#you can pause at the exact moment where he breaks inside

[vbecker10]

Loki's Silent Sentry (Part 3)

Part 4 / Part 5 (Part 6 in progress)

Pairing: Loki x female reader (y/n)

Summary: You are not just a soldier in Asgard's Royal Army, you are Lieutenant Y/L/N, Prince Loki's personal guard, his sentry and you are not supposed to fall in love with him. If you followed your training properly, you should never have even spoken to him. As a sentry, you are expected to remain silent and invisible as you shadow your appointed member of the royal family or member of the court protectively throughout their daily tasks.

Rumors (that happen to be true) begin to circulate through the palace that you serve the younger prince of Asgard both outside and inside his chambers. There is little you can do once word of your off duty activities spread through every maid, cook, gardener and seamstress in the palace. You soon find even the soldiers in your own company are now questioning how exactly you had come to earn your seemingly quick rise to lieutenant.

As the annual Winter Solstice Ball approaches, you come to the heartbreaking realization that your relationship with Loki must come to an end if you are both to fulfill your duties.

Warnings: Angst, arguing, Thor trying to be a better brother, Odin being a terrible father

A/N: I know this was only supposed to be three parts but you guys know not to believe me when I say stuff like that lol... enjoy 💚

You close your eyes as he pulls you tighter to him, you are sure he can feel your heart pounding in your chest. "Are you really here?" you ask in a whisper. You fear he will vanish like one of his illusions the second you let go of him.

"I'm here my love," he reassures you. He kisses the top of your head and you look up at him. "Follow me," he says in a low voice.

You smile and nod without caring where you are going, you will always follow him anywhere.

He takes your hand and leads you into the room he came out of. You can see he has been busy with his magic, his abilities have always thrilled and impressed you. The magically altered office is twice as large inside as it should be and is an exact replica of his chambers. You look around in awe and can't help but wonder if this isn't an illusion but one of his transportation spells.

He smiles with pride at your reaction and puts his arm around your waist, pulling you close to him again.

"How did you do all of this?" you ask. "Its amazing... you're amazing," you tell him as you turn in his arms to face him.

"I'm afraid the young corporal spent has a large portion of her time this week dutifully guarding my empty office," he jokes and you laugh with him.

"Gods, is that why you requested a new sentry?" you ask.

He smiles mischievously, "Sergeant Tones paid far too much attention to my comings and goings." He strokes your cheek slowly and says, "Now, enough about them," he leans down to kiss your lips and you kiss him back, gripping the fabric of his shirt. Without breaking the kiss, he waves his hand slightly and your armor suddenly vanishes. You smile against his lips, feeling the added weight disappear and his hands rest on the back of your shirt.

You look up at him and say, "I've missed you so much. Did your mother tell you?"

He nods and takes your hand, leading you to the sofa where you sit close together, his arm around your waist and your hand on his knee. "She told me," he answers. "There are only two people in this world I have ever been able to confide in, you and my mother." He pauses for a moment then says, "After you left the throne room, my mother and I went to her private library. I needed her to know how much I care for you, how much you mean to me. I was still afraid my father would find a reason to send you away somewhere but she promised me she would protect you."

"She's been very kind to me," you tell him, smiling to reassure him that you are okay. "You're very lucky to have a mother like her."

He nods in agreement but you can see something is weighing him down. "Loki, what's wrong?" you ask in a worried tone.

"I hate this," he says after a moment. "I hate not being able to see you and when I do, I'm barely allowed to look at you. I hate being able to give you orders but not speak to you. I hate having to pretend that you mean nothing to me. I don't know how much longer I can stand to be without you."

You kiss him and you feel him relax slowly in your arms. "Our passing moments together will never be enough for me but I promise you, I savor every second I see you or hear your voice," you tell him.

He smiles at your response then you can see his attention shift and he says, "I need to tell you something."

"You can tell me anything," you remind him.

"Your paperwork for the transfer wasn't denied... I never submitted it to your captain," he admits, "And I was never going to."

You look at him in shock and he continues.

"I'm so sorry I lied to you. I know it was wrong and I swear on all the Gods that I've never lied to you before but... I just couldn't let you leave me," he says, you can hear the worry in his voice.

You can't help but let out a laugh and he shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," you smile but he still looks concerned. "A part of me was desperately hoping you would somehow delay the transfer. I never wanted to leave you," you admit. "I was a fool for thinking if we were apart, I would be able to move on."

He smiles and kisses you again, his hands traveling up and down the back of your thin shirt. "Stay here with me tonight," he says between kisses. He doesn't say it as a prince ordering his sentry but you obey his request without a second thought.

You stand quietly in front of the queen's office, eagerly awaiting the end of her current meeting. She had informed you this morning that her last meeting was going to be with her youngest son. You couldn't wait to see him, even though you knew it would be brief and he would be unable to speak to you. Any second you saw him outside of the time the two of you stole was appreciated greatly.

It is almost three months since your new Sunday night routine with Loki began. He would slip through the palace with ease after he dismissed his sentry for the night and you would take a left at the top of the stairs after his mother released you.

While hidden away, surrounded by his illusion, the two of you could pretend everything was perfect. You love him with all of your heart and he loves you back just as fiercely. He would kiss you and hold you and tell you that you were his but the moment the sun came up, everything would change. You always did your best to hold back your emotions as you put your armor on and returned to your silent duties.

It devastated you every time you needed to leave him but you kept your pain to yourself. You were afraid to ruin the small window of time you had with wishes and false hope that things could somehow be different.

You follow the queen as she moves gracefully through the long marble halls of the palace, her dress flowing around her. You groan internally when a third council member stops to greet her, delaying your arrival at the prince's office yet again. She nods politely at his failed attempt at what you assume was a joke and kindly excuses herself.

After what seems like hours, you finally you turn the corner and his office is in sight, your heart races knowing you will see him even if it is just for a moment.

You can see his young sentry leaning against the wall behind her and remember how heavy your armor was when you first started. She hears you approaching and stands at attention. You signal for her to knock and announce the queen's presence which she does quickly, it is easy to see how nervous she is. You can't fault her for being anxious around the royal family, especially when you are terrified of the king and less than fond of the older prince.

The door opens and you hold back the smile that tries to slip free when he steps out into the hall. "Hello mother," he smiles at her and she embraces him.

"Good luck with your meeting," she says after taking a step back.

You look between the queen and Loki in shock when you realize she is talking to you. "I'm sorry your highness?" you say quietly.

"Prince Loki has something to discuss with you, Lieutenant Y/L/N. Corporal Glasgow will be temporarily assigned to me for the remainder of the day," she says.

You and the corporal exchange a quick look with a mix of surprise and confusion. It was not protocol to simply switch sentries, especially in the middle of a shift but neither of you were in a position to question the queen. The new guard bows to Queen Frigga and Prince Loki, then without another word they leave the way you came.

You find yourself standing in front of Loki, completely alone and unsure why. It was only Tuesday, had something happened that couldn't wait until Sunday? Your mind suddenly races with all the horrid things that keep you awake at night. Had someone discovered the two of you have been sneaking off together? Were you being sent to a post far from the palace? Had he finally gotten engaged to a woman his father and the kingdom would approve of? Both Loki and the queen were far too calm for any of these to be true but you couldn't push the thoughts away.

He motions for you to follow him and you close the door upon entering his office. Your fears subside momentarily when Loki pulls you into his arms. You close your eyes tightly as he whispers, "I have news."

"Good news or bad?" you ask hesitantly, pulling away slightly but his arms hold you to him.

He smiles in response, "Very good news my love." He takes your hand and the thoughts that had been swirling around your mind fade in an instant. "Come, let me show you," he says, you can hear the joy and excitement in his voice as he leads you through his office.

He pulls out the leather chair behind his large desk, "Sit." You pause before doing as he asks, sometimes it was hard to break protocol even when you were with Loki. You had never sat on this side of his desk before and hadn't realized that until this moment.

"Relax," he says with a light laugh. "I promise you, no one will barge in and find you sitting here."

"Sorry," you let out a nervous laugh. "I guess I'm still a bit worried that your father will banish me to Migard or somewhere."

He kneels next to you and takes your hand. "I would never let him send you away, you know that right?" he asks.

You nod, "I know." You clear your throat, pushing away that fear and ask, "What did you want to show me?"

He smiles so wide you can't help but smile in response. He gets up quickly and grabs the large book on his desk, picking it up he places it right in front of you. "What is this?" you ask, opening the cover. "Asgardian Marriage Law..." you read the cover slowly. "Loki, what-" you start to ask.

"I found it," he is too excited to let you finish your question.

You look at him for a moment, unsure what he is talking about when suddenly it clicks. "You found... you found a loop hole?" you ask, your heart beating faster.

He nods quickly and he repeats, "I found it."

You pace anxiously outside of the throne room, your heart pounding in your chest as you wait for the grand council to convene. "Please stop, Y/N," Loki says as he leans on the wall across from the tall doors. "You are making me dizzy."

"Sorry," you walk over to him. "I'm just nervous. What if he says no? What if he gets angry again?" It was only a day ago when Loki spoke to you in his office but in that short time, your mind had invented hundreds of scenarios that filled you with dread.

Loki seems quite the opposite, he has never been more sure of anything as he holds his research calmly. He extends his free hand and you take it, "Y/N, if I know my father as well as I think I do, he will say no and he will be angry."

"That is not making me feel better," you frown but he chuckles.

"Do not give up on me now," he says. "I told you I will find a way to make you mine and I intend to keep that promise."

You smile at his words and move closer but before you can kiss him the large doors to the throne room are swung open. You pull away from Loki and swallow hard as your nerves ramp up again. He keeps hold of your hand and leads you into the throne room.

The room comes alive around you as the council members that line the room begin to whisper frantically to each other but you pay no attention to them. Your eyes are fixed on Odin, sitting atop the tall throne at the rear of the room. Frigga stands to his right and Thor, in his full dress uniform to his left. Loki squeezes your hand tighter and you are unsure if he is trying to calm you or himself.

The two of you come to a stop at the base of the stairs leading to the throne and Odin holds up a hand to silence the council. Loki bows briefly out of respect for his parents and you kneel as you've been trained.

After a moment or an eternity, you can't tell, Odin says, "Rise".

You stand but keep your head down slightly, knowing Loki is the one who needs to address the council. You are simply here because he wanted you to be, but this isn't where you belong and you know that.

"Why did you call for the grand council to meet?" Odin asks and you look at Loki who gives you a small smile before facing his parents.

"I've called you all here to discuss the marriage requirements for the second child of the king," Loki says.

"The laws are the same for all children of the crown," an older man to your left calls out. The crowd mumbles amongst themselves in agreement but Odin holds his hand up again.

Loki continues, "I am not speaking about the laws that my older brother is meant to follow. Prince Thor is heir to the throne, the next king of Asgard but I am not on the same path."

A few more hushed whispers are heard but it doesn't stop Loki. "There is no argument that the heir must marry someone who is of a certain status and has the approval of the grand council as well as the king and queen," he says and Thor nods, knowing that is his fate. "What I am bringing to the court's attention is that the rules for the second child, the spare, are not the same," he pauses for a second, "And they never were."

The council members all begin talking at once, denying Loki's claim that he is not to be held to the same rules as Thor. The throne room fills with voices and Loki looks around as if he is becoming lost. You squeeze his hand to get his attention and when he looks at you, you reach up and kiss his cheek. You know you shouldn't but he needs to know you support and believe in him.

As soon as your lips touch his cheek, he smiles but Odin stands up, causing the whole room to go silent in an instant. The queen gently places her hand on his arm and he slowly sits without saying a word but it is obvious your display of affection for Loki is not appreciated. After a moment, he waves for Loki to continue.

Loki takes a deep breath and begins where he left off, "I am not suggesting that the second son or daughter of the royal family is free to many anyone. I am merely stating that the rules are not the same for the heir as they are for additional children."

"And what are the requirements for the son who is not the heir?" Thor asks, you are surprised that he genuinely sounds curious.

Before Loki can answer, a woman you always found especially condescending says, "Does it matter? This soldier will never meet them."

Laughter spreads through the council and you look down at your boots as you feel your face flush. Loki squeezes your hand again and you look up, raising your head high.

"I would like to know, that is why it matters," Thor says simply and the laughter stops. He offers his younger brother an encouraging smile, "Continue, please."

Loki answers Thor's question, "The council is of course aware of the numerous rules that surround choosing a spouse for the heir, but the rules for the second son or daughter in the royal family are the same as those written for the children of council members."

Several low whispers begin to fill the room but Loki keeps talking over them. "It is true," he looks at you briefly before turning back to his parents. "Lieutenant Y/L/N does not currently have the rank to become my wife but in a few short years, she will."

"This can not be true," a voice off to your right says.

"It is, I am allowed to marry a soldier from an established military family who is ranked captain or higher. Y/N's family has served Asgard for generations, several members of her immediate family are high ranking officers in our army or royal guard and she is only one rank shy of becoming a captain herself," he explains.

The whispers become louder until the council members are shouting amongst themselves. A few voices in favor of acknowledging the forgotten rule rise above the others and you dare for a moment to feel excited.

Odin raises his hand for silence once again and your heart sinks. He looks at his youngest son then at you and you can see in his eyes he is not convinced even though it seems some of the council is shifting their opinion.

"I wish to see this rule," Odin says. Loki nods and holds out the leather bound book he is holding. A young council clerk walks between members of the crowd to Loki. Loki opens the book, pointing to the page he marked and hands it to the clerk who delivers it to the king. Odin sits quietly, reading the passage again and again.

Loki looks down at you and smiles but you can tell he is as nervous as you feel. "It's going to be ok," you whisper.

"I love you," he whispers back.

Before you can tell Loki you love him as well, you hear Odin stand from the throne. He holds the book open, looking down at the page at if it offends him. "This was clearly a mistake," the king insists, still looking down. "One which I intend to correct immediately," he says, looking up at you and Loki.

He rips the page from the book and crumples it in his hand, you can barely believe your eyes. "Thank you for bringing this unfortunate error to the council's attention. From this day forth, all children of the crown, regardless of birth order, must follow the same strict rules for courting and marriage. Spouses will be chosen from the family's of the high court as they always have been," Odin proclaims. "Soldiers will continue to be ineligible for marriage to a person of royal blood, no matter their rank or lineage," he adds, making sure you will never be able to marry Loki even if you become a general in the future.

"No! He can't do this," you think angrily. Your mind is spinning and your heart races. How could he take this away from his own son.

"You dare to tell me what I can and can not do!?" the king asks in a booming voice and you suddenly freeze.

You look at Loki, his eyes filled with fear and realize you didn't think that, you said it out loud. Odin slowly takes a step forward and you fight the urge to turn and run.

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚

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[sourcherryandsprinkles]

can i request a conrad fisher fic with ‘santa doesn’t know you like i do’ by sabrina carpenter? thank u smsm i love ur writing

I've been loving Sabrina Carpenter at the moment, thank you for the idea anon <3 It fits right with an idea I had in my list!

Warnings: mention of losing a parent (Susannah)

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

Dressed in a red sweater and sparkly skirt, you were about to head to your aunt’s house for Christmas dinner. But just as you were reaching for your coat, you saw Jeremiah’s name on your phone screen. A frown formed between your eyebrows as you answered. 

‘’Hello?’’

‘’Are you with Conrad?’’ 

He sounded worried through the phone. You could feel the prayer for a positive answer in his voice, which made your frown deepen. 

‘’No. Why?’’ 

‘’He didn’t come home. He said he would. He promised Dad— He’s not answering my texts or picking up my calls.’’  

‘’Maybe he got held back at college because of the snow?’’

Jeremiah denied that supposition. ‘’I don’t think so. I called his roommate at Brown and he said he left last night.’’

‘’Maybe he went to Laurel’s? He’s talked about going to Pennsylvania this winter break.’’ 

‘’I already called her. We don’t know where he is. He hasn’t talked to anyone in the last few weeks. You’re the only one he talks to. That’s why I thought he might have been with you.’’ 

A heavy pause hung in the air as you recalled your and Conrad’s last conversations, trying to find a clue of where he was. He talked about finals and living off coffee and cup-o-noodles and how excited he was to eat a home-cooked meal, even if it was mashed potatoes or chicken that wasn’t in a nugget form. The sweater he got Jeremiah for Christmas. His roommate. His mom and the bike he got her last Christmas. It’s still in the garage, at the exact place she left it. 

‘’I think I might know where he is,’’ you said. 

It was a wild guess, but it was Conrad’s comfort place. 

‘’Where?’’ Jeremiah's urgency echoed through the phone.

You shook your head although he couldn’t see. ‘’I’m sorry Jeremiah, but I think it’s best if I go by myself. I’ll call you when I get there.’’ 

⁂

Armed with your double espresso, you braved through the snowy roads and drove to Cousins. It was a wild guess, but you were confident enough that he was there. It was the place he went to every time he wanted to be with his mom again. That house was Susannah all over. She had handpicked everything that was inside, painted all the paintings on the walls, and placed every little trinket just the way she wanted. 

Your family was disappointed that you had to cancel dinner at the last minute, but if Conrad was at the beach house, you couldn’t leave him alone. No one should spend Christmas alone. Especially not after losing a parent. 

Propped and clipped to your car’s air vents, your phone screen showed several texts from Jeremiah, all trying to get more information about Conrad. You ignored them all and focussed on the road and taking the right directions. 

After three hours, you finally arrived to Cousins. The small town was dark. Most small shops were closed — it was almost 11pm —, barely any houses were decorated for Christmas as most residents only came for the summer. 

You pulled in the familiar driveway and parked your car. A light layer of snow coated the grounds, allowing the grass to peek through. The air was crisp, and you could see your breath as you walked up to the porch. 

Using the spare key that was hidden under the doormat, you unlocked the door and let yourself in. It was dark and cold as the power was not turned on outside the summer months. The air was a bit stale too from being inhabited. 

As you ventured further into the entryway, you could see light coming from the living room — the fireplace. Using that light to guide you, you called Conrad’s name. He had to be there. If he wasn’t, someone else was in the Fishers’ beach house.

The tension in your shoulders dropped when you saw him asleep on the couch, a thick plaid over his curled up body. He looked so small like this. You got closer and gently said his name, not wanting to startle him. Conrad was a light sleeper. He stirred, slowly waking, a mixture of surprise and sadness in his eyes when he saw you.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ Conrad asked, noticing your skirt and sheer tights. He knew it was Christmas eve. You should be with your family, not in Cousins.

‘’Jeremiah called me, he was worried,’’ you explained briefly.

‘’How did you know I was here? I didn’t tell anyone...’’

No one knew Conrad like you did. You were there through the good and the bad — and there was a lot of this bad this past year. You were the one who had brushed his tears at his mother’s funerals. You knew all of his favorite songs and picked up every time he called regardless of the time. You always knew just how to make him laugh. 

You sat on the edge of the couch, giving your best friend a soft look. ‘’No one knows you like I do.’’ 

The smallest smile curled on his lips. ‘’I’m glad you’re here,’’ he admitted, a veil of tears in his eyes. ‘’I thought I wanted to be alone, but it makes me miss her more.’’

Your heart broke and you pulled him in your arms.

—

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#conrad fisher #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher x reader #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty

[itsjusthockey]

When The Partys Over Pt. 2 - Jack Hughes

Here it is, my heart and soul. Enjoy.

wc:4,466 (credit to gif maker)(don't steal my work)

Content Warning: Swearing, major angst

Part 1 (read first)

Unpublished For Fun First Draft

But nothin' is better sometimes

Once we've both said our goodbyes

When the words fall from your lips, and the sentence registers in his brain, it smacks Jack harder than any hockey hit ever has, and even though you’re the one who’s wasted, he suddenly feels like he wants to pass out.

Instead, he pauses by the door, his entire body freezing, trying to register if he heard you correctly or if being around you just makes him crazy. For what feels like a century, he concentrates on his breathing skills, taking a shaky breath in and letting it go, hoping the extra oxygen will help his brain makes sense of what you’ve thrown at him. He knows you’re drunk, incredibly so, and you probably have no idea what you're saying.

He breaks his focus when he hears slight shuffling behind him, and even though he doesn’t want to, he slowly turns to face you. When his eyes land on your figure, you’re sitting up in his bed, his sheets pooling around your waist. You’re not looking at him for a moment, instead staring out his window, watching the world outside intently, but as if you feel his stare, you tear your eyes away from Jersey and allow your eyes to meet his. You blink slowly, once, twice, and a tear falls from your left eye.

“You fucked me up there for a while.”

You finish the sentence with a forced laugh, and you quickly wipe another tear away, almost seeming embarrassed. Jack feels his face flush, and his heart begins to pound. He can practically hear the thumping in his ears, and his stomach flips in circles. He can’t swallow; the lump forming tight in his throat won’t let him, and even worse, his hands start shaking. His heart is cracking, breaking into a million tiny pieces, and his body is letting him know.

The weight of your words stills time, and he feels like you’re both trapped in the suspended gravity of the moment. Your confession, clearly vulnerable and raw, reverberates through his entire being, continuing to tear him apart bit by bit.

Among the uncomfortable silence, the room grows smaller, almost suffocating, as Jack tries to find his voice. He wants to comfort you, hold you, reach out and understand why you feel this way and why he is the reason why. It’s only been seconds, but he’s trying to play out the entire last year, pinpoint the exact moment where he could have fucked up so badly to make you feel the way you do.

“Wha-what did I do?” His voice is small, almost pleading, as he asks.

You let out a shallow breath, and Jack can almost see the wheels turning inside your head. He has no idea what you’re about to say, and everything that has come out of your mouth is a whiplash, so he can’t even begin to guess.

Your eyes flicker with a mix of emotions—regret, longing, and a hint of resignation—as Jack watches you search for the right words to explain what you’re feeling. It’s as if you're carefully selecting each syllable, fully aware of the impact they will have on him, and you’re scared he’ll break.

“You didn't do anything wrong, Jack," you finally say, your voice soft but laced slightly with bittersweet sadness. "At least not intentionally, and not something you had any control over. My feeling are my own, and I can’t blame you for them.”

Your words hang heavy in the air, and Jack's heart tightens impossibly further as he tries to decipher their meaning. The knots in his stomach tighten with each passing second, and a mixture of anxiety, dread, and anticipation fills the room.

“Do you remember when we met?” You ask, your voice timid.

Jack's mind races, searching through the corridors of memories, until he finds the moment you're referring to—the night that he finally felt a spark of something real, which laid the foundation for the relationship. He nods slowly, his eyes locked with yours, urging you to continue.

An almost wistful smile crosses your lips, and Jack can almost hear the nostalgia coloring your voice. "The crowded bar, the 2000s club music blaring, that stupid fucking costume you were wearing, and it wasn’t even Halloween.”

As you speak, Jack's gaze softens, and the memory floods back as if it was yesterday—your infectious laughter when he’d made a stupid joke as he bought you a drink, the way your eyes sparkled with excitement when he told you he hated mushrooms too, and the genuine connection that bloomed from one single night.

“I think a part of me fell in love with you right away,” you continue, your voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability. "In the midst of the chaos, it seemed like we both understood who the person was beneath the facade we put on for the crowd.”

Jack comprehends the weight of your words, realizing that maybe, just maybe, It wasn't just one moment that "fucked you up," but rather a million things he never noticed right away.

“Jack?” You break him out of his headspace, patting the bed beside you. “You’re making this a million times worse just standing by the door looking like I’m killing you. “

Jack realizes he probably hasn’t moved an inch since you started speaking. So he swallows hard, takes a few hesitant steps toward the bed, and sits down. When he settles, you turn to face him and continue.

“It was my fault for getting attached to you so quickly," you sigh. “I think I knew it was too good to be true, and sex was all we would have. But I’d hoped that you were different from the way you looked at me; I’d hoped we’d fight against it, and somehow we’d end up together. “

Before he even knows what’s happening, his own tears are streaming down his face. He thought earlier, when he saw you cry, that nothing would hurt him more, but even though he thinks he’s going to die a lot when he’s with you, this might actually kill him.

A profound ache settles in his chest, intertwining with the shards of his own shattered heart. Your vulnerability cuts through the room, leaving him exposed and raw with emotions he didn’t even know he had. What makes everything worse? When you pause, noticing his tears, you grab his hand and intertwine your fingers through his.

“Anyway, after a while, I got really tired. Like all of a sudden, I was drained of everything I had. I was sick of trying to force something that just wasn't there. And after some major soul-searching and my friends helping me, it clicked. I had to remove my love for you. Tell myself that even though I thought you were everything, you weren’t. So I decided I needed to be done.”

Jack hangs on to every word.

“So I moved on, even though I kinda suck at it because look where I am. But I decided to finally try to allow my heart to let go, close this chapter of my life and start a new one.”

Jack's heart sinks as he listens to your painful admission. The grip of your intertwined fingers provides a fragile lifeline, a small, tenuous connection that somehow manages to offer a glimmer of comfort amidst his shattering soul.

Tears continue to flow out of both your eyes, intermingling with the unspoken words that Jack is trying so hard to find a way to say.

He knows beneath his own heartache; there is a sliver of understanding. He knows that sometimes, moving on is the only choice, even if it feels impossible. But he also knows that he loves you now, somehow even more than anything in the world, and he doesn’t know if he can live without you.

As silence stretches between you, Jack knows time is ticking, and he finally musters the strength to respond.

“I love you,” he whispers, admitting it openly to you for the first time. “I can't pretend that I don’t and that I can just walk away because, for that past half a year, you’ve been all I’ve been able to think about.“

His heart races in his chest, pounding with the force of his love for you. His voice quivers as he continues, desperate to convey the depth of his feelings for you.

“I am so sorry (Y/N), so fucking sorry that I didn’t see how you felt at the beginning. My life was a fucking mess. I hated hockey, I hated living here, and I hated myself. I only cared about a quick high to distract myself from my constant lows, and I couldn’t see anything past that, and I’m so so sorry.”

Jack tightens his grip on your hand, trying to bridge the distance that separates you. His eyes search yours, looking for signs of forgiveness and any chance he has for a future with you.

“You’re everything to me, and I’ve been trying to show you that, but clearly, we both just fucking suck at communication and feelings. But I want this (Y/N); I want you. More than anything.”

Tears are streaming heavily down both your faces, and Jack watches as you wipe them away with your free hand, gently sniffling. You’re both waiting, unsure of what to do next when you speak again.

“Well, this is not how I expected the night to go.” You try to joke, Jack letting out a small snort.

“I know, a lot of information just came to light.”

Jack glances at the clock and sees that it’s incredibly late, and when he peers outside his window, he sees that the city of Jersey is dead asleep, completely unaware of the mess unfolding in two of its inhabitants' lives.

“We should go to sleep, think about things.” Jack offers.

For the first time ever, when he’s offered you to stay, you do. You nod in agreement, wipe away the remnants of tears from your cheeks, and give a small, tired, and maybe still a little drunk smile. Both of you are emotionally drained, and the idea of sleep seems like paradise.

Jack helps you slide under the covers, tucking you in with gentle care for the second time tonight, but this time he feels an odd sense of clarity in understanding of you. He gets you settled, grabbing more water and anything else you could ever need before he moves to leave the room.

“You can stay, Jack; your couch sucks.”

Before he can stop himself, a laugh escapes him, and he steps back into the room. He isn’t sure if sleeping next to you is the best idea for his sake, but he also knows it would take a swat team to remove him now. Grabbing a few other things, he moves to the other side of the bed and settles in beside you, leaving a respectable distance between you for the moment.

His heart about stops, however, when your hands find his again as if you’re seeking comfort in the touch that connects you.

Jack's eyes grow heavy, and he’s fighting off the sleep demons when you take your hand out from his. For a moment, he feels a pang of loss when you pull away. But as if you’re trying to repair his broken heart, you gently shift closer to him. Jack wraps his arm around you instinctively, pulling you to his chest until your bodies are molded together, fitting perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle.

Jack has never felt more complete as he gently traces circles on your back, his touch soothing on your skin, healing the ache in his heart.

As the minutes tick past, Jack can beat your breathing steady out, and he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head, a silent gesture of reassurance and affection for himself. He quickly feels himself falling away with the warmth of your body pressed against his and the immense amount of love that he has for you.

——————————————————-

When morning sunlight seeps through the curtains and almost blinds Jack, he awakens from the best sleep he’s ever had. His eyes peel open, and the events of last night flood his mind. He quickly turns, expecting to see you still by his side. But as reality sets in, his heart sinks when he realizes you're no longer there.

He sits up, his mind foggy with sleep, and rubs his eyes, desperately trying to shake off the sleepiness. He glances around the room and looks in the bathroom, searching for any sign of you, and that's when he notices a faint sound coming from the kitchen.

Curiosity tugs at him as he makes his way towards the kitchen, his unease ending as he finds you standing with your hands on your hips in front of his coffee maker. You’re still clad in his clothes, and you look so goddamn adorable; he wishes he could stay right here forever.

“Hey, morning, uh—,” you clear your throat, gesturing to the coffee pot. “Want some?”

Jack smiles and nods as you grab two cups. Seconds later, you place a steaming brew on one side of his table, and he sits behind it. He gives you a thank you as you fill your own cup, moving to sit down across from him.

You look up, meeting his gaze, and there's a hint of uncertainty in your eyes that cuts through him like a knife. He grows even more anxious when you take a deep breath and set your cup on the counter.

“I had a little time to think this morning,” you say softly. "I needed to think about the mess last night, which I’m really sorry about, by the way. I shouldn’t have blindsided you like that, but I’m not gonna lie, I’m glad I did because we’ve needed to talk for a while, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. But now is the time, and we can end this here.”

End this?

You take another deep breath. "Last night...everything we said, it made me realize that I don't think you love me, Jack. I think you love an idea of what we could be rather than what we are.”

“No,” he protests softly, "I don’t know what you mean.”

A sad smile tugs at the corners of your lips as you shake your head. "I think you need to understand what I do, Jack. We aren’t meant to be. If we were, we would’ve. I loved you once, Jack, with everything I had. But it's gone now, and I don't think it can come back without killing me. I can't keep holding onto something that isn’t there.”

“What about last night?” He chokes out. “You didn’t feel that?

There's a painful silence between you, filled. Jack can feel his world crumbling around him after it felt whole for the first time last night.

“I'm sorry, Jack," you say, your voice barely above a whisper. "This past year, we’ve had some great nights, but I can’t keep doing this to myself. We aren’t good for each other, and I think you know that too.”

You grab his hand once more, giving it a quick squeeze. As you both sit there, hands entwined and hearts heavy, realization washes over Jack. You don’t feel the same as you did once, but it’s gone now. You’ve moved on, and he’s holding you here.

Jack has never experienced true heartbreak, but he guesses this is it because it feels like a thousand knives are piercing his soul, and numbness spreads through his body.

You both sit in silence for a while, lost in your own thoughts and emotions, when you finally break the silence.

“I want you to know that I genuinely care about you, and I always will.“ You manage a weak smile before getting up.

“I should go.” You say, moving to gather the few things you had with you the night before.

Jack wordlessly watches as you leave him, his body staying trapped in this seat. He waits, and a few minutes later, you come out dressed in the clothes you’d had on the night before. He watches as you pick up your heels, grab your phone, and cross the room once more to where he’s sitting.

You pause in front of him, your eyes searching his for a moment before you lean down and press a gentle kiss to his cheek. It's a bittersweet kiss, filled with heartbreaking emotions and the weight of what could have been.

With that, you offer him one last small smile, straightening up and turning away from him. You walk towards the door and open it, turning around one last time.

“Goodbye, Jack.”

The sentence is final, and a hollow feeling settles in his chest as the door shuts quietly behind you, signaling your last goodbye.

Let's just let it go

Jack is distracted, and it’s all your fault. Well, it is, but it isn’t. He shouldn’t blame you; he knows that’s not the mature thing to do. But he is a simple man, and it’s easier to say his game is off because of someone else rather than owning up to the fact that he’s struggling.

For the past two days, he can't focus on anything else but you during hockey practice. Every move he makes feels robotic as if he's going through the motions without actual purpose. He misses easy passes, shoots wide on every attempted goal, and falls on his ass at each free skate. Every time he finally gets in the right frame of mind, his thoughts drift back to you, and the cycle begins all over again.

It’s about an hour into morning practice when Jack feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns to see Luke, looking at him with concern and a hint of annoyance.

“You okay?" Luke asks, “You seem a little…off.”

Jack has two options, play it cool, or get defensive. He chooses option two.

“Fuck off, just had a rough couple days.”

Luke rolls his eyes, clearly unconvinced, but doesn’t push.

“Whatever you say.”

Jack lets out an annoyed huff as it’s his turn to drill, skating away from Luke and running through the play. He makes it most of the way through with ease, but when it’s time for him to shoot, it hits the boards about ten feet from where he aimed.

Frustration wells up inside as he watches the puck slide to a halt. He’s been playing terribly. His brother knows it, his team knows it, and now he does, and it's eating him alive. Jack mutters out a few under his breath and skates back to the line.

Luke, ever observant and fed up, skates back to Jack with new determination.

“So I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but snap out of it. You're better than this."

It’s tough love, and Jack's jaw tenses, his pride wounded a bit. He doesn't want to admit that a girl is causing his downfall, that your absence has left a void in his heart and made him suck at hockey.

“I’m fine,” Jack finally mutters, "I just... I have to figure things out.”

Luke claps him on the back hard and nods. “Good, just let it go.”

Just let it go.

Let me let you go

As if you dropped from the face of the earth, Jack hasn’t seen you. Not that he’s been looking. He hasn’t seen you at the bagel place, not at the bar, not at the library on your campus that he may have snuck into. You’re absolutely nowhere to be found.

He thinks you’re avoiding him, or maybe you just don’t care and forget he even existed.

Jack has no idea you’re in your own hell, going back and forth every day, debating if ending things was the right decision. You know it was, but it still hurts. You don’t check Instagram, you don’t watch hockey, and you stay away from all things that have to do with the boy you once loved.

Jack has no idea that you feel the heartbreak the same as him, and he has no idea that you watched him walk into the bagel place, head down, looking just as dejected as you.

He has no idea that you suddenly told your friend you weren't hungry or that you went home and cried again because even though you’re healing, you’re moving on, you still think about all the things that happened and all the things that could have been.

Jack has no idea it was just as hard for you to walk out the door, and that letting him go hurts like hell.

Quiet when I'm comin' home, and I'm on my own

I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that

*two months later*

Two months have passed since you walked out of Jacks's life, and every minute he thought it’d get easier, it hasn’t.

But, as his mom, dad, and brothers have been telling him ever since he spilled the reason why he’s been a complete and utter mess, he has to move on with his life.

So, slowly but surely, he regained his focus and got back to his regular routine. He drowned his thoughts in the rink, and hockey, once again, became his refuge. Providing him with a sense of purpose and a distraction from the pain that weighs on his heart daily.

He still thinks about you every day, though. Thinks about the good memories and our bad, the inside jokes from the late nights, and all the what-ifs.

He wishes he could move on, he really does, but you invade his mind when he least expects it. He could be doing anything, and suddenly he’s daydreaming about you. But finally, he’s learning to keep those thoughts at bay, push them aside and bury them deep when they try to surface.

He knows that suppressing his feeling is bad and that, eventually, it will all bubble to the surface. But it’s easier this way to pretend you don’t matter and try to move on.

One day, after a particularly grueling practice, Jack decides to treat Luke to his favorite bagel place he’s been avoiding. It’s been months since he’s seen you, and what are the odds of seeing you there?

Apparently, really fucking high.

As Jack and Luke enter the bagel place, the familiar smell makes him slightly ache; he tells Luke about his favorite things on the menu. It isn’t until they order, step back and wait that his heart skips a beat and then stands entirely still.

Jack hears you before he sees you, your perfect laugh echoing behind him, his heart melting as you hiccup a bit, continuing to have trouble breathing between chuckles.

His breath catches in his throat, and he doesn’t want to look, but he turns around anyway. There you are, sitting in your favorite corner table. You look a little bit different but still just as beautiful, and every bit the woman he is still hopelessly in love with.

He almost lets a smile cross his face when it’s wiped away before it can even form.

You’re not alone.

You’re sitting across from a guy whose face he can’t see. He’s clad in a tight black t-shirt that shows off his broad shoulders and a backward cap that Jack knows is your favorite way men wear their hats. You’re laughing again at something the guy says, leaning away from the table slightly and rolling your eyes. Even though you’re playing to look annoyed, he can see how your eyes light up with genuine amusement.

Jack feels a million things at once, primarily pain, and it’s coming from his chest. His heart, after repairing itself bit by bit for two long months, is being ripped open all over again.

He genuinely feels bile rise in his throat when Luke nudges him, "Hey, are you alright?"

Jack is utterly speechless, and he can’t even begin to compose himself as Luke follows his stare, his eyes landing on you.

They both watch as the guy at your table leans in closer, his hands finding yours and intertwining them with his own. Jack's stomach churns again as you smile, blush, and laugh again.

Jack has to fight to keep upright, and he knows he has to get the hell out of here. He can't bear to watch any longer, to witness the love of his life be happy with someone else while he’s still broken.

Not waiting for anything, Jack breaks for the door and out into the open air, trying to get more oxygen to his brain.

The next twenty minutes are a blur, and they make their way back to Jacks's apartment. He’s silent, replaying the vision of you with someone else over and over again. He’s hurting harder than he ever thought possible. He felt he was moving on, making progress, forgetting about you. But seeing you with someone else has reopened the wound he tried so hard to heal.

Sitting alone in his room, Jack knows now that pretending you don't matter and burying his feelings deep inside is only a temporary fix. The harsh truth is that he still loves you,

and It kills him that you’re finally moving on.

He should be happy, you’re happy, and when you love someone, that’s all you want. It is for them to be happy. You got what you wanted, a clean break from him, and you found a way to repair yourself from the damage that the relationship has caused you.

An hour later, Luke walks into the room, making sure he’s still there.

“Are you gonna make it?”

It’s a simple question with an extremely difficult answer. He knows deep down that he needs to let you go, focus on himself, and let you be happy without him.

He owes it to himself to try to heal, focus on other things, and hope that one day, you’ll just be someone he used to know.

But for now, he’ll settle for the heartbreak, let his heart mend at its own pace, and think about you. For a little while longer, you’ll be the girl he’s in love with. The girl who made him realizes love is real. The girl who taught him love is cruel. The girl he’s trying to move on from, and one day will, but for now, you’ll be the girl who means everything to him.

“Yeah Lukey, I’ll be okay.”

I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that

#hockey #hockey boys #hockey imagine #hockey x reader #imagine #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #hockey fic #nhl hockey #jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes #new jersey devils #nj devils #when the party's over #part 2 #original story #my work #x reader

[punk4ndisorderly]

light on

The one where Y/N is the daughter of a legendary Team USA coach and used to attend the development program with the boys. 8 years after they last saw each other in person, a reunion brings Jack and Y/N back into each other’s lives... and hearts.

if you keep the light on, i'll keep the light on

III IV - knowing me, knowing you V

Distracted by the tv, they hadn’t noticed the storm brewing up outside. The sound of thunder roared loudly in the hotel room, instantly causing a blackout. They dropped each other’s hands, caught by surprise.

“Oh, shit.” she whimpered, going back to bed.

Jack did the same, slightly disappointed their little trip down memory lane had been cut short, resting his hands on his stomach as he thought about the moment they had just shared and the way he his head was currently a messy knot of conflicting feelings.

“I’m not hurting as bad as I thought I’d be.” he confessed, breaking the silence that had suddenly become too loud.

“What?” Y/N asked, confused, sitting up straight against the headboard.

“About the break-up. I’m not as heartbroken as I thought I would be, and that makes me feel… Uneasy.” the Devils' player explained, looking down at his hands, finally letting himself process his life’s most recent events.

Somehow he felt safe in that hotel room, with her. Something inside him told him he could trust this woman, just like he had back in camp.

Y/N scooted closer to him, not saying a word, but touching his hand gently, letting him know she was listening.

“I really have no idea how I got to this point.”

She glanced at him, watching the way his eyebrows were furrowing, deep in thought.

“Okay… First off, I’m going to get the complementary bottle of wine from the mini-fridge and then you, sir, are going to tell me all about what’s going on in that head of yours.” she instructed, getting up to walk to the appliance, grabbing the cheap bottle of wine, taking the corkscrew by it with her and handing it to him.

Unscrewing the cork, he tried giving the bottle back to her, only to have her refuse to take it.

“You get a sip first. Trust me, if we’re having this conversation, you’re going to need it.”

Alina had a point. He did as he was told, passing it off to her afterwards. This time she accepted it, taking a swig.

“Go ahead.” the doctor urged. “I’m all yours.”

He ignored the way his heart skipped a beat when she said those words, sighing heavily.

“Well, I thought this time I was headed towards what I wanted my future to be, but along the way I realized I was just stuck in the same place, feeling somewhat numb and indifferent.” he began, pausing to glance at his old crush, only to find her hanging on every word he said. “I never want to feel indifferent when it comes to love. I want to feel excitement, passion, fear of losing that person. I want to have the urge to shout from the rooftops how in love I am. I want an extraordinary love, something that completely scares me and positively overwhelms me at the same time.”

Y/N could see the sadness in his deep blue eyes, even though the lights were out. She took the bottle to her lips, leaning her head back, before handing it back to the conflicted man beside her. He gave her a half-hearted smile and did the same.

“I want the exact same thing.” she admitted, after a few seconds of comfortable silence.

Jack raised his eyes from his hands and waited for her to continue.

“I feel as unlucky in that field as you do.” the coach's daughter added, avoiding to meet his gaze. “It seems like I’m making a puzzle and I can’t seem to find a piece that fits. I’ve tried similar ones but you can’t really do ‘similar’ when it comes to a puzzle, can you? Either you’ve got the real deal or you’re stuck with a twisted version of what the final result should be. It ends up looking nothing like the picture on the box. I think love works that way.”

He took in what she had just said. She had always been good with words. Only Y/N Y/L/N could explain what he was feeling better than himself.

Without realizing it, they were scooting next to each other as they passed around the white wine.

“How do you do that?” Jack blurted out, after little to no consideration.

Raising her eyes to meet his, a quizzical expression in her face, she took a minute to think about what he might mean.

“How do I do what?”

“Take the words out of my mouth?”

“I guess we’re not as different as we thought we were.” she shrugged.

“Maybe not…” the Devils' player concluded. “I’m not really good at dealing with feelings… I tend to bottle it all in… Love fucking sucks.”

Taking his hand in hers, holding it in her lap and gently caressing the back of it with her thumb, she smiled kindly at him.

“I know, babe. But it plays a pivotal part in our lives. I’m sure you’ll find your perfect pic and get the picture on the box. Something tells me you absolutely will.” Y/N assured him.

*

The wine had mellowed them out, slowing down their thoughts and turning off certain filters. They were now facing each other. Jack's fingers tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Y/N shivered when she felt his hand touch her skin, every hair in her body standing up as if electricity was coursing through her veins.

Their hands were still intertwined. Her breath hitched in her throat when he leaned in, his forehead meeting hers.

Loud moans mixed with the sound of rain brought them back to reality. The pair backed up away from each other, bewildered looks on their faces.

“What the hell is that?” Y/N inquired looking up at the ceiling.

“Someone gets in the mood during storms…” Jack chuckled, leaning back against the headboard of her bed.

“It’s almost five a.m., who the fuck gets up at five a.m. for a quicky?”

“A cow and a cat, apparently.”

“What?”

“Whoever they are, they sound like a cow and a cat that are having an angry face-off.”

They both started laughing loudly and uncontrollably.

“I’m officially disturbed.” Y/N stated, leaning back again, her eyes closed.

Rain continued to pour outside, no signs of it coming to a halt anytime soon.

“If we were in camp right now, that mean assistant coach would be making us run outside, freezing our asses off.” Jack commented absentmindedly, staring out the window.

“We’d probably make it into a mud fight.” she pointed out, grinning cheekily.

“Oh, for sure. We’d be going at it.”

She chuckled quietly in response, before she saw another lightning thread the dark sky.

“I actually hate thunderstorms so much.” she mumbled, laying down.

“Really?” the brunette man questioned, mimicking her moves.

“Yeah, I know it’s childish but I can’t sleeping alone during these. So…” Y/N began, reaching out and touching his face. “I’m actually happy you’re here right now.”

The way she was looking at him was driving him crazy. The skin on her stomach was left bare as she laid down next to him. He wanted to touch her, cover every inch of her body with sloppy wet kisses, make her see how beautiful she was in his eyes.

Closing the space between them, Jack engulfed her in his arms, pressing his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. Y/N immediately responded to him, allowing his tongue into her mouth and burying her hands in his brown hair. The kiss they were sharing grew more desperate as he pulled them up and she moved to straddle his lap, panting heavily. The doctor helped him take off his shirt, running her hands through his chiseled chest. Jack's lips left hers and she whimpered softly at the loss of contact, only to rejoice internally when she felt him leave kisses all over her neck.

His hands moved from her face to her band t-shirt, pulling it over her head. He stopped, looking at her, as if he was asking for permission. Y/N smiled wickedly, biting her bottom lip, nodding. Jack didn’t waste any time, kissing and nibbling the skin above her full breasts. She threw her head back, moaning his name.

“Jack… Oh Jack…”

“Jack… Jack!”

He opened his eyes as he heard her voice and felt her hand on his back. The early sunlight filled the room. Who would’ve thought that after such a rainy night the birds would be chirping under the warmth of the sun, that was shining bright in the sky?

Jack was laying on his stomach, his left arm pinning Y/N to the mattress.

“Mmm… I really need to pee.” she admitted, looking down at her stomach, where his strong arm was holding her down.

Realizing their compromising position, Jack removed his arm from where it rested, rubbing the sleep off his tired eyes.

“What time is it?” he asked, trying to act casual and keeping his voice low, taking in that his head was pounding.

“It’s a quarter to eight.” Y/N almost whispered in response, rushing to the bathroom.

The Devils' player tried to process the night they had shared together, since finding Y/N in the corridor, to singing with her, almost giving into temptation and sharing a bed. His thoughts drifted to the dream he was having right before she woke him up. Speaking of which…

Jack's eyes were averted to his shorts, that, at that moment, felt like they had shrunken three sizes. His cheeks blushed a deep shade of pink as he got up and took a pillow from her bed, covering his prominent bulge, picking up his room key and knocking on the bathroom door. He heard the water running and couldn’t help but think of what it would be like to join her in the shower.

Down, boy. You’re not really helping yourself right now. Focus.

“I… I’m heading out. Thank you for… You know. See you at breakfast?”

A muffled okay was all he heard before making his exit. He padded to his room, praying to the saints no one saw him leave her room in the morning while sporting an erection. Jack made it to his destination safely, but the key wasn’t working, the door to his safe haven remaining closed as he silently cursed himself out.

You must’ve picked up her key card, you dumbass.

Heading back to Y/N's accommodations, the brunette mam had just knocked on her door when the elevator’s doors opened and Trevor walked out, holding a small grocery bag and a card just like the one he had in his hand.

Oh, fuck my life.

His longtime friend saw him immediately, no chance to escape, raising an eyebrow once his eyes spotted the pillow he was holding over very specific body parts. Jack froze in his place, not daring to move an inch.

Maybe if I stand very still he won’t…

“What’s up, beauty!” Trevor greeted him enthusiastically. “Daddy’s home.”

“That is honestly the creepiest thing you’ve ever said.” Jack cringed at his loud voice and kink.

“What’s with the pillow? But first, what the hell happened to you? You look like crap, almost like you haven’t…”

The blond man was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, Y/N making an appearance in nothing but a hotel robe, her damp hair having yet to be tamed by a brush.

“…slept at all. Oh. Nice!” he completed his sentence, shooting the pair a knowing look. “That’s totally a boner, isn’t it?” Trevor chuckled, pointing to the pillow.

Y/N's eyes widened and all the blood was drained out of Jack's face.

“This is not what it looks like.” she began to explain, tightening the robe around her otherwise naked body.

“Of course not.” their friend winked at her, raising his hand for a high-five. “Anyone? No? Alright, I’ll just retreat to my room so you guys can continue doing the dirty. Remember to use protection, though. Zegras out!” he almost shouted, going full-on Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club as he took a turn at the end of the hall and left their sights.

#jack hughes x reader #jack hughes fanfiction #jack hughes #jack hughes blurb #team usa #hockey #hockey boys #trevor zegras #quinn hughes #luke hughes #cole caufield #alex turcotte #y/n x jack hughes #fanfiction #blurb

[glystenangel]

Hiiii i saw that your requests were open do u think you could write a fic about Gojo just like being the overall best boyfriend to the reader whos on her period, i guess i just need the comfort rn:)

Here for You

Gojo x Afab!Reader (Canon Universe)

tags/warnings: none, 100% fluff, bf/gf status, loveeee, period comfort, acts of service & words of affy, cuddling

summary: you're on ur period and gojo can't leave you alone

~1k words

thanks for requesting and enjoy<333

_________________

Gojo stopped asking you what you needed a long time ago.

Now, he knows the exact answer, and he loves providing it.

“Feeling better?” Strands of white soften the bright azure of his eyes as he leans down.

You haven’t taken your gaze away from him since he began massaging your hands, sighing whenever he paused to soothe an unpreoccupied hand down your side.

“Yes.”

A small smile folds up the corner of his lips, but it’s the pleased look in his eyes that makes your heartbeat fasten.

“Good.” He says, kissing between your knuckles.

You don’t think you could ever bring yourself to stop loving him, he was too gentle with you. Almost as if he would break without you, so he had to be extra careful to not break you either. Being on your period meant your boyfriend’s natural inclination only increased tenfold.

“Can we go out to eat? I think I can get out of bed now.” You place a hand on his cheek, gesturing at your curled up position in bed with the other.

The large palm of Gojo’s hand cradles yours against his cheek, he leans into the touch with a thoughtful hum, and you can feel it travel down your wrist. 

“I don’t think so.” He finally says, an amused yet firm tone filling his cadence.

You roll your eyes, recognizing the protective stance of his shoulders. 

“I’m hungry.”

“Then tell me what you want to eat.” He clasps your hand more tightly to convince you, “I’ll go get it.”

Every word he says seems as though it was made to convince you that you are loved.

“Maybe my favorite?” You hesitantly mumble, running your thumb along the pale curve of his cheek.

“Done. Don’t move.” Gojo warns before getting up, keeping your hand in his as he rises to his feet from where he was sitting by you.

“I won’t.” You swing your still attached hands between you two and quietly add, “You would know anyway.”

You had tried to get up and brush your teeth by yourself this morning, and the moment he sensed that you were caught. Gojo lectured you the whole time he had carried you to the bathroom before setting you down and brushing your teeth for you.

The chuckle he lets out tells you that he remembers the entire, recent affair himself, “Okay, I’ll be right back. Text me if you want anything else, okay?”

Looking up at his tall figure, you run your eyes over every sculpted dip of his lips, his collarbones, and chin. Any movement he makes radiates grace and strength, but his actions were more kind around you. Sure, he was handsome and powerful, but he never made you feel like you were beneath him. Often, he told you that he looks up to you. That you keep him strong. Just thinking about how he adores you as much as you adore him makes your chest swell.

A beam adorns your face, the pain in your lower abdomen a distant background to the beat of your heart, “I love you.”

The reply is immediate and sincere, “I love you too.”

_________________

As soon as Gojo returns and you both finish indulging in your favorite guilty pleasure meal, he decides that it’s time for cuddles.

You hate to admit it, but Gojo is the absolute best at cuddling.

Maybe it had to do with the massive size of his hands, or the way he would let his breath tickle your neck as he draped himself over you.

“I hate to see you like this.” He murmurs, chin cupped by your shoulder and his fingertips roaming along your waist.

“Me too. It’s gross, right?” You joke, laughing as much as your knotted insides will allow.

It ends up turning into a wince.

A displeased grumble escapes Gojo, and you feel your boyfriend’s chest press nearer to your back after he tightens his careful hold on you.

“You don’t have to pretend for my sake.” The words are subdued, and you feel his cheek brush against yours.

At that, you turn to face him, despite his tsks that you shouldn’t move if you’re in pain.

You ignore the protests, reaching for the side of his jaw with a tenderness you only reserved for each other, “You don’t have to either. Ever.”

He visually melts. The arch of his eyebrows relax, and he swallows, speechlessness occupying what minimal space rests between the two of you. The aquamarine shine of his eyes is full of an emotion you can name but don’t always have to put into words.

“When did you get so sweet? Hm?” Gojo rouses himself out of his brief stupor, pulling you in by your waist and lips curling into a teasing smirk.

“I’ve always been this sweet.” You cradle his face in your hands, earnestly smiling back at him.

“You’re right.” He easily admits, broadening his grin.

You tuck your face into his chest, sighing with more dissatisfaction than you actually felt.

“I’m tired.”

Gojo holds you in his embrace, his breathing even and steady, “You’ll be okay.”

You prop your chin up to look at him, “You think so?”

He kisses a spot by your temple and it feels like a streak of sun just warmed the skin there, “I know so. Remember, when you’re tired-”

“I have you.” You faintly interrupt, his subsequent laughter making his chest shake with the light sound.

“And when I’m tired?” He raises your chin again, flitting his vision all over your happy face.

It’s not a test, more of an encouraging prompt. A promise you have been sharing since you started dating.

“You have me.” You finish, and he settles your face into the nape of his neck.

That’s right, I’m here for you. I love you. The small gesture says, and you close your eyes, listening to that sweet reassurance until you fall asleep.

_________________ End Notes:

pretttyy short but I hope u like :)

also i know this is late so sorry if i missed the timing!!

#have a thing for holding gojo's face lol #myfics #satoru gojo #gojo satoru #gojo fluff #jujutsu kaisen gojo #gojo jjk #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #gojo x you #jjk gojo #jjk fluff #gojo oneshot #gojo fanfic #gojo scenario #satoru gojō x reader #jjk oneshot #gojo

[lonelycowgirls]

Dancing Away in Tears

I'm inspired by breakups. My brother is going through a really bad one at the moment and he said, "it's hard because we had all these plans for a life together and now we're just like strangers." I think that really encapsulates the beautiful tragedy of human relationships. You go from knowing everything about that person and being each other's comfort and happiness, to not even feeling like you can speak to them if you bump into them. I mean, there are a good ten thousand songs written about this exact feeling.

All that being said, people continue to force themselves through those feelings over and over again. Because love is beautiful and human.

So, I wanted to illustrate a story that begins with a breakup. In this case, Harry and our O/C, Cassie. I'm not sure if it will be chaptered or just a series of snapshots of their relationship, we'll see.

But here is the first part, beginning at the end.

Please like, reblog and follow if you enjoy it!

My asks are also open for ideas to how this universe can continue.

Nel xxx

~

Warnings: angst | swearing Word count: 3.1k

It had been three days.  Three days away from the arguing, the screaming, the crying.  Three days since he’d shut the door.  Three days since she’d listened to him wheel his suitcase up the drive and three days since she’d heard his car engine fade away as he drove down the street.

It had also been three days of being alone in their bed.  Tossing and turning.  Three days of still setting two alarms in their usual his and hers wake-up ritual.  Three days of setting a place for him at their dining room table and forgetting he wouldn’t come when she called to tell him his food was ready.  Three days of missing his touch, his kisses, his laugh. 

Cassidy had stood there, after he’d gone, for half an hour.  Forehead against the wooden door, until her breathing slowed and the tears had dried into a salty crust on her cheeks.  She then ran her hands over her face and finally stepped away.  It had gotten dark in their flat, but she hadn’t thought to turn a light on.  She’d walked to their fridge and squinted at the fluorescent beam as she opened it.  She’d grabbed the bottle of rosé they were saving for the weekend out of the shelf in the door and poured herself a glass.  She’d downed it in one and gasped at the cold liquid coating her throat.  

They’d fought like this before.  Many times.  But this felt different.  He’d never left before.

“So, it’s really over?” Her sister’s voice sighed sadly over the loudspeaker of Cassie’s phone, balanced precariously on the arm of their sofa.

“It definitely feels that way,” she mumbled, feeling numb and exhausted.  “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Well, of course, you don’t, that’s not a healthy relationship.  But you and Harry are good for each other and you can-“ she cut her off.

“No…  I don’t want to fight for him anymore,” 

“Oh… really?” Their conversation paused as Cassie thought about the possibility of Harry never coming back.  The worst thing was that it didn’t hurt as much as she always thought it would.

“I don’t think I’m in love with him anymore.”  There was another long silence.

“God.  That’s so sad, Cass.”  She heard her sister's voice break and felt fresh tears sting her eyes.  They both cried softly over the airwaves.

“For God’s sake, what are we like?” Cassie sniffled over a laugh.

Three days after she’d cried with her sister, he was knocking on their door.

“What are you knocking for, you divvy,” she smiled as she opened it for him to step inside their flat.  “You live here.”

“Do I?” He huffed as he dropped himself onto the sofa, his hands coming up to rub over his handsome face.  She didn’t miss the extra stubble covering his jawline.

“Harry,” she scolded. “Don’t be silly, you still pay half the rent.”  Harry winced at her making their home dynamic purely financial.  He didn’t like where this seemed to be going.  

Cassie walked over to put the kettle on and pulled two mugs out of the cupboard above the sink.  Out of habit, she picked out his Manchester United mug cosy from the cutlery drawer and placed it around the plain white ceramic.  She glanced over her shoulder at the back of his head as she waited for the water to boil.  He’d sat back with his hands linked behind his head.  Like he did when he watched something tense on the telly.  Like Line of Duty or the tennis.  He’d leap forward to lean on his knees as he shouted at a wrong call from a umpire or chew on his nails as the coppers raided a suspect’s home.  But he’d always retreat back to that same position.

She placed the mug on top of the coaster on the coffee table and took a seat on the armchair across from him, folding her legs underneath her.  He looked tired.  That’s what she first noticed.  Harry never looked tired.  He had such a lust for life, full of energy.  He never wanted the party to end.  When she would wake up with bags decorating her under eyes, he would look youthful, glowing and ready to take on the day.

She didn’t know what to say and he couldn’t remember why he thought going back there was a good idea.  He’d wanted to go back to their home and he’d wanted her to open the door and throw her arms around him.  He’d wanted to kiss her all the way back to their bedroom and forget about why he felt that leaving their flat three days ago was the best thing for them.  But none of that happened.  When he knocked and saw her, his belly dropped like it always did at first glance.  But he didn’t want to kiss her, it didn’t feel right and that fact scared him.

“Did you go to your mum's?”  Cassie asked, taking a sip of her tea.  Milk and two sugars, of course.  He leaned towards his own mug and faltered as he saw the cosy fitted snuggly around it.  He felt shivers run up his spine.

“Uh yeah, I did yeah,” he said after realising he hadn’t answered straight away.

When his mum saw him arrive at her door, bloodshot eyes and drawn-in eyebrows, suitcase propped up in her porch, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest.  She knew.  Because mums just know.  Anne loved Cassie.  She’d been with her son since he was in his early 20s, and she’d gotten him to sell his motorbike after years of her begging her son to do so herself.

There was more silence, Cassie picked at her nails.

“I really don’t want to have this conversation,” Harry breathed.  “I feel like I know what’s gonna come of it, and I just want to say…” he paused, his breath shaking even more than his hands.  “Please, Cass, don’t do this.  Don’t do this to us.”

Cassie’s face crumbled, her head falling into her hands.  She wanted to end it, she wanted him to move out and she wanted to start over because she didn’t love him anymore.  But she didn’t want to break his heart in the process.  Harry shifted up the sofa to get closer to her.  He knew she was going to end it, he felt it in his gut, but he couldn’t help wanting to comfort her.  He rested his lips on the back of her head as she doubled over in her own lap, pressing kisses into her blonde hair as she sniffled softly.

“I love you, Harry…” she sighed, not coming back up to look at him.

“I love you too, so mu-“

“But I’m not in love with you anymore,” she breathed out swiftly, her chin wobbling.  “I’m so sorry.”  Harry’s body tensed instantly.

“Cassie, what did I do?” He stumbled over his words in shock.

“It’s not really a question of what you’ve done… we’ve been arguing so much I-“

“Everyone fights, Cass.”

“That’s not a reason to stay together…” she trailed off and gasped as her breathing caught in her throat.  “We’ve just… we’ve run our course.”

“No, no, no, no,” Harry could feel himself panicking as she finally looked him in the eye.  Her crystal blue eyes were impossibly more blue due to the tears pooling in them.  He swore he could physically feel his heart cracking.  “Please, if there’s anything, anything I can say that will change your mind… tell me, because I’ll say it.”  All Cassie could do was shake her head.  He collapsed back on the sofa, running his palms down his face and sighing hard.  They sat in silence again as Cassie chewed on her nails.

“Is there someone else?” He whispered after a while, not able to look at her now.  He slumped forward leaning his elbows on his knees.

“No, no, truly there isn’t,” she reached out to touch his hands that were clasped together but stopped herself.  She ran her hands through her hair to occupy her restless fingers.  “I think I just need to be alone… no, I want to be on my own,” she nodded to punctuate the words.  To Harry, it looked like she was still trying to convince herself.  “I’ve been with you since I was 18.  I don’t know who I am without you and that’s a problem.”

“You’re my Cass.  My best friend, my lover, my partner,” Harry’s voice broke at the end of the sentence.  “That’s who you are.”

She couldn’t bare to look at his sweet face, she’d never felt more cruel.

“You’re the love of my life, Cass.  Look me in the eye and tell me I’m not yours.”

“You were…” Cassie whimpered.  He really wasn’t making this easy.  “You’re a great love of my life, but I’m tired.  Tired of feeling like we’re running out of time and delaying the inevitable.”  

“Alright… alright… how about a break?  We can take some time away from each other, I’ll move out,” his voice cracked at the thought and he flushed with embarrassment.  “You’ll see how much we need each other.  How good we are together.” 

Cassie pressed the red ‘end call’ button on her phone for what felt like the 20th time that night.  He had to be drunk, she thought.  She opened up Instagram and typed in his name, having unfollowed him the day after he moved out.  The rainbow line surrounded his profile picture and she took a deep breath.  They weren’t together anymore but that didn’t mean she wanted to see him with someone else, at least not yet.  

She tapped the picture and lots of bodies filled the screen, colourful flashing lights and booming music; he was out.  No girls, thank God.  The notification banner signalling another call came up on the top of her screen and she swiped it away.  She tossed her phone on her nightstand and rolled over, she needed to sleep as she had an early meeting in the morning.

She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for when she heard knocking on the front door.  She jolted a little bit, then growled in frustration and ran her hands over her face.  She knew it was him.  Whenever he got drunk he got needy and insecure.  It was one of the things that annoyed her about him but she had to admit, it didn’t hurt her ego that he obviously still wanted her even when he was smashed.  But she couldn’t be selfish right now, she didn’t want to hurt him any more than she already had.

The knocking got quieter and quieter until she just heard a thump.  She got up and threw on her dressing gown, quietly she padded down the stairs and turned the porch light on.  She unlocked the door and slowly turned the handle to peak through the gap.

“Harry… what are you doing?”  He just groaned in response and leaned further against the door from where he was sitting.  She bent down to his level and gently brushed his hair away from his forehead, his eyes were half shut but they searched her face.  “You alright?”  He shook his head and his chin wobbled, her heartbeat started to accelerate, she hated nothing more than seeing him cry.

“I miss you, bub,” he whispered as a tear ran down his face.  He was never a man who was afraid of showing his emotions, if anything he loved to emote and express.  She adored that about him, but at that moment she wished he’d absorbed a little more toxic masculinity. “M’sorry, I know you don’t wanna hear that.”

“It’s alright, H.  You’ve been drinking, you always get emotional after you’ve had a few.”  She wiped the tear with her thumb and then stood straight abruptly when he moved to reach for her.  “Come on, I’ll get the spare duvet.”  She helped him up and led him into their home.  She left him in the living room to run upstairs to the airing cupboard, when she returned she saw him sitting with his head in his hands, palms dug into his eye sockets.  She slowed and watched from a few steps up.  He shook with soft sobs and her heart sank, finally, there was a crack.  She’d been questioning why she had been doing so well, he’d only been gone for a few weeks but she’d been fine.  She loved having her own space, her own schedule, and no one getting under her feet or expecting anything from her.  Really, she’d been so busy with work and family she hadn’t had time to think about him.

But now there he was, sat breaking his heart on the sofa they’d bought together.  In the flat, he still insisted on paying his share for.  Her stomach was in knots and suddenly she felt sick.  He was so sad and it was all her fault.  She was deep in thought, her gaze to the floor when he spoke up.

“Cassie,” she jolted and glanced at him again.  He was sat forward on his knees, his chin in his palm with a soft smile on his face.  “It’s alright, I’m okay.  Just had a little wobble.”

“I hate that I make you feel like that.”

“I know you do… can’t be helped though.  How you feel is how you feel.”  He smiled, drawing lines with his finger on his knee.  She finished down the stairs and walked further into the living room.  “I’m just waiting for the stage where I’m ready to throw darts at a photo of you.”  She gasped and threw the duvet at his head.  They both giggled softly and she slumped down next to him.  She glanced at the clock and winced at the time.  If she went back to bed this second she’d still only get around four hours of sleep.

“I would ask how you’re doing but if you say ‘good’ then that might just be the nail in the coffin.”  He chuckled softly, playing with one of his rings.  She threw him a tight-lipped smile and then looked down at her own fingers, an awkward tension settling on them.  “We had it really good, Cass.”

“Did we though, Harry?  Truly, in those last few months could you honestly say that you were happy?”

“I… we were having issues, granted.  But I never even contemplated the thought of us splitting up.   The thought of having to start again and start seeing someone new,” he shook his head incredulously, his brow furrowed.  He was still slightly slurring.  “Can you honestly say you can see yourself with someone else?”  Harry knew he didn’t want to hear the answer but his mouth ran away from him.

“You don’t want to know that, Har.”

“Nah, you’re probably right.”

“If you keep coming here though, you’re just drawing out the pain. You’re making it harder on both of us.”

“I know I am.  I just… I can’t get you off my mind, I miss you every second of every day.  I wanna be with you so fucking bad, Cass.” He was starting to get angry and it was making her frustrated.

“Calm down, Harry.”

“No, I don’t think you fucking get it, Cassie.  Nobody fucking does!  I’m literally ready to slit my own throat because I can’t stand the fucking thought of living without you.  And everyone’s going 'round treating me with kid gloves and saying ‘oh, so sorry to hear your missus left you, you’ll be alright though.’ But they don’t really get it… the thoughts that I now have to deal with… the thought of you fucking someone else, someone else sitting in our home, someone else and their filthy fucking hands on y-” he seethed through his nostrils flared and he cracked his knuckles just to have something to do with his hands.  He’d already punched a hole in his mum's kitchen door a few days after he’d moved back there.  Cassie got up from the sofa, fed up now.

“I’m going to bed.”  Harry shot up from his seat and grabbed at her wrist.  He pulled her tight to his chest and held the back of her neck to force her to look at him.

“Baby…” he practically whined, his lips grazing hers.  She stayed stoic, he’d been forceful before but it usually led to something entirely different.  And that was something they really shouldn’t do.  He was much taller and broader than her but she’d never been scared of him before and she wasn't about to be either.  “Cassidy… you’ve made a right mess of me.  Of my head.  You’re proper fucking me up. Do you even realise?”

“I’m not gonna keep saying sorry, Harry.” She said quietly, her hands resting on his chest, ready to push him away.

“Just gimme a kiss… just a little one, Cass.”  She knew it was wrong, she knew this was taking huge steps back.  But she let her eyes drift closed and let him take that as a go.  He pushed forward into the most gentle kiss she’d ever known him to give her.  She hummed and brought a palm to his cheek.  She pulled back and looked into his drunken dilated pupils.  He looked at her like she’d created the world and was ready to gift it to him.  

He loosened his grip on the back of her neck to wrap his fingers around her jaw.  Directing her chin up he pecked her lips three times before she turned her head to the side and pushed into a deeper open-mouthed kiss.  Harry growled and brought his hands to her bum to squeeze.  His forehead pinched in the middle at how good it felt to have her back in his arms.  She lifted up onto her tiptoes as he squeezed and threw her arms around his neck.

“Mm, okay, that’s enough,” she pulled away and pushed his forearms off of her.  Wiping the excess saliva from her lips, she turned to look away from him - anywhere but at him.  “Fuckin’ hell,” She cursed under her breath.  “Sleep well.  I have an early meeting in the morning, I’ll try not to wake you when I leave.”

“Cass.”

“Just put the key under the flower pot by the door when you go.”

“Cassie, please.”

“No!" She snapped, spinning back to him and catching her temper before sighing deeply. "Harry, just… stop it now.  Go to fucking sleep.” She stormed up the stairs.  When she got back into bed she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.  The realisation hit that this was all going to hurt a lot more than she expected.

#harry styles fic rec #harry styles #harry styles writing #fanfic #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styles one shot #harry styles au #harry styles series #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles headcanon #harry styles angst #harry styles story

[bi-bard]

Grounding - Will Graham Imagine (Hannibal)

Title: Grounding

Pairing: Will Graham X Reader

Word Count: 1,660 words

Warning(s): mentions of Will's instability (this poor ma just needed some genuine help)

Summary: (Season 1) (Y/n) needed to talk to someone about their feelings for Will. After speaking with Alana, (Y/n) feels like there are too many risks in expressing an interest in Will. He doesn't agree with that assessment.

Author's Note: I... love Will Graham. I will continue writing about him until everyone loves him as much as I do.

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

"Hey, Alana," I jogged over to her, falling into step with her. "Can we talk about something?"

"Sure," she nodded.

I pointed toward an empty office. She followed me, letting me shut the door behind her.

"What's going on?"

"I just... I need to say this out loud so it isn't sitting in the back of my mind while I'm working."

"I don't know if that's gonna-"

"Let me believe it," I cut her off. She held her hands up. I paused as I pulled myself together.

"Hey," she touched my arm. "Nothing leaves this room."

"I think I'm in love with Will," I spit out.

Her eyes went wide for a moment. She slowly nodded.

"Sorry-"

"No, no need to apologize," she promised. "That's a big deal."

"I know," I replied.

"I... Can I give you a professional opinion?"

"That's never a good way for a talk to start," I said.

"Will isn't... Will might not be in a position where a relationship would be healthy," she tried to word it as carefully as she could, but I knew what she was referring to.

"I understand," I nodded.

"(Y/n)-"

"I know," I cut her off. "He has nightmares. He gets into the minds of killers for a living, which only fuels the nightmares. He has a lot of trouble with physical touch and eye contact. He has some kind of abandonment issues that probably led to an avoidant attachment style. That's why he takes in more stray dogs than he has friends. Hate to break it to you, Alana, but I studied psychology too. I understand the risks here."

"If you two end up together-"

"There's a chance of us becoming codependent, I know," I stopped her. "I... I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You need to wait for him to heal, " she sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

I ran a hand over my face.

"Anyway," I felt a lump growing in my throat as I tried to blink away any tears, "I just wanted to get that off my chest but thank you for that. Not like I had already been anxious about that exact thing."

"(Y/n)-"

"I'll talk to you later."

I walked out of the room, going to walk down the hall. I saw Will looking at a file as he walked down the hall, so I quickly turned around and walked the other way.

I had managed to work through the day without focusing on Will. It wasn't until that night that I got a phone call from him.

"Hey, what's up," I asked.

"I... found another dog," he confessed. I almost chuckled. He sounded like a guilty child. "He has a collar, but it's late and cold, so I took him in for the night. He's now hiding under my bed, and I wanted to see if maybe he was quicker to trust you."

"Why me?"

"I don't know," he muttered. "You're just trustworthy, I guess."

I grinned and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Okay," I said after a moment. "I'll be there in a bit."

"Thank you."

When I made it to the house, Will was waiting outside.

"Hey," I waved as I walked over. He waved back. "Where's the baby?"

He chuckled, "Under the bed, tucked against the wall."

I nodded and walked inside.

I walked over and laid on my stomach on the floor. I saw a little puppy curled by the wall, shaking.

"Hello," I said quietly. I slowly pushed my hand forward. "Hi. How are you, baby?"

I looked over when Will laid on the ground next to me.

"Don't crowd too close," I warned, turning to the puppy. "Don't wanna overwhelm him."

Will nodded and scooted back a little bit.

"Hi, puppy doggy," I said softly. I held my free hand out to Will. "Give me one of the dog treats."

"I tried to lure him-"

"Will."

He sighed and handed me the treat.

"Here you go," I held a small piece of the treat out to the puppy. "Are you hungry, puppy?"

The dog started sniffing in the direction of the treat. I laid the first piece down on the floor before breaking off another piece and scooting back a little bit.

Soon, the dog had slowly crawled out from under the bed.

"Hello," I said, offering the last piece of the treat. I let the dog sniff my hand before I pet him lightly. "You're a sweetheart."

I carefully picked up the dog and he stayed calm.

"What a good puppy," I muttered.

Will carefully reached over and let the puppy sniff his hand.

"You've got a gift," he said.

I chuckled, "I had treats."

"I had treats," he corrected. "You performed a miracle."

"Will Graham believes in miracles," I pretended to be shocked. "Learn new things every day."

He chuckled and looked down.

"I think the other dogs are making him nervous."

"Yeah, I set up the little laundry room for him for the night," Will pointed over to it. "Puppy pads, food, water, and a few towels as a bed. I was just going to keep checking on him every now and then."

"All night?"

"I don't sleep much anyway," he shrugged.

Will helped me stand up without putting down the puppy.

Once we got the dog situated, Will offered me something to drink.

"I'm alright," I shook my head.

"Please," he said. "I dragged you out here. Let me make sure you didn't waste the drive."

"Fine, fine," I nodded. "Tea, please. I've gotta drive."

"The only reason I keep tea in the house is for you," he explained, walking over to his cabinet.

"Oh? You don't drink it?"

"No," he shook his head. "But I know you like it, so I keep it around."

I grinned at his back, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he turned back to me and leaned against the counter.

We both fell silent. I looked around the kitchen. This house always felt too big for Will. The dogs owned the main lounge area, but the rest of it just felt like it was waiting for Will to be comfortable there.

"You're worrying about me," Will noted.

"When am I not," I asked. "You due to try and avoid all my questions."

"I'm fine."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe me either," he sighed, looking down for a moment.

"Anything you wanna talk about," I pushed. "Work? Your therapy with Hannibal? Anything?"

He shook his head as he looked at me. Something seemed to shift. Something in his eyes was just different. I tried to pretend I didn't notice it.

"Are you sure?"

There was something. I could almost sense it.

He started taking steps toward me, "No..."

"What," I asked.

"I've... I've started having dissociative episodes," he explained. "I'm missing time, but apparently I look like I'm just fine."

"Any particular situations? Like is there something around you triggering it?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

He was standing directly in front of me. I chose to try to ignore it, as out of character as it seemed.

"Maybe you should find some kind of anchor," I continued, trying to ignore how close we were. "Something that you can do or have that'll kind of drag you back into the moment? Something grounding."

He nodded, seeming to half-listen as his eyes bounced to different parts of my face.

He leaned in, merely a few inches from me, "Maybe that can be you."

He went to close the gap between us. I stepped back as soon as his lips brushed mine. I looked around the room, wanting to focus on anything other than him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"No, no," I shook my head. "Don't apologize. Please don't apologize."

I ran my hands over my face. I had a million thoughts running through my head. Everything Alana and I had talked about and everything that had happened over the last few weeks.

"I... I can't be the thing that grounds you," I tried to find a way to explain this without sounding like a dick. "I just... I can't. Relying on me like that is only going to end up hurting you."

Will nodded, looking at the ground.

"I want to support you, but I can't be your only anchor, Will."

"I know," he replied.

"I... I really do like you, Will," I said. "A lot. I just don't want to put you in a place to be disappointed. I need you to understand that."

I stepped forward and cupped the sides of his face.

"I understand," he promised, holding my hands in place. "I just want you."

I let out a breath.

He moved my hands from his face so he could rest his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes.

"Please," he muttered.

I leaned in and gently kissed him. My hands moved to grab onto his shirt, pulling him closer. Any hesitation, any pause, any argument about why I should've avoided this was just gone. All that was there was us.

I grinned against his lips when his hands grabbed my sides.

I didn't pull away until I was running out of breath. Will slowly opened his eyes and grinned at me. I let out a breathy chuckle as I looked at my hands. I slowly let go of my grip on his shirt and fixed it, laughing a little at myself.

"I love you," Will said quietly.

I looked back at his face. His eyes were still trained on my face.

"I love you too, Will," I replied.

We stood in silence for a little while longer.

"Will you stay here tonight," he asked. "Please."

I nodded, kissing his cheek lightly, completely forgetting about my lack of any change of clothes.

It was all worth it. Everything that was happening, everything that could happen. It was all worth it. Because we were happy and that's what mattered.

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

Masterlist (Includes links to All Writing Challenges)

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

#hannibal x reader #hannibal fanfiction #hannibal imagine #will graham x reader #will graham fanfiction #will graham imagine #imagine #fanfiction #x reader

[theanoninyourinbox]

And it’s The Randomly Picked Full-Page Hypokits! Myler and Mapleshade! An anon asked for this, and I had an AU ready, and then in a moment of serendipity, @scentedglitterillumination asked for the same ship with THE EXACT AU I WAS ALREADY WRITING oooOOOooo I was yeeted directly into the twilight zone! Shivers! Anyway here’s ART

In this AU, Mapleshade is leaving Thunderclan, banished with her kits. The storm in her broken heart is mirrored by the turbulent weather, and her kits cries break through her mental fog. She needs to save her kits! She heads towards the river, but it’s far too wild, waves lashing (she sees Frecklewish lashing out screaming fury betrayal not my kin) (Ravenwing scowling Oakstar snarling everyone everyone everyone) and past that…she can’t put her kits through that! Not even for their father! (a molly she doesn’t know at his side laughing as they walk) (he says their love is special but don’t tell shhh) She doesn’t know where to go but she can’t stay there. Mapleshade herds the frightened kits away, and Patchkit asks - are we going to see the barn? The elders said there’s some twoleg thing - and Mapleshade remembers it too. It’s safer than the storm. And they go.

Mapleshade can see the hulking twoleg shelter when everything goes wrong - lightning crashes too close and Larchkit bolts away from her. She screams over the thunder (over the clan begging they’re just kits no no no I promised my babies) and a voice answers - do y’all need help? It says, strange and faint. My kit, she cries, I can’t find her! Please Starclan, they did nothing wrong! A black and white blur passes her, go inside, keep those two warm, I’ll find her Ma’am. She sees no stars in his pelt (she doesn’t deserve stars she broke the code what’s wrong with her) but he sounds confident, and Mapleshade is too unfamiliar and Patchkit and Petalkit are freezing. Inside she licks them clean, and as she begins to shake herself off, the blur trots in, Ma’am I got her! Larchkit hangs miserably from the muzzle of a tom with scruffed fur. The blur is another cat. Not a Starclan ghost, a living cat who deposits the shivering kit in her paws. I’ll get y’all something ta eat, he says, still strange voiced, y’all look like ya need it. Mapleshade finally finds her voice - thank you! The tom’s tail twitches, dripping as he walks off deeper in. Y’all’r welcome ma’am, my momma woulda shown up an knocked me senseless iffin I hadn’t helped.

When he returns, the kits sleep deep and peaceful, and Mapleshade sees the two mice in his jaws with relief. He drops them near and drawls muh name’s Myler ma’am, an what’r y’all doin out in this weather? Mapleshade pauses, and quietly admits her story, to being banished from the clans. She won’t be on his territory long - he cuts her off with a wave. Feel free ta stay, iffin yer alright with it. I get lonely, and the twolegs won’t mind if y’all help take out the mice. B’sides, I ain’t bought ta send off a lady - ‘specially a ma and her youngins. Mapleshade is…cautious, but accepts the offer for now. She never regrets it, not when seeing Myler act like she always wanted Appledusk to (never caring only meeting his own kits because she made him) (Myler giving badger rides Myler being target practice Myler crowing with delight when the kits bring down a mouse together look at these lil hunters I’m so proud of y’all go show yer ma), not when he acts like a better cat than her old clan (judging kits for blood for kin hating fighting for territory to just lose it again) (Myler breaking up a fight between loners they leave as friends Myler not caring what halfclan means Myler inviting the old loners in during winter so they’re safe), and certainly doesn’t regret it when he proves a much better mate (hush don’t tell of course I love only you don’t look don’t look I swear it’s only you) (Myler offering to watch the kits y’all look tired let me catch you a mouse Myler giving her flower petals because they make y’all sparkle Myler weeping in joy I’m gonna be a Pa again oh honey I’m never gonna leave).

There are other kits that come through, and other loners and wanderers and banished warriors. A few stay with them in the barn, most pass through many times, two stay as her own kits - she doesn’t need to have birthed them to be their mother. The couple pass away together, to the grief of kits and grandkids and great grandkits, and years later, when a kit with a crooked jaw passes through, a pair of ghosts keep watch, and decide that death won’t stop them from being better parents to the lost and neglected.

…this got way away from me. Like I thought it was going to be much shorter but the Prose Muse grabbed me by the throat and demanded tribute. Anyway enjoy your characters glitter, and I’ll see you at the 100 follower special!

#Hypokits #warrior cats #my art #warrior cats au #warriors #warrior cats designs #warrior cats design #Myler #mapleshade

[ruiniel]

At sea

Fandom: Mononoke (2007)

Relationship: Medicine Seller/Kayo

Rating: Explicit 🔞

Count: 0.6k

Tags & Warnings: longing, explicit sexual content, Medicine Seller POV, Across lifetimes AU, inspired by Mononoke, ambiguity, kusuriuri has so many feelings and we see some, alternate universe, smut

Also on AO3

A/N: Short explicit AU after the end of the Umibōzu arc.

They'd met before. The Sakai household was not the first time and would not be the last, this he knew. And even now, at sea, returning to a land where they will go their separate ways, is but one of many times she'll find him again.

He knew she wanted him then, did nothing when all spiraled into this now: with the heat of her small, strong body against his, the golden light of a small lamp washing over her as Kayo gazes up at him with abandon. "I missed you," he tells her, a hand cradling her warm cheek.

"So... have I," she gasps, and it hurts a little that she does not know—can never know.

In this life, and the one before it, and the one after it, wave after wave of her existence will wash over him and he can but stand and let them briefly disperse his longing.

He rises on his arms against her. They're as silent as they can be, and he pauses to watch: hair long and disheveled, smelling of the fragrance he burned earlier; dark-lashed eyes with dilated centers, the barest sheen on her skin. Her arms thrown carelessly around her head, the rise and fall of her panting chest.

"Kusuriuri," she murmurs, calling him a word that means nothing with everything in her eyes. Her hips tilt upward, a plea for him to continue, and her hands are on him again to feel down the crimson marks snaking down his neck and chest. Always they fascinated her, ever since he's been thrown on this Earth, during the brief moments of reprieve they find.

Always, she forgets; the ache is the same each time, and he cannot question it. But now, with her legs crossed around his hips, clawing at his back, he wishes he could tell her. Many times he nearly did.

"What... what is it? Is something wrong?"

Eyes closing, his own unbound hair silks along her breasts as he lowers his head. "No," and he cages her again, even as she bites down a moan; her kiss tastes of warmth and her desire as he parts his lips against hers, to feel her sighs, to follow the rhythm of her heart.

Kayo shudders beneath him when he moves deeper inside her, wanting to tease but losing instead: always, remembering how she feels is a reward, as is giving each other the relief they crave. Her life force pulses against his, swift and sweet; he runs long nails along her thigh even as Kayo breaks their kiss, to breathe.

"Don't... stop... kusuriuri..."

With a low growl beyond his usual control he suddenly rises, tilts her over on her belly, pins her down against the sheets. "That is not my name," he murmurs hoarsely in her ear, thrusting slower but harder, muffling her renewed mewls of ecstasy with his hand. He needs to hear it from her, needs to, just once, only once, even if he pays for it after in spirit.

"You... never told me your name," Kayo sighs, and he drowns in his sickly love at the hint of reproach in her tone; even now, even here.

He could lie, could always tell her a random given name each time—he chooses not to.

He nibbles on her ear, feels her spine straining when his tongue finds that spot, the exact path of nerves to insist on, which he knows pushes her over that brink. And so it does, she clenches around him so tightly he grits his teeth, hips snapping against her rear as his forehead falls against her shoulder; he won't last much longer, listening to her cadenced sighs that always become a mantra to their union. The medicine seller pressed his lips to her ear, and right before her release crashes into her, whispers his name.

#ruiniel:fanfiction #mononoke fanfiction #kusuriuri x kayo #won't die on this hill just think they have chemistry #and i write so i wrote #don't come after me #mononoke

[moonstonedrawsrandomly]

Breaking a promise 8.5🟢

Shamura lets out a heavy sigh, as they put the paper down. They have already seen enough about the situation.

“-whatever he told you, is competent. However, there is a lot more truth to this hypothesis he gave you.”

Kallamar said. The oldest siblings were in one of their meeting rooms, but this time without Leshy. In fact the conversation was ABOUT Leshy.

“Leshy is such a terrible liar. I believe him when he said that he might have a crush on a woman from a different cult. Now her being a lamb…we don’t have any evidence to tell us that she could be a lamb-“

Kallamar said before he was interrupted by his sister. She looked concerned.

“Older sibling. I know you told us not to interfere with his business, but I had someone who cleaned Leshy’s room come forward with this evidence.”

She said. Shamura looked upset.

“Did I not say to leave him be?!?”

Before Shamura could continue to scold her for this, she continued.

“Before you scold me, let me show you what they found. They stated they looked out for puffs of hair or fur to find a tie to his little lady friend he frequents. They found these…”

Heket presented a bag full of small pink puffs of hair. And there was a lot of them. Small pink coily hairs.

“They also claimed that there was also a rag that didn’t belong to him, because it was pink AND the majority of the hair was found in the garbage, on his clothes, and on the linens he took to wash. Last time I checked, Leshy’s hair wasn’t pink and coily. There is evidence that she has to have been in his room at least a few times. Not sure how she gets in or out, but that’s all we know for now”

Shamura stares at the bag in disbelief. These are lamb hairs. He’s harboring a lamb. How could this happen? How were they still blindsided by this? Kallamar gets up.

“Elder sibling, the evidence is there. He is harboring a lamb! We need to act now! Let’s raid his room and kill this lamb before the prophecy comes to fruition”

Kallamar said. Shamura was still staring at the bag. They were silent the whole time. Thinking. Then they sigh and begrudgingly get up.

“Kallamar, Heket. I will deal with this. Alone. Everyone else? I want you to understand something. We will NOT turn on each other like scared animals. NEVER, and I mean EVER, go behind my back again, understand?”

They said. Their voice was stern and the others obeyed willfully. Then Heket spoke again despite Kallamar warning her not to upset their eldest sibling further.

“Sibling, I might have an idea where he’s harboring the lamb. That palace used to be mine. There is a door behind the master bed that opens up to another room. If she is living with him, that is probably where she is.”

She said. Kallamar was concerned to see his sibling like this. Another traitor among them? Can any of them be trusted? He had to shake that out of his mind. Remembering that he was the reason for their plan to talk Narinder down went up in flames.

“Enough. Both of you return to your palaces immediately. I will deal with this.”

They both teleported away. Shamura gets up to go to Leshy’s palace. Their siblings leave as well. As they walk to his palace, they took out a small locket. Inside was two small pictures. One of them and his beloved wife, Gaia and the others with the little bishops. This locket used to be Gaia’s.

However, there is a large hole where Narinder was supposed to be. It was burned when he tried to seal him that faithful day. They touched the side of the picture with Gaia and them.

“Forgive me my love, but I must do what I need to. To keep them safe, I won’t hesitate again. I promise. Narinder will stay gone and he will never harm anyone again. Even if that means…”

They trail off in their speech. And at that exact moment, Gaia felt a chill run down her spine from the other world. Noelle noticed the pause in her speech.

“Gaia, are you okay?”

“Yeah…I think so. Okay, so I think I will get the crown thing right this time. “

She said from Noelle’s wings. It’s been hours since she’s tried and failed but Gaia wasn’t keen on giving up, that’s a problem for Noelle since that zaps the lamb’s energy. Noelle couldn’t hear, but further away in the palace, Shamura had entered. Leshy was on his way back to the bedroom when he sees his eldest sibling.

“Elder sibling? What are you-“

“Step aside Leshy…”

They said. Coldly. Leshy has only seen this demeanor of theirs when they’re pissed. The killer instinct that he was afraid of.

“Why?”

“You know why. I already know…”

They pull out the bag of pink little hairs and Leshy’s whole body froze. They know about Noelle. THEY KNOW ABOUT NOELLE!?!?

“And you know what I must do now”

Shamura said. Leshy then blocks the stairs to his bedroom. Shamura only had to look away for a split second before nearly binding him in a Web. He’s fast, they kept shooting webs from his mouth. One lands on his arm. That’s all they need.

“There!”

They said and the web began to grow with their powers on Leshy. The web bounded him more as Shamura then walked past him to his room.

“I’ll have someone clean your room when I’m done…and I’m going to make you regret disobeying me for the LAST TIME.”

“SHAMURA! SHAMURA!!!”

He wailed, but they didn’t listen. They readied the axe in their hand and they walked toward the room. Gaia was convinced this was going to work. It didn’t seem like it was going to work. Then she decided to try again. While mid transition, Noelle heard the bed moving.

“Wait…”

“Probably Leshy. He’s been trying to sneak up on us. The jokester always does that.”

“…”

Gaia said. Noelle felt uneasy. Usually Leshy announces himself before he comes in, albeit a whisper or spooking Noelle, but this time seemed off. What they don’t know was what just happened. Leshy DID return, and was tied up by Shamura as he moved the bed from the corner, revealing the door. You could hear Leshy’s muffled pleas as he tries to wiggle free from down the hall.

“Don’t hurt them! Please, I beg of you! Punish me!”

“This is for your own good. For all of our good. The prophecy will not be fulfilled due to your negligence.”

Shamura said coldly. Then, all of a sudden, a flash of Gold and Orange light illuminated the room. Gaia was successful. And came through Noelle’s back as a little black crown with an orange square in the center.

“Gaia, is that you?”

Noelle said. The crown looked at her.

“I think I did it!”

“Awesome! I knew you could do it!”

Noelle said, smiling. Gaia sees the door opened behind her, but doesn’t see Leshy. A huge black figure looked over Gaia, within a second saw a figure approaching behind Noelle. Such a tall figure, there was no reason to believe that was Leshy.

“Ah-!”

She then saw it raising something. The figure was holding an Axe! Noelle wasn’t aware until the last moment when her eyes widened and she saw what was happening.

“With this sacrifice, the prophecy dies here!”

The axe swings down and Gaia had seconds to act! Biting the back of Noelle’s shirt, she yanks her off the chair and throws her. The axe slicing the chair in half. The orange crown lunged toward the figure, hitting it in the head. Hard. They stammered back.

“Ah, you-“

Shamura muttered, still gripping the axe. They couldn’t see the figure but she couldn’t care less, they have to go! Gaia, with her crown power lifted Noelle up and flew out of the side room.

“Leshy?”

They found Leshy almost free from his webbed restraints. She saw him eating through his restraints and freed him. He gets up, not realizing that crown was Gaia at first.

“Noelle? When did you get a crown? Wait, Is that-“

“DUCK!”

Gaia ducks with Noelle still in her hands. A splintered axe came through the wall which freaked everyone out! That was a thick tree wall! They didn’t see Shamura, but Gaia didn’t want to take any chances on who is following them! She grabbed both of them and hightailed it out of his palace.

“Wait Gaia, we shouldn’t run! Don’t you know Elder Sibling?”

“There’s no time to ask them for help! I’m

running to protect BOTH of you! You’re now a heretic! Let’s go! We can talk later!”

She said as they ran into the woods behind his palace. Gaia ended up dropping them and having them carry her crown.

“Why can’t we?”

“Well…Elder sibling gets a certain way…their like that right now…maybe mom has the better idea, let’s just run.”

Shamura, emerging from the backroom and grabbing the side of the doorframe as Leshy’s attendants come to see what’s going on. They help him up. They are anything but happy. There PISSED! Their powers leak from their face and crown, an overflow of ANGER.

“Summon the other Bishops! Leshy ran with the Lamb! FIND THEM!”

He said with increasing levels of anger on his part. It was a chase, now!

TBC

#cult of the lamb #redemption au #cotl #cotl fanfic

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Find the Word Game XV

(Double Feature)

tagged by: @oh-no-another-idea & @zmwrites!! my words: candle, wax, sunlight, dandelion, butter, play, step, miss, scramble tagging: @drippingmoon, @druidx, @drabbleitout, @sleepy-night-child, @ashen-crest, and lady luck though she and I are not on speaking terms at the moment your words: morning, evening, night, day, dark, moon

candle (Aurora)—

Thrive pressed his fingers against his water and the surface began to frost over, ice crystals spider-webbing out from the points where his skin met the glass. He then took a fork and began to break the thin layer of ice at the top. "I am quite cognizant to your love of space…as it's one of your many idiosyncrasies with which I am utterly enraptured."

"As evidenced by this," Warren added, gesturing toward the nebula. "You really didn't have to go through so much trouble for me, though."

"Why not? It's our anniversary."

There was a pause. "What?" Warren blinked. "Really? You've kept track of the exact day we got married ———?"

Shaking his head, Thrive lifted his water to his lips. "The day we met."

Warren inhaled sharply, veins filling with heat and veneration. Thrive's brilliant eyes sparkled verdant under the light of the candle, and Warren wanted little else but to be inside his mind at that moment. "October fifteenth."

"Correct." Thrive took another sip of water and glanced at the patrons inside the restaurant, on the other side of the tinted glass wall. "The night I landed in Ruria Lake."

wax (Warpath)—

"When was the last time you went to Leviathan?"

Warren sighed, taking the mug of coffee from Thoeala as she joined him at the edge of the cliff the next morning. "It doesn't feel like that long ago. Let me tell you…I hate going there alone. It's like a fucking prison fortress."

She regarded him, hands at her hips, obsidian ponytail waving in the breeze. "You've been doing a good job taking over for Daddy, though."

Warren swallowed a sip of the caffeinated beverage and gazed out at the ocean again. "Yeah…I'm suffocating, actually. I don't know how he does it. And of course he's gone gallivanting across the galaxy right as another crisis hits. I've handled them before, but this one feels different." He looked at Thoeala. "...[Sinkship] didn't deserve this."

She waxed sympathetic. "No, she didn't. She started a lot of conflict that made life a living hell for all of us, but she didn't deserve this."

sunlight (Rebirth)—

Warren sighed. "Well, Mr. Sympa—"

"Eugh, nope. Guetry. Mr. Sympa's a lanky French man currently on business somewhere around Mars, probably cursing me out under his breath because I haven't called him in a couple weeks and it's almost his birthday."

"Right…I wanted to talk to you about helping to bring this all to a permanent end."

Guetry did not resume his seat but instead leaned his hands on the table, imparting Warren with a long look of abject offense that displaced the default mischief. "Okay, look…people were born, lived their lives, and died of old age during these wars. Whole planets ravaged with battlefields, mass graves floating for eternity in the dead of space, soldiers of all species getting killed every damn day to these wars. Families torn apart, hope completely dashed along every waking hour…what kinda ignorant, stone-cold arrogance do you have to possess to think you alone can be the metaphorical sunlight breaking through this raincloud shit-show, brother?"

"Not alone, no. I have an obhelian."

A look of recognition crossed Guetry's face and he narrowed his eyes again. "The obhelian?"

"Yep."

dandelion flower (Meridian)—

Atoa and the guards, dwindling down in number, led them to the kitchens, the gym, the training room, and finally to the simulated courtyard where a surprisingly luscious garden grew under artificial weather lamps. Vegetables, fruits, flowers of all kinds beautified the space and Thrive looked enchanted, which surprised Warren.

"I smell at least four flowers from Tournaltis," Thrive said, walking past a bench to survey the vegetable area. "And...three from C'o."

"What happened to a good rose, huh?" Warren asked, leaning into a marble pillar.

Thrive came to a sudden halt, reaching over to pull a single orange rose into view past a bush. He looked at Warren.

"Damn," Warren said, smiling. "That was kinda hot, I won't lie."

"You never do," Thrive said, letting the rose move back into place. "Not about that, anyway."

butter (Aurora)—

My Bear—

Warren already had to pause to give himself time to recover. He'd forgotten that his mother used to call him that, particularly closer to the time she passed, and he could almost hear her beckoning him to the couch to watch her weave baskets for their neighbors. Her scent, honey and whipped butter from her daily breakfast, wafting in front of his nose from olfactory recall alone. He'd play with her hair, braided down to her waist, unbraiding and teaching himself to re-braid it by following the natural waves. Her expressive brown eyes, eyes he wished he'd inherited growing up. He envied the way the light would turn them gold.

Taking a deep breath and sitting down on his bed, Warren continued reading his mother's shaky handwriting through blurred vision.

My Bear,

I trust you have finally decided it's time to read this. That means you need strength more than you ever have before, and I am about to provide it to you.

play (Meridian)—

"I'm surprised y'all don't have bodyguards or something stationed here," Mercury said at one point as they congregated in the sitting room Thrive had installed to entertain diplomatic guests.

Thrive stiffened at that. "It's a matter of time. Once our palace has been built, they'll likely assign a permanent security detail to us."

Sig, Guetry, and Mercury went quiet.

"Palace?" Guetry said. "You guys are getting a palace? Where?"

Warren and Thrive exchanged a glance. "We can't tell you," Warren said. "We can't tell anyone. It's supposed to be the most well-hidden location in the two galaxies. I don't even think we're allowed to know once we move in."

"Hey, we found ——— eventually," Guetry said from one of the sofas. "Not to spook you guys but anything can be found with enough time."

Thrive nodded, resting his elbows on his knees and watching Thoeala play with Mercury on the other side of the room. "That is true...however, the tactics we used to find the Blue Palace will be taken into account when constructing Leviathan. It will be impossible to track." He lifted his gaze to Warren. "For our safety."

step (Eternal)—

Minutes later the doors to the gate opened and a couple of heavily-armed guards marched through, escorting a mechanized wheelchair in which sat Guetry, chained at the wrists and completely zoned out. He still looked impeccably groomed but not in the usual Guetry way, wearing a normal overpowering t-shirt and skinny jeans. His face was a bit puffy as he'd gained a bit of weight, and dark circles encompassed his makeup-less, somewhat dulled eyes. Even though in its normal state the giant tattoo crawling up his right arm to his throat was dormant, now it seemed even more as if something had washed part of it away.

"Guetry," Warren said abruptly.

His head swiveled up and around to him as they all stopped for the guards to talk with DeCosta. He narrowed his eyes at him and Thrive, almost placing them, but not quite. "Too fancy for paparazzi and t-too foreign for my family…"

Thrive stepped forward and swiped a gentle hand over Guetry's hair, resting it on his forehead, holding out the other hand to placate the guards who moved to jump into action. "Settle…" he murmured to both parties.

miss (Meridian)—

The image shifted again, this time portraying Thrive hidden in shadow, a green glow taking up much of the shot and highlighting the lines of his face.

"Not too long after I'd awakened," Scot said. "At NodeSource headquarters."

Once more the image changed, and Warren's breath left him in a rush.

Efthim, during the rescue of the qrihk. Warren's face in profile, in the middle of speaking to someone, and Thrive standing at his shoulder, watching him. It had been a blink-and-miss-it moment of levity among their evacuation team. While he remembered the instant of cracking a joke to make the others laugh as their assignment had weighed down on everyone, he had no idea Thrive was watching him with such...softness.

He was smiling. Subtle, but definite. His eyes were focused not on his surroundings, not on potential escape or incoming harm, but on Warren. And there didn't appear to be anything strong enough to break that focus in that long-gone yet immortalized snap of time.

"Send me that one," he whispered.

Scot patted his knee under the table. "Already done."

scramble (Aurora)—

Dazia burst onto the bridge and immediately swore. "Thank fucking god. Okay, let's get the hell out of here."

Warren scrambled to the viewscreen as everyone else began to pour into the room, relieved at him and Guetry being in one piece. "What happened?!"

"We don't know!" Emnophene exclaimed. "You were there one minute, then a huge sinkhole opened up and we thought you and Guetry had died!"

Mercury surged forward and gathered Guetry in a desperate, tight embrace, planting a solid, lengthy kiss to his mouth that surprised even Warren, who'd accidentally turned at that exact moment. Guetry's wide eyes spoke volumes.

"I was leavin' you behind," Mercury breathed through clenched teeth, voice quaking as he gripped Guetry's stunned face in his hands and pressed several more kisses to him. "I had to leave you behind, you stupid man…"

Sig's voice came in through the comm. "Are we still detonating or not?"

Warren snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes. Yes! ——— can handle it—we need to get out of here, 'cause we sure as shit can't!"

#tag game #find the word

[somedaytakethetime]

I have a sort of sad song stuck in my head, it's a older-ish song, sort of sad-ish but.. I was thinking about the concept of it and I thought that maybe I can spin that into something happier and more hopeful that doesn't involve parting and separating but more to come actually? Let's see 🤷🏻‍♀️ If you care: I'll Breathe Again by Sara Bareilles

Notes and warnings: none? The whole thing is snippets of barely descriptive moments, it's all very mild and mostly about the feels, just looking back on memories if you will. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️😭

Word count: 1 681 words

The little crack in the wood brings back another memory. A happy night, you were celebrating a win. Something sizzling on the stove, old pop rock echoing through the kitchen walls as you were spun around and tugged back in. Your laughter melted together as he kissed it into your neck, your giggles making him laugh harder. The rumbling in his chest pressed to yours, making you feel happy and warm inside. Soft and slow kisses exchanged as you clung one handed to him, both of his hands wrapping around your waist like vines and locking you together. Your glass spills out some more as he jostles and lifts you, the small startled squeak has him laughing, "You're so silly! Look at what you've made me do now..", he just places you back down and sets you free, smiles proudly, "I didn't do anything, babe, you spilled that all on your own..", he winks when you narrow your eyes at him, smack his chest playfully as he walks back to go mind dinner. You place the glass precariously on the edge of the counter, don't notice how close it is to falling as you mindlessly reach out for the cloth to clean up the mess. Neither notices the glass as his hand, searching for the spatula, knocks it off accidentally. It falls quickly, he reaches to catch it, 'you don't catch falling dangerous items' echoes in his head, his mother's voice warning him when he was a small child and tried to catch a falling knife, he reaches for you instead and pulls you back. Away from where the glass would have shattered on your sock-clad foot. You both watch the heavy glass break into pieces on the pristine wood floor. You'd discover, after cleaning up all the shards, that it left a permanent crack. He never bothered to have it fixed, "It'll always represent this happy night." is what he used to say.

You walk around, softly touching every empty space now. There's light flooding in from everywhere. The echoes are so loud now. You pause in front of the window and watch the leaves be tossed around in the grass outside. The wind playing it's very own game. You can see him, right there, on the exact spot close by the big tree. Laughing and tossing himself to the floor as he tries to catch all the balls kicked at him at the same time. Giggles from several small children filling the air as they merrily target their favourite player. The sounds of his family's voices all around you, indoors and outdoors, chatting in that rapid fire way of theirs. Everyone inspecting curiously this new house he's just gotten, approving of every detail. A strong hand rests on your shoulder, warm and familiar in way. You look up and his father smiles down at you softly. It's sometimes eerie how similar they are, their hands especially. "This is the happiest he's been in years.", your throat constricts as you look back at him, smiling and rolling on the soft grass under a dogpile of happy children. All his wee cousins, nephews and nieces. All these little kids that in a way also resemble him so heavily. You feel your heart stammer. He's been through a lot, had so many ups and downs. It makes you want to cry seeing him happy, you wish you could freeze this moment, everyone so happy and excited for new beginnings. "Thank you.", you look up again, confused, "Thank you for being there for him. Thank you for loving my son. He deserves that.", emotion chokes you again as you smile and nod. You don't need to say it, his family knows it. You love him so much, you'd do anything to keep him happy. Moving away was.. a big change. Scary even. You'd never been alone before. So far away from everything you know.. from everyone you love.. daunting to think that you're alone. A hand softly taking yours breaks you out of your daze. The way he smiles so lovingly, eyes soft and tender, reminds you that you're not alone.

It's his house. That's how you'll always remember it. It offended him every single time you said 'your house' but it was. You never meant it in a poor light. It comforted you to call it his house. His space. His safety and protection. He allowed you into it. Accepted you and welcomed you into his space. Made room for you. Bought you things, melded both you and him together in one space. But it was his. He bought the house because of the transfer, he was going to move away yet again.. even further and further from you this time. Putting space and several countries between you both. Dating long distance was hell before, but it would be even worse after this move. It was a big step. When he asked you wondered if it wasn't moving too fast, you'd been dating for less than a year. "I know what I want, I know what my future looks like. It has you in it. There's no other options for me.", he said it so self assuredly, so full of confidence. This was real to him, this was it. So you believed him, took his hand and leaped off the cliff along with him. Tears, doubt and fear filled your move. You were so afraid he'd tire of you, that things wouldn't work out, it hurt to leave all you loved and knew behind for this new and foreign place. But he held you, loved you, listened and supported you through it all. In this exact house. His house. Where he made room for you to place your clothes next to his. In the drawers that are gone now. Where your books lived alongside his on the shelves. On the empty shelves in front of you. Your blankets were folded on top of his on the couch. The same one you're touching right now. The couch you spend so many hours in. Cuddled up watching TV. Napping together. Doing.. other things that are best left unmentioned.. This was the spot. Where you'd walk in at times, back from the shops, to find him napping on his days off. And you'd sneak onto the couch and cuddle up to him. Would feel his sleepy body turning, arms wrapping around you and pulling you closer even while deep asleep. You became co-dependent. Each other's pillar. The only person the other trusted and relied on. You were all alone together. You never managed to make friends here, it was hard to connect to others when you couldn't understand them. He struggled just as much. Malicious people worked alongside him, making everything hard to deal with. Friction, resentment, anger.. it all built up inside him. Inside you too. And it finally got to be too much. You've always known that everything that starts has to end some day, you just didn't expect it to end so soon.

You take one last look around. The brightness has dimmed now. The sky has turned, no longer bright and sunny as the clouds have overtaken and filled everything with grey. You can see the wind get angrier outside, a flurry of leaves being tossed roughly upwards and drifting away. It's going to rain. Fitting, you think. It's fitting to leave this place in a flurry of mixed feelings. The good and bad, hand in hand, as life is meant to be. The house feels so cold and soulless now. There's no warmth, no laughter, no joy left in this place. All the sweet and loving memories will leave with you, you refuse to leave them behind. It was his house before, now it's just a house. He made it what it was but without him in it this is just an empty shell. "Are you ready, love?", you turn around startled. You didn't hear him walk back in. "Did I take too long? I'm sorry.", he shakes his head, a soft smile lifts the corners of his mouth, "I'd wait for you all year if that's how long it took you.", he holds his hand out, offering it up and waiting for you to take it when you're ready. One last look around. One last moment to be flooded with all the memories you've made together in this space. You reach out to take his hand, his fingers wrap around yours and pull you closer. Tug you into his body. He holds you tightly, takes one last look around too. A flurry of emotions stirs in his chest. There's a ring burning a whole in his pocket, he's had it for months now. It's not the right time, but it soon will be. This place was never meant to be home, and he wants you away from it all. He wraps his arms tighter, protectively, places a soft kiss on your head, cups your face when you look at him and kisses you. Soft. Slow. One long, deep kiss. You sigh when he pulls away, feeling lighter than you've had in years. You're going back. Not back to where he'd been before. Not back to where you came from. Back to where he belongs. You pray it'll be the last time. That he'll be loved. Cherished. Treated like family by all. He'll fit in, he has to, he has always fit in. It's where he belongs. He's excited for it. Hasn't stopped talking about it since he was told. Has several plans but he's only disclosed that you're looking for a house as soon as you land, he's booked appointments, you'll stay with his parents as you search. They're eager to have him back after so many years. You're eager too. Hope blooms in your soul for what's to come, his smile widens and he says so softly, "Are you ready to go home?". You mirror him, nod softly and let yourself be lead away from this empty shell. If you're together, you'll always be ready to go home.

#as with everything else i've ever ''written''? i don't know.. #it just happens #i can't help nor understand myself #you're welcome or not 😭 #i apologise or i don't 😭 #adventures in a clown's dreams #football imagine #football fanfic #apologies for errors.. can't write that's my excuse.. dyslexia cannot be used as an excuse anymore 😔

[shslpunkartist]

Could we see a random snipbit from your system au? Perhaps system Amelia trying to find her glasses while Keith & Pico tries to help her out? Or perhaps system Amelia meeting system Otis and accidentally kills him with her adorableness? :]

System Ami and Otis are actually friends before the story happens because of same classes (maybe further past that? Maybe high school friends who decided to go to the same college), so I'm gonna do the first suggestion.

(Put under the readmore incase some people don't want spoilers)

Meet at her dorm at 1 pm. It's 12:56 right now. Good. We've made perfect time.. right? Or should we go in at the EXACT right time? Or maybe a minute or so later? Who shows up to a friend meeting at the exact time anyway??

"Dude, chill out!" I felt a poke at my side, and turned to see Pico snickering at me. "I doubt Lily's gonna get on your butt for being a few minutes early. Let's just go in now. It's just a project meet-up, after all!"

"Easy for you to say.." I mumble. Which is true. It shouldn't be a big deal, but never - and I mean NEVER - have I went into someone else's dorm for an assignment. For any projects that I was forced to partner with someone, it would all be over text and media share, since neither of us would want to meet up in person. This is completely different and new.. feels like my stomach's gonna flip inside out.

"Look, if you don't go knock on that door, I'll force take over and have Lily all to myself. Make you look double weird~" Again, Pico was snickering at my misfortune. He knew damn well I was nervous, but of course, he makes light of it.. or that's his way of helping me ease up.

Either way, I flick his forehead and go to the door, ignoring his cry of pain. Wasting time out here actually got me even closer to the exact time, so that's a little less worry off my system.. I think. Regardless, I knock on the door, and wait patiently for the door to open.

Boof. "Ack! Crap, uh.. one second!" Whack! Dingle..

"Uh.. Ami?" Was stuff falling on the ground?

"One secoooond! Shit, where did.. arghh!"

"Lily's fighting someone."

"She's not fighting anyone, shut up."

"Dude, she's totally kicking someone's ass right now. Break in, I wanna see."

"There's no way I'm breaking inside! Stop saying stupid thi-!"

Suddenly, the door swung open, startling both me and Pico back from the doorway. Amelia stood at the other end, glaring right at us, completely disheveled and pissed off. Shit, I knew it, we caught her at a horrible time-!!

"Who are you?"

... huh???

"A-Ami?" I took a step forward and gave a slight wave, hoping the shakiness of my hand wasn't noticed. "I-It's me? Keith? We.. were supposed to work on a song together..?"

A moment of silence lasted longer than I had hoped for, but that's when her glare widened to shock, and I noticed her cheeks begin to flare a bright pink. "O-Oh my gosh, Keith! I didn't recognize your voice through the door, I'm sorry!" I was about to sigh in relief, until she suddenly moved closer to me and glared again, taking a closer look at.. my face.

... wait.. is she squinting??

"Ooh yeah, there's your blue hair!" She let out a nervous giggle. "I'm really sorry, Keith. I'm, well.. it's embarrassing, but I'm blind as a bat without my glasses. I've been trying to find them for the past hour, but.. well.. I'm blind without them! Ahaha.. heh.."

"I'm in love with her." Pico bluntly states.

Shut up, you!

"Oh, ok.. thought you were.." I paused, not wanting to say what Pico had claimed she was doing. "Um.. y'know what, forget it. I can help you find them, if you want."

"Yes! Please and thank you! I could've swore I left them on my nightstand, but I can't friggin-!!" Amelia quickly turned away to get back into her room, only to bump into the wall rather harshly, now whining at her newly injured nose. I took her by the shoulders and helped her inside, not wanting her to crash into anything else.

#system!au

[discgolfaction]

Are You Committing A Foot Fault?

Something a lot of newer players don’t think about when they are playing disc golf is where their feet are at when they are throwing or putting a disc.

I know when I started playing I didn’t give it much thought and I remember one time a guy I was playing with would jump forward from the tee pad and release the disc while flying through the air.

I didn’t give it another thought until I started watching professionals play. It was during one of these tournaments I was watching on youtube that player was called for a foot fault.

I remember rewinding the video and saying to myself “Did they say foot fault?”

After watching more tournament videos, listening to disc golf podcasts and doing research online, did I finally realize what a foot fault was? I created this article so you don’t have to do all the research on your own.

Inside The Circle

While your inside of the putting circle, after you have released your disc you must demonstrate full control of your balance before you move toward the basket.

If you fail to do this, you have committed a foot fault and will receive a penalty. The important thing to keep in mind about this is control of balance.

For instance, if you are putting and lose your balance and step on your lie, you have foot faulted. Here is a great video that demonstrations this:

Notice how he gives examples of showing that you have balance after putting.

You can pause, reach for your mini or place your back foot down before moving forward, all of which will demonstrate you have balance before moving forward.

For more information on this rule read section 806.01 of the Official Rules of Disc Golf. You can find it here.

Teeing Off

Depending on where you are on the course the rules about where your feet must be while throwing can change. We’ve looked at putting already and now we’re going to transition to driving.

If you are throwing from the tee box, you must have at least one supporting point touching the tee box during the moment the disc is released.

You also must have all your supporting points within the tee area during the release.

So basically this seems that you must have one foot touching the tee area at the time the disc leaves your hand and that your other foot doesn’t need to be touching the tee area but can’t be outside of it.

Something else to note is that you are allowed to have one foot outside the teeing area before or after the release, just not at the exact moment of release. If you break this rule the result will be a stroke penalty.

For more information on this rule read section 802.04 of the Official Rules of Disc Golf. You can find it here.

Throwing From Your Lie

If you are always throwing from the tee box to the putting circle, you can skip this section. For the rest of us, we will be throwing from our lie after we’ve driven quite often.

In this case, you must have at least one supporting point in contact with your lie.

In addition, you can’t have any supporting points closer to the basket than the read edge of your disc or your marker (depending on if you use a marker).

This means that if you supporting foot is placed outside the lie during your throw you will receive a penalty stroke.

So if you were to throw your disc with your foot on or over your marker, you could be called with a penalty and receive stroke.

Likewise, if you were to throw your disc behind you lie (this might make sense if you were right behind an obstacle) you could be called for it and get a penalty.

For more information on this rule read section 802.07 of the Official Rules of Disc Golf. You can find it here.

The Lie

So far we’ve talked a lot about foot placement and throwing from your lie. If you aren’t sure what I mean by this, your lie is the place on the ground where you are taking your stance in order to throw your disc.

If we aren’t talking about the tee pad or a drop zone, the lie is an imaginary 20cm wide by 30 cm deep rectangle centered behind your marker.

Again, during your throw, if you don’t have one foot in contact with this area you can be called for a foot fault and get a stroke penalty.

For more information on this rule read section 802.05 of the Official Rules of Disc Golf. You can find it here.

Marking Your Lie

If you are throwing from you lie in the fairway, it’s perfectly okay to use your disc has the marker. Simply live your disc where it lies and take your next shot.

If you wish to use a mini to maker your lie, you must do it in a specific way. You must place your mini directly in front of your disc and it must be touching your disc.

In front is in reference to the basket. If you mark your lie incorrectly, the first violation will result in a warning but if you continue to do this you will recievea pently stroke for each volitoion during the round.

Here a great video of Eric McCabe showing you how it’s done:

For more information on this rule read section 802.06 of the Official Rules of Disc Golf. You can find it here.

Final Thoughts

If you are playing casual rounds with your friends, you might not be concerned with the rules of foot placement. 

After all, we’re playing disc golf to have fun but if you are interested in playing by the rules or if you want to start playing in tournaments you’ll want to make sure you aren’t foot faulting. 

Adding unnecessary strokes to your score isn’t going to help you win. If you have further questions about the rules of foot placement or any other disc golf rule I suggested you check out the official rules of disc golf put out by the PDGA. 

This is a great resource and you’ll be able to find any answer to your questions about the rules of disc gol