#when you’re having a breakdown but still have to clock in for work

[katuschka]

Olalla – Chapter Three

Josh Kiszka x female OC

8025 words

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, intended for adult readers. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental. Also, if you're under 18, go find some other entertainment elsewhere. Even though this chapter is still smut-free, the rest of the story won't be.

Warnings: angst, yearning, kissing, fluff, conflict and violent behaviour, alcohol consumption, slowburn, mental breakdown, LGBT themes, homophobia (World's not perfect and some people suck...not the main characters though, don't worry).

Taglist

Previous Chapter Olalla masterlist

What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this way What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you

No, I don't wanna fall in love With you

Every once in a while, you experience something nice that somehow leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. Just like when you’re watching a beautiful sunset, thinking about how trifling and unimportant our daily feuds and worries are in comparison to the macrocosm and its wonders. The moment feels so precious. …but the world keeps spinning and as soon as you turn around, you once again find yourself submerged in the stale waters of your petty life.

Not that she felt that her life was in any way stale. It was just that as soon as she closed the door behind him, the whole encounter seemed like a fever dream in retrospect. One she wished would continue, because during those few hours, everything felt so new, so out of ordinary, including the fact that it did not continue. 

So, she tried to rationalize it and eventually concluded that she didn’t want more. This felt right…albeit weird, because it was simply different. He was different, and therefore dangerous. 

Much more casual encounters often ended in fucking. It was her reality. The guys she willingly chose to spend time with were either not interested at all in the end, or didn’t want to let go. At least not until they got a taste of all of her. Either way, it ended up in relief. Rinse and repeat. Joshua’s touch remained imprinted on her skin like some sort of sensory tattoo, and it left her mind racing. The effect he had on her was pretty much unwelcome, the feelings that came with it were not particularly pleasant, but she involuntarily clung to them anyway. 

His goodnight was definitive, and even though it didn’t feel like a rejection, it stayed outside her threshhold, just as he did. The night that followed was not good at all. The subconscious mind is a bitch. She spent it tossing and turning and waking up in between shallow dreams filled with images of his face just within reach, yet she couldn't bring herself to touch it. Before the actual dawn, she dreamed about them sitting on top of a mountain, watching the Sun rise. He was singing again. 

Reality hit back when Agnieszka’s alarm clock rang at 4:30. Having fallen asleep long past midnight, and then again around two and three – because she couldn’t get the feeling of his lips on her cheek out of her head – she woke up with stinging eyes and a burning headache, with a long day ahead of her. She slowly dragged herself from the cozy bed to start preparing breakfast and snack-to-go packages for early hikers. 

She usually enjoyed this. Morning chats over coffee were generally warmer and gave her the opportunity to talk to the guests about more than just how their day went and to connect with others on a more personal level, while sitting at the same table with them. They were a nuisance today. It wasn’t their fault. Just a group of young women in their early 20s and a nice couple getting ready for their last hike before going back home the next day. Definitely not an unpleasant company. Without admitting it to herself, or even consciously thinking about it, she just wished he’d be one of them. 

He was probably still fast asleep when she left to do some early shopping before her daily chores. He was already gone when she came back. Visitors kept their keys, but they were asked to leave special hangers on their door handles when leaving, which proved useful in case they wanted to have their bathrooms cleaned or sheets changed. So, of course she checked his door. And then scolded herself for her unhealthy curiosity. 

She almost forgot about him by midday, too immersed in cleaning vacated rooms and getting them ready for new arrivals. Fridays and Saturdays were the most hectic of the whole week, with people generally coming or leaving at weekends. Finally, after three pm, she could get some rest and enjoy her afternoon coffee (with just a drop of Bayleys) behind the reception desk, reading the book she abandoned the previous evening, with just a few interruptions that day. 

At half past four, the bell above the main door chimed again and there he was, entering quietly, but turning to a full theatrical mode the moment he saw her. This guy must be fun at parties, no doubt about that. He spread out his arms and trotted like a musical actor right towards her in his brand new attire. “How do I look?” he asked while wiggling his eyebrows. 

At first she thought her heart would jump out of her chest when she saw him for the first time since the previous night, but his easygoing, comical behaviour immediately made her relax. “Like a walking Columbia advertisement,” she laughed. 

“Yeah, well, I normally prefer flannels, but the guy at the store said this is more appropriate. I hate polyester…unless it’s sparkly…but I’m willing to try this,” he shrugged – tugging at the fabric demonstratively – and leaned familiarly on the counter. “How was your day?”

“Busy and boring at the same time. I should be the one asking that question. Have you seen or done anything interesting today? I mean, apart from becoming one of us,” she finished the sentence with a quasi-sultry whisper and dared to lean in closer to him. The truth was that the dark tight-fitting crewneck accentuated his lean and firm figure in a way that made her feel a bit uneasy. That man wasn’t just “quite attractive”, he was sexy! Humour and banter was her usual way of dealing with unwelcome butterflies in her stomach. And it worked, because they both giggled before he answered. 

“Nothing much, just wandering around. I didn’t dare venture far before breaking in these,” he demonstratively lifted one leg to show her his right trekking boot. “Besides, I don’t know it here. I tried to follow some folks, but the path turned to a steep and stony one pretty soon and my feet hurt like hell after just a couple miles and…” 

“Wait a minute,” she started rummaging under the counter. “I forgot to give you these. Here are some maps and leaflets with touristic tracks. Stick to those if you don't want to be chased by a bear. Also, it’s a national park, so you just have to anyway. Also, tomorrow’s going to rain all day, so you might want to visit the Tatra Museum.”

“Oh, bummer. The whole day?” The meaning of everything he said was amplified tenfold by his wild gesticulations and body language. It was like watching a silent actor, except he wasn’t silent at all. “Thank you so much for these? Any recs for a good place to eat? I tried the one right at the end of the street yesterday. It was good, but I’d like to try something more local.”

She reached behind her for some more leaflets and handed him a couple. “There are a few nearby. We serve dinner to our guests as well, but you need to preorder it at least a day in advance…but that’s usually just a plain, home-cooked meal, nothing fancy.”

“But that sounds fantastic! I’m pre-ordering dinner for tomorrow then,” he beamed, and added hopefully: “Care to join me today?” “I can’t, I need to go help with the dinner in about an hour and then I have some more things to do in the evening.” His face fell with a silent oh and for a brief moment she actually did hate her job. Was he asking her on a date? It certainly felt that way. Maybe he just didn’t want to be alone. It didn’t really matter. He wanted her to say yes and she didn’t want to say no, and even if it meant just two people eating together, it would be just fine. He lingered awkwardly for a short while before he wished her a pleasant evening, hoping to see her again soon. She didn’t want to let him go just yet, not just like that… “Joshua, wait!”

“yes…?” he turned back to her with his arms flailing around like a marionette. 

“My dad throws a garden party for our guests every Sunday evening...if the weather allows, that is. His grilled pork chops are delicious,” she tried to sound as casual as possible to hide the fact that she really wanted him to join them. “I…ummm…am supposed to invite everyone,” she added. 

“That sounds great, but…I don’t really eat pork…or meat in general.” He looked almost sorry that he didn’t. 

“Oh! Well, there’s always mom’s redcurrant pie, and some grilled vegetables, too…” Pathetic. 

“Lovely! I'll be there.” And with a beaming smile, he disappeared upstairs. 

The next day started as blue-ish gray when she woke up and soon turned to just gray. Breakfast didn’t need to be served before seven, as half of the people were leaving that day and the other half simply weren’t in a rush. Some even cancelled, preferring to go have fancier pancakes with ice-cream and forest fruit in some café nearby. Heavy rain was drumming on the roof and terraces, and the clouds were hanging low, turning the surrounding hills into a haunting, misty landscape.   

It was a lazy, sleepy day. A perfect day for a massage, or to go to the sauna…if you were staying in one of the fancier lodgings. The residents of Willa Eulalia were mostly bored, with just TV or board games to pass time. 

Nothing really changed much for Agnieszka. If anything, Saturday proved to be even more hectic, because mother wasn’t feeling well. So, the usual routine consisting of vacuuming, changing the sheets and cleaning the toilets turned to be even more tiresome, as she had to do it all by herself. 

The house went almost completely silent after lunch. It was already almost two pm when she finally reached the attic to make the room opposite to Joshua’s ready for a new visitor. She didn’t have much time left; new guests would start coming shortly. 

It looked like he was still in his room, possibly having a nap. The rain only intensified after lunch and it was fairly easy to get drowsy here, right under the roof. She turned on the vacuum cleaner on the lowest setting and proceeded to do what she was supposed to, while fighting off obsessive thoughts about getting drowsy with him… 

She was almost done when she heard some disturbance coming from the other room. It sounded like him arguing with someone. Honouring the house’s number one rule “privacy first”, she collected all her things and aimed to leave the attic as quickly as possible. Not quickly enough, though, because his sudden loud “I don’t fucking care,” followed by something hitting the wall, stopped her in her tracks. It was followed by even more incoherent yelling. “Something was not his fault and some Sam should do something instead, and someone was advised to suck his dick (Figuratively speaking – she hoped, half amused.), otherwise she couldn’t make sense of the one-sided argument. The call ended and she was finally about to descend the stairs, when he suddenly opened the door, making her jump. She shot him a terrified look and his own expression wasn’t much different. “Sorry for the noise,” he finally mumbled. “...I…need some fresh air.” With that, he ran past her down the stairs. 

The whole encounter troubled her, but she didn’t have much time to ponder over it, as she already had to hurry back to the reception to resume her afternoon duties, noticing him on the veranda on her way there. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about it though. The lobby was connected with the back veranda by a wide, transverse corridor, so when she leaned forward a bit, she could easily see him from her place behind the counter. He was still standing there, leaning against the balustrade with his arms outstretched and his head bent down. It triggered her inner caretaker. She couldn’t just leave him there like that, so she poured some fresh water in the electric kettle behind the counter and rummaged through her little box of teabags. 

“Hey, I made you some tea,” she approached him with the steaming mug and placed it carefully on the balustrade next to him. He looked at it and smiled weakly. “Thanks, Sheldon.”

She laughed at the reference but he didn’t reciprocate, so she continued warily: “The ghost called again? “No, that was my twin brother this time.”

“You sounded a bit agitated. I thought…”

“Olalla, I really, really don’t want to be rude, but when I said I needed fresh air, I really meant I needed to be alone.” 

She was taken aback by that and her eyes widened at him. “I’m sorry, I…”

“Thanks for the tea,” he sighed and left, leaving her alone with her thoughts again. Slightly shaken this time. 

He disappeared for the rest of the day. 

He didn’t come to dinner that evening either. 

She stayed on the veranda for a few more minutes after he left, drinking the tea she made for him and watching fat raindrops splashing on the stony path leading to the fireside. She was mad at herself for letting him occupy her mind the way he did those past few days. For the first time in years, she allowed someone to get under her skin, and for what. Now it stung, and it would eventually get worse if she continued with this nonsense. Rinse and repeat. So, she just shrugged it off with an annoyed huff and put her walls back up, just like she always did. The path from hurt to pissed off to indifferent was a short and safe one. 

And then, just like a gift from above, the bell at the front door chimed and she hurried back to greet three young and carefree handsome men who were waiting for her at the reception desk. 

She knew them. They were their frequent guests, one of them being also her regular hook-up. She had been looking forward to seeing him and his radiant smile again, but then nearly forgot they were coming. It was a welcome distraction now, the only downside being her sister Maya who was also arriving the next day to spend a week…and Maya hated him. 

Agnieszka knew very well why. Maya hated fuckboys and Bartek was the epitome of that. Pretty and vain and often notoriously bad-tempered when challenged, which meant he hated her sister back with passion. However, that never stopped Agnieszka from welcoming him with open arms, because he always gave her what she wanted and he never wanted more. He was one of her wolves. So screw tomorrow, she needed some comfort now. As soon as she finished her daily tasks and he freshened up and got comfortable in his rented room after the long ride from Poznan, he joined her in her quarters for one of their regular “movie nights”. They hardly ever finished watching any.

She found no comfort in his touch that night, though. After snuggling closer to him on the couch, she felt nothing. His thieving hands and intrusive tongue started to annoy her after a while. The excuse of being maybe a bit too tired was a lame one. It was not a complete lie and he knew she worked hard, but he seemed annoyed all the same. After she literally invited him to join her, she couldn’t really blame him, so she just slid on her knees on the floor and gave him head instead. 

There was something strangely calming about giving head and gagging on a cock. Those brief moments of not being in control made her feel like she could control everything else.. When it was finally over and she rested her head in his once again clothed lap, feeling his fingers scratching her scalp affectionately (but not too much), she felt calm at last. They were both half asleep when they heard a knock. Agnieszka slowly scrambled up on her feet, excused herself and opened the door to find Joshua standing there. 

“Hey,” he bounced on the balls of his heels with a tentative smile and his eyebrows furrowed. “I feel like I should apologize for being such an ass earlier. And…I’m making some mint tea and I thought, maybe you’d like some, too? Just to reciprocate your kindness, you know?” he nodded towards the common kitchen in the hall. 

Agnieszka bit her lip to stop her from smiling back. Not that he didn’t deserve it, she just didn’t feel worthy of giving it. She had her own kitchen unit in her apartment, so this was just a nice, albeit awkward gesture and they both knew it. He just didn’t want to approach her completely empty handed. 

“It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not, and I really am sorry.”

“It’s fine, Joshua. I’m basically just a maid and I had no right to bother you when you were clearly upset by…whatever’s going on in your life. It’s not like we’re friends.”

He sighed and nodded solemnly. “I really hoped that we would be. I…anyway, I went to this store today. They sell crystals and stuff, and this kinda reminded me of your eyes. Please, keep it.” He took her hand, palm up, and placed a small malachite pendant in it. “Good night to you, Olalla…” He bowed his head down and was about to leave when a loud “kto to jest” made it snap back up to see a man suddenly standing in the doorway right next to her, his hand squeezing her shoulder almost possessively. Bartek looked first at Josh, then at the piece of stone in her hand and his eyebrows shot up. He was athletic and broad shouldered and, being taller by at least 5 inches, he towered over Joshua menacingly.

He was also shirtless, with the waistband sitting dangerously low on his hips. That, together with Olalla’s sheer bathrobe, told him everything he needed to know. 

“Oh, I see I’m interrupting…again, my apologies Olalla.”  Bartek didn’t even wait for him to leave; he slammed the door shut right in his face. The bang made Agnieszka jump. 

“Who the fuck was that, Olalla!?”  

“No one. Just a guest.” He had no right to do that, and she should have been angry, but his sudden shift in mood made her defensively meek. 

“Guests don’t come knocking on your door this late to give you trinkets unless they want much more than just room service. I thought one at a time was your rule,” he raised his voice and slammed his fist against the door. “Guests don’t call you Olalla!”

“Bart! Stop overreacting! He just…”

“Is that why you’re so frigid today? Bitch…” 

He grabbed the rest of his discarded clothes from the couch and before Agnieszka could even react, threw the door open again and stormed out. She started after him, only to watch him pass bewildered Joshua, who really was making tea in the common hallway kitchen. Bartek stopped in his tracks and hissed in broken English, gesturing back at her: “Already you can go back, Frodo. The dirty whore is your now.” 

With that, he disappeared down the stairs and left them standing there in silence. He with a jug kettle in his hand, frozen in motion; she clutching the door frame for dear life. From the look on his face, she could tell that he had overheard them arguing too, though he thankfully couldn’t understand a single word of it, though he must have gotten the general idea. They watched each other with wide eyes for a few long seconds, until hers welled with tears.

He could see hurt and shame and panic in them. “Olalla,” he whispered and slowly made his way towards her, but she quickly closed the door shut, crouched down and, overwhelmed with all the emotions from the past few days, started crying in earnest. She tried to suppress her sobs so that he wouldn’t hear her as soon as she heard soft knocks again. This time, she didn’t open. The whole house fell quiet again after a while. She slowly got back on her feet and unclenched her fists. 

A warm piece of polished malachite was burning a hole in her palm. 

The clouds finally dissipated during the night and the inhabitants of Willa Eulalia were once again greeted by a clear, pinkish sky on the eastern horizon, the Sun painting the whole mountain range orange. Most of the people left early, so after 7 am, only families with young kids were still in their rooms or on their balconies, enjoying the breakfast as well as the fragrant air after yesterday’s rain, already warmed by the sun. 

Agnieszka had lulled herself to sleep the previous night with a little help of a significant amount of vodka and not even the fresh breeze was of much help in easing the consequent nausea. 

She suffered through the morning, thanking god that both Bartek and Joshua were gone, hopefully for the whole day. It was just a postponement of her torture, but it was welcome all the same. 

Her younger sister Maya arrived shortly after lunch, and – seeing both her mother and her sister looked like they might fall asleep on the spot – she quickly took over their duties. Agnieszka excused herself and climbed in her bed, wishing to disappear. Maya tried to get her back on her feet a few times during the afternoon, but failed miserably. It was already past 8 pm when she arrived again. Agnieszka could hear that the garden party had already started outside her window, and she just wished Maya would understand that she didn’t want to join them. Apparently not…

“There’s a gentleman asking if you would join us.” 

“Tell Bart he can fuck off.”

“Pfff,” Maya scoffed. “I already did. That fucker and his idiot buddies went out anyway, probably to the World’s End. And by ‘gentleman’ I mean a real gentleman. Though he’s a bit of a weirdo.” 

Agnieszka suddenly had a huge lump in her throat, but didn’t say anything, so Maya continued: “He also told me what happened.” 

“He did what?”

“I was at the reception about an hour ago when the German lady from room 9 made a complaint about a noise yesterday evening,” Maya started to explain while she was rummaging in her sister’s wardrobe. She was obviously determined to drag Agnieszka out of her room and into the garden by sheer force, if necessary. “I obviously didn’t know what she was talking about, because my sister doesn’t tell me anything anymore. Duh! That’s when he walked in, overheard us, said it was his fault and apologized to her. Then he explained to me what really happened,” she finished and threw black yoga pants and a fluffy powder-pink pullover on Agnieszka’s bed. 

“It wasn’t his fault,” Agnieszka mumbled into the pillow.

“Now you’re finally talking! Yeah, no shit. I figured. The poor guy obviously got dragged into your mess. And yet he still wants to see you. Seriously, who is he? And why is your face suddenly red like a baboon's ass? Is there a legitimate reason why Bart behaved like a total jerk this time?” she wiggled her eyebrows at Agnieszka theatrically. 

Agnieszka gave her an annoyed look. “I don’t even know who he is. And we just talked a few times. And…yeah, just talking. We spent an evening talking and then he kissed my cheek goodnight and that’s it.” She rummaged in her pocket and showed Maya the green pendant. “He also gave me this yesterday. Said it reminded him of my eyes. That was before Bart’s temper tantrum. I can’t go there, Maya. It’s better if I stay away from him, for the sake of his own wellbeing.”

“Wow. Interesting! So you’re saying the two of you are treating each other like real human beings? Didn’t know you had it in you. He’s sweet though, no surprise there. I think he likes you. His smile reminds me of…”

“Don’t!”

Maya knew she overstepped. But she wouldn’t budge. Instead, she sat on the bed and started stroking Agnieszka’s hair.

“Olalla, baby, stop shying away from people. Just go. Spend another evening talking. In spite of what you think, it will do you good. Besides, you invited him, and he’s there. It’d be rude not to show up.”

She could spot him immediately when she set foot in the garden. He was sitting on a piece of log by the fireplace, facing her. He was deep in conversation with some other guests, but as soon as he saw her, he gave her a radiant smile. His face was enchanting in the firelight, sparks dancing around it like fireflies. On her way to him, she stopped just briefly by the long table to grab a glass of wine. 

“Hey…” She still felt uncertain and a little ashamed when she reached him. “I…didn’t have an opportunity to thank you for this,” she continued, while toying with the pendant and looking down at him bashfully.

“Good evening, Olalla,” he beamed and gestured to an empty spot to his left. “Please sit.”

“You had the opportunity,” he added as soon as she sat down. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Your reaction was more than understandable. But I’m glad you’re here now.”

“You must think low of me.” 

“I think highly of you! You’re a hard worker, you obviously love nature and those carrot cupcakes are delicious! Maya told me you baked them this morning even though you weren’t feeling well. So,” he cleared his throat and giggled. “Now we both apologized to each other, I’m gonna need your advice.” 

“What advice?” It was Maya, the nosy brat who just couldn’t miss an opportunity to stick that nose into anything that didn’t concern at all. 

He was taken aback for just a millisecond before he resumed his quick babbling again. The fact that he was now forced to turn his head from side to side gave him also the opportunity to start gesticulating wildly, which he clearly enjoyed. 

“So, I decided to go for a proper, all day hike today. But apart from the fact that I absolutely don’t know where to go – I was never good at reading maps – there were sooo many people everywhere! Which was a good thing, in a way, because I didn’t get lost. BUT…”

“Where did you go?” Maya interrupted him. The two of them were like two peas in a pod.   

“Kash…kashp…dammit! How do you guys do that? My tongue, ouch!”

Agnieszka finally laughed, for the first time that day. “Kasprowy Wierch?” 

He nodded eagerly. “Yea! That’s the one! Nice place, don’t get me wrong, but my god! It was crowded up there.”

“Of course, it’s Sunday, and you chose the only place with a cable car,” she explained, as both she and Maya laughed. 

“Well now I feel like a complete moron,” he responded to that in a cheerful tone and even wilder gesticulation. 

“So, what advice do you need, Joshua?” 

“Well, I was thinking…since you said that you work as a guide occasionally…that you would just go with me? I’d love to see some more secluded places and I can’t go alone – you said that yourself – and I wouldn’t even know where to go, so…please?” He grinned, batting his eyelashes at her. 

“But that’s mostly for families or older couples or…”

“But that’s a wonderful idea!” Maya interrupted her. “You should definitely go.” 

“I have work to do,” Agnieszka spat back. 

“Bullshit. I’m here until Wednesday, I can do that. And tomorrow’s going to be even more beautiful than today, according to the forecast.”

“Perfect! Olalla, pleeeeeease,” he turned to her. “Hey, you have nothing to drink,” he gestured to her already empty glass and took it from her. “Lemme refill it while you’ll decide to say yes.”

“Hey, who’s the guest here?”

He gave her an “oh, come on” look, took her glass and excused himself. 

“What are you doing?” Agnieszka hissed at Maya as soon as the coast was clear. 

“It’s been a long time since you looked so radiant. You’ve been miserable for way too long. Enjoy life for once. You like him! And he obviously likes you,” Maya said, nodding towards the long table. Agnieszka looked up too and they watched him shooting glances back at them.

“It’s irresponsible,” Agnieszka hissed back. “He’s leaving by the end of the month.”

“Yeah yeah, totally out of your character,” Maya responded sarcastically. “Since when does this bother you? And what exactly do you expect to happen? Just go have some fun. Two friends enjoying a hike.” 

She planned a beautiful hike. Secluded, just as he wished. Away from selfie hunters. The whole trek was on the Slovakian side of the mountains, but that wasn’t an issue. They would start right at the border and cross the whole mountain range from north to south, taking the bus back to the starting place. It was a physically demanding, long trek, with almost no shelters along the road and no escape routes. That’s why not many people ventured there, even though the first half was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places here. Joshua was beyond excited. 

They agreed to meet by her car at half past six the next morning. She would take care of all the necessities. All Joshua had to do was to show up on time with a backpack and some spare clothes. He failed miserably. 

At quarter to seven, she finally decided to knock on his door. “Joshua, come on! We need to leave NOW if you don’t want me to change the plan.” A moment later she heard a loud “oh fuck!” and some scrambling noise. “COMING!”

“Coming,” he breathed out when he finally opened the door, shirtless again, still in his sleeking sweatpants and with a literal nest on the top of his head. “I’m sooo sorry! Gimme ten minutes. Ten minutes max!”

“I’ll be waiting by my car,” she rolled her eyes and sighed. 

He finally showed up after another 25 minutes, overflowing with joy and…

“What’s that?” she pointed at his face. 

“Sunglasses,” he shrugged with a beaming smile. 

“You call this sunglasses?” 

“I’m a diva! Deal with it,” he responded affectedly and threw his backpack on the backseat. 

It was almost eight when they finally set off. The track was an easy one for the first ten kilometres, with just a slight ascent. It was – however – breathtaking from the very start, with the whole amphitheatre of jagged peaks opening up before them in the distance. Joshua was taking pictures the whole time. He was also talking the whole time, stopping only when the pathway became very steep all of the sudden. 

They surmounted a few levels and finally decided to take a break by a beautiful mountain lake. 

It was almost noon, but there were still barely any clouds in the sky and it was getting really hot, even at this altitude. Agnieszka wiped the sweat off her brow and splashed her bare arms with some cold water, while Joshua stripped from his shirt and jumped on a large stone sticking out of the water. He was now standing there with his arms outstretched and his head tilted back. She watched him in amusement, shielding her eyes with her hand. “If you want to go on like this, you’ll definitely need to apply more sunscreen.”

“What? Are you saying that pink wouldn’t suit me? I beg to differ, my lady!” He turned towards her in some sort of clumsy pirouette and nearly lost his balance, flailing his arms and leg around in an attempt to stay dry. “Watch it!” She laughed, but was also already rummaging in her backpack. “And no. I’m serious. Come here.” He jumped back and she handed him her bottle. 

“Hmmm, coconut ice cream,” he sniffed at the healthy amount of lotion he just poured on his palm and started rubbing it in the skin on his arms and chest. “I was delicious before, but now I’m going to be practically irresistible.” Agnieszka was just taking a sip out of her bottle and his cheekiness made her cough. 

“What, you don’t think so?” He wiggled his eyebrows on her. “I might need help with the back,” he added. 

“I’d rather not answer that question. Come sit,” she motioned to the flat stone in front of her. 

He turned his back on her and sat between her legs, throwing his messy braid over his shoulder. It was adorned with silver dreadlock beads today and she couldn’t help but smile at his unashamed quirkiness. “Why don’t you wanna answer that question?” he asked with a low voice when she started applying the sunscreen between his shoulder blades. 

She took a deep breath through her nose and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. This close, she could smell his own musky scent under the overpowering aroma of the sunscreen, and it made her dizzy. She watched tiny droplets of sweat running down his sides from under his armpits. Running her hands over his lower back, she involuntarily imagined the same thing in a completely different scenario. She really wanted this to be just two friends on a trip, just as Maya said, but his delicate, yet manly form and his direct, spontaneous personality made it almost impossibly hard. She just couldn’t get the feral thoughts out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. “You don’t need coconuts, Joshua,” she muttered under her breath.

He…giggled? This man was either completely unaware of his power or too comfortable with it. Either way, she just wanted to push him in that water. She was sure it would make a hiss. 

She squeezed more lotion in her palm and started rubbing his shoulders. “You’re a bit tense here.”

“Yeah, my lower neck’s been hurting lately. I haven’t had much exercise in a while,” he sighed. 

“Here?” She pressed both thumbs in his higher trapeze muscles and he let out an involuntary moan. They both chose to act as if he hadn’t. 

“So…you exercise? What exactly do you do?

“Yoga, mostly. Some light weights, too. I need to keep fit because of…work.”

“Work, huh? You told me quite a lot about your family, but I still don’t know what your job is.” He looked like one of those contemporary circus acrobatic dancers – she contemplated half-jokingly – but that probably wasn’t the case. He was too clumsy. 

It took him a while to respond. “A secret agent,” he finally let out. “And unfortunately, now I have to kill you.” That made her slap his shoulder in amusement. “Ok, ok, I work as a costume mannequin. It’s an extremely important job. They pay well, too.” 

Sighing exasperatedly, she pinched his side, making him squirm and squeak. He was keeping something from her, but she had learned not to pry. “Ok, done.” She wiped the rest of the lotion on her things and he shifted and sat next to her, still laughing, until she handed him a water bottle. “Now drink. I haven’t seen you drink much and I don’t want you to collapse on the road. You’re tiny, but I still couldn’t carry you all the way down.” Everytine she felt vulnerable, she resorted to this strategy of making clear that she was in charge of the situation, could take care of herself and should take care of others…or whatever. It was her way to weed out the toxic people. Some guys would be mortally offended by such a treatment. Joshua? He just saluted her with a “yes, ma’am” and obeyed. 

They sat in silence for a while, only an occasional hawk screech or an intelligible chatter of two girls sitting further up breaking the zen-like piece of the place. “Thank you,” she finally spoke, toying with the malachite pendant hanging around her neck. 

He looked at her with amusement. “You already did.”

“No, I mean for not treating me like…what were the words he used? Oh yeah, a dirty whore. Which I guess I am. But you’re not judging me. So, thank you.”  

He rested his face on his fist and looked at her. “Why should I be judging you? People need human touch. That’s completely normal.” 

“Some more than others, I suppose. I’m just pathetic.”

“I think you’re just lonely,” he said, toying with the water bottle absentmindedly. 

“I’m not,” she huffed.

“Are you sure?”

She didn’t respond, silently watching the ripples on the lake. The idea of being lonely was one she willingly chose not to entertain a long time ago. She had her people. She had sex. She had this. She was ok. 

His palm that gently cupped her face brought her from her reverie. His fingers slid down to the nape of her neck while his thumb continued to caress her cheek. She instinctively leaned into the touch with her eyes closed and when she opened them again, she saw him watching her intently. 

Her heart started beating wildly. “What are you doing,” she whispered. He just shook his head and bit his lip before he moved even closer and closed the gap between them. She could feel his plump lips on hers and her whole body twitched in shock, making him break the contact. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his eyelids drooping, but she grabbed his face in her own shaking hands and pressed her parted lips to his again in silent plea. The tip of his tongue brushed against her upper lip, inviting her own to touch him. Their mouths finally fully connected in a soft, deep and sensual kiss that made them both feel completely light-headed. None of them wanted this to end and they continued for at least a minute, swallowing each other’s shaky exhales. At last he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “What is this? she whispered again. 

“I don’t know… and I don’t care, to be honest,” he mumbled, finally opening his eyes as they broke the contact entirely. She didn’t know where to look, didn’t even know how to process her own thoughts, so she just checked her Garmin matter-of-factly, only to see how late it already was. “We should get moving.” 

“I don’t think I can,” he giggled in embarrassment. “Just…give me a minute.” She nodded weakly in acknowledgement and got up to re-pack their things. 

They resumed their way up the steep and stony path in complete silence save for their laboured breath until they reached another levelled post-glacial terrace with yet another alpine lake right under the narrow saddle that divided the northern set of valleys from the southern mountain range. They were now approximately in the middle of their journey and the route was getting slightly more exposed. At one point, they had to traverse a narrow ledge above the lake. It was the first passage with safety chains they had to cross that day, and by far the easiest one, as she assured him, which only made him nervous. 

They took a short break before ascending to refresh themselves when they reached the crossing and had two ways to choose from, both leading to their final destination. The one to the left was fit for more seasoned adventurers, and – based on the people coming and going – that included also kids in their early teens or older women, so it could be done. She knew it could, she had gone there a few times before. But, seeing him watch the narrow and jagged depression between two peaks in the distance warily, Agnieszka finally decided on the path leading right up to the more easily accessible saddle. It proved to be a wise choice just a short while after. Watching him struggle while descending on the other side, clawing the chains with terror in his eyes, was fun. Him falling or panicking in the middle of the ascent wouldn’t be. 

He even misstepped eventually when they were descending down a set of cramps onto another ledge. His foot slid down the last iron bar clumsily and his bare back collided with her chest, nearly knocking them both down. 

She caught him and steadied him and they laughed it off, but there was something strange about the whole situation. She felt an underlying tension between them after she released him and they genuinelly looked each other in the eye for the first time since the kiss. He brushed the back of his hand against her arm, trying to communicate something, until the people behind them gestured to them to move. 

He led the way this time, jumping from stone to stone, high on endorphins, as if his knees were made of rubber. A wild chamois. Her own shins started to burn, the exhaustion of the past few days already taking its toll. He was unstoppable though, basking in the afternoon sun and once again taking pictures of everything around him, including her on a few occasions. Some things were still left unsaid and the more tired she felt with each passing hour, the more it troubled her. The events of the day made her simply wonder, but one specific feeling that started to rear its ugly head scared her.

It was half past six when they finally reached Stary Smokovec, both completely exhausted and thirsty, but happy they made it in time. The last bus to Lysa Polana was leaving at 7:05. They had just enough time to use the restroom at the electric train station and to buy some bottled water to relieve the headache. 

Reaching the bus station, they found the girls they had previously met by the lake already waiting there. They took the other route at the crossing and were now also headed back to Lysa Polana. They were a nice and friendly couple, so when the bus arrived, Agnieszka and Joshue took the seat right behind them. 

The sun was already low in the sky, covering the world outside in a warm hue and a fresh, lukewarm breeze was flowing through the open roof window. The sound of the moving machine made them drowsy and they watched the changing scenery in silence. It was suddenly so peaceful. One of the girls in front of them rested her head lovingly on the other one’s shoulder and Agnieszka wished to do the same, but just couldn’t muster enough courage to do so. 

As if he read her mind, he took her hand and – just like the first night – started stroking her knuckles gently. She just smiled and looked in the distance. Whatever it was, she was now determined to enjoy every single minute of it. More people boarded the bus in Tatranska Lomnica and soon they were on their way again. The girls in front of them started kissing and Joshua watched them stealthily with the most heartwarming expression on his face she had seen so far. Suddenly, they heard the driver saying something with his voice raised and angry, while looking at them through the rear-view mirror. 

The girls tensed and started whispering something to each other in Polish. Joshua looked confused. Agnieszka didn’t understand the driver at first but when he repeated those words she finally grasped the meaning behind them and gasped. He stopped the bus and opened the back door. Joshua turned his head to Agnieszka, looking positively alarmed now. “What is he saying?” She tried to translate it but her own words failed her. He got it, though. The guy wanted them out. 

One of the girls tried to negotiate with the driver, but that made him even more visibly angry. He stood and made his way towards them. The whole bus was whispering by then, all eyes on the girls. “Do kelu, vypadnite uz, lesby zasrate!” he roared and grabbed one of the girls by the elbow, trying to push her out of the bus with force, if necessary. An older lady in the back shouted something at him, but he ignored her and continued with his speech about not wanting such filth inside his bus. Joshua clenched his jaw, stood up abruptly and went after the driver, only to be thrown back into his seat aggressively. Agnieszka didn’t even know that she started screaming. The whole situation escalated pretty quickly and resulted in the four of them being left standing by the side of the road. 

The girls were the first to recover, one of them already tapping ferociously on the screen of her phone, while Agnieszka was still just standing there in disbelief and repeating “he can’t do this, he can’t do this” over and over again. Joshua sat on the grass, his elbows on his knees, clutching his head. He felt as if he was in a haze, watching her in slow motion having a heated conversation with the girls. He rubbed his temple and tried to calm down as she finally crouched down to him after a while. 

“Joshua, are you ok?”

“Yes,” he whispered. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder tentatively. “Are you sure? You look…”

“I am ok, Olalla. I’m ok…” but his shoulders started shaking and he lost it, startling her. She sat down next to him and pulled him in her arms in a vain attempt to soothe him. “Hey! Shhh, big boy. They’re fine. One of them just called a taxi from Poprad. But…it’s a long ride and neither of us have enough cash, so…do you, perchance, have some spare Euros? I’ll pay you back once we get back to Eulalia.” 

That finally made him take a deep breath and calm down a bit. “Yeah…yes, I do. I’ll pay for the ride, don’t worry.”

“No, we’ll split the expense, I’ll just need…”

“Don’t argue, Olalla!” He was resolute. He also didn’t say a single word after that. 

No one spoke during the ride back to Lysa Polana, only the radio disturbing the complete silence. The girls crammed themselves in the back seat while Joshua took the place next to the driver. Agnieszka was watching him from the back seat. They were both deep in thought and – while she couldn’t read his mind – her own was racing. It all made perfect sense all of the sudden. Still with the aftertaste of his kiss on her lips, she felt a sudden wave of bittersweet tenderness for him. Oh, my sweet Joshua. My dear…friend. 

Back in her car, they still didn’t speak. They had wished the other two a safe journey back home and Joshua hugged them both, but other than that, he seemed distant, watching the passing trees outside the window absentmindedly. 

“Thank you for today, Olalla,” he finally spoke, not looking at her. “It was really nice.” 

“No need to be polite now, Joshua. Just tell me what’s troubling you…if you want to. If you don’t…then don’t...”

He opened his mouth, only to move his lips in vain like a mute fish, and started crying. She felt a sudden surge of panic. The incident itself, however unpleasant, couldn’t possibly shake him that much. Something else was going on, and she had a feeling it was related to the previous phone calls he had. It seemed impossible to return to Eulalia now. Her notoriously curious sister would be waiting behind the reception desk, no doubt. It was not her place to explain why they were both behaving as if they just returned from a funeral. She couldn’t muster enough strength to do that, anyway. And then there was Bart and his buddies, whom she just didn’t want to see now. AND she didn’t want them to see Joshua. Not like this. 

He didn’t even notice that she took a different turn, coming back to reality again only when they passed the town centre and were now heading towards a much smaller Gubalowka mountain range on the northern side of town. 

“Where are we going? he asked, looking confused. 

“I just thought you might appreciate a change of scenery…”

To be continued...

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@its-interesting-van-kleep @edgingthedarkness @writingcold @thewritingbeforesunrise @lvnterninthenight @fleet-of-fiction @takenbythemadness @myownparadise96 @gvfstuddedmajesty @josh-iamyour-mama @jazzyfigz @tripthelightfantastix @sanguinebats @love-isnt-greed @klarxtr

#greta van fleet #gvf #josh kiszka #josh gvf #gvf fanfiction #greta van fleet fanfiction #greta van fleet fanfic #gvf fanfic #josh kiszka fanfiction #josh kiszka fic #josh kiszka fluff #Spotify

[theorphicangel]

#2 “let me take care of you, okay?

warnings: none, fluff.

boyfriend miguel series.

You didn’t know what you had done to the universe to deserve all of this.

From the moment you woke up things didn’t go your way. First a broken coffee cup, then a stain on your white shirt, followed by turning your apartment inside out for 15 minutes after losing your car keys whilst simultaneously trying not to start into a hysterical breakdown. Then having two deadlines piled up on you for the end of this week, managers giving you a million and one things to do and after listening to the high-pitched whining of that bitchy co-worker who spreads gossip like wildfire has now resulted in a heavy migraine.

Yet, somehow you still had to put a smile on your face. You couldn’t break down, not here and not now. There’s no time and there’s no excuses, you have to be professional.

That was the message ingrained into your brain from the second you clocked in till the second the clock hit five. But instead of relief the heavy weight of stress and work linger on your shoulders, following you down to the car-park and on your journey home. The invisible weight waits around you like a shadow as you wait for the elevator to pick you up, only getting heavier with every step that you take towards your apartment.

The weight still doesn’t disappear as you open the door to your apartment, the familiar scent of your favorite dish cooking in the air. You slide off your shoes, too exhausted to call out your boyfriend’s name. A habit that you usually do when returning home.

“Is that you, mi amor?”

You hesitate in responding, mind distracted as you slip off your coat. “Uhh– yeah, yeah.”

Miguel turns the corner, hands on his waist. He’s in a simple outfit of gray sweatpants and a black plain tee. He frowns a little as you place your bag on the floor. You’re a little less excited than usual.

Normally, you’d be bouncing into his arms right now, rambling about your day whilst trying to simultaneously pepper kisses across his lips. You swore one day you’d find a way to kiss and talk to him at the same time.

You say nothing more as you walk into the living area, eyes avoiding him.

“Did you have a good day?” You notice the low tone of concern. You know that he knows this isn’t your usual self.

“Yeah, yeah.” You try to reassure him with a smile, a forced smile. Like the picture of you in your senior year of high school on the fireplace at your mother’s house. Miguel remembers your embarrassment, turning over the picture frame whilst calling out to your mom in annoyance for having that picture on display.

But no, maybe this one is a little different. It’s more disheartening.

Miguel watches you disappear into the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind you. He’s not sure what to do, standing in the middle of the living room like an idiot. Does he go after you or do you want to be alone? Should he plate up your food or are you not hungry?

Instead he waits, deciding to give you space for a little bit before asking. Thankfully, you’re only gone for less than fifteen minutes, re-emerging from what looks like a well needed shower and your favorite hoodie of his.

For the first time tonight, you finally meet his eyes and without a single word you find yourself wrapped in his arms. He never really understood it when you said he was the best at giving hugs. He didn’t do anything special, he just…hugged you. He figured that maybe his height had something to with it but other than that he just held you as tight as he could, almost afraid that you’d suddenly disappear in his arms.

You bury yourself into his chest, his chin resting on the top of your head as you do so. His large, calloused hand rubs small circles into your back and without saying a single word his comfort is more than enough.

Coming up to the surface, you begin to feel ready to let it all out. You feel your throat grow tight as you try to speak.

“Today was just shit, mig, I can’t–” Even the recollection of it causes your eyes to swell up with tears. All you wanted to do was to hide away from the world, the thought of clocking in tomorrow makes your stomach flip upside down.

Miguel hums, “Just let me take care of you, okay?”

His arms wrap around you a little tighter as the words leave his mouth in a soft tone.

“Okay.” is all you have to say and all that heaviness from earlier which tormented your body seems to disappear, your mind now preoccupied with the way that Miguel holds you. You pull away, glancing up at him now as you finally let it all out.

“Work was shit.”

Miguel hums, continuing to rub small circles into your back as you spill out anything and everything that has pissed you off today.“...I’m just done, I don’t even think I want to go in tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to, I’ll call in sick for you.”

“Really?” You struggle to keep the surprise out of your voice.

“Really, mi vida, didn’t I say I would take care of you?”

“You don’t have to mig’”

You let out a giggle as Miguel clicks his tongue in faux annoyance. “I want to.” He emphasizes. “How many times do I have to tell you? I want to take care of you.” He leans down a little to place a kiss on your forehead. His soft brown eyes meet yours, a silent plea before the words even leave his mouth. “Let me take care of you…please.”

You shut your eyes, taking in the sensations around you; your mind now coaxing your body to rest.

Yes, you’ll give in for tonight, you think. You’ll let him take care of you.

thank you sm for reading!! reblogs are much appreciated!

#angel writes #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x reader #miguel spiderman #miguel o'hara atsv #atsv miguel #atsv x reader #spiderman: across the spiderverse #miguel o'hara #miguel ohara #miguel spiderverse

[eds6ngel]

✎ when i kissed the teacher | part two

summary: with the christmas fayre coming up, alena offers for steve to help run your stall with you. but, how will alone time between the two of you affect your ever-growing feelings for one another?

if you aren’t caught up on the story, read part one here!

warnings: dad!steve. singledad!steve. 90s!au. fem!reader. swearing. mutual pining. slow burn. fluff. angst. robin being a matchmaker. slight age gap [r is 24, steve is 29]. r has a breakdown towards the end. more warnings in future chapters! [4.2k].

Can a teacher date a student’s parent?

Can a teacher and a parent be romantically involved?

Is it okay to have a crush on a student’s parent?

Hours upon hours spent searching the highs and lows of Yahoo! just to be met with the same answers.

Wouldn’t encourage.

Not advised.

No.

“What are you still doing up? You have kids to teach from 8am tomorrow,” your roommate Amy says, you peering at the clock on the wall, it reading 11:47PM.

You groan and bury your face in your hands, letting the inevitable frustration take over your soul, “I thought this new search engine was meant to be reliable? It keeps giving me the same damn answers.”

The sound of running water floods your senses, Amy taking on the task to tackle the growing pile of dishes you’d left rotting in the sink from your evening meal. “I mean, does that mean it’s unreliable? Or is it just not giving you the answer you desire?”

You slam your laptop lid shut, resting your head on top of the heavy, black outer, buzzing your lips, “Maybe, I’m not right about everything.”

“No one’s right about everything honey, that’s just life. You’re letting the self-doubt flood your mind again,” she reminds you, your mind racing about the situation at hand.

You lean back in your chair, Amy coming over and massaging your shoulders, “I think it’s time for you to get some sleep. Take your mind off of things.”

You let out a deep breath, one you weren’t even aware you were holding in, “Yeah, probably for the best.”

You leave your laptop on the kitchen table, raising from your seat and dragging yourself to your bedroom. Throwing on your pyjamas, you head to the bathroom to complete your nightly skincare routine. However, the silence of the small apartment made your thoughts worse. You couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same way, had these same exact questions. Although, there was nothing for him to worry about. He didn’t have the price of his whole entire job at stake.

By your own research, you also stumbled across articles of “breaching confidentiality,” which made sense to you. If you became a mother figure for one of your students, it would destroy the power dynamic. And with not many teaching roles available around the area, you couldn’t lose your one opportunity. An opportunity that you actually enjoyed.

You flop onto your bed, snuggle yourself underneath the silken sheets and try to let your mind wander into a weird dream that could never be explained. You needed a break before seeing his face again tomorrow.

The next two months felt like torture. Seeing his beautiful face, those gorgeous brown curls every morning and afternoon just made your crush on him intensify. And not only that, but Alena was improving in Math. He listened to you. Not only was he an extremely attractive guy, but he was also an amazing dad. The most deadliest combination of them all.

And you would also be lying if you said if you didn’t spend at least a few times a week scouring the internet for the answer you wanted to your question. However, with every new response, it just directed you further away from your desired answer.

“Thank you for being such wonderful, respectful and kind students today! I’m proud of each and every one of you,” you say, a smile plastered on your face. “Now, as you all know, the Christmas Fayre is coming up next week! You have all been working so hard on forming your chocolate boxes. But, I will need a volunteer to help me run our stall, and that volunteer I was hoping for would be in the form of one of your guys’ parents! So, if you could be so kind as to ask them—”

However, your request is cut short by Alena’s hand shooting up in the air, her practically bouncing in her crossed-legged position, “Yes, Alena?”

“My daddy will help!” she beams.

If there was anyone you hoped wouldn’t offer, it would be her. But, how could you deny? She was a six-year-old kid, you couldn’t just tell her no because you couldn’t cope around her father who you also so happened to have a crush on.

“That’s very nice of you to offer Alena, but wouldn’t it be wise to ask your daddy first just to see whether he can make it?”

“Oh, I know he’s free!” she says straightforwardly, “He finishes work at 1 on a Friday, all he does for the afternoon is sit at home!”

“Okay,” you breathe out, clapping your hands together, “Stev— Alena’s daddy it is! Don’t worry the rest of you, it’s all sorted now! Now, who wants to go home?”

A chorus of “Me!” can be heard from the voices of the children sitting on the rug, you walking over to the window to check what parents had arrived, and sure enough, Steve was standing there patiently waiting. You can’t help but give him a small smile as he looks at you, waving his hand.

God, stop acting like a teenage girl.

You look down and compose yourself, calling over to Alena and Harry, his mom also there ready to collect him. Alena bumbles over to you, giggling away at nothing as she cheesily grins. “Okay honey, off you go. Have a great weekend!”

Steve is smiling as his daughter runs up to him, causing him to slightly stumble back as she races into his legs and hugs them tightly, “Good afternoon to you too Missus! How was your day?” he asks, grabbing her hand and leading her out to the school parking lot.

“Sooo good!” she jumps, “I got all my math problems right!”

“That’s great pumpkin! That extra homework really helped out, didn’t it? Miss. L/N is a genius!” he beams to his daughter, trying to hide the fact that he was just complimenting your intellect as a human being, rather than just in your profession.

“Uh huh! And then me and Timmy played Hopscotch and I won, of course,” she says sassily, putting her hand to her chest, making Steve laugh. He was proud she inherited his confidence in a positive way, he couldn’t bear to see his own family turn out the way he did in his schooling career.

“Oh, did you? Was Timmy just not up to your level? Doesn’t have that Harrington magic?”

“Nope!” she shouts, popping the ‘P,’ “And then I got ten out of ten in my spelling bee! And we got to do lots of drawing as it’s Friday and Miss. L/N lets us have lots of fun on a Friday!”

“Sounds like you had a very busy day then!” Steve says, lifting her into the front seat and putting her seatbelt on for her. Alena waits to answer, kicking her feet in her seat as Steve situates himself in the driver’s side.

“Yeah! And then at the end of the day, Miss. L/N talked about the Christmas Fayre and I said you could help her out!”

Steve almost chokes on his own spit, spluttering out, “You said that I could help?”

“Yeah! You always talk about how lonely you are on a Friday without me, so I thought you could help her out!”

“That’s very nice of you to offer sweet-cheeks, but I thought I was taking you around the Christmas Fayre next Friday? That way I wouldn’t be lonely without you!” Steve says, trying to find any way out of the inevitable trap his daughter had put him in. It’s not like she understood, how could he blame her?

“But Miss. L/N really needs help daddy. Pleaseeeee! Auntie Robin could take me instead and I would still see you.”

He knew she was right. But, he may have found his one-way ticket out of the task, “But, sweetie, Robin works until two on a Friday, remember? She may be too busy.” She better be fucking busy.

“Can you just ask her daddy? Pleaseeeee!” she drags out, Steve caving into his daughter’s cuteness.

“Okay, okay,” he sighs out, “But, just keep in mind she may say no, okay?”

“Oh, I’d be happy to take her,” Robin smiles, Steve hearing the smirk in her tone through the receiver.

“Robin, that was a rhetorical question, I want you to say no. For the love of God say no,” Steve begs, knowing his best friend was fully aware of his crush on you. The countless hours of him both down the phone and in person rambling away about how beautiful you were, Robin soon picking up on the cues, and then her teasing him relentlessly about it was still going strong.

“Oh, poor Stevie can’t handle spending some time alone with his daughter’s teacher,” she whines dramatically, Steve rolling his eyes.

“I know you think you’re being funny Robin, but that is the exact mess I am in. How am I meant to stand there and run a fucking Christmas stall with her when she is the most gorgeous woman in the world?”

“You just gotta be yourself,” she laughs, telling him her signature advice, knowing that it has never helped him in the past.

“Stop with that bullshit Robin, you and I both know that neither of us have ever followed it,” he admits with a shake of his head, “Look, can’t you just say that you and Vickie have a date or something?”

“We’ve been together for eight years, Steve. You think we still plan weekly date nights? We’re almost thirty, you know,” Robin reminds him, the idea of the couple scheduling time out for romanticism seeming utterly ridiculous.

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” he complains, ignoring the fact that he was one year away from hitting thirty, “Right, I’m gonna call in Lena, just make up some excuse please, okay? She’s six, she’ll believe literally anything.”

“Fine,” Robin agrees, “Your loss dude.”

After Steve shouts Alena’s name, she comes running in, feet pattering against the wooden floor, “Auntie Robin is on the phone, she has something to tell you,” Steve says, passing the phone down to her smaller height.

“Hello?”

“Hi Auntie Robin!”

“Yeah?”

“Really?”

“Thank you!”

“Okay, byeee!”

Steve notices Alena’s pitch get higher as each word was spoken, her attitude getting happier and happier. Robin had definitely told her the truth.

As Alena passes the phone back, Steve quietly thanks her as she patters back to her bedroom, him raising the phone back to his ear, “You told her you could take her, didn’t you?”

“Uh huh!” Robin cheerfully replies.

Steve shakes his head in annoyance, “I hate you.”

“I know.”

After you had gotten all the kids with their parents, it was time for you to tackle setting up the stall. As previously told, Robin had collected Alena and Steve should be arriving any minute. The school had already set up the tables for every class, so all you had to do was transport the chocolate boxes over to your designated table.

A faint knock can be heard on your classroom door as you spin around, Steve standing there sheepishly, waving to you.

You giggle to yourself, “You can come in, you know? We’re technically out of hours, you don’t need to stand around like a lost puppy.”

He puts his hands up in defense, making his way over to you, “Nothing wrong with some good old fashioned manners.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” you smile, “Thank you for coming by the way, Alena was persistent on you being the parent to help out.”

“If you think she was persistent here, you should’ve heard her in my car that afternoon: ‘Daddy please help out Miss. L/N, she really needs it,’” he says in a baby voice, upping his pitch to match the tone of his mini-me.

You laugh at his impression, “She’s a character, that’s for sure,” you reply, before explaining the situation, “Okay, so the kids made a bunch of chocolate boxes. I’m gonna sell them for $1.50 a box purely for the array of brands. My bank account is currently punishing me, but that’s okay.”

“Wait, you bought all the chocolate yourself?” Steve queries.

You sigh, “Yeah, but it’s no problem, really. It was a great way of combining learning with fun. As you can see, all the outside boxes are decorated differently, so it was good to factor in their knowledge of shapes along with some artsy work.”

“You know, if you asked the parents, I would’ve happily chipped in with a few bars of Hershey’s,” he honestly admits, copying you as you begin to pick up some of the chocolate boxes.

You shake your head, heading out of your classroom and down towards the main hall, “Honestly, it’s nothing. That’s the kind of thing you sacrifice for being a teacher. We’re underpaid as it is, our wages not factoring in this entire classroom decoration business, so $10 worth of chocolate bars wasn’t breaking the bank too much. Actual Christmas shopping is the real breaker,” you softly laugh.

There it was again: that kindness. You would do anything for those kids, anything to make them happy, to allow them to enjoy school. Even if it meant dipping into your own savings. That was admirable.

You arrive at your designated table, “Okay, so just line them up in a way that makes them easy to see. No need for any fancy order or anything,” you explain, “There’s thirty boxes altogether, so don’t spread them too far apart. The table is pretty small after all.”

“You got it,” he replies, laying out the items on the red cloth-covered table, as do you, before you both walk back to the classroom and repeat your actions.

Once you have completed your task, you take a seat on the chairs that the staff had so kindly laid out for you beforehand. You breathe out, “Now time to relax.”

Steve checks the watch perched on his left wrist, “What time does this thing start again?”

“2:30,” you tell him, further adding, “I got lucky in the sense that I only had to lay out these boxes. I know other grades made snowmen and other decorations, or fourth grade did the classic antiques stall where they get the kids to bring in old or unused items from home. And then, of course, we have our lovely outside visitors who are doing the raffle, hook a duck, stuff like that. We also have to give the cafeteria staff enough time to prepare food since this is going on until 5pm. Oh, that reminds me, I bet Alena didn’t tell you how long this was on for!”

He smiles, thinking to himself how you cute you were when you rambled, “I think you forget it was on the flyer you gave out to the kids.”

You laugh in an embarrassed manner, hiding your face behind your hands, “Sorry. I genuinely forget that sometimes you are just a parent of one of my students. Like, as I’m talking to you right now, it just feels like I’m talking to a regular guy, you know?”

He softly chuckles, “I understand. I mean, I always feel like I’m just talking to a pretty girl instead of my daughter’s teacher.”

You become rendered speechless. Did he just say what you thought he said?

“You… You think I’m pretty?” you tenderly question, making sure you weren’t living inside of your own fantasy world.

Steve fumbles over his words, “I, um…” before he shakes his head, “What the hell am I lying for? Uh, yes. Yes I do think you look… pretty.” He looks down at his lap, twiddling his own thumbs as he awaits the ultimate rejection. You can’t just say that stuff to her, no matter how much it’s true.

You blush at his compliment, internally thanking yourself that you weren’t imagining his feelings back, “Thank you… You look handsome too.”

She’s just saying it to be nice. She’s just saying it to be nice. She’s just saying it to be nice.

“Um… Thanks.”

But, now that it was reciprocated, you began burying yourself into a deeper hole: the questions. The questions answered no. You can’t date him. You could lose everything. You couldn’t lose your job over a stupid boy. A handsome boy. A nice boy. A kind, sweet… caring boy. Could you?

An hour into the event and half the chocolate boxes were already sold. You had been doing the same stall for the past two years, the idea coming to you your first year of teaching after talking to another teacher about Christmas gifts. But, it had never sold this fast. Although, you noticed by the body language of some parents that Steve’s charm and looks were playing a major part in the quick selling. But, he had charmed you, so who were you to judge?

You were out of earshot and attending to another customer as Robin and Alena approached the stall, Alena shouting, “Daddy!” Steve’s facing lighting up with delight.

“Hey pumpkin! How’s it been so far?”

She giggles and bounces in her spot, “Soooo good! Robin got me some candyfloss and I had a hot chocolate. But, I got too excited and burnt my mouth. But, it didn’t hurt too much and I drank the whole thing!”

“The sugars definitely had an effect on someone, hasn’t it?” he says, lifting his eyebrows at Robin, giving her an accusatory look.

She scoffs at him, “Give her a break, it’s Christmas. Plus, I think we have better things to be talking about,” she smirks, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

He sighs, “She already called me handsome because my big ass mouth couldn’t shut up and told her that she looks pretty right to her face,” he mentally facepalms himself.

Robin grins at him, “Well, that’s perfect!”

“What do you mean?”

“Dude, are you kidding?” she asks, “She complimented you back after you complimented her. She literally reciprocated back. Girls don’t do that for no reason.”

“Robin, you don’t even like men.”

She looks at him dumbfounded, “Straights and lesbians aren’t that different, you dingus. We still react the same way when it comes to someone who likes us.”

“Whatever you say,” he replies, trying to ignore his best friend’s advice.

“I’m just saying, give it a shot,” she says, “At least if you get rejected, you can move on. I’ve had enough of you love-dumping about her down the phone.”

“Hey,” he points a finger at her, “This is payback for when you wouldn’t shut up about Vickie in your senior year.”

“And we’re still happily in love eight years later, so who’s the real loser here, Harrington?”

He rolls his eyes at her, Robin copying his action as you become free from the previous customer, tending to Alena.

Steve licks his lips as he thinks to himself: God, maybe Robin is right. What else has he got left to lose? A million girls rejected him during and after high school, that’s only another one to add to the never-ending list, right?

The event ended a little later than expected, a remaining two chocolate boxes left for you and Steve to carry back to your classroom, leaving the pot of money on the table for the staff to collect and count up.

“Thank you for helping out, you don’t understand how grateful I am. It’s much easier to sell products when there’s two people doing the convincing,” you say with a soft laugh to your tone.

He buzzes his lips and waves his hand, “It’s nothing, trust me. I would’ve been doing nothing all afternoon if I wasn’t here.”

“Yeah,” you chuckle, “Alena told me that last Friday.”

“She did?” he asks with a smile, you nodding along, “The cheeky little shit.”

“Yeah, I was thinking that when she said it. Like, damn girl, really outing your father’s loneliness like that,” you laugh, “Kids are so brutally honest, I love it.”

“Yeah, Alena’s definitely a straightforward kid, that’s for sure.”

A delicate smile crosses your face as you lift up a chocolate box to him, “For you.”

He takes it out of your hands, questioning, “Are you sure? You don’t need them for anything else?”

You shake your head sadly, “No. All the school does with unsold items is keep them in storage until next year or throw them in the trash. So, for food like this, it’ll get put in the trash unfortunately.”

He sighs solemnly, “That’s kind of sad, if I’m being honest. Like, there’s kids crafts here. Why throw it away?”

“That’s what I’ve always said!” you quietly shout, your voice small enough to not disturb the silent atmosphere, yet loudly projecting to show your agreement, “Like, you only get so many memories of the children that pass through this school, why discard them as simply as that? It’s like they don’t appreciate the kids personalities and only see them as future employees.” You sigh whilst shaking your head, shoving the remaining chocolate box into your own bag, slinging it over your shoulder, “Anyway, I should get going home. I’m sure you wanna go and see Alena too.”

“Wait!” Steve yells, the word spilling out of his mouth before he has time to compose himself. Just you standing there, you looked so beautiful. Your eyes so soft as they look up at him, lips slightly parted as if you wanted to question him, yet you let him continue. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah…” you breathe out, “Anything.”

Steve shakes his hands, trying to jitter the nerves out of his body. It was now or never.

“God… This is gonna sound so forward, and I’m sorry, but… Would you like to go out with me sometime?”

It was like a knife to the chest, you letting out a shaky breath as you clutched the binder and notebook in your arms, looking down at the floor as you swallowed. You really wanted to say yes. God, it was like a fire burning within you to say yes. But, you had to make a choice. This job was forever, who knew the long-term circumstances of the potential relationship? Was it really worth it to put your hard-earned degree in the background to focus on a love that might not even last?

And it’s not that you didn’t trust it to last, you had a feeling deep inside you that told you that he was the right person. But, there’s always the saying: Right person, wrong time.

“Steve, I… I can’t, I’m sorry,” you reply, trying not to let the tears fall as you explain your reasoning, “It’s not you, I promise it’s not, it’s just… confidentiality, you know? Because of Alena, if we became a couple, I could get accused of a lot of shit, potentially even lose my job. And I’ve worked a long time to get here, and I can’t be throwing it away for a relationship. I’m really sorry, but… Yeah, that’s why.”

You look up at him, his face telling that he was heartbroken, him wanting so desperately for the answer to be yes. He knew it, you were just being polite.

“Yeah, I get it,” he mumbles out, convinced that your reasoning was a cover up for your lack of attraction, “I get it…”

“Again, I’m sorr—”

He cuts you off, “It’s fine…”

You sigh out, “Well… I have to head home, it’s getting late,” you say, him nodding along, still not making any eye contact with you, “Have a good Christmas, Steve.”

“Yeah… You too,” he replies, you turning your back and heading out of your classroom, not returning for another two weeks.

You stormed out to the parking lot, the night sky covering over, the stars twinkling away as you throw your bag into the passenger seat. You slam your door shut, breathing out, the tears now falling down your cheeks as you hit your steering wheel forcefully, screaming out, “Stupid fucking bullshit rules!”

You pull your car out of park, reversing and steering out of the lot. You try to drive as carefully as you can, the rush of anger coursing through your blood making it extremely difficult to stick to the road safety rules you were taught at sixteen.

After arriving home five minutes earlier than normal, your bad energy keeping you slightly above the required speed limit, you unlock the front door to your apartment, Amy not expected to return home for another two hours.

You throw your keys and bag on the kitchen counter, grabbing your laptop and speeding to your room. You open up the lid and once again type in, ‘Can a teacher date a student’s parent?’

“Come on… Come on… Please, please!” you yell, your body shaking as you frantically search the web for the answer you so desperately require. There had to be some way around this. You couldn’t let this slip through your fingers.

Wouldn’t advise.

Strong discourage.

Do not do this.

Definitely no.

You scream as you throw your laptop away from you, crying out, “Just give me the fucking answer!”

But, that was the issue. That was the answer. No amount of wishful thinking would change that. You couldn’t date Steve Harrington.

everything got a little bit angsty towards the end, but that's what makes a good fic, right?

taglist: @livsters @bakugouswh0r3 comment if you want to be added!!

→ next chapter.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington comfort #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington drabble #dad!steve harrington #singledad!steve harrington #eds6ngel #stranger things

[kleftiko]

what would hawks do if u asked him to stay after he gets called in

❦ LEAVE

cw: angst, slight implication of mental health problems, not proof read

oh, you want ANGST angst?

listen, this man was bred to be a hero, and what is basically the number one hero rule? everyone over one.

so he’s leaving. i’m sorry. you’re having a breakdown? wailing and just needing something to ground you and remind you that reality is around you and you’re not slipping away into your mind? keigo can’t be there.

if he gets called in, he’s going. even when it breaks his heart to close the door on your broken self. even after all those recycled apologies he gives you. even when you gentle grab his shirt and whisper ‘stay?’

that’s the downfall of a hero, they’re never really yours and you can’t be selfish about it.

even with the problems of hero society.

one of the biggest fundamentals in mha is the fact that heroes become a job and a business and that’s why you have people like stain who reject the commercialism of saving people.

so it’s not a stretch to reason that some heroes just turn off saving people as soon as they clock out of work. but, is hawks one of these people? no. he’s in the news all the time so if he’s called and doesn’t answer there’s gonna be riots.

he’s an advertising puppet for the hero commission, they’ve pulled his strings so much sometimes he doesn’t even feel human. and before he met you, he didn’t really care that he was a figure head and just did what he was told.

but now that you’re in his life, it’s so much more complicated. every time you’re interrupted by a disaster that he needs to go to, his popularity poll skyrockets. he’s the people’s hero but he’s slowly becoming your villain. standing you up to chase down robbers, leaving you while you’re mourning to go for a search and rescue, just so you can go online and see the publicity of it.

you thought it would be different. you thought he would save you like he does everyone else. but he’s not yours, he’s the commission’s.

if you ask him to stay, he’ll still go.

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #hawks x reader #keigo tamaki #keigo x you #keigo x y/n #keigo takami x reader #hawks angst #hawks scenarios

[munsonsreputation]

congrats on 500!!!!! 💞💞💞💞💞

i wanna request #4 with you’re on your own, kid and steve. he grew up not having many friends / not real friends and he’s kinda had to look out for himself since he was young, but now he finally has people, including a gf who cares about him v much and makes it v known that he’s not alone anymore (and who maybe grew up similarly? ). 🫶 maybe steve kinda has a hard time with it at first tho cuz abandonment / trust issues 💔

hi j!!!!!

im so sorry that this took so long for me to complete, but i hope i was still able to to your request justice!!! i 110% believe that steve harrington is yoyok coded and if he heard this song he would have a whole ass breakdown thinking about his life.

i had such a fun time writing this and it was really really heartfelt!!! i hope you love it and thank you so much for your support!!! 🧸🌃💘

Birthdays were never easy nor special for Steve Harrington, mostly because his parents never made it a big event or celebration to be getting older.

Instead, it was treated more as a lecture. His parents would bring him to a fancy restaurant. His mother would sit quietly, bowing her head as his father went on and on about how Steve needed to be more responsible so that he could work for his company.

Steve would have to patiently sit through two grueling hours of that dinner. Poking and prodding at his steak and mashed potatoes as he pretended to listen. There was no singing happy birthday. No making wishes or blowing out candles. No surprise presents or hugs from either of his parents. Just the mere reminder that getting older meant getting more miserable.

But at some point, his parents must have gotten the hint that their idea of a birthday celebration wasn’t appreciated nor wanted by their son. So instead of trying to make up for those lost years, they stopped trying all together. Awkwardly handing him a card full of cash—not that Steve wasn’t grateful for it, but simply a hug or even a genuine smile from them would have sufficed just as much.

So yeah, Steve’s birthday was never his favorite time of the year, but he vowed to make everyone else’s special.

He went big for everyone’s birthday. Full fledge themes and decorated houses. Whole sheet cakes with an immense amount of candles. Birthday hats and noisemakers. Messily wrapped, yet jaw dropping presents that he knew his friends were dying for.

All of Steve Harrington’s friends had the best birthdays because of him.

But his girlfriend…even better.

Steve threw you elaborate celebrations ever since you two had begun dating. Your favorite one so far is when he turned his parents’ home into a huge escape room for you and your friends. Everyone dressed up in their best outfits and roamed around the house, trying to find the clues he had planted hours ago. He pretended like he didn’t have any idea, not even giving you a single hint as you squeezed his hand and begged.

Eventually, though, you all figured it out, and then he gifted you a key to his home as one of the gifts. Your favorite gifts he had ever given you. Mostly because it allowed you to drop in and visit him whenever you missed him, but especially because it got you into his home to set up a birthday celebration of his own.

You knew Steve wasn’t fond of his own birthday. All of his friends knew it was a touchy subject, so they didn’t go all out, but you were more than determined to make up for all those years. Steve had made your birthday so special and you wanted to show him how loved he was.

“He’s here!” You screeched quietly, peeking away from the living room curtains completely dimming the space where you and your friends were hiding.

In order to properly execute Steve’s surprise party, he unfortunately worked his entire shift alone. Robin had called a few minutes after he clocked in with a convincing story of how she caught the cold just the night before. She even hung up the phone without greeting him a happy birthday, and though he hated his birthday, he missed the annoying greetings that his friends would offer countless amount of times until the clock struck midnight.

The only greeting he received today was from you, early in the morning, before he had gotten up and got ready for work. Your voice dripping with sweetness and palpable slumber as you serenaded him with happy birthday and told him that you loved him a million times. You reminded him of the “plans” you had made, for him to pick you up after work and go to a fancy restaurant a few minutes into town.

That was essentially the only thing keeping Steve going for the rest of his sad twenty-second birthday. The moment for him to finally see you face to face and pretend to endure a night full of annoying happy birthdays coming from his favorite girl, when it sounded the sweetest coming from you.

You listened as the keys jingled from the other side of the door and watched as the lock turned open, before hopping up from your spot on the floor, followed by the others.

“Happy Birthday, Stevie!”

The shouting filled the room, along with the noisemakers and whistles coming from you and his friends. The entire area decorated with balloons and streamers hanging from the ceiling.

You, front and center with your arms expanded, greeting him with a smile big enough to take up the rest of your face. A party hat sitting perfectly at the top of your head as he made his way over with an exceptionally big smile on his face, enough to show his appreciation for the tricks he knew were up your sleeve.

“Babe!” you screeched with a laugh, draping your arms around his neck as he hoisted you a few inches off the ground and laid a kiss on your lips, thanking you for this.

You could feel the smile seeping from his face as he continued to kiss you. The kind of smile within a kiss where you can feel his teeth and lips just rest upon yours, taking everything in before he kissed you again.

“Break it up you two!” Robin joked, stretching the elastic of a party hat over Steve’s head and snapping it in place.

He winced dramatically, as you giggled, staying by his side as all his friends took the time to give him a hug and warm wishes.

For once in his life, his heart swarmed with a whirlwind of emotions for someone other than you who could evoke such a feeling. He loved his friends, he always had, but this was something that they did not only out of the kindness of their hearts, but with taking the chance, knowing that he wasn’t fond of his birthday.

The children seemed more excited than him, thrusting a messily wrapped box in his hands as they swarmed around you and him, “Here open it!”

“You’re supposed to wait until present time, idiots!” Eddie snickered, knowing exactly what was in the box and why the kids were so excited to present it to Steve in the first place.

Dustin flashed Eddie the middle finger from behind, keeping his eyes on his dearest babysitter with a toothy smile on his face, “Open it! You’re gonna love it!”

Steve looked at you, a grin on his face as you nodded and rested your hands on his shoulders when he began shredding away at the paper with ease. The pure expression, like a little kid opening the best present on Christmas morning flashing to your eyes as you watched him realize what it was.

A pair of sneakers that he had been eyeing since the footlocker displayed the shoe a few months ago. He’d been telling you that he was going to pull the trigger and buy it one of these days, but alas he never did. Just merely admiring the leather behind the glass of the store and walking past it as he clocked in and out of work.

Originally, you were planning on buying it for Steve’s birthday gift, but the kids seemed more adamant about wanting to band together in order to purchase the special gift for their one of a kind favorite babysitter.

“Holy shit…did you guys rob the footlocker?” He sought stunned, plucking up one of the pairs and inspecting the material.

El and Max both giggled, rattling their heads as they explained, “We all saved for the last couple of weeks. Me and El babysat Holly for a few bucks. Dustin and Lucas went around mowing lawns. And Will and Mike did a few car washes.”

“And what about me?” Eddie chided in again, as if he was the savior of this plan the children had hatched out.

Dustin groaned, turning around towards Eddie then back to Steve, “And Eddie gave us a ride to the mall to pick it up.”

Looking around the room at the knuckleheads he had babysat since his junior year of high school, they’d grown so much, and really were the kindest kids in Hawkins. Sure, they loved to give him a hard time now and then, but it was out of love, and doing something as nice as this—taking up what literally was part-time jobs to get him something as sentimental as this was everything to him.

He settled the box on the ground, opening his arms as he closed his eyes and nodded his head. “C’mere…c’mon.”

“Happy Birthday, Stevo.” El whispered, being the first of the kids who settled into his side and embraced him affectionately before the others followed suit.

Your heart warmed at the sight, taking in the precious moments like this where Steve really was the kind of man who was grateful for the little twerps that made his life a little more interesting. He never grew up with siblings himself, or really any family members around his age, and part of this felt like it was healing his inner child—the little Steve who craved for family that actually cared about him.

The hug only last a few seconds, but Jonathan managed to capture a photo that would definitely be framed and put on a shelf in Steve’s bedroom. When the children pulled away, and Steve reached under him for the box, he turned towards you.

“Gonna head upstairs and put these away. Can you come with me?”

You smiled, nodding your head, taking his free hand and following him up the steps and into his bedroom where he had shut the door. You took it upon yourself to take a seat on the end of his bed, watching his back while he shuffled through his closet, trying to find space for his new kicks.

“I’m kinda impressed the kids managed to save up all that money in a few weeks.” You laughed, resting on your elbows, as Steve didn’t respond.

What you couldn’t see were the tears welling up in his eyes, but you didn’t miss the small croak he had let out in an attempt to swallow off the sob.

“Babe, what’s the matter?”

Your voice was soft and soothing, taking you from his bed right to him, where you placed a comforting hand on his back and leaned forward to see more of him.

His eyes sealed tightly and his bottom lip trapped between his teeth to fight off the urge to just cry into your arms. He couldn’t pinpoint these emotions, and the first thing he thought in his mind was being angry at himself when he should be happy because his girlfriend and his friends did this amazing thing for him.

Steve shook his head, still not uttering a word, yet following you when you took his hand and sat the two of you on his bed. He felt the silly party hat come off his head where you pulled it off and did the same to yours.

“D-did the party upset you? I’m so sorry, Steve, I just wanted to plan something special because you also do something special for everyone else’s birthday.”

He couldn’t just let you sit there, assuming this was your fault because it wasn’t. And if anything, Steve was just so elated that this was even happening, but he was also so new to this kind of thing.

“No, no, it’s not your fault.” He captured your hand and swiped away at his tears with the other.

Your eyes wandered up to his face, giving his hand a firm squeeze when you searched his teary eyes, “You can tell me what’s the matter…I’m always here to listen.”

Steve knew you were always the shoulder he could cry on and the ears who would listen to his endless thoughts. He had opened up before about birthdays and how his were always difficult to face, so it wasn’t necessarily fresh news to you.

“I—I don’t feel alone.” He stammered a little ache in his speech, but swiftly dispelled with a slight smile.

You tilted your head sideways, trying to make sense of his words, “I don’t think I understand?”

Steve nodded, swallowing and taking a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts so that he wouldn’t spend an hour with you up here, venting about everything he was feeling.

“I guess, I never viewed my birthday as something special, you know?” He said, looking at you and you nodded, rubbing your fingers across his palm, calming him.

“I’d just used to sit at home and avoid my parents because they didn’t know how to handle my birthday either…but it’s like for the first time, I was actually glad that it was my birthday, to have you, and all my friends here for me.” He clarified.

You knew that there was still more he wanted to say, as he took a deep breath and squeezed your hand back, “I—I’m just terrified of losing it or…or even believing that so many people would care enough about me to want to celebrate me.”

He let out a shaky breath, tearing his eyes away from you and staring at his floor, trying to make sense of everything in his mind.

But suddenly you spoke, reached over to grab ahold of his hand where he looked back into your sparkling eyes.

“Steve, you have no clue how much me and the rest of our friends love you—you’re the rock of our friendships and our lives, basically.” You chuckled, watching as he shook his head in disbelief.

But you nodded, eyes going a little wide, and you started again.

“Seriously, I mean it. You’re the person who always organizes and plans everyones birthday party. You force the kids to make up when they’re all fighting over stupid shit. You’re the first person I call about good news, bad news, hell, all the news because you’re my rock and I care for you so much. More than words can even begin to describe.”

Your fingers loosened from his, instead holding his cheeks in his hand where you could feel the skin lift as he smiled against you. Those teary glossy eyes turned into the pools of happiness and warmth, staring back at his person.

You knew that Steve struggled a lot with accepting love, but you also knew that there was a part of Steve that always believed in loving everyone around him. You just needed to help him see that.

“I know your parents might not have been the best, but that’s the beauty of life…” Your thumbs swept across the high points of his face, and Steve swore he could feel your the pulse in your fingertips that rested, comfortable on the rest of his face.

“Because family doesn’t always have to be blood. Family can be the ones you choose to keep in your life, so even if at one point you felt like you were alone when you were a kid, you’re not anymore. Because I’m here, we’re here, and that’s something that no one can take away from you.”

Your voice and your words were like a calm wave meeting his shore of horrible childhood experiences that he had to endure all alone. Now suddenly washing all of that away. Your eyes gawking passionately into his was like another wave, this time leaving behind him with a shore that was fresh. New shells of memories embedded into the sand and for once in his life he let go.

Steve let go of all of that pent up anger and resentment, replacing it with contentment and hope. He knew that he probably would never have the greatest relationship with either of his parents, but he had you to look forward to. He had his chosen family that he knew would always be there no matter what.

For once, he felt like a weight lifted off of his shoulders from being afraid of embracing the people he loved and the same love they held for him. That this moment wasn’t too good to be true, it was just true. A moment that he wanted to take and taste forevermore.

“I love you.” He grinned, taking his hands and pulling you close enough to connect your lips.

Everything in the past that Steve let go was a new step he was taking, one where you would always hold him and stand by.

You breathed him in, appreciating Steve and everything that made him who he was. That today was a special celebration of showing the person you loved how grateful you were for him.

“I love you too, baby.”

When you pulled away, you clutched his hand, standing up and looking towards his door, then back at him. He could face this, and he was looking forward to facing the rest of his birthdays with a smile on his face.

Steve reached for the silly party hats, placing his back on, and laughing when he put yours on.

“Let’s get this party started.”

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#munsonsreputation #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x you #steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington #steve harrington x fem!reader #taylor swift x stranger things #steve harrington x taylor swift #stranger things imagines #stranger things imagine

[chvoswxtch]

Hey girl!! I’m so happy for your milestone! You deserve it! You’re writing is incredible and you’re an amazing person. I look forward to your posts and writing all the time! Can’t wait to continue reading your work!

I have been debating song lyrics since you posted about the bar opening because of course I’m gonna order a margarita on the rocks with Frank! Bet you’re surprised about that one 😂

So I’m ordering a margarita on the rocks and I hope to meet Frank there, and in my little world, “Holding Out for a Hero” is playing in the background. I’m partial to the lyrics “I’m holding out for a hero till the end of the night/he’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast/and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight”

I might order a few more drinks. 😏Let’s get this party started!! 🍹🍺🍾

my lovely meg,

I think you give me far too much credit, so I need to confess that while writing this, I forgot the word for hourglass and literally had to google "sand glass thing you turn over time". so maybe humble me a bit. 😬

thank you so much for always being so sweet. frankie's got your margarita on the rocks at the end of the bar waiting for you. 😏

as a reminder: margarita on the rocks means it's spicy (minors dni)!

blurb below the cut

holding out for a hero

he’s gotta be fresh from the fight

Your knee bounced anxiously up and down as you sat perched on the edge of the couch, eyes continuously darting over towards the clock on the wall. 

11:47pm.

Frank was supposed to come home today. You spoke to him this morning, and he was in the process of packing his limited belongings he’d brought to the motel he was staying at. He promised he was coming home to you today.

“Be on the road in ‘bout ten minutes, should be there in a couple hours. Can’t wait to see ya, sweetheart.”

That was this morning, and it was almost midnight. When Frank didn’t show up by the afternoon, you’d called him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. You tried not to freak out about that, but the more you kept getting greeted by an automated message instead of his familiar gruff voice, panic began to spread through your lungs like air stretching out a balloon. 

You’d lost track of how many times you had called him. How many hysteric voicemails and frantic messages you had left him. You were on the verge of breaking down and reaching out to Madani to demand an all out manhunt to find him. This wasn’t like Frank. He always checked in with you if he was going to be late, even by a minute. He knew how much you worried when he was away, and he did everything he could to put your mind at ease.

It was hard not to let your mind wander to the worst possible case scenarios. The fact that Frank Castle was still alive and kicking despite all of the numerous times he should have died already was a goddamn miracle. You can only cheat Death so many times before Death decides to retaliate. What if his stubborn luck had finally run out? What if the last grain of sand had slipped past his hourglass, and you weren’t there to catch it?

Before you could spiral any further, the sound of a lock turning caught your attention, and you were rushing towards the front door. Just as you reached the threshold, Frank was closing the door behind him, and he paused to stare at you when he caught the look on your face. You must have looked like an absolute wreck; hair a tangled mess from running your fingers through it anxiously, nose glowing red from intermittent breakdowns, eyes glassy with tears and fears of the unknown. A soft gasp emitted from your lips when you took him in.

Frank’s hair was disheveled and sweat glistened across his forehead and down the column of his throat. There were fresh cuts actively bleeding above his right eyebrow, across his large nose, and you caught the flash of white gauze beneath the sleeve of his henley on his left arm. Even in the dim light you could see a fresh patch of violet blooming underneath his left eye, just along the crest of his sharp cheekbone. The movement of his hand caught your attention, and you watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket to show you the completely shattered screen and-wait, was that a bullet lodged in the middle?

Frank grunted quietly as he motioned his head towards the demolished phone.

“Sorry I didn’t call, baby. Ran into a little trouble, and this goddamn thing got blown to bits.”

Once your nerves started to dissipate and you realized Frank wasn’t a cruel trick of your imagination, you rushed forward to cup his face gently in your hands, a fresh wave of tears approaching the shore of your waterline.

“Jesus, Frank. What the hell happened?”

“Nothin’ I couldn’t handle.”

For a moment all you could do was close your eyes and let your forehead rest against Frank’s broad chest, deeply inhaling his scent and gripping onto the collar of his shirt to ground yourself. 

Frank was home. Frank was okay. Frank was alive.

“I was…I was so-”

Your voice broke off towards the end in a choked sob, and Frank moved his hands from your hips to wrap tightly around your waist, hugging you tightly into his chest as he peppered kisses into your hair.

“Hey, I’m alright. I can take a lot, you know that. Always come home to you, don’t I?”

“I thought…I thought-”

“Hey, shh shh shh. C’mere, baby.”

Frank lightly grasped your face in his large hand, tipping your head back gently to press his lips delicately to yours. Tears slipped down your cheeks in pure relief, but Frank simply swallowed them as he kissed you even deeper, holding you as close to his body as he could. You weren’t sure if it was the pure adrenaline coursing through his blood or the physical reassurance your body craved to make up for all those hours of helpless mania, but both of you seemed to silently understand exactly what you needed from each other in that moment.

Bending down slightly to wrap his arm around your waist, Frank abruptly lifted you up into his arms as you quickly wrapped your legs around his waist, grabbing onto the back of his neck while slipping your tongue into his mouth with a content hum. He blindly walked you both backwards until you bumped into the kitchen table, setting you down on the surface as his large hands tore your shirt over your head as yours fumbled with the buckle of his belt. The second he slipped your panties past your ankles, Frank spit into his palm and slipped it between your thighs, warming you up with his thick fingers while your hand slipped past his jeans and into his boxers to wrap your hand around his eager cock. 

Not a word needed to be spoken in that moment. You needed to feel that Frank was here with you, and Frank needed to show you how much he missed you.

The delicious sting of your walls accommodating his thick cock lulled you into a calm sense of serenity as he locked his arms around your body like unbreakable chains.

Frank was home. Frank was okay. Frank was alive.

#frank castle #frank castle x you #frank castle x y/n #frank castle x reader #frank castle x female reader #frank castle x fem!reader #frank castle x f!reader #frank castle request #frank castle blurb #frank castle smut #the punisher #the punisher request #the punisher blurb #the punisher smut #court's 2k follower celebration #court's 2k friends celebration

[kazemi-archive]

Go Through It Not Around It

Pairing: Tendou Satori x Reader

Word Count: ~1.7k

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: avoidance tendencies, overworking, mentions of death, dealing with loss, a full breakdown, mentions of alcohol

Summary: I don’t like to go through things that hurt me. Not if I can help it. I learned from a young age that if you keep busy you don’t have to think. Your body goes on auto pilot, until eventually, it won’t hurt anymore. You forget why you’re working. Five minutes of tears here, a couple glasses of wine there. Satori just wanted me to breathe, he didn’t know what that would do to me.

You don’t understand how some people can take something that hurts them and just let themselves feel it. To take it in stride and process it immediately. You never could.

Maybe it was because you spent so long ignoring those sorts of things to take care of others. So concerned that they were processing, healing, that you didn’t mind if it meant you weren’t. Maybe that was why you hated to go through things that hurt me.

Well it isn’t like anyone is fond of things that hurt them, but you hate going through it. So you don’t. Not if you can help it. You learned from a young age that if you keep busy then you don’t have to think about it. You can take care of others, you can work, you can submerge yourself in the everyday. Your body just goes on autopilot. Pour yourself a couple glasses of wine, give yourself a few minutes to cry about it and then push it away. Eventually you forget why you’ve been working so much. Eventually it won’t hurt anymore. Eventually you think about it and its just so distant that you don’t even realize that it could hurt you.

It wasn’t like you were very close to the family member that passed. You hadn’t seen them in years actually. Barely talked to them before that too. It wasn’t like they played a huge part in your life. But it was still a shock when you got the news. In the middle of an already stressful week.

A call from your mom, to tell you the news. To tell you that, if you wanted to, she could help you fly home for the funeral. The thought of death made you feel something you couldn’t quite explain. The loss of the thing that was supposed to last the longest. It made everything seem so…temporary.

You couldn’t take the time off so you did the opposite. Picked up more shifts. Told all your coworkers to give you their unwanted shifts. You picked up slack for the group projects for your classes. It slipped your mind, responding to the people you usually spoke to 24/7.

Specifically, it slipped your mind speaking to Satori. Your sweet boyfriend who didn’t get an explanation as to why you’d dropped off the grid, hours floating between your messages as you lost track of time while working. Half excuses falling from your fingertips as you typed out sincere apologies for your absence.

The clock to your right blinked 12:02am. It was way past the time to sleep, but you currently had an array of papers spread across the floor in front of you. The idea of sleep had to be pushed to the side for now, this project just days away from needing to be finished. You were trying to find your pencil under the papers when a knock on the door came.

You tilted your head in confusion, blinking at the door for a second, and then there was another knock. You pulled myself off the floor and walked dazedly towards the door. Gently prying it open you were greeted with a familiar head of red hair.

“‘Tori?” You questioned softly. “What are you doing here so late?”

“Oh you’re alive. Good.” He stepped past you into your small apartment and stopped to look down at the floor and your pile of papers. “Haven’t seen you in almost a week, which is weird cause I, you know, live just a couple floors away.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, moving towards the little kitchen to pull a glass out of the cabinet, meaning to get you both a glass. “I’ve been working a lot.”

“What time did you get home?” He pressed, bending to assess and sort through your mess of papers.

“An hour ago.” You pulled some leftovers out of the fridge, the thought he might be hungry sending a pang through your own stomach as well. When had you eaten last? Had you remembered lunch?

“Thought you worked early today?” He questioned, glancing over at you as he lifted your papers onto your desk.

“I did; started at 8am. Picked up some overtime.” You refused to look over at him as you heard him swear lightly under his breath and set the papers down.

“Y/n.” You didn’t turn. You could hear the disappointment lacing through his tone. He knew you had a tendency to throw yourself into work. “Your mom called me.” Now you froze.

“She did what?” You couldn’t believe her. She had no right. She-

As if reading your mind he cut the thoughts off. “She was worried about you. Hasn’t heard from you. Told me someone passed away and then you disappeared.” You sighed and went back to the food in front of you. Pulling some of the pasta from the container into a bowl. “Called your work. They told me you’ve worked 50 hours in the past week. Haven’t had a day off in 11 days.”

“So you’re stalking me.” You snapped, rolling your eyes as you placed the bowl in the microwave. You’d meant for it to be a slight joke but the irritation and tiredness had begun to seep into your words.

“I’m checking on you!” He exclaimed, traveling the distance over to stand next to you. “Y/n, you’re meant to talk about these things. To take time off.”

“No.” You muttered. Pulling the food out of the microwave and moving back towards the glasses that needed water in them. “I don’t want to talk about it. I have things to do.” You shook your head and grabbed your water jug. “I have to finish this project and I work early tomorrow, maybe you should go home and I’ll call you when I’m off.”

“You don’t work tomorrow.” You scoffed. “You don’t work the next day either.” That was a lie and you opened your mouth to tell him but- “When I talked to your job they told me both those shifts were picked up from other people and that they need you to take those days off but you seem to be ignoring that. Its becoming a legal issue.”

“Its only a legal issue if I didn’t agree to it.” You argued, pouring the glasses before setting the jug back down.

“You need a break.” He insisted. “You need to breathe.” He tried to put a hand on your arm but you shook it off. A pang of guilt ran through you for a second, feeling bad that you were treating him this way. He didn’t understand though. You didn’t need a break, you needed to- “They died.”

“Stop.” You instructed, the words pulsing into your ears.

“Y/n.” Satori tried to come into your view and you caught the glimpse of red hair before turning away again. “They died. Have you even processed it?”

“Satori stop.” You whispered, trying to wrap your shaking hand around your glass. “I just need to work.”

“How much have you slept this week?”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not. You need a break.”

“Stop.”

“No.” Tendou turned you around, forced you to face him. To really look at him for the first time in over a week. “You can’t just go around grieving y/n.” He scolded. His words were harsh but he was looking at you like anything but. His hair fell in light waves (evidence he’d probably just gotten out of the shower before coming here) and fell just below his eyebrows. Eyebrows that were stitched together in concern, eyes looking down at you softly as they took in your appearance. You were sure you looked as ragged as you felt, with messy hair and smudged makeup, bags under your eyes. He didn’t look like he’d been getting much sleep either. “Dammit y/n. Go through it, not around it. You have to process it.”

“Stop.” You whispered with less conviction this time. You could feel the water start to gather on your lashes as you thought about them. The family member you should have been closer to. “Please, ‘Tori, don’t make me.” You begged, shaking your head lightly. “I just need to work.” You tore yourself from his grasp and tried to grab for your food but twisted yourself while turning and the food fell, bowl clattering to the ground as pasta spilt. “Fuck.” You cursed, falling to your knees and immediately trying to scoop the pasta back up.

“Y/n,” Satori whispered softly, following you to the ground, “look at me please.” His voice was gentler now, hands cupping your face, rough fingers brushing softly at the tears that you now realized were falling freely from your eyes.

“Satori.” You let out a small sob as your voice caught and could see his eyes water at the sight of you starting to shake. “They’re gone and I don’t even remember the last time I saw them.” You cried. “I don’t remember the last time I talked to them.” He shushed you softly, pulling you into his body. The longer you thought about it the more you started to cry, breath hiccuping and body shaking. All the built up emotions piling out, breaking the seams and consuming you. “I don’t even have a right to-“

“Hey.” He scolded lightly, his hand smoothed over your head, pushing your hair down in that spot and pressing a soft kiss. “Let’s go to bed.”

“But the work-“

“Can wait.” He said, easily scooping you into his arms and carrying you towards your room. “You can take two days off and let me take care of you.”

He didn’t mean to cause this, he just wanted you to breathe. Wanted you to process so that you could get through it and be able to think about it in the future without it consuming you then too. You knew this was the healthy way. But laying in his arms, sobs racking your tired body as he held me tightly against him. Feeling the tightness in your chest expanding as you stopped ignoring it, as you truly felt it— you truly felt terrible. Because you knew that you would end up doing this again. And if he stuck around, Satori would have to remind you again to process this way instead of the other. If he—

“I’m not going anywhere my love,” as if he could read your mind, “I’m always going to be here when you need me you just have to let me.”

A/N: feedback is always welcome—encouraged—I’m v v tired

#𓇻 fics

[gingergorli]

Debt and Indebted Pt. 2

CW: Mental breakdown, stress, and exhaustion, but mostly fluff.

Tag List: @skys-fantasy

The curtains in Civilians dorm swayed with the wind in the cool night breeze as they stumbled in. With weary eyes they checked the clock on their bedside table. 3 am. Yet again, no time to study. There was no doubt in Civilians mind that they were going to fail their finals tomorrow. They could hardly believe that their boss has decided to schedule them the series of overnight shifts for this week specifically. Civilian had tried desperately to get out of them, especially tonight’s, but to no avail. They were already hanging on to this job by a thread, as boss liked to remind them anytime they begged for a more reasonable shift. But no. Apparently falling asleep during a robbery that cleaned out the store means getting stuck with graveyard shift for the rest of your life. They wished they could quit, but no matter how frequently, they harassed the financial aid office their tuition was still negative. Civilian sighed. This is what they got for trusting Villain.

They flopped onto their bed, exhausted. Carefully they kicked off their shoes. They patted the edge of their bed searching for their blanket only to find… a pile of clothes? No that couldn’t be right, they pushed their laundry onto the floor earlier. What kind of object..?

“Someone’s home late. Did you miss me, dear?”

Villain. Civilian startled out of bed, stumbling backwards toward the window. Civilians elbow hit the window with a dull thud. Thank god the windows were shatterproof, if only their elbow could say the same.

“Jesus fucking Christ- Villain! It’s three in the morning- Shit!” Civilian rubbed their elbow as tears welled in their eyes. “No, believe it or not I’m not happy to see you. What do you want?”

“That wasn’t the question, but it’s fine. It truly is a horrific hour to be awake, it’s a real shame you still work that mini-mart job. It’s beneath you, really.”

“Yeah no kidding.. hey if you know where I work why didn’t you just find me there? Y’know instead of scaring ever loving shit out of me in my bed of all places?”

“Shh shh shh,” Villain hushed, smiling. “It would have ruined the surprise! Plus the mini-mart has security cameras. Can’t let the media catch on and all that jazz.”

“You’re sadistic. If it were any other hour I would be more afraid of you, but it’s three am. AM! Why the fuck are you here!” Civilian glared up at Villain. Only the moonlight illuminated both them in the dorm.

Villain looked down at Civilian. Dark eye bags lined their face, making their features sharper than they were normally. They hadn’t even bothered to change out of their uniform. “Okay, I understand. I apologize,” Villain mustered a pitying glance toward Civilian. “I am here to inform you about your next kidnapping… tomorrow afternoon.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, not really. You think poorly of my humor if you’re proposing I find this to be comedy,” Villain snarked.

Civilian laughed, a wild, exhausted cackle. “Villain, do you know what week it is. Do you happen to know what is happening this week. No? I’ll give you a hint. It starts with F and ends with S, and there’s a inal in the middle. Finals! Finals are this week! And do you know when they start? Tomorrow afternoon!” Civilian tucked their knees to their chest as they cradled their head between their knees, still laughing. “God, it’s just so funny. ‘Sorry professor, I got kidnapped by Villain again! Yeah! Again! No, I don’t have proof. Oh what’s that? You’re going to fail me? I’m flunking out of college? Yeah sounds about right!’” Their laughter had turned to sobs at this point. Villain stood up, sitting beside Civilian under the window.

“Hey, I’m sorr-“

“No, don’t ‘I’m sorry’ me. I could just quit my stupid job if you just paid my tuition like you promised. But here we are. On the floor at 3 am. So far only one of us is holding up our end of the deal.” Civilian wiped the tears and snot off their face. Hesitantly, they glanced at Villain who now had their hand on their back.

“Villain?” Civilian asked.

“Yes Civilian..?” Villain replied, furrowing their brows.

“I’m scared.” They whispered.

“I know Civilian.”

Villain gently hugged Civilian and they laid down under that fateful window until morning came once again as it always did. Sometimes Civilian wished it didn’t.

#whump prompt #whumplr #hero x villain #whump #whump community #whump writing #whump scenario #civilian #civilian x villain

[theminecraftbee]

as another timeloop lover, who'd you put through that, if you felt so inclined?

personally, i like the idea of either Bdubs (as a nod to the Time King bit) or perhaps Joel. they'd both play the tragic role so well, i think, beneath the fool veneer

forever doomed to repeat misery they cannot escape; and forever cursed to bear it with denial, ignorance, and a smile too tight

so this depends on my mood and which of my thoughts I’m thinking about the time loop thing. however joel is SUCH a big-brained option. i think it takes him a week of the same day to acknowledge what’s happening. i think to him the day he’s repeating is a normal day if it weren’t for the weird part at the end and everyone else acting like something’s wrong. and then bit by bit, he’s forced to acknowledge it’s real. the wall of “magic isn’t real and i’m the most amazing person” has to get peeled away but by bit. he gets desperate. he starts bargaining. he just wants everyone to make it through the day. and the worst part is, everyone who isn’t lizzie and jimmy is just like “I guess he just got weirder” even as he visibly breaks down, because of course they do, of course, he doesn’t bother acting like he knows anyone but his family, they WOULDN’T know this is a joel on the brink of breaking, over and over again—

listen now i have brainrot. the idea here is “joel timeloops either a bad end where xonorth wins or empires’s actual bad end” god you’re SO big-brained.

anyway the other ones I rotate are:

joe hills. not just because he’s my guy but because he already has a groundhog day reference in his stream, and because i think you could get the right vibes for this from super hostile. i think he’d try and try again, and fail and fail again, and slowly manage to claw his way to victory while railing against god, and it would be good.

at one point i almost wrote “ren and doc get stuck in a time loop when the hermatrix breaks and have to break it from the inside”, at least in part because i wanted to give doc a breakdown, lol. the idea was that they had to speedrun all the hermatrix clues in their short one-day loops and then had to speedrun building this massive redstone contraption that would have let ren run arbitrary code on the universe to fix it. i ditched this only because i had trouble working this with how the actual hermatrix plot ended up working. a big thing with them would have ended up being “the two of them work against the clock, as the day resets at the same time every day and the things they have to do eventually barely are doable in twenty-four hours”

i think pearl would make a good time traveler in general. i think pearl is the comedy time traveler option actually; i think she’d still have her moments of horrible existential dread and despair, but i think she’d use being in a time loop to do Whatever She Wants in order to keep her spirits up and also because she can. that’s always a fun one to mess with.

#answered #just… time loops…. good. #time loop joel

[unsleepingtales]

Guys I’m gonna be real I am Not ready for this episode. But we press on!

Are you kidding me the episode is literally called Baron’s Game 😭😭😭 we’re so screwed

Love the spiritual possession warning in the description.

Mordred manor and cravencroft on the table!

They care about each other so much!!

Why does he keep calling her Figueroth

BITCH BARON

Whooooo

Riz now is your time to come out as aroace. This is it.

I never realized that Baron’s stark father was the nightmare king

Fucked upppppp

Brennan what is this.

Cait May I’m forever in your debt for Riz and Gorgug’s art <3 I love them more every time

Fingers out of his elbows?????

God I’m so aware that Kristen’s room is the chapel because of fics but it fucks me up every time

Also Fig sleeps under the piano. I know that’s not really feasible for the mechanics of this fight but Fig’s ‘room’ is the hollow under the piano in the living room

I like to spread it out 💀

KALINA!!!

I would 100% believe that Brennan is just having them roll dice for shits and giggles and to heighten the tension

WOOOOO canon Fig’s room mention. So she is still under the piano! It’s just not the way we were visualizing!

Spring break! I believe in you!

I love Riz’s theme music

I was right!!!!!! When I said that room looked like a chapel in my original battle set breakdown I was right!!!

Edgar!! Does this mean we’ll get to see my best friend Zayn???

Adaine’s room reveal :D

Fabian you have been in Adaine’s room before. You were there last week.

OH OK THAT’S WHY

NOOOOOOOOOOO

PVPPPPPP

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

You’re sick for this

ONLY a 20.

Lou is having SO much fun with this

Oh my GOD the unrequited fabriz vibes.

LOU. STOP.

Oooooh the Adaine’s room backdrop is so pretty. Cait please show us the full thing later? Please? I want to buy prints of the girl’s rooms as a fun fucked up triptych

Oh my GOD Adaine

Adaine crying ‘Fabian hit me’ got me in the emotions. Ouch.

Lay on Hands baby!!

Edgar :D

Is this a tongs situation 😬

We need an Edgar plushie. Please. Little ethereal ghost rat plushie

HATE that face from Zac.

Ally. Allyyyyyy

That’s definitely how that works yeah

Oh no.

Staircase!

ZARA?????

ZAYN MY BEST FRIEND ZAYN DARKSHADOW WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU

I still love that Gorgug cast warding bond on Fig <3

Noooooooooo

Whomst

‘Why do you attempt to fly with just a ribbon’ is a reasonable question. Following that up with ‘do you not think your friends would take you more seriously if you didn’t make bad ideas’ is INSANE

Oh my GOD.

No. Don’t do this to me man.

Love Emily’s creamy yellow Life Sucks Then You Die shirt. Feels very appropriate.

Sometimes your ex’s playlists slap ok!!

Fabian was generally menacing, Adaine is going directly for the throat with her Baronisms and it’s upsetting.

There is math to being mad!!! That’s my boy!!!

We go way back 😭

Turncoat!

I fucking love sneak attack man

Why is there wolfsbane in Adaine’s room?

Sexyyyyy

Do NOT do that????? That’s a cursed item that you should not touch???

Awww there’s a Vote for Kristen poster in Adaine’s room!

I love the long holding of the shot on Lou doing that dance

Zayn I know this isn’t you this isn’t what you want <3

Make him do a little dance??

Siobhan Thompson you’re brilliant

Oh god the clock

LIVE LAUGH WOLF

Awww little picture of Fig and Sandra Lynn and Baxter

WHAT ARE THE D8 ROLLS

GET FUCKED BRENNAN

Ask him bc he’ll tell you to do it and 😈

Them’s the breaks!

Adaineeeeee I love you

Jawbone nooooo

Does Ally fully just have a carton of raspberries back there

Devastating honestly

‘Don’t tell Fig she’ll be jealous’ I know they meant jealous of Gorgug getting to kiss Zara but. What if. I pushed the figgorgug agenda just a little further.

Reliable talent is soooo good

Zayn :(

I know it’s not really him but I miss my bestie

Baby Kalina 🥺

HELLO???

Conspirator??? Lydia Barkrock might be the other conspirator??? Have we ever heard Lydia talk about Kalina??

YEAH BABYYYYYYYY

I fucking rule at sucking!!!! I suck ass!!!!!

Ooooooh beautiful cravencroft background

Nooooooo last week was so long and this was like half the length so it feels so short lmao

#fantasy high junior year #verbal component #reactions #zayn

[alittlebitofeverythingtbh]

The Night It All Happened

Corey Cunningham x fem!reader

Warnings: angst angst angst

Authors Note: I am sorry in advance cause this is kinda sad lmfao. This is a flashback in the Corey series, before the series started.

October 2019

You were sitting in your class, listening to whatever your lecture your professor was teaching on. You stared at the clock just waiting for it to hit six in the evening. Your prayers were answered once the lecture was over, and you gathered your things to head out. You were putting away your folder full of notes when someone came up to your desk. You didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.

“Hey Cunningham,” you said with a smile, looking up at your friend Corey. He beamed back at you, “hey, so I managed to get a babysitting gig tonight.” “Congrats! Try to make sure the kid doesn’t eat too much candy,” you teased. He snorted, “no promises.” You grabbed your stuff and got out of your seat, making some room for Corey to join you at your side as the two of you walked out of the classroom.

“It’s for Mrs. Allen. She needed someone last minute to babysit her kid Jeremy,” he explained, “figured I wasn’t gonna do much besides passing out Halloween candy.” You nodded, “that’s fair, you wanna come over after you’re done? Later I mean.” Corey smiled, “I’d love to. I’ll text you as soon as I’m done.” He looked at the time on his phone, “I should probably head home and get ready to go. She needs me to be there in around 30 minutes.” “Alright, have fun Corey, we’ll talk later,” you said, moving towards the parking lot outside. He waved as you went, watching you go with that goofy grin of his.

You looked back, your gaze lingering on him a bit too long. You wouldn’t tell anyone, let alone him, but you had been harboring a bit of a crush on Corey for a while now. How could you not? He was sweet, caring, and absolutely adorable. You sighed as you started your car, thinking it wasn’t meant to be. Things never worked out in the love department, so you just kept everything to yourself. Besides, what if Corey liked someone else? He told you everything and you hadn’t heard anything about him having a crush. But still, what if? You backed out of your parking space before heading home as the the last light of the day faded away.

You didn’t do much Halloween night, mostly just passing out candy on your porch. You didn’t wear a costume, but you wore a horror movie shirt and called it a night. Maybe if Corey came over you’d wear something else. You let out a small chuckle at the idea of wearing the bustier you had gotten at Spirit Halloween last week, and maybe with a cute skirt. Oh god, no you couldn’t do that. Corey would literally turn into a tomato. But it would be kind of funny.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a text message from your mom.

We need to call.

You gave your mom a call, feeling concerned. She never called you too often. “Hello? Mom?” you asked. “Baby, I- I just got off the phone with Mrs. Cunningham…it’s Corey…he.” Your heart dropped, “he what?”

“He killed a kid. He…killed a kid.”

Your mom didn’t have much information, saying that there was an accident or something when Corey was babysitting. “I don’t think it was on purpose, but they took him down to the station. It doesn’t look good,” your mom continued as you tried to hold yourself back from crying. You barely heard what else she said before goodbyes were said. You hung up, the sobs you had been holding back coming up all at once. You didn’t even notice you had dropped the candy bowl full of candy on the porch. You just knew that you felt awful, like throwing up. All the plans you had for the night were gone.

Once your breakdown was over, you glanced at the ground and saw the candy all strewn about. You quickly dropped down and began picking it all up, dumping it back into the bowl. Once that was done, you went inside and turned off your porch light. You didn’t even bother leaving a note outside saying that there was no more candy.

Halloween was over.

#corey cunningham x reader #corey cunningham #halloween ends

[duckymcdoorknob]

heya ducky - hope you're doing well!

truth be told, i feel like i'm close to having some kind of mental breakdown. i am an icarus; i genuinely believe that there's no point in doing something if you're not aiming for total perfection. anything less than exceptional or at least above average is essentially worthless to me. this attitude towards my life has only been further exacerbated with one of my best friends dropping out of university (i'm so proud of him for doing so because he was not doing well but i feel like there's a huge gap in my life now and as if i'm in a state of mourning). please may you do a sugawara, atsumu or suna comforting their romantic partner reader in some kind of isolated place (rooftop, garden, etc). thank you so much for everything you do <3

Hi Henry!!

I hope that by the time you see this you’re doing better, I know it’s been ages since you’ve sent this in, but I do my requests chronologically. So I hope that it’s not too late!!

I hope all is well for you and that you may be in any sort of place that’s better.

For you? I do all three characters :)

Okay suga’s got long as fuck, but I think he’s your comfort character if i remember correctly so ye :)

Suna’s is a little short bc I don’t know how to write for him oops 🫣

CW BELOW THE CUT: Severe perfectionism, self-health neglect

𝐾𝑜𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑆𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑎

As we all know, Suga is very attentive and observant. He noticed the drop in your attitude right away.

He found it best not to pry, not wanting to be the reason that you became even more upset.

Instead, he tried to be as supportive from afar as he could.

He’d leave chocolates in your locker every morning, alongside a sticky note.

Sometimes they’d say something to pick you up, like a compliment or a joke. “Your shirt reminds me of you, beautiful and vibrant.”

Or, other times it would give you some kind of inspiring message. “I believe in you with all of my heart. I love you.”

He’d place it in your locker during morning practice, hoping and praying that his little gesture would be enough to get you through the day.

Suga felt his heart sank the day he saw you receive a certain assignment back.

This had been one that the two of you worked together on (oh no, cheating?? In high school? Unheard of!) and he felt good about.

He watched as you read the bad grade and gently placed the paper on your desk, subsequently staring blankly at the white board in front of you.

He didn’t know how, but he knew he had to step in and make sure you were alright.

So, he left another note.

“Hey! I have a surprise for you! Courtyard @3:30?”

All he could do now was hope and pray that you would show up…

When the clock rolled to 3:30, Koushi anxiously awaited your arrival on a bench. He sat patiently, holding a cool leaf that he would assign as your “surprise” if you were to ask.

With a sigh of relief, he saw you clearing the corner with a beaming smile on your face.

What he didn’t know was that you had put this smile on, two seconds before you entered the courtyard.

“Hello my love!” He chimed, patting the seat next to him.

“Hi Suga!” You beamed in response, sitting next to him, “So. What’s the cool thing you wanted to show me?”

Koushi gulped, still holding his smile on. “Look at this amazing leaf that Noya found for me this morning!” He showed you this leaf as if it were a $100 bill.

“Ah… wow!” You replied, flabbergasted. “That’s… that’s something alright!”

Your boyfriend sighed, suddenly leaning onto your shoulder. “Okay I might have lied. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

You couldn’t help but smile sincerely this time around. You ran your fingers through his hair absentmindedly. “I could use the time right now.”

“So I’ve noticed…” he murmured.

“What?” You asked, fingers slowing to a vault.

Shit.

Koushi sighed, unmoving. He took your hand and kissed it gently. “Please tell me what’s been going on. I’m so worried about you.” his voice was just above a whisper.

Your breath caught in your lungs as you registered his words, “Nothing im-“

“(Y/N). You barely reacted to the grade you got on the assignment we worked on. What’s in that pretty head of yours?”

“I feel so… so empty.” You whisper, gripping his hand suddenly, “Like nothing matters anymore.”

“I see. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, Suga. I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to find the reason to do anything unless if it’s absolutely perfect. I just want all of my efforts to be recognized.”

Koushi lifted his head off of your shoulder and pressed his forehead to your own. “I love you. So damn much.” After that, he held both sides of your face and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Anything that you do makes me absolutely proud. No matter how badly our ship sinks, we always get back up.”

He pressed another kiss to your forehead, “I don’t know who set such high standards for you, but I’m here to crush them. You’re doing just fine yourself and you don’t need anyone to tell you how to live your life. I’ll always be pleased with you, no matter what you do.”

“Thank you.” You whisper in reply.

“Anytime. I’d do anything for you.” And with that, he finally pressed the sweetest kiss on your lips.

𝐴𝑡𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑢 𝑀𝑖𝑦𝑎

Atsumu is such a sweetheart. This boy would do anything for you.

He learned from a fellow classmate that you had been in a pretty tough spot lately, so he immediately jumped into action.

“Good morning!” The blonde boy chimed as he stood next to your locker.

“Uff- hi ‘Tsumu.” You replied, clutching your chest, “you scared the bejeesus outta me.”

“Sorry!” He gave you a kiss on the cheek as an apology, “I have a big surprise for you later!”

“Oh? A surprise, for little ol’ me?” You teased, smiling in giddiness.

“Yep!” He cooed, “I can’t wait!”

As he turned away to go to his own classes, your boyfriend hoped that this would be enough to get you through your day.

To his delight, Atsumu was met with you at his locker at the end of the day.

He grabbed his belongings, chatting about his day with you. When he was all packed up, he led you to his house by hand.

“Okay so!” He beamed as he entered the house. “I noticed that you haven’t been your happiest lately, so I had ‘Samu help me with this…”

You immediately felt your heart sank. He had noticed? You were doing so well keeping it hidden…

Regardless, you quirked a brow at him out of curiosity.

“Surprise!”

When your attention shifted to Atsumu, he was standing in front of a bunch of random ingredients.

“We’re gonna make and decorate sugar cookies!” He chimed.

You couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this would be fun.

Unfortunately, everything decided to go against you. Your icing was too warm, so it melted as it came out of the bowl, there was a hole in your piping bag, and some of the cookies were too crumbly.

So there you and your boyfriend sat, covered in miscellaneous baking ingredients, and colored icing.

“Damn it,” you muttered through gritted teeth, “This was just another thing for me to fuck up, and I did a great job. Sorry, ‘Tsumu. I must’ve messed this up for you too.”

“Sweetheart, what do you mean?” Atsumu instantly put down his cookie and bag, taking both of your hands, “Here, come talk to me.”

He led you to his bedroom and shut the door. He sat you down on the bed and held you in your lap. “Tell me everything. Please don’t hesitate; I’m right here for you.”

So, you told him. You told him how awful you felt whenever things didn’t exceed the expectations that you had for yourself. You explained how you felt a huge void in your life since your friend left school.

��(Y/N), I love you.” was all he said.

He pulled you into a tight hug, kissing your cheek int he process. “I love everything about you. I love how passionate you are to succeed. Even though it may be a little much sometimes, your iron-will never lets you down.”

“I love how you can completely drop whatever’s bothering you, so that you can hang out with me. I know that it takes a lot out of you to pretend to be okay when you’re not. So, thank you.”

“And. I think you’re doing the best you can. I love you, but I think your standards are too high. You have to give yourself room for failure. You are human, after all. You can’t always have things go the way you want them to. But I adore you for trying your best every time.”

You sighed and squeezed him tighter, holding him as if he would leave you. “Thank you ‘Tsumu. I love you too.”

“Come on.” he said, picking you up from the couch, “We have cookie pieces to try and decorate.”

You nuzzled into his shoulder. He really did love you with all of his heart.

𝑅𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑜 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑎

When Rin noticed that you weren’t taking care of yourself, he immediately spiraled into an internal panic.

You were not one to ever endanger yourself, so he was automatically worried.

Whenever he would text you, you wouldn’t reply for hours straight.

Whenever he would call you, you would reply with “Can’t talk. Have to study.”

Whenever he would see you in the hallway, you would have the most prominent bags under your eyes.

Eventually, he couldn’t stand to see you tearing yourself apart.

He shot you a quick text one Saturday morning. “Hey beautiful. Meet me at the memorial at 1pm?”

To his delight, you replied immediately. “That sounds fantastic right about now.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then, love.”

Suna sighed and flopped backwards on his bed. What could he do to help you?

Hours passed as the middle blocker brainstormed how to approach the situation, and how to comfort you.

When it was time for him to leave, he left with the best idea he could come up with…

Suna arrived at the park and found you sitting by the fountain. He chuckled lightly to himself and made his way toward you.

“Hi, (Y/N).” He said happily, sitting down on the grass next to you.

“Hey, Rin.” You replied, immediately laying your head in his lap.

“So I wanted to ask you something important.” He said, running his fingers through your hair.

“And that might be?”

He sighed.

“Are you okay?”

Your breath left your lungs as you attempted to speak. “I- yeah. I’m okay, honey. Why do you ask?”

“Sweetheart please don’t lie to me. I just want you to be happy again.” He muttered, cupping your cheek with his hand.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. “No, Rin. I’m not okay.”

“Talk to me, please.”

“Nothing is worth it anymore. I try so hard to be absolutely perfect all of the time. My studies, my grades, my activities. All of it. If it isn’t perfect, I hate the result.” You explained.

“Right.”

“And I just don’t feel like I’m full anymore. There’s been a void in my heart for a long time, and I just want it to go away. I wanna be good enough. I want to be able to look at myself and see a successful person.”

“Well, you just need to look harder.” He replied.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Rintaro, what do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re perfect the way you are. Please stop trying to change yourself. You try the hardest at every activity you do. You try so hard to be the best and it kills me to see you neglecting yourself and your health. Please don’t hurt yourself anymore, I just can’t take seeing you so beaten down.”

“Rin, you don’t get it.”

“I understand plenty. We’re in a hard spot with our education right now, but there’s no need to have such high standards. I know how badly you want to succeed, but you already are. You’re doing your best at everything, and that’s all we could ask you for. I’m already proud of you, so at the very least that should be enough.”

You sighed and sat up, turning around to tackle him in a hug. “I love you, Rintaro.”

“And I love you more, (Y/N).” He replied softly, returning your hug tightly.

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

#haikyuu #haikyu #haikyu!! #haikyuu x reader #hq suna #hq comfort #hq imagines #hq atsumu #hq sugawara #haikyuu x reader imagine #haikyuu x reader comfort #haikyuu comfort #suna x reader #rintaro suna x reader #koushi sugawara x reader #Atsumu Miya x reader #Atsumu Miya #Miya atsumu #Sugawara koushi #Koushi sugawara #rintaro suna #suna rintaro #ducky’s emergency requests #haikyuu emergency request #haikyuu emergency requests #emergency requests #emergency #request #anime #anime comfort

[munsonsreputation]

hi kay my love!!! congrats on 500 followers! as per usual, i have a request… a noah and steve request!

"I'll keep the nightmares at bay; just rest for now; I got you, I'll be here when you wake up." — you’re very anxious with uni exams and you decide to call steve. it’s middle of the night and for a second he thinks you’re in trouble, but then you explain you can’t sleep and when you do, you have nightmares. when you hang up, steve drives to your house (maybe the fic starts here) and tries to sneak in, but Noah can’t keep his presence a secret. you ask Steve what he’s doing, fluffy talk and he sleeps with you

do your magic, i bet it’s gonna be amazing. love you 💙

hey effie!!

my apologies that this took so long but i hope i did it justice!!! thank you so much for all the love and support that you give to me daily!!! our friendship means so much to me and i hope you love this!! 💘💘💘

The luminous green light from the clock sitting on your desk scorched your eyes. It was nearly three in the morning and you were more than exhausted. On the verge of a mental breakdown, actually.

You had been studying for your university exam for hours. Ass glued to your desk chair and eyes boring holes into the textbook and notes you’d been flipping through. Your sweet dog Noah, fast asleep on the floor beside your feet, as he kept you company while you studied.

You wished you could be fast asleep as well.

You were tired.

So. very. tired.

But you couldn’t find it in yourself to get up.

These exams weighed heavily on your grade and you couldn’t risk missing any points. You had worked so hard to ace these final exams so that you could finally enjoy a break and get this whole thing over with.

But you didn’t know your limits, or at least were horrible at setting those boundaries with yourself. You tended to overwork yourself, and tonight was one of those instances. You wished Steve was here to scold you and tell carry you into bed, but of course you had convinced him that you would be alright and wouldn’t overdo it.

But here you were almost in tears, delirious as you reached your phone and dialed in the numbers you remembered by heart with salty drops already falling down your cheeks as you heard the rings.

“H-hello?” He had just woken up, clearly by the cracking and hoarseness in his voice.

Immediately, you sobbed, loud sniffles cutting in from the other side of the line that got Steve springing up from his bed and wide awake.

“S-steve,” your voice cracked, your sobs getting louder as you wiped your tears, “I—I need you.”

He threw the sheets off his body, shoulder keeping the phone glued to his ears as he tried to search for a shirt to throw on. He caught the time on his clock, immediately even more concerned now considering the hour that you were supposed to be asleep, but instead here you were crying to him over the phone where he could do nothing but let the worse come to mind.

Did someone get into your house?

Did you have a nightmare?

Was something bothering you?

Were you hurt?

Fuck! If you were hurt, then he needed to hurry.

“What going on? Baby—talk to me, are you hurt?”

Mentally. Totally.

Your brained was fried.

You shook your head as if he could see you, swallowing the hiccups that forced itself out, “No, I’m not hurt…I just need you, Steve.”

You heard a little more rustling in the background, before it became clearer, “I’ll be right over, just give me a few minutes, doll.”

“Okay…drive safe, please.” You said softly, trying to calm your crying as you knew help was on the way in no time.

The jingling of his keys was the last thing you heard before his voice, “Always, babe. See you soon.”

You hung up the phone, taking a deep breath as you closed your eyes. The tears still spilling, yet you seemed to get it a bit under control, focusing on the notes on your desk. Attempting to read off the last few bullet points through your blurry eyes, which was absolutely ridiculous, but you were never one to give up so easily.

Your crying had progressed so much that Noah had woken up. Cuddled up by your legs as you reached down with one hand, attempting to comfort him and let him know that you were ok, even though you knew your doggie could feel that you weren’t.

This seemed to be the only time tonight where you tore your eyes away from the pages, but it wasn’t until you heard the key turn in the doorway that you felt like getting up from your desk chair. It was only a few moments later where Steve slowly turned the knob to your bedroom door, staring at you with concern in the doorway.

or the first time that night, you got up from your seat.

The second Steve got into your bedroom he knew you’d be crying once again. You always softened up when he was around, like he was your safe space. And he was so very grateful that you picked him as a safe space.

And he was right, hearing your soft sniffles, and how you sneaked your hand up to your cheek to wipe your cheeks, “Baby…”

You turned slowly towards him, immediately walking into his chest where he had his arms held out, before engulfing you in his cages. You cried into his t-shirt, soaking the fabric with your tears, fingers tightening around his back where you held onto him for dear life.

His eyes scanned around the room, eyes drawn to the mess on your desk filled with scattered pens and papers. Noah had also gone back to his usual spot, knowing that he was around and would make sure that you were ok for the rest of the night. Suddenly, it became clear that studying was what got you here. He had spoken to you over the phone a few hours ago, just before he went to bed around eleven. You had told him you’d only be studying for a half an hour more and then you’d get to beauty sleep.

Of course you didn’t.

“Honey, shhh, you gotta take a deep breath.” He guided your head away enough so he could see you.

Mimicking breathing for you to follow as he clutched your cheeks and thumbed away the tears ever if they didn’t stop anytime soon.

“I—I’m sorry,” you whimpered, tightly shutting your eyes, feeling so embarrassed for waking him and making him come all the way here.

“Hey, no, none of that.” His lips met your forehead, pecking the skin and grounding you. “don’t apologize, I’m so glad you called me.”

Your eyes opened, meeting his brown orbs that looked down at you, “You just gotta talk to me, doll…tell me what’s going on?”

He reached behind him, unwrapping your hands from him and holding yours in his hands, where he led you towards your bed. Honestly, your bed never felt so comfortable than right now. The blankets and pillows cushioning you as Steve pulled the sheets back and led you in. You watched him for a second; him toeing off his shoes before getting into bed beside you.

His arms wrapped across your midsection, slotting himself against you where you felt the most safe and comfortable, “I—I’m so scared of failing….I’ve been studying for hours and no matter how hard I try to get the stupid concept...I just don’t…”

Your voice failed the rest of the sentence, instead the words just slowly crumbling with you as you held on tighter to Steve.

He felt the urgency and anxiety in your hold, knowing this feeling all to well since it had happened before, “Sweet girl, you’ve gotta get some rest, you’re killing yourself over this and it’s not good for you.”

“But…but finals is in a few days and if I don’t—”

He squeezed you a little firmer, cutting off your sentence as he laid a kiss on top of your forehead. “But nothing.” Steve started, staring at you through the pale moonlight with softness and firmness laced in his voice.

“I’ll keep it all at bay for the night, and I need you to rest for now,” his gentle fingers brushing back your tear soaked hair away from your face, “I got you, and I’ll be here in the morning then we can figure this all out together ok?”

Again, sniffles filled the room for a short while, as you didn’t know if you could speak of your gratefulness without breaking out into sobs again. There was just something so endearing and comforting about Steve being here for you in moments like these. Even if the stress and anxiety was all in your head, he always knew how to ground you and keep you from diving deeper into the negative feelings.

“I love you.” You whispered faintly, closing your eyes and digging your face deeper into his chest where you felt the safest from your worries and thoughts.

You could feel his smile as he whispered it back to you, “I love you more,” and his arms never daring to unwrap from your body, keeping you safe from the nightmares of what could have been.

That even if there was a chance that tomorrow could be a repeat of tonight, that he’d be here. He always would and he would never let you go through it alone.

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#munsonsreputation #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington stranger things #steve x y/n #steve x reader #steve stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fic #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things

[rosze-v]

birthday boy

pairing: Oikawa Tooru x Reader

synopsis: Celebrating his birthday all alone, or so you thought

tw: fluff, MANGA SPOILER (but only like a place spoiler), slight suggestive theme but really minor, little bit of angst

w.c: 1.3k

a/n: Halu! I don’t really know what to feel about this one, but I was just bored, and needed to write something. I don’t think I did well here but, its okay! I’ve been playing Valorant a lot lately, and it has been fun, I wish I have someone I can play with. Anyway! have fun reading this!

text: happy birthday tooru, take care of yourself.

And sent. You stare at your phone, head empty, and not believing you just sent that. It has been 3 months, since you broke up with the volleyball player. 3 months of living in auto pilot in the morning, and complete breakdowns at night. You have loved, and maybe if you weren’t ignoring your heart, you could admit you still love him.

You met Oikawa when he came over to Argentina, and walk into the bakery you work at. What you noticed from him first was the proud smirk on his face, and his tall build. You immediately knew to steer away from him because the first thing he did when he saw you at the counter was to say, hi pretty can I get your number?  

But what you didn’t know at the time was that he had been watching you for so long. He had his eyes on you the first time he saw you giving out bread samples outside of the bakery. Oikawa thought you were so cute, but he didn’t want to mess it up by being greedy, so he observed you. Yet the result of his observation was replied with how can I help you today sir.

And ever since that day, Oikawa had tried his hardest to take you out, and you gave in. You gave in, and said yes to the best date you have ever went. Oikawa brought you to a beautiful restaurant for your first date, and you guys talk so much, the restaurant have to chase you guys away. You never expected the flirty, cocky-looking man you detest so much, had so much in common with you.

So that was the story of how you dated Oikawa, the man who kept your heart in cages.

Remembering your time with him send a striking pain through your chest. The beach was quite cold, but the starry night is comforting enough for you. You glance at the clock in your phone, and realized that its 12.10. You turn to your right, and take the box of cake, placing it on your lap. When you open the box, you could see a simple white cake, with blue writing of Happy Birthday. Birthdays were always special to you; well, it became special when Oikawa introduced it to you. Growing up, you didn’t celebrate your birthdays much, because no one really cares. So, when Oikawa found out that he missed your birthday because you couldn’t care less to tell him, and he found out the reason why, he made sure that all celebrations be it birthdays, Halloween, whatever it is, will be celebrated.

So, here you are, trying to place the candles in the cake, trying to celebrate the birthday of your ex. You were trying to lit up the candles when a voice startles you.

“You’re gonna burn yourself that way”. You immediately turn around, eyes wide, and body freezing. Though your body relaxes immediately when it was the birthday boy himself.

“Tooru…”. You whispered as Oikawa sit down beside you, taking the cake into his lap, and lighting up the candle himself. He was silent, and you were silent as you take in the sight in front of you. Oikawa’s hair was much longer now, he had it tied. There were stubbles, and little moustache. He looked thinner than before, and yet you couldn’t help but breathe him in. He still smells the same, his voice still sounds the same, and you could only stare at him.

He turned around to face you, placing the cake back into your lap. He was trying his best to not meet your eyes, but he couldn’t help it, he missed the way your eyes misses his. Slowly, Oikawa looks up, and immediately his heart thrums loud in his ears. He misses you so much, it took everything in him not to squeeze you in his arms. It was silent again, the both of you gazing into each other, wondering, what the hell happened.

“happy birthday to you”. You sang suddenly, as you lift the cake up in front of Oikawa.

“happy birthday to you”. Oikawa’s lips who were straight, and emotionless before, curled up slowly.

”happy birthday to my Tooru, happy birthday to you”. Oikawa blew the candle, closing his eyes, pretending to make a wish, when in fact, he was trying his best to hold onto his tears because you called him, my Tooru. When he opens his eyes, he notice your wet cheeks, and you trying to wipe away your incoming tears.

“I'm sorry (y/n)”. Oikawa blurted, and you could only shake your head.

“It was my fault Tooru”.

“No, it wasn’t your fault! I was just not listening to you.” Oikawa admits, as he slowly took your hand into his.

“But I wasn’t understanding enough.” You said, remembering the reason the both of you broke up. It was just something silly, you realize that you and Oikawa have not spend any time together, and he was ignoring your texts, and calls. When you demand answers, he got angry at you, and telling you that he’s too busy. You, of course, apologized first, but then it continues happening, and eventually, the both of you broke up.

“No, baby, I was just…”. Oikawa sighs, rubbing his face in frustration. “I was only looking at myself, and thinking that you will be alright”. He whispered.

“And, I was such a dick to you, and I…, I let you go”. Oikawa couldn’t hold in his tears anymore, he was feeling such intense emotions, and he just wants, no he needs you back so much. Seeing him so broken claws into your heart, as you squeeze his hand. You were going to speak up when Oikawa continues again.

“Please (y/n) … I really want you back. These 3 months were utter hell, I- I need you. I’ll do anything for you to come back”. You peer into his eyes, honesty, and determination were clear in his eyes.

But you can’t help but think of how lonely, and terrible it felt when he ignored you. “But Tooru… what happened was a huge problem you know”. Oikawa nodded in agreement.

“I completely understand that you’re busy, but I really don’t like it when you just ignore me, and the things I said. It felt like my words, and feelings don’t mean anything.” You whispered, looking down at your lap.

A hand extended in front of you as Oikawa places his hand on your chin, and held it up, so you were looking at him again. Gently, he places his hand on your cheek, rubbing circles on it. It felt so soothing, and you could feel yourself melting into Oikawa again.

“I’ll change for you. I’ll learn to listen, and I will learn to communicate better. Please… just give me another chance”. Oikawa pleading voice shakes your weak judgement, and after a few seconds you nodded. Immediately, Oikawa hug you, tight and strong as he sighs in delight.

“Fuck, I miss this baby”. You could only chuckle as you rub his back, and inhaling his scent.

“I miss you too my Tooru”. Oikawa unlatches himself from you as he shows you his grin.

“So, I’m your Tooru?”. Oikawa said, pulling your hand up to his cheek, as you rub his cheek, and then his head. You pull his head to you gently, letting your foreheads touch.

“You’re my Tooru”. He giggles, elated at your words, and getting you back. He stares at your lips, a desire burns in him, but he shakes his head, which confuses you. He quickly pecks your lip, wanting to hold onto his desire, that’s for later, he thought.

“Can we eat my cake at home?”. Oikawa stood up, holding onto the cake box in one hand, while the other held out for you to reach.

“Who said that cake is for you?”. You teased, as Oikawa pout, his lips jutted out, and eyebrows scrunched. You laughed, as you held onto his hip while he naturally places his arms around your shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s your cake birthday boy. I made it for you.”

“Hell yeah! We boutta get cake wrecked baby!”. The both of you laughed out loud, hearts connecting once again, and under the stars of July, you celebrated another birthday.

#oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa tooru #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #oikawa tooru fluff #oikawa tooru angst #oikawa tooru x y/n #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu angst #oikawa tooru imagines #oikawa tooru drabbles #rsz.w

[chorusfm]

Green Day – Saviors

The 14th studio album by pop-punk legends, Green Day, called Saviors, lives up to its title as it very well may have saved the band from going down the unfortunate path that has haunted so many other legendary bands in their careers. While some bands have had trouble living up to the legacy of their past work, Green Day were getting dangerously close to this label after a bit of floundering after American Idiot. Sure, there were a few nuggets of gold to be found every now and then, but looking at the large body of work after American Idiot was a bit of a mixed bag. You had the strong 21st Century Breakdown record, followed by the hit or miss trilogy of ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!, then 2016’s decent Revolution Radio, only to be succeeded by arguably the weakest LP in Green Day’s discography, 2020’s Father of All Motherfuckers. The benefit of Saviors is that it knows when to hit its moments, and when to reel things back a bit. This is largely in part to the band’s trust in longtime producer/collaborator, Rob Cavallo (Dookie, American Idiot), who gets Green Day finding solid footing throughout the LP. Lead single, “The American Dream Is Killing Me” basically writes itself with that electric guitar riff out of the gate from Bille Joe Armstrong, paired with the breakneck drumming of Tre Cool, and the steady hand of bassist Mike Dirnt. Armstrong bellows on the state of the world in the second verse of, “People on the street / Unemployed and obsolete / Did you ever learn to read the ransom note? / Don’t want no huddled masses / TikTok and taxes / Under the overpass / Sleeping in broken glass,” and it’s clear that he and his bandmates are fed up with the status quo. The band doesn’t need to overplay the moment with a 10-minute rock opera, but instead chooses to deliver 15 great pop-punk songs that clock in just over 46 minutes. Green Day became their own saviors by sticking to a formula that works well for them, while still adding some new elements into the mix to keep things interesting, and simultaneously deliver their best work since American Idiot. Other early standouts like the singles found in the frenetic punk rock bliss of “Look Ma, No Brains!,” paired with the swooning mid-tempo rocker of “Bobby Sox,” showcase a band willing to still take some creative risks and liberties in their music. “One Eyed Bastard” gets pretty damn close to ripping off P!nk’s “So What” in that spiraling guitar riff in the opening, but steers clear in the chorus of, “Vendetta is a friend of mine / Revenge is sweeter than wine / I never asked to hear your god-damned feelings / Get on your knees when you are kissing my ring / Bada bing, bada bing, bada boom.” By remaining familiar, but still sounding brash in their punk delivery, Green Day continue to reinvent themselves for the better. ”Dilemma” finds Billie Joe at his most earnest, and simultaneously delivers one of his best vocal takes in the latter stages of his career here. The song would’ve fit well, creatively, on Warning, and yet it also sounds like the band had been savoring this single for just the right moment in time. Kind of a “break glass in case we start to fall off” type of moment in their trajectory. The speedy punk rock of “1981” brings Green Day back to the era of Dookie without ever sounding forced to revisit that magic time of the band, while the ballad of “Goodnight Adeline” briefly loses some of that momentum gained in the sequencing. Luckily, the song is far from a throwaway track in the band’s discography, as Billie Joe passionately paints the scene in the second verse of, “Somedays are holidays / Somedays you call your mother / Somedays you’re sober / But you’re still waking up with a hangover / I’m like a dead weight / I’m going to meet my maker / I’ll see you later / When I get my shit together, singing,” as he slightly dreads over the prospects of getting older. The pattern of Saviors tends to follow the mid-tempo tracks and ballads with certified punk rock smashes, and that continues with “Coma City.” Green Day… https://chorus.fm/reviews/green-day-saviors/

[kerrysdreamcorner]

𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞

A Jujutsu Kaisen Fanfiction

Ⓢⓤⓜⓜⓐⓡⓨ

Millie leaves to Kyoto for a wedding she was hired to do photography for. When her contact with her husband suddenly stops, Satoru knows something is wrong.

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: Descriptions of blood, death and violence

Part 2

“I’m only going to ask you this once, so I strongly suggest you tell me everything you know the first time.”

The cursed spirit stood paralyzed, it’s small, arachnid shaped body trembling beneath the overwhelming power and energy before it. It had gotten sloppy, became too fixated on consuming the dozens of corpses around it to notice the incoming calamity. And now, it’s lost it’s chance to flee.

The man’s lips were downturned in a hard, unamused frown. Raising one hand, he reached for his blindfold and lifted one side. A viscous storm was rolling through the crystal blue orb.

The sorcerer’s eye seemed to glow as it narrowed, the anger in his voice becoming even sharper. Lethal.

“Where’s my wife?”

—— 32 Hours Earlier, Tokyo Station ——

“Do you have to go?????”

“Satoru.” Millie sighed, paying no mind to the onlookers of her husband’s childish breakdown. Poor Megumi, however, looked ready to die of embarrassment. “We talked about this last night. We talked about this the day before yesterday. We talked about this when I took the job. Yes, I have to go.”

Tokyo Station was, as expected, busy for 8 A.M on a Monday morning. Most passengers were on their way to work, but everyone on the platform the trio stood on was waiting for the train to Kyoto.

Satoru sniffled, but who knew if his eyes were really watering beneath the blindfold or not. “But… it’s so far!”

“It’s six and a half hours away by train.” Megumi said, deadpan.

“You’ll be gone for so long!”

“She’ll be back on Wednesday.”

Millie sighed again, a quiet giggle slipping through at their antics. “Megumi’s right, honey. It’s not like I’m leaving Japan. I’m just taking wedding photos. I’ll be back home before you know it.”

Satoru looked down and kicked a pebble. “But… I’ll miss you.”

Her already soft heart softened. Megumi groaned and turned his back to them, scratching the back of his head and trying to pretend as if he had no idea who they were.

“Dear,” Millie said softly, walking into his arms and cupping his cheeks in her hands. “I’ll miss you, too. But this is a good opportunity for me to expand my client base. Try to look at it that way, okay?”

Still, he pouted. Playfully shaking her head, she stood on the tips of her toes to peck his lips.

Satoru tightened his hold on her, squishing her against his chest. He dropped his chin onto the top of her head. “Who holds a wedding on a Tuesday night?”

“Couples who don’t have the funds to pay the rates of a weekend wedding.” Millie said, managing to wiggle enough free room to look up at him. “Not everyone has your bank account, you know?”

The warning lights for an incoming train came on. The crowd around them started rushing their goodbyes and frantically grabbed for their luggage.

Millie kissed her husband again and wiggled free from his clingy arms. “Be good. Megumi will tell me if you’re not.”

Satoru puffed his chest out. “No, he won’t. My dear students would never betray their teacher.”

“Yes I will.” Megumi said, finally turning back to them.

Satoru deflated.

Millie laughed and lightly kissed the teenager’s cheek. “Thank you for coming to see me off. I hope he doesn’t cause you and the others too much trouble while I’m gone.”

The platform rumbled as the train pulled in, the exhaust releasing smoke as it came to a halt. Millie grabbed the handle of her suitcase, gave her husband one last kiss with a promise to call when she got to Kyoto, and boarded the train.

—— 2:34 P.M Monday, Tokyo Jujutsu High ——

The first years sat at their desks, watching their teacher and waiting for him to teach… well, something. He had been rambling on about a topic before, but as soon as the clock hit 2:30, he suddenly stopped and was now leaning against the blackboard while staring at his phone.

Yuji leaned over to whisper to Megumi. “Yo, what’s up with Gojo?”

Nobara did the same. “Yeah. Since when does he suddenly go silent like that?”

Megumi sighed, a vein in his temple throbbing. It’s bad enough that both his classmates seem to share a brain cell, but now his benefactor was going to be haywire until his wife came home. “Millie left for Kyoto this morning. She should have gotten there by now.”

“Ohhhhh.” Yuki said, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Probably because this is the first big trip she’s taken since you’ve come here. Remember that time Gojo spent the entire day moping because Millie forgot to kiss him before he left? This is going to be a whole lot worse.”

“No… really?” Nobara asked, glancing at the white haired man. “He doesn’t seem to be moping, though. I’d say he’s been pretty normal all morning.”

Megumi sighed. “I’m not talking about the moping.”

“But you just brought up the time he was moping!” Yuji exclaimed.

“Gojo’s annoying when he’s moping but when he’s worried about Millie, he’s a completely different Gojo. Unless a band of special grade curses suddenly started running rampant around the school, nothing it going to redirect his attention from his phone. Not until she calls.”

Nobara tapped her nails against the surface of her desk. “A little overprotective, don’t you think? Miss. Gojo is a capable woman, plus she’s a Grade One sorcerer. I’m sure she can take care of herself.”

“HUH?!” Yuji exclaimed, leaping to his feet in surprise. “Miss. Gojo is a sorcerer?!”

Megumi glared at him, ears ringing from the sudden increase in volume. “She was a sorcerer. She retired three years ago and hasn’t practiced it since. If she ever finds herself in a fight, she’ll be rusty. That’s what Gojo worries about.”

Yuji looked towards his teacher. His eyes were hidden, but that smile he has become so used to seeing was no where in sight. That, and he hasn’t gloated about her once since her name came up. “I understand. I’d be worried, too.”

“Why did Miss. Gojo retire?” Nobara asked, genuinely curious.

A shadow fell over Megumi’s eyes. “That’s not my story to tell.”

A phone rang suddenly, and finally, their teacher returned to his enthusiastic self. “My darling!”

The first years groaned, knowing it would still be a while before the lesson continued.

—— 9:58 P.M Monday, Gojo Residence ——

Usually, Satoru couldn’t stop grinning while watching his wife do her bedtime routine in front of the mirror. It’s a sight he’s watched every night for years now, but it still made him giddy. A small part of him still couldn’t believe he was a married man. A bigger part of him still couldn’t believe Millie, the ever closed off girl from his school days, actually fell in love with him.

“You’re frowning, dear. What is it?” Millie asked, eyes focused elsewhere as she applied moisturizer to her face.

Satoru pouted. “I should be in the bathroom with you.”

A smile pulled at her lips as she finally looked at the camera. “Technically, you are in the bathroom with me.”

“Through a phone isn’t the same!”

She breathed a giggle and picked up her phone, the lights going out and door closing behind her as she changed rooms. “I know, but it’s only two nights. You’ll survive.”

She set the phone down, camera facing up at the boring ceiling. He heard shuffling in the background, and when Millie appeared on screen again, she was in a cream coloured sweater.

Satoru lifted one side of his blindfold. “Is that one of mine?”

Millie hummed and climbed into the bed, adjusting the pillows before getting comfortable beneath the covers. “This is strange for me too, you know. Usually, when I’m sleeping alone it’s in the comfort of our bed. I haven’t been this far from home by myself in years. I wanted some part of you here to hold me so I can rest easy.”

Every instinct in Satoru’s body urged him to warp to Kyoto. Millie was right, she hasn’t spent a night away from home since she retired from being a sorcerer. The thought of her being alone in an unfamiliar environment, too uneasy to sleep, made him want to drop everything and go to her.

But, as much as he hated to do so, he had to restrain himself and lock down those urges. If she asked for him, he’d go to Kyoto in a heartbeat, no questions asked. However, as much as he wanted to be there to protect her from her own nerves, he knew this was the time to be supportive and encouraging. As worried as he was about her being away for the first time in a long time, he couldn’t ignore how big of a step forward this was for her.

A step towards moving on, whether she realized it or not.

So, Satoru put on a smile shifted so he could lay down on his side of their shared bed. “I’m glad we share the same sentiment. Do you wanna see my Millie stand in?”

“Your what?”

Grinning like a madman, he grabbed the pillow next to him and held it within view. “Seeeeee? Pretty good, right?”

Millie narrowed her eyes as if trying to comprehend what she was looking at. Then, a moment later, she burst out laughing and rolled onto her side. “I-Is that a wig on a pillow?”

“And your favourite shirt. I even sprayed your perfume on her.”

She gasped dramatically and put a hand over her heart. “My husband is cheating on me with my doppelgänger? The drama!” She flinched suddenly, craning her neck to look at the wall above her. “I think I just woke the people next door.”

Satoru rolled his eyes. “Stingy. Don’t they know my wife’s laugh is something to be listened to fondly?”

Millie’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she propped the phone up against something. “Stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep?”

“I’ll stay on the line with you until morning.” Smiling, Satoru removed his blindfold and got comfortable on his side, just like she was. All the lights in her room were off save for a lamp in the background. He knew she always kept a light on when she slept alone. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”

Her blush deepened, and she lifted the blanket over her head to hide from him. “Toru, I won’t be able to sleep if you keep doing that.”

“Okay! Okay! I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut! Just don’t hide from me!”

As promised, he stayed on the call until she slipped into a peaceful looking sleep. The soft sounds of her breathing soothed him, and eventually he fell asleep watching over her.

—— 10:05 AM Tuesday ——

M: ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇɴᴜᴇ. ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴍᴇ ʟᴜᴄᴋ!

S: ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ʙᴀʙʏ!

S: ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ɪ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴀʏ 😢

M: ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴇᴍᴏɴʏ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛꜱ ᴀᴛ 2 ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ɪꜱ 4-8. ɪ’ʟʟ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇɴ.

S: 😍🥰😘😘

—— 1:32 P.M Tuesday ——

S: ʜᴏᴡ’ꜱ ɪᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ʙᴀʙʏ?

—— 2:47 P.M Tuesday ——

S: ʙᴀʙʏ?

—— 3:07 P.M Tuesday ——

“You’ve reached Millie Gojo. I’m not available to answer the phone right now-” “Because she’s currently too obsessed with me~” “Satoru!” “But leave your contact information and I’ll make sure my beautiful wife gets back to you later.” “You are so-”

—— 3:26 P.M Tuesday ——

S: ᴍɪʟʟɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʀʏɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ

—— 3:33 P.M Tuesday ——

“You’ve reached Millie Gojo. I’m not available to answer the phone right now-”

—— 3:43 P.M Tuesday ——

S: ʜᴏɴᴇʏ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʙᴜꜱʏ ʙᴜᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ’ᴍ ᴀɴɴᴏʏɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴏᴋᴀʏ

—— 3:51 P.M Tuesday ——

S: ᴍɪʟʟɪᴇ

—— 4:01 P.M Tuesday, Kyoto ——

Millie always kept him updated on her location. It was just something she did, given the nature of their lives. Where she was going, when she got there, when she was leaving and when she got home, she always shot him a message so he would be able to locate her if necessary.

So many hours without a response wasn’t like her. Even if she was occupied, she’d at least let him know she saw his message and she couldn’t talk. She would give some sign that she was okay.

Now, as Satoru stood looking at the veil cast over the wedding venue, he hated himself for not coming hours ago. He should have come after the first message went without a response within a decent amount of time. He should have come after the second message went unanswered. He should have come after his call hit her voicemail.

But he had waited. Waited because he wanted to trust that she had just gotten distracted with her work. Waited because he wanted to be a supportive husband while she took back some of her independence.

Where does the balance between protective and supportive lie?

“Ah! Satoru Gojo!” An unfamiliar man in a black suit came running up to him. “We were just about to put out a request for a sorcerer Grade 1 or higher. Have you- Hey! Wait!”

“My wife is in there.” He said, continuing towards the veil. He couldn’t afford to spare more time listening to a spiel.

“But shouldn’t you know what you’re dealing with first?!”

Satoru crossed through the dark barrier, leaving the man behind. He already said what Satoru needed to know: that the curse breathing the same air as his wife was at least of Grade 1 level. A monster Millie should be able to handle, if she hadn’t retired and ceased all sorcery.

An intense smell of rust hit him the second he pushed the grand doors open. Unlike the outside, which appeared calm and peaceful, the foyer was a bloodbath. Bodies littered the grand staircase, all woman, a carpet of blood running down the stairs. Judging from the matching coral coloured dresses, they appeared to be the bridesmaids. The woman at the top, dressed purely in white, the bride.

And a short distance away from the last step, the lens cracked, sat his wife’s camera. He knew for certain it was hers - not just the make and model, but the cheetah charm hanging off the strap. A little gift he had given her way back when after learning her ultimate photography goal was to capture a cheetah in motion. A way to remind her what she was striving for every time she took out the camera.

The cursed energy was thick but he easily found his wife’s residuals. He committed her spectral footprints to memory; they couldn’t have been made by anyone else but her. Out of practice as she is, she still stood and fought. She tried to save everyone.

Satoru followed her traces to the chapel, where another bloodbath awaited him. The guests and groomsmen, by the look of it.

The timeline was clear. It seemed like the cursed spirit attacked not long before the ceremony, when Millie was getting one last round of photos of the bridal party at the entrance. Based on Millie’s movements, he suspected the spirit attacked in the foyer first, then moved onto the chapel. His wife’s residuals ended here. No sign of where she went but luckily, none of the bodies were hers.

At least he could interrogate the small, ugly, spider-like creature chewing on a man’s body. “I’m only going to ask you this once, so I strongly suggest you tell me everything you know the first time.”

The creature paused its feast and froze, realizing just how utterly screwed it was.

Satoru lifted one side of his blindfold and glared. “Where’s my wife?”

#jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #jujutsu gojo #x oc #jjk gojo #jjk satoru