

Actresses, musicians, dutchesses, princesses, Mister Shelby could literally have any woman he wanted and no doubt they would feel like a goddess while laying next to him or being kissed and touched by him, so then what makes me think that a man like him could possibly be interested in a simple girl like me? Sure, my family wasn’t exactly poor, my aunt and uncle weren’t struggling for money, but we weren’t rich, either. We didn’t go to the opera or take a boat and travel across the ocean every winter like some of my friends did, we were right in the middle and we were perfectly fine with that.

Still, I couldn’t help but want to make an impression on him, a good one, one that left him wanting to find me in the middle of the night, stand over my bed, skim his hand over the blankets and — yeh, way too ahead of myself! Shaking my head, I lifted the chemise over my head, folded it and put it away in the drawer, then I went into my wardrobe and got dressed. I picked lighter fabrics today since the weather was getting warmer, and then sat down on the bed next to the coat, took out my diary and wrote another entry. I think I should mention that it took me several tries to put the pen down on the paper since my hand was so wobbly.

Tuesday, May 20th 1930.

I didn’t know that Mister Shelby had night terrors until last night. It makes sense. He fought in France just like my uncle Albert did. They were friends back then and they still are now. It was hard watching him struggle, but I talked him through it until he calmed down. Then he asked me to stay with him, which I did, and no, before you get your hopes up, all we did was sleep, unlike in the dream I had last night, but I feel like that’s a bit too personal, even for a diary entry. Anyway, we’re going to the zoo on Friday. The kids are excited and so am I! Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain.

“Jessie!” Ruby came barging into my room. I told both her and her brother that they needed to remember to knock before they came in, and their father reminded them as well, but it must have slipped their mind because of how excited they were about the outing, so I didn’t bother to remind them. Plus, I was dressed now anyway, so it was fine. “Can you teach me?”

“Teach you what, sweetheart?” I asked. I noticed that her nightgown was off and she was still wearing her undergarments. She put the clothes she was carrying down in a nice, neat pile on the bed and then stood next to them, looking at me expectantly. “Oh, you want me to show you how to get dressed by yourself?”

“Charlie can do it, I wanna learn to do it, too.” Girls having positive role models she could look up to and admire was important, and it was clear she looked up to her big brother as a leader, someone who she thought had all the answers and who could teach and help her with things.

“Close the door,” I said and then stood near my wardrobe as I gave out the rest of the instructions. I would let her try and do it on her own and then if she needed my help, I would be right there. We started with the leggings, they were white and the band fit snugly around her waist, then she put the dress on, sticking her arms through the sleeves and she stood in the mirror, smoothing out the crinkles.

“Wait, the shoes!” she cried. “I left them back in my room!”

“Goodness! We’d better go fetch them then,” I said and we both went down the hall to her bedroom. Her shoes, a pair of black Mary Janes, were placed neatly in front of the wardrobe. Without wasting any time, she slipped them onto her feet. She was beaming with pride and the dimples on her cheeks were showing as a result of her accomplishment. “You did it, Miss Ruby!”

“I did it!” She clapped her hands. “I wanna go show Daddy and Charlie!”

“Why don’t we fix up your hair and then we can show them, yeah?”

She nodded and sat down on the chair in front of the mirror. She watched her reflection in the glass as I brushed her hair. I decided to do it in the same style I did with Alice and Marie’s hair, and plait it from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck, then I braided it normally until I had about a couple of inches left, tied it with a ribbon and once I did the same with the other side I set the comb and brush down.

“What do you think?” I asked her and she stood up, turned around and peeked over her shoulder to see just how pretty the braid looked, she smiled approvingly. I heard a small knock on the door and she got off the chair once she saw that it was her father. “Ah, there you are, sir. Miss Ruby was just about to go and find you. She has something she wishes to tell you and couldn’t wait until breakfast.”

“Does she now? Well, it must be important then, is it?” He entered the room, sat down on the end of her bed and his eyes flickered over to mine for a second or two as she made her way over to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling. He tapped his chin thoughtfully and then after about four or five seconds, he dropped his gaze from the ceiling and smiled at her. “Did you grow ten feet tall?”

“No,” she shook her head, her braids lightly slapping her face.

“No? I was sure you were shorter yesterday. Wait, I’ve got it! You finally found that missing toe we’ve been searching for since Sunday.” He gently lifted one of her legs, slipped the shoe off of her foot and pretended to examine it. “Nope. See? I told you if we don’t find it, the monster is going to come for the others.”

“Daddy, I don’t have any missing toes,” she giggled as his finger teased the arch of her foot and then put the shoe back on with ease. “You have one more guess.”

“One more? Can’t I have twenty more?”

“Nope.”

“Fine. Well, I give up then.” He shrugged dramatically.

“Okay, I wanna tell you now. I got dressed all by myself!”

“All by yourself, without any help at all?”

“Frances told me I should. She says I’m a big girl now.”

“Yes, you are a big girl now and Daddy’s so proud of you!”

“Miss Ruby told me she wanted to look all nice for school,” I said.

“And she looks like a princess,” he said. “Come on, your brother’s waiting.”

“Jessie, are you coming with us?”

“You bet I am.” I said and followed the three of them downstairs for breakfast.

Thomas had some business he needed to attend to on Saturday, and the way he spoke about it made it obvious that it was important. Lizzie would be looking after Ruby and Charlie at her place, the house he bought for her with the money he’d stashed away, for the time being. Despite the rocky relationship, as Ruby’s mother, he wanted to make sure she was taken care of financially and that she got to see the children as often as she wanted. While I was getting him dressed, Charlie said that he didn’t exactly picture her as his mum, but he still loved her very much and liked seeing her because seeing them made her happy and no surprise, he put other’s feelings ahead of his own.

Thomas explained this further after the children had eaten breakfast, by saying that when he told Charlie he was going to ask her to marry him, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about it and it took a while for him to warm up to her, even when it was mentioned that he was going to have a new brother or sister, but in his own time, he started to become excited that his dad was getting married and that he was going to be a big brother. When Ruby came into the picture, he vowed that he would keep her safe and gladly take out anyone who threatened to harm her.

It was the same with other children of divorced or widowed parents that I worked with. Some step parents would sometimes come to me and ask me why their step child treated them so horribly: punching, hitting, slapping, biting, swearing or not listening to them when they told them to do something and when I took the child aside and asked them about it, the answer wasn’t surprising. They told me that when they lost their mama (or papa), it felt like someone took a knife and sliced a big piece of their heart.

He also mentioned that after the divorce was finalised, or whatever you call it, he kept all of that anger and resentment inside of him, until the day she packed her bags and left. That’s when it all came spewing out like a volcanic eruption. Frances did her best to console him, but he was having a dreadful fit. Eventually, it was Thomas who took him in his arms, and hugged him, although he fought with him, too, until he stopped crying and calmed down.

“‘She promised,’ he said. ‘She promised she wouldn’t leave.’ I remember he didn’t stop crying, especially because Ruby went with her and they were inseparable, the pair of them. He stayed in his room for the rest of the day. Didn’t say a word to me, or to Frances or to anyone else.” He paused and watched the kids walking hand-in-hand down the driveway, jumping into the puddles and laughing as the mud splashed their raincoats. “For a long time, it was almost as if he was grieving and even when Ruby came back, it took a long time for him to recover.”

“I can imagine,” I said, slipping my coat on and heading out into the rain. “He already lost one mother and then it felt like he was losing another.”

“Perhaps if he met you sooner, he might have recovered faster.” He smiled and I was sure I detected another wink as he opened the front door and we joined the children outside.

#peaky blinders #thomas shelby #peaky blinders fanfic #thomas shelby x oc #tommy shelby #cillian murphy #tommy shelby x oc

[theretirementstory]

Bonjour et bienvenue from a cloudy Bar-sur-Aube where the temperature is only 6c. It has been windy and yesterday did it pour with rain! It was wet inside and outside of my house, I really do wish that on one dry day the roofer will arrive and fix this problem. I can’t see it being done this side of Christmas but I have been wrong before 😉.

So what have I been doing this week? Well it has been week three of radiotherapy so that’s 15 sessions “under my belt” which means there are just two more sessions to go 😁. That gives me the opportunity to plan my Christmas and New Year meals. I think I have decided on the starter, Marinated Goats Cheese with Pears and Walnuts 😋, I think a light dessert too so thought pavlova or meringue with fruit and cream. I was going to have filet mignon (pork) but am contemplating a turkey breast with sage and onion stuffing, bread sauce, roast potatoes, roasted parsnips and sprouts.

The car went to the garage as it had been recalled. I waited the 45 minutes and everything was fine. That was really good news as at the moment I am out in the car every day.

With all the rain and frost we have been having the cyclamen were getting waterlogged and I really don’t want to lose them. I moved them under the laurel bush, thinking it may be a bit drier there for them. The chrysanthemums now have brown heads on the flowers but I have left them where they are.

The other afternoon I came out of the house and running up my driveway was something brown, aaargh I thought a rat then realised it was a hedgehog, what on earth was it doing out in the daylight and should it not have been curled up sleeping for the winter? I managed to get quite close to get a photo (but not close enough to see fleas etc). The next day, about lunchtime, I was going out in the car and saw the young hedgehog again walking along the grass verge, I decided if it was still out and about when I got back I would put it into a box. Well yes it was still pootling around, did I go and get a box, no I didn’t, he looked happy enough “grubbing along the verge” then he decided to cross the road, so standing downwind of him I was the “lollipop lady” I would have jumped in front of a car if it had approached (well maybe). He limboed under a neighbours gate and proceeded down his driveway. Now I had seen this neighbour walking home from the shop so I waited to tell him he had a hedgehog in his garden, he spoke to me as if to a child who had seen it’s first hedgehog 😂😂. My next door neighbour was telling me that they had had a rat in the garden (shiver) and it had come right up to their French doors and stood on its hind legs and looked inside the window (was he winding me up?). Anyway the next he knew there was a BIG hedgehog in the garden seeing off the rat (not into my garden thank goodness) was he “pulling my leg?”

I read “online” (so it must be true) that from 1 January 2024, here in France, food waste is not to be put in your dustbin, it must be composted. Well I will put my fruit and vegetable waste into my own composter but any other waste, bread, skin off meat and fish won’t be going anywhere near my own composter, I hope they have bins in town as, if that’s what they want, I will put it in there. I have been putting the sunflower heads (minus seeds) dead flowers and my vegetable peelings into the composter, not that I expect any grubs, snails etc to be in there to turn them into compost but I can just hope.

Last Sunday I went to the Marche de Noel in Bayel. What a surprise I got when I went into the Salle there were about 30 exhibitors selling all kinds of items, artists with their paintings, authors with their books, of course the association of which the knitting workshop is part, but there were stained glass items, woodworked items and the knitted, crocheted and sewn items. Although not a lot of sales on the knitted, crocheted items a lot of the stained glass items were sold. I found out afterwards that Marlene had been there but we never saw each other. What a shame, it would have been nice to catch up.

On Monday, I got a bit of a shock, according to the newspaper there was a fire at “La Pomme d’Or”hotel/bar, a woman and her daughter were taken to hospital. The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning! On Friday I read that a man in his 50’s had been charged with attempted assassination and destruction of property by dangerous means. Then yesterday I read that the towns Mayor has filed a complaint for alleged theft against his deputy. Blimey it all happens in this town!

Anie is preparing for her trip to Indonesia, I have wrapped her presents and will deliver them when she returns. Monique tested positive for Covid so has not been to see me and she messages that she hopes to visit as soon as she can.

On Friday evening I met Pauline, we went to the travelling exhibition from the Centre Pompidou in Paris which had rolled up in town. I had seen it advertised weeks before and sent the piece from the journal to inform Pauline. What an exhibition! I am not big on art and to wander around a huge place looking at works is overload for me, so this grand camion with the display was perfect, a bite sized chunk not too much to overload the senses. I wanted to take photos of the lights in the street so I drove us back to town, parked by the river and we walked to opposite her grandmas house. I got one photo then we stood talking for goodness knows how long, my feet felt rooted to the spot! I had such a lovely evening that when I got home my mind was just so active and I was on a bit of a “high”.

Music slot puts in an appearance and again it’s two different songs, same title and these two were from the same year, 1979. The title is “Angel Eyes” by ABBA and Roxy Music.

“The Trainee Solicitor” and “The Ex-Graduate” have both felt a little unwell this week, is it a cold, ‘flu or Covid??? “The Trainee Solicitor” waved goodbye to his motor vehicle it has gone to the car graveyard. Good news for “The Ex-Graduate” an interview is on the cards for this week for a “real” job, she is fed up of working this interim job now so fingers crossed.

“The Daddy” had one works Xmas “do” last night, at Sneaton Hall in Whitby. I asked what was on the menu and he had no idea! Blimey me shows where my thoughts lie all the time doesn’t it? Is it a mum thing or just the thoughts of someone who loves food 😂😂.

I had mentioned to Maud that in the New Year we will go to “La Belvedere” again and have already checked out the menu 😂😂.

The cinema in town posted their programme on social media, I noticed that Napoleon was on but not in VO so I emailed and asked if they would be showing it in the original version. They replied that they are showing the film through to 19 December hopefully with a few sessions in VO but they have to get approval for that from the films distributor. Fingers crossed folks!

Last night, I decided to stuff a few dates to put with some chocolates for my ladies at the knitting group on Friday. I also found a recipe for fudge made in the microwave, sounds easy, so I may give it a try this year.

Wow there has been a lot happening this week.

The photos are of the Chateau in Vendeuvre -sur-Barse and taken from the brochure, the painting that I found caught my eye at the exhibition.

Jusqu’à la semaine prochaine

#barsuraube #photography #crafts #vendeuvresurbarse #Centre Pompidou #marchedenoel #70’s music #compostingfrance #nature #trees

[myxsweetxeverything]

{𝓡𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽} 𝓑𝓵𝓾𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓷 {𝓣𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓽/𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷}

Here’s a short, SFW excerpt that’s part of a special request for @sheisthesisterofnight (sorry for the absence, loves! RL has been difficult sadly...). Full version, smut included, will be posted onto AO3 as soon as I am finished 💖

Trent wasn’t sure what had pulled out of dreamland first. It was either the heavy rainfall outside, or the subconscious realization that the other half of the bed was empty. He yawned loudly. “Mariqueen?”

When she didn’t say anything back, he began to worry. He turned on the lamp sitting next to him on the nightstand, and in its warm glow found that was completely alone in the room. Now this was getting worrying. Trent’s eye darted around the room. “Q?” He said as if that would make her magically reappear next to him safe and sound.

All thoughts of fear and horror were swept away when he caught the slightest glimpse at the corner of his eye of a shape through the curtains of the screen door. He turned his head just in time to see an oh so familiar silhouette standing behind the curtains. At that moment, Trent felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Of course - the damn balcony. All that worry and stress when she had been on the balcony this whole time.

He shook his head. Now that he was up, at the very least he should go and see what she was doing up so late.

Slipping out of bed, he groggily stumbled to the sliding door, moved the curtains over and opened the door. Standing wistfully out on the balcony, resting her elbows on the railing, Mariqueen didn't seem to notice him through the pouring rain. The cool night air was so soft he almost didn't notice her hair rustling. Trent quietly stepped closer, not wanting to interrupt her as she watched the rain. When he was close, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, his skin pressing against the sheer black material of her skimpy nightgown.

Mariqueen chuckled when he planted a kiss on her neck. "Hey, sleepy head."

Trent pulled her closer to him and rested his chin on the back of her shoulder. The cold rain splashed against them both. "What are you doing up so late?" He asked. "We have to hit the road early tomorrow." He kissed her neck again, earning him another chuckle.

"I couldn't sleep," She said. "So I went outside."

"Maybe leave a note next time," He said. "I was about ready to tear apart the hotel room when I couldn't find you."

"I thought you said your days of messing up hotel rooms were over."

Trent shrugged slightly. "If it meant finding you, I'd destroy the whole damn building."

"Destruction, how romantic…" She rested her hands over his. A soft humming emanated from her throat as Trent gently swayed her back and forth. It took him a moment to realize that she was humming the lyrics to "Blue Moon".

Staring out over the balcony, into darkness mingling with the street lamps and the rain, it occurred to Trent just how high up they were. Really, really high up. It had only just hit him how tall the 'top floor' was. He wasn't afraid of heights, but the feeling of being that high up, where the ground was so far down and the stars - if obscured by rain clouds and light pollution - were so much closer, was almost unreal. At least he was there with Mariqueen, keeping him grounded in reality, or at least something like it.

Her humming transitioned to singing, her voice soft but still loud enough to hear over the rain.

"Blue moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own…"

He wanted this to last forever. Just them, the night, and the rain.

The singing stopped. Mariqueen gently grabbed his wrists and pulled them down to her hips. Before he could ask what she was doing, she whispered, "Let's get back inside."

Trent nodded. He knew that tone very well.

{𝓣𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭}

#cw: rpf #my works #my fanfic #ship: trent/mariqueen #requests #minors dni

[writingsfromspace]

The First

679 words | from the universe of The Stenotypist & the Dragonslayer

Prompt | Storms and thorns - @flashfictionfridayofficial​

An writing! Would you believe! Little post-canon retelling of a pre-canon story, in which a baby dragonslayer has an Encounter.

»Tell me a story.«

»Hmmm? What?« It was a cozy evening, rain pouring down outside, and Braen was holding Vits in his arms and just about ready to drift off to sleep when Vits jumped the question at him.

»You know… you must have seen a lot. Out there in the forest. You always like telling me about it.«

»Hmmm… Well. A story. Right. Okay.« He paused, until the rain pattering down on the house reminded him…

»This was when I was like - nineteen? Still in training, of course. Just had started accompanying the real adult dragonslayers on their patrols.«

It had begun as a day like any other. The forests were still new and exciting to Braen, but he was too meek to even try to do anything stupid as he trundled along between the two dragonslayers who had been saddled with him. He remembered their names, of course, but they would mean nothing to Vits, so he didn’t bother.

The storm rolled in equally quick and unexpected. »I’d never seen anything like it. One minute, it was all bright and, you know, peaceful, and the next it might have been night. We were kind of protected from the wind between the trees, but… it wasn’t enough. And suddenly it was so quiet…

We were like half an hour from the city, but they determined we weren’t going to make it. So we sheltered in this little clearing, no tall trees, fairly safe from any that might fall, and then the rain started coming down. You probably would have been swept away, shorty.«

»Oh, you wish.«

Braen laughed and squeezed Vits before he continued. »I mean, the water was standing. And of course, lightning, so going back among the trees wasn’t an option, but sitting in water wasn’t exactly ideal either. And that was when I saw my first dragon.«

He knew he didn’t have to impress upon Vits the shock of it. Even with his training, even with the tales the dragonslayers spun for the recruits, he had not been prepared for the black hole appearing at the edge of the forest, its blank white eyes fixed on their little group. It was as soaked as they were, but even so it barely glistened in the low light, its skin swallowing all that was left of it.

They made for the forest, somewhere less exposed to the monster. Braen’s fingers itched to draw his sword, anything to put between himself and it, but he knew, even then, to wait for the command - and the way he was stumbling backwards, in hindsight, even a regular sword would have done more harm than good.

The dragon followed them, on foot, across the clearing, leisurely, as if it knew they couldn’t escape.

The eldest, leading the patrol, brought them to a small gully, enough to protect them from attacks from the side. It was flooded, of course, but the water, although rapid, wasn’t more than knee-deep.

»Kid.« Braen remembered his leader’s deep voice like it had been yesterday. »Back to the city. Run.«

There was no room to argue, although a part of him certainly wanted to; another, though, was glad, oh so glad, to get out of there.

He dashed through the gully. He’d underestimated the water, lost his footing more than once; but he was already soaked from the rain, and he managed to get through, raced through a forest creaking with the onslaught of wind and rain. Thorns tore at him, wet leaves slipped from under him; once his momentum sent him flying into a tree so hard he cracked his nose.

But he made it home, alive.

»And you weren’t scared to go back?« Vits asked, after a long pause.

Braen shrugged. He didn’t like it when Vits acted like he was some kind of hero. Everyone else was already doing that.

Vits rested his head back on his chest. »Well, I am kind of glad your first encounter wasn’t all that much better than mine.«

Braen chuckled, and held him close, listening to the rain.

#writing #writeblr #fff161 #flash fiction friday #flash fiction #thorns and storms #dragon #stenotypist and dragonslayer #vitsorin #braenar #writings from space

[maybedefinitely404]

Raining, Pouring

TW, religious homophobia, vent

Using that name crosses a line for me. You will always be Rachel to me. That is who you are.

No. I will never accept you. Not when you live like this.

Your happiness will fade. And when it does, you call me. Not before then.

Remus let the door close behind him in a daze, sighing as the chattering from inside faded. The lights of the cafe behind him, and the flashing streetlights, guided his footsteps through the puddles dotting the parking lot. Rain plastered his hair to his face. 

There was something oddly comforting about the weather. It wasn’t warm, it wasn’t sunny, and neither was he. Not right now. He let his head fall back, hands tucked against his stomach, and let the water run over his face. Maybe if he breathed in hard enough, he could drown himself in the torrential downpour. 

Before he could give it a try, a car pulled up in front of him. He recognized its rumbling, the familiar stutter and hum of its engine, before he even opened his eyes, and he couldn’t tell if he was more relieved or apprehensive to get in. The conversation he’d just had was rough. He wasn’t in the mood to relay it. 

But he hopped in anyways, thoroughly soaking the seat. The heat was turned high and the gentle pattering on the windshield was a relief. Which was saying something, because Remus wasn’t one to seek out comfort, when the opposite could be so much more fun. Today though, right now, he needed it.

“How did it go?”

Remus let his head roll back on the seat, locking eyes with his partner. “Shit show.”

Virgil sighed. “What you expected?”

“Pretty much. Dear old papà is just as bastardly as we feared.”

The car stuttered and hummed, and pulled away from the curb. Virgil tapped his hands on the steering wheel, pulling off the side road and onto the highway. 

“I assume he doesn’t want to meet me?” He tried for humour.

It worked; Remus laughed. “Not a chance in hell. Said he never wants to meet anyone that ‘supports my lifestyle’.”

Then it all came pouring out of him. Every harsh word, every preached warning, every disappointed scowl and guilt-tripping mess that the last half-hour had put him through.

Virgil listened, and held his hand, and used every expletive in the book to validate his feelings, cursing the man that hurt his partner. It was an hour long drive back home, and Remus used every minute of it, replaying his coming out to his dad. By the end, he felt less numb, but every bit as heavy.

And the rain kept pattering.

Hey y'all, it's Ly. It's been a minute, and of course I make my grand reappearance with a vent. That's very me of me.

My coming out was interesting, to say the least. I'm happier than ever living as my true self, but not a day goes by where I don't miss those who shunned me, and those it took from me. I'm trying to build myself back up with things I love, and one of those is writing. Let's hope I can come back kicking soon.

In positive news, I have top surgery in two weeks!

#not doing my usual tags #this is more for my followers