#join me as i draw the spiky child once a day

[ahatintimepieces]

Fabric Hearts

Remember the first part of that build-a-bear au I wrote for @smieska-draws? It’s back! But now the au name makes sense! Imagine!

Luka, known as the Snatcher to most of the mall locals, runs the Kraft-a-Kid while his daughter, Hattie, runs around with her friends. There’s definitely nothing suspicious about Luka. The rumors that he snatches the souls of children and stuffs them into the dolls are completely unfounded. Probably. Most likely. Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’s fine.

This is, of course, another au that Smieska and I both developed and like to swap ideas for SO send her your love and adulation because I couldn’t have written this without her ;o; <333 Here’s the link to the piece she did for first part if you haven’t seen it yet (which u should because it’s fabulous and incredible). Without further ado, here it is!

Words: 4,131

The door squeaked open as Luka recorded the number of tiny, elastic collars with bright bells in the back.

“Dimitri can’t make it today,” he warned without looking up from his clipboard. His golden gaze flickered up towards the boxes filled with cotton stuffing and he quickly counted them as footsteps approached. “If you get a sudden influx of customers, come grab me.”

“It’s me, Dad,” Hattie’s voice came from right beside him.

“Did I stutter?” He glanced down without missing a beat. She gave him a deadpan stare as he grinned. His sharp canines glinted in the unnaturally bright florescent lights. “Come on, kiddo. How about you help me with my business endeavors instead of frittering away your summer romping around the mall?”

She readjusted the brim of the top hat she made from her millinery lessons at the fabric store. Why his child fixated on hat-making out of everything she could have taken an interest in was beyond him but even he had to admit her royal purple top hat was well crafted.

“I’m going with Belle and the others to get lunch at the food court,” she said, ignoring his jesting. “Can I have money?”

“You know if you had a job you wouldn’t need to be asking me,” he lamented dramatically before wedging the clipboard between his arm and side. He reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his slacks.

“I’m not even twelve.” She blinked up at him with large blue eyes. “There are child labor laws.”

“Excellent.” He nodded, opening his wallet. “Don’t let anyone in the mall convince you otherwise. But,” he slipped out a bill and gave her a pointed look, “if you accept this, you have to do me a favor.”

“I already cleaned the bathrooms last weekend,” she whined.

His grin widened.

“Tough luck, kiddo.” He twisted the bill in the air, watching her nose scrunch as she seriously weighed her options. After a second of letting her think that she was going to have to do her least favorite chore, he extended the bill towards her. “Just bring me back a coffee and I’ll consider us even.”

Relief instantly flooded her features as she took the bill.

“I can do that! Your usual?” She headed towards the door.

“That’ll work,” he said, tucking away his wallet and grabbing the clipboard again.

“Thanks, Dad!” she chirped before moving to open the door.

Just as she reached for it, the door swung open, and she stumbled back. Luka immediately dropped the clipboard and slipped behind her with the speed of shadows dodging the light. She smacked into his legs, and he placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as Alex walked in with wide eyes.

“I’m so sorry, kid! I didn’t see you there.” Alex winced, looking from Hattie to Luka’s hard glare.

“I’m fine!” Hattie promised, giving a bright smile until she placed her hand over Luka’s fingers. She jolted and twisted around. “Dad, are you okay? You’re really warm.”

“It is hot in here.” Alex tugged at their collar, wincing.

“The thermostat dial was probably nudged,” Luka dismissed, pulling away and stooping to grab the clipboard. “I’ll take a look.”

“Should I get you water?” Hattie asked.

“I have water. Now go have fun.” He shooed her towards the door. “The sooner you leave the sooner you can run my errand.”

Hattie hesitated but when he returned to his task of recording inventory, he heard her retreating footsteps.

“Sorry,” Alex muttered as they crossed over to the table for the employees. They dropped their backpack before grabbing the light purple apron with their nametag.

“Let’s just be careful with how forcefully we open doors, hm? I don’t want to deal with any workplace liability cases. They’re a pain.” Luka shot the teen a toothy grin. Glancing back down to the clipboard, he added in a more monotone cadence, “Anyway, Dimitri can’t come today, so once Ember leaves, it’ll just be you and me for the rest of the day. If it gets too crowded on the floor and I’m not around, come find me.”

“Right.” They nodded firmly. While wiping back their bangs and smearing the beads of sweat on their brow, they hurried out. Once the door closed behind them and Luka was alone, he let out a sigh.

The flame that had flared when Hattie nearly got hit crackled noisily in his otherwise empty chest. Luka placed one of his pale hands over the flame and counted out the seconds between metered inhales and exhales. The snap and pop of embers faded and when he glanced towards the thermostat, the temperature in the room lowered back to a comfortable range.

Not that he was bothered by the heat, but he didn’t need his employees passing out.

Ember’s shift ended as he got to counting the unstuffed plush shells. As she hung her apron over the hook, she informed him that two separate groups had just entered the store. Luka nodded, finishing his current count before getting ready to help Alex on the floor.

He brushed back his long, spiky hair into a ponytail. Stray strands the color of soot fluttered against his cheek, and he tucked them behind his ear.

They reflected a warm violet when they caught the light.

With his hair as contained as he could manage, he grabbed his own amethyst apron with the Kraft-a-Kid’s signature logo; a stylized baby goat and parent goat waving a friendly greeting. After draping it over his black suit and making sure it didn’t displace his dark purple tie, he tied the apron with nimble fingers, clawed at the tips. He double-checked that the pocket had extra thread and a compact sewing kit before he clipped on his name tag and headed out into the workshop.

Alex snapped their head up from one of the stuffing stations, looking relieved when they spotted Luka rounding the counter. Alex returned their full attention to the small girl and her mother while Luka smiled at the two teens with a younger child hovering by the bins of unstuffed shells by the entrance.

While he didn’t know them personally, he recognized Brooke and her younger sister Hali, who worked (or in Hali’s case just hovered around in the back when not at daycare) at their uncle’s travel agency, and then Makoto, who worked at the jewelry store. Judging from their uniforms, the teens were probably using their breaks to accompany Hali. Since he often heard good things about their work ethic and Hali’s sweet nature from Mari, he assumed he had an easy session ahead. He waved them over.

Brooke and Makoto shared a nervous look while Hali bounded over with a bright smile.

“Why, hello there!” Luka pasted on his most vibrant customer service smile as he lowered onto the seat by the stuffing station. Cotton and soft fibers filled the glass tank decorated to look like hearty trees and branches climbed around the edges. The machine itself matched the lilac walls and brown and bronze gears that decorated them. The bins and shelves that held the merchandise throughout the store were all structured to look like spools of golden thread.

Holding an unstuffed goat with dark brown fuzz and silver horns, Hali shyly smiled up at Luka as Brooke and Makoto slowly joined.

“I see you’ve picked your new friend!” Luka held out his hands and Hali gingerly lowered the flat goat into his palms. “Before we bring them to life, how stuffed do you want them to be?”

“Um?” Hali tilted her head with a blank expression.

“Do you want them to be firm or squishy?” Luka clarified, fitting the goat around the nozzle and getting his foot ready over the pedal.

“Fiwm, pwease!” Hali declared in a cutesy voice.

“Excellent choice!” Luka set to work, pumping the pedal as he filled out the head of the goat plush. The machine roared to life, blowing air and fluff with the force of a vacuum. Though, his ears perked when he caught Brooke and Makoto in an intense discussion as they remained a couple steps back. What he couldn’t hear over the machine, he pieced together easily enough.

He knew the rumors and could guess what was on their mind when they mentioned the Snatcher and stolen souls.

Luka smirked as he pulled his foot from the pedal and the machine hushed.

“Now it’s time for my favorite part.” He beamed, pulling off the firmly stuffed goat and then reaching for a bucket full of small felt hearts. “The soul ceremony! Go ahead and pick the heart that most resonates with you.”

“If it’s just a heart, why is it called a soul ceremony?” Brooke asked, her voice quivering as she pressed closer to Makoto.

Hali, meanwhile, was completely enraptured with picking out the right fabric heart.

“Hearts, souls, same thing, really,” Luka soothed with a toothy grin, giving the teens a considering look.

Makoto’s gaze flickered down to his fangs. She lifted her chin, trying to project an air of confidence. But her furrowed brows wavered.

“Souws awe heawts?” Hali gasped, looking up with awe.

“Absolutely!” Luka kept his voice cheerful, gesturing to the bucket. “It’s what gives your new friend life! I imagine without one, they would feel pretty empty and hollow.” Keeping his chin tilted down, he lifted his eyes towards the teens and lowered his voice just a touch. “Wouldn’t you feel pretty soulless without a heart?”

The two stiffened.

“Pwobabwy!” Hali chirped, completely unaware of their increasing unease. She dug around the hearts and pursed her lips. “How do woo know which heawt is the best?”

“That’s up to you!” Luka bounced effortlessly back into an upbeat cadence. He pinched a heart with a checkerboard pattern in red and white. “The nice thing about these hearts is that they’re blank slates. They’ll be filled with whatever you put into them. But don’t put in too much!” he added with a chuckle. “Wouldn’t want your new friend to be more you than you!”

Brooke squeaked in fright and his grin stretched.

“I wiwl take this one, then!” Hali held up a solid red heart.

“Great! Hold on to it, now.” Luka placed the tub back down. “First, why don’t you rub the heart on your hair so your little buddy will always have soft fur!”

Hali beamed at that and rubbed the fabric heart on her hair. When she pulled it back down, some of the blond strands followed the heart while the strands too far away stuck up from the lingering static.

“Well done! Now, rub it against your funny bone so your friend has a sense of humor.” Luka tapped his elbow when Hali crinkled her nose for a moment. Her eyes lit up in understanding and once the heart was granted good humor, Luka added, “and why don’t you strike a superhero pose, so that your pal will hold courage.”

Hali giggled as she placed her hands on her hips and preened.

“Fantastic. Lastly, I want you to rub the heart between your palms!” Luka motioned for her to mimic him as he demonstrated. “Now, when it’s nice and warm, give it a clap to start its heartbeat!”

The clap resounded through the workshop and the teens jolted behind her.

“That should do it,” Luka praised, holding out his palm. Hali handed the heart over, and he slipped it into the goat, tucking it snuggly away in the cotton and fluff.

He then set to filling out the rest of the plush. Once it was stiff and sturdy, he handed it to her, asking if she was content with it. When he received an enthusiastic nod, he took it back and sealed the hole. He snipped the extra thread with the scissors in his apron and then passed the goat back to Hali.

“Here’s your new friend! Be sure to visit our shop in the back! We have plenty of accessories and outfits for the newest member of your family,” Luka recited the same sales pitch as always. “Once you’re ready, head over to an open kiosk so you can fill out the adoption papers. If you need any help, Alex or I will be overjoyed to assist.”

“Thank woo!” Hali hurried over to the accessories, hugging the goat to her chest.

Luka clasped his hands and turned to the teens. When his gaze flickered to the floppy hooded doll in Makoto’s arms, her embrace tightened.

“Ready?” He motioned for her to hand it over so that he could stuff it.

She looked to Brooke, who shrugged with uncertainty. Makoto stepped forward.  

Keeping his tone light, he went through the same script as always. He asked if she wanted the doll to be firm or squishy and, in an effort to loosen her up a bit, offered to add any fun sound boxes or scents to the plush. She remained on edge until he asked about the nametag on her uniform as the machine roared to life again. She explained how her boss liked to give everyone themed nicknames and she was saddled with “Makoneko.” When he asked if she appreciated the nickname, she pointedly rolled her eyes as he removed his foot from the machine pedal again. Her shoulders relaxed when he chuckled.

“Your turn to pick a heart,” Luka twittered in an overly cheerful voice as he held out the bucket.

“Do I have to do the ceremony?” Makoto hesitated, plucking the first heart she saw. Rather than scared, her bored expression mirrored that of many teens who wanted to skip the step.

Perfect.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” He shrugged casually. “What is a heart without a heartbeat? A soul without a person behind the personality?”

“What?” She faltered, shoulders slowly stiffening again as Brooke’s eyes widened.

“I only mean it’ll be a sorry existence for this little friend.” Luka waved the stubby hands of the purple plush toy. “And you get out what you put in.” Her brows dipped in slight confusion, and he smirked. “You have to at least start its heartbeat. You don’t want to bring a ghost home, do you?”  

“Just do the ceremony!” Brooke hissed through clenched teeth.

“F-fine,” Makoto said, slowly lifting the heart to her long black locks. “So, hair for soft fur?”

“Does it look like this one has fur?” Luka gestured to the doll with the yellow spiral in its hood. He scoffed, turning up his nose. “Of course not! No. First, why don’t you rub the heart against your belly so that it’s full of laughter.”

“I thought that was the elbow.” Makoto crinkled her nose. Though she rubbed the heart against her stomach, eager to get it over with.

“There is a difference between telling good jokes and laughing at them, kiddo,” Luka offered with a smirk. “Now, how about you jump up and down a few times? I’m sure your friend would love to share some of your energy.”

“What does that mean?” She jolted.

“Just that exercise keeps the heart healthy,” Luka said placidly.

Her eyes narrowed but she eventually gave a sluggish skip.  

“Then, rub it against your ear, so it will always listen.” He smiled brightly, being sure to bare his teeth. Once she complied, he clasped his hands together. “I’m sure you know what to do now! Warm it between your palms and then clap to start the heartbeat!”

She let out the breath that she had been holding, relieved it was finally over. She gave a small clap before passing the heart back. He slipped it into the doll.

“Any names in mind for your friend?” Luka prompted as his foot tapped the pedal.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled curtly, purposefully trying to let the whirling air in the stuffing machine drown out her answer.

“How’s this feel?” he asked a few seconds later when the machine hushed again. He pulled the doll from the nozzle and passed it back to her.

“Good.” She returned it after assessing the squishiness.

“If you haven’t got any names, I always thought these particular dolls looked like minions,” he prattled, closing the seam. When she didn’t respond, he continued lightly, “so Minion might be a good name.” He glanced up to meet her gaze and lowered his tone. “You did make sure it’ll listen. It’ll be an obedient little kiddo.”

Her breath hitched.

“Obedient to who?” she challenged, maintaining a fragile glare.

“All done!” Luka snapped upright after snipping the excess thread, pretending he hadn’t heard her question. “Welcome your friend into the world!”

Makoto accepted the doll, her gaze flickering between it and Luka with uncertainty.

“Same as always,” he droned in his peppy, customer service voice. “Browse to your contentment. My daughter recommends the plush purple cherries. You want to keep your buddy happy and fed! Make sure to finalize the adoption and meet Alex or I by the counter.” He glanced over to find the other young girl with her mother already at the cash register. “Looks like it’ll be Alex!”

Makoto nodded numbly as Brooke stepped forward and looped her arm through hers, rescuing Makoto by tugging her away.

“One more thing,” Luka began, keeping his eyes on his clean-up routine. The teens’ footsteps paused as they hovered. Though his smile laced his voice, his enunciation was sharp. “I’m sure the Snatcher doesn’t have to tell you but be sure to treat your new friend as you would yourself. You put your soul into bringing them to life, after all.”

The teens gasped.

“Have a good day, kids.” Laughter laced his voice.

They rushed away as he chuckled.

While he finished cleaning up, Hattie returned with her friends. As soon as she spotted him behind the stuffing machine, she rushed across the tiles decorated to look vaguely like a forest path.

“Here’s your coffee,” she chirped, holding up the cup.

“Any plans for the rest of the day?” he asked, pushing to his feet and picking stray fluff from his apron. Once he was as clean as he was going to get, he accepted the drink. He held it towards his lips, pausing to quirk a brow at young Muriel and Timmy as they passed the stuffing machines to check out all the colorful outfits. Belle, meanwhile, joined Hattie with her azure bow bouncing in her dark coils.

“We’re going to head to the bookstore.” Hattie shrugged. “Tim’s friend is hosting a card game tournament.”

“Remember to be back by six,” he instructed. “Don’t go snacking after four or you’ll spoil your dinner.”

“I know, Dad,” she huffed dramatically.

“Also, Mom says hi, Mr. Kingsley,” Belle pipped in.

“Tell Mari I return the sentiment. Now get your friends to stop loitering.” He turned back towards Hattie and rose his voice so Timmy and Mu could hear. “They scare away customers.”

“Says the Snatcher,” Timmy whispered to Mu.

Luka covered his smirk with the coffee cup. His gaze shifted over Hattie and Belle and he watched as Makoto and Brooke fled the store at a brisk pace. Hali struggled to keep up, but she managed to meet his eyes and offered a cheerful wave.

“Fine,” Hattie sighed. “Come on, guys!”

“I need to stop by Mom’s before we head to the bookstore,” Belle mentioned as she and Hattie turned to leave. “I left my cards with my backpack.”

As the girls left, Luka turned to head back towards the counter, taking a sip of his coffee. He immediately winced.

“Ugh, tepid,” he grumbled as Timmy and Mu ran past, hurrying out to follow Hattie and Belle.

After making sure the kids all had their backs turned and Alex was busy with something on the counter, Luka summoned a gentle ember to his hand. While the flame harmlessly licked the cup, the coffee warmed inside until steam wafted from the hole in the lid. He took a tentative sip and swallowed the scalding liquid.

The flames in his chest crackled and popped, and the knots in his shoulders eased.

He snuffed out the ember in his hand as he lowered the cup. Mist trailed from the lid as the coffee maintained its heat.

“I think you scarred those two for life,” Alex muttered as Luka returned to the counter.

“Which two?” he asked, mind still on Hattie and her friends.

“Brooke and Makoto.” Alex glanced up, shaking their head with a scolding expression.

“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Luka said calmly. He leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee during his momentary break. “If those hooligans are letting their imaginations run wild, it’s not on my conscience.”

“Uh-huh.” Alex gave him an unimpressed look. “Also, I think we’re running low on the beach ball accessories.”

“I noticed,” Luka muttered, swirling his cup pensively. “Those aren’t particularly popular, and we are getting near the end of the season…”

While they discussed whether they needed to send out an order or if they would make it until the fall selection came out, Hattie rolled on the balls of her feet as she, Timmy, and Mu waited for Belle to return from her mom’s flower shop just across from Kraft-a-Kid. Hattie idly watched all the mallgoers, thoughts blank, but Timmy and Mu had their eyes locked on Kraft-a-Kid, thoughts whirling noisier than the stuffing machines.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Belle announced as she bounced out with her deck of cards.

“Hattie.” Timmy whirled around. “Your dad’s magic!”

“Timmy, he doesn’t steal souls, we’ve been over this,” Hattie whined, crossing her arms.

“If he doesn’t steal souls, then what’s with his coffee?” Mu snapped, nodding her head towards the display window where Luka could be seen leaning against the counter inside the workshop.

Hattie squinted, trying to figure out what was out of place with the steaming coffee cup. After a moment, she turned to Belle, who shrugged.

“It’s hot!” Mu gestured wildly, causing her blond mustache to bob with her movement. “Look at that steam!”

Hattie blinked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Belle supplied dryly. “Because Hattie ordered it hot.”

“But he said it was tepid!” Timmy argued. “We heard him!”

“He probably thinks it is,” Hattie said, knitting her brows together. “He likes his coffee hot enough to burn his tastebuds.”

“You aren’t getting it!” Mu huffed. “It wasn’t steaming when he said it was cold!”

“Okay, but even if he somehow heated it up, that didn’t have anything to do with stealing souls,” Belle appeased.

“That’s what we mean!” Timmy urged. “If he can use one type of magic, he can use others!”

“I regret the day I told you about those rumors,” Hattie grumbled.

It didn’t matter as much when strangers said it, but instead of laughing with Hattie when she told them that people thought her dad was some kind of heartless, soul-snatching monster, Mu and Timmy had latched onto the conspiracy and ever since refused to let go. She couldn’t talk about new product plushies or designs around them anymore because they would just start a debate about which shell would best hold the souls of children.

“Look can we just get going?” She started walking in the direction of the bookstore and Belle matched her pace. Mu hurried to catch up as Timmy trailed behind, keeping a watchful eye on Kraft-a-Kid.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen anything weird?” Mu insisted. “Heard any screams of children he caught? Seen any dolls move in the corner of your eye?”

“You know he laughs like a cartoon villain?” Timmy added.

“The store is literally called Kraft-a-Kid!” Mu continued. “Open your eyes, Hattie!”

“Kid is just another word for baby goat!” Belle argued. “It’s cute!”

“We aren’t talking about this anymore!” Hattie snapped, tugging down on the brim of her hat. She turned away from them and focused on Belle. “So, what deck are you using? The one with fairy types? Or your cat themed one?”

“Both!” She grinned mischievously as she happily helped to redirect the conversation. “I combined them because I wanted to use all my favorites. How about you?”

“Going with the forest deck.” Hattie glanced up, where her deck was safely tucked away in the hidden compartment she stitched into the top hat.

Timmy and Mu huffed, letting their argument go as they pipped in with talking about their own decks. But it was only a matter of time before they started back on their theories about her dad’s supposed magic. Trying not to deflate too much, she kept her eyes forward. She swallowed her frustration and focused on the upcoming tournament.

Besides, even if her dad did have magic and only used it for heating up coffee, it hardly seemed something a heartless monster would do.

Right?

#a hat in time #ahit snatcher #ahit prince #ahit hat kid #ahit dadtcher #my writing #build-a-bear au #'im gonna take a break' #*proceeds to post exactly one day after the old posting schedule #im still writing lol just gonna be all over the place for a bit #ALSO FINALLY WROTE THIS #ITS BEEN ON MY MIND FOR FOREVER #ITS JUST REALLY FUNNY TO ME TO IMAGINE SNATCHER RUNNING A BUILD A BEAR PLEEEEEEASE #i have one more short thing for this that addresses the heart-shaped hole in the room and then u might find me #ricocheting around other aus like a pinball #anyway that's all for now #thank you so much for reading as always!!!!! #catch ya later!

[munofsilver]

Stuck In Between Chapter 7

Summary: Today is Gaara's birthday and on this day Gaara always does the same thing. This birthday is different because Lee is with him and Gaara likes the idea of having Lee so close. Read on Ao3.  Couple: GaaLee Trigger Warning: None. 

Late in the evening, Lee wakes up while Gaara is still sleeping. As careful as he can, Lee slips out from under the maximum fluffy tail and exits the cave. He returns a couple of hours later. Gaara is still asleep as Lee creeps in and slides back under the tanuki’s huge tail. It’s not long until the sneaky humans fall back asleep with a gleaming smile. The same smile that is still on his face in the morning. 

“Based on the look on your face, you must like my tail. Why?” 

Gaara’s words woke Lee up. Once again, he was hugging Gaara’s tail. Unlike last time Lee was also petting it and playing with the tip. Lee only tightens the hug as he nuzzles the tail. He turns up the smile a bit. 

“How could I not like something so fluffy and cute?” 

Gaara feels the heat on his cheeks. “D….did Lee call me c….cute?” That question repeated in Gaara’s mind all through him making breakfast. Lee did insist on him making it, but Gaara told Lee that it wasn’t his turn. Lee decided to make some tea instead. He would make coffee, but he doesn’t like it and doesn’t know if Gaara does or if there are any beans for coffee. Lee remembers the smell of fresh coffee in the morning. His father loves to start the day with black coffee. Same with some of his students through a few did like to add sugar or milk. 

When Gaara places a plate in front of Lee, he comes back to the cave filled with the smell of cooked fish, rice, and blueberries. Wait a minute, when did they get rice? Can Gaara transform leaves into food? Lee chooses not to question it anymore and digs in. The rice has a buttery, salty taste to it, with no butter or salt on it. The fish is not like the ones Lee caught in the lake outside. The fish is a large tuna. Lee has blueberries but looking at Gaara’s plate; there are strawberries instead. 

Once again, Lee falls back into another memory of his father, like how after his students leave for the day, if it’s the right time of year and the weather is fair, they would go out into the forest to pick all the berries in the area. Gai would share the berries with Lee and his students. During breakfast, Lee enjoys the sweet taste of the berries. Like always, Lee likes to talk during meals and most times. This morning’s topic is birthdays.

“Is this meal some yokai birthday tradition? Where did all this food come from?” Lee asked between the berries he pops in his mouth. 

“You can get all kinds of human food in the yokai world. My sister would bring me some exotic foods from there every morning on my birthday. Then she would stay and visit until noon. Now that she’s with child, my brother dropped off the food and left. He doesn’t like the human world. Clams it’s too loud, even though he is loud himself,” Gaara takes a huge bite out of the tuna. 

Lee noticed while looking at Gaara’s half-eaten fish that there are no bones. Lee shrugs; it must be a yokai thing. 

“Are there any yokai birthday traditions?” Lee finished eating and enjoying what’s left of his tea.

“Yokai’s don’t have birthdays. Since they are immortal, it’s for the best they don’t celebrate it. Since I’m half, I guess my siblings think I should,” Gaara shrugs, “Since we have no idea what humans do for birthdays, my siblings and I just make up our own traditions.” 

“There isn’t a set birthday tradition with humans but giving gifts and cake,” Lee educated Gaara, “Some humans like to have a party, and some just like to lay low and have dinner with a few close friends and family members.” Lee’s smile is beaming once again. 

Gaara doesn’t return the smile; he gathers up the dirty dishes and transforms them back into leaves. Instead of the usual box, Gaara leaves them on the table. He looks outside. The rain has lightened, but it’s still pouring out. A clunking sound draws Gaara’s attention to Lee. In front of Gaara on the table is a box wrapped up in some cloth-like material. Gaara pokes at it, that is cloth from some clothing. Gaara looks Lee up and down. It’s not from the clothes Lee’s wearing. It has to be from the old ones Lee was wearing when he entered the cave. 

Gaara stares at the box and pokes it again. He looks up at Lee, full of confusion. Lee, still smiling, only lets out a big laugh. He slides the box closer to Gaara. The tanuki taps it a few more times. 

“Happy birthday Gaara! It’s a gift,” Lee cheers. 

Gaara picks up the box; he knows what gifts are. No one has ever given him one. His siblings do bring him things, but they are never wrapped, same with Matsuri. Shukaku likes to share a drink with Gaara, but he never gives him anything but advice. Gaara slowly unwraps the box. The box itself is made of sticks and more cloth. Gaara opens the box without breaking it the best he can. With claws, it’s hard, and some of the cloth did rip.   

Inside the box is something Gaara has never seen before made out of bone. It’s small and has some design carved into it. Gaara does think it looks quite lovely but unsure of what it is. 

“It’s a comb for your hair,” Gaara looks into Lee’s eyes as the human continues to speak, “I notice you have a brush for your tail but not the hair on your head. I made you a comb. At first, I was going to use some bark from a tree until I saw the remains of a deer. I think it was from a recent predator kill. I had to clean the bone before I could carve it.” 

Lee isn’t going to tell him that he had some help with the carving. He wasn’t expecting to run into another yokai while out. The human doesn’t know the yokai, but it did know about Gaara claiming to be a friend. Since Lee only saw the yokai in human form, he’s unsure what kind of yokai he was. Lee knew he wasn’t human when his hands turned into sharp claws to help Lee make the comb’s shape.

Gaara was unsure what to say. He never thought of brushing his hair before. Shukaku did try once when he was younger, but since Gaara refused to stay still, the older tanuki gave up. Gaara decides to try the comb out. Slowly he brushes his messy, curly, frizzy hair, full of snarls. It took a while, but Gaara finally got all the snarls out. His hair is still spiky but now less messy. Still a bit frizzy, though. 

“How does it look?” Gaara asked, putting the comb on the table.

Lee had to hide his blush; he was thinking how cute Gaara looks but didn’t want to tell him that.

“You look very handsome.” 

“We should get ready to leave,” Gaara stands up and hurries off, so Lee can’t see his blush. 

Soon Gaara returns wearing black priest robes like the ones Matsuri made for Lee yesterday. Now he knows what Gaara meant by getting ready. Lee rushes off to change as well. Gaara is waiting for him holding two umbrellas. One is held out towards Lee for him to take, which he does. The rain has lightened up, so they can at least see where they are going. 

“Follow me and stay close,” Gaara tells Lee as he opens his umbrella. 

Lee opens his and stays close to Gaara; he’s tempted to hold onto his tail for safety. Holding hands would be better, so Lee quickened his pace to walk besides Gaara and grabbed the tanuki’s clawed hand. Gaara stares at Lee, and the human only smiles in return. Gaara leads Lee while holding hands to a small clearing in the woods hidden by some bushes and a tall willow tree. One that Gaara asked the forest spirited to make. 

Behind the tree is a small rock in the shape of a gourd with a bar above it. Moving closer Lee can see there is writing on it; sadly, he can’t read it. This stone has the same writing as the scroll Gaara used yesterday. Gaara stops in front of the carved rock with Lee still at his side. Gaara places his free hand on top of the stone. 

“This is my mother’s grave. It reads, “Beloved sister, wife, and mother, Karura.” 

Lee looks at the grave. Now he knows Gaara’s mother’s name. Sadly it doesn’t ring any bells. He would be surprised if it did since she died 98 years ago. If he knew the village’s name she’s from, then maybe Lee can see if he can get more info on her for Gaara.

“She’s not buried here. When a human dies in the yokai world, they have no afterlife. They fade away from body and soul. No one knows where they go,” Gaara kneels in front of the grave. 

Lee decides to do what Gaara does. He doesn’t want to bother the birthday boy by asking a ton of questions. Kneeling beside him, making sure his tail was not in the way. Gaara’s tail is wrapped around his legs; Gaara did that so Lee can be next to him. Gaara is holding a box; Lee doesn’t remember seeing Gaara holding a box on the way here. 

Gaara’s hands is a colored box of blue, silver, and white. Lee can tell that it’s painted. He’s not sure what the box is made of, but he does remember seeing somethings in the palace made with the same material. He does know that the lock is made out of gold. 

Gaara speaks in a language that Lee doesn’t understand. Lee was about to say something when Gaara’s ears twitched, and there was some rustling noise behind them. Gaara doesn’t move; he puts the box back in his pocket. Lee, on the other hand, stands up and turns around his hand on his knife. 

“Hello, Shukaku. Glad you could join us today,” Gaara says, staring at the grave. 

“Guess again, little bro.” 

Gaara’s eyes widen from shock as he slowly raises to his feet, “Kankuro, what are you doing here?” Gaara asked, turning around to face his older brother. 

Lee sees another yokai; this time, he isn’t in his human form. He looks like a human shadow, but with yellow orbs for eyes and odd purple markings on what seems to be his face. When he talks, nothing moves, but Lee can see an outline of a smile and bright white teeth when the smile opens. When he moves, he looks like a puppet, with the moving parts turning into a lighter shade of grey until they fade away, not returning until the yokai stops moving, which Lee finds creepy. 

Kankuro shuffles over towards Gaara. Each movement makes Lee want to back away from the shadow thing. Kankuro wraps an arm around Gaara’s shoulders and pulls him close. 

“It seems your human friend here finds my real from disturbing,” he laughs, “You’re a lucky kid. No human has ever seen me before.” 

Gaara takes Kanuro’s arm off him and gives Lee a black shell with a hole on the left side. Lee takes the shell in confusion, starting at the shell Lee gets it. He holds it up to his eye, and when he looks at Kankuro, he looks like a normal human, only naked. Lee makes sure not to look down. Good thing Gaara looks the same through the shell.

“Shukaku gave me the box,” Gaara broke the awkward silence. 

“Cool. Did you open it yet?” Kankuro walks towards the grave. 

Gaara walks next to him with Lee on the other side of Gaara. He is taking out the box once again as he sits on his knees. The other two join him. 

“I was about to when you came. Did it belong to my mother?” there is a nervous yet hopeful tune in Gaara’s voice. 

Kankuro laughs, “She painted the box herself. Keep it close to her. That box or whatever is inside was very important to her.”

Gaara puts the box away; he continues to pays his respects to his mother in prayer. Kankuro and Lee join him. All three leave the area; everyone is quiet as they walk back to the cave. Gaara will admit it was nice that his brother joined. Temari did a few times, she never brought Shikamaru with her, even after they got married. Thinking about that makes Gaara wonder if she would bring her child with her next year if she comes. 

Kankuro left as soon as they returned. While Lee was making dinner, Gaara sat at the table, staring at his mother’s box and wondering if he should even open it. Part of him wants to since he knows very little about her. Lee noticed Gaara was playing with his tail again. By now, he knows what that means; his friend needs him. The pork that was brought over this morning will take some time to cook anyway. Lee will keep his eye on the rice and other food cooking. 

“What are your plans for the box?” 

Lee’s voice brought Gaara’s head up as he let go of his tail. The birthday tanuki boy taps the box a few times with his claw. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I want to see what’s inside, but I’m not sure if I should,” he whispers with a low sigh. 

“Don’t you want to know what your mother kept inside?” Lee asked calmly.

“You heard my brother. Whatever is inside was important to her. There is a reason she keeps whatever it is in this box,” Gaara glares at the box like it’s about to attack. 

“Think of it this way. Knowing what’s in the box can help you find out more about your mother. Knowing what’s important to her can tell you a lot about her. I have a feeling you don’t know much about your mother,” Lee coos as he places his hand on Gaara’s shoulder. 

“I know nothing about her, but what I was told by my sibling and a few things from Shukaku,” Gaara still whispering. 

“If you want, I can leave,” Lee stands up.

Gaara grabs Lee’s arm causing the human to stop mid stand and to sit back down. 

Releasing his arm, Gaara returns his hand on the box. He uses his claw to unlock it and opens it slowly. Inside is a leather book and a pen. There is a bookmark in the book towards the end of the book. Only a few pages left; if she’s reading this book, she’s almost done and never got to know how it ends. That thought saddened Gaara as he opened the book. Looking at the first page, it’s handwritten. Every page is indeed handwritten. In between the last page and the back cover is a photo. 

It shows two humans, a male, and a female, posing. The female is sitting on a chair with her hands folded on her knees, while the male is standing next to her with a hand on her shoulder. On the bottom in black ink are words, “My brother Yashamaru, age 16. Me, age 20.” 

Tears form in Gaara’s eyes. He has never seen a picture of his mother before. He never knew she had a brother. Holding back his tears, he looks at the book; the handwriting is the same as the picture.

“My mother wrote in this book,” Gaara whispers in a raspy voice. 

Glancing at the words, Gaara and Lee both guess it was a diary. Turning a few pages, there are also some drawings she did. Gaara slams the book shut and puts it back in the box. Then he hands the box to Lee. 

“Take this with you and go into the room. Someone wants to pass through,” Gaara states as he stands and opens the way for Lee. 

The human holds on to the box tightly and dashes into the room, and waits until he’s able to return. Wiping the few fallen tears, Gaara opens the portal, and a familiar yokai enters the room. He looks down at Gaara with his big dark eyes with yellow pupils. His eyes are narrow, and his fangs are showing. This yokai is mad, and his anger is aimed at Gaara. The young tanuki simply looks up. 

“Hello, father. What brings you here?”

#gaalee #LeeGaa #Gaara #Rock Lee #Kankuro #naruto fanfic #Birthday #Yokai

[hatsukeii]

Can I request HCs of Bokuto, Daichi and Ushijima doing community service at a daycare or preschool? Thank you!

Oh my god yesss they’d all be so soft ahhhhh-

Imma do preschool because I dislike preschool children but these guys don’t:)

Let’s gooooo

🦉Bokuto Kotaro🦉

- Absolutely ADORES every single child in the room.

- And is also vv good with them.

- His loud, fun, outgoing personality is all it takes to win the kids over.

- “So, today we’re gonna be doing basic maths! I know you guys don’t like it, but bear with me! Once we’re finished, everyone gets a chocolate!”

- “Nobody is better at English than my friend Akaashi. Except me! I can teach too, he can’t!”

- The younger children love him so much like wow-

- They always ask to play with his hair, and are always surprised when it isn’t spiky and pointy when they pet it.

- The kids go absolutely wild with him during recess.

- He would play tag with them, hide and seek, charades, even role play.

- And every single time he’s it, he’ll pretend to be old and let the kids think they won.

- But when it’s the kid’s turn to catch him, he’s gonna hold back and fall dramatically when a hand touches him.

- Lowkey some of the preschool girls have a crush on him and it’s been like two hours.

- Shows off how high he jumps to the boys.

- And lets the girls teach him how to do ballet.

- Will not hesitate to lift them up and swing them around.

- He loves role play with the kids so much.

- Often acts as the knight in shining armour, although if he sees a crush situation happening he’ll become the villain.

- The teachers at the school think he’s absolutely wonderful.

- “Where did you even find this kid Mina?”

- “Oh, he’s one of the members from my brother’s volleyball team where he coaches.”

- “He’s going to be a great dad, tell your brother to give him the message.”

- Is always the first one to rush to a kid that’s crying or visibly upset.

- HE GETS UPSET WITH THE KID TOO.

- “Awww no, don’t cry! What happened? If you cry I’m gonna cry too!”

- Luckily, kids are satisfied easily. Give them candy and they’ll love you forever.

- Thank the lords Bokuto always has a stash of sweets whenever he goes to the preschool.

- When it’s time to leave, he’s devastated, and so are the kids.

- Their cranky ass teacher is gonna be back, and let’s be real there’s no way she’s as good as Bokuto.

- Secretly they pray for her to get fired or quit so that he can come and volunteer more.

- “Bokuto san! Stay safe! We’ll see you again sometime!”

- “I’ll come and visit sometimes after school! Have fun, I’ll see you guys again!”

- Yeah, his heart’s a puddle now.

🏐Daichi Sawamura🏐

- The dad really shows in him.

- The kids absolutely adore him.

- He’s mostly really sweet with the children, often reading them storybooks and all that.

- Also loves to help them with subjects like Maths or English.

- “Ah, don’t panic, I can help you with it! All you have to do, is raise one finger first, yeah! Then, raise three more. How many fingers are there now? That’s right! Good job!”

- He’s an AMAZING TEACHER.

- Plus, he can draw too.

- Loves to teach the kids how to draw simple things.

- “Okay, we’re going to be learning about colours today! Do you guys know any colours?”

- “For red, let’s draw apples! It’s super easy! I’ll teach you!”

- Doesn’t really join in much on their recess activities.

- He kinda just sits back and watches them play tag and go on the slides and stuff.

- Sometimes, the kids ask him to push them on the swings and he’s very, very happy to do so.

- Usually starts chatter with the teachers about what a pleasure the students are to teach.

- Whenever preschoolers need help, or if they’re hurt, he’s the first person they run to.

- “Oh no Tamaki! Let me grab a bandage, give me a second.”

- “Do you need some tissues for that runny nose?”

- Okay, but he does get serious at times.

- Especially when it comes to bullying.

- That’s when the scary Daichi shows.

- He still holds back, he doesn’t want to scare the kids off or anything.

- But he does seriously talk to them about it.

- “Hey, shoving someone off the swings is not cool. It’s rude and you can get someone seriously hurt. Apologise now.”

- Okay he can get strict at times but the kids still love him a lot.

- He loves to give them piggyback rides.

- They usually snuggle into his neck or shoulder and oh my god it’s so adorable-

- Loves making the kids laugh by making stupid jokes and tickle fights.

- Did I mention that he’s super patient with them? (My short tempered ass could NEVER.)

- He’ll take his time explaining, as long as the kid eventually gets the hang of whatever they’re trying to do.

- Will laugh at all the jokes the kids tell, even if they’re dumb.

- Doesn’t ever fully leave, since he still visits the preschool a few times a month to check on the preschoolers.

- Every time he visits, he brings a bunch of new markers, pens, some candy, and all that to treat the kids.

- 10/10 would recommend.

🐮Ushijima Wakatoshi🐮

- Okay he’s so blunt with the kids when he first started.

- If he sees an ugly drawing he’ll just say “You could do better, but good job anyways.”

- The kids were honestly vv intimidated at first.

- I mean this dude has a constant frown even when he’s feeling good, almost like a permanent rbf.

- Plus he’s a giant.

- And he has bushy ass eyebrows.

- He looked like the definition of scary to preschoolers.

- However, we all know how soft Ushiwaka is.

- He might be blunt, but he’ll try to help the kids improve.

- Like if he thinks the drawing is ugly, he’ll teach them how to make it look better.

- “Here, I’ll hold your hand and guide you through it.”

- Doesn’t get strict with the kids because he doesn’t want to scare them anymore than his looks already do.

- Likes to try and crack jokes.

- Try.

- Most the time the jokes are too elaborate for the kids to understand and he goes “Oh, you don’t get it? Ah, I suppose it needs a bit more time.”

- Brings chocolates everyday for the kids and for himself.

- Doesn’t matter what they did, as long as they get through the school day they get a chocolate.

- Lets the preschoolers sit on his shoulders and runs around with them there.

- Pushes them on the swings during recess.

- Loves to sit in a circle and play dumb games with them.

- The kids think he’s hilarious when he laughs at their dumb jokes.

- They also think it’s hilarious when a joke goes over his head.

- But they adore him nonetheless.

- When any bullying happens he just acts nonchalant.

- That’s enough to discipline the kids.

- “Hey, stop that. It’s not nice.”

- His stoic face makes it just that much scarier for them.

- He’s super bad at advice, but he’s trying his best.

- His advice is way too mature for four year olds to understand.

- He’s very good at cheering them up though.

- He once got a tutu so he could do dance with the kids the next day.

- That tutu is now stuffed in the inner drawer of his wardrobe.

- He’s too ashamed to take it out, but wants to keep the memories.

- When he has to leave he doesn’t show any emotion.

- But he still sends a smile and a wave to them, despite feeling really sad inside.

- Promises to visit once in a few months so the kids can see him again.

Awww they’re all so soft my heart can’t take it-

#haikyuu #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu daichi #haikyuu bokuto #haikyuu ushijima #hq #hq headcanons #hq imagine #hq daichi #hq bokuto #hq ushijima #ushijima wakatoshi #bokuto kotaro #daichi sawamura #headcanons

[mavrisfanfics]

[Request] Genji x Reader - T-That’s a Dragon!

Fandom: Overwatch

Pairing: Genji x Reader

Words:3193 (went a little overboard here)

Warnings: None, I think

Notes: I don’t know I long I have this in my inbox because, again college is a bitch. Writing has been the last thing in my mind, honestly...

I everything goes well I’ll finish it in september... Plz pray for me, I need it...

---___---___---___---___---___---

A sigh left you as your fingers ran through dark tresses of hair. By the time the sobs started to calm, Genji entered the room, giving you a shrug, before calling for the young boy curled up at your side. Wet, brown eyes revealed themselves.

“No Monster…” Genji said as he walked to the bed.

“But I saw it!! I saw the monster!!” The young boy turned fully to his father, fear turning to disbelief. You pulled the child back to you and kissed his head.

“You know how daddy is, he’s too humble to admit he fought the monster away.” You winked at Genji, making the man chuckle.

“You caught me. I fought the monster, he won’t be back” He confirmed with raised hands. The boy straightened up.

“Really? Promise, papa?” Genji nodded.

“Want me and mommy to show you?”

With some reluctance the boy left the bed, ready to follow his father. Behind his back, you rolled your eyes at Genji before following suit. Did he have to drag you out of bed too?

After showing your son that his room was safe, you and Genji returned to bed, your son already in his, halfway to dreamland. The happy and safe façade you both held shattered the moment your head hit the pillows.

“This is getting pathetic…” You muttered with an arm over your eyes.

“He’s just a kid, it’s normal.” Genji replied, holding you closer to him and digging his face in your back.

“Genji, he’s been waking us up in the middle of the night, every night, for the past three weeks! What of that is normal?!” He sighed in defeat. You turned to him, worry reflected in your eyes.

“Should…Should… we take him to a therapist or something?” You asked. Genji thought for a while before replying.

“No, not yet. We should try to help him out first, don’t you think?” You frowned, doubts filling your head. Before you could voice them, Genji chuckled “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it, angel, just go to sleep.”

He kissed your lips as he pulled you even closer into his embrace.

---___---___---___---___---

Morning light painted the kitchen with gold. Genji was happily chatting away with your son, while you lazily sipped a cup of liquid energy. You were honestly too tired to join in the beaming energy they shared, thanks to another night filled with worry related insomnia, but you still indulged in admiring their smiling faces.

“So, did the monster bother you again, (s/n)?” Genji eventually asked, shifting the conversation. You perked up just a little bit.

“No, but they’ll come again tonight, won’t they, papa?” Your son’s smile gave place to a frown, twisting your heart into a knot. Genji only chuckled.

“No, I’ll catch it! But first, you need to tell me what it looks like, so I can find it!” Your eyes widened. You looked at Genji, who gave you a reassuring nod. Your son bit his finger and looked sideways.

“It’s big and yellow…” He started, pausing a second afterwards. “ It has big yellow eyes and small horns!” He put his fingers to the head, mimicking the mentioned feature, before putting them to his mouth like fangs. “It has teeth this big! And very pointy! It also flies…” He drifts off for a second, thinking. “Oh! And it has a scary growl!”

You were inwardly disappointed at the vague description. Genji tried to not let that same disappointment show, but you could read him well enough to feel.

“Hm, I don’t know, that looks hard to find!” Genji exclaimed dramatically. “You’re sure there is nothing else?”

As both father and son tried to come up with a better description of the nightmarish visions your son had, your brain started to wake up. Tired of not getting anywhere, you got up to start doing chores. It so happened your eyes fell on the notepad stuck to the fridge, giving you an idea.

“(S/n)?” You called, offering said notepad and a pen to your son. “Why don’t you draw the monster? It should be easier for papa to find it!”

He took the materials and started to draw. You came up behind Genji and bent down to hug his neck, head resting over your arms, right next to his.

“Great idea” You heard him whisper. “How come I didn’t think of that?”

“Because you’re tired and I’m the smart one.” You chuckled. Genji leaned into you, as your child kept scribbling on the paper, face scrunched in concentration.

Eventually, he finally turned the paper to you, proud of his depiction of the evil entity.

“This is the monster!”

You released Genji to lean for a closer look. It was… a spiky snake? You had no idea what to say.

“Genji, will this work?” You looked at your husband and had to contain yourself to not make a double take. He looked livid, eyes wide and mouth agape in either wonder or horror, you honestly didn’t know. He blinked quickly and his face returned to normal, before his child could see it. Genji smiled at him and ripped off the page.

“Of course, I’ll definitely catch it now! Why don’t you go play for a while, (s\n)? I promise, I will find the monster.” Genji helped him out of his chair, smile still on his lips. But as soon as your child ran out of sight, he sat back down and collapsed over the table, his head hitting it too hard for you liking. You carefully approached him, rubbing his back slowly.

“Genji?... What is it? Is something wrong?” You were legitimately worried from his reaction alone. He mumbled something you didn’t understand, not because he was mumbling into the table, but because your Japanese was too rusty to understand the meaning.

“I… didn’t get that…” You admitted. Genji leaned back on the chair, looking upwards at you.

“It’s…It’s a dragon… A spirit dragon…”

You looked back at the paper still in his hands. A dragon? Your head tilted, trying from see a different angle.

“Oh…”

The two remained silent. You had completely forgot what the Shimada blood carried, and you had no idea if Genji wanted to see it in your child, from his reaction alone.

You sat down next to him and pulled Genji to you, hugging his waist. Although you were afraid of Genji’s reaction to this all, you figured beating around the bush wouldn’t help.

“So… How do you feel about it?”

“I don’t know!” He admitted. “Part of me is proud, but I wanted to keep him away from the clan and everything, give him a normal life, but…”

You could sense Genji’s insecurities bubble up to the surface. It was the same wave of nervousness from when you were pregnant. Will I be a good father? Won’t the child think of me as a monster? What about the dragons? The clan? Will they hate me and their “legacy”? These were doubts no meditation could silence.

And you couldn’t help him if you couldn’t control your own.

“Genji Shimada, listen to me.” You started. You took a deep breath, before looking him in the eye. “We’re not sure it a dragon. It could just be a strange nightmare and there is no Shimada blood involved.” Genji tried to cut you off, but you put your finger over his lips to silence him. “Kids have strange imagination, and this could just be a spiky snake monster, okay?”

“That’s literally what a dragon is.” He commented, but you brushed it off.

“Yeah, I won’t believe it until I see a yellow spirit dragon floating around the house. Besides, if he’s afraid of it, how can he summon it?”

“Unconsciously, of course…” Genji replied. You shook your head

“Again, I won’t believe it until I see a yellow dragon floating around the house.”

“What do we do then? If it’s unconscious, I can’t ask him to do it…” You thought for a second.

“Well, he usually sees the ‘monster’ at night, right!? What if he sleeps with us tonight? When he wakes up screaming, we’ll see. If there’s nothing, it’s a nightmare, if there’s a dragon… we’ll figure it out!”

Genji pulled you to him and laid his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes in thought, while you awaited his answer.

“I think… Yeah, we can do that.” You rubbed your nose to his, in a small attempt to cheer him up. It worked, a soft smile bloomed in his lips, before he pulled you in for a kiss.

“We’ll deal with this together, okay?” You assured. “Now how about you go to Zenyatta and meditate a bit? You need to clear your head.”

---___---___---___---___---___---

As the sky turned darker, Genji became more on edge. You told your son that he’d be sleeping with you because Genji couldn’t find “the monster” that day. After some minutes of panicked cries, you eventually calmed down the young boy and convinced him to get ready for bed.

You too felt tense as bedtime approached, afraid of the night to come.

The three of you finally dived under the covers, with both you and Genji spooning the child between you and a free hand intertwined next to the boy’s head.

As the clock advanced, you watched your son fall asleep, his breath slowing into a peaceful pattern. But you could not follow, and looking at your husband, you could see his eyes shine in the dark. He was as awake as you, but neither dared to speak. You simply used your intertwined hands to communicate with reassuring squeezes.

Occasionally, you found yourself jolting awake when your son moved, and you noticed Genji react the same. By sun rise, your son didn’t wake up once, and both you and Genji where more tired than when you went to bed.

“Okay, so that didn’t work…” You uselessly pointed out over the remains of your breakfast. Genji’s state mirrored your own: droopy eyes and leaned over the table with his arm holding his chin. In the living room, you could hear the morning cartoons, entertaining your son, who appeared to have absorbed all the household energy that night.

“…I am still not convinced…” Genji muttered, spinning his mug with the hand that wasn’t holding his head.

“Wanna keep trying?” You questioned with a soft voice. Silence fell over you, as Genji mulled over his possibilities. It took a good while, but eventually he nodded.

And so, night returned. Bedtime came once more and the three went to sleep together again. Another uneventful night, only this time both you and Genji got some proper sleep. Even so, Genji was not convinced, so this kept going for a week until you had to step forward.

“Maybe it really is just a nightmare.” You pointed out after the 8th uneventful night in a row. “He probably feels safer when he’s with us and that’s why he doesn’t wake up.”

After a bit more convincing, Genji finally gave up and that night the young boy slept on his own bed, after both you and Genji swore the monster was gone. Even then, Genji remained awake most of the night, ready to jump out of bed if your son woke up again. It felt weird sleeping next to someone so tense, but you kept quiet and tried to get some sleep for yourself.

Nothing happened that night. Neither did it the next one, or the other one after.

Just like that, the nightmares stopped, and both you and Genji finally allowed yourselves a sigh of relief.

But one day, heavy dark clouds turned the day into night and rain fell. Thunder followed soon after, loud enough to shake the house. Your son immediately sought refuge, bursting into the kitchen where you were working on your laptop.

“You don’t really like thunder, do you?” You asked with a chuckle, combing your hands through the dark strands of the boy hugging you. He shook his head, face hidden on your side.

Figuring you needed a break, you closed your laptop and guided your child to the living room. You settled on the couch, son nestled on your side and a blanket over both. You tried to distract him with a movie and light chatter, and it worked, to an extent. He kept jumping and cuddling you harder whenever a flash of white would flood the room but would soon relax afterwards.

“What is this? Movie afternoon without me?” You heard Genji accuse as a light joke. You turned around to give him a loving smile.

“Didn’t want to interrupt your meditation session!” He jumped over the back of the couch and landed on the free spot in a perfect sitting position. The couch bounced, pulling a giggle from the young boy. You lightly rolled your eyes at the small show off.

The movie/ cuddle session resumed, now with Genji in the mix. After a while, another lightning filled the air with white, right before the house was plunged into darkness. You froze at the sudden blackout, but quickly relaxed when Genji’s cybernetics, the few he used around the house, filled the living room with a faint green glow. You son let go of you to glue himself to Genji, who muttered a curse in Japanese when he noticed the neighboring houses had gone dark too.

With a sigh of resignation, you got up from the couch.

“I’ll get something to light this up.”

“Perhaps I should go-“ Genji’s sentence got cut short by another lightning. He looked down at the boy bundled next to him, who curled tighter. “Actually, nevermind…”

You chuckled in response and pecked his lips before heading off to scavenge for any source of light. You had no idea how long you spent going through the house, but you knew you took longer than accepted when Genji walked into your bedroom, where you were digging for batteries in some drawer.

“Need some help?” He asked, noticing your lack of light.

“Yeah… The flashlight is out of batteries…” Genji stood beside you, allowing his cybernetics to illuminate the drawer. “What about (S/n)? You left him alone?” You asked.

“It took a while to convince him to release me, but yes. He’ll be fine.”

As if to disagree with him, another lightning ripped the skies open. A clash of thunder vibrated through the walls and you heard a scream, putting both you and Genji on alert. Struggling to put the batteries in the flashlight, you ran to the bedroom door

“It’s okay baby, you’re safe! We’re coming, just wait a second!” you yelled.

You had just snapped shut the flashlight when you heard another scream, more shrill and terrifying than the last one, and with no lightning or thunder that could have triggered it. You felt it run down your spine, mother instincts kicking in full force.

Both you and Genji ran out the room immediately. Genji quickly surpassed you and jumped the stairs entirely, ninja skills at full display. You were still at the top of the stairs when you saw Genji freeze in front of the living room door, and quickly deflate.

“No way…”

You were midway through the steps when your son ran out the room and barreled into Genji, quickly hiding behind him, bawling his eyes out, and only when you reached the bottom did you see it.

Floating in the middle of the living room was a yellowish- green dragon. Its body wasn’t well defined like Genji or Hanzo’s, more like a smoky shape. The head was clear, though its whiskers were like thin trails of smoke, instead of the defined lines you were used to. It struggled to move, its incomplete form making its movement slow and strange.

“T-that’s a dragon!...” You voiced your realization, at a loss.

Slowly, Genji kneeled down and turned to your son, voice calm and amused (or trying to, you noticed).

“(S/n)? There is nothing to fear. It’s a friend!”

“B-But it’s scary daddy! I’m scared!” Genji chuckled lightly and pulled his son closer with an arm around his shoulder. He moved the boy to his side.

“It’s scary so it can keep real monsters away, but it won’t hurt you, ever! Want to see?”

Before your son could protest, Genji stretched his free arm and a green light swirled down it before his own dragon took form, detailed and elegant unlike the other. Your son glued himself to Genji, eyes wary of the unknown creature, as it smoothly circled around them. The dragon brushed against Genji’s cheek in a sort of hello, before it floated over to you and curled itself around your neck like a scarf. You gladly accepted the cuddle.

“It’s okay, (S/n).” You approached them and kneeled as well. “There is no reason to be afraid!” You petted the dragon on your shoulder, and its purring stopped you son’s sobbing. The young boy kept his eyes on the dragon, curiosity taking over fear as he saw the ferocious beast turn into a noodle shaped cat at your ministrations. Genji then called his attention.

“Why don’t you call it?” He suggested, pointing at the yellow dragon.

Said dragon was now upside down and struggling to get itself upright, reminding you of a turtle, flailing with no success. Noticing the attention on it, the dragon stopped for a moment and stared at its master.

Still shaking, your son allowed Genji to lift his arm.

“Call it.” Your son shook his head and tried to step back, but you put your hands on his shoulders, reassuring him.

“Mommy and daddy are here for you. It won’t hurt you; we won’t let it.” You said. He looked at both his parents, received a nod from Genji, and puffed out his chest, ready to face the beast head on. Genji’s free hand reached out to you and you held it, fingers intertwined, shaking.

“H-Hey!”

The yellow dragon perked up, and slowly turned itself upright, still staring at its master. It then started to approach slowly, its shape getting slightly more defined as it got closer. When it was just a few inches away from the boy’s raised hand., it stopped. Genji squeezed your hand, waiting...

And finally, shaking, your son reached out, petting the yellow dragon’s head. Its eyes closed, content and purring, and nudged the small hand asking for more. Finally, your son giggled, fear of the dragon fully gone, and both you and Genji let out a sigh of relief. You leaned into him and lightly nuzzled his neck, the boy’s giggles making your hearts jump in happiness.

“…Do you think I can do it? Teach him?...” You hear Genji whisper. You turned his head to look at you and gave his brown eyes a look full of love and pride.

“I’m here, Genji. We made it so far, and we’ll keep doing fine, together.” As if confirming, Genji’s dragon huffed before vanishing back into its master. Genji smiled, pulled you close and you both watched your son and its new companion.

“Of course…Together, the five of us...”

#genji x reader #overwatch x reader #genji shimada #overwatch imagines #x reader #reader insert #request

[langwrites]

Merc Work

I have no excuse for this other than needing a break from my NaNoWriMo break from Kei.

Be warned: It has no ending.

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

On a half-decent day, Kei would wake up with the dawn in a world without alarm clocks. If the day was especially good, she’d do so in her own fucking bed and not be on a ridiculous solo mission that’d gotten blown so thoroughly off track that she couldn’t see the proper path with the Hubble telescope. Waking up in an unfamiliar continent was already a sign of a bad time, and then the power of an unfeeling cosmic gearbox threw in the unasked-for bonus of pervasive xenophobia while surrounded by European fantasy analogues. Especially while being trailed by three Academy students on what should have been a harmless trip to visit the graves of their family. 

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the comparatively minor setback of Kei being on third watch. Sleep was for people who didn’t have a demonic turtle sitting in their lap. And who weren’t “new meat” by local standards.

So, between having to join up with a mercenary band to avoid dealing with racist jackasses through the power of numbers and swords, the apparent tech levels not supporting indoor plumbing, the safety of her students, and sitting in the cold for two hours before sunrise… Well, Kei could be forgiven for feeling a bit crabby.

Ha.

You hush. 

Never.

Kei considered the complete inability to actually keep Isobu from intruding on any conversation he liked, then sighed. There was such a thing as a hopeless fight, even for her. 

Isobu folded his armored forelegs under his belly. Had you not been transported here alongside the children, would you have joined this mercenary band to begin with?

Kei made an “I dunno” noise without opening her mouth. I mean, the sheer isolation would be an absolute nightmare. I know my limits a bit better now. 

The spiritual wreckage of her left arm attested to that issue. 

Isobu looked down, over the edge of Kei’s lap and toward the forest around Remire Village. They were probably about ten meters into the crown of the oak tree Kei chose as her lookout post for the last week, with only minor modifications to the branches. The only real change between this night and others involved Isobu being a lookout alongside her, rather than haunting the nearby river and stealing fish for his own amusement. 

And for feeding the kids, but that hadn’t happened since they’d joined the Jeralt mercenaries last month. 

Even if Kei didn’t trust rowdy men and women to look after a bunch of kids with special powers, she did trust Isobu to keep track of them. If the mercenaries got into a skirmish with bandits or anyone else, Kei ordered Kaito, Aiko, and Roku to hide with their spiky guardian as their sole point of contact with the group. When the situation was safe, Kei would call for them. If it wasn’t… well, that wasn’t going to happen. Kei had seen the local idea of what “power” meant and was left unimpressed. 

Nothing could get past me if it tried.

There’s a sentiment I can get behind. She’d survived worse than angry knights chasing her with spears.

The only one Kei wasn’t entirely sure of was the mercenaries’ second fiddle. The Ashen Demon, sole child of the Blade Breaker, went by Byleth Eisner (or just Byleth) to everyone else. They were half their father’s bulk and didn’t resemble him much in either coloring or general features. The lack of visible emotion on their face left most people around here fairly unnerved, but Kei found it was actually something of an advantage upon joining the mercenaries. Because people like Jeralt were already used to Byleth’s culturally-remarkable flat affect, they had an easier time giving some slack to Kei’s preferred mask of complete professional stoicism. 

The kids didn’t bother hiding their feelings about the whole thing—they latched onto Byleth insofar as they did anyone, perhaps because they were the smallest adult available who wasn’t Kei. 

But Byleth also had a job, and that job included enough of Kei’s personal stabbing quota to disqualify them from combat babysitting duties. 

Though she’d asked once about it anyway.

Byleth’s microexpressions were difficult to read. She left the conversation with the impression they were more confused by Kei’s willingness to approach them than insulted by the presumption, and thus joined Kei and her ducklings at dinner on occasion like they had a standing invitation. 

They basically did. Kei wouldn’t shoo away people who liked her cooking, and Byleth didn’t get loudly drunk all damn night. 

Don’t worry, though. You’re still the indisputed babysitting champion of the battlefield.

Pah. Isobu swatted Kei’s hand with one of his tails. 

Rowdy for a clone, aren’t you?

Insulting for a host, are you not? Isobu reversed it, because of course he did. And it is not as though this clone could be destroyed by anything less than your brute strength.

Fair.

Normally, Kei could have continued this line of thought for some time. Bantering with Isobu was a peaceful way to pass a watch shift. He had good night vision. She had the ability to interact with the world as a human being. These things were very complimentary. 

And Isobu used his sensitive eye, adapted for exploring the sea, to spot the problem before Kei heard it. Smoke at night was difficult to see without decent moonlight, at least for humans. Isobu poked at her brain to draw her attention to it. Likewise, the orange flicker of distant flames was just barely visible in Kei’s periphery if Kei angled her vision, like she would if observing the stars. 

That is going to be our problem in short order.

Isn’t it always? Kei replied, leaning as far sideways as she can to see through the modified canopy. Any farther and gravity would be held at bay only by chakra usage. Time to get up.

Indeed. And that was when Isobu opened his mouth to roar.

It was a tiny noise, relative to his true form’s size, but the sleepy village below them started to stir. The mercenaries were used to the sound of Isobu’s dying rabbit screams by now. 

And down.

Kei shoved Isobu off her lap, sending his spiky ass tumbling out of the tree to land among the three kids piled up in their camping bags. Kaito stirred first, patting sleepily at Isobu’s ridged belly before sitting up. This dislodged Roku and Aiko in order, just in time for Kei to land about a meter away with her finger in front of her face in a clear shh gesture. 

None of her three charges moved a muscle. 

“All three of you need to hide,” Kei told them, in the language no one around here spoke. 

One by one, she hugged each of them tightly enough to convey the seriousness of her request. Three pairs of cautious eyes met hers, in turn, and then they scrambled to hide their possessions under thickets in the village’s outskirts. No bandits could know there might be someone here to chase. 

After about a minute, she picked up Isobu’s little clone and placed him in Kaito’s shaky arms.

The kids knew she’d come back. The mercenaries had fought in five skirmishes since they joined like glorified camp followers, and not one of those battles featured a single opponent Kei couldn’t destroy with her eyes closed. 

But this was their comfort zone. Each time Kei left them, like a mother wolf leaving her den, she stripped that security like a worn bandage. 

Even only after a month of immersion, the kids picked up the local tongue fairly fast. They were young and adaptable and Kei was the only human adult around who spoke Japanese to them. Until they heard it again, from either her or Isobu, they’d stay out of sight. The waiting, though, never really got any easier. 

“They’ll never find us,” Roku said, tugging gently at Aiko and Kaito’s wrists. The oldest, at barely eleven, and already forcing himself to be the most responsible. 

“Bye, Sensei,” Aiko said reluctantly, before Roku curled his arm entirely around her to keep her from running off. 

“Stay safe,” Kei told her. She looked directly to Kaito and added, “Be good for Isobu-chan.” 

Kaito didn’t say anything at all, instead just fixing Kei with a stare like he’d forget what she looked like if he didn’t. This lasted until Isobu ordered Roku to get all three kids away from there, and he did. 

All three of them disappeared into the forest. They knew how to climb trees like bear cubs—or shinobi—which would have to be enough. And if a single enemy got near them, Kei would probably need to cut a grown man in half. Perhaps several.

Byleth would help.

I’ll let you know when it’s safe to be out here again, Kei thought to Isobu. 

You should know that I was not designed for an arboreal existence. I have many prehensile tails, but I am not a squirrel.

But you’re so cute!

Flattery will get you nowhere. With that sassy rejoinder, Isobu did the equivalent of flicking Kei in the forehead.

Kei headed to the village’s front gate, cutting directly through the forest with the ease of someone who’d been in and around the wilderness her entire life. She could hear another group crashing through the woods at high speed, relative to normal human averages, and a larger group likely in pursuit. 

Well, that wouldn’t do. 

Hidden Mist. Though the hand seal for this technique was more of a stance, she could still put her detection trick in action. She just had to make sure it was concentrated on the pursuers, not the pursued. Deliberately leaving voids was useless for her strategies, but it probably kept people from breaking their necks unnecessarily.

And it let her know that the slower, louder group was thirty strong.

She kept going until she reached the village’s gates, spotting a mercenary named Arkady on duty. Backlit by torches, his five earrings caught the light and gave him away. 

“Back from the camping trip already?” Arkady asked, a note of alarm creeping into his voice. “Where are the kids?”

“Safe,” Kei told him. She slid into place on the opposite side of the gate, hand on the borrowed steel shortsword that’d carried her for the last month. Her katana was not to be wasted on bandits around here. Or in sparring. “But hidden. Someone is heading this way.” 

Arkady paused, eyed the forest, and then nodded. “I’ll wake the captain and his kid. Stay here.”

Kei let him go and drummed her fingers against her sword’s hilt, waiting. The crashing was getting closer, and her kids were fifty meters away in a tree. Even while dead certain Isobu was with them, her nerves refused to settle.

Strictly speaking, she didn’t need to keep herself and her team so far away from the mercenaries. They were a rowdy crew, but they were only of the rough-and-tumble sort. They expressed affection by going out drinking and slapping each other on the back and fighting shoulder-to-shoulder through wind and rain. Since Byleth had been with Jeralt since before he founded the company, presumably the various members would be at least peripherally trustworthy with children.

Kei, as a nineteen-year-old with dependents who had one half-cracked voice between them, only trusted the company on the battlefield. 

Arkady returned without Byleth or Jeralt, but he did have Marcel. The two of them were like a pair of piratical brunet bookends and cracked jokes anytime they weren’t on the job. It made her students edgy around them, but they were well-liked within the boisterous mercenary crew. Like many soldiers of fortune, they wore a fair amount of jewelry to emphasize their success, which was some of the best advertising around. So was the mess of scars, though only Marcel was missing a chunk of his nose. 

“What’s the matter?” Marcel asked, right before the group Kei’d been hearing for the last sixty-odd meters finally crashed out of the woods at nearly the same volume it started.

Three muddied, twig-strewn teenagers stumble up to the pool of torchlight, panting. 

Kei pointed at them, because it was faster than bothering to explain herself.

One white-haired girl and a dark-haired boy, at complete opposite ends of the “has this person seen the sun in the last decade” skin tone spectrum, while the tallest is the blond boy in the middle. If not for the torches, Kei wouldn’t even be able to call them “kids” in any meaningful sense, but she did know what school uniforms look like. Kei wandered out of her education as a baby adult, by one reckoning or another. Both of them. She hadn’t been able to look up information on the internet for unfortunately obvious reasons, but in a world where bespoke tailoring is a norm rather than a luxury and damn near nobody wore customized clothing unless they were rich, Kei’s intuition was subsumed by screeching alarm bells. 

Third watch on a morning  when they were supposed to be marching north into the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and now this. Kei’s private list of complaints kept getting longer.

“Scarface,” said Marcel, while the kids caught their breath, “why don’t you back up?”

Kei did so, because these kids were likely to react to Kei’s not-Caucasian features with the traditional xenophobia displayed by basically every non-mercenary person from Fódlan so far. If she had to deal with weapons swinging at her face before the sun came up, they’d better be attacks from people she already wanted dead. She didn’t have the patience this early in the morning.

The motion caught the eye of the boy with the yellow shoulder-cape, but little else about Kei was too distinct once she was out of direct torchlight.

Well, mostly. 

Sort of.

She was wearing a haori, her armguards, and the local pants-and-boots combination because her sandals could be saved for special occasions. Instead of covering her face with a mask or even wearing her headband as intended, she tied it around her neck like an ascot. There was only so much point in pretending to be anything but foreign. Between her accent and facial features that she was not going to burn chakra trying to hide, it was something Kei kept in perspective. 

And the yellow-themed kid was still looking at her.

“Kid, eyes over here,” Arkady demanded.

Kei silently cheered at even a token attempt to direct attention away from her.

At this point, Jeralt and Byleth arrived. 

Jeralt was a huge, dull-orange mountain of a man with dirty blond hair and a braid and undercut combination Kei didn’t think would ever catch on. His scarred face told even more of a story than Kei’s did, and no one was quite sure how many battles he’d rushed into and out of alive.  Nor were they sure how old he was. More than anyone else in the company, Jeralt was a cavalry commander down to his metal greaves and could be trusted to lead the group to victory come hell or high water. 

Competing for second place was his shadow. Byleth, the quietest person in the company and therefore the one Kei’s students tolerated best besides the horses, was about Kei’s age. They were also one of the few adults shorter than Kei was. Their eyes were a distinct deep blue and their hair a dark teal, which almost blended in with the charcoal-gray clothes they preferred this late at night, punctuated by matte black armor along their arms and legs. The ghostly complexion stood out like the fucking moon by comparison. 

The two of them commanded all the attention better than a weird foreigner did. 

“Please forgive our intrusion,” said the blond one, bowing with his hand over his heart. Kei’s brain tried to calculate angles to assess formality before remembering that cultures were weird and American accents were weirder. He went on, “We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire.”

Jeralt visibly took note of the formality, then said, “What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?”

“We’re being pursued by a group of bandits.” Oh for fuck’s sake. While the blond noble kept talking—and he was a noble, because Kei had much more experience with the blunter speech patterns commoners used. Couldn’t be anything else. “I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.” 

“Bandits? Here?” Jeralt’s gaze flicked to Kei.

She nodded, because it was as good a designation for the enemy still shouting their way through the forest as any. Bandits had been trying to kill Kei since she was Aiko’s age. This wasn’t new.

Jeralt didn’t give the order to attack them just yet. Instead, he turned his attention back to the kids as they started talking. 

The white-haired girl said, “It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.”

Not a great sign. Why had three noble children been exposed like that? In Kei’s experience, nobility tended to spend a lot more time cloistered inside protective structures, and even traveling daimyo tended to take a proper procession with them. Where were the guards? People died when they were caught alone. 

Maybe the fire she’d seen was a part of it?

As though to confirm her rising tide of suspicions, the noble boy in yellow said, “We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered. They’re after our lives…not to mention our gold.”

Well, then. If they were anything like the bandits Kei ran into during the initial month she’d spent as her students’ sole reliable defense, this wouldn’t take long. 

“I’m impressed you’re staying so calm considering the situation. I… Wait.” Jeralt’s body language went rigid. Like he’d just found an armed opponent in a darkened hallway. “That uniform…”

One of the group’s archers—Rickard—ran up with his bow drawn. He shrugged off Marcel and Arkady’s questions, attention locked on Jeralt so thoroughly that he nearly tripped over Kei on his way to report in. If she’d stuck her foot out, he’d have slammed face-first into the village’s defensive wall. 

“Bandits spotted just outside the village.” Rickard gestured out at the forest. “There are a lot of them.”

Byleth turned their head toward Kei, making an inquisitive gesture with their hand. One of the many, many reasons Kei’s students liked them was because they were willing to pantomime nearly everything if necessary. And while body language didn’t often cross national boundaries, Byleth was willing to learn almost anything Kei put in front of them.

Kei held up three fingers on her right hand—counting her thumb—then brought all five of them together to a single point.

Byleth’s gaze sharpened. 

Jeralt considered Rickard first, then said to the kids, “I guess they followed you all the way here.” He’d caught the gesture conversation with Byleth, and said to his child, “We can’t abandon this village now. Come on, let’s move.” 

Byleth nodded. 

“Hope you’re ready,” Jeralt grunted. “Kid, you take these three into cover and pick off anybody you can reach. Rickard, you’re with Marcel and Arkady. Rally the rest.” Then Jeralt only had Kei left to address. “And you. Your job is skirmisher. Don’t let them get around the village’s defenses.” 

Kei bowed, arms held rigidly at her sides. “As you wish.”

Jeralt waved her off, so Kei decided this was an excellent time to make herself scarce.

#Keisuke Gekko #catch your breath fanfic #team kei #roku chigami #kaito yuki #aiko kasai #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses

[gaycrouton]

Hey! If you’re looking for a prompt, I’m really in the mood for some post-revival happy, domestic fluff and/or smut. Something that includes Jackson & baby #2 maybe?

So I randomly remembered I had this sitting in my google doc, it’s a little shaky, and totally out of my comfort zone - but I hope you like it. No Jackson, just little domestic snippets of Mulder, Scully, and their love child.

Mulder always thought he’d die alone. That’s not in the self-deprecatory sense, just honesty. He didn’t think he would ever find someone that would put up with him. Someone who would willingly want to, at that. He was obsessive, he was intense, and he had a hard time opening up to people. Let alone the fact that his head was constantly in the sky looking for aliens and UFOs, missing any opportunities that were right in front of him to make human connection. But he supposed the anecdote was right: if one’s head goes high enough, they’re bound to find an angel. He sure did. A scientific, rational, passionate angel.

Scully.

With her red halo and ability to absolve him with her touch, give him penance with her words. He thought he was lucky enough just having her. Living side by side with the woman who meant the world to him. Then, in some cosmic phenomena, someone else came into his life.

Katherine Mulder-Scully. The ultimate combination of the two of them. A little girl with hair as red as a fox, and eyes so blue he found a new sky to get lost in. He thinks the nurse might have been concerned with how much Scully and himself were crying. Born exactly on the due date, 7 pounds and 11 ounces, and in perfect health. After years of struggling with this or that, he was happy he finally had something so exactly as planned.

Scully said fatherhood suited him. He hoped that was true. When she cried in the night, he’d be running. If she needed a diaper change, a bottle, a hug, or a kiss, he was right there. He was at the beck and call of an infant and he’d honestly have it no other way.

“She’s a daddy’s girl, you know that, right?” Scully teased him once as he bounced the giggly girl on his lap.

“Why do you think that?” he asked, peppering the giggling baby with kisses to prolong the music in the air.

“The first time she crawled was to get in your lap, her first steps were in your arms, she wails if you aren’t paying her any attention,” Scully laughed.

“May I remind you that you were right beside me for all those examples. Impossible to determine,” he offered.

“No, I know I’m right,” she praised with a smile, placing a kiss to his shoulder. “No grudges here, I understand completely where she’s coming from,” she added, wrapping her arms around him as she made faces at Katie.

Then the little baby confirmed Scully���s hypothesis. “Dah-dee,” she babbled, grabbing onto Mulder’s nose, her favorite part of him.  Mulder and Scully gasped and turned to each other in proud enthusiasm.

Her first word.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When she was three, she went through an ‘everything makes me cry’ phase. He liked to argue it was harder for him than it was for her. Every time those bright blue eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip quivered, he felt like he wanted to do the same. Scully teased him a lot for being the most emotionally invested father in the world, but behind her teasing tone he could see the adoration and happiness she really felt. What could he say? He just wanted his girls to be happy.

Her crying wasn’t out of not getting her way, like with most three year olds; it was out of a profound empathy that Scully liked to joke was genetically passed down from him. He didn’t know about that, but what he did know was that he loved his daughter. The daughter who cried hysterically when she saw a sick person on the tv, when a dog on the street didn’t appear to have an owner, whenever she realized the world was mean, despite his best efforts to shield her from that one truth.

Once she spontaneously started crying during breakfast, big, fat tears that rolled down her cheeks like waterfalls. They had just been eating when she stared between them for a moment, as if truly seeing them for the first time, before the waterworks started. They had no idea what could have caused her outburst. When she was able to catch her breath, she whimpered, “Is daddy sick?”

Mulder looked down at himself. He was wearing an old grey t-shirt and some sweatpants. He hadn’t had taken the time to brush his hair since it was Saturday and they had nowhere to go, but he didn’t think he looked that bad.

“Why would you say that, sweetheart?” Scully asked kissing her cheeks as if she could kiss away her distress.

Her face crumpled and she turned to Scully, keening to the gods “No red hair!” From her throne on her stool, she pointed a chubby finger at his offending head, glaring at the strands of brown hair through an ocean of tears.

Scully’s face took on that impenetrable mask of an adult trying not to hurt a child’s feelings by laughing at them, but struggling to contain their adoration. “You’re worried because Daddy’s hair isn’t red?” She asked, her voice drenched in amusement.

Katie haphazardly pulled at a strand of Scully’s hair with a fist as she held it up to her own scalp, a crimson masterpiece.

Mulder’s heart overflowed with love. In his daughter’s world, her hair was red, mommy’s hair was red, so something must be wrong with daddy. Seeing the big fat globs of tears streaming down her face at the prospect of something setting him apart from them made him want to rush over and smother her with love. So he did.

He kissed her all over and reassured her that he was healthy, even though he was a brunette. In true Scully fashion, she had to tug on his scalp to make sure everything checked out before believing him. Then, as if she hadn’t been bawling a moment ago, she sniffled and asked, “Do you wan’ red hair?”

He was curious what she would have offered if he said yes, but he just shook his head. “Nope, it doesn’t matter what color hair I have, because I spend all my time looking at you and mommy.”

He received two beaming smiles, and an affirmation that he’d made the right choice. “Good,” she stated, picking up her neglected Cheerios. Scully burst out laughing and he couldn’t help but join her.

She insisted Katie’s empathy came from him, but only someone with Scully blood had ever cared for him like that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When she was four, Scully brought her into his office and he could tell it was going to be good from the way Scully was biting back a smile. The smile that screamed “Our daughter did something adorably cute, but she’s taking this very seriously and I don’t want her to think I’m making fun.” A smile they each wore multiple times a day. As they got closer to him, Katie all the sudden seemed to get shy and buried her face into Scully’s pant leg, peeking at him over the stretched fabric with a mischievous smirk as she held something behind her back.

“Hello my loves, what’s going on?”

“So,” Scully began, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Katie saw on the calendar that next Sunday is father’s day-”

“Tha’s you!” Katie squealed, jumping up once on impatient feet.

Mulder gasped and opened his eyes in mock-shock, “Really?” he exclaimed.

The little girl took a step over so he could see her nod her head enthusiastically, still grabbing onto Scully. The taller redhead snorted lightly before continuing, “-but someone got a little excited and wanted to celebrate right now.”

“Celebrate?” he asked. Katie had been too young to understand the past few years, so usually Scully and him just celebrated in bed when the evidence of his fatherhood went to sleep.

“She made something for you,” Scully explained. She bent down so she was closer to eye level with the blushing little girl. “Go show him, okay? He’s going to love it.”

Katie regarded her with her big eyes before they latched onto him. Slowly she padded her way towards him and he held his arms out to lift her onto his lap. “What did you make sweetheart?” he asked, kissing her ruby ringlets.

Instead of answering, she shoved a piece of paper at him. He took it gently and looked at the top.

1040 U.S. JOINT INCOME TAX RETURN

He glanced up to Scully and she mouthed ‘other side’. Flipping it over he saw an elaborate crayon drawing. In the middle there was a figure with brown spiky hair and a big smile holding up a shorter, smiling red headed figure with black high heels and an even shorter red headed figure with manic curls and a smile so big you could see all her teeth. “Oh, Katie, is this us? I love it?” he praised earnestly.

“Mhm,” she affirmed, nodding her head so hard her whole body moved. She pivoted on his lap so she could point. “Tha’s you, a-and you’re holdin’ up me an’ mommy,” she explained.

“Wow, I must be really strong,” he exclaimed.

“Mhm, mhm, look, I gave you mus-muscles.” Taking a closer look, he saw that she quite literally made him more muscular than he’d even been in his entire life. “Because-because, you’re so strong an’ you always hug me and mommy and I like it when you pick me up,” she rambled adorably, stumbling over her words a bit in excitement.

Mulder looked up and saw Scully using a hand to cover her smile, enraptured by the scene in front of her. He kissed her temple a few times until she squealed in laughter. When he stopped a different part of the drawing stood out to him and he pointed at a red rectangle attached to his neck. “What’s that Katie-bear?”

“Issa cape,” she proclaimed. “Because you are my sooperman, an’ you always make me feel safe and you al-always take care of me. An-and you make me happy. See,” she said pointing to the smile on cartoon-Katie. “You make me smile an’ I love you!” she declared, pointing to all the hearts surrounding them. She had to have at least drawn close to one hundred hearts in waxy precision.  

“I love you so much, Katie,” he whispered, hugging her tightly against him. It was hard to get the words out through the clenching of his throat. His face felt hot and he could feel the tears pooling in his eyes as his lip quivered.

Scully must’ve noticed because she walked around to the other side of him and placed a kiss on his head, rubbing circles into his back, misty-eyed herself.

He felt so loved. So unconditionally loved.

When he was a child, safe and loved were just dreams he had intermittently mixed within the nightmares. He got disdain and resentment, and he was determined to give his daughter a better life. Hearing her so innocently confirm he was doing that was overwhelming. In her eyes, he did no wrong. For a man tainted by self-doubt, it was the best gift he could receive.

“Daddy are you sad?” she asked, bringing an uncoordinated hand up to wipe at his face.

He grabbed the tiny little hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss to her palm. “No, honey. You make me so happy. I love you and mommy so much, you two are my whole world.”

“But you’re cwying,” she said, kissing his cheeks like her mommy did for her when she was sad.

“Because he loves you so much he can’t contain it all in his body,” Scully explained from above him. He could tell by her voice she was having a hard time containing her love in her body too.

“You guys are silly,” she giggled, hugging him back.

His journey started when a little girl was taken away from him, and never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would end with him getting the gift of bringing a new little girl into the world.

A little girl birthed by the love of his life. His, hers, theirs.

#x files fanfic #msr fluff #msr domestic #mulder and scully #my fanfiction #gaycrouton #prompts

[neko-shinigxmi]

.: We Make the End Our Beginning :.

Ship: Phoenix/Me ;; Trucy & Me (familial) Prompt: It’s Friday, April 19th. Another day working, another day for Phoenix at court. Though the night before was lovely [fic here], the new day promises more struggles than either of them expected...

Notes: I may be a day late, but nothing will stop me from getting. This. Done.

   The day started beyond perfect. Phoenix woke up a little earlier than usual to prepare for his case, Rachel slept in another hour, and when it came time to get up, the sun was warm, a gentle breeze was around, and clouds floated through the sky. It was perfection, enough so that they even sat outside while drinking their coffee, people-watching all the while and wondering how the case was going. Phoenix’s cases tended to start around early afternoon... This one no different.

   There was still time when Rachel checked their phone, so no rush. Soak up a little more sun, indulge in the sweet coffee they ordered, watch the clouds roll by and pick up light chatter... Wonder what Diego was up to in jail. Hopefully they had the kind of coffee he liked or they’d never hear the end of it.

   With that amusing thought, they drank up the last of their cup, tossed it, and headed out for the courthouse.

   The walk over was rather quiet, the only sounds aside from the ones the city gave being the tune Rachel couldn’t stop humming. Another song stuck in their head that wouldn’t quite leave... Doomed to repeat the part they remembered best until they listened to the song itself later. Eh, it was fine, though... Things would get worked out eventually.

   The courthouse wasn’t far, now. They hurried their steps a little more, not staring at the man who passed them in an equal rush, his head tilted down. Rachel might’ve ignored the man, too- wearing a trench coat is reason enough, but with the collar pulled that high, there was no way they could get a good enough glimpse of his face- but what did make them stop was the spiky, black hair poking out in the back. Tilted down, it make the stubborn hair stick straight up...

   “Phoenix?”

   Heartache started the second he turned around. He looked lost, on the verge of a breakdown. Eyes were shiny with tears he hadn’t shed yet and with his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his trench coat, he made for a striking difference for the man they’d come to love so, so dearly. What happened to their cheerful boyfriend?

   “Is... Is the case over?” They asked hesitantly, stepping closer. “What happened, babe?” Phoenix didn’t respond, eyes moving all over his partner’s face before a hand left his pocket, grabbing theirs and dragging them with him. Not out here... Okay, but their anxiety was skyrocketing. What couldn’t be said out in the open?

   What happened in this case?!

   “Fake evidence? How does that even happen?” Rachel was in horrified awe, hands cupped around their mouth. Disbarred. He was getting disbarred for having fake evidence. How?! The prosecutor knew, too...but Phoenix would never!

   “I don’t know,” he responded, giving a dry, humorless laugh. He’d sat down at his desk- the last time he may ever do so- and put his head into his hands. This might as well be their last time at the office...and their heart hurt at the thought. “His daughter even gave it to me, I don’t... I don’t understand, either.”

   The lights should be on. They should be celebrating with Maya and Pearl... Maybe a few of their other friends, like Gumshoe and Maggey. But the lights were off, the AC quietly rumbling, and it was only them.

   It was hard not to cry.

   “So, what...what happens now?” Rachel hates how timid their voice sounds. They need to be strong for him, too, right? But now everything’s become uncertain. The future’s a mess and they’ve got to pull together...

   Nothing’s pull them away from him since they first gave this relationship a shot. Not bringing a parrot to the witness stand, not any of the odd hijinks that happened along the way... Hell, even Iris was accepted with just as gentle of a hug as Godot/Diego had been. Through it all, things have stayed strong...and that wasn’t going to stop with Phoenix being disbarred.

   “I don’t know,” he admitted, fingers sinking through and messing up his hair a little, before sitting up again. “I... I’m lost, honestly. I never thought of what I’d do if I wasn’t a lawyer. That’s...never been something I’ve had to think of. Plus... From now on, there’s somebody else to think of, too.”

   “Someone else...?” Rachel’s eyes widened, staring at him. He still only looked at his desk, so they stood up, trying to draw his gaze in their rising panic. “Who- What do you me-?!”

   A knock at the door. They paused, looking at Phoenix, then hurried to the door. Opening it, nobody was there...? A sniffle drew their gaze downwards, however, to what appeared to be a young girl in a pink magician’s outfit. So small, so cute...and tears coming from her big, blue eyes.

   “I-Is Mr. Phoenix here...?” Wordlessly, Rachel moved out of the way, opening the door wider so this little girl could see him. She gasped, hurrying over and arms opening to hug him. Without hesitation, Phoenix held her, hugging her close before scooping the little girl in his arms, standing from his chair at last. He still looked so lost... Only now, he looked like a lost, single parent.

   “My client today...was her father,” he confessed, eyes downcast. “He disappeared... Trucy doesn’t have anyone else, Rachel. I can’t... I want to adopt her. Look after her...from here on out.” He paused, swallowing nervously as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “...You... You don’t have to join me on this. Not after all that’s happened toda-”

   “Phoenix. Phoenix, look at me.” Hesitantly, he did. “I’m not leaving you now or ever. Even after something like this. Okay? If raising Trucy is what you want to do... I’ll help. You don’t have to be alone on this. This...” Rachel stepped closer, a hand on Trucy’s still-shaking back and another on Phoenix’s bicep. “This, right now? It can be the beginning of our family. An odd one, to be sure...but a family. Okay?”

   All at once, the stress he was carrying was sighed out in relief, shoulders sagging as he nodded. He obviously thought this could’ve been the end... What a weirdo; they sure weren’t leaving him any time soon. Not even with his badge revoked and a child being adopted!

   “Daddy...and Mommy?” Trucy’s voice hesitantly spoke up, peering at her new parents with a hint of uncertainty.

   “Mm, Trucy? Do you think you could...call me Renny, instead? I would like that a lot better.” The girl blinked and then nodded...then slowly began to smile wide.

   “So... You’re my Renny now?”

   “I would like it, if you’d like us.” Trucy looked to Phoenix, then back to Rachel and nodded eagerly, humming her confirmation. Joyful laughter at her temporary boost in mood didn’t brighten up the dark office any, but somehow...made it bearable. Like it wasn’t oppressive anymore, but kind and secretive.

   For that was the day Trucy Gramarye become Trucy Wright. She got a new family and Phoenix became a father, just as Rachel became a parent to the wonderful little girl. Wright and Co. Law Offices would suffer for many years yet...but something wonderful still came of it.

   And the next morning, when Rachel woke up to see not only her boyfriend, but their adopted daughter between them... It was hard to say if life was worse off giving them such a picturesque scene.

   Things would be okay, someday. They all would be okay...but for now?

   It was nice to wake up to a new day as a family.

#self ship #self insert #self ship community #self insert community #self shipping #ace attorney self ship #Aki Stories #otp; our love is law #HA HA WE'VE GOT AN OTP TAG NOW #now to just....throw it on all the OTHER relevant things #whoops #anyways pLEASE READ AND REBLOG #THE SUPPORT IS NICE MAN #I'M DOING MY BEST HERE

[kenzieam]

The Call of the Void - Chapter Four

Rating: M (language, violence, mentions of torture and abuse, eventual smut, angst)

Genre: Drama/Angst

@captstefanbrandt @iammarylastar @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @notimetoblog @captain-ariel-barnes @jaamesbbarnes @lancefvcker @bitsandbobsandstuff @softlybarnes @lovelybbarnes @buckitybarnes @bucky-plums-barnes @thottybarnes @moonbeambucky @badassbaker @citylights221 @empress-of-boujee @tbetz0341chook007 @shynara51 @diinofayce @casestudy-mw ​

If I missed any tag requests, I apologize!!

*IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED OR DELETED FROM THIS LIST, DM ME*

Word Count 3.1 k +

Some fluff and sweetness, tempered by more darkness; enjoy my lovelies.....

**Potential Triggers, please read with caution**

Steve instantly zeroed in on the awkwardness between Buck and Nika when he returned in the quinjet a few days later. He shot a ‘what did you do?’ glare in Bucky’s direction before wrapping Nika in a tight hug, laughing at something she said to him and Bucky felt a sharp pang straight through his heart. He wanted that; hell, he could even say he was jealous of Steve for the relationship he seemed to have forged with Nika; he wanted that easy intimacy, the freedom to sling an arm over her shoulders and feel her lean against him, tell a joke and hear her musical laughter.

He would never willingly deny his oldest friend a chance at happiness, if Nika had chosen Steve over him, but it absolutely broke the shredded remains of Bucky’s heart to watch them. After his bumbling affection a few days ago, would Nika pull completely away? She had so far, avoiding Bucky at every turn, he’d not even been able to catch fleeting glances of her outside. He’d felt it, the same crazy rush race through Nika as it had through him, the lightning bolt of pure energy as their lips connected. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, hadn’t even realized he was going to, but to hear her defeated words, to see the sorrow and shame on her delicate face had broken something deep inside him, and his lips had crushed to hers before he could think clearly, could tell himself to stop, that he had no right and, even if he did, it was too soon.

Nika’s request for a truce was both a blessing and a curse; in one way, she’d felt the same pull as him, the crazed draw and absolute necessity to connect, but she also was willing to pull away, put necessary distance between them. Nika was still far to tangled in her horrible past to even consider such things right now and, even if by some miracle she was, Bucky was mired down too. He still woke almost every night screaming from nightmares, pulse-pounding memories of HYDRA drawing yet another anguished howl from him, the brutal agony as his mind was wiped again and again, the stubborn ache of his arm, the infuriating itch of his scars.

But lately, in the last few days, his night terrors had taken on a different flavour; whether true memories or just more tangled misery his brain had decided to torment him with, Nika had now entered his nightly horrors. Images, or perhaps memories, of her made to stand in front of him, fresh blood reddening her pale, delicate skin, while he towered silently; the Winter Soldier, awakened and ready to comply. Had they been made to fight each other, as his nightmares suggested? Had Pierce wanted to ensure she was his equal or better in battle, and they’d been ordered to fight each other to investigate this? Time and again struggling to near death, until either hers or his handlers called them off, pulled them away from each other to observe with clinical detachment the wounds they’d inflicted on each other? It was definitely a strong possibility, at least in the first few years of Nika’s training, before the accident; she was meant to be his destroyer, of course HYDRA would want to ensure she could not only hold her own against the Asset, but defeat him as well.

Equally as horrifying as these was the possibility that Bucky had completely wrecked any chance he’d ever had with Nika. By giving in, by losing control of himself so early, had he broken the fragile thread between them? He would have no one but himself to blame, Steve had warned him to stay away and beyond simply accepting his hand, Nika had not given him any further encouragement that warranted his actions. She needed a friend, a confidante, not a tie to her past panting after her like a dog.

Slinging an arm over Nika’s shoulders just as Bucky feared, Steve wandered towards Bucky, feigning nonchalance but watching the former Winter Soldier carefully. He halted a few feet away.

“Everything go alright?” He asked, eyes boring into Bucky’s.

Bucky swallowed, about to give it all away; he could never lie to Steve, when Nika replied instead, pressing a hand to Steve’s broad chest in a surprising display of trust.

“Fine, Steve. Pretty chill actually.”

Steve glanced down at Nika before looking back at Bucky, who schooled his features carefully and nodded. Suspicion flashed briefly through his eyes but Steve nodded back, returning his gaze to Nika. She dazzled him with a wide, genuine smile that sent a fresh spike of pain through Bucky.

“How was the mission?”

“Boring, wish I could’ve stayed here.” Steve replied. Reaching up he rubbed the back of his head, hand rasping through the short strands. “I’ve actually got to head back to DC soon, as much as I want to stay, what-”

“I’ll come back too.” Nika replied, dancing out from under Steve’s arm and falling into a playful boxer’s stance.

Glancing back at Bucky in surprise Steve turned to face Nika, blocking her gentle jabs with a chuckle.

“Bored?” He drawled.

“It’s beautiful here,” Nika conceded. “But it’s too quiet, I have way too much time to over-think and fixate on things I can’t change, I’d rather be doing something,” she paused then, dropping her fists. “I have to talk to Nat, we.... we need to talk.” The playful gleam in her eye stuttered out, replaced by a bleak sombreness that tore at Bucky’s heart. Nika was too young to carry this weight and Bucky ached to relieve her of the burden.

“You sure?” Steve asked. “You haven’t been here very long-”

Nika lifted her head and while her eyes were red-rimmed with unshed tears, they were calm and confident. “Yes.”

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** Bucky had considered staying in Wakanda after Steve and Nika left; she’d attached herself to the Captain like a barnacle, Bucky thought sourly; and all but ignored him. Whether this was punishment or self-preservation he didn’t know, but it hurt all the same. The night he returned, after Nika had dragged him out to ooh and aww over the sunset, Steve had tracked Bucky down and cornered him, demanding to know what had happened. Chronically unable to lie to his best friend, Buck had stuttered the truth and, while he hadn’t liked it, Steve hadn’t quite lost his shit like Bucky expected him too.

“She’s just got on the right track, Buck.” Steve sighed, running his hand through his spiky hair. “Shuri and Wakanda helped her with this amazing breakthrough, I mean look at her, she’s glowing; but she’s still fragile.”

“I know, I-”

“I know you love her.” Steve replied bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest and Bucky stumbled to a halt; had he been that transparent?

At Bucky’s expression Steve scoffed gently. “You didn’t really think you could hide that from me Buck, did you? We’re brothers, I know you, I’ve never seen such a heartsick look on your face before, but hold it back, okay? Give her time to decide what she wants. Even though Tony’s chomping at the bit to have her join the team, she’s free to do whatever she wants, and if that doesn’t include you, you have to accept that.”

Bucky heard the simple wisdom of Steve’s words, but they clawed at his heart nonetheless; he’d chosen to join the Avengers, to try to amend for his past sins by fighting for good, but what would Nika do? She’d been brought into the KGB as a child with her older sister, then stolen into HYDRA without her consent; she was well within her rights to wash her hands of the entire business, do what Bruce did a few years ago and go completely off the grid, start raising chickens or spinning wool or something.

Just because Bucky’s entire being now depended on her didn’t mean she belonged to him.

Steve tutted sympathetically, slapping Bucky once on the shoulder before turning away.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** In the end, Bucky had decided to return to DC too, and spent the majority of the flight slumped in the rear of the quinjet, watching Nika and Steve in the cockpit. At one point Steve had even let Nika take the controls, and Bucky had been unable to resist a wide smile at her happy squeal, a pure, carefree laugh of joy and excitement. She’d even forgotten their imposed separation and looked back over her shoulder to yell eagerly at Bucky, tease him and laugh at his cheerful reply.

Nat was waiting nervously beside Clint in the common area, waiting to see her sister again. The air was thick with tension; although Nat had not been involved at all, Nika had always been told that her beloved sister had betrayed her, and all of their previous interactions had been traumatic and stressful. But Nika was different now, having shed a heavy weight in Wakanda, woken up from cryofreeze with a new hunger for life. She was by no means cured, but was definitely in a much better place than when she’d left, would her new benevolence extend to her sister as well?

Surprise flashed through Nat’s eyes when Nika arrived; Steve had just told her a joke and her laughter rang through the hall, sounding like the most honey-sweet melody to Bucky’s biased ears. The rest of the team stood off to the side, informed of Nika’s progress through Steve, but wary to see it or, in some accidental way, wreck it.

Nika came to a halt suddenly upon seeing Nat in front of her, losing her balance enough that she needed to lean against Steve for a heartbeat to regain it, then taken a single, slow step forward. Mirroring her, Nat took a single step as well, pulling out of Clint’s protective embrace. For a long beat, they just gazed at each other, eyes conveying untold number of words and thoughts, then Nika smiled.

“Sister.” She greeted, her Russian lilt musical.

Nat sagged with relief, instant tears streaking down her cheeks. Letting out a choked sob she bridged the space between them and wrapped her arms around Nika, both sisters starting to cry in earnest, pulling apart only enough to wipe tears from the other’s cheeks and giggle wetly before embracing tightly again. After a long moment they stepped apart and, after wiping at her eyes again, Nika turned to the rest of the team.

“Hi,” she started nervously, sounding nothing like a highly trained Russian assassin, “I apologize for my... behaviour before, I hope you will all give me another chance.” She startled slightly at the team’s instant clamouring, their immediate reassurances and welcomes, glancing over her shoulder at Steve, who stood looking like a proud father a few feet behind her, then moving closer to the mob, tentatively shaking the various extended hands before being pulled bodily into a bear hug by an over-eager Thor. After a moment, the Captain took over, sensing Nika’s slight faltering and waded into the pack, elbowing team members aside before pulling Nika to his side comfortingly, a pang shooting through Bucky’s chest as he saw Nika lean gratefully into him.

“C’mon guys, let her breathe.” He scolded gently before looking down, asking with a raised brow if Nika was alright.

Sensing they’d perhaps pushed too far, the team fell quiet, eyeing Nika and her blond protector uncertainly and it was Tony, the sarcastic but caring uncle who spoke next.

“Who’s up for pizza? “ He chirped, glancing around. “Y’all get your party clothes on, we’re going to eat ‘till we puke and watch ridiculous sci fi from the ‘60’s.”

“No way,” Sam cut in. “We watched that Plan 9 shit last time, it’s cheesy ‘80’s action movies tonight.”

“Uh uh,” Clint laughed. “It’s ‘90’s Rom-Com night.”

Sam blew a raspberry. “You just wanna make out with Nat-”

“Perhaps,” Thor boomed, not even needed to raise his voice, “our treasured guest should choose our amusement.”

Bucky’s fists clenched with suppressed rage when Thor winked Nika’s way and Steve elbowed him subtly, indicating that he had in fact growled out loud and not just in his head like he’d thought.

“Whatever,” Tony quipped, “we’ve got like four thousand to choose from, by the time the pizzas get here we should have something hammered out. FRIDAY!”

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Pizza night, order the usual. Hey, wait!” He turned then to Nika, raising a brow. “What kind do you want, little Widow?”

Nika shrugged, glancing uncertainly at first Steve and then Nat. “I’ve haven’t had pizza for a long time.”

Tony turned with a flourish and continued to holler at the AI. “One of everything they got FRIDAY and tell them to not to frickin’ dawdle; there’s an extra Benjamin in it for the delivery boy if he gets here before I park my ass on the couch!”

“Yes sir.” The AI sounded almost dry.

Tony whirled again, absolutely in his element. “Thunder Thighs, you and Chickenhawk are on drink duty, and bring more than just Asgardian Mead and Mountain Dew this time.” Thor and Sam traded a glance before turning and disappearing, grumbling, into the kitchen. The rest of the team began to wander away, arguing about how many bags of chips to bring, leaving Nika, Nat, Bucky and Steve standing in a small circle.

“Make yourself at home, Devushka. Nat’ll show you your room then it’s time for a refresher course in Western indulgence.” Tony sauntered away, reminding Bucky of a bantam rooster.

Smirking wryly Steve turned back to Nika, offering a soft smile. “Doing okay? Tony can be a bit.... much.”

“He’s like a little rooster,” Nika mumbled, so quietly only Bucky caught it and he snorted a laugh, clasping a hand over his mouth and choking back a howl.

Frowning briefly at Bucky Steve grinned, “yeah, he’s a hoot, give you the shirt off his back however, once you’re in his circle.” Clearing his throat he looked over at Nat. “You want to get Nika settled? Despite whatever Tony says that pizza’s going to be at least half an hour.”

“C’mon sister,” Nat smiled, arm looped in Nika’s. Gently she tugged her in the direction of the team’s rooms, Bucky and Steve staying put, watching them. Steve smiled warmly as he saw the girls tip their heads together to touch, talking quietly as they walked away.

“She’s so strong.” Steve murmured, almost to himself. Inhaling sharply he turned to look at Bucky, frowned good-naturedly at the brunette’s scowl. “Down boy,” he quipped.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** After a spirited debate and many threats of mayhem the stalemate was finally broken by Nat rolling her eyes dramatically and grabbing all the DVDs being waved around, dropping them into a bag, shaking it briefly and holding it towards Nika to reach in and choose. Howls of mock-outrage rose as Nika pulled one free.

“‘Wall-E’? Who the hell wants to see that?” Sam was absolutely scandalized, side-eyeing the whole group. Bucky looked down, cheeks reddening.

Nika glanced at him, then stared at the cover. “It looks cute.”

Sam rolled his eyes.

Wall-E was just staring in awe at his new spork and Rubik’s cube when the pizza arrived. Nika stared in awe at the array of food that was brought up, while Tony played a rather highly strung host, prying open boxes to sniff at them suspiciously before announcing the flavour, brushing off Steve’s attempt to point out the name of each pizza scrawled on the lid.

“I can read, Captain Underpants,” he replied dryly before flipping open another box with a flourish. “Hawaiian!” He declared.

Even with Tony being no help whatsoever, everyone was soon situated back on the couches, armchairs and floor, plates piled high with pizza slices, cups overflowing with the rainbow of drinks Thor and Sam supplied, and the movie was resumed.

Nika was absolutely entranced by the movie, absurdly touched by the lonely little robot and his gentle journeys, his clumsy attempts to gain E.V.E.’s attention. The rest of the team were paying similar attention, even Sam; and it amused Nika to see the fearless and heroic Avengers staring almost awestruck at the screen. Squished between Thor on one side and Steve on the other, Nika was occasionally distracted by Thor’s booming commentary, ducking a pillow thrown by Clint at their self-appointed Master of Ceremonies with a giggle, laughing outright when it cut Thor off mid-word, making him sputter in surprised indignation and consequently missing Bucky’s longing gaze at her.

As Wall-E ended Sam leapt to his feet, declaring they needed some real culture and grabbing the original Star Wars, shushing token protests with a flapping hand before informing Nika she was finally in for ‘real entertainment’.

Thor’s rolling commentary never wavered, although it hovered between certainty and confusion at certain parts, ‘Odin’s Beard! What is that appendage?’ but by the time the end credits were rolling and the team was drifting out of the room Thor had exhausted himself and lay sprawled beside a crowded Nika, head dropped back against the couch, mouth hanging open and snoring. Shrugging off the massive arm the God of Thunder had flung over the both of them earlier Steve stood, offering Nika a hand to stand as well and she couldn’t hold back a giggle as Thor grumbled in sleepy protest, mumbling something indecipherable before falling silent again. After a quick whispered conversation, Nat hugged Nika goodnight then left, holding Clint’s hand tightly.

“Hope we weren’t too overwhelming,” Steve grinned.

Nika shook her head as she yawned. “No, it was nice; back in the program we watched western movies only to learn and assimilate into the culture, never for fun, it was good to just sit back and enjoy for once.”

Bucky, who’d been hovering in the periphery, felt a surge of surprised sympathy. It was easy to forget that Nika had been a prisoner even before HYDRA, kept captive and trained to be a master assassin like Nat had and, if she’d been allowed to partake in anything fun like she had tonight, it had been under the shadow of education and research, moulding her into a killer chameleon rather than just letting her be a kid.

“Heading to bed?” Steve continued.

Nika shrugged. “Yeah. It’s been a long day.”

“Alright, goodnight Nika.”

“Goodnight Steve. Goodnight Bucky.”

Bucky startled slightly, feeling an almost childish shame at being discovered, then swallowed and replied. “Goodnight Nika, see you in the morning.”

Nika drifted away, the epitome of grace and, as Steve turned around to smirk in amusement at Bucky, he stuck his tongue out and flipped his blond friend the bird.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #sebastian stan #captain america #avengers #natasha romanoff #bucky and nika

[prolestari]

WIP Week: Day 3

Still going on with this event, and today’s theme is “Canonverse”. I started a collab with @extremelypoorperson a while ago about the Sins in Liones before their banishment. The group is a decorated and admired band of knights, but when Princess Elizabeth begins to tell some strange stories about the castle, Meliodas decides they should investigate. As the Sins investigate, the three misfits also decide to get to the bottom of things, as they try to figure out if there is something haunting the castle or if it’s all just the active imagination of one little princess.

We’ve put the story on hold for a bit as life decided to get in the way, but I hope that we can get back to it soon. Please enjoy this snippet from the first chapter!

“Glad you could join us, Ban, Harlequin,” says the Great Holy Knight Zaratras, standing at the head of the room. “You’re just in time.”

Ban frowns and looks over at the rest of the room. And he finally see them over there. It is a sea of faces, children with wide eyes and eager expressions staring at them expectantly. Happy, totally worshiping innocent little kids. Oh no. Slowly he tips his chair back to its proper position and leans over to whisper to Merlin, who is sitting in the chair next to his, “What is this?”

Merlin smirks at him over her shoulder and nods to Zaratras. Ban looks down the line to spy the rest of their group all in rapt attention, even Captain, so he decides to tune in too.

“Welcome to our annual celebration,” the Grand Master says excitedly to the room, and everyone applauds, except Ban. And he thinks Capt’n fell asleep with his eyes open. “We are here to honor you all on another year of completing the Junior Holy Knights program, and we are especially looking forward to congratulating those of you who are graduating this year and moving onto the academy in the fall.”

Another round of polite applause and beaming faces shine, and Ban yawns, sticking a finger in his ear and wiggles it around. Now he remembers: they had this appearance to do at this luncheon or whatever, where the kids get badges or something stupid like that for collecting trash or helping old ladies. Just a bunch of little kids running around and getting pat on their heads by their idols. He slumps a bit in his chair, folding his arms. Sounded stupid to him, having never done such things as a child himself: he wonders if they give badges for stealing bread or taking a beating, and he snorts loudly.

“Shush!” King pokes him with one of his sausage fingers, and Ban aims a kick in his direction. The sounds echoed under the table and Kings face turns a kind of interesting shade of purple. The introductions go on as Ban thinks about what spices he still had in his cabinet, and as Zaratras introduces each of their very special guests, the Seven Deadly Sins, a cheer goes up from the children. He is pleased to hear his own cheer is louder than King’s and sits up to give a half-wave at the crowd. There is even a couple of the little twerps waving back eagerly, and he chuckles.

What, kids having criminals as idols, where the fuck were their parents?

Then the doors open and staff enter carrying dishes to the tables, so Ban eagerly sits up again and rubs his hands together. At least he’s getting lunch out of this! He looks down at his clothes, wondering if he should have changed, but decides it doesn’t matter. Talk breaks out among the room as the food is served to all the guests, and Ban eagerly digs in, glad to not have cooked for once.

“Rough night?” Merlin jokes next to him, delicately using a fork and knife on a sandwich—who does that— and Ban laughs as he picks up his goblet.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he answers, but then frowns when he looks in the cup, seeing water. “Where’s the bottle around here? This isn’t gonna cut it.”

“We’re at a luncheon for children,” King hisses from the other side. “They aren’t serving alcohol.” He huffs, as he looks up at Diane who’s happily munching on a full pig.

“Damn.” For a moment he pats his pockets, finally giving a hoot of happiness when he finds a flask inside one. Without any discretion he leans back to dump the water in his cup into a half-empty bowl of bread on the table, and then fills it up with whatever is inside.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” murmurs Merlin.

“Best one I had in a while,” he rasps, lifting the cup to his lips. The alcohol is sharp, just how he likes it, searing as it goes down. At once the fuzziness that had been sitting on his temples begins to ease.

Merlin chuckles. “Well make sure you save some for your speech.”

“Speech?” With horror he almost jumps up and is bolts. He had to give these little twerps a talk to? “Like hell!~” but he turns just to see the Captain making his way to the front. Zaratras is introducing him to the crowd, the boys and girls cheering.

Captain seems to be soaking it in, a huge grin on his face, his hands on his hips, the signature dragon hilt strapped to his back. “Hey everyone!” he says in a loud voice. “Everybody having fun?”

Another cheer goes up, and Ban takes a drink, his head pounding. Fuck. “It’s so great to be here! As soon as me and the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins heard you were all moving on to the next level, we decided to crash the party. You don’t mind, do you?”

The children shout excitedly now, and Ban sulks as the other five laugh. Then Captain launches into a talk about how knights are fair and tell the truth and help each other and other lies he guesses they have to tell the little shits. Finally he ends with a chant with the kids:

“Your eyes are to…” Meliodas prompts.

“Discern evil!” the children shout back.

“Your mouth to…”

“Speak the truth!”

“Your heart is…”

“Full! Of! Righteousness!”

“And your sword…?”

“To purge evil!”

Ban swears he hears Merlin’s eyes roll, that how forcefully they turned. And the children go wild, as the Captain pumps his fist into the air. Then he turns and looks at the Sins and says happily, “Okay, who is next?”

His eyes land on Ban, and the Fox Sin shakes his head. “Make Diane do it.” He mouths in desperation.

Thankfully Diane is happy to oblige. She also gives a cute, but rambling, speech about having friends and following your heart which the bears eat up. Then Escanor gets up, the scrawny guy taking up an awkward spot in front of a crowd of toddlers, and he adjust his glasses and mumbling about power before Merlin takes pity on him and shows off a bit of magic. As fireworks light up over the crowd, earning oohs and aahs, Ban continues to take one long swig of alcohol after another, waiting for the liquid courage to take affect long enough to get up and say something in front of all those people.

Gowther speaks in his signature clipped voice, making very little sense, but his exaggerated poses draws cheers from the kids, some of whom hop up and pose along. Finally King sweeps in, doing a few loops on the back of his green pillow, and then all eyes are on Ban.

Slowly he stands, trips a little bit whatever, and at once the lightheaded feeling he was craving smooths over him like honey. Oh hell yes~ Ban grins and languidly makes his way to the front, adjusting the lapels of his non-existent coat.

“Hey Ban.” The Captain whispers loudly through a smile, and he takes a step forward. “You uh… you don’t have to do this…” Zataras is there, looking worried.

“Don’t worry Cap’m I got this.” He trips just a tiny little bit as he stands in front of the tables of excitedly chatting kids, and then holds up his hands. “Okay everybody, listen up!”

The room goes silent, and suddenly Ban is nervous. He runs a hand through his spiky hair and clears his throat. “Uhhh… so you all wanna be like, knights or sum’n, right?”

“Ban!” Diane hisses behind him, but he waves behind her back.

“So yeah!” he shouts. “If yer gonna be knights or whatever, you gotta remember Uncle Ban’s three rules of… bein’ a knight.”

“Here we go,” he hears King mutter.

“Sir Ban.” He looks to the side and sees Zaratras step forward, a huge grin on his lips but his eyes wide and panicked. “Perhaps you can just… give the boys and girls a quick tip?”

Even more determined now, he nods. “Great idea! Okay ya little twerps, here’s what ya gotta know to be a fucking knight.”

#nnt #ban #wipweek #fan fiction

[spitefulpumpkin]

Moonshine Lake; Ch.5: Love

Mirror on AO3

Self-indulgent as hell AU fic about a boy meeting a fish creature and their unusual love story. Co-plotted with @jyagantz

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, Bullying, Animal Cruelty, Drug Abuse, non-explicit Interspecies Sex Unbeta’d, mostly written on mobile!

They were blissfully unaware of it, but Akande and Jamison had been a couple long before they shared their first kiss. The flock at least saw it that way. Even Camilla, even though she didn't know who was her son's crush, knew Jamie was head over heels for someone. If her attitude would change, would she know that the love of her child was not human? Was her motherly strong enough for that. "I can't tell her." Jamison mused one night, Akande by his side, fixing a net with a dozen of knots.

"She will find out sooner or later. Your mother is a smart woman." "My father didn't want a queer in his family and I'm sure she would want one either." "Whatever that is. I'm sure she would not dare to push you away. She loves you." "I'm not sure if her love for me is bigger than her wish for grandchildren. Can't exactly give her that when I'm with a man, like some sissy." Akande scoffed. "You keep insisting I'm a man." "Because you are! Or you look like one..." Only now did Jamison notice the mer's hurt expression. "I'm...sorry. I forgot." "I'm well aware what I look like in the eyes of a human. You don't need to remind me." "Akande. I didn't mean to be rude." "I know. You never do." He placed his corner of the net down. "Who we are will always be a thorn in someone's eye. Best we can do is hope that the people who matter are not like that." Jamison groaned before tugging at his hair. "I'm just...scared, you know? I will go to university soon and...and what happens after that?" "We will find out, once the time comes."

Jamison opened his mouth, but closed it again when he felt a weight on his head. A group of children from the flock had snuck up on the two from behind, two carrying one who placed something akin to a crown on Jamison's head. It was like the flower crowns they had made once or twice, but this time decorated with sea shells and a redish, spiky material Jamison has never seen before. Just when he had slipped his crown off to investigate it, he saw the kids place a second one on his head as well. The mer reacted flustered, waving his arm. "Will you stop that already!" The children ran and jumped into the water of the lake to join the others. Jamison hummed quietly and smiled as he put the crown back on. "The sardines got a lot of time on their hands, hm?" Akande nodded, his face darken from being flustered. Curiously Jamison leaned over and eyed Akande's crown. "The red bits..." "Coral." Akande muttered and took the ring of plants and minerals off. "We...we put those onto bonding crowns." "Oh?" Snickering came from the lakeside and Akande tossed glares at the children like daggers. "What is a bonding?" Jamison asked. And added in his head why you would be throwing mean looks at the sardines for giving them gifts. Akande scratched a spot on his shoulder. "It's...basically it's a ritual. Some perform it when they found a new flock. Or when they want to become permanent mating partners. It's a promise, basically." Jamison felt the heat crawl up his face. "Oh. It's...so it's like, a wedding?" "It, uh. It's mostly performed in water, so yes, you might get very wet, but - " "Nooo! We humans, we got something similar! A wedding. Couples do that to get tax benefits and stuff. But originally it's a love thing, you know? To show that you want to be with your loved one until the day you die..." The mer hummed and looked quietly at the crown in his lap. "I...yeah, I guess it's kind of like that. Yes." Awkwardness fell over the scene again, the tall mer slowly shaking his head. "Have you ever thought about it?" "What do you mean?" He turned and saw Jamison had put the crown back on. Akande understood the question now. He let go a chuckle. "Have you?" "I gotta, one day. Continuing the Junkenstein legacy. Whatever that is." "A legacy or a name is not what makes a family important." Jamison nodded, going back to tying knots. Slowly Akande's large figure slipped closer to his side and as if it was second nature, Jamison leaned his head against his shoulder, seeking comfort. "Maybe I will bond you to me, one day." "No empty promises." "Have I ever broken a promise?" "Well, that one time when you promised to not laugh at me when you tried to teach me to swim, and you laughed anyway because I got scared by a fish stroking past my leg." "Hahaha, you have to admit, it was very funny though." "For you." There was a smile on Jamison's face as he nuzzled against Akande's neck, his breath tickling his gils and drawing giggling out of the big mer. The children watched them in pride.

The summer seemed to pass by too quickly. The last summer they would have together for a long time. Jamison and Akande had grown up with the knowledge they could only see each other during these precious four to five months. The rest of the year the flock, even as small as it was nowadays, would move to the oceans for the colder months. This summer was Jamison's last one before he would move away, three towns over, for his studies. He convinced his mother to send him to this school early on. His dream of becoming an engineer had only grown since then. "I will be home from July to September. It falls right into mating time." He declared one night, moving up and down in front of the old fountain, excitement filling his voice. "I will finally be able to show the world my abilities. I will finally show everyone the stuff I'm made of." Akande, too big to fit into the fountain by now, sat with crossed arms at its edge, head tilted. "You want to expand your abilities and test your knowledge with others. Admirable It always fascinated me how wound up you would get over gears and screws. I'm sure you will make a fine craftsman." Jamison stopped in his tracks, eying Akande. He has never heard that tune of voice on him. "You sound...upset." The mer glanced up, sighing quietly. "I'm just...The flock elected me as the new elder." "And?" "The others want to stay away from Adlersbrunn for a while." "...I can't blame them." Jamison had seen enough violence happening to the flock to understand. "But...you will come back, right?" "I hope so. The flock will always be the highest priority. I hope you can..." "I understand it." Jamison came up to Akande, his hands cupping the mer's cheeks, thumb stroking his scales.

"I love you." "Hmm?" Jamison's cheeks flushed. "I said, I love you, James." It was at this point that Jamison began to fight with tears, a flood of emotions suddenly hitting him. His embrace around the mer's shoulders was strong. "I love you, too, you warrior, you." And for the first time in ages, Akande had to hold back sobs.

Time apart always hurts. Now more than ever, with the boy's heart so tight in Akande's grip. The journey to the university was an oddly silent trip in the carriage, Jamison's mother being openly close to tears, while her son tried to at least keep up a facade. The university was a small building of stone, a former fortress was now a house of knowledge. Jamison liked that irony. Unlike school he had to organize himself, find himself at lectures and work day and night through books. He found interest in chemistry, especially the one the Slavic wikings practiced. This technology could be devastating in the wrong hands. When he wasn't learning in the library or listening to lectures, he was in his dorm, isolated. Fellow students tried to make him join their brotherhood, but Jamison learned early that those were often just a thinly veiled excuses to meet a bunch of knuckleheads in the night time for rants about philosophy and politics while drinking oneself in a comatose state. Of course rumors of his apparent queerness spread like wildfire. But as long as these rumors did not result in violence against him again, the student couldn't care less. No, Jamison preferred to be for himself, his dorm having turned to a mess workshop within the first two weeks. Chemicals would bubble over the low flames of burned-down candles, bits and pieces of mechanical toys lay spread around, the stench of oil and ink ever so present. The low, orange light of his room gave him comfort in the lonely hours. Often he would write his thoughts down and toss them away in a bottle, down the river, in hopes it would float down the stream to the Moonshine Lake. He would know it was from him, Jamison reasoned. Whatever soothed his soul.

Sometimes he would dream of him. Of his dark green eyes, almost black, like the lowest spot of the ocean. Of his arms, strong and covered in blue scales, ending in sharp claw that would never dare to scratch him. Of his deep voice, a soothing bass that spoke in the same rhythm as his heart beat. He'd see him in his dreams, standing knee-deep in the water by the river, walking up to beach, Jamison running towards him, catching him in his arms as if they haven't seen each other for years. He would cling onto him, feeling his wet skin against his shirt, the tender claws holding him like a precious thing. He would caress his neckline, leave kisses all over it. Feel how his claw would wander over his side, grab bits of fabric to remove it and expose pale skin to cold night air. He dreamt of how they would embrace, lying in the sand, hidden by darkness and the dunes. He wondered if he could even do that with him. Of Akande would feel comfortable to be this rough with him, pin him to the ground to stroke over his lap and thighs and draw sharp groans from the blond. Jamison would always wake up with red cheeks and scold himself. How low has he sunken to objectify Akande like this? How was he supposed to ever explain this to him?

Unknown to the student, Adlersbrunn was in tumult. A blond woman in a brown coat had spread rumors. The creatures living by the Moonshine Lake, they are not as simple as one would think. They were monsters from the deep sea, feeding off of the farmer's crops, waiting just for the right time to sneak into your house and steal your child. The town had always been aware of them, but the fear of the Unknown kept most of them away. But now that they knew, they were not scared anymore. And they would carry fire over the meadows...

#overwatch #overwatch fan fiction #fan fiction #junkrat #doomfist #jamison fawkes #junkenstein #akande ogundimu #doomfish #crack ship #jassy writes stuff #moonshine lake #chapter 5 #sfw fic