Tumgik
#so asking if she wants bio kids sets her off
deadghosy · 1 month
Note
I love your work so much imagine ben Drowned in hasbin hotel.
Them crawling out of the TV and alistor is like I don't like tv but can you mess with vox😭.
SURE!! LOL! 🦆💗If anyone wants to do a creepypasta! Reader, I will make it a fanon version cause that’s most easier since I’ve always seen the fanon side of creepypasta when I was into the fandom💗
HAZBIN HOTEL X BEN DROWNED! READER
prompt: after jumping into a tv to hide from being stabbed by Jeff…you accidentally went into a show called HAZBIN HOTEL……
Tumblr media
Your dumbass didn’t even check what was on tv…it was just left on as you are now falling to a city in a shape of a…..pentagram?
Welll shit…you are in a hell cartoon…
Meanwhile with Jeff: “where the fuck is that short tacked bitch…” he said holding his knife tightly as his eyes glanced at the tv. “That bastard!”
MEANWHILE WITH YOU: You pointed to a service pole and started to surge through the electrical wire into some random old tv box. You pressed your hand through the tv screen and came out of it. As you came out of it a gasp was heard to see a bunch of characters…..oh boy…
After basically getting chased around the hotel and interrogated…they let you stay by Charlie’s words as she was excited to have another member to her crew at last. 
Few weeks later, they have gotten use to you. I mean Alastor still keeps an eye on you as you play games and go through electronics around the place.
Angel thinks it’s funny for you to hack Valentino’s page to make his bio say “I have a small dick.”
Vaggie makes you go out on errands until she can find you a decent duty at least. But she appreciates how you help around a lot.
Husk thinks your pretty annoying because of your gen z & gen alpha humor. I headcannon ben and you to basically be a media specialist to learn the lingo around and to understand the generation.
“Hey husk…” “hey kid…” “you’re so not alpha male…” “…the fuck?” “Sooo not slay.” “Get the fuck out my face.” *cue you doing a gremlin ass laugh*
I can see Velvette making fun of you for wearing the link fit😭 she would be confused as if you were a stinky cosplayer kid-
“GOOD HELL?! What are you wearing dear..” the female vee says as you look down to your link outfit. “What’s wrong with it? I think I look ✨f a b u l o u s✨” you said with sass
“You look horrendous. THAT’S what you look like.” Velvette says. You rolled your eyes as she snapped her fingers giving you black converses, tan brown pants, and a green hoodie. She had let you keep your link hat as you actually liked how you looked.
Maybe when you get back to slender’s mansion you can spend his card to buy an outfit like this.
I imagine Charlie or niffty trying to wipe off the blood tears of your eyes thinking you were crying as you stand there like “what is going on-🤨” most definitely the face look like this “:T”
Angel dust brought you a gaming set from a thrift shop as you smiled happily at this and started to play….only to find out it had knock off versions of the games in the human world….impta?! (GTA) PENTACRAFT?! (Minecraft) hellmon?? (Pokémon)
You immediately thrown the gaming set outside and decided to go hack Vox’s system for fun again.
I can imagine reader sending random “if you don’t like this, Lucifer is coming for you.” posts to random sinner to fuck with them.
I can DEFINITELY see Alastor asking you to go mess with Vox’s tech even if he doesn’t like those picture boxes. “Ben/Reader, my fine fellow..I got a favor to ask of you.” After he asked you to go mess with this dude named Vox. You smiled as you transported into your own tv and go to the vee tower.
You hacked into Vox’s system as he spit his coffee out to see “nya cat” on all his computers and devices as you snicker seeing Vox’s face trying to fix it. You laughed showing yourself as your bloody tears roll down your face because of laughing. “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” Vox asked angrily
“IM YOU! BUT BETTER! GET HACKED LOSER!” You said before disappearing from his system as Vox claws his desk in anger.
Alastor had a good chuckle when you told him what you did. “I never liked this picture boxes…but you my friend, are true entertainment.” After this your relationship with Alastor grew as he would pay you handsomely with snacks as you go and piss Vox off on any other day.
Valentino and Vox hate your guys to the point they want to kill you while Velvette is just chill with you as she helps you with your outfits and aesthetics.
I imagine since Ben drowned also looks like link, you have long hair like link but sometimes cut it down to bit length to not trip on it.
You give off that “new worker at McDonald’s” vibes as you would just play around instead of helping the residents😭
“Can I have keycard?” “….how about no?”
I imagine you just tapping on and off a lamp post boredly as Valentino keeps going towards it and away from. “On….off…on…off…” you liked to mess with people
You had tapped on sir Pentious’s device once and it exploded…yeah you were pretty much banned from his room and lab. But it was worth it.
You definitely wrestle with husk as husk will just try to claw out your eyes only him to just get pepper sprayed by you.
“AGG MY FUCKIN' EYES!!” “I didn’t know this shit would work on demons..”
Lucifer was definitely intrigued with your appearance as you seemed like a human. But also had a demonic appearance. So he questioned you and you just kept saying “SWAG!” He got tired of it and demanded you as the ruler of hell.
It didn’t work as you just shrug with a “:D” face and transported into a wire. Lucifer was bamboozled as he just stood there like “what just happened”
You showed niffty how to beat any person during a game as you, yourself is a hacker and can beat any game personally.
You looked at the phone that you stole from that flat faced dude as you smirked having an idea as you transported into the phone to try and go find Jeff. And lucky you did as he was sitting on the couch watching wrestling.
“Heyyy buddy.” You said looking through the tv to see Jeff. He scoffed seeing that his favorite program was ruined by your face. Jeff turned off the tv. Your face was like a pikachu shocked face. “THAT BITC-”
798 notes · View notes
writingwithcolor · 6 days
Text
Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator
[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]
@reydjarinkenobi asked:
Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.
Reconciliation Requires Research
First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 
About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.
However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.
To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 
~ Abhaya
I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:
Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 
Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 
Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?
Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:
...Research Requires Reconciliation
My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  
I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 
I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.
(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)
- Marika.
Start More Freely with Easy Mode
Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.
It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.
But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.
Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.
- Mod Mimi
455 notes · View notes
yandereforme · 3 months
Text
Yan Batfam x Singer! Single mom! Martha lookalike! Reader
( I know it’s a lot but they are all important to the plot)
Part 1:Beginnings and first encounters
You are Bruce’s bio daughter. Your mom, who didn’t know who the father of her kid was, gave you up to your aunt to be raised by them, but you didn’t know until your adoptive parent’s funeral that you weren’t their biological daughter. You had twins recently with a shitty ex of yours who you broke up with not long before the funeral after he tried to hurt your daughter for crying.
After the funeral, where you learn that your bio mom wasn’t sure who your bio dad was, but that she knew he lived in Gotham, you decide to move to Gotham. In part due to your biological father, in part due to avoiding your ex(who had refused to be listed on the birth certificate since you gave birth during a break in your relationship), and in part due to the basically free house your bio mom had owned in Gotham. So, you moved with the twins to an abandoned, slightly dilapidated house just outside of Crime Alley, and got yourself to work.
You got a job at the Ice berg Lounge, in part due to there being an opening, and in part due to you helping two women who worked there who apparently worked right under Mr. Cobblepot?
You quickly got a reputation as a singer with a knack for knowing just what song fit a customer. It was a bit of a game between you and the other workers, where they would point out a person and you would sing a song based on their vibes. You always managed your hit home with your songs, leading to you becoming one of the most popular performers at the Iceberg Lounge.
That’s what leads to Red Hood coming in one night. He had heard about you from a few of his men, and wanted to know what all the hype was about.(This take place after the Red Hood arc, where he has already been established as a crime boss and the Batfamily know his identity, but he hasn’t made up with any of them)
Cobblepot asked you to sing a song for Red, and pointed him out to you. You knew who he was, you were just outside his area, and honestly you kind of liked what he was doing for the community, so you were willing to preform, even offering to sing two songs about him(something you had only done a few times with regulars who you really liked.
Jason accepted. You started off with You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring. You didn’t usually do a lot of rock songs, but that song resonated with you when you looked at him.(Jason loved the song. It was angry but fighting music, and your voice was really good. He understood why so many of his men praised your music(he just couldn’t understand why you looked so familiar))
The next song was different. You didn’t usually sing two songs, and the few times you did, people tended to vary reactions, from shock to anger to accidentally setting off a break down. But you had promised. You just hoped Red Hood wouldn’t hate you for the next song(you didn’t understand why it felt so right to sing the next song, when it didn’t seem like a Red Hood song, but you didn’t want to question it now.)
Then, you sang Good for you by Olivia Rodrigo, and everyone froze. (Jason didn’t know how you knew this anger of his. How did you know how he felt about Bruce replacing him? How did you know?) No one understood the song, especially when the recipient was a murderous crime boss, but they didn’t interrupt.
After you finished the song, you looked at Red Hood. He was sitting ramrod straight. You couldn’t see his face, but his posture was very tense. Slowly, he stood up, and walked to the stage. You didn’t know what you expected, but it wasn’t for him to drop $200 in your tip jar, and leave without a word.(Jason’s head was spinning. The green wasn’t invading, but it surrounded the edges of his vision. He needed to leave. He had to come back again, probably as a civilian, but for now, he needed to leave.)
After that, you got even more visitors, and a raise in your salary. You even made a new friend, Jason, and you were even starting to consider sending your kids to daycare instead of a baby sitter(you wouldn’t do that. You liked your arrangement with the street kids, where you would pay them in food and cash to watch your kids during the day. You liked taking care of them, but they needed to feel like they were doing stuff for you, so you didn’t make a fuss.)
Then, the Joker got out of Arkham.
Edit: I hope you guys enjoy this. This will probably be a series. I’ve had this idea for ages but never got around to it before now. This isn’t related to my Bruce or Jason series, which I will do, but I just wanted to finally put the on here. Please comment any suggestions for the kids names, or what you want to see next!
280 notes · View notes
sweetenerobert · 3 months
Text
“mommy, where’s santa?”
3.1k / modern!dave york x dad!male reader
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
summary: molly questions where santa is and carol can’t seem to give a clear answer as she wonders where her husband ran off to
warnings: strong language, cheating (established secret relationship), dirty talk, unprotected p in a, dave can’t keep his hands away from you, choking, spanking, sex in a closet, slight bondage, pet names (baby, angel) marking kink, creampie, no use of m/n or y/n, let me know if I missed anything! (not proofread)
➴ navigation page/masterlist in bio
➴ notifications blog in bio, follow and turn on notifications
a/n: i could’ve wrote something with joel, but i chose dave because im a ✨indecisive mess✨ also, MERRY CHRISTMAS
➴ dividers by @saradika
Kids were running around, laughing, eating, and talking about what they wanted for Christmas with their friends while drinking hot chocolate. Christmas music was playing throughout the speakers of the venue where the event was set.
The smell of peppermint and cinnamon flew through the air, bringing the mood for Christmas to an all-time high.
But there was one big problem. Santa was nowhere to be found. Kids were asking their parents left and right, and parents were getting annoyed at Carol, knowing that Dave was supposed to dress up as Santa. The sudden situation made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
Goosebumps riddled her body as she saw Molly walk up to ask her an all-too-familiar question everyone else was asking her. “Mommy, where’s Santa?”
Carol gets down to her daughter's level. “Santa’s just running a little late.”
Molly's eyes trail down to her hands as she plays with her fingertips; the little girl starts balancing her toes through her Mary Jane Doc Martens. "But, you said Santa's never late; that's how he makes it to so many houses on time," Molly spoke, hiding the sadness in her voice.
Carol huffs a smile, noticing how smart her daughter and strokes her daughter's face, pushing a stranded piece of hair behind her ear in her best attempts to calm her daughter. "There's always a first time for everything, but baby, I promise Santa will be here for you — for everyone, and he'll get whatever you ask him."
"He will?" Molly smiled, glancing back at her mom.
Carol smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, he will."" Molly quickly wrapped her arms around her mom's neck while Carol wrapped her arms around Molly's small frame. As Carol backed up from the embrace, she saw a smile from her daughter that could light up an entire room. “Now, did you get a candy cane for Alice?”
“No, not yet,” Molly smiled.
“Well,” Carol smiled. “Let’s get your sister one, and we’ll wait for Santa together. Sound fun?”
Molly didn't answer. She just nodded and giggled at her mother. As Carol stood up, Molly started to run off to the table that lay candy canes, her smile beaming ear to ear. Carol hits Dave’s contact, trying to find where her husband is. “C’mon, Dave. Pick up the phone,” She grumbles, bringing the phone to her ear.
Tumblr media
Your back clashes against a rickety shelf, making objects fall next to the two passionate, — hungry people’s lips melting together. Dave’s leathered-covered hands were melted on your waist, while yours were in his hair, passing your nails through his locks like sand. Hearing a phone vibrate in the distance, choosing to ignore it.
Dave had discarded the itchy fake beard on the closet floor to get better access to your lips, and the red jacket’s buttons hadn't been closed — practically ripped open by you.
Dave’s lips began attacking your jaw, his lips biting the skin on your neck. You hiss a moan as Dave sucks your neck like a vampire. His hands travel down to palm your ass, a tight grip makes you yelp softly, a sly chuckle escaping Dave's lips.
“Fuck, I can tell Santa is getting antsy.”
“You don't know how bad I’ve been waiting to do this, to mark your skin, to taste you,” Dave growls into your skin, sending goosebumps all over your neck.
Dave’s mouth was hot on your neck, his lips sucking and biting against your soft skin, making you grip his short hair in retaliation. Your pants bounce all over the small area in the closet.
Taking your hands off Dave’s cranium, you slip them underneath his red jacket. You were pushing your hands up in an attempt to get the coat off. Dave, in one motion — mouth still latched onto your neck, takes the jacket and throws it on the ground, revealing the grey tank top underneath.
“Fuck, I can’t get enough of you, you taste like fuckin’ heaven.”
Your nails latch onto Dave’s shoulder as he forcefully places his lips onto yours. Dave brings his hands up from your ass to your neck, lightly choking you. As the kissing was passionate, Dave’s grip under your neck was intoxicating; you wanted more of him.
“Fuck Dave, I want you so fucking bad,” You breathed.
“So fucking needy, I don't want to put you on the naughty list, right?”
“I’m already at the fucking top, written in red,” You state, trailing your hand from Dave’s shoulder to his cock. Dave hisses his teeth at your sudden action.
“Naughty boy, I should teach you a lesson on how to be good,” Dave retorted.
“What do you have in mind?” You smirked.
Dave takes his mouth off yours and brings himself close to your ear. “Turn the hell around and wait for me.” Dave lets go of the grip around your throat; you take a deep breath, trying to get oxygen back in your body.
You turn around, placing your hands on a shelf near your head. You heard shuffling come from behind, but you didn’t turn around, you just waited — almost eagerly for what Dave was going to do.
Licking your teeth, you were met by Dave’s body colliding against yours, feeling his length against your ass. “You feel what you’re doing to me, baby. I can't get enough of you.”
Dave takes your hands off the shelf you were grasping and places them behind you. Dave had taken the belt of the Santa jacket and wrapped the leather belt around your hands, the large strap keeping your hands tied behind your back.
Dave slips his hands onto your pants, unbuttons your jeans, and slips your underwear and jeans down to your ankles. You feel Dave press himself through the soft material feeling his covered length against your ass.
“I swear, you have the best ass,” Dave starts, smacking his hand against your ass. You hiss in pleasure. “In the whole fuckin’ world.” You hear a grunt escape Dave’s lips, suggesting that he’s in a rush to take off the pants he was forced to wear.
You could feel his cock press up against your ass, but you felt it back up from you. You hear Dave spit, and you don't think anything from it until you feel the tip of Dave’s cock slowly slide in. You suck in a deep breath.
"Damn it, I can never get enough of you," Dave growled.
You could feel Dave's cock stretch you out, slowly, painfully enjoying every inch inside you. Dave’s hips had a mind of their own as his thrust started slow, but his thighs clapped against your ass.
Dave's slow thrusts became more and more intense, but you loved every second of it. With each clap, your moans kept escaping your lips, and Dave’s cock slipped out of you as you moved forward.
“Are you trying to run, baby?”
“Too intense, sorry, Davie,” You breathed.
A hard smack against your ass makes you yelp in pain as you feel a harsh tug on your wrist. Your arms being attached to you — your back collided with Dave’s firm chest.
“You’re going to take every inch of my dick, I’m going to mark my handprint on that sweet ass of yours, and I need you to never call me Davie again, understand,” Dave commanded.
You nod. Immediately, Dave lets go of the tight grip on the belt and places his palm on your back. He was leaning you back down on the shelf, having the perfect arch for your ass to poke out.
Dave adjusts himself — sliding his cock inside you, but he doesn't go slow. His thrusts were fast, and you didn't care if anyone heard the claps or moans that escaped your lips.
Dave had gripped his hands on the belt tightly, making the leather rub against your skin, and he was enjoying the sounds escaping your lips. Dave was enjoying that his cock was making you moan, whimper and beg for him.
"Baby, those sounds, make my cock twitch like crazy," Dave growled.
“I love your cock so much, Dave. God. It's so fucking amazing.”
“That's it, beg for me, angel,” Dave grunted, smacking your ass.”
With Dave’s firm hand, making contact with your bare ass, you moan as a reflex. Another smack came across your ass, another, and another, and another. You became a moaning bullhorn — bearing your teeth, you lay your forehead on the shelf as you feel each thrust rock the shelf.
"Baby, I'm so fuckin" close.”
Dave’s thrusts had become more animalistic, hot, and intense. It was reminiscent of the other times you were like this. The stress disappeared the second you saw each other, just two dads helping each other. You loved this; this moment was something you always yearned for whenever you needed a stress reliever.
You hear growls escape Dave’s lips; you guess he was bearing his teeth as he was ready to shoot his cum deep inside you. "Fuck, baby. I'm gonna cum. I’m going to get you pregnant,” Dave exclaimed, bearing his teeth. As Dave's hips keep going back and forth into you, looking into your eyes, his cum shoots inside you; Dave steadies himself inches away from your neck.
But Dave’s hips don't stop; they keep going — pushing his cum deeper inside you, some slowly leaking out. You don't question it, but enjoy the moment. “Baby. I can feel your hole wrap around me so tight, I can tell you’re about to cum.”
“We’re not going to stop until you cum for me.”
Dave lets go of his hold on the belt and then melts his hands on your waist.
For some reason, you could feel your cum start to build up from your shaft and almost to the tip of your cock. This feeling has never happened to you before, and this was a different experience than anything you could imagine when you were having sex with Dave.
“Dave, I’m gonna cum; this feels so different; it's so fuckin’ good.”
“That’s right, cum for me, baby.”
You shut your eyes, bearing your teeth, exclaiming as you feel strings of cum escape the slit of your cock, bringing your head back, leaning your head on Dave’s shoulder in exhaustion.
You could feel Dave slip his cock out of you, your hole dripping with his cum. Slowly and softly, you felt the belt start to let go of your wrist.
The second the belt had let go of your skin, your arms retracted back to your sides, and you felt light kisses on your neck from Dave. “How was that, angel?”
You turn your neck and plant your lips onto Dave’s. “Amazing as always,” You smile.
You hear your ringtone go off in your pocket, earning a groan from Dave. “Ugh, and the real world has to come knocking.”
You ignore him as you bend to reach your phone in the crumbled pocket, earning a hiss from you, the pain in your ass settling in now. The hissing stopped as you stood up and held your phone. And saw that Carol was calling.
You snicker, seeing her contact on your phone. “How much do you want to bet that she’s calling me regarding where her husband is? Cause me and you are such close friends.”
Dave wraps his arm around your shoulder; beads of sweat glisten on his arm as it connects with your shoulder. His chin is resting on your other shoulder.
“Nothing, because I know that's why she’s calling you.”
You chuckle as you answer Carol’s call, Dave’s lips latching onto your neck as you bring your phone up to your free ear.
“Hey, Carol,” You did your best to sound enthusiastic.
“Hey, is Dave with you? I’ve been trying to call him, but he isn't answering his phone.”
“Yeah, I’m actually with him. He’s struggling with the costume, but I promise he’s almost ready,” You state, trying to get Dave’s lips off your neck as his teeth latched onto your neck.
You hear Carol’s breath of relief as you smirk. “Thank God, I was getting worried. Everyone was asking me where Santa is and I didn't know what to say—”
“Carol,” You chuckle. “Calm down, He’s almost done. We’ll be in, in a few minutes.” You feel Dave’s hand slide up under your shirt, playing with your nipple.
“Thanks, I’ll see you later. Once again, thank you for helping Dave with this; he hated the idea, but whatever you said really made him step up.”
It wasn't what you said, more of what you did to convince him. Your sore throat after that “conversation” was worth it.
“I’m glad he has a friend like you.”
“Anytime, Carol. Calm yourself down and wait for Dave and me,” You smiled.
“Okay, I will. Bye.”
“Bye,” You state as you hang the phone up, placing your phone on the shelf where you rested your head moments prior. “What happened?” Dave questioned.
“Everyone getting antsy on where the hell is Santa,” You retorted.
“He was too busy —kiss— fucking his little helper —kiss— in the closet.”
“We need to get going; we could only be in here for so long.”
Dave groans next to your ear, causing you to chuckle. “Can’t we just leave? Y’know, and fuck somemore, somewhere?”
“As tempting as that sounds — and I’m fighting restraint to say yes, we need to go out there. Come on, we can have some fun later,” You state as you pick up your pants.
Tumblr media
Currently, you were looking for your belt that Dave threw off the second you both entered the closet. “Fuck, where’s my belt?” You grumble.
Dave fixes the wide leather belt on his red jacket. His pants were on; he had buttoned up the red coat and was ready to go. Dave needed the hat you ripped off his head and the beard he took off. But Dave couldn't help himself from staring at your ass as you were looking for your belt.
He was leaning on a nearby wall, watching you with crossed arms. “Y’know, the kids can wait, a couple more minutes. They’ll be fine.”
“Dave…” You started.
“Just imagine me, you, your face on the ground, my handprint, marking that sweet ass, hearing those amazing moans you love to make for me so much.”
“As much as I would love to do that. I need your help finding my belt before Carol kills us.”
Hearing Dave huff a breath in annoyance like a teenager, you can't help but smile and roll your eyes. “You’re no fun, and your belt is right by the door.”
Snapping your neck toward the door, you see your brown belt lying on the ground as if it were waiting to be found by you.
“W-what,” You sputter. “How long were you going to make me look?”
Dave shrugged his crossed arms. “I was just enjoying the view.”
Grabbing the belt, you stand up and push the belt through the loops of your jeans; buckling the belt together, you were ready to leave the small closet while Dave was gawking at you.
“You ready?” You question.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Dave starts to walk out, but you open your mouth to stop him. “Dave?”
“Yeah?” He questions.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” You ask, crossing your arms.
“Oh yeah, you’re right.” Dave States, walking towards you, grabbing your biceps, and planting his lips on your forehead, backing up from you with a smirk.
You start to chuckle, and Dave looks at you with confusion as you’re laughing at him. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re either a softie or a dumbass.”
“What?”
“I meant for you to grab your beard and hat,” You smile.
“Oh.”
Tumblr media
You and Dave finally make your way out of the small storage closet, acting like nothing had happened moments ago, acting like you just walked in the doors.
“You ready?” You ask.
“Are you going to see me later tonight?”
“Is that an invitation?”
“Yes,” Dave smirks, but you can't see it underneath his fake white beard.
“Then yes, I will see you tonight.”
Dave nods and takes a breath as leathered-covered hands are on the doors. In one push, he bellows a “Ho, Ho, Ho from his lips, which sends the kids screaming in excitement as they watch their favorite person walk into the room, waving and making them smile from ear to ear.
While you slipped inside the venue looking for a cup of water. Your throat had seemed dry after screaming Dave’s name so many times. Seeing the drinks table having water bottles, you take one, tearing the cap off as you watch the kids be joyful as they watch Santa/Dave wave at them.
Carol had come up next to you with a smile on her face; you returned a smile at her. “Thank you so much for helping him; these parents were ready to pounce on me if Dave didn't come sooner.”
You couldn't relate to wanting Dave to “come sooner.”
“Anytime, trust me, Dave can be real stubborn.”
“I’m aware. Try being married to him,” Carol jokes; you can’t help but laugh.
“Are you coming over for dinner tomorrow night?”
You shrug. “I don't know, I would have to ask—”
“I already asked; she said yes, and the girls are so excited to play with the kids again. I swear our families have some fun history.”
“You don't know the half of it,” You smile, taking a swig of your water.
“C’mon, It’ll be fun!” Carol smiled. As you thought about it, your wife and Carol could be distracted while the kids play together, giving you and Dave the free will to do what you both do when they’re not home.
“Fine, you’re right, it’ll be fun.”
Carol was overzealous, clapping her hands and lightly hopping. “Okay, you don't need to bring anything, just yourselves; maybe a bottle will be fine, but no gifts.”
“No gifts,” You repeated. “Understood.”
“Now I got to make sure these kids end up in a straight line so they can tell Santa what they want for Christmas, Excuse me,” Carol excused herself.
Your gaze had landed back on Dave, sitting on the red and gold-like throne only reserved for Santa. You could tell he was staring at you and Carol, conversing with each other. You lick your lips, wink at Santa, and mouth the words. “Dinner at your house.”
You didn't know what dinner had planned, but overall, you knew that it would end with you and Dave alone together.
172 notes · View notes
tojisbbygworl · 7 months
Text
Open House - Toji Fushiguro x Black!Reader - FFL Series
Summary: Toji was never one to go to open houses; he found them useless and a waste of time, money, and energy. Unfortunately for him, his lovely new wife was adamant on attending. Toji - 29, You - 26, Megumi - 9
Characters: Toji, Megumi, Yuuji
Words: 3,894
Tags: Family/Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Suggestive Content (bcs Toji can’t help himself), Toji’s a Good Dad
Disclaimer: This work is part of a Black!Reader x Toji series I started called Fushiguro Family Life. It's basically a slice of life series with you, Toji and Megumi. None of them are in order and can be read on their own unless stated otherwise.
AO3 Version
My AO3
Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
authors note: Heyyyyyyy everybody! Very happy that I finally finished this. I love how it ended up and I hope y'all will like it as well! I hope Toji isn't unlikeable here, part of the reason it took so long. Where they live is not specified, but it is heavily based on American culture, so the way Megumi's school is set up is based off of American elementary schools. Okay, I think that's all. Enjoy!
“I can’t wait for my mom to see my project. Ms. Ieiri said I had the best one.”
“She only said that because she didn’t want you to cry like you always do, Miwa.”
Megumi snickered at Yuuji’s jab. They were on the bus finally going back home after a long school day. Him and Yuuji sat together, Yuuji doing most of the talking to the other students like usual.
“I can’t wait for the butterflies to hatch,” Yuuji said excitedly. “My dad’s gonna love them.”
“Butterflies don’t hatch, stupid.” Miwa threw a balled up piece of paper at him. “They sprout.”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Hey, Megumi,” The boy looked up at the seat in front of him. Yuta Okkotsu peered down at him over the top. “Is your dad coming to see the butterflies?”
He was referring to the class project. All of 4th grade was learning about the process of metamorphosis and the school had a raffle to see which class won the opportunity to care for a bunch of caterpillars and get to see them as butterflies. Their class won and their teacher decided to showcase the butterflies at the school’s quarterly open houses.
Megumi gingerly shook his head. “Dad never comes to open houses.”
“But you were the one who watched their temperature everyday! So like, you basically made them.” Yuuji stops his argument with Miwa to interject.
All Megumi could do was shrug before the bus finally reached his stop. They all waved goodbye to him as he hopped off with a few other kids. Walking down the street to his house, the smile that was on his face began to drop. While he loves his dad, he wishes he would be more involved in his schooling. On field trips he saw his friends’ parents be volunteer chaperones and whenever the school had events, like the semester kick off, their whole families would be there. His dad didn’t seem to care about those things. He only ever asked him if he did his homework, only emailed the teacher about grades, and only went to parent-teacher conferences which he despised.
His new mom, you, wasn’t really involved either. Megumi doesn’t blame you though. He’s sure you just don’t want to overstep any boundaries or make anyone uncomfortable despite his bio mom not really caring. Actually, his mom didn’t care about anything he did either. Not even his grades or behavior in school. Huh. Maybe that’s why dad divorced her.
Megumi’s got to see those butterflies no matter what it takes. He should talk to you about it. Maybe he can convince you. Because Mom and Dad aren’t going to be moved.
He sees you sitting in your car in the driveway. You usually do get home whenever Megumi does. This would be the perfect time to talk to you without his love sick dad interfering and trying to get your attention. You seemed to be eating something, so you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. He taps on the door and you look up, frantically trying to hide your food.
When you realize it’s Megumi, you relax. You unlock your door and he opens it up. “Hey, baby,” you tell him endearingly.
He smiles widely at you. “Hey, Y/N.” He looks down at your lap to see a Chipotle bowl sitting in your lap. You were almost done with it. “You got Chipotle?”
“I had it for my lunch but I didn’t finish it,” you explain, taking another bite. “I want to eat it before your dad sees it so he doesn’t try and get any.” Megumi giggles. His dad does have a bad reputation of stealing his and your food. “You can have some, though.”
Megumi hops in the car and closes the door, taking the bowl from your hands. He eats a few bites and hands it back to you. The both of you continue to exchange the bowl, finishing it quickly. It’s when you two are at the last few bites that you speak up. “So, how was school today?”
“Really good! We got our projects back today.”
“The one where you draw the metamorphosis cycle?”
Megumi nods and swallows the food in his mouth. “Uhm, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” You get a worried look on your face and he quickly dismisses it. “No, it’s nothing bad. I just…uhm…here.” He reaches into his book bag and pulls out a folder. In the folder, he pulls out a sheet of paper and hands it to you. Looking at it, you gasp in excitement. It was an RSVP slip for the coming open house.
“You want me to go to your open house?” You ask him happily. Megumi blushes and nods.
“Only if you want to,” he quickly says.
“Of course I do, honey!” You pulled out a pen from your purse and quickly wrote your name. And then you wrote Toji’s. Megumi’s smile dropped and he gulped. You looked over at him. “What’s wrong? Do you not want your dad to come?”
“I…I do. It’s just…dad…doesn’t want to come.”
You raised a brow. “Oh?”
Megumi scratched his head. “He thinks they’re a waste of time. He only goes to conferences and stuff.”
You get a look of realization on your face. “Oh. Is that why I never hear anything about school?” Megumi nods. You become deep in thought and your brows start to furrow. “Hmph. He won’t think that for long, Megumi. I promise.” You hand the paper back to him and he puts it in his folder, just slightly anxious about what the future may hold. But, you were very excited too. You also hand him the bowl to finish and excitedly, he takes it.
Just before his last bite, there’s a slam on his window. You and Megumi look up at the giant hand belonging to Toji. You still looked irritated.
Megumi rolls down the window. “What do you want, old man?”
“Hey, I’m still in my 20s,” he answers.
“Barely!”
“What the hell are you two doing in here, huh?” He asks. He looks down at his son’s hands. He jerks his head to the side and stares at you incredulously. “So you got Chipotle for the both of you and didn’t want to bring me any?”
You gave him a hard blink, still annoyed by what Megumi just told you. “You don’t deserve a bowl.” You say, half jokingly.
“What did I do?” He asks. You don’t answer, instead you goad Megumi to finish it and exit the car. Toji watches his son eat the last bite and smile at him, rolling the window back up and opening the door. Megumi hands Toji the trash and walks inside with his stepmother leaving his butt hurt dad in the driveway.
-
It’s past 9 when you enter Megumi’s room to check on him. You knock a few times to make sure he hears it just in case he has any headphones in. He does and you hear some shuffling before he finally shouts, “Come in!”
You open the door to the dark room with only his bed being lit up by his night light which you have sworn to secrecy to never tell his friends that he still needs it. You smile at him snuggled up in his sheets. “Did I wake you?” You ask him, already knowing the answer. Megumi shakes his head.
“Okay. Good night then.” You tell him, blowing him a kiss.
“Goodnight, Y/N,” he tells you, ready to whip out his switch that was hiding under his pillow when the door closes. “Oh, wait, Y/N?”
You enter back into the doorway. “Yes?”
Megumi hesitates to ask you, but he gathers up his courage. “Is dad really going to come to the open house this time?” he asks.
He relaxes when you give him your sweet smile. “I promise he will,” you tell him.
With that Megumi nods and turns over leaving you to close his door and head to your own room, already knowing Toji’s going to have a time trying to wake him up tomorrow. He really thinks he’s slick pretending that he doesn’t play on his switch when he should be asleep, but you can always tell when he wakes up the next day, groggy as all hell, looking like he could drop any minute.
When you finally enter your room, your darling husband is there to await you. His large body is spread across the bed, waiting for you to get in with him. He grins at you with his hands behind his head shifting his lower body down. “Hey, beautiful,” he winks at you stupidly.
Whereas any other day you would fall for his charm, you were not amused by him. You ‘hmph’ and walk to the other side of the bed where you use all your strength to throw the rest of his big body ass on the opposite side and fall into the mattress. Toji, who was finally fed up with the animosity you’ve been having towards him all day, sits up and looks at you.
“Okay, what’s the problem?” he asks. “You’ve been mad at me since we got home. You even let Megumi eat the ice cream you said I could have.” He sounded so whiny, you couldn’t help but giggle at his ridiculousness. “So you’re just being a brat for no reason?”
“No,” you finally answer. You shift your body around to face him and he wraps his arm around your torso to kiss you. “I am upset with you.”
“But why? What did I do?” he asks.
You sigh and sit yourself up on your elbow. “Megumi told me something interesting.”
Toji began to think the worst. He thought the kid had let one of his deep dark secrets slip, like when you still lived on your own and Toji would hang onto his phone like an addict just waiting on a text from you. “Oh, yeah?” He played it off.
You nodded. “He told me you don’t like coming to fun events for school. Like field trips and parties. And open houses…” you trailed off.
Toji narrowed his eyes. “Open houses are not fun. Did he bother you about that shit today?”
You slap his chest. “He did not bother me, he asked me sweetly and I said yes.”
Toji scoffs. “Well, you have fun with that-“
“And you’re coming too.”
Toji’s jaw hangs open as he looks at you in disbelief. “What do you mean I’m coming too?”
“I signed your name up on his little RSVP paper, and-“
“Babe,” he says exasperated. You glare at him, not appreciating how much of a baby he was being. Honestly, if he was any more dramatic it would give you the ick for days. “Come on,”
“Wha-, you come on!” You say disappointed. “What is wrong with you? It’s just an open house.”
Not wanting to argue with you anymore, Toji sighs and gives up. He knows there’s nothing he could say to keep him from going, and he would hate to disappoint you any more than you already are. He kisses your forehead and holds your cheek. “Okay, baby. I’m sorry. I’ll go.”
You still weren’t satisfied. You knew he was only saying that because he didn’t want to upset you anymore, not because he had a change of heart. But, you got what you wanted, there’s no point in stretching things out. So you kissed his lips and smiled at him. “Thank you, baby.”
You were ready to sleep, but of course, he took that as an invitation. He smirked at you and leaned in for another kiss which you happily gave him. Then, he took more and more from you, squeezing you closer to him. He moved his hands down your body pushing your torso into his and sticking his tongue in your mouth. You squeal and pull away giggling at him. “Babe-,”
“Shh, come here.” He whispers, attacking your neck immediately afterwards. You stifle your moan by biting your lip. You knew you were getting worn out tonight. Good thing you don’t work tomorrow morning.
-
It’s the night of the open house and the school is bustling with parents, students, and staff alike. There’s a general welcome area with information about upcoming school events, and any questions that parents may have along with snack tables. You were walking right behind Megumi who was excited. Even though he was perfectly calm and walking leisurely, you could see from the small smile on his face that he was happy.
Toji could see it too. He was walking behind the both of you, not too far away. He’d never seen Megumi more relaxed or ready to leave the house before. It was weird.
Megumi led his parents to the 4th grade corridor where he pointed out various class projects that littered the walls in front of each classroom. “Mr. Geto’s class made this really cool honeycomb project. They were all given a hexagon and drew their own bees on it.” He explained to you. You oohed and aahed at everything he pointed out. He seemed to want to tell you about all the projects his friends made as well.
Before you all got to his class at the end of the hall, you looked around for your giant of a husband and found him practically dragging his feet towards you. You glared at him which made him roll his eyes and pick up the pace. Quickly you looked at Megumi sighing in relief that he didn’t notice.
“Oh, sweetie,” you say to him when you all reach Ms. Ieiri’s room. “Did you guys not have a class project? What about the metamorphosis thing?”
Megumi grins at you. “That’s on the wall inside. Our project was really cool and special. You’ll see.”
With that, you all walked inside and took your seats. Megumi sat you all around his desk, with him getting up to talk to his friends when they arrived too. Yuuji was the most excited to see him. “Megumi!” He shouted running over to him. Megumibarely had time to get up before he was practically tackled. “You’re here!”
The pink haired boy got off of him and smiled at you while holding his arms out. “Hi, Mrs. L/N.”
Miwa rears her head out of nowhere taking the hug you were going to give Yuuji. She sticks her tongue out at him. “It’s Mrs. Fushiguro now, dummy.”
“Don’t call him dummy!” Nobara, who also just walked in, scolds.
“You should hear how she talks to me on the bus,” Yuuji interjects. Megumi, quiet as ever, is just happy to be here.
So are you. The kids are hilarious and make you giggle. But you shouldn’t be getting entertained by a bunch of children, you should be speaking with your husband. You turn to talk to him, only to see him knee deep in his phone, leaning against the chair like no one’s business.
You scoff. “You could pretend to be interested,” you lean over and whisper to him.
“Hasn’t even started yet,” he responds, not taking his eyes off the screen. You roll yours. You guess he’s right, but it’s the principle of it all.
At 8:00 on the dot, Shoko claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay everyone, we’ll be starting now so please take your seats.” You give Toji a sharp glare. He glances up at you, rolls his eyes again, and puts his phone away.
Shoko starts off with a welcome and a thank you. From then she wastes no time eager to talk about the assignments and fun projects that the kids have done. She seems like she’s rushing, and you don’t really understand why until you remember the ‘special project.’
“The children cut out, pasted, and colored in the cycle of metamorphosis which they all absolutely killed,” she starts another round of applause which everyone joined in for. Everyone except Toji.
If he looked as though he didn’t want to be there, that would be correct. He did not want to be there at all. He was looking around lazily at all the projects and Megumi’s own caught his eye every time. It was cute…but that’s all it was to him.
He really didn’t need to be here. At all. But you felt as though he did. Why? Why couldn’t it have just been you? Megumi has amazing grades, outstanding behavior, and perfect attendance. He has good friends and doesn’t get bullied, what else is there to talk about? At least, that’s how he sees it.
He’s so busy sulking that he failed to see his wife giving him a death stare. You were over his piss poor attitude and was ready to stick your foot in his ass. When Toji finally looked towards the front of the class, he saw the steam leave your ears and nostrils and gulped. You turned around and whispered into Megumi’s ear. Then, without bringing too much attention to yourself, you hit Toji’s shoulder and walk out the classroom, with him following suit.
The both of you walked a good distance from the class into the hallways where it was mostly empty. You stop to look at him and he leans against a wall. “What’s going on?” You ask him.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean why have you been so…I don’t know…disconnected tonight?” You raise your arms in frustration. “What was the point of us coming here if you’re not going to pay any attention?”
He lifts himself off the wall. “You know, that is a good question.” You fold your arms. “What is the point of bringing me here? In fact, I’m still not sure what the point of being here is either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying that I hate coming to these things because they never talk about anything important.” He finally says. “Just things that they do for fun in class. I don’t need to know about that.”
You shake your head at him. “Why are you so disinterested in Megumi’s schooling?”
“Now you’re putting words in my mouth.” He holds his finger up at you. He thought he was making himself clear, but he’d be damned if you were going to accuse him of being a dead beat. “I care about Megumi’s education, but this other shit, cute projects and festivals, those aren’t important.”
As you try to piece together your thoughts, he finalized his opinion. “Megumi is a good student. That’s all that matters.”
Finally, you let out a sigh. “You know what, you’re right,” you start, shocking your husband. “The stuff on the side isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. But…it is important to Megumi.”
Toji opens his mouth, but quickly realizes he doesn’t have a response. “Have you looked at him at all tonight?” You ask. “Have you ever seen him so energized? He’s happy.”
Have you ever wondered why he thinks you’re so boring?” Toji jerks his head back. Where did that come from? “It’s because you’re only into the boring shit. Grades and behavior marks are boring, babe. Drawing, arts and crafts, games, music, candy, the zoo; those are all fun. And Megumi loves that, so we have to love it too.”
“I-“
“He was so excited that you were coming tonight. They have something special going on that he really didn’t want to miss. Megumi wants you here, baby. And, I bet he’ll be an angel now.”
Toji looks at the ground and thinks about what you said. You were right, Megumi was very happy tonight. And he starts to realize something; he’s only ever seen Megumi’s homework and test grades. He hadn’t seen an arts and crafts project or a drawing he made since preschool where that was all they did. Megumi thinks that- no. He knows that his father doesn’t care about that. And that thought…hurts.
He didn’t care, but he’ll start now.
“You’re right,” he tells you, even though you definitely already know. “I guess…I never liked this kind of shit when I was a kid. I didn’t really have great friends and my family never cared either.” He looks up at you. “I tried really hard to make sure Megumi didn’t grow up like I did, I think I overlooked a few things.”
“But, you’re an amazing father, baby. Megumi loves you, even though you are boring,” you jest. Toji laughs warmly and approaches you. He kisses your lips and pulls you in for an embrace.
He loves you; so much. You’re so caring and mindful of his son. He knew you would be a great stepmother. He couldn’t wait to officially give you that title when you finally said your vows only last year.
“Let’s go back before we miss the surprise.”
You gasped when Shoko finally talked about the butterfly project. They were gorgeous with orange wings and yellow tips, native to the region. They were currently inside a blue tent with the keeper. Since Megumi had the most important job as the temperature keeper, a fact that got a pat and a head rub from his father, your family, along with the Itadori’s, got to go in first.
Megumi and Yuuji couldn’t contain their excitement for a second and had to be scolded to sit down by their parents. You sat next to Toji, a butterfly landing in your locs that were currently Toji’s favorite color, Cajun Spice. One lands on Megumi’s and Yuuji’s noses, making you squeal from how cute it was and leading you to pull out your phone to take a picture. Toji pulls out his as well, snapping one of you before the butterfly has a chance to fly away. Luckily, many of them had the same idea and your hair was covered in them. You were so beautiful, they could pass for actual hair accessories. Toji took a picture of you smiling.
You all laughed when they started landing on him, the entire tent cackling when he was covered with them. His miffed face added to the atmosphere, and you took as many pictures as you could.
When it was all said and done, you all began walking back to the car. You ran to the bathroom, telling the boys not to wait up. So, it was Toji’s and Megumi walking into the parking lot.
It was quiet for a second, Toji thinking about all the ways he could make it up to his son and looking at the upcoming events flier to see one that may interest him. Suddenly, he feels a smaller body on his legs and torso. It was Megumi giving him a hug.
“Thanks for coming, dad,” he says quickly, the sound almost completely muffled by Toji’s shirt. He gets off of him just as quickly, thankful that it was too dark to see his red face. Toji thought the same.
“You’re welcome.” He says back, the both of them hopping into the car and staying quiet pretending the other doesn’t exist.
After a few minutes of silence, Megumi speaks up. “Can this please not be the only time ?” He asks his father.
Toji smiles to himself. “I promise it won’t.” With that, you finally enter the car, the 3 of you driving off happy as can be.
ending a/n: I hope you all enjoyed that! I really wanted to make it clear that Toji isn't a bad father, he does care and he cares in his own way that isn't detrimental to Megumi's being either. And, I wanted to give insight to what yours and Megumi's relationship looks like and how Toji feels about it. The next story should not take as long to come out I promise. Y'all don't understand this one was MONTHS in the making I started this series in March LMAOO! Also, I've went ahead and made a form to sign up for the taglist. It'll be open probably indefinitely as I don't see myself officially stopping the series anytime soon. If there's ever a hiatus, it'll be because I need to think of more ideas.
Pics are from Pinterest
Taglist Sign Up
AO3 Version
My AO3
Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
278 notes · View notes
puppymlovemail · 1 year
Text
♫ baby steps!
Tumblr media
word count: 5k overall, roughly 700 per member
pairings: OT8! x fem reader
warnings: mentions of cutting fruit in changbins, brief mentions of work/working late/work related stress, CHILDREN/PARENTING!
summary: stray kids as parents. or just in a more domestic familial setting.
sorry some of these are RUSHED i just really wanted these blurbs out of my drafts! these are fresh off the printer so if u see any typos no u don’t. don’t even worry about it.
in other other news, i finally fixed the issue w my ask box so. it should be in my bio now! feel free to request something! or just pester me :)
Tumblr media
Christopher Bang
Tumblr media
To say your date night did not go to plan would be an understatement. You and your husband had gotten all dolled up to go to a red carpet event with the band, Chan even helped you zip up your velvet red dress and you helped him adjust his tie. Everything was going to plan until you were putting on your stilettos when Chan walked into the bedroom, caution written all over his face. “Sana just called. She can’t make it tonight, her car broke down on the way here.” He said, his right arm finding solace on your shoulder, his thumb rubbing small circles into your collarbone reassuringly. “How will the boys accept the award without their leader? You should go! I’ll stay and watch the kids.” You sighed, taking off your shoes and running a hand through your recently styled hair. He squeezed your shoulder to get your attention again, your gaze immediately turning back to his. “Absolutely not. Jeongin can make the acceptance speech, he’s the leader after all.” He teased, opting to sit next to you on your shared bed. “The boys understand that we’re parents now. So does the press. It’ll be alright if I miss one award show for the Bangs.” He leaned in and left a sweet kiss to your red lips. You cupped his face, fingers treading through the hair at the nape of his neck.
The moment was quickly cut when your three year old waddled into the room. “Mama!” She whinnied, immediately catching your and Chans attention. “Bath time!” She said, smile gracing her features, her eyes sparkling just like your husbands when he smiles. “And story time!” Her brother chimed, as he waltzed into the room, probably in search of his twin. Chans hand left your shoulder and squeezed your thigh quickly before clapping his hands together and standing up. “Bath first, story time second, you know this Tae.” He stated. “I thought Auntie Sana sleeping over tonight?” Tae inquired before whispering under his breath. Probably something about Sana letting his have story time first. “We decided we’d miss you way too much!” Chan then leaned down and grabbed his mini me. You giggled watching Tae try to squirm away playfully from his dad. Your daughter walked over to you, placing her hands on your knees to keep herself stable. “Up!” She chided, making grabby hands with her tiny little fingers. How could you say no?
That’s how you and Chan found yourself on your knees on the bathroom floor, situated in front of the master bathtub. “No more bubbles, Aera! Your brothers gonna drown in them darling.” You scolded, taking the soap away from her greedy hands. After that, the twins started conversing with each other, sharing a splash here and there and sharing their bath toys.
Chan leaned over and kissed your cheek, pulling away and interlocking his fingers with yours. “I love this. I love getting to do this with you.” He whispers. His words immediately make your cheeks tint. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You and them. Not even for a silly award.” You smiled, letting the warmth from the bath and from his words take over your being. “Best bath time ever, right guys?” You teased, directing the question to your children. “Would’ve been the bestest best if Auntie Sana was here.” Tae said, and his sister chimed in, “Yeah! Auntie Sana doesn’t hold hands with anyone but us!” She says, point at your hand interlocked with your husbands, your wedding ring on full display. “Bestest isn’t even a word, Tae!” Chan stated right before playfully splashing them with some of the bubbly water, their laughter filling the air with such love and joy. Your kids may be giant jokesters, but you know they get it from their dad and because of that you, as well, wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.
Not even a silly award.
Lee Minho
Tumblr media
Your husband had decided to take your son outside to look at the fresh snow from the most recent snowfall last night. It’s freezing fucking cold out so you couldn’t even begin to conjure up a reason for why they’d be gone for longer than 15 minutes. Little did you know your son had stumbled across a kitten, no older than four weeks at most. The cat had crawled right up to your son, and laid down on his mitten covered hands. He looked up at your husband with most love struck face imaginable. “He’s purring Dad! Must mean he likes me…” He hummed, moving one of his hands to very gently scratch behind the grey kittens ear. “Or it could just mean you’re warm and it’s well below freezing out here.” He stated, sending your son a knowing glance. “Pleaseeeeee! Dori would love to have another girl in the house!” He whined, very carefully cradling the kitten in his arms. “And your mother would not.” But after those words left his lips Minho got a good look at the feline. The poor thing was shivering and mewling, no doubt hungry and cold. A stray. His big hand reached out to very lightly stroke the kitten, whose tiny glazed eyes sparkled with the snow littered across her fur. He let a sigh escape him. “We’ll have to take her home to get her warm, but after that we have to call someone and see if they’ll take her, alright bud?”
At that your son practically jumped out of his skin with excitement as he started speed walking straight to your front door, his father in tow, shaking his head, a smile smile gracing his face.
That’s how you ended up here. A few years later. Sprawled out on the couch, your back against your husbands chest. Doongie situated to his left, Dori at his right. Soongie was sat loafed in your lap. The kitten? A grown adult cat by now, also laid across your sons lap, fast asleep. Your son? Also asleep, and a teenager at this point. Getting to watch your son grow up with his kitten was well worth the battle keeping the cat costed the family. You could remember to this day when your little boy all but ran into the house with the kitten mewling in his grasps as he held her out to you, snow dripping down his winter coat and puddling onto the wooden floors. “We’re keeping her.” And then Minho came through the door, closing it before exclaiming “No we’re not!” You couldn’t help my smile at the fondness of the memory.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, hm?” Minho whispered, leaving a fleeting kiss to the top of your ear from behind you. You leaned further into his chest, allowing the warmth of him and the cats and the family all situated on this couch take over your senses. “Would you believe me if I said my undying love for you?” You teased. “Absolutely not.” He chuckled, as his hands roamed your hair, lazily braiding strands together out of boredom. “I’m just thinking about our son and that damned cat.” You started, “Remember how mad I was when you finally told me you were thinking of keeping her?” You peered over your shoulder to look at him, his honey eyes meeting yours. “What can I say. She grew on me.” You scoffed, leaning your head back against him, breaking eye contact. “Either that or you just love the idea of this little family of 7. Whether you care to admit it.”
“Well technically speaking 7 isn’t little.”
You grinned, smacking him lightly on the thigh in retort. “Oh shut up!”
Seo Changbin
Tumblr media
You rubbed your eyes for the tenth time in the last three minutes. Waking up at 6am every Saturday to ensure your boys had lunches packed for their little league games was becoming a usual routine in your house, however it did not mean you enjoyed it.
Your husband was stood next you at the kitchen island, helping you cut up the fresh honey apples you both harvested from your garden a hour ago. Of course, only after having woken up the boys and telling them to get dressed and packed for the busy day ahead. Changbin turned to you, apple slice in his left hand as his right went underneath it, as it it were going to leave crumbs. “Open wide.” He instructed, flashing you a smile, his dimples on display. You fall more and more in love with him everyday, you think. You both certainly didn’t think you’d be here 10 years ago, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world. You open your mouth willingly and let him guide the bite sized slice into you mouth. “How is it?” He asks, his eyes glowing as he locks them with yours. “Tasty.” You hum, before redirecting your eyes back to the task and closing the tupperware on your finished slices.
Just as Changbin was about to close his two sets of tupperware, a cry sounded over the baby monitor placed on the kitchen table. Worry rushed onto your face as you grabbed the monitor without hesitation. Before you could utter a word your husband wrapped his arms around you, and let his face rest on your shoulder. “‘S okay! I’ll get him. It’s about time he got up anyway. You finish up here.” He stated, leaving a lingering kiss to your neck before pulling away and nodding his head to you reassuringly as he headed up the stairs. He knew how stressed everything has been making you lately, especially with your youngest just turning one. You smiled to yourself as you placed the monitor aside and finished putting snacks in the kids rightful lunchboxes. All of a sudden the monitor next to you lit up, detecting movement and your eyes darted to it once again. The quality had increased substantially since Changbin opened the blinds, it would seemed. “Hey kiddo! You ready to see your brothers play some ball?” He questioned, as he carefully reached into the crib to cradle the fussy baby. “Nah I think you’re more interested in seeing Momma, huh?” He hummed, leaving a kiss to his sons head. The toddler immediately rested his head against your husbands chest, finding comfort in his touch. His little thumb sucked in between his teeth. Trying to pry him off pacifiers wasn’t working very well, obviously. The moment left an unspoken feeling in your heart. Your thoughts were quickly cut short when you heard padded footsteps speed down the stairs to reveal your second child slide into the kitchen; heading straight for you.
“Momma! Are you ready to see me hit a home gun!” He giggled as he wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head against your stomach. “It’s called a home run, Jun.” You teased as your reached down and ruffled his hair. He turned his attention to you and peered upwards. His eyes mirrored his dads almost perfectly. “Whatever!” He smiled, as he grabbed the lunchbox laid in front of you with his initials embroidered onto the center of it. Then it hit you. You and Changbin had only managed to make time for packing lunches this morning, you didn’t even check to see if the mini van had the kids gear.
“Hey! Iseul, do you have your baseball glove? Or is it in the car?” You shouted from the base of the first floor kitchen, only to get no response from your eldest upstairs. Tweens. You open your mouth again, preparing to scream a bit louder when you see your husband approach you, with your youngest in his arm, situated on his hip. He places his free hand on your shoulder and leaves a kiss to your cheek, making you complete forget why you had your mouth open in the first place. “Iseul left his glove at practice remember? We have to stop there before the game.” You rolled your eyes. Of course he left his glove at practice. At this rate, you were all going to be late to the game. As if Changbin could read your mind, his hand traveled to cup your cheek and redirect your gaze to him.
“Hey, we’re leaving early, alright? We’ll get there in one piece, don’t worry.” You leaned in and left a chaste kiss on his lips.
“How the Seo family makes it to every event unscathed boggles my mind every time.”
Hwang Hyunjin
Tumblr media
Work these days was wearing you out. Your boss had insisted you put in extra hours considering you took two weeks off a few months ago to celebrate your husbands birthday, which just so conveniently was followed by your anniversary AND your daughters birthday the following week. If you had to guess you’d just assume your boss hated people with happy families because he’s been working you like a dog with extra paperwork. When you do get home, which hasn’t been till roughly 9 pm every night now, you felt utterly and completely exhausted and guilty. Not only were you missing your daughters childhood but you were causing Hyunjin to stay home more often, or get off work earlier so he could watch your daughter.
Today was no different. You put the key in the front door and after 5 unsuccessful tries you finally got the door to unlock. You walked in and noticed the living room TV didn’t happen to have a K-Drama on. Maybe Hyunjin put Yujun to bed early? You’ll probably find him in bed hogging all the blankets, you’re sure his day hasn’t been very easy either. You sighed as you kicked off your shoes and hung up your coat and purse. “Jinnie?” You whispered through the hallway, only to get no response. That was until you stopped in front of your daughters room, her door left ajar just by an inch.
“Oh but you must try the tea! Mr. Rabbit made it all by himself!” You heard your daughters voice ring, there she was, sat at her pink table dressed in her matching hot pink Disney princess dress. “Well if he made it all by himself…” That’s when your eyes drifted to your husband. You couldn’t decide if you should burst into laughter or coo at the sight. There he was, sitting crisscross applesauce in front of the table with an Elsa dress on. Most definitely Felix’s from Halloween, you could tell by how it was slightly too short on him considering his stature, which his daughter inherited quite the same, one of these days you’re going to have to get her a bigger table, as she was already towering over it.
His pinky lifted off the teacup as he brought it to his lips and took a sip. A grimace met his face as he lowered his cup back to the saucer on the table. “W-Wow! Mr. Rabbit has exquisite taste.” Hyunjin said, very obviously struggling to gag on the tea that was probably a mix of various liquids in your fridge.
It was then that you couldn’t help but laugh as you pushed the door open all the way. Your daughters eyes lit up the minute she saw you, a smile eating half her face as she ran towards you, almost toppling you over in an attempt to hug you. “Momma! You’re here just in time for the main course!” Hyunjin joined her side, patting her head, standing before you in his glittery blue dress. “Oh also this is Princess Elsa.” She stated, gesturing to Hyunjin. You leaned in to kiss him on the lips. “Welcome home, Y/N.” He whispered, chasing your lips for another kiss. “Leave that out of the castle! No Mom and Dad kissing allowed! Now go get a dress Momma! You have to join us!” Your daughter stated before trying to push you back out the door to make you retrieve a dress. “Let me go with her my queen! I have to make sure she picks out the best dress!” Hyunjin chimed, stepping into the doorway before wrapping an arm around your waist and leading you down the hallway to the master bedroom. You heard your daughter say something about setting an alarm and you better not take too long on your way into your room.
“Sorry for leaving you here to fend for yourself for so long Jinnie. I promise that today should be my last late d-“ and with that you were cut off by your husbands lips on yours, his mouth dancing gracefully with your own. His favorite way to express his love for you was always through kisses. He pulled away and held your face between his hands, as if he had the whole world in his palms. “Don’t apologize! I love being your husband just as much as I love being a father for our daughter, honey.” You all but melted at his words as you held him against you just a little tighter. “Plus, she hosts the best tea parties in all of land, if you must know.” He whispers, letting his fingers drum against your cheekbone as he takes in your features. “She loves you.” You hum, getting lost in his eyes. “She loves us.” He reassures, leaving one last kiss to your lips before you’re interrupted by a voice in your doorway. “That doesn’t look like picking out a dress to me!” Yunjun exclaims, causing all three of you giggle.
Nights like these reminded you why you go to work everyday. No matter how relentless it may be, at least you could guarantee you always had a fairytale to come home to.
Han Jisung
Tumblr media
Your husband had proclaimed today as take your daughter to work day. This was in no way, shape or form a real thing. If JYP found out Jisung had snuck his four year into the company studio he might be found dead. But you? Oh you wouldn’t miss this for the world. You and Changbin had already laid a bet down for what you think would be broke in that studio before the end of the day. He argues it’ll be the mics, you argued it’d be the soundboard. As you neared the building you sent Jisung a text, letting him know you were close, as you made it to the front desk and through security, verifying you were here for your husband and no other sneaky business. You made it upstairs and into the studio hallways, your feet already knowing the way to your husbands by heart. Was it really your husbands? No. But Chans room was everybody’s room. That is until something ends up broken today. Then it’s definitely just his room. Your hand finally greets the handle and you push the door open, completely forgetting to knock once your heard Jisungs voice.
“Yeah and if you push that red button righhtttt- yep! Right there, it’ll start recording. See that blinking light up on the monitor? It’s recording everything we’re saying right now.” He instructed. His daughter held tightly against him as he leans her over the soundboard. She claps her hands together in enthusiasm. “I did it!” She giggles before he places her down onto the chair behind him and that’s when he notices you in the doorway. “Well hello gorgeous. Come round here often?” He remarks before pressing his fingers to the soundboard again and turning off the recording. “Only for super cool all rounder Han Jisung of hit boy band Stray Kids. See him anywhere?” You tease before closing the door heading towards him, he pulls you in close and you hug him tightly, your head finding comfort in his shoulder. “Lucky for you you’re lowkey married to him. No big deal or anything.” You giggle at his antics before snuggling deeper into his shoulder, your nose pressed against his neck. “How’s the piece going?”
“It’s going. Our daughters got some fire rhymes. I taught her to say swag on the mic.”
You rolled your eyes as you grinned and pulled back, placing a kiss to his forehead before peering over at the chair beside you. Your daughter was not sat there anymore. You knew it was strangely quiet. “Speaking of said daughter.” You said, resting your hand on his cheek as you redirected his gaze to the chair. “She was just there!” He stated exasperatedly. His expression was then met with a loud thud in the sound booth. You both peered over, your daughter hanging onto the mic stand which had now just unbolted from the wall. “Swag!” She giggled before puckering her lips and throwing you both a peace sign.
Needless to say that was the last take your daughter to work day that ever took place in Chans room. You were now 30 dollars shorter. Changbin? 30 dollars richer. But all that mattered to you was that your daughter never lost her quirkiness, and with her father wrapped around her finger, you know there’s no doubt she’ll ever be able to.
Felix Lee
Tumblr media
Waking up in the middle of the night was never fun, especially with the lack of sleep you already got due to your work schedule. What didn’t help was the way your 5 year old daughter was also trying to get used to a new schedule. That schedule being kindergarten. So either way, having no sleep was becoming something you were trying to get accustomed to.
You squint your eyes open and glance at the alarm clock across the room on your shared dresser. 2:34 AM. You groan, and roll over, hoping that snuggling into your husband might make this sleeping task less daunting, but as your reach out to feel for his waist you’re met with nothing but cold sheets. Worry instantly dawns on you, sitting straight up in bed you bring your clammy hands to your eyes and begin to rub them awake.
“Felix?” You announce loudly into the dark space of the master bedroom you both share, expecting him to be in the in suite bathroom. You’re met with radio silence. Your feet find comfort in Felix’s slippers, which happened to be so conveniently placed at the end of the bed. You trudge your way down the hallway, already knowing where your feet will take you.
Leaning against the door, hand grasping the doorknob, you gently push your daughters bedroom door open and it’s then that you’re met with a sight that melts your heart.
There he is. Felix, in his 5’7 glory, situated on a toddler bed half his size. Your gaze shifts to the right and you find your daughter pressed snuggly into his chest, his right arm wrapped around her, keeping her safe even whilst they were both unconscious. As you carefully walk closer to them you notice a worn book in your husbands left hand, which was already dangling off the pretty purple and gold princess bed. Le Petit Prince.
You carefully place said book on the floor, removing it from his grasp as you place his arm back onto the bed, by his side. Felix will always be your daughters favorite comfort, and just because it’s your two favorite people in the world, you reckon sleeping alone tonight won’t be so bad, if it means she can wake up well rested with her knight in shinning arm by her side.
Kim Seungmin
Tumblr media
You woke up to the sound of a slam, and instead of getting up to investigate it, you rolled over in your shared king bed, undoing your husbands hands around your waist in the process. “Min.” You whispered, leaning in and kissing his nose. No response. You could tell by the way his ears tinted pink he was definitely awake, so you kissed his nose again until you heard a throaty mhm? His eyelashes fluttered open slowly, puppy eyes locking with yours. He was unamused by you demanding him to be awake with you in misery, as he knew what you were about to ask. “Mini Min is in the kitchen, i’m almost certain.” You stated, dramatically throwing your right arm over your eyes. “Someone should definitely put her back to bed…” He blinked at you, but after a long ten seconds passed in silence, he knew arguing was fruitless. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he pulled himself off the bed. “You owe me.” He called out as he shrugged on the silk blue robe situated on the vanity near your bedroom door. If there was one thing Seungmin mastered over the past 7 years with your daughter, it was definitely Dad Fashion.
He shuffled into the kitchen and his eyes could already faintly make out the silhouette of his daughter in the dark, before an open overhead cabinet. “If you fall off that counter I am not going to catch you.” he grumbled, leaning against the archway in the kitchen and flicking on the light switch to reveal her hand in the candy cabinet. Little Mins head snapped to look at who caught her red handed. Whilst turning her head around so quickly, she started to stumble. Despite telling himself to stand still to prove his point, he sped over to the marble counter and put a hand behind her back to prevent her from falling backwards. “Thought you wouldn't catch me?” her voice chimed childishly with her hushed dove-like voice.
She sounded like the perfect mix of you and him. You’d tell him all the time that he better watch out because she’d make a perfect singer. You’d both have to agree that she resembled him to an uncanny degree physically, with her honey brown eyes and shoulder length soft black hair. It was hard to stay mad at her for long though, since her behavior was always so reminiscent of you both. "You better have a good reason for being out of bed." Seungmin said, rubbing his eyes as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her off the counter, opting to rest her on his hip instead. She clang to his robe immediately as he quickly closed the cabinet he found her rustling in. "What were you doing?"
Minnie looked away from him shyly before muttering "Nothing… just wanted some of Uncle Lixies brownies." Seungmin laughed as he casually started heading back down the hallway towards his shared bedroom with you, turning off the kitchen light in the process. “We ate the rest of those last week puppy.” He chimed, stopping in front of the bedroom door, fingers digging into her sides as he tickled her “You’re gonna have to sleep with Mama and Daddy tonight, so we can keep your crimes at bay.” The air filled with her breathy laughter, her head leaning backwards as she smiled in joy. “Whatever you say, Daddy.”
Yang Jeongin
Tumblr media
You sighed for the millionth time in the last hour. This car ride was pure and utter torture. “Hey! How about we play an awesome new game called stop kicking Dads seat, mhm?” Jeongin quipped, shooting a narrowed glare to your son in the backseat and flashing his effervescent smile to him. The 5 year old swiftly ignored him and continued his temper tantrum. You and your husband were bound to have migraines at this point. However, you had to give your son the benefit of the doubt, you were driving him to his first day of kindergarten, his first day all by himself.
In protest, you placed a finger on the volume dial on the SUVs dashboard, turning up the music loud enough to crack glass. Jeongin glanced at you before redirecting his eyes back to road, faking a wince as he giggled in fits as you began to sing (if you could even call it that) Can’t Stop. After a long ride filled with endless Jeongin song covers on the car speakers, your husband turned into the parent drop off line, hopping out of the car and opening his sons door. His protests died down once he got to listen to his fathers singing. It’s always worked wonders on him, ever since he was a newborn.
Jeongin quickly unbuckled him from his car seat before lifting him and placing him on the floor. You followed in suit by meeting him on the other side of the car and placing his bookbag on his shoulder. You crouched down to his height, hand reaching for his cheek. “Hey, baby. You’re gonna do great. Your teachers will contact me or Daddy if you need anything at all. We love you, and we’re super proud of you being such a big boy today!” You stated, locking eyes with his the whole time before leaning forward to leave a kiss on his bang-covered forehead. Jeongin watched you both interact with hearts in his eyes before he mirrored you and crouched parallel to you, taking his sons little hand in his big one. “Mamas right. Despite your tantrum on the way here, we will always love you. You didn’t hear it from me but I think piano class may be your first subject today….” He trailed, winking at your son. He smiled back at his Dad and you, his expression mirroring his fathers perfectly. “No way! I have to get to the piano room first!” He exclaimed, kissing your husband on his cheek and then kissing you as well before sprinting to the doors of the school, his teacher meeting him at the double doors. With one glance back to you both, with a big toothy grin, he walked into the building, likely bolting to get to the best piano in the music classroom. His teacher waved at you both from afar before following him in. You sighed once more, right arm wrapping around your husbands waist as you leaned up against him.
“He’s all grown up, Jeongin.” You all but whispered, glancing upward to steal a peek at your husband, but his eyes were already scanning your face. He leaned forward and kissed you sweetly for a second before pulling away. “He’s gonna be such nerd because of your scholar brain.” He teased before undoing your arm and heading to his drivers side door, and hopping back into the car. What a loser, you thought, as you rolled your eyes and hopped into the passenger seat. You can bet the car ride home consisted of Stray Kids songs being sung as duets between you two, and endless teasing was surely endured as well.
405 notes · View notes
myveryownfanfiction · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI
tags: @salemwitch96, @eclecticwildflowers, @illiana-mystery
warnings: swearing, mention of blood
part one
The door opened and I heard keys on the end table. I ventured out from the bedroom to see chucky leaning against the door, a haunted look in his eyes.
“everything ok?” I asked, slowly making my way over to him. Chuckys eyes jumped up from the floor. He let me wrap my arms around his waist, his settling around me as he continued to stare into oblivion.
“Covers fucking blown.” He whispered. Chucky closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine. “Two teens came in…” I nodded slowly and pulled him flush against me. Burying my hand in his hair, I breathed out a sigh.
“need to watch your language this weekend.” I whispered. Chucky pulled back and narrowed his eyes at me. “Talk a little louder and you’ll see.” I whispered back with a smile.
“what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his voice going back to normal. I pulled away from him at the sound of little feet running down the hallway. Chucky took his eyes off me long enough to see Beverly running towards him. His face completely changed and he knelt down in time to hug her. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes kiddo!” He exclaimed as he stood up, holding her tight to him.
“she’s staying here this weekend while her mom takes care of some things.” Chucky smiled as Beverly pulled back and put her hands on his cheeks.
“hi chucky!” Beverly exclaimed. “We’re carving pumpkins!” Chucky put her down and took her hand as Beverly tried to pull him to the kitchen.
“you left her in the kitchen alone with a knife?” Chucky asked me, a smirk on his face. I laughed and shook my hand.
“you got a little paint on your cheek chuck.” I laughed again and chucky looked down at Beverly’s hands.
“bev, you’re covered in paint!” He laughed.
“I was painting a pumpkin.” She explained. “(Y/N/N) wouldn’t let me carve one.” Beverly pouted and chucky laughed.
“rightly so.” He agreed, smiling down at her. “Show me what you painted.” I leaned against the door as chucky sat down with Beverly in his lap. As they worked on the pumpkin together, I set about getting our pumpkins ready. Chucky would look at me from time to time, clearly feeling better than from when he walked in the door. “I think you’re done kid.” Chucky laughed, gently prying the paintbrush away from Beverly when the pumpkin had been coated in paint.
“but chucky.” Beverly whined as chucky slipped his hands under her armpits and carried her to the sink. Setting her on the counter, chucky pulled her hands under the water to wash off the paint. “Can I help carve the pumpkins?” Beverly stuck her bottom lip out and tried to make her eyes look as big as possible. Chucky kept his focus on the running water in front of him. I started to giggle, knowing he’d cave if he took one look at her.
“nope.” He said, voice wavering. “Not going to let you do that. Or look at you for that matter.” Beverly stuck her lip out further and chucky closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. Picking Beverly up, he set her on the floor and patted her head. “Now run off and watch some tv.” Beverly looked at me and I shrugged.
“I have Charlie Brown if you want to watch that.” I offered, knowing how close chucky was to caving. Beverly’s face lit up and I nodded. “Go turn on the tv and I’ll be there in a minute.” Beverly nodded before running out of the room.
“ok now spill. What’s Beverly doing here?” Chucky asked, opening his eyes when he heard the tv turn on. “And why the whole weekend? Not that I’m complaining. I love her here. It’s just…” I nodded as I leaned out of the door to check on her quickly before hugging chucky.
“Sidney’s dad is in the hospital. She doesn’t think he’ll make it. After last year, Sidney didn’t want Beverly up there. Asked if we’d watch her for a bit.” I explained and chucky sighed. He nodded as he squeezed my waist. “I didn’t ask you since I figured you’d be ok with it. She couldn’t get a sitter on such short notice for an indefinite amount of time so…”
“She knew we’d be more than happy to do it. Yeah.” Chucky finished. “Beverly doesn’t know?” I shook my head. “Then we keep it that way.” Chucky kissed my forehead. “You know this is the one thing you never have to ask me about first. I’m always happy to spend time with her.” We stood there for a second before I heard Beverly call for me. “Better go set it up before she comes back and I let her wield a knife.” He teased as he gently patted me on the ass. I smirked at him before going and setting up the special for Beverly. “What’s the plan for Halloween then? Isn’t that tomorrow?” I nodded when I came back into the kitchen.
“I can take her out. It’s no big deal.” I shrugged as we started to carve the pumpkins. Chucky gave me a look and I started laughing. “Our we can take her.”
“we’ll take her.” He said with a smile. “She have a costume?” I nodded.
“Yeah some cartoon character she’s really into right now. And we’ve got the costumes from last year still. We can double up.” I suggested.
“that sounds fine.” He agreed. We fell into a comfortable silence as we continued to work on our pumpkins. “Feels awfully domestic doesn’t it?” Chucky looked up at me and smiled softly.
“Yeah it does.” I agreed. “Will feel even more so tomorrow.” Chucky nodded.
“probably will be the best Halloween we’ve had in a while.” Chucky smiled at me before we went about finishing the pumpkins.
54 notes · View notes
mymelodymia · 7 months
Note
Tony’s daughter wanting to give Pepper a present on mother’s day, but she’s nervous about it so she asks Tony for advice! (He’s like, kid even ig she’s not your bio mom she IS your mom she’ll love it)
Mothers day
Tumblr media
Summary: you get pepper a mothers day gift <333
Warnings: being nervous, pepper being too good for this world <3
A/N: in my mind this is set after new york, but before iron man 3
+•°+*°•++•°+*°•++•°+*°•++•°+*°•+
It was currently 2:36 a.m and you couldn't sleep. Mothers day was this weekend, you were scared and you didn't know why. You had known pepper since you were born, so you didn't know why you felt like this.
She was like a mother to you, she was caring toward you, she was the person who kept you from getting out of control, you completely saw her as a mother figure.
So of course, you went to the only person that would be up at this hour, tony.
Tony was always there for you, he always listened, didn't matter what it was about, nor the subject it was on. You could wake him up at 4 in the morning for boy/girl advice and he wouldn't care.
You slowly walked down the stairs to the garage, (of course) and typed in the code, getting his attention.
"Hey, what are you doing up?" He asked pointing a finger at you,
"I need to talk to you about something.." you were clearly uncomfortable and tony quickly caught on,
"Whats wrong?" He asked looking back down at whatever he was working on.
"So, as you know, mothers day is this weekend. And i wanna...i wanna get pepper something, but...I'm not sure, because technically she isn't my mom, but i see her as a mother figure, but im not sure because what if she doesn't like it, or what if she doesn't feel-" being cut off by tony placing his hand atop yours.
"Baby, even though, yes technically she is not your biological mother, she IS your mother, and she loves and cares for you so much. And whatever you get her, shes going to love it, i promise." He told you with a calming expression on his face, talking in a soft tone. "What do you wanna get her?"
"I was thinking....." pausing to pull out a photo on your phone. "Something like this...."
Tumblr media
Waiting for him to respond, he only smiled, and hugged you,
"Shes gonna love it sweetheart. Dont worry, now go. To. Bed."
"Can we make it first?"
"Fine, go get the stuff." You giggled, running to your room to grab some supplies.
+•°+*°•++•°+*°•+
"Pepper!" You were holding the small gift bag behind your back, you were sick to your stomach. Tony was sitting on the couch in front of the tv, realizing what you were doing, he gave you a little nod, you nodded to him as well, turning your attention back to Pepper.
"I, umm..i got you something...." you said pulling the small bag out from behind your back. you were so nervous, you could barely hear the vomit coming up in your throat. Just when your thoughts began to race, pepper spoke up.
"For mothers day? Oh y/n," you let out a sigh of relief, 'jeez' you thought before speaking up
"Open it" you said smiling from ear to ear, you looked back at tony and mouthed the words 'thank you' he smiled at you, before nodding his head toward pepper, given that she was now opening your gift.
When she pulled out the bracelet, she read it out loud.
"Mama?" She asked you, (Happily)
"Yeah, and the heart one so that we can have matching bracelets. Do you like it?"
"Do i like it? Of course i like it! I like everything you make me." She said, pulling you into a hug, she stayed in that that hug for a few seconds before you said something both tony and pepper would have never expected you to say in that moment.
"I love you mamuh." You said resting your head on her chest.
"I love you too y/n"
Tags
@animealways // @white-wolf-buckaroo // @zebralover // @yummyangy // @tonystark-au //
106 notes · View notes
not-a-bot-just-shy · 8 months
Text
Hell in a Hand-Basket (Ian and Drew Bardot)
( MDNI, No Age In Bio DNI )
CW: smut, intention to cheat (on Darling’s part 😳🫢), surprise threesome (so… probably dubcon?), making out, penetration, teasing, orgasm delay, unprofessional relationships (you’re a maid, cook, or nanny in their house)
Other Info: bottom reader, gender-neutral reader
Excitement and guilt curl in your gut as your boss cages you in against the wall, leaning in for a kiss. It’s messy and desperate and perfect, like he’s been waiting for this— for you— forever. And maybe he has waited a long time… he had to wait for his wife and kids to all be out of the house, after all. The kids are out on the town with their grandparents for the day, probably buying shitloads of candy as you speak, or watching the boats come in and out at the dock. And Mrs. Bardot is at work— though you hurriedly push the thought of her away, before it ruins the mood you’re setting with her husband.
Your thoughts blur out as his tongue swipes against your lip, feeling him smile against you when you let him in. Mr. Bardot’s hands wander up to cup your face, thumbs swiping gently over your cheeks. By the time he pulls away you’re gasping for air.
“W-wait, Mr.—“ you try to ask him something, but can’t quite get your thoughts together when he moves to your neck, kissing the skin there.
“Please, just call me Ian,” he breathes against your skin, nipping at the spot when you shiver and nod in response.
“Please, Ian,” you whisper, tangling your fingers in his hair and tugging, hoping he’ll go faster. Mrs. Bardot will come home at some point, and you don’t want to get caught… but Ian seems determined to take his sweet time, letting his hands roam over you slowly and thoroughly.
Your resistance to the slower pace fades with the pleasure humming through your nerves with every firm, romantic touch. Ian undresses you, and opens you up for him steadily, praising you for how well you’re taking it.
Ian ends up sitting on the edge of the bed, letting you sit with your back to him in front of the door to the room. A mirror attached to the back of the door shows you every detail of what he’s doing to you.
Ian lifts you up, and eases you onto his cock, spreading your legs around his. One hand travels to your throat, and one travels down to your throbbing core, where you need him most. Ian’s slow, teasing pace continues, even as you begin to squirm and beg for more.
He keeps teasing you and teasing you, over and over, until— you hear Mrs. Bardot’s voice outside of the room. You freeze, in panic, hand squeezing Ian’s arm, but he seems unaware or unaffected that the both of you are about to be caught.
Drew opens the door, phone in hand and expression dark, and stares, before hanging up the phone and slamming the door shut behind her.
Ian grins against your neck, cock twitching inside you and one hand roaming up to tweak your nipple. You choke on your gasp, intimidated by Drew’s presence, sure she’s going to slap you, or worse— so you shut your eyes tight.
You can feel Drew stop in front of you, and you brace for impact, but then… she leans over your shoulder. You hear a wet sound, and a muffled whimper from Ian. You look up to see her hand tangled in the hair at the back of his neck, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth. He twitches inside of you again, and you can’t help but squirm at the feeling.
Drew breaks from the kiss to look down at you, eyes still heavy and dark, “Explain.”
Ian answers for the both of you, breathless from the kiss, “You’ve had a long week at work. Figured you’d like a nice surprise.”
He leans back a little and pulls you with him, hands tightening around you to show you off to her. You turn your head against his chest, mind spinning and embarrassed beyond belief. Your eyes flit nervously toward Drew when she remains quiet— maybe she’s mad after all? But when you dare to look at her, Drew is only looking at you thoughtfully— hungrily. Finally Drew pulls herself up, and sighs. She walks to the adjoining bathroom, waving a hand as she does. “Don’t stop on my account, then— I’ll wash up and be right back.”
The door clicks shut behind her and Ian grins again, leaning in to press a kiss to your ear. His hand moves back down, playing with you some more. You squirm and jerk against him, mind spinning.
“What’s got you so nervous, hm? You thought Drew didn’t know, and you were still going to sleep with me? You naughty, naughty little thing.”
72 notes · View notes
Text
Some Things Are Meant To Be
Pairing: Joel Miller x female reader (Just Too Good To Be Gone pairing)
Word count: 7,813
Rating: M - language, mentions of sex, TLOU universe situations ... overall pretty tame for me.
Warnings: This alludes to things that happen / are covered in TLOU and TLOU 2, but doesn’t spoil anything at all.
Summary: Even in Jackson, plans sometimes change ... which results in you and Joel getting to have an almost perfect day together. 
Author’s Note: Hi, friends! This was supposed to be up for Valentine’s Day, but I’m a little delayed... sorry about that. 
This is just to fill in a gap in their story - and to address something very important for this couple. It takes place between “Can’t Swallow What I’m Thinkin’” and “Lessons You Learn From a Past You Can’t Change”
To get alerted when I post new chapters/stories, follow @somethingtofightfor-shares​ and turn on post notifications - you can also ask to be added to my tag list (link in bio or at the top of my taglist reblog)
Just Too Good To Be Gone Masterlist
Song Suggestion: “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley
Tumblr media
There was someone knocking at his door - and even though Joel rushed to answer it, it still took him longer than usual to get there. 
“I’m comin’!” His voice rose as he made his way down the steps, still toweling his hair dry. “Hang on a -” When he pulled the door open and saw Tommy on his porch, Joel frowned. “Why the hell didn’t you just come in?”
“I know better.” Arching a brow, Tommy stared past Joel and into the hallway behind him. “Didn’t want to see anything I’m not supposed to, if you know what I mean.” Of course. 
“She ain’t even here.” Stepping to the side, Joel waved a hand, inviting his brother in. “Stayed at her place last night because I had to be up real early today.” Joel tossed the towel onto the counter, sighing. “Gotta get that barn done before we leave on that supply run in August, means we’ve gotta get it framed before she an’ I head out to Wilson.” 
“We’re pushing the barn back a couple days.” Tommy moved around Joel’s kitchen, opening a cupboard and pulling out two mugs. “Schmidt wants to give the ground more time to dry out. He’s out there rakin’ right now.” 
“So what does that mean?” Joel leaned against the kitchen island, arms crossed. “We planned this out so we’d have plenty of time.” Tommy nodded, pouring water into the upper portion of the coffee maker and then pressing the button to begin brewing it. 
“We did. All it means is that it’ll take the same amount of time, but we’re startin’ Friday instead of today.” They were both quiet then, and Joel chewed on his bottom lip, waiting. He didn’t need to come here and tell me. He could have radioed. “Maria left early today, too.” Tommy sniffed, turning back to face Joel. “But she’s why I’m here.”
“Everything alright?” Frowning, Joel tensed, anticipating the worst. “Tommy?”
“Yeah.” Tommy reached up, smoothing his mustache down. “She’s fine. But.” He glanced back, checking the level of water in the coffee pot, and then met Joel’s eyes again. “But she needs a couple more sets of hands today.” 
“Where?” His answer was immediate, but Tommy’s wasn’t, the other man reaching for the pre-packed drawstring bags of tea and dropping one into each mug. “Tommy, I swear to God, you’re pissin’ me off, and it’s not even -”
“Do you remember when we were kids, and we used to go to Pop and Mimi’s in the summer?” Well, yeah, but… “And we’d stay there for a couple weeks?”
“‘Course.” Joel pushed off of the island and reached past Tommy, grabbing for the handle of the pot and pouring the steaming liquid into the mugs. “They’d never make us go to bed, so we’d always say up real late.” Tommy laughed, lifting the teabag by the drawstrings and dunking it a few times. “All that time spent layin’ on the ground in a sleeping bag should have been good practice for …” He trailed off, Tommy scoffing in reply. 
“Yeah, you’d fuckin’ think so.” Dropping the bag into the sink, he raised the mug and took a drink, his lip curling. “I miss coffee like you wouldn’t believe.” 
“You and me both.” Joel sipped at his tea. “Can you get to the goddamn point, though, Tommy?” The younger man laughed, taking another drink. 
“What else did we do when we were there, Joel?” Ate a bunch of junk food? Ran around the neighborhood until we were so tired we couldn’t stand up? “I’ll give you a hint.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “You got up close and personal with some yellowjackets the one year.”
“Berry pickin’?” Joel froze with the mug halfway to his lips. “Maria needs help with berry pickin’?” 
“She does.” Tommy grinned, licking his lips after another drink. “Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are ripe, and you know how big that field is.” I do, I’m the one that fixed the fence last year. “So instead of framin’ out that barn today, you an’ me are gonna go and help out over there.”
“But that’s where -” That’s where she is. Out there with Maria. Tommy drained his mug and placed it into the sink, stepping forward and settling a hand on Joel’s shoulder, his fingers squeezing. 
“Sure is, big brother.” 
— 
You were bent over a row of raspberry bushes, your fingers quickly picking the ripe fruits and dropping them into a basket when you heard his voice. “Hey, you.” What is he doing here? 
Turing your head toward the sound, you widened your eyes at the sight of Joel and then stood up straight, pulling a berry free as you moved. 
“Joel? What are you… I thought you were working on the barn today.” You watched as his smile grew from a small one into the grin that you rarely saw on his lips - the one that made him look years younger. Stepping closer to him, you held out your hand, the berry resting on your palm. “Want it?” 
Without saying anything, Joel stepped closer and reached out, waiting until you’d dropped the fruit from your hand to his. Without looking away, he popped it into his mouth, the man chewing and swallowing. “Damn, those are good this year.” They are. “And yeah, we were supposed to work on the barn today, but the ground’s wet or somethin’, so we’re givin’ it another couple days.” 
“Good.” Closing the distance between you even further, you used one hand to gesture vaguely. “There’s a lot to pick here.” He looked around, the man putting both hands on his hips. It gave you the chance to stare at him, your eyes taking in the fit of his t-shirt and jeans, the way his hair curled against he back of his neck - longer than he usually wore it, but still shorter than the longest you’d ever seen it. 
He didn’t spend much time in the agricultural areas of Jackson. The only times you saw him in the greenhouses were when he was coming to see you or to fix something, and it was rare that Joel had any hand in the field harvests, either. But you would have been lying if you’d said that you were unhappy to see him among the greenery. 
“I haven’t picked berries since I was a kid.” Joel finally spoke, his eyes drifting back to you. “You’re gonna have to help me out.” Fighting back a smile, you reached out again, waiting for him to take your hand. Gladly. 
“It’s really easy, Joel.” Leading him to the bushes you’d been working on, you reached for one of the raspberries. “Try and pull it off the plant. If it comes off easy, it’s ripe. If you need more than a little force… it’s not ready.” A berry came free and you popped it into your mouth. “Same for blueberries. But we’re not going to get to those today, because Maria claims them.” You laughed, watching Joel reach for the plant, too. “Just put ‘em in the bucket, and then when it’s full, take it over to where the wagons are.” 
“We brought a couple more.” Joel licked his lips, his hands already busy with the bush. “Wagons, I mean.” 
“Good.” Eyeing him, you waited a few seconds to go back to what you were doing. “We’ll need as many as we can get. There’s gonna be a ton of fruit today. The weather’s been really good this year, and the fence kept the animals out.” 
“You’re welcome.” Glancing over at you, Joel smirked. “For the fence, I mean.” You rolled your eyes, leaning over and picking an unripe berry off of the ground before you tossed it at him. “Oh, you’re wastin’ fruit now?”
“No. It was already wasted.” Head shaking back and forth, you looked down. “I’m glad you’re here, Joel. Thought I wasn’t gonna get to see you much for the next couple days.” He sighed, but you caught the nod he gave in return out of the corner of one eye. 
“Yeah, I thought the same thing. Glad we were wrong.” You worked in silence for a few minutes, checking on the contents of the bucket every now and then as the two of you filled it. 
But it was a good silence, the man’s presence next to you coupled with the heat of the late-morning air and the bright sunlight making you happier than you’d been in a long time. And when you glanced over at Joel, you saw that he looked relaxed, too, his lips curved upward into a small smile as he kept his hands busy. I like seeing him like this. 
Between the two of you, you filled three 5 gallon buckets in just over an hour, making small talk as you worked your way down the row. 
He told you about the time that he and Tommy had spent with their grandparents during their school breaks, about the incident when he was eleven, his entire right hand swelling up from multiple stings, and that it had resulted in his grandmother stopping on the way home to buy both brothers ice cream. 
Joel also told you about the tiny garden that he’d kept in the back yard for Sarah to play in, and the hanging basket of strawberries that hung from a shepherd’s hook every summer, the girl excited to check for fresh fruit on a daily basis. 
You’d noticed that when Joel was relaxed and not prodded, he tended to open up more. and because you wanted to know everything about him that you could, you didn’t interrupt, giving him free rein to speak at his own pace. 
And it was Joel that cut himself off mid-sentence halfway through the fourth bucket, the man standing up straight and saying your name, one hand held out. “What?” Looking up from where you knelt on the ground, you tilted your head to the side. “What is -”
“C’mon. Take a break with me. Let’s get some water.” He kept his arm extended, but instead of reaching for it, you gave yourself permission to look at him - taking in the sight of the man’s sweat-damp forehead, the dark spot near the collar of his shirt and the way the sun was shining through his hair and highlighting the silver strands in his messy curls, some of them sticking to the back of his neck. Look at him. 
Finally taking his hand, you let him pull you up, his fingers tightening around yours. “Gonna grab that bucket, we might as well empty it.” You picked it up but Joel took it from you and the two of you headed for the wagons, the man dropping your hand but not straying far. 
Once you’d emptied the bucket into the larger crate, he set it down and waited for you to fill up two cups from the cooler that was sitting under the shade of a tree, the man taking one from you. “We can go sit over there.” Using your free hand, you gestured to a shady space about twenty feet to the right, facing away from the town. 
You passed Maria and Tommy on the way, the two of them huddled over a row of blueberry bushes, pulling fruit away from the plants. Your friend glanced up but didn’t say anything, the woman winking before she returned her attention to her husband. “This shit’s almost harder than construction.” Joel groaned as he lowered himself to the ground, leaning his back against one of the fenceposts. “My knees are gonna feel awful tomorrow.” 
“Yep.” Taking a seat next to him, you drank deeply from your cup, the cool water delicious as you swallowed it. “But it’s going to be worth it when there’s fresh pie and jam.” Turning your head toward him, you smiled. “That’s the best part about picking the fruit; we get to take some home without worrying about waiting for distribution.” 
“Really?” His eyes widened. “Ellie’s gonna love that.” I know. You leaned in, eyes still locked with Joel’s. 
“Yes, really. That’s why they rotate people in here, so that it’s spread out a little more between anyone that wants some extra. It’s not … there’s a lot of fruit, but it’s still kind of shitty to take more than you need. Honor system, you know?”
“That wouldn’t have worked in Boston.” He snorted, finishing his water and setting the cup down. “A handful of blueberries would have probably cost an entire ration card, maybe more. There was a literal black market for seeds, and some … some produce was worth more than goddamn pills.” 
“That’s a surprise.” You finished your water, too, and then leaned back next to him, stretching your legs out in front of you. “Since you were a  smuggler, did … did you ever smuggle food, Joel? Or was it all stuff?” He’d talked about his jobs plenty of times, but aside from telling you about some of the most memorable ones, he hadn’t gone into much detail. 
“Anything and everything.” Joel reached up and ran his hand through his hair, shrugging. “Me an’ Tess would take on any job we were offered as long as the pay was right. Only thing we never did was smuggle people.” Joel paused and then laughed, the sound carrying on the breeze. “And then Marlene asked us to get Ellie out of the QZ, and …” He trailed off. 
“And we all know how that turned out.” Extending your hand, you settled it on his knee. “Do you ever miss it? Not the danger or the actual job, but I mean…” I mean Boston. I mean the life you had there. 
“I miss the unpredictability, sometimes.” Turning his head, Joel stared at you, his eyes warm from the bright sun overhead. “Never knew who we were gonna meet or where the job would take us. Made some really good connections that way, but…” Joel shook his head. “No. I don’t miss anything else. I didn’t do it because I wanted to, I did it because I had to and because I… we were good at it.” 
“Oh.” You stared at each other for a few seconds, the uncertainty of how to respond giving you pause. That makes sense, but … but what do I say back? He spoke up then, negating the need for you to come up with anything in response. 
“We should get back to it. How many more buckets do we need to fill?”
“It’s not by buckets.” Pushing to your feet, you brushed the backs of your legs off as Joel stood, too. “We have to finish the first two rows and then check on the others. They plants are different kinds, so usually theres a week or two in between when they’re first ready.” Swiping at your brow with the back of your hand, you eyed the man. “We’re almost done. That’s another good thing about a day out here … it’s never a full day.” 
He didn’t laugh at that but you got a smile out of him, and only a few minutes later, you and Joel were back between the rows of bushes, both of you busily plucking the ripe fruits from their stems. 
You continued to speak, trading stories back and forth, but even that trailed off into another comfortable silence - and then, just before you opened your mouth to ask him a question, you heard it. 
Joel was humming as he picked - and when you glanced over in surprise, you saw that he was still smiling. 
When he got home a little after 2 PM, the house was empty. Joel set the small containers of fresh berries that you’d insisted he take for himself on the counter and then headed upstairs, stripping his sweaty shirt off and throwing it onto the pile before he pulled on a new one. 
Part of him wanted to take a shower, but the other part of him knew it would be better to wait, since you’d be over later that night for dinner and that meant he’d probably need to shower before bed. So Joel opted to put it off, instead heading into his workshop and deciding to make the most of the remaining hours of daylight. 
He had a few commissioned projects to complete - a guitar for one of the guys he’d gone on patrol with a few times, a couple of small animal carvings as gifts for a pair of 8 year old twins, and two cutting boards - along with a shelving unit that he was working on for you. But when Joel sat, he didn’t know where to begin. 
The change in his morning assignment had been a shock to him, but in a good way. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told you that he missed the unpredictability of smuggling in Boston, and though everything about Jackson was much less stressful, Joel was sometimes bored. Nah, that ain’t even the right word. 
 He leaned back on the rolling stool, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Safety and security weren’t boring, but the routine sometimes was. Even when he’d been assigned work duty in Boston, the location had changed often, and so had his duties and expectations. In Jackson, things were much more set based on skill and interest instead of necessity. 
Before Jackson, Joel hadn’t ever imagined that a place like it could exist. And he sure as hell hadn’t thought that there’d ever be another easy day, time spent in the sun and doing something that was work, but wasn’t hard work. 
And there was an immediate reward, too - more than the extra portions of fresh fruit on the counter, or another few days where he wouldn’t end the night with blistered hands. 
He liked the carpentry projects that he worked on, and he didn’t mind the patrols or wall duty, but even after two years in the settlement, getting thrown a curveball - like what had happened that morning - was a welcome respite. Even somethin’ small, he thought as he ran a palm over one denim-clad thigh. Like gettin’ to spend a day with her outside. 
He’d seen you watching him earlier, glancing over when you thought he wasn’t looking, your eyes taking in every inch of his frame, and he hadn’t minded at all. But he’d only seen it because he was also watching you every chance he got. 
He paid attention to everything, but especially to you - to the way your deft fingers plucked the fruit from the stems and dropped them into the bucket that sat between you. He focused on the way that you’d occasionally stop to pop a berry into your mouth, a quiet sigh escaping your lips as you bit down on it, the same hand reaching up to wipe tiny beads of sweat from your brow with the back of it before you returned to your task. And Joel zeroed in on the way the sun hit your face, forcing you to squint a little and tilt your head, exposing the column of your neck to his greedy eyes. 
It was more than that, though - Joel’s feelings for you growing faster than he thought possible in such a relatively short period of time, and every new detail was a revelation to him, no matter how small. 
“Get your shit together, Miller.” He groaned and wheeled himself back toward the table, both hands reaching out for his tools. 
He started with one of the carvings - a rabbit - and for a few minutes, he worked in silence, every scrape of the chisel producing a small, curled wood shaving that dropped onto the tabletop. 
But he couldn’t focus, and so with a roll of his eyes, Joel sat the piece and his tools down and then stood, scrubbing his hands over his face before heading into his bedroom. 
You were a distraction, but for the first time in a long time, Joel didn’t think that was entirely a problem. 
He’d been successful at pushing feelings and emotions to the side for a most of his life - beginning before Outbreak Day, and then after had been a different story. But I let Tess in. And I let Ellie in. Lowering himself onto the edge of his bed, he turned his head, gaze landing on the side of it that you always slept on. And then I let her in. 
Even from the beginning, he’d admired your patience. In some people, that patience was a weakness, but in you, it was something more - something almost tactical, and he’d recognized it the very first time he’d met you. 
That patience made it possible for you to keep a cool head even in difficult circumstances. The longer he’d spent around you, the more Joel understood how much of an asset that truly was, especially when he’d been used to using his fists and brute strength to make people see things from his point of view. 
You’d reminded him of Tess - and he’d told you that without shame, the admission that that woman would have liked you an honest one, though it hadn’t come at the best time. But you took it in stride, much like you did so many other things, and as more and more time went on and the two of you got closer, Joel had - unwittingly - started to open up more than he’d ever wanted to before.
The circumstances allowed it, and though he’d been hesitant to fully give in, Joel couldn’t help himself. 
There was never an option for a casual physical relationship with you - the idea had repulsed him. Remaining friends and friends only would have been possible up until the moment he’d heard your real laugh the night he’d come to check on you after finding out about your sister. That single sound had done him in, and from there, everything snowballed. 
He’d known that you coming over to watch a movie would probably end with the two of you in bed. He’d known that despite the fact that the guilt he still carried - and would carry until he could tell you the truth - would eat at him, he wasn’t keeping anything from you, he was keeping a secret for Ellie, and there was an important distinction. He’d also known that like with the little girl, the moment he admitted to himself that he felt something for you, it would be impossible to pretend that he didn’t. 
“Well, shit.” Joel laid back, keeping his feet on the floor and covering his face with both hands. Friendship was natural, especially when the two of you weren’t depending on each other for survival. Feelings, he was alright with too, because they were proof that he was still alive - and the ability to get close to him was a feat all on its own, which meant that you were doing something right. 
But the thing that had taken root in his heart the previous winter? The realization that it was more than concern for and admiration of you, that there was more to it than simple attraction? He’d forced himself to bite it back each time it threatened to reveal itself, despite the fact that each time he did it, it got harder and harder to ignore. 
Things weren’t normal, and they never would be, no matter how safe it was inside the walls of Jackson. 
There were parts of his past that Joel couldn’t overlook or ignore, things that he fully believed would come back and haunt him given enough time - and he hated the thought of you getting caught up in them. Especially if she doesn’t know. Rubbing at his eyes, Joel took a deep breath and then stared at the ceiling, lacing his fingers together atop his abdomen. 
He’d already broken his rules with you, time and time again, and even though you never made a big deal out of it, he knew you understood. And so do Tommy and Ellie, because … they know me. All of ‘em. Words were meaningless - promises were made and broken every single day, and so he’d made it a point to show you what he felt in and out of the bedroom, and Joel hoped that the message was loud and clear. Even if I can’t say it.
The sound of the front door slamming followed by Ellie’s voice calling his name urged him into action. With one final groan, Joel sat up and then stood, using one hand to rifle through his hair before heading back downstairs, the girl a perfect distraction. 
“Joel? You here? What are -” There was a pause and then Ellie swore, her excitement evident in the next words she spoke. “Holy shit, fresh fruit? Where did -”
“I’m here.” He stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “Didn’t go and work on that barn today. Went an’ picked fruit instead. Figured you’d like to have somea those berries.” 
“Can I?” She was leaning over the counter, her palms flat on the surface. “I didn’t even know they were ready and we walk by the garden like… every day. Dina said -”
“You can, but don’t eat ‘em all. I’m supposed to save some for breakfast.” The girl’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open. “Muffins, I think. Don’t quote me on that, but -”
“She’s making us muffins?” Ellie groaned and popped a blueberry into her mouth. “God, Joel, you know if you just asked her to move in, it would be much easier.” What? He froze, Ellie’s name on the tip of his tongue, but she continued, reaching for a raspberry. “Like, there’s plenty of room here. I live in the garage, and it’s not like you need two bedrooms. Fuck these are good.” She took another berry and then stood up, gesturing at the kitchen. “You two are just going back and forth between two houses, and it’s stupid.” 
“Ellie, I …” I don’t know what to say. “She’s lived in that apartment almost the entire time she’s been here, I don’t think she wants to move.”
“Dude, she’d move in here with you yesterday if you asked.” She reached for a strawberry, picking the stem and leaves off before she raised it, eyeing the fruit without looking at him. “What are you waiting for?” 
“I don’t know.” He answered honestly, stepping into the room and stopping opposite her before leaning forward and resting his elbows on the countertop. “Hasn’t come up.” 
“So bring it up.” She finished her strawberry, shrugging her shoulders as she chewed, her eyes locked with his. “It’s easy.” It wasn’t, though - not for him, but Joel knew how persistent Ellie could be and so he nodded, reaching forward to pick up a couple of the berries, too. 
“We’re goin’ on that supply run in August. Maybe I’ll…” He frowned. No, I will. “We’ll talk about it then. We’ll have plenty of time.” 
“Good.” She grinned, tossing a blueberry in his direction. “She’s not gonna wait forever for you to ask.” The thought terrified him, and he knew that while Ellie was telling the truth, she wasn’t doing it to scare him - it was just her nature. But she ain’t wrong. “Do you think I can go pick some of these?” She pointed at the containers, reaching up to scratch at the back of her neck with her other hand. “I could eat this whole thing right now.” 
“You can ask.” He smiled, nodding. “She’s comin’ over for dinner tonight, and she’ll know better than I will.” 
“Cool!” Ellie grinned and straightened up, too. “One of you come get me when she’s here, alright?” 
He assured her that he would and then Ellie was gone, back out the front door and leaving Joel standing in the bright light of his kitchen. The girl’s words gave him even more to think about, and with a quiet laugh, he turned and headed back for the stairs. At least the damn wood can’t talk back.
— 
The sun was sinking lower toward the horizon by the time you made it over to Joel’s that night, a small bag slung over one shoulder and another in your hands. Even though you’d showered and changed, you could still feel the sunlight from earlier, your skin pleasantly warm from the time you’d spent outside. 
And because you were in a good mood, you’d dressed for the occasion, intending to surprise Joel. I just hope he … doesn’t think it’s weird. 
Stepping onto the porch, you raised your hand to knock, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. “Joel?” You called his name as your knuckles made contact with the wood and then stepped back, waiting. 
It didn’t take him long to reach the door and pull it open, the man’s mouth opening to greet you and then freezing that way, his eyes going wide. Guess he doesn’t think it’s weird. “You… damn.” Joel sucked in a breath and then stepped back, gesturing for you to come in. “Never seen you dressed like this before. What’s the …” With a smile on your face, you passed him and headed into the kitchen, Joel trailing behind you. 
It was just a dress - a dark blue, calf length sundress with a tiny floral print on it, a belt tied loosely at the waist. You’d paired it with comfortable sneakers to make it more practical, but you understood his reaction. Because it’s not at all what he’s used to seeing me in. 
“Figured it would be alright for a couple hours, hmm?” Setting the smaller bag down on the island and the larger one on one of the kitchen chairs, you turned back to face him. “I don’t do this often, but -” He cut you off when he stepped forward, one hand rising to cradle your cheek against his palm, the other landing against your opposite hip. “Joel?”
“Wish you could do it more.” Lips quirking up briefly, he leaned in and kissed you, the man’s mouth soft on yours. “Easy access for me.” You couldn’t contain your laughter, winding your arms around him and letting Joel pull you even closer, the man’s mouth dropping from yours to your neck, his smile still evident. This feels so normal. Feels… like before.
“It’s good to hear you making jokes, Joel.” Murmuring the words, you threaded your fingers through his hair, a smile on your face, too. When you separated a few seconds later, you pulled your hands away from him and crossed them over your chest, though you didn’t look away. “I brought other clothes. Something to sleep in, and something to wear tomorrow, but if you -”
 No way.” He nodded, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “You know that whenever you’re here at night, I’m never gonna ask you to leave.” You did know that, but you liked confirming it - and part of you knew that Joel also liked the confirmation, because it told him that despite all the time you’d been together, you still weren’t expecting things from him. “Ellie wanted me to let her know when you got here.” 
“Yeah?” He nodded, jerking his chin toward the window. 
“Yeah. She wants to go out to pick next time the fruit’s ripe, and I told her to ask you because you’d know more.” Of course she does. She’s never been. “I’ll go an’ get her.”
“Joel, wait.” Reaching out, you rested your hand on his arm. “Wait just a few minutes.” He was confused and you understood. Usually, you were all for bringing Ellie in to spend time with the two of you, and that night’s hesitation was a surprise to him. “It’s stupid. I know it is, but …” Gesturing to the things you’d unpacked you rested your hands on the counter and lowered your chin. “I never get to see you like you were earlier today, and I just thought … Joel, I just thought that we could keep going like it’s…” 
It had sounded better in your head while you showered and got dressed, and again while you walked to his place. But as you spoke the words, you realized how foolish it was to pretend - to ask Joel to give you even a few more minutes for a stupid fantasy. “Like it’s what?” He stepped closer, one large hand landing atop yours. “Keep it goin’ like it’s what?” 
“Like we both called off work and spent the day together.” You scoffed, looking up and rolling your eyes. “Like we had a day date and now we’re going to have one tonight. I’ll make dinner and bake muffins, and we’ll sit together and eat, and …” You trailed off, lifting one hand to cover your face. “It’s so stupid. God, just hearing myself say it, it’s -”
“It ain’t stupid.” He said your name, squeezing your hand. “At all.” It is. But thanks for… thanks for trying. “You want a couple more minutes with me?” You nodded, despite yourself, and he nodded back, pulling away from you and putting his hand on his hip. “Alright. You tell me what you need to me to do.” I… 
You let yourself stare at him again, searching his face for a sign that he was just humoring you - and you couldn’t find one. 
All you saw were his eyes on you - the man watching you with barely-concealed desire, the skin of his cheeks and the bridge of his nose slightly sunburned, the freckles there standing out more than they usually did and making you fall even harder for him than you already had. 
Tell him. Tell him that you - “I brought pasta.” Swallowing hard, you closed your eyes and took a breath. “Figured we could use those tomatoes and some garlic and make a sauce, and we’d have spaghetti. I didn’t have any meat, but -” 
“I do.” He pointed at the refrigerator and then moved toward it. “Some bison, actually. It’s steaks, but we can use the grinder.” He trailed off as he stepped past you and opened the refrigerator, only speaking again when he’d set the package down on the island next to you. “Grind it up and add it the sauce. How’s that sound?” It sounded perfect to you - much like every night spent with Joel and doing domestic things sounded. Stop being so goddamn ridiculous. 
“Good. It’ll be nice to see that thing get some use.” He raised a middle finger at you, turning away to grab a bowl while you spun to fill a pot with water, prepping it for the noodles. As always, the two of you moved fluidly together in the kitchen, and within only a few minutes, you were crushing tomatoes and garlic and Joel was feeding the meat into the funnel, cranking the arm with his other hand. 
Pausing to watch, you felt your cheeks growing warm at the way his biceps flexed with each motion of his hand, Joel’s t-shirt pulled tight against his broad chest. You’d never get tired of looking at him, and you knew that not only was the world too far gone for trivial things like that to matter, you were much too old to stare at him like a teenager with a crush. But what’s the point if… 
“You’re staring.” He’d finished with the meat, both of the man’s hands flat on the countertop and his eyes on you. “Makin’ sure I’m doing it right?” 
“No, Joel.” Setting the knife down, you picked up the cutting board and dumped everything into a bowl, giving yourself a few seconds to recover before you faced him again. “I know you’re doing it right, I’m just …” Placing the board in the sink, you turned back toward him, surprised to see that Joel was night next to you. “What are you -”
“Washin’ my hands.” Holding them up, he smirked. “Don’t wanna get raw meat all over you.” All over me? What? “Don’t put that on the stove yet.” He stopped you as you reached for the bowl of ground meat, your hands freezing just before you grabbed it. “Wait a minute.” 
— 
The sight of you at his front door - wearing a dress had almost derailed the entire night, Joel barely able to restrain himself from taking your hand and leading you up to the bedroom right then and there. It was rare that he was speechless, but he had been that night, the sight of you making his throat dry and his fingers flex in anticipation and admiration.
Your explanation for your outfit - and for waiting longer to call Ellie in made perfect sense to him, and despite his best efforts, he let himself think about what a normal life with you would be like. 
Instead of infected and bandits and pasts shrouded in shame and mystery, Joel imagined date nights and road trips, visiting friends and reaching milestones - one of which Ellie had suggested earlier, and another that he’d been putting off for far too long. But so has she, and it’s for the same reason. 
You eased the tension as you started prepping dinner, and grinding the meat gave Joel a little more time to gather his thoughts. 
But when he caught you staring, your eyes fixed on what his hands and arms were doing, he knew that putting it off any longer was the wrong decision. And so he made a joke, giving himself a few more seconds to mentally prepare, followed by a second joke, the man rinsing his hands quickly and then turning back to stop you from rushing with the cooking. “Wait a minute.” 
You stopped, caught between Joel and the island, and much like the first night you’d been over for a movie, he didn’t try to stop himself from closing the distance to kiss you, his damp hand pressed to the center of your back, bare skin the only thing he could feel beneath it. 
He kissed you hard, wasting no time with easing you into it, the man’s tongue parting your lips and seeking more from you, the angle of your head adjusting automatically to accommodate his. Your hands gripped the material of his shirt, urging him to get closer, and when you sighed against his lips, one hand letting go and then stroking slowly over his back, he felt the knot of anxiety in his chest loosen. That’s it. 
He already considered you family - and he was certain everyone in Jackson knew it, thanks to the incident that had happened with Cooper and the bloater in the old middle school. The two of you were rarely apart when you weren’t working on on patrols, and there was no question as to whether or not Ellie wanted you around. He knew where Tommy stood on the topic of you and having a place in Joel’s life. 
As the kiss continued, both of you briefly breaking to breathe, Joel finally understood everything - admitting the truth to himself for the first time even though deep down, he’d known it for months. She’s hesitating because I am. 
When you separated, he eased himself backwards, putting a few inches of space between the two of you without letting go, and then Joel said your name again, the sound catching in his throat. “I shoulda said this sooner.” 
“Said what, Joel?” Pulling your lower lip back and between your teeth, you dropped one hand to his waist, the one that had been fisting the material of his shirt remaining in place. “What are -”
“I’m done waitin’.” He smiled at you, nodding. “And I think you are, too.” There was confusion in your eyes and he winced. No more of that. The man nodded twice, raising a hand to your face and taking your chin between one finger and his thumb, making sure that your eyes were on him before he said anything else. “I love you.”
It felt like a dam breaking - three words that he hadn’t said out loud to anyone in twenty years leaving his mouth and meant only for you to hear - and if your reaction was any indication, you weren’t fully prepared for the flood. But it feels right. He lifted his thumb, stroking it slowly over your lower lip, the man unable to look away, even as tears welled in your eyes. 
“Say it again.” Your voice wavered, tongue darting out and making contact with the tip of his finger briefly. “Joel, please say it again.”
“I love you.” That time, his voice cracked, but a small smile followed, Joel’s next words rushed. “And I know what saying that means, and I know that it ain’t a -��
“I love you, too.” There was no hesitation, your voice much stronger than his had been. “I have for a while.” He felt relief at your admission, and even though he’d been almost certain that you felt the same, part of him - the part of him that was still firmly rooted in the past and what he’d done - had doubted. Not her, but … whether or not I deserve it. 
You kissed him then, the press of your lips reassurance and relief indeed of a something demanding, and Joel didn’t want to let you go. But I have to. We’ve gotta make dinner, and Ellie’s comin’ in, and … “Hey.” He spoke quietly, his forehead pressed to yours. “We’ve gotta….”
“I know.” With a long sigh, you pushed him away, your eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Go get her. I’ll start cooking.” Stepping away, from you, Joel stopped at the sound of your voice, turning to look at you from over his shoulder. “We can talk later, if you want.” 
Of course I want that. “Yeah. We can.” 
— 
You replayed it over and over in your mind for the next few hours, but no matter how many times you heard Joel’s voice telling you that he loved you, you knew that it wouldn’t ever be enough. 
It had caught you off guard, and if you hadn’t been pressed up and against the edge of the kitchen island, you knew that you probably would have lost your balance. He loves me. He loves me and … You’d had an idea that he felt that way, but never actually thought you’d hear him say it. And I get it, but I … I still wanted it. 
Dinner went smoothly - Ellie coming in just in time to help you cut and toast a loaf of bread while the meat browned and the noodles cooked. The three of you ate in the living room, the TV playing an old comedy movie that Ellie found hysterical. 
You barely paid attention to it, instead curled up against Joel’s side, the man’s arm around your shoulders and holding you close. You wondered what he thought of the situation - of the three of you spending the night together in his house after such an immense admission only a few hours earlier. 
But his even breathing and the way his hand never faltered in the slow and steady path it was making against your upper arm told you that everything was fine. Good. Because I don’t know what I’d do if things were different now. 
Ellie sad goodnight around 10, the girl heading back to her garage and leaving you and Joel alone in the house. As soon as she was gone, the silence was almost overwhelming, even with the sounds of Joel checking the door and window locks. 
“Upstairs or down here?” He appeared back in the doorway, leaning against the frame, and the man kept his eyes on you while he waited for your answer.  
“Probably down here for now.” Raising a brow, you wrinkled your nose. “We don’t usually talk much up there.” Joel laughed and came back into the room, lowering himself onto the couch next to you and then reaching out, pulling you toward him. You helped, easing over so that you were partially sitting on his lap, and then the two of you stopped moving, the room silent around you. 
The overhead light was dimmed, casting shadows into the corners of the room, and after only a few minutes, the movement of Joel’s hand started again, the rough pads of his fingers trailing up and down your arm. “I haven’t told anyone that I love them since … since Sarah.” He sniffed, taking a long breath. “And I haven’t said it to a woman since Nadine.” 
 That shocked you, your hand pressing harder against his chest in response. Since Nadine? “Joel, I don’t… you didn’t…” 
“Even before,” he started, the hand not on your arm sliding up and down your cotton-covered thigh. “I only said it when I meant it.” Lifting your head, you met his eyes, the vulnerability in them clearly visible. “I mean it now.” 
“I know.” Leaning in, you pressed your lips to his cheek and then dropped them down, letting them linger against the bare patch closer to the edge of his jaw. “I mean it too.” 
“Good.” He forced out a laugh and you backed off, watching as he frowned. “Don’t know what I would have done if you you didn’t.” His tone was serious, but you saw a flicker of relief cross his features, the man smiling briefly.
It made you laugh, though. Your entire body shook as he pulled you close, drawing you into the protective circle of his arms like he had so many times before. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Joel. Didn’t say it because, I didn’t want to scare you off, but … that doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.” 
You didn’t think he was going to reply, but then Joel did, kissing the crown of your head and speaking once he’d turned his head to press his cheek there. 
“Yeah… I know you did. I’m sorry it took me so long to get outta my head about it.”
You couldn’t fault him for waiting. Things weren’t like they had been before, and even though you’d wanted to hear the words from him, you’d always known that when - and if - he said them, it couldn’t be because you’d prompted him to do so. 
“No need to apologize, Joel.” Backing off, you reached up, stroking his bearded cheek with your thumb. “You said it now, and that’s all that matters.” He nodded, eyeing you. “And to be honest, you said it without saying it, too, for a long time, but…” 
“So did you.” He leaned in, the man’s lips moving slowly against yours. “All the damn time.” The kiss was languid, you and Joel staying as close as possible for a long time - and then you broke away from him, standing and extending your hand. 
“Come on, Miller.” He leaned forward, reaching up and twining his fingers with yours. “Got some more things to say to you upstairs.” 
Tag list coming soon! 
180 notes · View notes
empressgeekt · 23 days
Text
Trolls - Amnesia-Rock-Prince!Branch in An Arranged Marriage Au - Role Reversal Au (part 2)
Okay, so I highly suggest reading the first part. Underneath the same title, just make sure it's labeled "Role Reversal Au (part 1)"
Char = Branch
And Creek hasn't betrayed anyone...yet...
Char has complicated emotions, about letting the Pop trolls on board. On one hand he wants to help them, but he isn't sure if it's because they were in trouble or because he's a pop troll too. He's always had issues with his genre identity, always worried about what people would think if they knew about his bio-genre. He's not sure if helping these people is a way of his instincts finally coming back...he decides he'd blame it on the fact that the Princess had a little kid with her. He's soft on kids.
On the other side of things, Poppy and the others are getting looked over by a field medic/nurse, an oddly shiny dark blue troll named Jovi, who is much more talkative then the rest of the crew on board. Poppy decides she likes him, even if she felt a little weirded out when he bowed to her, and addressed her formally. The others tease her slightly, about her reaction to it. Creek comments that it was odd. Jovi asks why shouldn't he be respectful to a Princess, as he had no right to address her casually, and also takes a chance to warn them about addressing Char or Barb in such a way. They all have minor burns from the hot ground, but Guy continues to get travel sick. Jovi leaves to call his aunt about an incoming patient, making everyone worried about Guy. And Val walks in to take Poppy to Char.
Poppy's worried about meeting the Prince again, but Val calms her worries, saying that Char only really gets violent in public settings, and that he's much more chill with private ones, besides Poppy was equal rank to him so she didn't have to worry much about getting hit with a guitar. This doesn't comfort Poppy in the slightest. They arrive to a room with a bunch of ripped up couches and a sloppy throne on the far side of it.
Char is in there talking with Demo, but he dismisses both him and Val once Poppy is there. Letting his guard down, and relaxing, then offering her a drink. It's a shift that Poppy wasn't expecting. They talk. Char said he doesn't approve of her choice of diplomat when he mentions Creek. Poppy apologizes for him, once again stating that they truly do need help. Char said that he understood, but he needs more context. Poppy tells him all about the Bergens and Char, is trying really hard not to freak out, by connecting a lot of dots between his childhood nightmares and the current sitaution these Pop trolls are in. Poppy asks for help trying to save everyone from the bergens.
Char: you mean all the people who are most likely eaten? You honestly think their still alive?
Poppy: I don't think their alive. I hope their alive and that's enough.
Char thinks she's crazy for this, but he says that it isn't his call if they storm the bergen kingdom, and that Poppy will have to plead to his sister for that, but he has connections that he can use to look for other pop trolls, and he'll keep her friends safe in the city.
Once inside the city, Char takes Poppy to Barb and Thrash. Poppy is a bit thrown off at how violent the Rock queen is, and how formal the siblings first appear to each other, but she likes Thrash, finding the old man sweet. She also likes Riff, dude just happily there.
Barb doesn't know what to do in this situation, never has a genre nearly gone extinct. (with exception of disco, but they never had a string so it didn't matter) Thankfully, Thrash is mostly conscious that day, and is able to advise, telling his children to consult with the the Black Sabbath, the Rock Troll's religious leader/historian on options. The Black Sabbath, asks Poppy about the state of her people's string, but she has no idea what he's talking about triggering a history lesson by the elder troll, eventually revealing the Rock string for the princess to see. Poppy asks what does she do, and the Black Sabbath says the first step is to secure her people's string, the second is that they find a place/way to establish a place for any survivors to flock too. Char can tell that the older troll has a way to do the second part and asks that he spills. The Black Sabbath tells them that the most obvious, way would for the Prince and Poppy to tie the knot. And even after he explains how this would unite both genres ensuring the safety of both groups, it doesn't change the awkward atmosphere he's created.
Later, Poppy rejoins the rest of the Snack Pack at the hospital, where they were sent to recover. Everyone is happy to see her, all of them now clade in boots and gloves to protect their hands and feet. Keith practically climb up her leg. Guy's teary eyed on a gurney, but it for a good reason. The doctors confirm he's pregnant, and even if Guy wishes his partner was here to know about it, its the first bit of good news they have in a while. Creek says that despite their rather unsettling appearance Rock Trolls are good enough hosts, and then he asks what happened with the Queen. Poppy simply, says "I'm getting married" much to the confusion of everyone.
However, once she explains what the plan is going forward. Everyone is rather upset. With exception of Keith. Creek especially. After all his work to befriend and charm the princess would be for nothing if she married someone else. Poppy, says that she doesn't want to do this, but it's their only option going forward, if they wanted help restoring everything they lost to the Bergens then this needs to happen, and as princess it's her job to make it right. Creek turns up the silent treatment, and it makes Poppy feel bad, but she's too busy with help her friends settle, and they are more then will to help with her wedding, the twins volunteering to make her dress and Biggie wanting to be the photographer.
Living in Volcano Rock City is certainly an adjustment. the city is nearly five-times as large as Pop Village, and its baffling to not know everyone around you as a friend. Rock trolls are also more quiet and stoick, at least not when their raving. There aren't three holidays a week, no one breaks out into song and dance. There are concerts but it isn't the same, they have instruments on stage and there music is far more expressive, with emotions such as sadness and anger being expressed rather then just joy. Creek calls them barbarians, and it makes Poppy upset. Could he not bite at the hand that's feeding him? The twins, find work at a seemtress' shop, but they are a little upset with the lack of color choices. Biggie also finds work at a photo shop. Smidge and Fuzzbert are probably the ones thriving most, construction requires a lot of strength and smarts with dealing with a large city of made of metal and rock. DJ, ends up as a stage hand due to her knowledge of music equipment, working with a nice rock troll named Demo. Guy stays at the home with Cooper and Keith, waiting for his egg to arrive and keeping the others out of trouble.
Poppy has no idea was Creek is doing, but her days are filled with study and planning. Apparently, getting married to a prince of rock is a lot more complicated then it seems. She needs to understand the inner workings of the rock tribe, as well as what they know of the other tribes, because Barb has ordered that they start reaching out to the other genres to ensure stability. Not to mention she's looking for any surviving pop trolls. Ironically, she's completely forgotten to get to know her new fiancé.
So, Poppy askes to follow him around for a day. She learns a lot, apparently, deep down he's really sweet and considerate, but he puts up a harsh front because that what's expected from him, and he's not comfortably showing himself to strangers. Poppy also feels very touched, when she meets the K-pop gang and Reggaetón trolls and learns that Char asked them to find other Pop trolls. By the end of the day Char invites her over for dinner. She accepts and finds herself in a much more casual setting then she anticipated. Char and Barb both cook dinner talking with their father in the kitchen, Poppy tries to help, but she doesn't know half of the ingredients. After the meal, they gather in a game room, and play through out the night. She laughs at the competitive sibling banter between Barb and Char. She also laughs at all the pictures of little Char doing kid things.
After Barb takes Thrash to bed, Char takes Poppy to his room to talk. Poppy asks why they didn't have any pictures of him as a baby, and teasing asking if he burned them all. Char shook his head and began explaining his adoption, and that they didn't know where he came from. Poppy takes this info in and is suddenly even more impressed with their family dynamic. It also reminds her of how close she was to her dad, and how she will most likely never see him again. She tries not to break down, but Char allows her to sob and grieve. She wakes up in his bed the next morning, with Char sleeping on his sofa nearby.
The others were worried about her when she didn't come home that night, but the girls coo over how sweet Char had been with Poppy. Creek comes in, still annoyed about Char, and says that her father would want her to be happy. Poppy thanks Creek, but something about that statement doesn't sit right with her. The others decide that it's a good idea to invite Char over for dinner to repay the favor.
Char accepts the invitation, after Poppy said it was casual event. And arrives early, Keith greeting him at the door. Poppy would find, Char and keith inthralled in a conversation, and Char even makes the trolling laugh, which is astounding to Poppy. Keith was always blank to her. Char shrugged when asked how he managed that, saying that he knew what it was like to be that weird kid and sometimes they just needed to be heard for who they are. Dinner is an odd mix of joy and slight discomfort. Char's dry sense of humor isn't really what they understood as jokes, but they eventually get into the swing of things. Especially when Biggie mentions issues with his boss, apparently the old troll was letting pre-justice towards pop getting to his head and hasn't been paying biggie equally. Char says that shouldn't be happening and says he'll take care of it, but Biggie needs to learn to stand up for himself. Creek chimes in saying that fighting a work place won't help the situation, Biggie would be better off befriending his boss. This strikes up a tense conversation where Char and Creek shoot quiet jabs as they discuss...which is bought to an abrupt halt when Guy Diamond suddenly goes into labor. Tiny is born on their dinning room floor, not even 15 minutes later, barely enough time for Biggie to rush Keith out of the room, much less call a doctor. When Barb asks Char how the even went, he'd forever relish the expression she made when he said, "It went great, talked a lot, ate good food, made a kid laugh, and delivered a baby."
Eventually the Reggaetón Trolls would stumble upon a golf-course full of near feral pop trolls. Viva welcomes them in, Clay by her side. Tresllio asks that they speak in private, and then explains the situation about the Pop genre to the Puttputt leaders, and the offer that Queen Barb has to start a new pop settlement near by the Rock kingdom. Viva starts freaking out her PTSD kicking in when she hears that and entire village, the friends and loved ones that they all thought lost years ago, had been found again and most likely eaten. However, Clay listens more closely and learns about the type of weapons and protection that the Rock trolls offered and how it was better then anything the golf-course had. it takes a lot of convincing, and one mention of Poppy for Viva to agree to meet with Queen Barb, and the condition that Clay comes with her for moral support.
Meanwhile, Floyd is kidnapped off the streets by the K-pop gang. He wakes up in a van and giftwrapped to the point of being paralyzed. He doesn't get as well of an explanation other then that they were told to find pop trolls to preserve the genre from near extinction and that doesn't make him feel more safe. While traveling they pass through the Neverglade trail and kidnap one John Dory, who also is giftwrapped and sat next to his brother like a little pile of presents. He's less annoyed with the situation then Floyd, because it means that one of his brothers is alive. Now Floyd has to deal with being kidnapped and a brother who's trying to hug him despite his arms being tied down.
The day of Char and Poppy's wedding comes all to soon. It's a grand event, the entire city in attendance and televised for those who couldn't make it. Cooper would walk Poppy down, and Keith is the ring bearer. He and Char had grown really close since the night of the "Eventful" dinner, becoming a big/little brother duo, Barb getting in on the action even joking about adopting the kid. The ceremony goes smoothly, but all three royal (+keith) are all called away from the reception, because other Pop trolls have been found and are waiting to meet them.
Viva and Clay arrive the same time and JD and Floyd do. Clay and Floyd have a happy reunion with Viva clapping on the side lines. JD's happy to see clay alive, but his younger brother is still mad at him. Barb greets them first, thanking them for coming. Viva jumps straight to the point wanting to know if her sister is here. Barb tells the guards to bring in Poppy, and that leads to a freaky reunion where Poppy learns about Viva. The wedding is brought up in convo, and Viva feels awful about missing it and making Poppy leave in the middle of it. Poppy reassures her that's its fine and then Viva asks to meet her husband. Char walks in holding Keith.
Clay, Floyd and JD freeze, all of them believing at some point that their little brother was dead, and now ere being presented with an adult around the right age and having the exact same eyes as their baby sibling. JD not reading the room, starts calling to "Branch" and greets him with rather confusing and inappropriate gestures. Barb grabs him and gets him off of Char before he either falls over or drops Keith. Clay tries to greet Char too, but quickly realizes that he doesn't recognize them. This makes JD goes straight into denial, not wanting to believe that his brother would forget them. Floyd comes up and asks Char if he knows them. He's the only one that Char vaguely recognizes, but he doesn't know from where. The stress of the situation makes him collapse, only barely handing Keith over to Poppy before going down.
While waiting for word from the doctor, confrentations happen between the families. Brozone is shocked to hear, Barb call herself and Keith, Char's "Brother and sister" and Barb gets pissed at them when she learns why Char was left alone at such a young age. Poppy and Viva watch the drama from the side-lines until Cooper shows up wanting to check on his sister and new BIL, leading to Viva learning about her own adopted brother...and what happened to her dad. When Char wakes up only Poppy, Keith and Barb are allowed in the room.
They contemplate the situation...and I'm out of plot ideas from here.
Probably their would be interactions with the other tribe leaders in a way to create stability, and try to patiention for creature rights with other giant beings. And of course reuniting the Funk family, but I don't really have a major plot for this right now. Hope yells enjoyed.
24 notes · View notes
alyswritings · 2 years
Text
Little Sister
Request: hi! i saw in your bio that your requests are open, so i just want to ask for a sarah cameron with a child!sister!reader? maybe where she takes her sister to meet the pogues? (and maybe with non-canon camerons?) it’s okay if you can’t write this, but thank you so much either way! hope you have a good day/night!
Sarah Cameron x sister!reader
Summary: Sarah introduces her youngest sister to the pogues.
Warnings: really none
a/n: thank you for the request! hope you all enjoy!
(gif not mine)
Tumblr media
Sarah was Y/N's favorite. Being her older sister by ten years, everybody thought their relationship wouldn't be that strong. But with Sarah always offering to babysitting and loving her baby sister, they quickly grew closer. She was the nicest one when Y/N was a toddler.
Rafe isn't the biggest baby person and was always out with friends, and Wheezie would get jealous of all the attention transferring to the new youngest child.
Since Sarah has been hanging out with the pogues and started dating John B, Y/N has seen Sarah less and less making her sad. Sarah noticed it and spent a few days with her and her only before offering to introduce Y/N to the pogues.
The two are in Sarah's car, Y/N sat in the backseat in her booster. Ever since Sarah got her license a few months ago, driving is Y/N's favorite thing to do with her sister. Even though she wishes she could sit in the front seat, but her family always say she isn't big enough yet.
"What if they don't like me?" Y/N voices her concern.
"What?! Are you kidding me? They're gonna love you." Sarah assures.
"Are you positive?" Y/N asks.
"Beyond positive. You're so sweet and cute, how could they not?" Sarah says, glancing at her sister in the rearview mirror. Soon enough -- and maybe a little too soon for Y/n's liking -- Sarah pulls up to the chateau.
Sarah turns the car off and climbs out, opening the back door for her little sister. Y/N gives her an uncertain look.
"It'll be okay. I promise. I'll be right there the whole time." Sarah assures.
Y/N hesitates, but unbuckles herself before climbing out of the car. Sarah shuts the door and holds her hand out to Y/N who takes it, the two beginning to walk to the house.
"Ah, the princess is here!" JJ announces.
"Hi, JJ." Sarah lightly rolls her eyes.
"And she has another princess." JJ points out as the two Camerons walk onto the porch.
"Hey, babe." John B greets, giving Sarah's lips a quick peck, which makes Y/N grimace in disgust.
"Okay, guys... this is my little sister, Y/N. Y/N/N, you know John B and you remember Kie." Sarah points out and Y/N gives them small smiles.
"Hey, Y/N." John B ruffles her hair.
"Hi." She tells him.
"Hi, Y/N." Kie kindly smiles at her, receiving a small smile in return.
"And that's JJ and Pope." Sarah introduces, pointing to each boy as she says their names.
"Hi." Pope waves.
"Sup, tiny princess." JJ does a salute.
Y/N shyly waves at them, pressing herself to Sarah's side, hiding behind her big sister.
The pogues start talking about their plans, all deciding to go out on the boat. Sarah quickly grabs her and Y/N's stuff from the car, getting the girl's life jacket and some water bottles and juice boxes, knowing the others are probably only going to pack beers.
Sarah puts their drinks in the cooler and they all pile onto the boat.
"Want me to lift you in?" John B asks Y/N. She considers before nodding. John B puts his hands under her arms and lifts her into the boat, setting her on the floor.
"C'mere, Y/N." Sarah calls, sitting on the floor as her sister walks over to her. Sarah helps Y/N take her shirt and shorts off, leaving her in her bathing suit. Sarah holds the life jacket up and Y/N puts it on.
Sarah buckles the straps and tightens them.
"Too tight?" Sarah asks and Y/N shakes her head. "It feels good? Secure?"
"Uh-huh." Y/N nods.
"Okay." Sarah smiles, ruffling her sister's hair.
"Little one good?" John B asks, turning the boat on.
"Yep." Sarah nods.
"Everybody else good?" He asks, receiving confirmations from the others so he drives off.
They anchored the boat down in the marsh, all sitting around and hanging out. Sarah is cuddled into John B's side, the two sharing a quiet conversation.
Y/N sits next to Kie, fiddling with her fingers nervously, Pope sitting on the other side of Kie, the two talking about the earth and pollution.
JJ glances at the nervous child and steps closer, holding his beer bottle out to her, and she sends him a questioning look.
"You want some beer?" He asks.
"JJ!" The four other teens exclaim.
"What?" He asks.
"She's six!" Sarah exclaims.
"Well, I don't know. What am I supposed to do with her?" JJ asks.
"Talk to her, idiot." John B says.
"I was. I was offering her beer." JJ retorts making his friends all roll their eyes.
"There's juice boxes in the cooler." Sarah informs.
"This is a juice box." JJ holds the beer bottle up.
"Legal juice boxes." Sarah states.
"Do you want a legal juice box?" JJ asks Y/N who has a small and amused smile on her face.
"Yes, please." She quietly says, a small giggle managing to escape her.
"Man, got a six year old laughing at me now." JJ grumbles, going to the cooler to retrieve a juice box for her.
Taglist: @glxwingrxse @venomsvl
552 notes · View notes
yell0wsalt · 14 days
Note
4 (Irosami)
9 (Ryuvira)
14 (Linzin)
4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be ‘protected’? (Irosami)
OMG these two!!!  They kill me with this. They’re equally protective of each other in one way or another. 
Iroh has the tendency to shoulder burdens on his own and has little self preservation. 
Asami loves him, she really does, but man does it frustrate her when he does that. She is someone who does well in keeping Iroh grounded. And when he does too much of this to himself, she’s there to shake him by the shoulders and tell him, “Please don’t keep running yourself into the ground like this! I’m here for you.”
Asami, on the other hand, is equally bold and takes a lot of chances in the situations she finds herself in.
Do they put her in danger on occasion? Yeah. But she says she has a job to do, so…
From an outside perspective, Iroh will worry for her and tends to be more explicit about his concern in acting protective. While he knows she can handle herself and that she is capable… he can’t help it.
The question of who needs to be protected? They would equally argue that the other does. It works out then that they’ve got each other’s back. They work so well for that.
9. What are their thoughts on having children? (Ryuvira)
Absolutely not.
Kuvira believes that given her rough childhood with her bio family and then feeling like an outsider with the Beifongs, she would not be a good role model of a parent. It’s a frightening and foreign concept to her. She also wouldn’t want to bring a child into her world with her own history. “Redeemed” or no, it would cause a lot of problems for the kid.
Kids make Ryu feel uncomfortable. While over the years in his line of work and trainings, he’s gotten better on how to handle kids, he is perfectly happy with the concept of returning them to their parents at the end of the day
The only child they’re okay with is their fox cat fur child Claw-ssus
14. How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash? (Linzin)
In the ways that their personalities compliment one another, they also clash, and I find that fascinating about them. 
Lin is typically the more explicitly stubborn, focused, and grounded of the two. She tends to stay dialed in on her goals and outside of that, caring for the ones she loves.
Tenzin is not so much stubborn, but rather serious when it comes to his goals and what he wants out of life. Can that be displayed as stubbornness? Yeah, depending on the occasion and circumstance.
When it comes to Lin, he’s persistent in wanting to have her in his life. Lin is stubborn in closing herself off when her head is speaking louder than her heart. 
Like, shut up and let him in, he’s trying!
This also tends to be a pattern when it comes to any conflicts they have in their relationship. It’s not always Lin digging her heels in, though. Very situational dependent since they each have their own life goals, passions, and interests.
They drive each other to do better in what they want out of life and by the end of the day, they are able to return to each other and still “get” each other. Let their guards down and accept one another. 
Speaking on the serious sides of their personalities, Lin’s may be more dominant while Tenzin is more of a free-spirit with a sense of humor that he tries to keep in check on occasion. While Tenzin feels as though he is supposed to be a more serious leader and set a good example, Lin loves to see the more lighthearted side of him as it brings levity in her life. She also appreciates the breaking down of his more serious demeanor in front of her.
OTP asks
14 notes · View notes
sadboytournament · 5 months
Text
ROUND ONE
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Propaganda
Adriane Tepes/Alucard: Bro's mom got murdered and his dad went insane and tried to wipe out humanity, and Adrian had to kill him to save everyone. AND THEN he had to deal with people trying to revive his dad to cause even more deaths! Also he's immortal so he's outlived everyone he's ever cared about 😭
Jason Todd: (tw: sexual assault mention) the second robin, gets taken in by bruce after his abusive dad walks out and his mum dies of an overdose (and he also steals the wheels of the batmobile, king). bruce trains him to be robin and for his original run he was a pretty cute kid (with the occasional Angst Arcs that are pretty common w robin - special shoutout to jason finding out his dad was actually killed by two face and he just didnt know, and an arc where a woman that reminds him of his mum gets raped by a guy that iirc has diplomatic immunity i think?? or enough power to get away with it? anyway jason fucking kills him so not that immune ig) then death in the family happened and jason found out his mum isnt his biological mum so he sets off trying to find his bio mum, and eventually he meets her, but shes working for the joker and sells jason out to him. the joker then proceeds to beat jason with a crowbar and blows the building hes in up with his mum also inside it, killing them both. dc then does a fun thing for the next 20 years where they start treating jason like the '"""troubled""" """angry""" robin who was too reckless and was always going to end up dead. eventually dc brings jason back (as dc is wont to do), by having him wake up inside his coffin years after dying, dig his way out with his bare hands, and walk half-dead in the general direction of wayne manor until he's hit by a car and taken to the hospital (where all his says is 'bruce' over and over, and when asked who bruce is he responds 'my dad' and passes out) eventually he ends up in talia al ghul's care and is dunked in a lazarus pit to revive him completely, and he finds out not only is the joker still alive, but batmans also replaced him as robin. jason returns to gotham as red hood and has an honestly pretty slay arc where he taunts bruce by doing a better job of cleaning up gotham than him ngl. eventually it all culminates with him luring batman to a building where hes keeping the joker and telling b that his no kill rule is bullshit, and he shouldve killed the joker for taking jason away from him. he gives bruce an ultimatum thats basically if you dont kill me ill kill the joker, you gotta pick' and bruce chooses to instead disarm jason and save them both, and jason escapes. what follows is a lot of ups and downs for red hood comics (mostly due to the "angry robin" narrative dc writers have spun, making a lot of jasons appearances wildly ooc fights, lots of weird (tragically in character) cringefail behaviour, and this odd period where hes a natural redhead and his helmet is this ugly dome). itd be too long to list every jason todd sadboy moment from the last 20 years here but i do want to give a special shoutout to a currect story arc where bruce (who thinks hes being controlled by a 'perfect batman' hes got in his head) gets sick of jason's """reckless behaviour""" and fucking alters jasons brain chemistry so that whenever his adrenaline rises, he'll have a panic attack so severe hes basically incapacitated and can barely speak through his fear (the instant he escapes bruce's captivity he jumps into a burning building to save a little girl im SOFT for him!!). also second special shoutout to the jason todd in the arkham games who didnt even have the luxury of dying at the jokers hand, and was instead tortured for like 3 years, branded, beaten by p much everyone in batmans rogues gallery (and some of jokers goons dressed as batman), eventually jason breaks himself out only to find out that NOT ONLY has bruce replaced him, but it took the man like. a month. like jason wouldnt be thought dead for a long time, he was missing and bruce just went 'ill let this new kid adopt himself' ig? also theres a vr game in the arkham series where you can go into arkham asylum and hear jason screaming 🙃
28 notes · View notes
secondstar-acorn · 2 days
Text
season 2 means the world to me and now that it's over it's time for me to Elaborate (while I SOB how dare you anthony)
it being a more complex and less easily fixable storyline fits because they're teens! it really resonates with my early-20s-ass!!! i love season one it's incredible but their goals being more clearly set out also makes sense! all they really want is to get their kids home. the teens have to save the world and kill willy and reconcile with their parents and and and---
also idk why but in season 1 i really only had one dad that i Latched Onto and that was henry. i love darryl and glenn and ron obviously but henry just hit different for some reason and we're not gonna examine that because then i'll have to schedule a therapy appointment. but this season i have latched on to every single one of the teens. they're all extremely, WILDLY important to me and i'm gonna talk about it (scotty mute your dash)
let's talk about taylor first because i ADORE him. i am so freaking proud of him, y'all. he started off the season asking cassandra who his dad was and he ended the season by realizing that all he needs is his mom! that's a fantastic moment of character development. he cares so much about his friends! he knows who he is and he puts on a confident attitude, but he's still just a scared kid a lot of the time. he's so supportive 24/7 (HELL YEAH MY MAN) and if norm is the glue, taylor is the emotional support glitter on the craft project that is team stunt teens. he brings up the mood! he adds pizzazz! he's not. afraid to shine but he's also kinda fragile! that's my fucking guy!!!
ok moving on to my absolute beloved scary marlowe. i was one of those people who started off not really liking scary and not understanding her Deal but i finally GOT her in halt and catch fireball and from then on i've been obsessed with her. she falls into my favourite category of fictional character which is morally grey woman with insane amounts of power who just desperately wants to be accepted by people (i.e. jean grey, morgana pendragon, etc.) she stares willy in the eye as he dies!!! she tells her bio dad to fuck off and she accepts terry as her dad and remembers her mom is her best friend and GODDD SCARY MARLOWE. she's one of the most performative of the teens but she's also one of the most genuine. she is quick to defend each of her friends and once she's back in, she's BACK IN. she backs up every single one of them whenever they need her support, and her friendship with normal especially is extremely special to me. they're siblings your honour. the thesis of scary marlowe's character (imo) is "what if my friends love me more than i hate me" and that is a POWERFUL ASS choice that beth made. that's every teenager i know!!! that's me in high school!!! she's fucked up and she's imperfect but she is trying and she's learning to forgive herself for caring and i could write more but i'm not gonna because this is already getting so long and we're only halfway through.
okay this one is. god. normal oak. you put an oak in front of me and i start crying immediately. normal is no exception. hermie may be the theatre kid but normal has the theatre kid energy of trying so SO hard for attention and love but never getting the appreciation he wants. every single relationship he has is FUCKED. he lives off of validation and he's never learned to love himself as is. (please fucking god get this kid to samantha stampler he needs to hear that he's enough just as he is). he hasn't been loved by his parents the way he should, he's fighting to meet impossible expectations, he's been inadvertently pitted against his sister since birth, and he starts the season filled with the naive sort of joy that comes from doing No self reflection whatsoever and ends it deeply self-reflective and clearly still dealing with his trauma. but now he has friends who accept and love him no matter what. friends who will pull him onto the dance floor! he's the cheerleader! he's constantly giving out the validation he's wanted his whole life. he is so generous and so kind and so fucking sad and he breaks my heart. i need a campaign exclusively about normal going to college and learning how to live without his parents constantly in his business and learning who he really is and wants to be. he is. god. normal oak swallows garcia has been living with two conflicting philosophies his entire life, from sparrow "love wolf" oak garcia to lark "bring this glock to school" oak garcia. it's no wonder his mom is a centrist because who ELSE could love both of those men. (rebecca and morgan should meet up. side note.) and he chooses love every time!!! WE HAVE TO HELP IT. i love normal. i hope he's gone to therapy in the past twenty years and i hope he sees that he's had the people who care about him and love him all along in the form of his friends. i was normal normal was me and i am so proud of him. because even though everything has sucked shit he keeps pushing through. he's resilient and i love him for that.
and now. the teen who came out of nowhere and stole all the space in my brain. the true surprise of the season for me. LINCOLN LI FUCKING WILSON. god what to say about lincoln. so so much. i am so overcome by emotion whenever i think of lincoln that it is nearly impossible to put it into words. i understand this kid on a spiritual level. he has one goal and one passion his entire life. he loves his dads so much and he defines himself by what he loves and what he's interested in. he's never been confronted with the real world before. and then he is. and suddenly his world is no longer soccer and dads and his small house and fifa. now he is realizing that oh, the world is a little fucked up actually, and oh, the man i idolized for 14-15(???) years is kind of the one who fucked it up. he means the best for me but by sheltering me too much i am woefully unprepared for the world i'm living in and now all of my false hopes and aspirations are crashing down around me and the only way i can deal with that is to not care anymore. he has to shut it all out or he'll actually have to Think about how awful it is. his dad has killed people. he was found on the titanic?? scary, the person he immediately latched onto once he started doubting his dad, betrays him, and then he's floating again. and scary comes back!! and they eventually get married!!! and future lincoln has learned to forgive and understand that maybe, if he can forgive scary and love her and know her for who she really is and accept her even though she killed that guy that one time, maybe he can learn how to do the same for his dad. i'll say it. lincoln is the luke skywalker of this season. he is throwing away that lightsaber. he is saving grant from his self-hatred by choosing to love him at the end of the season. he tries to change himself as a way to get space. he hates hermie but he tries to be there for normal. he's best friends (...)with taylor and he finds his first REAL friend that isn't one of his dads through taylor!!! taylor inspires him to finally rebel and steal that laffy taffy!! high school lets him start to figure out who he is. he's able to forgive his dads. his sense of morality is maybe a little fucked up but he's probably working on it now!! he's absolutely the bitchiest out of all the teens and i love him for that!! he does his dads' taxes??????? he's been forced to handle WAY too much responsibility on literally all fronts and he shuts down to try and cope. he is canonically autistic to ME. the way he thinks about everything is Insane. he's besties with a bunch of dolphins. soccer is his safe place. when he loves something he holds on TIGHT. this is an incredibly long-winded way of saying i love lincoln and i will spend the rest of my life losing my mind over this character.
my point here is i love season 2. it's weird! it's freaky! it's eldritch! it's brightly coloured and also dark as shit!! i love season 2!!!!!!!
and don't get me started on dood because then we'll be here for hours.
19 notes · View notes
Text
all’s faire - chapter three
Tumblr media
Pairing: Modern!Pero Tovar x F!Reader
Series rating: M
Chapter rating: M
Word count: 4,638
Notes: The chapter I’ve been waiting for that truly sets everything in motion. The fake dating and forced proximity is here and with it confusing feelings! A lot of questions are answered in this chapter and things begin to make more sense, at least in certain regard. Thanks as always to beloved @ezrasbirdie​ for beta-reading and giving me such wonderful feedback and hyping this story up! (Same goes to @lowlights​ for hyping this fic up) 
This fic is cross-posted to AO3 under the same name and my taglist can be found linked in my bio as well as my masterlist which is linked below. 
Comments/reblogs appreciated
Chapter warnings: Death mention/discussion (mention of brain aneurysm), grief/mourning, enemies to lovers, fake dating, swearing, forced proximity, kissing
previous chapter || next chapter || masterlist (main) || masterlist (pero tovar)
Monday arrives, and with it, a new sense of determination. Tess’s recovery is coming along nicely and now she’s down to once a week at physical therapy, today.
After dropping Cassie off at school for her history exam, followed by dropping Tess off at the physical therapist’s office, you find yourself with a bit of wanderlust. It’s not that you don’t know Lockwood Falls, having grown up here, but you feel the need to get reacquainted with the small town. See what’s changed in the time since you’ve been gone. 
Much is the same, if updated. But one new thing catches your eye. Inklings Bookstore & Cafe. Having a soft spot for all things books, especially indie bookstores, you pull into a parking spot, hoping that no one sees your attempts at parallel parking. After you feed the parking meter with your loose change, you make your way into the bookshop, noticing a help wanted sign in the window. Maybe you could ask. Now that Tess is becoming more and more independent, you’ll need something to do. 
The door jingles as you walk in. A woman that you vaguely recognize from far away peers up at you. “Hello,” she says, and you recognize her as Lin-Mae Garin, aka Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. “Let me know if you need help finding anything.” 
“Thanks,” you reply. There’s a new section right up front, right next to summer reading suggestions. A book club section; Inklings must have one, you think. New and gently used books line the shelves. The smell of books and freshly brewed coffee and baked goods fills your nose as you make your way into the nonfiction section, a fantasy book already clutched in your hand. Your eyes land on a book on medieval life. Picking it up, you open it to a random page. “Oh, hello!” says Lin-Mae, recognizing you now, saying your name followed by your Faire name. “I’m sorry I did not recognize you at first.” 
You smile politely at her. “It’s okay… Your Majesty.” You practice a curtsy on her and she laughs. 
“Just Lin-Mae here. How are you finding Faire so far?” she asks. 
Pondering for a moment, you say, “It’s interesting. It wasn’t a thing in Lockwood Falls when we were kids.” 
Lin-Mae nods, a wistful look crossing her delicate features for a moment. “No. It was William’s idea.” Absently, she rubs her wedding and engagement rings, the diamond of the engagement ring glinting in the sun. “He was really passionate about this sort of thing.” That’s right. Lin-Mae is William’s… wife? Ex? You’re still not sure. Quickly, though, her expression changes. “How are you getting along with our Captain? I see that you’ve crossed paths a few times.” 
You wrinkle your nose. “Is he always so…” you trail off, trying to be diplomatic; you know there’s history between them. “...passionate?” you decide on. 
Lin-Mae laughs. “That’s one way to describe him. He’s like that, you just have to get used to him. That’s what William always said to me.” 
If she says so, you think. Instead you say, “My niece, Cassie, is having the time of her life. She really loves it. And she’s kind of a teacher’s pet.” 
With a nod, Lin-Mae says, “Yes. Pero speaks very highly of her.” This is news to you. He’d done nothing but complain about her in the interview… or had he? You can’t quite remember. Had the bad first impression skewed what he’d had to say to you? You don’t remember. “She’s a really sweet girl, too. I’m lucky to have her as a lady-in-waiting.” 
“I’ll be sure to tell her that when she gets home from her friend’s house. She’s writing her history exam now. Or actually—” You check your phone for the time. “—nope, she’s probably finished by now.” 
- - - -
Lin-Mae Garin, you find, is a very kind, soft-spoken woman, not too much older than you. She’s gentle but has a commanding presence. It’s easy to chat with her as you browse the shelves as she re-stocks them. You can see why she has a sign in the window, though. It’s too overwhelming for just one person. “Lin-Mae,” you start. She looks up from her box of Jane Austen books. “I noticed the job posting in the window. And I was wondering… that is if you haven’t already filled it or are looking for a student. But I think I’m going to be in Lockwood Falls for the foreseeable future and once Tess is independent enough that she doesn’t need me at her beck and call…” 
Lin-Mae’s face brightens immediately. “You mean it?” she asks. “Because I’ve had that sign in the window for months. Do you have retail experience? Or cafe experience?” 
You worked in a big box bookstore in college before you were old enough to be a bartender, and while you don’t have cafe experience, you do have experience in working with food and drinks. “Not so much in cafes, but I’m a quick study.” 
“That’s fine. It’s easy once you get the hang of the coffee makers. The summer hours are starting next week.” She hands you a bookmark with the summer hours. Closed weekends and Mondays. “So I have a day of catchup after Faire. But I’m contemplating keeping it year-round.”  
The bell jangles again. “Keeping what year-round?” asks a familiar voice from behind you.
“Oh, Pero, you’re here earlier than expected,” says Lin-Mae with a jump. 
“The examination is done.” He points to a thick manila envelope filled with exam papers in his carrier bag. “I just came to see if the summer reading books have arrived, but I can come back later.” 
“Nonsense. Just let me check and I’ll be right back.” Leaving you alone with him.
You clear your throat. 
“How are you?” Pero surprises you by asking.
Is he trying to be civil now? “I’m fine. You?” 
“Also fine. But dreading marking these,” he says. His tie is loosened, the humidity making his already wavy hair curlier and messier. 
You give an understanding nod. “I was a teacher’s assistant in my final year of college. I don’t miss marking those papers and exams. Dare I ask how my niece did on her exam? Or is that some sort of nepotism no-no?” 
Pero gives a wry half-smile, the closest you think you’re ever going to get to a real smile from him. “I can’t say how Cassandra did, but I can say that she should be proud of herself when the report cards get mailed out in two weeks. What did you help with? In university.” Is this what it’s like to have a nice, friendly conversation with Pero Tovar? You could get used to this.
“Intro to medieval studies. It was fun, but  a lot; I don’t think I could teach full time.” Why did you say that? It’s just more ammunition he can use against you the next time he’s pissed off at you. 
But he surprises you again. “It can be difficult, yes.” Looking down at the books you’ve chosen, he frowns. “I thought you were an expert in medieval history,” he says, annoyance edging into his tone.
You blink, flummoxed. “I-I am. What, I can’t be interested?” you ask, trying to keep the snap out of your voice. 
“You should know the things this book outlines already.” 
“Yeah, because God forbid I forget a small detail or want to refresh my memory.” 
Pero blanches at the tone of your voice, remembers himself. “Sorry. That is unfair of me. I’m surrounded by this all the time. Not everyone is. It’s good to maintain an interest in things like this.” This man is an enigma if nothing else.
“Apology accepted.” It’s a begrudging acceptance, but an acceptance all the same. You need to get along with him, if not for both your sakes, then at least for Cassie’s.
And you were doing so well up until now having a normal conversation with him, even getting along with him. Before Pero can say anything else, Lin-Mae, with her impeccable timing, returns and unknowingly diffuses some of the quickly growing tension. She has some paperwork in tow, which she hands to you. “Whenever you get a chance to fill this out,” she says. 
You thank her, give her enough money for your two books, and without so much as a second glance at Pero, you bid your new friend goodbye, telling her you’ll be back later with it, and go to pick up your sister. 
And you’d really hoped, up until a few minutes ago, you could have told her you were beginning to bury the hatchet with Pero Tovar.
- - - - 
Before you know it, it’s the final weekend of rehearsals before Faire starts next weekend. 
This will be the first time you see the fairgrounds. According to Sarah, they’re a sight to behold in person. As you arrive on the fairgrounds on Saturday morning you understand what she meant. “Wow,” you breathe.
“Right?” Cassie gushes. “I can’t believe we get to be here for six weeks.” You won’t see as much of it in comparison to Cassie, who’s more or less floating around the entire grounds with Lin-Mae and the other ladies-in-waiting.
After your prompt exit from the bookshop on Monday, you’d filled out the paperwork and returned it to her the following morning. Completely Pero Tovar free. “We’ll chat more about what you’d be doing on Monday; let’s get through dress rehearsal first before you have to worry about anything,” Lin-Mae had said. 
You already have ideas for the store, that is, if she’s interested in hearing them. From the little you’ve spoken to her about it, it sounds like she is interested in hearing what you have to suggest. You’re not sure how she came to own Inklings, but she seems to be a bit in over her head. 
Finding the dirt parking lot for the volunteers, you pull in beside an older car. Grabbing your Faire stuff from the backseat, you don’t bother asking Cassie to slow down, knowing you’ll catch up to her eventually. 
“Good morrow,” greets Sarah. 
You return the greeting. “This place is amazing. I had no idea it was going to be this big. I was expecting an acre, tops.” 
Sarah grins. “I know, right? Do you know where backstage is?” she asks. 
You shake your head. “Cassie knows exactly where it is, though, based on the way she bounded out of the parking lot.”
“I remember when I was that age. Young and full of life.” You laugh. Sarah’s only five years older than you. 
“Come on then, grandma, and show me the way.” 
Walking through the thicket on a well-trodden path, there’s a clearing with paths leading off into different directions. Half-built stages are dotted here and there, spray-painted lines on the ground mark where vendors' stalls will go. No detail has been spared. For a school production, this faire is pretty damn impressive. 
Sarah points vaguely in one direction. “That’s our lovely tavern over there.” 
You squint in the early morning sunlight, not seeing anything where she’s pointing. “Uh-huh. Where is it? Do we have to build it ourselves?” you ask. 
Sarah laughs. “God, no,” she says. “No, the roadies are going to put it together later today. Today’s more about getting a lay of the land. We tavern wenches aren’t really doing anything today except maybe help touch-up any paint. And practice getting into our costumes.” 
Everyone seems so nice in Lockwood Falls. It wasn’t that you weren’t expecting to make friends, especially given that you don’t know your plans long-term, but you’re still surprised that you’ve made so many friends. 
Your eyes find Pero. In almost full pirate captain regalia. His slovenly look makes more sense now. And oh, Christ, he’s wearing leather pants. He meets your gaze and holds it. You quickly avert your own gaze, not wanting to be caught… checking him out? Staring at something you shouldn’t?
Instead of Pero making the announcement, Will Ballard, dressed in kingly attire, steps forward. “Today we’re just re-familiarizing ourselves with the grounds and running through a few things.” 
Finding Cassie with the other ladies-in-waiting, you turn to Sarah again. “What should I do? Since there’s no tavern yet.” Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Pero slinking away on one of the less-trodden paths. 
Sarah shrugs. “Maybe explore a little bit? Since this is your first year and all that. You should probably know where everything is in case people ask you questions.” 
Good idea. “Okay, that sounds good.” 
First, though, you get into your tavern wench outfit, making sure that Sarah doesn’t tug on the laces too tightly this time around. You help her with her own outfit and carefully fold your street clothes, tucking them into the bottom of your laundry basket. Maybe next week you’d start just wearing the dress to Faire without lacing it up. Save on time. 
Properly laced up, you begin to meander the grounds. And promptly get turned around. “Damn it,” you mutter as you try to get your bearings. The area you find yourself in isn’t one that you think will be used much for Faire. 
“What are you doing here?” a voice you know all too well comes from behind you and you startle.
“Jesus!” You clutch your chest as you whip around coming face to face with Pero Tovar, looking none too pleased to see you. As usual. “You scared me.” 
“Apologies. What are you doing here?” he repeats. 
“I was taking a tour of the faire grounds,” you explain. “And I got lost.” 
Pero scoffs, not unpleasantly. “Clearly.” Is he… teasing you? “This area is not being used. It has never been used.”
It’s your turn to say, “Clearly. I get lost easily.” 
“Just like you mistake the time easily.” 
Okay, he’s either roasting you or teasing you and you can’t tell. You don’t reply and Pero’s gaze returns to the tree that he was sitting at. It’s obvious that this tree is no ordinary tree. You follow his gaze. 
The tree, no more than a few feet away has a plaque square in the middle of the trunk. A name. Some dates beneath the name. Silently, you step closer to it, Pero not saying anything for once. He figures you’re going to find out soon enough if you don’t already know. 
William Garin, the plaque reads and all the breath is knocked out of you. Why had you assumed that William had simply left town? You read the dates. He was young. Late thirties.
This time of year is hard for me, Pero had said last weekend. But who was William to Pero?  
You must make a sound because Pero speaks, his voice rough but not harsh. “He was the closest thing I had to a brother.” 
“I’m so sorry, Pero,” you murmur. You can’t think of anything else to say. You turn to face him, his face hard. Suddenly everything makes sense. Why he’s been so uptight about everything, his empathy for Lin-Mae, William’s young widow. Wanting to make sure everything is perfect for William; this whole thing had been William’s brainchild and Pero is the one who’s been carrying it out. 
Pero grumbles something and stalks off. 
You touch the plaque. “I’m sorry,” you murmur again. Sorry that you assumed the worst of him. When he was probably a kind man who wanted to do something for his community. Who loved Pero like a brother and was probably madly in love with his wife. Sorry that you never got to know him. 
Monday arrives. Once you’ve dropped Tess at her appointment, you make your way to Inklings. Lin-Mae greets you at the door. 
“I’m so glad I finally have help,” she says as she shows you the online ordering system. “My late husband’s parents gave him this store and we were running it together when he… When the brain aneurysm…” Her facial features morph and a wave of empathy for her washes over you. 
“I’m sorry,” you say, putting your hand on her shoulder.
She smiles sadly, appreciatively, at you and the sad look mostly vanishes after a moment. “Anyway, it was always meant to be a two or more person job. As I have quickly discovered over the past five years.” 
“Well, I’m here now. And I’m happy to help out in any way I can,” you promise. 
Lin-Mae takes a sip of her coffee. “I’m happy to hear it,” she says. “I want to hear some of your ideas.” 
You have plenty of ideas. Social media accounts, promoting events and new releases.  A rewards system. A book club. Free coffee with a twenty-five dollar or more purchase. Lin-Mae writes all of them down, excitement glinting bright in her eyes. “Also, we should have some more baked goods than just a couple of saran wrapped things in the display.” No disrespect to the display of treats but it is quite sad looking. 
“I agree,” she says. “I’ve always meant to do more with it. We should make it more welcoming-looking too. Some chairs and tables or something, move some bookshelves around to make more space.” 
You nod eagerly. “I was thinking that. And maybe make the shelves less cluttered? I love a good, packed bookstore, but it would be a lot easier to navigate if there was less clutter. Make things more open, too.” 
The look of agreement is all the confirmation you need to know that Lin-Mae’s been thinking the same thing for a long time. “I’m glad you’re here. Saying the things I’ve been thinking about since before … well, for a long time.” 
You nod, the puzzle pieces continuing to come together. Poor William. Poor Lin-Mae. Poor Pero. When you first met Pero, you never expected to feel empathy for the guy. A lot of things that had been cryptic to you before were now crystal clear. You don’t have to be his friend, but you can treat him with kindness. That is, if he tries to treat you the same.
“Oh, I wanted to ask,” Lin-Mae interrupts your train of thought. “How are you at making coffee?”
It’s your hesitation that tells her everything.  “Ummm… I can make a decent K-cup.” 
Lin-Mae laughs. “Come on, I’ll show you the basics.” 
You feel a sense of purpose. Even as you’re lifting heavy furniture and making lattes over and over again until they have some semblance of being drinkable. It’s not dissimilar to how you feel at Faire. That is, when Pero’s not being rude. 
Against all odds, you think you might be beginning to put down roots. 
When you arrive at the physical therapist’s office, you have to do a double take. “Your boot! Where is it?” you ask your sister. 
“They said I don’t need it anymore!” she says triumphantly, twirling her foot in the air. 
You give her a sideways hug as she says that the doctor needs her to not over-exert herself but that by August, she should be mostly healed. “I’m so glad.” 
“You’re preaching to the choir, sis. Now let’s go home. I’m starved.” 
Home. You don’t know when you started to think of Lockwood Falls as home again, but you suppose Tess is right. It is home. 
- - - - 
After a few more days of training at Inklings, you think you’ve gotten the hang of things. Lin-Mae is in the backroom when Pero arrives on Thursday to enquire about the books for his reading list. You can tell that he’s expecting you to flub something, if his questioning and skeptical look are anything to go by. 
To your immense satisfaction, you pull up all the necessary information and tell Pero exactly where it’s being shelved in the store. You even offer to show him the display. He declines. But he still surprises you when he says “thank you” before leaving, even wishing you a pleasant afternoon. 
“Y-you too,” you call after him. 
On Saturday, you and Cassie arrive both looking like you’re wearing tents in your unlaced faire costumes. Sarah and Lin-Mae find the two of you quickly and usher you to your designated spots. Faire’s due to start at 9am. It’ll be a slow morning for you, Sarah mentions to you as you’re putting your keys and phone into the over-the-shoulder pouch that she gave you; most people don’t start drinking until about noon after the third jousting tournament. 
And sure enough, it’s a slow morning. You serve a few people water here and there as they’re passing through. Aside from that, it’s slow going. 
“I am just going to use the facilities, dear,” Sarah-slash-Matilda tells you. You nod and let her go. You’d guess from the position of the sun that it’s not quite noon but close to it. You’ve still got some time before the rush starts. 
You wipe down the bar again when someone bursts into the tavern. It’s Cassie. 
“My lady!” You curtsy since Cassie’s character is higher in rank than you. “What can I aid you with?” You pour her a goblet of water, noticing she’s about ready to keel over from heat and the exertion of running from God knows where. 
“I need you,” she pants out in between sips of water. 
“Me?” you ask. “But where? Whatever for?” 
Cassie takes another sip of water, wipes her forehead with the sleeve of her pretty periwinkle dress. “To the blacksmith forge.” 
You frown. “B-but my place is here.” 
Your niece takes you by the arm, dropping the act and accent. “Just come on. It’s the handfasting ceremony and there aren’t enough sign-ups since it’s the first weekend.” 
Frantically you look at the volunteers who nod. “We got it covered. And Sarah will be right back,” says Candace. 
“If you say so.” And you allow yourself to be led across the faire grounds by your niece. “So what’s going on?” you ask, completely dropping the faire accent as well. 
“It’s handfasting. And Lin-Mae needs one more couple so it doesn’t look too sad. That’s all I know; I was just told to find a wench and quick.”
You sigh and nod, hurrying up the pace. “And to whom am I being married off ?” you ask, resuming your accent as you make it closer to the smithy. Sure enough, there stands two couples, one your age, one middle aged as well as the blacksmith and one of the queen’s maids. Lin-Mae, dressed in her queenly attire stands in front. You frown. “To whom am I getting handfasted?” you ask again just as Lin-Mae steps out of the way. Cassie cringes in anticipation of your reaction to who your fake-intended is.
“Are you…” fucking kidding me? is what you want to finish your sentence with, but you know that it’s inappropriate on several counts. “...playing jape?” you settle on. 
“Ah there is mi florecita!” There is no Pero Tovar. Standing before you is completely Captain Bastian. Pirate and mercenary for hire. Though you’re of similar social standing, you still curtsy in deference to him. 
“You sent for me, captain? What is thy will?” you ask. 
Pero smirks. “I love it when my woman calls me captain,” he says to John the blacksmith. You refuse to acknowledge the rush hearing Pero calling you his woman gives you. Taking your hand in his for a second, Pero presses a kiss to the back of it before slowly letting go of your hand. He touches under your chin, forcing you to look at him. You look up at him and the sight of Pero takes your breath away. In the sunlight, his brown hair has a reddish-golden hue to it. And have his eyes always had a fleck of gold to them? His hair is artfully disheveled. Eyeliner is smudged around his eyes, making them pop. He looks every inch a pirate captain and mercenary. And loath though you are to admit it, the look is doing something for you. 
Lin-Mae speaks and everyone stands to attention. A lady-in-waiting joins your hand with Pero’s, a piece of twine at the ready. His hand is dry and warm in yours. Inexplicably a sense of peace washes over you with Pero’s hand in yours. A sense of protectiveness. Like this man was going to take care of you. 
And where in the fuck had that come from? 
“Groom and bride, look into each other’s eyes,” Lin-Mae instructs. You’ve never heard her as Queen Eleanor; you’re so used to the soft-spoken Lin-Mae, but as Eleanor of Aquitaine? She could command a damn army with her air of authority. You do as you’re told. “Will you honour and respect each other? And will you seek to never break that honour?” 
Pero looks at you as if he’s known you for years. It makes your stomach flip. “Aye,” you both say as the twine is looped around your hands. 
Lin-Mae continues, asking if you will share your pain and ease it. You all say “aye” again and another loop of the twine is made. 
Next, the sharing of burdens. You both agree again. Another loop of the twine and your hands are inextricably tied together. Lin-Mae says some nice words that you don’t really pay attention to. The only thing you’re aware of is your hand in Pero’s, his eyes gazing into yours. Looking at you like you personally hung the moon and the sun and the stars. You wish that he would really look at you like that. Or at least not like you burned down his house. 
“You are bound for a year and a day. At the end of this time, should you wish to remain so, return to me and state your intention. Otherwise you are free to go your separate ways.” In character, you nod. 
There’s a round of applause as one of the couples that signed up kiss. They look truly in love. The other couple does the same. And then the blacksmith and his girl. Pero gives you a look and you realize, belatedly, that he’s about to kiss you. In character. 
You make the best sweet eyes you can at him and brace yourself. 
At first it’s just a brushing of his lips against yours. But then it settles into a proper kiss. It’s staged, of course. But that doesn’t mean you don’t notice the way his lips are soft against yours, the way he smiles against your lips. The tingle of his beard and the smell of leather and spice invading your senses. 
You know full well that it’s a staged kiss and it means absolutely nothing. Your heart is pounding from the run across the grounds, that’s all. Your blood is roaring from the heat of the late morning July sun and for no other reason. 
As you pull apart, he looks as disconcerted as you feel and probably look as well. But then his easy grin that you’d secretly yearned for for weeks slides onto his lips and it absolutely devastates you. The lady-in-waiting untangles the twine that had your hands tied together and hands it to you. You tell yourself that you absolutely do not miss his rough, callused hand twined with yours. Pero takes the twine from you and wraps it around your wrist, still in character as he takes your hand in his again and kisses the back of it one last time, slowly, sensually. “Mi florecita,” he says. 
“My captain,” you reply, not breaking eye contact. 
You miss the heat and strength of his hands and are flummoxed and confused the entire walk back to the tavern as to why you would have such a response to the man who’s done nothing but belittle you, especially when you feel his eyes on your retreating form for the longest time.
--- taglist in reblog
380 notes · View notes