#Gregory better make a a move or I will | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cloudwhisper23 · 6 months

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BEHOLD!!! AN ART TRADE!!! @pixlokita it is time!

Caution, do not click read more if you do not intend to read. This is 12,192 words. And no, I'm not kidding. This is so much longer than most of the stuff I write. That being said, enjoy!!!

Evan said Michael was sick, which worried Jeremy. Being sick should not mean Michael would try so hard to avoid Jeremy, especially since he knew it would make Jeremy worry about him more.

But the main part Jeremy was worried about was the way Evan’s new wings kept fluffing up. Was Michael mad at him?

Don’t worry about it, Jeremy, he told himself. If Michael’s mad, he’ll tell you eventually.

It just stung. Evan and Gregory were wandering around the house, trying to see if their wings would allow them to do various things. Evan’s were too small to do much, and Gregory still hadn’t gotten used to them yet, but at least they had something to do while Mr. Emily tried to figure out what could possibly cause this.

“Ugh!” Gregory exclaimed, plopping down on the sofa next to Jeremy. He took the soda from Jeremy’s hand and took a giant sip. “These things suck.”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy asked, unsuccessfully trying to retrieve his Coke.

“I mean,” Gregory scowled, taking another sip, “that wings are stupid. They don’t even bend the way I want them to.”

“Well…” Jeremy said thoughtfully. “They are just extra limbs, right? With bones and joints and stuff?”

“I guess so.” Gregory finally gave Jeremy his soda back. “But they don’t move how I want-“

“You couldn’t do much when you were a baby right? Learning to crawl?” Jeremy chugged the rest of his Coke before putting the empty can down. “It’s an accomplishment when babies get their heads off the floor on their own, you know. And rolling and stuff.”

“Oh.” Gregory clearly hadn’t thought about it that way. “But Evan’s got excellent control already.”

“He’s had them longer.” Jeremy shrugged. “Maybe he’s just a quick learner. Or maybe, there’s less wing to work with. Could be a bunch of things.”

“But…” Gregory sighed. He inched closer to Jeremy on the couch, his wings refusing to bend in a natural way.

Jeremy awkwardly looped a comforting arm around Gregory. “You’ll get there eventually.”

“They just hurt. All the time.”

“I can’t help with that,” Jeremy chuckled.

“Sure you can! Mike did this thing once, where he…” Gregory chewed his lip. “Well, I’m not exactly sure what he did.”

“You want me to pet you?” Jeremy said in disbelief. “Nuh uh. Go ask Evan. That’s not… No.”

“Why’d you make it weird?” Gregory shook his head. “It was like…”

“Like a shoulder massage,” Evan interjected helpfully. His wings flexed, expanding fully as he explained. They barely went past his shoulders, but the point got across.

Jeremy admired the confidence with which he showed them. He’d personally be too worried about people calling him a freak. Which, thinking about it, was not likely to happen in this house. Everyone was too nice here.

“Mikey went like this,” Evan said, pulling Jeremy’s arm back to get to Gregory’s wings.

Gently, Evan messaged the inner edge of Gregory’s wings, right where they extended from his back. Gregory’s wings convulsed, the claw on one nearly hitting Jeremy in the face. “I think they get itchy,” Evan mused. “We might have to just do this more often.”

“No kidding,” Gregory said with a sigh, his eyes closing and his shoulders relaxing. “But Mike’s still better at it.”

“Wonder where he got his practice,” Jeremy replied. He didn’t mean to sound bitter, but it still came across that way.

Evan winched, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he kept focused on his task. Gregory sighed absently. “Wings are a lot of work.”

“Seems that way,” Jeremy replied.

Gregory folded and unfolded his hands while Evan worked. “I just…”

Jeremy spared him a glance as he went to get another can of Coke. “Something on your mind?”

“His girlfriend,” Evan said absently.

“Cassie’s not my girlfriend!” Gregory said, straightening. His wings fluffed up as he said it.

“Oh.” Jeremy had no idea what to make of that. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t know!” Gregory replied. He ran a hand through his hair to try to make it lay flat. “She was at Evan’s party, and she looked really bad. I think Mike took care of it, but he didn’t really say anything about it afterwards.”

“She’s probably at the hospital, Gregory,” Evan replied, trying to be soothing. “We can visit her once we figure out what to do about this first.”

“Stupid wings,” Gregory grumbled. “Making everything harder.”

Jeremy didn’t know how to reply to that. He cracked the can open and took a sip. “Have you asked Mike?”

“He’s sick,” Evan answered for Gregory. His wings fluffed up again.

“Maybe we should check on him then. He’s been resting all week right?” Jeremy asked, trying to be casual about it. Evan had been very guarded about his older brother this whole time.

Jeremy came over every day, and every day, Evan said the same thing. “Mike’s sick. He can’t see anyone right now.”

It had been happening since the day Gregory’s wings had burst through his skin. Jeremy was more than a little concerned. Sure, he hadn’t reacted well to the wings at first, but none of them had. He’d been more supportive when Evan’s had burst through later that same day.

But Michael’s expression became very guarded for the rest of the day, and the next day, he was “sick” and couldn’t see Jeremy. And Evan was very good at shooing Jeremy away when he tried too hard to see him.

“Shouldn’t he eat something?” Jeremy asked.

Evan frowned. “Mikey told me that there’s not much he can stomach right now.”

“Crackers always work,” Jeremy mumbled to himself. Shaking his head, he tried again. “What about water? Maybe he’ll start feeling better with some fluids.”

“I… guess…” Evan seemed less sure. Conflicted, he looked at Gregory and then glanced at the closed door to his cousin’s room.

“I can get it. You keep helping Gregory,” Jeremy said quickly. He didn’t want Evan to change his mind.

Evan relented, nodding slightly. “Okay. Make sure to get him a big glass. And don’t be loud. And-“

“I know how it works when someone’s sick, thank you.” Jeremy set his Coke down and rushed back to the kitchen to grab a glass.

Evan had not been exaggerating. When Jeremy crept into the room with the glass of water, Michael was curled into a tight ball on the bed.

“Mike?” Jeremy whispered into the quiet room.

Michael groaned in response. He rolled over to face Jeremy, exposing the hair plastered to his face with sweat.

“I um.” Jeremy swallowed. He felt a little foolish now. Michael was just literally sick. He wasn’t mad at Jeremy or anything like that. “I brought you some water.”

Michael opened his eyes, feebly reaching for the glass.

“Are you strong enough to hold it on your own?” Jeremy asked.

Michael had to consider that for a moment. Then he shook his head.

“Here-“ Jeremy sat next to Michael on the bed, helping pull him into an upright position so he could drink the water.

Michael leaned heavily against Jeremy, eagerly drinking the water. Jeremy had to brace himself against the wall to support the extra weight. Then abruptly, Michael pulled away.

“J… Jeremy,” Michael whispered weakly. He gripped at Jeremy’s jacket, burying his face in Jeremy’s shirt. “I…”

“It’s okay, Mike-“

Michael seized in Jeremy’s arms, sobbing heavily. His hold got tighter and tighter as his body shuddered with pain. Jeremy tried to set the glass on the bedside table, but he barely had it on the edge and water soaked into the carpet as he pulled Michael the rest of the way into his lap. “I got you,” Jeremy said into Michael’s hair.

“It hurts,” Michael cried, still shaking.

“You’ll get through this,” Jeremy mumbled.

A tearing noise broke through the sound of Michael’s sobs, even as they intensified. “JEREMY!!!” Michael wailed.

“I have you, Mike. It’s okay. You’ll be okay.”

Dimly, Jeremy registered the large wings erupting from Michael’s back. Oh. Oh. This was happening now. Bloody feathers spread out, wrapping around Jeremy to return his comforting gesture.

Gradually, Michael’s crying ceased, and Jeremy was left holding an exhausted teenager with bloody wings. “I am sorry,” Michael whispered, pulling his hands back, the wings retracting slightly. “I did not mean to, uh…”

“It’s okay, Michael.” Jeremy tried to smile at him. He was determined not to squirm in discomfort from all the blood currently soaking into his jacket.

“I… should go shower,” Michael said awkwardly.

“Yeah…” Jeremy wriggled uncomfortably in his jacket.

“Sorry,” Michael said. “I can wash that if you want.”

“It’s not the biggest deal,” Jeremy said.

“It is if you go home wearing a jacket covered in blood,” Michael replied. “It’s only fair that I clean it, since that’s my blood.”

That wasn’t how Jeremy saw it, but he figured he wasn’t getting out of this. “Okay.”

Michael shifted carefully, putting his feet on the carpet. Almost instantly after taking his weight off the bed, he completely lost his balance. His wings flew out, trying to redistribute the weight, but Jeremy didn’t realize that as he caught Michael by the waist. Both of them tumbled off the bed, Jeremy hitting the carpet with a soft ‘oomph.’

“I am sorry. This was not my intent,” Michael said from above Jeremy.

“They take some getting used to, huh?” Jeremy replied, trying to ignore the heat rising to his face.

It hadn’t been much on the bed with Michael clinging to him like a lifeline. But on the floor with Michael on top of him, pinning him to the ground, Jeremy was suddenly aware of how close Michael was to him.

Michael smiled ruefully. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to walk on my own right now. I don’t know how I’m going to wash all this blood off by myself.”

“Maybe your uncle could help?”

“He’s probably back at the library again,” Michael mused as he crawled off Jeremy.

Evan wouldn’t be able to handle it, Jeremy knew that much. And he couldn’t ask for Gregory’s help without alerting Evan to the amount of blood that coated them both.

“Do you want me to help?” Jeremy asked, feeling the heat more intensely in his face. Please say no. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle it.

“Really?” Michael chewed his lip, considering it. “I would not want to be a bother… But if you are offering…”

Jeremy’s heart quickened at the prospect. “R-right.”

“Help me up?” Michael asked.

Jeremy pulled Michael to his feet, unprepared for the wings to wrap around him again. “Um.”

“Sorry. I don’t have much control over them yet,” Michael replied sheepishly.

“Do they want me to carry you?” Jeremy gauged the idea of carrying Michael to the bathroom. It wasn’t the worst idea he’d ever come up with.

“It’d probably be less awkward than walking there like this,” Michael agreed.

“So I’m just going to…” Jeremy twisted around in the space the wings allowed him. Michael hissed out a pained breath, but soon he was behind Jeremy. “How well can you jump?”

Pretty well, apparently. Jeremy barely needed to adjust for the weight of Michael on his own back, hands linked beneath Michael’s knees. “Okay. Let’s get you taken care of.”

“I am not a child, Jer,” Michael said wearily. Still, he pressed the side of his face into Jeremy’s hair. “I am sorry to be such a burden.”

“You’re not a burden, Mike. You’re my friend. I’m absolutely willing to help you out when you’re in need.”

“Mmmmm,” Michael sounded almost mournful. But he didn’t argue.

“Okay,” Jeremy said. “So, I’m thinking they might need a decent soaking, right? Birds like to be fully submerged when they clean their wings right?”

Michael blinked at him from where he sat on the toilet lid. “What are you even saying?”

“The blood.”

“It is not dried yet. Not completely anyway.”

“So what? You were planning to just wing this whole thing, weren’t you?” Jeremy shrugged off his jacket.

Michael snorted. “I was planning to shower, Jeremy. But I guess I was planning to wing it, considering how I have wings now.” His wings stretched as he spoke, emphasizing his point. “I just don’t have the strength to stand there long enough to wash them off.”

“I-“ Jeremy sputtered. Clearing his throat, he tried to skip over the accidental pun he’d made. “Just going to let the water do the work?”

“That’s the goal.” Michael frowned. “There’s just a few problems.”

“Such as?”

“My shirt isn’t going to come off the same way it went on this morning.”

“Are you particularly attached to that shirt?” Jeremy asked.

“Not really. Could try to just-“ Michael pulled at the collar of his shirt.

“I’ll go grab a pair of scissors,” Jeremy said as Michael pulled experimentally at his shirt again.

He had to be careful walking by the couch, noticing Evan curled up for a nap. Gregory was nowhere in sight.

Returning with the scissors, Jeremy nearly dropped them upon seeing Michael. “What happened? I was gone for two minutes!”

Michael’s shirt was hanging off his body in shreds. When Jeremy looked closer, he could see sharp claws on Michael’s hands. “I…” Michael shrugged sheepishly. “I thought I could tear the fabric and take it off myself.”

Jeremy’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t let himself laugh. “Okay. I don’t think you did a very good job of it though.”

“It seems as though I failed…”

“Here, let me just…” Jeremy carefully reached around Michael’s head, one knee resting between his legs. It felt strange to be cutting through Michael’s shirt, but as the fabric gave way, Michael seemed to relax a little more.

Jeremy recalled Gregory and Evan both sitting on the couch as Michael measured the shape they needed cut from their shirts for the wings. Perhaps Michael needed a few of those done as well. Something to keep in mind for later.

“Hey, why is there blood all over-“ Gregory’s eyes widened as he peered into the bathroom.

Michael straightened quickly. Jeremy pulled back, hiding the scissors. “Hello.” Michael waved awkwardly, his wings stiff and very clearly exposed.

“You… you have them too?” Gregory’s voice seemed so small.

“Yes, it appears as though we will match.”

Gregory swallowed harshly. “I can help. I know how to get blood stains out of fabric.”

“I would really appreciate it. Thank you, Superstar.” Michael beamed at Gregory, who flushed a deep red.

“It’s no big deal…”

“Not to you,” Jeremy said softly. “But it helps more than you realize. Thank you.”

Gregory opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He scratched his neck as his wings fluffed up, finally saying, “I’ll be quick. It probably won’t be good if Evan finds out.”

“It would be best if he did not know how messy the process is,” Michael agreed.

Gregory nodded, smoothing his hair down before hurrying out of the room.

Michael wadded the scraps of his shirt into a ball and tossed it to the floor. “Now that that’s sorted…”

Jeremy determinedly kept his eyes from wandering as he helped Michael stand. His friend leaned heavily against him for support as he attempted to undo his pants.

Jeremy belatedly realized that the only way this whole thing would work was if the shower ran over both of them. I’m going to be drenched, he thought sorrowfully as Michael muttered to himself in frustration.

“You could probably just sit while I wash the blood off,” Jeremy said when Michael finally stood there in his boxers. “Since it would be less exhausting for you.”

Michael blinked. “I suppose you are correct. I should have thought this through more.”

“It’s no big deal, man. You’re probably dealing with blood loss or whatever.”

“Still…”

“Hey, it’s fine. You spend all this time taking care of everybody. Maybe it’s time someone took care of you, right?”

Michael chewed his lip. “I suppose.”

“Okay. We’ll get you cleaned up in no time, Mike.” Jeremy said, smiling supportively. Michael tentatively smiled back.

As it turned out, it was a lot harder to clean up Michael than Jeremy initially thought. He kept twitching away, hissing out noises of pain at Jeremy’s touch.

Michael clenched his fists in his lap. “Okay. Clearly this is not the proper solution.”

“I can’t do this when it’s clearly hurting you, Mike. I just…” Jeremy leaned forward to rest his head against the back of Michael’s.

“This is nothing. I have endured much worse before.”

“That’s not as reassuring as you think it is.”

“Jeremy.” Michael said calmly, wringing water out of the washcloth. “I am sure it has become clear to you that things are not how they should be. The wings are only one part of it.”

“Yeah? What I’m hearing is that your father is abusive.” Jeremy wearily took the washcloth back, dabbing it gently against the space between Michael’s wings. At least like that it didn’t seem to hurt him.

“Well, not in the way you would think. Actually, I was thinking more of the comparison between growing limbs and losing organs. I think losing organs is still a more painful experience than this.”

“So you want me to just ignore your pain?” Jeremy asked, trying to decipher Michael’s meaning.

“I am saying I can handle it. I can be a man about this.”

No one is doubting that, Jeremy thought grimly to himself. “Maybe I can’t.” He tentatively rubbed at a clump of blood in the inner edge of Michael’s wing.

Immediately, it swung at him, throwing him against the sink. Pain flared throughout Jeremy’s entire body as he hit the floor. Faintly he registered that his face was bleeding.

“Jeremy?” Michael asked, twisting around. “Are you alright?”

“Nnnnngh,” Jeremy groaned. “I don’t think I broke anything.”

“I am so sorry. It appears that the wings are more sensitive than I thought.”

“No kidding.” Jeremy pressed his fingers to his cheek. He was lucky. The clawed joint of Michael’s wing had hit him just below the eye. Any higher, and he might’ve lost it completely. “Now what?”

“I suppose I should just sit under the water and hope for the best.”

“I think Gregory and Evan mentioned messages working out the soreness. Maybe I could at the very least-“

“I think we should avoid that for now,” Michael replied, his voice sounding stiff. “You have already been hurt once today.”

“Michael.” Jeremy tried to make his voice sound stern. “I knew the risks when I offered to help. So let me help.”

“Fine. Just do not do anything that will put you in danger again.”

“Don’t lie about how much it hurts next time,” Jeremy shot back. “Still gotta get all that blood out of your wings, you know.”

Michael clenched his jaw, but he only stared down into his hands. He couldn’t face Jeremy with the nasty cut on his face any longer.

Jeremy was lighter after that. He knew that even pressing a little too hard would make the wings spaz, and over the course of the next few hours, he succeeded with minimal interruptions.

Gregory popped in near the end to check on the progress. “Henry’s back. Do you want me to tell him about this?” He gestured at the entirety of the bathroom.

“I believe he should be informed. Please ensure that my brother does not come to investigate before we are done here.”

“And maybe grab him a dry set of clothes while you’re at it,” Jeremy said. As an afterthought, he looked at himself. “Maybe grab me something too, if you would.”

Gregory rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. How much does it hurt?”

“I suspect that I should be in more pain than I am,” Michael said, considering the question. “But Jeremy has done an excellent job of making sure the process is less than agonizing.”

“Uh, okay?” Gregory shot Jeremy a look.

“I can’t hardly touch him without the wings reacting,” Jeremy explained. “Nearly lost an eye the first time I did that.”

“So it’s bad.”

“It’s bad,” Jeremy agreed.

Gregory shot Michael a look loaded with concern, but he gave Jeremy a thumbs up. “I’ll ask Henry if he can get you guys some dry clothes. Maybe I’ll just imply that something else is going on in here if Evan asks.” He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that made Jeremy’s face burn.

“Gregory-“

But Gregory had already ducked out of the room, laughing quietly to himself. Jeremy sighed, preparing himself for the inevitable glares he’d get from Evan.

Michael sighed softly once Jeremy finally went to smooth out the wings. “That feels really nice.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jeremy said softly. “I think we got all the blood out.”

“Is it time to turn the water off then?” Michael asked, his eyes closing.

“I’d say so.” Thank goodness, Jeremy thought as he turned the dials back and pressed the tab down. “Now you need to dry off a bit.”

“Mmmmm….” Michael hummed to himself as Jeremy stepped into the tub with a towel and started rubbing Michael’s head with it.

Michael’s eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at Jeremy. “You really do like taking care of me, don’t you?”

Jeremy huffed out a sigh. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t, would I?”

“I thought you just stuck around to steal our Coca Cola.”

“That too. But I do enjoy your company, Mike.”

The smile broke into a full grin as Michael tugged the towel out of Jeremy’s hands. “That is wonderful news, Jeremy.”

Did he really not know? Jeremy wondered.

Before he had a chance to answer, Henry peered into the bathroom, assessing the pool of water on the floor. He raised a tired eyebrow as he observed the two boys in the bathtub. “I wasn’t inclined to believe Gregory before, but seeing it for myself…”

Jeremy’s face ignited with heat. “I was just helping clean blood from his wings. Nothing else happened, I swear.”

“I was referring to the fact that Michael grew wings. What did you think I meant?” Henry’s eyebrows scrunched, and Michael gave Jeremy a funny look.

“I thought Gregory might’ve said something else,” Jeremy replied, shaking his head. “Forget it.”

“Are you alright, Jeremy? You look a bit feverish…” A frown tugged at the corner of Michael’s mouth.

“I’m going to go grab some more towels. And you two will be wanting a dry set of clothes, won’t you?”

“Yeah.” Jeremy nodded quickly.

Henry hummed at them before walking back out of the room.

“I am grateful for both you and Gregory,” Michael said, using the towel to dry the rest of his body. He slowly rose to his feet, finally able to stand on his own.

Jeremy determinedly did not stare. Instead, he wrung water from his hair.

“I would offer you the towel, but I believe it is too wet to be any real help. Seeing as your clothes are also drenched, the best course of action is to wait for Henry to return.”

Jeremy smiled weakly. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Michael stepped out of the tub, hanging the towel back on the rack after he went. Jeremy could admit that the wings looked pretty good on Mike. He’d been weary of it when he’d first seen the wings on Gregory, and he knew that Gregory was defensive about it now. But maybe seeing him help Michael would help.

“Do you need a bandage for your face?” Michael asked, making eye contact with Jeremy through the mirror above the sink.

“Oh, I uh.” Jeremy blinked at him. “It doesn’t… It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Michael’s mouth twitched. “I understand that me being like this must be unpleasant for you, but that does not mean you do not need assistance with that cut.”

Being like this? Was Michael phrasing things like that on purpose? Was he talking about the fact that he was in his boxers or the fact that he had wings? Jeremy crossed his arms before remembering that his shirt was soaked. He uncrossed them and simply said, “There is no problem. I just don’t need a Band-Aid.”

Michael walked back over, and Jeremy tried to take a step back before remembering he was standing in a bathtub. Trapped, Jeremy stood stiffly as Michael ran a thumb over his scratch. Don’t flinch, he told himself, but it still stung. The cut was pretty deep.

“You likely do need a bandage, despite your claim otherwise,” Michael replied. “I can help, if you need assistance.”

Michael gently wiped blood from Jeremy’s face and went in search of medical supplies. It stung when he cleaned the wound, but Jeremy found himself too fascinated by Michael’s cautious care to really notice. The tiniest furrow in Michael’s eyebrows appeared when he put the bandage on Jeremy’s face, and his hands lingered on Jeremy’s jaw for just a moment too long.

He almost seemed sad when he stepped back from Jeremy. “All better. See?” Michael smiled so quickly Jeremy wondered if he’d imagined the pain in Michael’s eyes.

“Y… yeah. Um. Thanks.” Jeremy touched the bandage, surprised by how big it was. “I didn’t realize the scratch was that big.”

“I still feel terrible for doing that to you. Is there any way I can make it up to you?” Michael asked.

Unable to come up with anything to say other than a request for Michael to kiss him, Jeremy shook his head and turned his attention to Michael’s wings. “Do they still hurt?”

“Not as much as they did,” Michael flexed them experimentally. Jeremy smiled faintly, recalling that Gregory was having immense difficulty controlling his own wings. Perhaps the size made it easier.

Michael made a face. “It appears that moving them still hurts, however.”

“Evan mentioned something about messaging the muscles earlier. He was doing it for Gregory.”

Michael brightened. “I suppose I shall have to ask for Evan’s help with that endeavor then. Thank you for the reminder.”

I could do it for you, Jeremy thought desperately. He didn’t want to just have to leave after everything. This was the most time he’d spent with Michael before, and the guy was just so chill about everything. But being in the same space as him, watching him interact with his brother and Gregory made him want to stay so much longer. Michael Afton was the most compassionate person Jeremy had ever met, and he wanted to be able to help the man who tried so hard to help everyone else.

It didn’t help that Jeremy was also hopelessly in love with him.

As Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, Henry returned with the changes of clothes. Michael turned his attention away from Jeremy to thank Henry and apologize for the water all over the floor, and Jeremy was left to awkwardly collect the pile of bloody clothes on the floor to offer them to Henry.

Henry stared at the rags for a moment, his face paling significantly. “These were Michael’s clothes?”

“Yes.” Michael was separating the clothes to split between himself and Jeremy, and he was hardly focused on Henry. “I could not find a way to safely remove my shirt without causing more pain, so Jeremy helped me cut it off. I am afraid blood does not come out of denim very easily, so my jeans are also a lost cause.”

Brightening, Michael put a bundle of clothing into Jeremy’s arms. “You can change in Charlie’s old room.”

“Why can’t you both change in here?” Henry asked, sounding confused.

Pressure built in Jeremy’s throat as he tried to answer that question. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of himself. Not by any measure at all. He just knew it was dangerous, what he was. People didn’t exactly approve of people like him, after all. Especially not here.

Michael gave Henry a scathing look as tears built up behind Jeremy’s eyes. “Maybe we don’t want to change in the same room.”

Henry blinked in surprise, but he glanced between the two boys for a moment before making his exit. Michael patted Jeremy’s shoulder. “I can go to Charlie’s room instead, if you would prefer to change in here.”

Jeremy still couldn’t speak, so he just nodded. The gentle way Michael nodded back at him filled his body with a strange warmth. A few moments later, Michael was gone, and Jeremy could finally change out of the sopping wet layers he’d been in this whole time.

Half-way through changing, Jeremy noticed that most of the clothes were baggy and easy to layer over each other. There were almost too many options. A jolt ran through him when he considered that Michael had sorted through the clothes. Either Michael was very particular, or he knew.

Hurriedly, Jeremy finished changing and practically ran to the bedroom where Michael said he’d be changing. He basically flung the door open to a startled Mike, who had jeans on but no shirt. “Is something wrong?” Michael asked.

His wings and hair fluffed up, like he’d been expecting a threat, but his expression was one of concern. Jeremy knew he was shaking, knew he wouldn’t be able to speak for a moment, but he stood there and just stared. Why did Michael have to be adorable in everything he did? The way his mouth curled into a frown made half of his mouth seem to vanish, like he was biting on it constantly distracted Jeremy from what he wanted to say.

He let his eyes wander over Michael’s bare torso as he tried to find the words to speak. The worst of his secrets was surely out already, and if Michael figured out his feelings, it would be less painful than him knowing the other secret.

Fascination over the jagged scar across Michael’s chest sprouted in his heart. Jeremy had seen it before, of course. He’d seen it in the bathroom, but he’d been trying not to stare before.

“Jeremy?” Michael looked worried now. “Are you alright?”

Maybe Michael didn’t know. Maybe he just hadn’t grabbed a shirt at all, since they had to be cut specifically for the wings anyway. Jeremy was probably just overreacting. And even if he wasn’t, it seemed that Michael wasn’t going to bring it up. “Uhmm. I just… wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Michael relaxed. “I’m quite alright, Jeremy. I’m not as weak as I was before. The shower certainly helped.”

“You’re um. You’re very fluffy right now.”

“Am I?” Michael ran a hand through his hair, feeling where it stuck up all over the place. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jeremy cleared his throat awkwardly. “Thanks for talking to Henry back there.”

“It was nothing.” Michael blinked at him, wings twitching. “Gregory did a good job cleaning up.” He gestured at the carpet and the bed.

The bed was made very neatly, corners tucked so much better than Jeremy could do on a good day. There were only faint hints that someone had been bleeding there, and they were only visible because Jeremy was looking for them. “Yeah. He certainly did.”

A fond smile crossed Michael’s face at that. “He’s so sweet.”

Jeremy didn’t really believe that, but he nodded anyway. He didn’t want Michael to stop smiling for anything. It was so much better than his frown in every possible way.

“We should… I um. I think we should probably head back to the living room,” Jeremy said awkwardly.

“Right, yes. I suppose it is almost time for you to head home too.” Michael blinked, like he was shaking himself out of a daydream. “Or maybe you could stay for supper?”

Jeremy smiled. “I would love that.”

Evan was awestruck when he saw his brother’s wings. “They’re so big!”

“Soft too,” Jeremy said, trying to encourage Evan’s excitement.

Gregory made a noise in the back of his throat before saying, “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

Jeremy stared at him, mouth opening and closing without words coming out.

“No softer than yours, I’m sure,” Michael said, trying to keep the peace. There wasn’t even a hint of a blush on his face at Gregory’s words. Were the jokes just going over his head? Maybe Jeremy was reading too much into it.

Shaking his head, Jeremy plopped down on the couch beside Gregory. “What happened to your face?” Gregory asked quietly.

“I wasn’t careful enough,” Jeremy answered, glancing at the two brothers as they talked about Michael’s new wings. “And Mike’s wings pack quite the punch.”

“Oh.” Gregory’s eyes widened with understanding. “That could’ve been bad.”

“You’re telling me, kid.” Jeremy shook his head, taking a sip from his can of Coke. “What were you and Evan up to today?”

“Videogames mostly,” Gregory replied. “Although everything here is so old.”

“Old?” Jeremy wrinkled his nose. “Nah, my parents are worse. You’re probably just picky. A bunch of this stuff is newer than anything my family could afford.”

“Your motorcycle is cool though.”

Jeremy smiled. “It is pretty cool.”

“Can you take me on it sometime?”

The smile faltered slightly. “Uh, I don’t know.”

“C’mon, please? All the stuff here is pretty boring, and I know Evan tries to be fun, but you can only play the same game for so long before it’s lame. And I don’t want to have to tell him it’s lame. It’s awful when he cries.”

Jeremy didn’t know what to make of that. “Maybe we could play a board game or something.”

“I wanna go on your bike sometime.” Gregory stuck out his chin stubbornly. “Or I’m going to tell Mike you have the biggest crush on him and-“

“Okay, okay! I get it. But you’ll have to wear a helmet,” Jeremy said, looking away and tugging at his shirt. “And long pants. Just in case.”

“Okay, Dad.” Gregory rolled his eyes.

“Well, you’re the one who said it’s awful when Evan cries,” Jeremy shot back. “And I’ve already seen how Mike cries, and I don’t want to see that again. No thanks.”

Gregory flinched at that. “I…”

“Not to frighten you, but it can be dangerous.” Jeremy sighed. “There’s only so much you can be safe. Not to quote my mom, but ‘I’d rather you be late than dead.’ It’s just that kind of thing.”

Seeing Gregory’s expression, he softened. “I’m a firm believer in the fact that both of us are going to get lectured by Michael when he finds out. So, when he tries, we’re going to tell him that I already told you all the risks and you still wanted to do it. Unless I’ve changed your mind.”

“No, haven’t changed my mind.” Gregory scooted closer to Jeremy. “I bet I’d survive a crash better than you.”

“No way,” Jeremy laughed. “With the way you’re built? No offense, but you’d be a splatter on the cement.”

“Rude.” Gregory scoffed. Not subtly at all, he tried to steal Jeremy’s Coke from his hand.

Amused, Jeremy let him. Gregory immediately started downing what was left in the can. At that moment, Michael glanced over and gasped. “Gregory! Is that Coke? Are you encouraging this, Jeremy?”

“He took the can out of my hand. I didn’t do anything,” Jeremy smiled cheekily. “Not my fault he’s so fast.”

“Mmmmm,” Gregory squinted skeptically at the can. “This is Coke?”

“Yeah?” Jeremy looked confused. “Why? Does it taste weird to you or something?”

“It’s better than I remember.”

Michael sighed, removing the can from Gregory’s hands. “That is because Coca-Cola has different flavoring in it than you remember.”

“Are you talking about the whole cocaine in Coke thing? Because I thought that was a myth.”

Michael shot Jeremy an exasperated look. “That is not what I am talking about. Anyway, Gregory does not need caffeine in his system at this time of day. He won’t get any sleep at this rate.”

“Whoops?” Jeremy held his hands up in surrender. “Look I-“

“It does not matter.” Michael shot Gregory a meaningful look. “So long as he doesn’t keep Evan up with his extra energy, it should be fine.”

Evan peered at them all from behind the sofa. “How did he even take it from you? I thought you kept a tight grip on those at all times.”

“Caught me by surprise?” Jeremy shifted his weight as Michael gave him a skeptical look. “He’s faster than he looks, I swear.”

Evan snorted, climbing over the back of the sofa, much to Michael’s despair as he said, “Well, that gives him a one-up in physical games I guess.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? I totally crush at Fazblock!” Gregory crossed his arms. “I had more blocks than you did.”

“Gregory, you’re supposed to get rid of the blocks, not keep them on the screen.” Evan shook his head despairingly. “I would’ve explained the rules if you’d asked-“

“It was different than what I’m used to, okay?” Gregory rolled his eyes. “I could totally beat you at Fazzy Kart.”

“I don’t even know what that is,” Evan replied. “I still think you made it up.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

“Okay, that is enough.” Michael shook his head, smiling faintly. “Gregory did not make it up. Fazzy Kart just has not come out yet.” He ruffled Evan’s hair before walking away with the empty Coke can. “And I have something for you two to do when I get back!”

“A task?” Gregory asked.

“A task.” Evan snorted. “Ah yes, my brother typically assigns me tasks. No, Gregory. He’s sending us to do chores or something. Usually he’s more mean about it though.”

“No one understands my jokes.” Gregory’s wing twitched irritably.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jeremy replied. “He still laughed, even if he didn’t get it. Be nonsensical! Nobody cares as long as you’re funny.”

“That’s a terrible line of logic. I refuse to believe that people willingly follow your example,” Michael said, returning with a sheet of paper. “Evan, Gregory, I am trusting you two to find everything on this list and bring it back here.”

“We don’t have money,” Gregory said, but he still took the list from Michael’s hands. “And aren’t we supposed to stay inside until we figure out what to do about our wings? And wait, is it safe to-“

“You worry too much, Gregory. We can just ask Uncle Henry for help.” Evan peered at the grocery list. “What are you making, Mikey? This looks like spaghetti sauce, but you don’t use half this stuff normally.”

“Wait and see,” Michael said cryptically. His own wings twitched as he spoke, even seeming a tiny bit ruffled.

“With the overabundance of clothes Henry seems to have, maybe he has jackets you can just throw on over the wings or something,” Jeremy said, slowly rising from the couch as Gregory and Evan stood to examine the list closer.

“We can handle this,” Evan said with full confidence. “And we’ll try to be fast so you can get started sooner.”

“Thank you, Evan.” There was a deeper tone of relief in Michael’s voice at that. “My heroes.”

Jeremy smiled wearily at them all. “I should probably get going.” It felt like intruding to stay this long. Sure, they all tried to include him, but Michael probably had other things he planned to do while Evan and Gregory were gone. Perhaps he needed to talk to his uncle more or something. Regardless, Jeremy had overstayed his welcome.

“I thought you said you could stay for supper.” Michael sounded wounded. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need to lie down?”

He pressed his hand against Jeremy’s forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”

“I’m fine, Michael. I just don’t want to overstay my welcome, you know?” Jeremy ducked away from Michael’s hand and kept his gaze on the carpet. “Especially if you’re all going to be busy.”

“I won’t be busy until they get back,” Michael replied as Gregory tugged on Evan’s shirt to lead him away. “And even then, I won’t be too busy to talk. You can sit with me in the kitchen while I cook.”

“Yeah but…” Jeremy hesitated, combing a hand through his hair. “Look, I just don’t want to be in the way.”

“You won’t be,” Michael insisted. He sat down on the sofa where Gregory had been sitting before. Patting the cushion next to him, he waited for Jeremy to sit back down.

When Jeremy sat down, Michael gestured for him to scoot closer. “What are you doing?” Jeremy asked nervously.

“Your hair is a mess,” Michael replied. “I’m going to fix it for you.”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy frowned, patting his hair self-consciously.

“It’s all tangled. That’s going to be a nightmare to brush out tomorrow if you don’t take care of it tonight.”

“Oh.” Jeremy looked away. “It shouldn’t be your responsibility-“

“My wings shouldn’t have been yours,” Michael countered. “Let me do a nice thing for you. Please.”

“I helped with your wings because I wanted to spend time with you. Not because it was a burden, Mike.”

“This isn’t a burden to me either. Let me help. Maybe I want to spend more time with you too.”

Jeremy didn’t have a counter to that, so he reluctantly sighed. “Just… be gentle on it, okay?”

“Of course.” He blinked, seemingly surprised that Jeremy gave in so easily. “I do need to go grab a brush and a comb.”

“Naturally.” Jeremy shifted uncomfortably on the sofa as Michael got up.

What was he even supposed to say to Michael? He hadn’t expected to get this far, and now faced with the opportunity to have a casual conversation with him, Jeremy panicked.

When Michael got back, the hair brush he carried had long strands of dark brown hair in it, and both the brush and the comb were shining with water. “I hope you don’t mind,” Michael said awkwardly. “But I know that hair gets really, really tangled, so I just wanted to make sure I could get the tangles out without hurting you.”

Oh. That was… surprisingly considerate. “And the water is supposed to fix tangles?”

“Better than a dry brush.”

Jeremy just stared. The most he’d been able to do with his hair was to throw it into the world’s worst ponytail when he needed it out of his face. All this talk of the more effective way to brush through his hair without making it hurt stirred something in his chest. There was nothing Michael would do that could possibly hurt more than the way he was currently doing his hair.

Michael sat back down and got to work. It was strange. Jeremy hadn’t had anyone brush his hair in a long time. His mother had been too busy with work to even notice that he needed help with his hair. Or anything really.

“You have really thick hair,” Michael mused softly.

“Yeah. Makes it a real pain sometimes,” Jeremy replied.

Michael was so gentle with it, apologizing softly when the brush scraped his ear or a snag was too rough. Eventually, though, he set the brush aside and started dividing his hair.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping you with your hair,” Michael replied as he started braiding it. “I assume you don’t have a hair brush for yourself, or maybe you just don’t have much time to do your hair every day. But at the very least, braiding it back at night prevents most tangles from getting worse.”

“How do you know so much about this stuff, dude?” Jeremy wondered. “Like, you know more about this than I do.”

“I…” Michael hesitated. “Evan’s not my only sibling. I had a sister. Elizabeth. Her hair was more of a nightmare than this.”

“Oh.” Jeremy fidgeted. He didn’t know what to do with that information.

“And, there!” Michael twisted a ponytail into the end of Jeremy’s hair. “Less problems for later, see?”

“Yeah.” Jeremy touched a hand to the braid, smiling softly. “Thanks, man.”

“It’s nothing.”

“But I say it is something. Come here, Mike.”

Michael’s wings fluffed up ever so slightly, but he did as Jeremy asked, unprepared for the tackle-hug Jeremy gave him. He gasped in alarm as they ended up on the floor, but when he looked up at Jeremy, it was with what Jeremy could only describe as adoration. Then he was suddenly pressed completely up against Michael as his wings wrapped around them both.

Of course, that was also the moment Evan and Gregory came back from their shopping trip with the supplies Michael had asked for. Letting Jeremy up, Michael immediately accepted the groceries from Evan and went straight to the kitchen. Gregory and Evan were left staring at Jeremy, who was sitting with a ridiculous grin on his face.

“Might need some help preparing this!” Michael called.

Before any of them could move toward the door, however, Henry walked by to go help Michael. Which left Jeremy to get teased by the two younger boys.

“What was that about?” Evan asked, picking a long blue feather out of Jeremy’s hair.

“What were you doing on the floor?” Gregory asked.

“Mike did my hair,” Jeremy replied, gesturing at the hairbrush that now had long strands of gold intertwined with the brown.

Evan looked thoughtful as he fiddled with the feather. “I didn’t know Mikey knew how to do hair.”

“Didn’t you tell me you had a sister?” Gregory asked, picking a smaller, brown feather from Jeremy’s shirt. “He could’ve done her hair once or twice.”

“Maybe…” Evan didn’t sound very sure. “Mikey wasn’t… I don’t know. Maybe he did. I never knew, though.”

“He did mention it when I asked…” Jeremy said, suddenly embarrassed to know more than Evan.

Evan fiddled with the feather more. “He seems to like you a lot.”

“Mike?” Jeremy asked, even more embarrassed now.

“Yeah. He smiles when he talks to you.”

“Except that one day,” Gregory interrupted. “He came inside and cried.”

“That was something else, I think,” Evan responded. “I think the Nightmares finally got to him.”

“So I take it Mike doesn’t usually talk about his issues then?”

“Not usually.” Evan squirmed, his wings puffing up. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Yeah sure,” Jeremy shook his head and finally got off the floor. “Do you want to try playing Kings in the Corner again?”

“Ugh, that’s so boring,” Gregory replied, but Evan was already rushing off to get the cards.

“I need a second. I’ll be right back,” Jeremy said, slipping into the kitchen to grab another can of Coke.

Michael glanced over from where he was cutting an onion and just sighed. “Jeremy-“

“I know, I know. It’s bad for me or whatever. But I need it, okay?” Jeremy took a long swig from the can. “Better than some habits.”

“Still…”

“It’s fine dude. Cut your onion or whatever.”

Henry said something that Jeremy didn’t catch as he rushed back to the living room. “Okay, are we ready to start?”

“This game is stupid,” Gregory grumbled. He was holding his seven cards, and Evan had already laid out the board.

“I dealt, so Gregory goes first,” Evan replied, ignoring Gregory’s comment.

“Lucky,” Jeremy said, eyeing the board.

“I don’t even know how to play,” Gregory complained. “This game is for old people.”

“I guess we’re old then.” Jeremy’s eyes twinkled. “You have to play a card from your hand onto one of those four cards.” He pointed at the two of diamonds, the king of spades, the four of diamonds, and the seven of diamonds respectively. “You want it to be a lower rank, or less points than the card on the stack. And it’s gotta be the opposite color.”

“Oh.” Gregory stared at his hand for a moment.

“You gotta tell him about the kings, Jeremy.” Evan shook his head. “If there’s a king, you can move it into the spaces between the four other cards, and put a new foundation card down.”

“Huh.” Gregory frowned. “This is too confusing.”

“It really isn’t,” Jeremy laughed, taking another sip from his Coke. “If you really want, you can add your cards back to the foundation pile and watch me and Evan play a game.”

“I’m just going to do that.” Gregory stuck his cards back in the bigger stack.

“Suits don’t matter,” Evan said helpfully. “Only color does.”

Jeremy set off to move the king, and the game begun. Evan went out on his first turn.

“Okay, that was a bad example,” Evan said with a grin.

“You didn’t shuffle very well,” Jeremy said accusingly. “That was- arghhh. We’re playing another game so Gregory can actually see how the game works.”

“Are we doing points?” Evan said innocently.

“We will once Gregory joins in,” Jeremy replied, collecting the cards from the board. “These are warm-up rounds.”

“Riiiiight,” Gregory replied with an amused snort. “You just got destroyed.”

“Thank you for the obvious and accurate commentary, Gregory.” Jeremy rolled his eyes.

When he flipped the four cards over, three of them were kings. Jeremy let out an indignant noise as Gregory burst out laughing and Evan grinned at the board. Just like that, he was down to one card. Jeremy scowled at his own cards as it became his turn.

“All four kings on the board in the first turn,” he grumbled.

“Now who’s bad at shuffling?” Evan replied, watching Jeremy’s hand drop to three cards.

“Oh, shut up.”

Evan snickered as it became his turn. “I almost wonder if you were trying to let me win.” He took the ace of diamonds and placed it on the two of clubs that Jeremy had missed during his turn. “Do you have the hang of it yet, Gregory? We may need a third player or this are going to be some very quick games.”

“Ha ha.” Jeremy said as Evan gathered up the cards again. “I’m just used to people who aren’t paying attention nearly as much as you do.”

“I’m just playing the game,” Evan said with a cheeky grin. “You had a six of spades in your hand? You could’ve played that on the seven-“

“I don’t want to hear it!” Jeremy sighed, exaggerating his grief as he drank from his can. “You have eyes like a hawk.”

Evan just hummed at that, his eyes twinkling as he shuffled the cards again. “What do you say, Gregory? Want to try and give it another shot?”

“Sure. Can’t be any worse than Jeremy, right?”

“Alright, I get it.” Jeremy shook his head. “I guess this game isn’t as awful as you want to claim it is, huh?”

“We’ll see.”

Evan pulled out a baggy filled with little red chips and shook it for a moment. “I didn’t have a chance to grab paper, so we can just play with chips, right?”

“Let’s give Gregory one trial run first,” Jeremy said as Gregory stared blankly at the chip bag. “Let him get a feel for the game.”

Gregory’s first round went okay. He managed to play half his cards in the first go, but he failed to notice that he could’ve moved the king to the corner right away, and Jeremy took advantage of that. Humming to himself, Jeremy quickly went through his turn and waited for Evan.

“That is absurd,” Gregory said, watching Evan put down cards and move piles around rapidly. “There’s no way you’re not cheating.”

“It’s all natural, Gregory,” Evan said cheerfully. “You’re just mad because I’m better at games than you are.”

“Grrrrrr….” Gregory scowled as Evan tapped his own card against the table. He put down his one card and waited for Jeremy to go.

Adding another person really did slow down the game a lot, Jeremy thought to himself. This was the first round someone had actually had to draw a card. Evan hummed, but he also needed to draw a card. Unlike Jeremy, however, Evan couldn’t play his. Finally, the game was even again.

Gregory scowled at his cards. “What do I do if I can’t play?”

“Draw,” Jeremy said. “We’ve both done it.”

Grumbling, Gregory drew a card. He brightened as he realized he could play it, and then it was Jeremy’s turn. Jeremy sighed in relief as he was able to play a card on Gregory’s queen, and then move a ten on top of that. Moment of truth, he thought to himself as Evan studied his hand. Michael’s brother shook his head and drew another card. And promptly played it.

Gregory and Jeremy both groaned at that. “See, but now things get interesting,” Evan said cheerfully. “We’ve all been drawing cards and actually have to pay attention to the board.”

“Don’t you always have to pay attention to the board?” Gregory asked as he drew another card. “Ugh.”

“Depends on how close,” Jeremy said smugly, laying down his one card. “I win this round.”

Evan sighed wearily, but he said nothing as Jeremy collected the cards to shove them at Gregory. “Your turn to shuffle.”

Gregory pushed the cards back at Jeremy. “I don’t know how.”

“I guess I can do it for you. But you’re still dealing, alright? Seven cards to each of us.”

Gregory nodded as Jeremy shuffled, and Evan quickly explained how chips worked. Everyone put one chip in at the beginning. Then, when you drew a card, you’d put another chip in. Each card at the end of the game still in your hand was another chip, except for kings. Kings were ten chips.

They all put one chip in the middle as Gregory passed out cards.

“Ready for your first real round, Gregory?” Jeremy asked, looking over his cards.

Gregory huffed, but he nodded anyway. “This is still dumb.”

“What if we made it a bit more fun?” Evan asked. “I’ll put in this feather.” He held up the blue feather he’d picked out of Jeremy’s hair.

“We’re playing for feathers?” Gregory asked. “But we both have feathers.”

“Not just any feathers. Michael’s feathers. I know him better than you do, trust me. He wouldn’t just give those away.”

Gregory considered it for a moment as Jeremy bit his lip. It seemed plenty easy to get feathers in his opinion. Michael shed two of them while Jeremy hugged him before. “Deal. I’ll put in this one.”

Gregory set the brown feather on top of the three chips. Evan did the same with the blue feather. Both of them glanced at Jeremy expectantly.

“I don’t have any. You both took those from me in the first place.” Jeremy rolled his eyes. The feathers were cool, though.

He kind of wished he had some of his own, maybe to braid through his hair or something. But that required winning this game. And since Evan was really good at Kings in the Corner, and also used all the chips in the box, it was really unlikely that he’d win them at the end.

“How about…” Jeremy put twenty more chips in the pot. “I know it doesn’t balance out at all, but you two seem to really want those feathers.”

Evan grinned, and so, the game began.

Gregory surprised them all by nearly going out in his first turn, but Evan still won the first game. They played in relative silence, too busy concentrating to hold a proper conversation. Evan crushed them in the first few rounds, but Gregory eventually got a win when Evan had 6 cards in his hand, resulting in a somewhat decent counter-balance.

It did nothing for Jeremy though. He looked nervously at his dwindling pile of chips every time the game ended and knew it was very unlikely that he’d win. It wasn’t impossible, sure, but it was incredibly unlikely.

“This is eight, Gregory,” Evan said absently, after Jeremy had already played his first turn. “We can play it, but you should pay better attention.”

Jeremy bit his lip at that. He was losing really bad. He really needed a win, and he needed one where the other two were struggling. Accidentally starting a round on eight cards was not a great way to start that.

“How did you even notice that?” Gregory asked.

“Eight feels thicker than seven.”

“How much do you play cards? Jeez,” Jeremy asked as it became Gregory’s turn.

“Enough,” Evan said with an amused smile. “I usually play alone.”

“This doesn’t feel like a game you can play alone,” Gregory muttered.

“You can. It’s just not as fun. But I don’t play this,” Evan said as Jeremy had to draw yet again. “I play Solitare.”

“Right, silly me.” Gregory shook his head. “Dude, how are you losing the game you suggested?”

“It takes a lot of luck, Gregory.” Jeremy sighed, having emptied his can of Coke long ago. “I’ve already accepted my fate. Now it’s just a matter of wondering who wins overall.”

They all fell quiet again as they settled back into their concentration. A few tense rounds went by as they all drew cards. When Evan finally played a card, Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he’d last another round.

Or… maybe not. It was a close thing, that balance between drawing and playing. “Are we going to go through the whole deck?” Gregory eventually wondered.

“Maybe,” Jeremy replied wearily.

The pot was massive at this point. Evan’s brow was continuously furrowed, and even his wings were stiff with concentration. There’s no strategy that trumps the good cards being at the bottom of the deck, Jeremy thought to himself with grim amusement.

“Ha!” Gregory shouted his delight as he finally laid his last card.

Jeremy sighed sorrowfully as he glanced at his four chips. He would only have two left for another game after this. If only it had been Jeremy who’d drawn the card to end the game.

“I don’t even remember who shuffled that one,” Jeremy said as Gregory gathered the pot.

“It was Gregory. He started us with eight cards,” Evan replied. “You shuffle next.”

“I’m not going to make it through this game,” Jeremy muttered.

“Then we’ll just play it out, and you can be done after,” Evan shrugged. “Who knows, maybe you’ll win?”

“For every draw you have that you can’t play, I’ll put in a chip,” Gregory offered as Jeremy put his last chip in the pot. “It’ll keep things fair.”

“I’m sure,” Jeremy muttered.

“Awww, you are a grumpy old man. Evan look! He’s so grumpy.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

Evan put his last card down, and Jeremy shook his head. “I’m out. Good luck, Gregory.”

He wondered what Michael and Henry were up to in the kitchen. It had been two hours of this, after all. Surely preparing a meal wouldn’t take that long, especially since Evan implied Michael was making spaghetti.

“Okay, I gotta know. What spaghetti takes three hours to make?” Jeremy said, sitting down at the kitchen table with Henry.

“It’s not the spaghetti that takes so long,” Michael replied from the stove. “It’s the sauce.”

“But why?”

“The flavor has to soak in from the leaves.” Michael shrugged, moving to sit down with them. “What were you playing in there?”

“Cards.” Jeremy shrugged. “Gregory said it was for old people.”

“Then he must have never played cards before,” Henry commented.

“Maybe it’s his age,” Michael suggested.

“Nah. Your brother got really into it. He’s been beating both of us.”

“THAT’S SO STUPID!!!” Gregory shouted from the other room.

Evan laughed and said something in response, as they all glanced toward the hallway.

“No way,” Gregory said, his voice still projecting from the other room. “That’s so stupid!”

“I think the sauce is about done,” Michael said, rising from his seat again. “I should probably begin on the actual spaghetti.”

“I appreciate you deciding to cook for us, Michael,” Henry said. “And not that I’m complaining about your food, but this seems more complicated than some of the other stuff you’ve made.”

Michael just blinked at him, filling a pot with water. “It’s just spaghetti.”

Gregory and Evan walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “It smells great in here,” Evan said.

Michael glanced at his brother and at Gregory for a moment. “Who won?”

“Evan,” Gregory grumbled crossing his arms. “But he cheats.”

“I do not! Withholding cards on my turn is within the rules of the game. Just because it means you have to draw more doesn’t mean it’s cheating!” Evan argued.

“He’s right, Gregory. If he’s withholding cards, it’s still a risk to him since you can easily draw a card at any moment and win the game yourself. There’s a reason it’s ten chips if you’re holding a king at the end of the game.”

“Hmph,” Gregory scowled.

“Jeremy, do you need a new bandage for your face?” Henry asked as Gregory and Evan glared at each other from across the table.

“What? Oh, I’m sure it’s fine.” Jeremy hadn’t realized that the edge of his bandage was peeling off.

“We’ll get that taken care of later,” Henry said. “Were you planning on staying over tonight?”

“I…” Jeremy glanced around the room. “I don’t know.”

“If you decide to stay, let me know so I can tell your parents,” Henry replied, seemingly satisfied. “And would you like another can of Coca-Cola?”

“Yes please.”

“Don’t encourage his addiction, Henry.” Michael crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter.

Jeremy responded by sticking his tongue out at Michael. Michael shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Jeremy saw a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Can I have one too?” Gregory asked.

“Absolutely not,” Michael replied. His wings twitched slightly. “You’re done with caffeine for the rest of the night. If you’re this loud after half a can, I shudder to think of what would happen if you got a full can of Coke.”

“You’re not my mom,” Gregory grumbled.

Jeremy’s mouth twitched. “He tries to act like it though, doesn’t he?”

Michael made an indignant noise as Gregory burst out laughing. Evan giggled too, adding, “Mama bird Mike.”

All three of them broke into bad laughing fits at that one. Henry and Michael just exchanged an exasperated look as Michael stirred the spaghetti. “I can act like it if you really want me to,” Michael eventually said. “But I don’t think you’d like the response, seeing as you two are baby birds in this analogy.”

“What do you mean?” Gregory asked, bewildered.

“I think what he’s getting at,” Jeremy said, amusement glinting in his eye, “is that mother birds regurgitate food into their chicks mouths.”

“Ewwwww,” Gregory gagged.

Evan snorted. “Mikey wouldn’t do that.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Michael raised an eyebrow. “I’ve certainly done worse.”

Evan froze at that. He seemed to be considering Michael’s point. “He totally would…” Evan sounded horrified.

“And with that terrible mental image, it seems that the spaghetti is done!” Henry said, putting a can of Coke in front of Jeremy before going to fetch everyone plates.

“I just need to strain the noodles, and we’re all set,” Michael said. “Could you grab the strainer please?”

Henry nodded and retrieved the strainer. Evan hummed to himself as he fiddled with the two feathers he’d won in the card game. Gregory said nothing, but Jeremy could tell it he was still bitter from his loss. Surely Michael wouldn’t be unwilling to give up feathers if they asked, Jeremy thought to himself. Maybe he’d be uncomfortable with the idea, but if Gregory said how much he really wanted them, Jeremy was sure Michael would give in eventually.

“It’s going to be hot.” Michael warned, carrying the pot of spaghetti to the table.

Henry quickly placed a potholder beneath it, and Michael went back to retrieve the sauce for the spaghetti. “Do you want to get cups out, Evan?”

Evan nodded and got up from his spot. “Gregory, you can get the plates.”

The whole group cycled around the kitchen like a little family, and Jeremy felt a little self-conscious about his place in everything, so he went and grabbed forks for everyone. It was the least he could do.

Michael dished out the food, putting just enough sauce on their spaghetti that they could avoid it if they wanted to. All of them were a little skeptical of the meal, but they all trusted that Michael knew what he was doing. Gregory and Evan both seemed startled by the taste, but Henry simply raised an eyebrow as he took a bite. Michael didn’t seem particularly concerned about their reaction, though.

He was too busy observing Jeremy when he tried it.

It was… spicier than he expected. Jeremy glanced at Michael, suddenly suspicious of him. Michael blinked at him, casually taking a bite of his own spaghetti. Jeremy glanced at him again before moving his plate to the saucepan full of spaghetti sauce and adding more to his plate.

Michael’s slow smile made Jeremy feel even more confident about his decision. Somehow, Michael had figured him out yet again, almost without effort. Jeremy stuck another forkful in his mouth and smiled back at him.

“Gregory, slow down. You’re going to make yourself sick,” Evan said.

“It’f, fine.” Gregory swallowed hard.

“Careful you don’t choke,” Henry said warningly.

Gregory set his fork down quietly, his eyes watering. He coughed a little bit, causing Michael to turn to him with concern. “Gregory? Are you alright?”

Gregory fanned himself, and Jeremy immediately figured out what was going on. “Too spicy for you? You barely had any!” He shook his head and poured Gregory a glass of milk. “Drink this. It’ll help.”

Gregory eagerly took the glass, draining it in less than a minute. “Mmmmm.”

The rest of the meal went in relative silence, with Evan and Henry occasionally teasing Gregory for eating too fast and being unable to handle spicy food. Michael seemed oblivious to the main conversation, smiling softly to himself.

Jeremy knew he was staring, but he figured it wouldn’t be the biggest deal. Plenty of people stared at their friends, right? At the way they twisted spaghetti noodles onto their forks and brought their forks to their mouths. At the way their eyes glowed with joy at making something new successfully.

Michael caught his eye, and the smile widened. Jeremy felt himself smiling back easily. He’d already finished his food, and Evan and Gregory had finished half the spaghetti by themselves. There wouldn’t be many leftovers anyway.

Henry was the first to move from the table. He collected plates from everyone to take to the sink. When Michael moved to help, Henry waved him off, insisting that since Michael made the meal, he shouldn’t have to clean it up, with a meaningful look toward Evan and Gregory. He stopped Jeremy when he tried to get up too, insisting that guests shouldn’t need to help.

“But I thought we were guests,” Gregory grumbled when Evan tapped his arm to help him get up.

“Jeremy, that bandage really does need to be changed before you go,” Henry said quietly, gathering the leftovers into different containers.

“I can help him with it,” Michael said.

“Michael, you’ve done enough today. Especially with how you were feeling this morning-“

“I can help,” Michael interjected stubbornly.

Jeremy raised a confused eyebrow at the way Michael’s wings and hair ruffled.

“You need rest,” Henry said in a tone that brokered no argument.

Still, Michael persisted, the feathers now completely refusing to lay flat. Jeremy wondered how this could possibly be something he’d need to be so defensive about. “Hey, maybe Henry’s right. You have done a lot today.”

Michael scowled at that, and he grabbed Jeremy’s arm and practically dragged him out of his chair.

“What- Hey!” Jeremy stumbled into Micheal, expecting him to apologize or something.

“There’s the old Mike,” Evan mumbled quietly.

Michael’s face was right in front of Jeremy’s as he spoke. “I know my limits.”

“Do you?” Gregory challenged. He didn’t seem frightened in the slightest, which was very different from the atmosphere surrounding Michael at that moment. “To me it seems like you keep going until you drop. Maybe you should just get rid of that chip on your shoulder and let someone else handle it for once!”

“Like you did?” Michael snapped, and at that, Gregory actually flinched. “Sometimes, you can’t trust that help will come, Gregory. You should know that better than anyone.”

Gregory’s grip on the plate in his hands tightened. “Yeah, well, I didn’t have a family who took care of me like you do! So just suck it up.” Jeremy heard tears behind those words, and Evan mumbled something gently to him and tried to get him to turn his back on Michael.

That seemed to break something in Michael’s resilience. His wings twitched, and he let go of Jeremy’s shirt. “Right. Sorry.” He sounded just as torn as Gregory. “I…”

Jeremy figured nothing would be helped by Michael sticking around in the kitchen, so he tentatively put a hand to Michael’s shoulder. “Hey, you can help with my bandage. Maybe just tell me how to put it on so I do it right tomorrow morning, yeah?”

“So you aren’t staying then?” Henry asked, looking worriedly between the four boys.

Michael’s ashen expression was not particularly reassuring. “No, I mean. If it’s okay for me to stay, I plan to. I just… Maybe it should be my responsibility to fix that?” Jeremy gestured at the scratch on his face. “Seems like all I’m doing here is making more messes anyway. Might as well try to clean one up myself, right?”

Henry frowned but he said nothing.

Jeremy leaned close to Michael’s ear. “Come on then.”

“I didn’t mean to… I hurt his feelings,” Michael mumbled as he mechanically peeled the rest of the bandage away from Jeremy’s face to wipe at the scratch with a wet cloth.

“Energy was running high. Maybe you are a bit more overwhelmed then you thought? Frayed nerves break way for anger sometimes. Or so I’ve heard.”

“I still shouldn’t have done that.” Michael couldn’t even look Jeremy in the eye. He was too distraught.

“Why did you get so defensive, if you don’t mind me asking? And I’m not just talking about Gregory. You were adamant about helping me with my bandage.”

“I just…” Michael hesitated. “I haven’t had a chance to see you in days, and I wanted to get every moment I could?”

“An afternoon together wasn’t enough?” Jeremy teased, even though he knew exactly how Michael was feeling. “Look, that’s okay, Mike. But you gotta take care of yourself too.”

“Yeah, but-“

“What do you want? I know you think you have to help everybody all the time, but you’ve gotta have desires too, right?”

“Maybe I don’t deserve to have my desires realized,” Michael replied. He still wasn’t looking at Jeremy. “Maybe I’m just a rotten person who doesn’t deserve joy or anything that doesn’t directly benefit anybody else.”

“Michael Afton.” Jeremy said, trying to sound stern. “You are a human being just like everyone else. We all make mistakes. And you sound like you’re trying to atone for yours. I don’t know about you, but someone who tries to learn from their mistakes sounds like someone who deserves to have what they want every now and again.”

Michael completely froze at that. When he met Jeremy’s eyes, he looked utterly shattered. “I…” He swallowed. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“That’s okay, Mike. No one is asking you to do everything-“

“No, you don’t understand.” His voice was hardly a whisper. “I’ve… That scolding… You’ve said that to me before.”

“I have?”

Michael nodded mutely. “It was right before…” His wings stretched their full length as Michael squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t.”

“What can’t you do, Michael?” Jeremy asked softly.

A pained noise rumbled in Michael’s throat, and he dropped the cloth, yanking Jeremy forward by his shirt. Their mouths crashed together, and all Jeremy could think was finally. His own hands went behind Michael’s shoulders, and he gently guided the wings back into a folded position before stroking them gently.

He didn’t want to stop kissing Michael. It was freeing and exhilarating at the same time. Michael tasted like bubble gum and smelled like clean laundry. He was the weirdest man Jeremy had ever met, but maybe that was what made him so alluring. Or maybe it was something else. Something about all this just seemed so… right.

When Michael broke away, Jeremy tried to follow. Michael looked at him fondly and laughed. “I thought you said I needed to take care of myself.”

“I can’t be that addicting,” Jeremy said impulsively.

Michael snorted. “I need air, Jeremy. We were both going to pass out if we kept that up.”

“Can we do it again?” Jeremy didn’t care about air. He just wanted to be close to Michael, wanted to make him smile, wanted to make him laugh.

Michael laughed again, a brilliant sound, before Jeremy pressed their lips back together. It was completely perfect.

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yanxidarlings · 9 months

Text

YANDERE HP GOLDEN ERA: SLYTHERIN BOYS X DORMMATE READER

continuation of my previous post (i got caught up in getting out my anthony goldstein headcanons was it obvious). okay so full disclosure, i haven't read the fanfictions lorenzo and mattheo are from (i only read yandere is it obvious) (i see their faceclaims and cannot. exclude), so if i'm not portraying them correctly shout at me. but just for a moment, imagine having the 79-80 liner slytherin boys yandere for their dormmate? (okay there is a loophole i'll write for male readers/darlings if asked).

maybe they've known the reader/darling since childhood, and the sudden close proximity magnifies the possessive and obsessive tendencies they were developing towards the darling. or, the darling could suddenly get sorted into slytherin and now they have a roommate they did not expect to have. for the second scenario i don't think the darlings personality would matter much - either way, they're all apprehensive about this really cute kid they suddenly are dorming with.

maybe they give the reader a hard time at first (although this is only really likely to happen for a darling in a different house, or a muggleborn darling) but whoo boy if anyone else thinks of teasing the reader, they'll get hell from our dear slytherins here. actually, anyone who the reader pays mind to becomes a target of torment and bullying by draco and his gang. especially potter. please, reader, for potters own sanity and the good of the wizarding world, do not approach, think about or even look in the direction of harry. it ends in an ugly tantrum from draco, prolonged sarcasm from theodore, silence from blaise, aggression from mattheo and teasing from lorenzo. crabbe and goyle won't be carrying your books for you for the next week either.

when they get like this, it'll be the darling that'll have to make it up to them, or risk having it all drag out until one of them gets over it naturally.

GREGORY GOYLE & VINCENT CRABBE (cast josh herdman, jamie waylett):

they're all horribly possessive and jealous by default, but generally, crabbe and goyle are the easiest to deal with, they both have a soft spot for their darling, and are pretty used to being bossed around, the second choice and having to share. they're also the easiest to appease, putting food on crabbe's plate is enough to make him happy, and paying goyle any mind will go a long way.

they don't need constant attention (draco), validation (draco), and affection (draco), from their darling, and are content just being in their life.

BLAISE ZABINI (cast louis cordice):

after them, i honestly don't know who's worse. going in alphabetical order, blaise appears to be calm and uncaring when it comes to his darling, but do not be fooled, he's not going to sit back and let his darling get whisked away by the likes of a half blood (sorry mattheo), spolit daddy's boy (apologies draco), spolit mommy's boy (soz enzo) or someone who's one lab accident away from becoming a supervillain (blaise's words not mine theo).

blaise tolerates the rest of the slytherins for now, but if any of them think he'd ever fully agree to sharing with the likes of them, they are wrong. he fantasises about taking his darling away from the world after graduating, and probably has his mother trying to arrange a marriage the moment he decides they're his.

DRACO MALFOY (cast tom felton):

unlike blaise, draco is not even a little bit subtle about his possesiveness over his darling, he only see's the other slytherins as tools to ensure his darlings safety and happiness at hogwarts, and does not bother to pretend like he isn't planning to kidnap move the reader into malfoy manor the minute they graduate. actually, he couldn't wait that long.

he'll look for any opportunity to have the malfoy family gain custody of his darling. all the more better if his darling comes from a dysfunctional household. but either way, he'll make sure his family is all they have to turn to.

all i know about lorenzo is that he has mommy and daddy issues so i'll have to piggybank off that. he'll present himself as the 'sane' one, if his darling is complaining about the behaviour of the other slytherins, enzo wholeheartedly agree's with them "i don't know what's wrong with all of them - you sure you didn't slip any amortentia into their drinks?" he becomes a safe haven from the possessive obsession his dormmates seem to share for their darling.

LORENZO BERKSHIRE (fancast louis patridge):

lorenzo acts the most normal, but don't be fooled, he's just as obsessed as the rest of them. enzo is just better at hiding it. he too, frequently thinks about whisking them away, but is much less finite about it; holing his darling up in his house isn't the end goal. he could honestly live with sharing them with his fellow slytherins, but this is all assuming that the reader takes well to his attempts at becoming the 'sane one'.

if enzo isn't able to successfully befriend them, he'll have to settle for being the 'mean one'. teasing and humiliation follows his darling, as does he. it's not severe, but it's probably the push the reader needs to fall into deep depression and anxiety. so please, take the sane bait.

MATTHEO RIDDLE (fancast benjamin wadsworth):

mattheo doesn't exactly have a family reputation to uphold, blaise, draco, enzo and theo would want to keep up a respectable reputation, whatever that is in pureblood society, but mattheo? the dark lords son? he's entirely unhinged.

if lorenzo is the 'sane one', mattheo is the 'crazy one'.

he doesn't really care what his darling, or others, think of his behaviour. if he wants to spend time with them, he's going to. he'll pull them out of class, drag them away from the other slytherins, just to skip rocks in the black lake with them, or raid the kitchens. he doesn't really bother hiding his yandere tendencies, he'll actively tell his darling not to talk to certain people "because i said so" "stop asking questions", and will refuse to elaborate further. sometimes, there will be disturbing moments of honesty between him and his darling; he'll admit that he's obsessed with them, and threaten to attack people they pay attention to. and he'll tell them that they belong to him.

sometimes it's frightening and sometimes he'll come across as sweet. he is both predictable and unpredictable, which puts his darling at unease around him.

THEODORE NOTT (fancast lorenzo zurzolo):

theodore uses guilt to garner his darlings sympathy, all the more easier if they are childhood friends. he'll make sure they know about his harsh childhood, and make them feel responsible for his wellbeing. he's the only one to create a sense of dependency not built upon threats. out of all the slytherins, he gets to know his darling the best, he'll use guilt, emotional breakdowns and dark secrets to create a sense of obligation towards him.

theo is the most comforting of the slytherins to be around, he's quiet and the only one who they can spend time with without feeling much pressure. he demands the most of their attention, and is by far the most possessive. whilst i can see the other slytherins finding a way to deal with sharing their darling amonst themselves, if the rest don't back off eventually (stop dreaming theo) (they won't), he's the most inclined to just get rid of them - he can't stand it when his darling is around anyone but him, he wakes early to walk his darling to class just so they won't get caught up in the busy halls, where eyes can wonder and other people can have a chance to interact with his darling.

theodore pairs with them for every project, which leads to some ugly arguments between him and blaise, who only really get's his fill of his darling by sitting next to them in class. and draco, and mattheo and enzo and even goyle who was hoping the reader would help get him a good grade for once.

out of all of them, draco, goyle and blaise are the most patient. they want their darling to love them, not see them as monsters to flinch away from.

theodore, lorenzo and mattheo will take whatever they can get. lorenzo in particular doesn't want his darling to fear him but won't let them get away with trying to escape or disobedience. mattheo doesn't mind being the villain if he must be, but his heart clenches when his darling acts so obviously distrustful of him. theodore is the least patient, and if his darling starts to shy away from him, he snaps. at them, at the rest of the slytherin boys. but he's also easy to keep content, so long as his darling is always by his side.

similarly, blaise just enjoys being in the presence of his darling, and doesn't feel the need to cuddle up to them constantly like draco and enzo do. mattheo is a loose canon, and sometimes is fine being near them, other times he wants skin to skin contact 25/8.

they're hopeless at sharing, and only really get along for the sake of their darling. there are only really two ways this can end; theodore finally snaps and tries to off the rest of them after graduation, or they somehow come to an agreement on sharing, maybe they each get their own day a week

monday for draco, tuesday for blaise, wednesday for theo, thursday for enzo, and friday for mattheo. goyle and crabbe probably aren't taken seriously enough to get given their own day, so then the weekends are spent sharing (fighting).

the only time the boys will work in tandem is when someone attempts to take their darling and their attention, away. best example, darling starts dating someone. which is already pretty improbable, considering they give the reader no alone time whatsoever. but let's just say the darling here is going on a date with cormac mclaggen (get a grip, darling), any grudges they've been holding against each other are off, mclaggen has just signed his death warrant.

mattheo and theodore do most of the dirty work, whilst lorenzo distracts the reader. draco and blaise cover up their tracks, so it seems like whatever they did to mclaggen was an untimely accident. or have it blamed on someone else. goyle and crabbe intimidate anyone who tries to get close to the darling from then on.

they might hate sharing with each other, but they truly despise sharing with an 'outsider'.

#yandere harry potter #yandere draco malfoy #yandere blaise zabini #yandere theodore nott #yandere mattheo riddle #yandere lorenzo berkshire #yandere goyle #yandere crabbe #yandere slytherin #hp #draco malfoy #blaise zabini #theodore nott #mattheo riddle #lorenzo berkshire #gregory goyle #slytherin boys #golden era #hp writings

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captainsophiestark · 7 months

Text

Bad Timing

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Bridgerton

Day 25 Prompt: "Do I look like I knew that?"

Summary: When Eloise needs help with a problem, she knows she can count on her brother and his new wife for help.

Word Count: 1,047

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"You know, lazy days like this are by far my favorite," I mused, curling into my husband's side as we laid in bed together. "No galas, no gossip from the Ton. Just the two of us."

"I certainly have to agree," said Benedict, my husband, as he traced patterns on the bare skin of my back. "Although, I do enjoy watching Colin wade through the swarm of Mamas every time we go out, now that he is the only unwed Bridgerton son. At least until Gregory gets a bit older."

"I'd say you were being mean, but he did ditch you and Anthony for quite a while in his travels."

"Yes, he did. So he deserves this."

I laughed, shaking my head a bit at my husband's antics. A moment later, he pulled me tighter to his side, rolling us so I laid completely on top of his chest. I rose up on my elbows to meet his eyes and found him looking at me with a mischevious smile.

"You know, it's just occurred to me," he started. "There are quite a few ways I can think of that our time would be better spent than talking about my brother."

"Oh really?" I asked, grinning and leaning down closer to Benedict. "And what might those ideas be?"

"Well for starters..."

With that, he brought his hand up to the back of my neck and pulled me into a searing kiss. I rested all my weight on him, kissing right back, until a knock at the door jarred us both out of the moment.

Reluctantly, I pulled away, and Benedict let me. We shared a look.

"Maybe whoever it is will go away if we ignore them," he whispered in suggestion. As if he'd willed it into happening, a voice from the other side of the door called out.

"Y/N! If you're in there, please, I need to talk to you."

Eloise. Benedict's little sister, who I'd become close with throughout the course of Benedict courting me. I gave Benedict an apologetic look.

"No," he whined as I rolled off of him, quickly wrapping a robe around myself and heading for the door.

"I have to," I replied. "I can't ignore her. Make yourself decent."

With that, I turned from my husband and went to open the door just wide enough to see Eloise on the other side, and for her to see me.

"Oh, thank goodness!" she cried, moving to push past me and into the room. I let her, just hoping that Benedict had done as I'd said. Eloise and I had done this a few times as we'd gotten closer, and whenever it happened, I knew she really, truly needed me.

I turned around to follow Eloise back into the room after shutting the door behind me, only to find her frozen just a few steps from where she'd come in. Benedict stood next to the bed, looking tired but resigned to our new morning activity as he laced up his shirt.

"Good morning, Eloise," he said, a little edge of teasing in his tone. "You know, I was trying to enjoy the morning with my wife-"

"Do I look like I knew that?" she cried. I fought back a laugh as I walked forward to wrap my arm around her shoulder.

"It's alright, Eloise," I said. "Benedict and I were about to get up for the morning, anyway."

Benedict shot me a look with his eyebrows almost into his hairline, and I glared right back, imploring him to go along with me. He cleared his throat.

"Right. That we were. What did you need help with, sister?"

She hesitated, so I walked around to face her, putting both of my hands on her shoulders and blocking her eyeline to Benedict. I gave her a small smile, so she'd know everything was alright, then spoke in a low voice that I knew Benedict wouldn't be able to hear.

"If this is a ladies' problem, or one you don't want your brother to know about, El, I'll throw him out of here right now and we can talk, alright? But if you're embarrassed about knocking when you did, then you truly don't need to be. We love you, and we'd both drop far more important things to help you whenever you need it."

Eloise sighed, nodding a little as she did. The bright red blush that had risen to her cheeks started to fade, and she at last met my eyes again.

"Thank you. I... suppose it wouldn't hurt to have Benedict's input as well," she said. I nodded, giving her a bright smile before turning around to face my husband.

"Put your problem-solving hat on, Benedict," I said. I started drifting for the couches by Benedict's turret window, one of my favorite features of his room. "We've got a family matter to deal with."

They both beamed at me as they started following me over to the couch. I'd considered a few of Benedict's siblings as good as family for a long time now, but it felt amazing to be able to say that and have it be completely true.

Benedict and Eloise settled into the couch on either side of me, Benedict resting his arm across my shoulders. Those kinds of casual touches would've been scandalous before we were married, but now we could do them whenever we wanted to, which also made my heart sing.

Eloise gave us both one last look with a raised eyebrow, then launched into her explanation of the problem that had brought her to our doorstep, which had something to do with a boy of virtually no social status who'd caught her attention. Benedict and I spent the rest of the morning, helping her as best we could, in the way only we could.

Although I hated that Eloise had to deal with the problems she dealt with, a small part of me sang the entire morning as Benedict and I worked together, the perfect team, to help his little sister. This was going to be the rest of our lives, with Eloise and maybe someday with children of our own, and I couldn't be happier thinking about that future with Benedict. We made the perfect team.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

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michelle-is-writing · 2 months

Text

Christmas, Dr. Gregory House

Word count: 1.8k~

Warnings: mention of sex, House being House

"It's a marshmallow world in the winter," I sing, stringing lights on my apartment's Christmas tree. "When the snow comes to cover the ground," I sing the next verse of Brenda Lee's song before turning toward Greg with a smile. Sitting on the couch, the salt and pepper haired man sips at a small glass of eggnog (with a shot of whiskey in it, no less) while staring at the tree with a bored look on his face. Even when he sees my smile, he still remains there with a frown.

"Greg," I state his name, his blue eyes flickering up to mine. Seeing that I have his attention, I smile. "Come help me set up the tree."

"Why? So we can just take it down two weeks later?" He asks, making me sigh, my smile now a frown to match his. I love Greg, but I absolutely hate his pessimistic views - and with it being the week of Christmas, I will not let his negative opinions ruin anything.

"Fine," I say to him, placing the string of lights down beside me. "If you don't want to do that, then do something else for me," He raises an eyebrow in question at me, waiting for me to finish. "Come dance with me."

All of a sudden, he breaks into a dry laugh before stopping all of a sudden with his usual frown. "Have you forgotten?" He asks me, holding his hands over his crippled leg. “Crippled, if you haven’t noticed.”

Rolling my eyes with a smirk, I nod at him. "How could I forget?" I ask him, "There isn't a moment that goes by that you don't use it to your advantage," with that, I let out a fake thoughtful sigh. "And there isn't a moment that goes by where I don't say 'no' to you on getting on top."

At my response, he tilts his head sideways while staring at me with squinted eyes like a child would if you teased them. At his behavior change, I smile once again before walking over to him by the couch. Serves him right for being a smart ass all the time, and finally, I said something he had no clap-back to.

"I don't want to break dance or anything like that," I tell him, taking his rough and big hands into my own smaller ones. "I just want to slow dance with you."

For once, he slowly smiles up at me before standing up with a little help from me. "Okay," He says, stumbling a bit as he tries to stand up straight without his cane. "We'll dance - but if I fall, I'm taking you down with me."

Giggling at him, I nod and kiss his lips for a short second before we wrap our arms around each other and start slow dancing. The next Brenda Lee song that comes on is a slower and sweeter song that I enjoy a lot. Greg on the other hand doesn't really care for anything Christmas, so he could give two thoughts less.

"Rockin' around the Christmas Tree at a Christmas party hop," I sing in a light voice, watching as Greg continues to smile and stare at me. "Mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple tried to st-" I continue on, until abruptly being cut off by Greg's lips on mine. We continue to kiss each other for a few seconds until pulling away, a smirk resting on Greg's face.

"What was that for?" I ask him with a shocked grin. Still smirking, Greg just looks above him with me following his gaze, a small green piece of berry filled fern hanging above us. I don't remember putting that up there...

"I thought it would be useful," Greg states as we both look back at each other. "Turns out this cripple can do a few things for his woman," He notes, matter-of-factly.

Smirking back at him, I shake my head in comical disbelief. "Out of all of these Christmas decorations, you put up mistletoe?" I ask him, receiving a shrug back.

"I like this tradition better than the rest," Greg confesses, still gently swaying us. "Besides," he leans in close, his lips close to my cheek. "It benefits us both."

In response, I can't help but slap his shoulder with a giggle. "You perv," I chide, moving to rest my hands on his shoulders while his linger on my waist. "How long has that been up there?"

"I put it up this morning," He answers with a gentle tone just before we both fall into a comfortable silence. Did I expect Greg to do anything festive during these happy times? Absolutely not. But was I really all that surprised in finding mistletoe that just so happens to be festive? Kind of. Being a little bit of a narcissist, Greg only put that up because he could use the excuse that it was Christmas themed instead of the actual reason being that he just wanted to kiss me without showing spontaneous romance - a possible weakness to him.

As we dance with each other, I quickly notice the usual bags underneath his eyes are slowly fading away and the blueness of his irises have turned more lively with brightness lively in them. In the short amount of time of being away from work, Greg is starting to look a bit younger than he actually is. Although, I do think this is due to him being away from the stressful environment that is his work. And to think, he actually took these days off for me; maybe he isn't such a narcissist after all...

During my thinking, Greg has managed to move us over near the couch while we were dancing, only to trip and cause us both to fall over on the soft cushions. Of course, he did this on purpose. Scrap my earlier thought - he's definitely a narcissist.

"Oops," He says sarcastically, "I fell," Greg points out, staring up at me with a small smirk beginning to take over his lips once more.

At his goofiness, I roll my eyes at him and lightly pat his chest a few times before moving to get up. However, when I go to move over him, Greg quickly catches me in his arms and pulls me back down to his chest, holding me close to him as if he wants me to stay where I am.

"No, no, just stay here, please," He begs, his voice resuming its gentle tone from earlier. Nonetheless, it takes me by surprise. I would have never expected Greg to say that. As I mentioned before, he'll use any excuse he can find to make it seem like he's not being romantic or sweet.

"Okay," I tell him, my eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as I nuzzle my head further into his chest to become a bit more relaxed in his embrace. "Are you comfortable?" I ask, moving my leg away from his bad one.

"The most I'll ever be," He answers me, his hand smoothing down my hair. "Have I ever told you how great it is to lie with you?" He questions me, making me roll my eyes once again.

"Are you talking about when we’re having sex or when we do this?" I ask for clarification, making him chuckle.

"I mean like this," He answers as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "Then again, I do enjoy both situations, but I'm talking about right now," I can't help but smile as my cheeks heat up a little in response to his words, a sigh soon falling from his lips. "I've been married before and had a few girlfriends, but nothing with them could ever compare to how I feel with you. You just make me feel the best I have felt in a while," He further admits, his voice still soft and quiet with his confession.

Sighing sweetly, I shake my head against the soft material of his grey jumper before speaking. "I bet you've told all your women that," I half-joke, quickly receiving an answer back.

"No, actually, I haven't," Greg retorts, making me look up at him with furrowed eyebrows. Bright blue eyes look back at me with no emotion, yet at the same time, pure honesty. "I haven't told any other women this because it wouldn't be true, and well, I wouldn't care if they heard me say it or not," Sitting us up a bit, Greg places his hand on my cheek in a sensual and meaningful way.

"(Y/n), I love you," He confesses, his voice never wavering or cracking up. In response to his words, my eyes slightly widen as I feel my whole body become tense. "And I know I may not be the most expressive guy when it comes to my emotions, but believe me when I tell you that you have made me a better man," He adds on, his thumb now beginning to softly run over my cheek.

"Or, at least, I think I have," Greg adds, giving a soft shrug. "Ultimately, it’s you and the guys at work that would see it, so you might have to ask them just to be sure," his words make me roll my eyes that are currently tearing up, but I can't resist my smile at the same time. Once again, Greg can't let it be known that he can be spontaneously romantic at times. "They'd probably tell you I'm still an ass, but I think-"

Before he can say anymore, I move forward and press my lips to his in a sweet kiss. Of course, he kisses back instantly, but not before he smiles as well. Once we pull apart, I stare down at him breathlessly before speaking. "I love you too, Greg," I tell him, the four words I have been dreaming about telling him falling freely from my lips. "I have for a long time, but I was... I was too scared to say it."

Greg then smiles back at me and tilts his head to the side as he moves his arms down to my waist and holds my body closer to his. "Well," he says, searching his mind for a sarcastic answer. A few seconds pass until he sighs and looks back at me with an even bigger smile. "Here’s your Merry Christmas," He chimes, jokingly mocking me.

Grinning at him, I shake my head before he moves forward and reattaches our lips once more, the tune of Christmas carols playing behind us as we kiss. Maybe Greg won't be so pessimistic about Christmas anymore. I mean... we can only pray and hope so. Nonetheless, I guess it really is a Merry Christmas to me.

#gregory house x reader #dr gregory house #dr gregory house imagine #gregory house imagines #dr gregory house x reader #gregory house #house imagines #house imagine #house x reader #house fanfiction #greg house #greg house imagine #greg house imagines #greg house x reader

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trlvsn · 9 months

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actually, i don't think miles edgeworth would ever asked maya fey to channel his father. a skeptic by nature, he probably wouldn't even think of this as an option for a long time after meeting the feys; but even after the thought crosses his mind he chases it away, feeling foolish for entertaining it. before choosing death, he is desperate for a compass to point him in the right direction but unsure if his father would be a good one; ashamed, too; unworthy. after, he realizes he is a man who can't follow in gregory edgeworth's footsteps just like he can't be a von karma - he is neither a perfect prosecutor nor a defense attorney, he is something he is making up along the way as his best attempt to find the truth. still, the sense of shame doesn't go away yet, he feels as if he wouldn't even be able to look his father in the eye if he had the chance. besides, ms fey has a lot on her shoulders already.

years pass, but not without notice - he has been to many countries now, seen many things, learnt even more. he has been a better friend and a better brother, a better man. eventually, he realizes he is good enough of a man to never be the slightest bit like damon gant. he trusts himself.

a few weeks after becoming chief prosecutor, he pays a visit to the master of khurain to drink some exceptional tea they only really make there and give away a duplicate steel samurai card. he is also there to ask a favor about gregory edgeworth, he confesses. "i am actually surprised you didn't ask me to channel him sooner", maya says, but he corrects her - not to channel, just to... check. there are spirits that have not moved on from this world yet, are there not? i simply want to know where he is, he says. if he is at peace.

gregory edgeworth had been doing alright for quite a while. he had, however, gone to a place far happier and calmer a few weeks ago. how could he not, after his son defeated his every fear with his bare hands.

#sorry for the serious post. i promise to be goofier about men #miles edgeworth #gregory edgeworth #maya fey #ace attorney spoilers #ace attorney #edgeworth

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pinkthrone445 · 3 months

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-"You are my miracle"-

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:Soft, fluff, fluff, fluff, FLUFF

Warnings:I don't think so

Summary:The kids decide to put together a fake wedding for you and your girlfriend Melissa on Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, sorry for not writing something longer, but I thought the day deserved something sweet and cute.

Six months, six months it took Mel to get to know you completely and open up to you. It took her a year to finally accept that you were girlfriends. Six more months to move in together. And it took her just a minute at the right time to realize that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with you.

Melissa Schemmenti was a determined woman, she had tried a lot of things and she knew what she wanted and what she liked and what she didn't. Marriage was something she had tried before and she was pretty sure she didn't want to go through it again. That's why a couple of years ago she had broken up with Gary, she knew what she wanted to and he wasn't going to convince her of changing her mind.

A year after that, you arrived at school, a new transfer teacher, a new energy in the place, and a new love in the redhead's life. You came like a typhoon, dragging everything in your path, including her heart.

The redhead didn't expect to fall in love, she didn't want to, but it happened, it happened so fast that she didn't even notice it until you were already oficial girlfriends.

Mel felt something with you that she hadn't felt in a long time, comfort. Love is not about who turns your life upside down, love makes you feel comfortable, happy and at peace, and that's exactly how she felt with you. You never demanded more than she gave you, you respected the limits she had, you were sure and determined about what you wanted, you didn't let yourself be managed by others, you were perfect for her.

There were a lot of things that you and Mel had talked about from the beginning, not to marriage, but yes to children and moving in together, no to mommy king yes to costumes and role play, and a lot of stuff more. You wanted to get married but she didn't, so you adapted. She moved in with you even though she loved her home, compromising her part. Love was to give the best of both parts and that's what you did, neither of you gave 50-50, yours was to give one hundred percent each other.

This was the third Valentine's Day you spent together, you usually didn't do many things for that special day, you went home and did a movie marathon with your favorite snacks, but this day, something at school changed everything.

Mel taught a grade of third-graders, you taught second-graders, when kids are that young, their curiosity is through the roof, each thing they learned generated more questions and more curiosity, they wanted to know and experience everything that was possible as quickly as possible. They had recently found out what Valentine's Day meant, they had also found out that you and Mel were a couple, which made their imagination work and somehow convinced you and Mel to do a fake Valentine's Day wedding in the school gym.

The children planned everything and handed out invitations. Along with the art teachers, they had prepared dresses for you and decorated the gymnasium, with Gregory they grew flowers for the bouquet and with Barbara they chose songs to dance the waltz, they even chose bridesmaids and groomsmen.

You never thought you'd be nervous about a fake wedding, but this touched on something you'd kept deep inside. Seeing yourself in the mirror with that fake dress made of toilet paper and colored cutouts, made you think about what a real wedding with Mel would be like, you knew it was never going to happen and you would never insist on it, but it was nice to dream. Life with Melissa was perfect and you wouldn't risk it by insisting on something like that. Having her in your life was enough and nothing would get better than that, not even a piece of paper saying you were married. Right?

You sighed looking in the mirror while one of the teachers combed your hair

-"Everything fine?" - She asked and you nodded looking at the votes youe kids helped you write

-"Yes..."-You smiled and let her continue to comb your hair.

One of the little kids dressed very elegantly came to pick you up a few minutes later informing you that everything was ready at the gym. You carefully grabbed your bouquet and smiled at the sight of Gregory waiting for you outside in a smart suit made of cardstock.

When you got to the Gym Gates you sighed trying to ease your nerves, if this was just joking, why did you feel so nervous? None of this was real, once they finished all this theater, Melissa would still be your girlfriend and everything would be normal as before.

Gregory smiled and started walking down the aisle when the doors opened, the whole school was there, the children sitting neatly next to their teachers, the walls decorated in white, soft music in the background and at the end of the road, Melissa in a dress also made of paper, which made you laugh. Arriving at her side, Gregory handed her your hand and then took her corresponding place next to you, while next to Mel was Barbara. Mel stroked your hands gently and looked at your dress smiling as the officiant, Mr. Johnson, introduced the ceremony

-"You look beautiful... Is that designer's?" - she joked and you nodded laughing

-"Yes, The most experienced in the business, he has almost all his life of experience to show" - You joked laughing and Mel kissed your hand leaving a kiss marked with her red lipstick. Mel's hands were also sweating a little, was she nervous too?

After a while, they gave you time to read the vows you with the kids had prepared, after clearing your throat, you started reading the notes

-"Melissa... You make me happy like when I eat my favorite candy, you are beautiful like the cutest dog on the planet, I like how you smell like flowers, seeing you makes me as happy as when I found out that it was a snow day and I don't have to come to school and I can continue sleeping. Listening to you talk makes me want to dance with happiness like when I listen to baby shark...I wish I could spend my life with you almost as much as I wish I had the last dancing barbie doll. I will take care of you and I will always be ready to kiss your boboos when you fall playing in the park, I love you so much that I will lend you my favorite toys and give you part of my lunch. I promise to be well-behaved and not to fart in front of you and also chew with my mouth closed and brush my teeth before giving you a kiss on the cheek, I promise to do all that because I love you so much like I love my mom."-You finished reading the vows that the children gave you laughing, but when you looked up Melissa looked at you seriously which made you scared. Maybe this was too much, maybe Mel had regretted making this joke for the kids, maybe she was angry or uncomfortable. Before you could continue to overthink, the redhead put away the vows she had made with her students and sighed taking your hands and kneeling in front of you taking out the small paper ring she had in her pocket, you looked at her confused

-"(Y/N)... Will you be my wife" - Mel asked and you laughed watching her

-"Babe, that's why we are here at the altar... We are getting married..."-You whispered trying to goad her up but she didn't

-"I'm being serious... Would you marry me for real?" -she insisted again and you frowned

-"I don't understand" - You whispered and she smiled looking into your eyes

-"I said one time that would take a miracle to marry again... And you are my miracle... Seeing you like this makes me understand how lucky I am. You're the most gorgeous woman I know, you came into my life to improve it in every way, I know that I am not an easy person to get along with and you adapted to every part of my being, as if we were a complement to each other. The patience you have for me and the happiness you bring me is incomparable, I want to feel that every day for the rest of my days. I don't want to lose you just because I was afraid of getting hurt again or because I was a coward that didn't wanted to take the step and really commit to this relationship. I want you to be by my side like my wife for the rest of my days... What do you say? Would you marry me?"-she whispered smiling, the whole gym had fallen silent waiting for your answer, so quiet that you could hear your heavy breathing and your heartbeat. Mel was shocked when you knelt down in front of her to kiss her while you cried

-"I do! I wanna marry you" - You whispered over her lips making her smile and she carefully placed the paper ring on you

-"I'll get a better ring, I promise" - She whispered and you laughed kissing her again

-"This is perfect..."-You muttered, unable to help but grin from ear to ear

-"I think our vows were better than what she said..." - One of the kids commented out loud, making you laugh as the whole school applauded happy for you two .

#melissa schemmenti soft #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #lisa ann walter fanfic #lissa ann walter #lisa ann walter #melissa schemmenti abott elementary #abott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfic #abott elementary #abbott elementary

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oneofthetorturedpoets · 1 month

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Can you write a Melissa Schemmenti x reader, which Melissa writes like secret like cute notes to us but like we don't know it's from her and it being like all fluff and stuff please also maneater was sooooo good ❤️😭

melissa schemmenti x reader

(not proofread please ignore any errors 😭)

old fashioned lover.

“i just wish some things were still old fashioned, everything’s online now” you comment as you open the break room fridge “like buy me flowers, write me letters, something real” Janine nods along.

little do you know, melissa is taking mental notes of everything you say.

the first note you got, you thought it was from a student.

you walk into your class room, seeing a folded white sheet of paper on your desk. you opened the little note up.

'you are an amazing teacher, when you first came to abbott, I could tell you were going to make this place better than it has ever been'

you slide the paper into your drawer, smiling at the kind words.

the second note made you assume you had a secret admirer. there was a bouquet of beautiful flowers with the note inside.

'your smile lights up any room you walk into. just seeing you makes my day'

you grab the flowers, bringing them up to your nose to smell them. Barbara walks up to the door.

"you got yourself a special someone?" she asks, knowing very well who sent them.

you turn around, smiling. "yes, apparently. but I have no idea who it is, they aren't giving me anything to go off of"

she smirks. "don't worry, time will tell" her words only confusing you more.

the third note gave you a little hint at who it was.

'the night when we all went to the bar after the last school year ended is forever burned into my mind. your hair was perfectly curled, the outfit you wore bringing out your eyes. every time you looked over at me, my heart jumped out of my chest. it's impossible to not fall in love with you.'

you remember that night, you and the entire abbott crew went out for drinks after completing yet another school year. your secret admirer is between Jacob, Ava, Barbara, Melissa, Gregory, and Janine. there is no way its any of them, Jacob is gay, Ava and Janine are straight, Barbara is married, Melissa is messing around with that firefighter, and Gregory is still in love with Janine.

who the hell is it?

the fourth note made you even more confused.

'I've tried to move on from you, I even got into a serious relationship thinking if I tried to ignore my feelings for you, they would go away. I was so wrong. I felt like a shitty person because I kept comparing them to you. I learned then that no one can compare to you.'

in the break room, you're showing Janine the note. "it has to be someone in our group." she says, you nod. "could it be Melissa? she has been the only one who was in a serious relationship and broke it off?"

you laugh. "no way, she wouldn't feel that way about me. plus she has that one guy. bob? rob? I don't know, I just know she is way out of my league... I wish though, you know how long i've liked her" Janine shrugs.

Melissa, who is right outside the door, heard everything. you liked her back?

it's 8pm on friday, you're on your couch in your pajamas, watching your latest obsession when there is a bunch of loud persistent knocks on your door. "Jesus! I'm coming!"

you get up, running to your door. you open it, revealing an out of breath Melissa. "Melissa? are you okay?" she nods, trying to catch her breath.

"i'm sorry, I just need to get this out. I heard what you said in the break room about your feelings for me-" you cut her off.

"shit. I didn't mean for-"

"don't. let me get this out, y/n. I've been writing those notes for you. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if you found out it was me, I just wanted to make sure you knew there was someone out there who loved you. I never thought you would feel the same about me. Ever since I laid eyes on you, I've loved you." your eyes go wide. not sure what to say, you pull her into you. looking into her eyes for permission. she gives you a little nod. you gently press into her, her lips soft against your.

you pull away. "what about your firefighter guy? weren't you seeing him?"

she shakes her head. "it was one night, just for fun and I hated every second of it." she pulls you in again.

taglist: @natashamaximoff-69 @allamanamedearl @ricejucie @marvels--slut

to join my taglist, send in an ask!!

#fanfic #abbott elementary #fem!reader #my fic #wlw fiction #law #lisa ann walter #request #melissa schemmenti fic #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti

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vacantfields · 3 months

Text

Things Are Better AU MASTER POST!

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vacantfields

TAB AU: Singing Voices Spotify Playlist

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO: Draw, Write, etc with these guys! (ASK ABOUT NSFW !)(AND remember to credit me!!)

(I will attempt to use the tags as best as i can!! Do also note that things can change in this AU but this is the best place you can go look honestly)

[ In this AU, Sun, Eclipse, and Moon have gotten new bodies, some that are way more humanoid. Technically, they are not animatronics anymore, but the Pizzaplex they live at still deems them as such! They are also all separated; most importantly, THEY ARE NOT BROTHERS. They are best friends! (Sun and Moon, however, seem closer than that.) ]

[ It is set in the 20XX! The date doesn't matter. ]

[ The Location of this thriving Pizzaplex is in the heart of a big city, and the rest of the animatronics have gotten slight upgrades but have remained the same. Sun and Moon still run the Daycare. Eclipse stands as the security guard for the Daycare (Moon also still goes on patrols, as well). They live in the Daycare too! The layout is (sorta) the same as the original Pizzaplex. The boys can leave the place, but they must tell their handler or whoever runs the place how long they will be gone. The virus from the game is not here, BUT a virus is in this! It's highly aggressive and should be avoided at all costs. Moon used to have a virus, but most got removed from him when they moved into these bodies, although some of the virus remains in his code. Eclipse has a different virus embedded in him, and he cannot remember how he acted before; it basically wiped his personality, so now he's somewhat unpredictable. ]

They have humanoid/android bodies

The original body along with their personality chips were created in the middle of the 90s

Moon got his virus in 95 or so but they couldn't fully remove it as they would have to reset him and thats a chore plus it wasn't too dangerous so they moved the guys into separate bodies and it fixed most of it

the story is set in 20XX

The location is in a big city

They have been in the new bodies for around 5 years

The fire, gregory, etc. Did not happen here!

The virus Eclipse was made by some people who wanted to use the animatronics to attack people and make sure that fazbear would shut down

They are not the same guys from the game BUT they do act a lot like them! (kinda)

They used to share a body (Eclipse just being a security setting in them)

Moon has remains of a violent virus

Eclipse has the virus embedded in his code

Eclipse cannot remember who he was before the virus

The virus is not sentient... OR... Is it?

Despite not having the virus, Sun is not handling being alone in his head. His unstable and unused security program snaps in when he has breakdowns and makes his head think it's Moon talking to him.

Sun was the first personality chip then it was Moon and then Eclipse

Other facts

The virus does NOT like the color red on bodies. (Do not wear a red shirt or anything alike that around Eclipse he will attack and KILL.)(Though if they care about you he will hold back from mauling)

They cannot eat BUT! They can taste things!

Their face plates can still spin

They can still use the wire to "fly" around if they wish

They have a secondary voice box that they use for when they talk with people outside of the Daycare/or go out!

In the Daycare they use the "Canon" voice

They can also perform at "Adult Nights" at the pizzaplex, which consists of them singing on stage while the adults drink and so on.

Moon is the only one who actively performs so you can catch him in the evenings on stage!

They are all very flexible... And they can dance (;

They can also talk with each other through a shared headspace (like a group chat)

The old body is stored somewhere in the plex

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊ SUN ⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

He/They/We | 8'5" / 256cm | Daycare Attendant

[ Sun is a happy go lucky guy who hides a lot of his other emotions and sometimes they tumble in! He gets angry, he gets sassy, he gets upset, etc. !! ]

Secondary Voice (singing):

Without A Whisper | Sleepless Deathbed | Reverie

(Invent Animate)

----------

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ MOON ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

He/They/We | 8'5" / 256cm | Naptime Attendant / Performer

[ Moon is your day to day gremlin. Crawling up walls and spider-walking across the floor in the darkness. Though he does easily get flustered if youre close enough to him! ]

Secondary Voice (singing):

Secret Scream | That Death Cannot Touch | No Accusations

(The Black Queen)

----------

☾✴ ๋࣭ ⭑ ECLIPSE ☾✴ ๋࣭ ⭑

He/They/We | 9'4" / 284cm | Security for the Daycare

[ Eclipse is a wild card. You never know if you can trust what comes out of his mouth but he seems docile for now ]

Secondary Voice (singing):

Broken Inside | Forevermore | Clouded Son

(Broken Iris)

----------

(Hopefully this made some sort of sense... I will probably edit here and there but (: !!)

#Things Are Better AU #TAB AU #TAB AU Sun #TAB AU Moon #TAB AU Eclipse #dca fandom #dca au #daycare attendant #naptime attendant #androids #robots #animatronics

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eddiemunsonswhxre · 2 years

Note

CAN YOU PLZ PLZ DO SOMETHING LIKE EDDIE TEACHING THE READER HOW TO TOUCH HERSELF ON HIS LAP BECAUSE SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW OHHHHH MY GOD I’m dying I need him so bad you don’t understand he’d be praising her so much and she’s practically crying begging him to finish for her GOD I CANT DO THIS RN

loved this request, hope you love where i took it :)

teach me, please me / eddie munson

rating: m (18+, minors DNI)

cw: fem!reader, masturbation, praise kink, pet names (babe/baby), voyeurism

while playing truth or dare with your pervy friends, eddie discovers you've never had an orgasm before.

“alright, um truth or dare, gareth?” jeff asks. you continue moving pieces around on the rubiks cube you held in your hands, half listening to the guys and half not. you were leaned against the arm of eddie’s couch with your legs in his lap. his fingers tapped rhythmically on your shins as he held a beer in the other hand and laughed along with the other guys.

gareth rolled his eyes. “dare, obviously,” he spoke from across the room, sipping his beer.

jeff thought for a moment about what he could have gareth do. “oh, i dare you to go piss on old man gregory’s porch,” jeff laughs.

“shit, is that supposed to be something i’m against? let’s go,” gareth laughs. jeff and ricky follow him out, you too into your cube to notice and eddie not wanting to get up.

eddie looked at your concentrated look, taking a mental picture to remember how cute you looked like this. “making any progress, babe?” eddie asked, massaging your shin lightly.

you look up at him with a pout. “no, i’m still where i was twenty minutes ago,” you huff and let your hands fall on your stomach. “why can fourteen year olds do it and i can’t?” you whine causing eddie to laugh.

“come here, big girl,” he teases you for whining as he holds his arm out. you roll your eyes but move to sit up and lean into his side anyway. “dustin is not a normal fourteen year old, you can’t base your ability off him,” he says, wrapping his arm around you and rubbing your upper arm comfortingly.

you pout still and let your head fall onto the side of his chest. you rest one hand on his stomach, the other curled into your side as you tuck your legs under you. “it’s still annoying, i wanna be able to do it,” you whine. this is how eddie knew you were getting tired.

eddie placed a kiss on your head as you look at the cube you’d dropped on the floor. “you want me to ask them to go so we can go to bed?” he asks in a quieter voice. you and eddie had been best friends for the past three years. your parents were probably the only ones in town who absolutely adored him so you two hung out a lot. your parents trusted him to take care of you, so they had no problem letting you stay over at his house or him staying at yours whenever you wanted. of course, not without warnings but they were never needed.

it was true that you and eddie did act like more than just best friends, but you both were too afraid to admit you had feelings. that landed you in the current situation. eddie was always overprotective and put you above the guys, while you were always clinging to his side. you shook your head no. “if i get too tired i’ll just go to bed before you,” you say and mess with the fabric of his shirt.

“thought you didn’t like going to sleep without me?” eddie teased causing you to roll your eyes and hit him in the chest. you were drunk when you said that a couple months ago and he wouldn’t let it go.

just then the guys came back in laughing amongst each other before taking their seats. “success?” eddie asked with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk. the guys noticed your change in position but didn’t comment on it. partly because they were used to it, and partly because they knew better.

“oh yeah, might’ve gotten under his door we’re not sure,” gareth laughs. you crinkle your nose in disgust while eddie laughs with them.

he shakes his head, pushing you closer. “grumpy fucker deserves it,” eddie says and takes another drink of his beer. the guys laugh about it a little more before getting back to the game.

gareth looks around before his eyes land on you. “y/n, truth or dare?” he asks, now calmed down.

you hum, thinking. you were pretty tired and last time you picked dare they had you finish the game in only your bra even after eddie’s protests of it being ‘too far.’ not that you really cared, but you were really comfy right now. “truth,” you mumbled quietly.

gareth thought for a bit before shrugging. “when’s the last time you had an orgasm?” he asks, drinking his beer. your face gets hot and you feel eddie tense.

“gareth that’s not cool, man, that shits private,” eddie says, trying to save you from answering.

gareth groaned, ready to make fun of eddie for treating you like you were a kid all the time. “um, never?” you said quietly. everyone in the room goes quiet, looking at you in shock.

“woah, what? have you never masturbated?” jeff asks cautiously. you shrink into eddie’s side as you shake your head no.

the guys look at each other in slight bewilderment. “you’re eighteen years old, and you’ve never came?” gareth asks. you shake your head once more before burying your embarrassment in eddie’s chest. he moves to rubbing your back comfortingly.

eddie is amazed at the fact you’ve never had a orgasm before. he knew you were pretty innocent, but having never masturbated before? damn. your innocence made his pants tight. “let’s keep playing, i’ll take y/n’s spot since she sucks at dares anyway,” eddie laughs, trying to take the attention from you.

you keep your head hidden until you’ve calmed down and then you go back to just resting it and observing. eddie kisses the top of your head once again and you smile.

the guys start leaving around one in the morning and you disappear into the bathroom to change into your pajamas. as you’re changing, eddie cleans up a little bit in the living room and then goes to find clothes to wear to bed. it was november, so it was a bit chilly outside. as he was grabbing a pair of flannel pants you walked into his room rubbing the side of your face. “hey sleeping beauty, ready for bed?” he asked in a teasing tone as he subtly checked you out.

you were wearing a long sleeve shirt that was a bit big on you and a small pair of grey sleep shorts. you nodded and crawled on to his bed, nestling yourself in the corner as you always did and getting under his blankets. he smiles at how adorable you are and then goes to change himself.

when he came back, he turned out the lights and crawled in bed next to you. your eyes were closed but he knew you weren’t sleeping yet. “night, y/n,” he says, settling into his pillow.

“goodnight,” you mumble, cuddling into his blankets. as you lay there longer, the more awake you become, making you frustrated.

eddie was having the same problem as you, and his mind was wandering anywhere and everywhere. when he felt you shift for the millionth time he sighed and turned on his side to face you. “what’s up? why are you still awake?” he asks quietly. you open your eyes and give him a half shrug.

“suddenly i’m not tired anymore,” you say.

eddie nods. “wanna talk then?” he asks and you nod. “can i ask you a question?” he asks, picking at his pillow.

“yeah,” you mumble.

eddie purses his lips, wondering if he should even ask you this. “have you really never had an orgasm? you can be honest, it’s just me,” he questions, searching your eyes for answers.

you roll onto your back to avoid eye contact. “no, eddie. i haven’t,” you say quietly.

eddie swallows. he was curious and he knows you’ll stop him if he goes too far. “have you tried? like masturbating i mean?” he asks. you close your eyes in embarrassment.

but it was just eddie. your best friend eddie who would never judge you. “yeah… but i can never… it never worked,” you admit.

“why didn’t you ever just ask me for help, baby? i’ve been told i'm pretty good at it,” eddie smiles and jokes. you close your eyes at his words, hating how you would ask him if you could.

“dick,” you mumble and eddie laughs. he scoots closer and throws his arm around you. he presses your bodies together as his head is propped up on his hand so he can look down at you.

he shakes his head at you. “i’m just messing,” he says with a fond smile.

“mhm,” you hum and look into his eyes. those big brown eyes that you’ve admired since day one. he always got whatever he wanted from you with those eyes.

“i’m sorry i keep asking questions but this is so interesting to me. babe, i’ve been jerking my shit since i was like eleven and to find out you haven’t been able to cum yet and you’re eighteen? kinda heart breaking,” he starts once more. you shove him slightly, face screwing in slight disgust. “okay, sorry, too much information i guess. but… do you ever get wet? you ever been horny?” he pushes, testing his limits.

you cover your face with your hands, wishing a black hole would just open and suck you in. “yes. to both,” you say, your words muffled by your hands.

eddie rubs you side in a comforting manner. “so what do you do?” eddie hums, not even sure why he was still asking more questions.

“eddie,” you whine in embarrassment, uncovering your face and pouting at him.

“i’m just being curious!” he defends himself. he scans your face and feels a little bad for making you uncomfortable.

you turn your head to look at the wall and just before eddie can apologize you begin to explain. “i just kinda um… use my fingers but it like, it’ll hurt or i won’t really feel much. or it’ll feel really good but i just can’t get myself all the way,” you say as eddie listens. he hated to admit your innocence was turning him on.

“you touch your clit?” he asks in a dazed tone. you look back to him and shake your head no. “aha! see, now there’s your problem baby. that little bud, your clit, is what really is gonna make you cum. it’s different for most girls i think, but i know you can cum from just rubbing your clit the right way,” he says, his hand traveling towards your clothed pussy.

you feel like sweating as he rests his hand high on your thigh while analyzing you. “i-i don’t know what is the… right way,” you stutter.

“you poor thing, you need to work on that like as soon as possible,” eddie teases you, his signature smile on his face. but yours wasn’t there, you just looked scared.

“how?” you gulp, wanting to know more so next time you could finally get a release.

eddie eyes you for a bit before sucking his bottom lip into his mouth. “y/n, i need to ask you something, you can say no,” he says nervously.

“okay,” you urge.

eddie looks away from you for a moment to take a deep breath before looking back in your eyes. “do you want me to teach you how to pleasure yourself?” he asks quickly.

you gasp at his question, being taken by surprise. you look into his eyes once more, they’re now clouded by nervousness and something new. something you’d never seen. lust. you thought back on all the times you’d sit in bed and just deal with the dull throbs of your wet pussy, knowing you couldn’t do it. but this was your opportunity. “will you, please?” you ask with equal nervousness in your voice.

eddie is stunned, not only by your response but the fact that he asked in the first place. “now? are you wet now?” he asks, now more than conscious of his hand resting so close to your heat.

“well, no… but you can make me wet, can’t you?” you ask and then feel your ears burn. “oh my god, i'm sorry. i can’t believe i just asked you that,” you fling yourself to face the wall.

eddie feels his cock stiffen in his pants as he grabs you to pull you towards him. “babe, i know you well. really well. but i don’t know your body like that, if you tell me what to do that gets you going then i can try and turn you on,” he says into your ear.

you shake your head. “but i don’t really know…” you say to the wall.

“what is normally happening when you start to get horny?” he asks, rubbing your stomach and side.

god this was so embarrassing. “it’s normally just like… when i start imagining things. like a guy i find attractive wanting to touch me and stuff. i don’t really know,” you say, still refusing to look at him.

“am i attractive enough?” he asks, bringing his hand to lightly run his fingers along your curves. you nod, so eddie grabs you to push you back on your back. “how about you let me touch you and try some things? that okay?” he asks, moving to hover over you. you nod, biting your lip and watching him nervously. “use your words, baby,” he says with raised brows.

“yes, that’s okay, eddie,” you breath.

he nods, moving himself down to be closer to your body. “now just relax, really feel everything. if i do something you don’t like tell me no,” he says and starts trailing fingers up and down your thigh.

you shiver under his touch and respond with an, “okay.” he pushes your hair out of his way and presses soft and slow kisses to your neck. “oh,” you moan in surprise, bringing up a hand to hold the back of his head. his fingers on your thigh tease the seams of your panties, never fully dipping in but enough to make you shudder. eddie begins sucking on your lower neck as his fingers snap your waistband against your skin. you gasp as his teeth nip at your neck, but your hips shift causing eddie to smirk into the love bite. he was succeeding.

his feather light graze comes up your torso, making your shirt ride up slightly. he cautiously hovers over your breast as he waits for a sign to stop. you don’t give him one, your breathing heavy and hand starting to take fistfuls of his hair. he let his hand caress your clothed breasts before his thumb was rubbing your nipple over the fabric of your shirt. “woah,” you moan, legs clenching slightly. you were definitely turned on. eddie chuckles into a different place on your neck before rubbing over your nipple a few more times until it was hard for him. he grabbed it between to fingers, squeezing ever so slightly and listening to you moan. he nipped at your neck, wondering how mad you were going to be in the morning when you realized how many hickies he’d left on your neck. after biting and sucking harshly on your skin, he ran his tongue over it to soothe the slight pain.

“eddie,” you moan, arching your back to get more contact. eddie groans, screwing his eyes shut. the way you moaned his name was sinful, and really really dangerous. if you kept it up, he wouldn’t be teaching you how to pleasure yourself. he’d be fucking you. he decided to be bold, dropping his hand from your chest and down between your thighs. he ran his fingers gently along the soft skin of your inner thigh, enjoying how you squirm beneath him. eddie began sucking harshly on the side of your neck and brought his hand up to hover over your heat. he bites down on your neck gently, causing a moan to leave your lips. in that moment, he pressed his hand down, cupping your heat.

he smiled, he could feel your wetness soak into your panties and spread further around your entrance through two layers of fabric. he pulled away from your neck and back to meet your eyes. his face was lit up seeing your eyes clouded with arousal. “feel that, baby? you’re wet,” he taunts, slowly rubbing slight circles over your clothed cunt.

“holy shit, eddie,” you breath out. eddie smirks but moves his hand away from you.

you let out a whine, causing eddie to chuckle. “alright, up. get those pants off,” eddie says, sitting down next to you. you feel your neck heat up as you slowly put your hands down to your waistband. “don’t be shy, baby. it’s just me,” he coos. you look away but slide your shorts and underwear off slowly. eddie grunts at the sight of you kicking them off the bed. “you can keep the shirt if you want to, but i think you should take it off,” eddie says.

“perv,” you say to him pointedly. he laughs at you, causing you to smile.

“not a perv, just want you to have the best first orgasm ever,” he shrugs. you roll your eyes but take it off anyway. eddie’s eyes scan your body hungrily, lip caught between his teeth. you notice his intense gaze and curl in on yourself. “no, don’t,” he says, reaching over and pulling your arm away from yourself. he blinks, gathering himself before pulling you to him. “okay, come here. sit on my lap, put your back to my chest,” he says, helping you get situated.

you relax against his chest, eyes widening as you feel his erection. “you’re hard,” you mumble dumbly.

eddie chuckles, wrapping his arms around your bare middle. “no shit, look at you. how could i not be?” he says, complimenting you. you put your hands up to your face once more. he shakes his head and takes them away. “you’re not allowed to be shy when you’re already naked on my lap,” eddie teases, kissing the side of your head. you nod, taking a deep breath and trying to relax.

eddie hums, rubbing your sides soothingly. “touch yourself, do what feels right,” eddie says softly in your ear.

you chew on your bottom lip and try to make yourself do it. your hand begins to travel down, but you pull it back. “eddie, this is embarrassing. can you do it? please?” you beg, looking back at him with puppy dog eyes. eddie gulps, closing his big brown eyes and containing himself.

“no, you gotta do it yourself,” he says, rubbing your side. you just continue staring at him until he rolls his eyes. he holds out his hand. “give me your hand, i’ll guide you,” he says, knowing he was going to be stuck with this raging boner. fuck, he might even cum in his pants.

you place your hand in his and he wraps his pinkie and thumb around your hand, his fingers lining up with yours. “ready?” he asks and you nod. he guides your hand down to your slit, pushing them towards your entrance to gather your arousal.

“wow,” you mumble at the feeling of your wetness.

eddie smiles. “what, baby? feel how wet you are?” he hums. you nod, moaning as eddie guides your fingers up to your clit. he circles them, your head falling back against his shoulder. “that feel good?” he asks huskily.

“yes,” you whisper, looking into his eyes. eddie grunts, looking back at you as your wetness starts to coat his fingers as well as yours.

“you know how fucking dirty this is, y/n? you look straight out of a damn porn film,” hey grunts, pushing your fingers to do a different motion instead. your eyes roll back in pleasure at the new movement and you let out a moan. “feel better that way, huh, baby?” he asks.

you start moving your fingers on your own, eyes opening back up. “a lot better, oh god,” you moan. eddie removes his hand from yours and you stop, looking at him in confusion.

he shakes his head. “ah-ah, you keep going, pretty girl,” he coos. you look at him apprehensively but he just raises his brows. “i’m not doing it for you, go on, make yourself cum,” he urges in a demanding tone. you begin moving your fingers again and eddie begins massaging your sides once again. “good girl,” he mutters, kissing your cheek.

you circle your clit once again, trying to find what area made you feel the best. “look at how good you’re doing,” eddie coos, eyes moving to train on your hand moving on your clit. “why don’t you touch those pretty tits of yours, help make you feel good,” eddie advises, his lips dragging across your temple. you whine towards him, causing his cock to twitch under you and a groan to leave his lips. “or do you want me to?” eddie asks and you nod immediately. eddie moves his hands from your sides and brings them up to massage your breasts. you moan at the contact and move your fingers faster over the left side of your clit.

“how do i know… when i’m, when i’m close?” you ask breathily. eddie tweaks your nipple, pulling at it and watching you squirm.

eddie chuckles at you in admiration. you were so, so innocent. “you’re not there yet, baby. i don’t know how it really feels for women, but things are gonna get really tight as you get closer. just keep going and then you'll get to cum, okay pretty girl?” he explains and you nod. “good, keep rubbing that pretty clit for me, baby,” he says. his words egg you on further, sending more waves of arousal to your core.

eddie keeps saying encouraging words in your ear and groping your tits as your fingers rub your clit. your other hand falls behind you to hold onto eddie’s shoulder as you finally feel your core begin to tighten. “look at you, ready to fall apart on my lap,” eddie murmurs. you whimper, pushing down harder on your clit. “you know how hot you look right now? fuck, baby, i could cum just from looking at you. i wanna eat that sweet pussy of yours so bad, make you cum so much harder than you’re about to,” eddie grunts.

you whimper, looking back at him. “help,” you beg, your wrist faltering. eddie’s eyes darken, but he believes you need to do it yourself this time.

“this is all you, baby. don’t stop, i know you don’t want to. you can do it, be a good girl and cum for me,” eddie says, looking straight into your eyes.

“please, eddie,” you whine, tears pricking your eyes as your wrist hurts.

“no, go on, make yourself cum,” he says in a harder tone. you moan, pussy clenching at his words while simultaneously tears fall. you speed up anyway, chasing the satisfaction you knew you could finally get. eddie could see it in the way your eyelids were fluttering, you were getting close. “cum,” he whispers as you rub your clit faster. you let out a long moan, eyes rolling back and back arching off eddie’s chest as waves of hot pleasure rush through you. “keep rubbing your clit, ride it out,” eddie encourages and you do. your legs shaking as an abundance of your arousal seeps out of you and onto the pants covering his dick. eddie groans, his cock begging for attention.

when you finally come down from your high, you open your eyes again to look at eddie. “holy fuck,” you mutter. eddie smiles and plants yet another kiss, this time, on your forehead.

“you did so good. you feel good?” he asks, holding you close to his chest. you nod, nuzzling into him. “baby, i really do want to cuddle you right now, but you’ve given me a really painful boner that i need to take care of,” he says slowly.

you nod and unwrap his arms from around you. “sorry,” you mumble, and slide off his chest.

eddie shakes his head. “don’t be,” he rubs your upper arm to comfort you before going to stand up.

“wait,” you say, reaching for him. he looks at you, slightly concerned. “can i- can i watch?” you ask shyly. eddies eyes widen and a small, guttural groan leaves from deep in his throat.

he takes a moment before settling back into his spot on the bed. “i guess it’s only fair, i watch you cum so you watch me,” he shrugs and pull his pajama pants off. your eyes are glued to his erection as he wraps his fist around it and begins pumping. his tip was already leaking and his head fell back against his wall. “don’t judge me for how fast i’m going to cum. having you on my lap, cumming on me, and now you just watching… oh fuck,” eddie groans, as you make eye contact with him. your eyes flicker between his cock and his face as it contorted with pleasure.

you push yourself towards him a bit, his eyes closed so he doesn’t notice. you reach out and run your fingers up and down his upper thigh. “fuck, y/n,” he shudders, bucking into his fist as his eyes fall to you. the way you look at his cock in fascination sends him over the edge, cumming in thick ropes all over himself. his chest is heaving as you push yourself to sit up next to him.

“eddie?” you ask quietly.

he looks over to you, taking deep breaths. “yeah, babe?” he inquires.

you purse your lips and look to his wall before going back to him. “we aren’t just friends, are we?” you ask quietly.

eddie gulps and gives you a fake smile. “no, y/n, i don’t think we are,” he admits in just above a whisper. you nod and look away again.

but there’s that thought nagging in the back of your head that won’t go away. “eddie?” you question again.

“hm?” he asks, afraid of where this may go. you finally look back to him, but you don’t try to talk. you lean forward, grabbing his face and planting your lips on his. eddie lets out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and kissing you back. he pulls away soon after. “can we continue this kissing and cuddling after getting cleaned up?” he asks with a playful smile. you nod bashfully and follow him to the bathroom to get washed up.

you get back in your pajamas, eddie putting on a new pair of flannel pants, and then you both get into bed. until you fall asleep, you share sleepy kisses and hold each other closely. “you can go to sleep now, baby,” eddie says, pushing hair from your face. you nod, cuddling into him as he places one final kiss on the top of your head before snuggling into you. you weren’t sure what you were yet, but eddie knew he finally had you.

#stranger things eddie #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #stranger things 4 #munson #eddie munson imagine #eddie #stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie munson smut

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morphodae · 5 days

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“My Beloved”🪻 | Gregory Violet x Reader short oneshot | (Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji)

cw: none, fluff

A breeze blows by, an inadvertent shiver wracks your body against your wishes. You grit your teeth, cursing the cold winds of England on today of all days.

The sensation of a hood and fabric being placed on your head startles you. Peering to the left, you see Gregory staring at you expectantly as he finishes covering you with his cloak.

“You look cold. Here, wear it.”

It was supposed to be a nice picnic; one where you and Gregory could lounge together under overcast skies in blissful silence, eat, and have a mini drawing contest. However, the weather had different ideas when the temperature dropped drastically and abruptly.

You notice Gregory doesn’t seem to be shivering as you are and after confirming that he, in fact, doesn’t also need a warm cloak or blanket, you relax with a frustrated sigh.

“So much for our plans today. I’m sorry they got ruined.”

Gregory blinks; violet hues observe you. “I don’t think it ‘got ruined.’ Weather happens,” he deadpans. He closes his sketchbook and packs his supplies, rising from the grass and offering a thin, outstretched hand to you. “Let’s go inside before you catch a cold.”

“Me? What about you?”

“I prefer the cold and dark days. It’s calming. I’ll be fine in this sort of weather.”

“… then why not stay out?”

“As I said: it’s best you not catch a cold.”

You take his hand and lift yourself from the ground, brushing stray strands of grass from yourself and holding your painting supplies under your other arm.

“There’s no reason we cannot finish this indoors where the wind won’t blow hair into my eyes or scatter our things.” Gregory still hasn’t let go of your hand and as the two of you approach his manor, you make a point to address it.

“Still holding my hand?” You ask cheekily. Gregory is in front of you, unlocking the door. But even with his posture slightly huddled, the creeping vermillion on his cheeks and tip of his ear is unmistakable.

“I enjoy it.” After a moment of silence, he continues. “Do… you enjoy holding hands?”

You nod. “I do.”

“Then… let’s continue to inside… if that’s alright with you?”

You answer with an affirmative and the two of you huddle near his fireplace and resume your art date. Every now and again your free hands will touch or link pinky fingers until Gregory becomes bold and silently, yet gently, grabs your hand to place in his. His thumb would rub comforting circles on the top of your hand which makes your heart leap.

He still hasn’t asked for his cloak back nor have you felt the need to remove it even with the two of you before the heat of the fire indoors.

A blush forms on Gregory’s face before he glances at you once more. “Thank you for spending time with me.”

“Of course, dearest. I always enjoy spending time with you.” Your smile as you say this seems all-too-blinding despite Gregory not looking directly at you. The blush on his face darkens and he finally faces you with a flustered expression.

“Ah,” he mumbles, the struggle to maintain eye contact with you is difficult but he still tries, “that… doesn’t sound terrible to call me.”

“I’m glad. Am I moving too fast?”

Your concern for his comfort levels were always endearing. “No,” he shakes his head lightly, “I do not mind. Would it be alright if I call you with a mutually endearing name?”

You giggle, the sound sends butterflies to hi stomach. “Of course.”

Gregory inhales sharply before making eye contact with you. His smile is soft, genuine, and full of affection. “Then… do try and take better care of yourself in colder weather… my beloved.”

It was always like Gregory to worry about those he holds dear to him and it was something you always found to be incredibly charming and sweet. “I will,” you smile, “thank you for looking out for me.”

His expression turns a bit more somber as he regards you with a more serious countenance. “I will always look out for you. Your well-being is important.”

The two of you continue the night in serenity. Your drawings soon conclude and the two of you wind up falling asleep on the plush rug in front of the fireplace together. A servant comes alone at one point and spots the two of you; her voice ready to lightly scold before she sees the peaceful scene before her. With a smile, she exits the room and informs other Violet staff members not to disturb you for a while.

Even in slumber, Gregory’s hand still hasn’t left yours nor does he feel the need to let go anytime soon.

#gregory violet x reader #gregory violet #x reader #black butler gregory violet #kuroshitsuji gregory violet #black butler x reader #kuroshitsuji x reader #anime x reader #black butler fluff #kuroshitsuji #black butler public school arc #anime fluff #anime x y/n #gender neutral reader #black butler #x reader oneshot #anime boy x reader

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frost-queen · 1 year

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Humming bees (Male!Reader x Bridgertons)

Requested by: @los-angeles-71300 Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco @subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07,@melsunshine, @goldenmoonbeam, @freyathehuntress

Summary: After Hyacinth finds a portrait of a young man she does not know, she confides with her father and brother Anthony of his identity. Little does she know it is a portrait of you, the eldest Bridgerton passed away at the hands of a small bee. (Ps. Edmund is still alive here)

“One, two, three.” – Gregory called out. Hyacinth picking up the hem of her dress, making a run for it. – “four, five six.” – she heard him count while running out of the parlor. – “nine, ten, eleven.” – his words slowly fading out till she could no longer hear him count. Giggling beyond herself, she ran up the stairs. Half-way up she encounters her brother Colin, nearly running him over. – “Hyacinth!” – Colin called out, turning around to see her run up the last steps.

He held on tight to the railing. It was his life saving or he would’ve tumbled down the stairs. – “Hide and seek!” – she simply responded loudly. Colin shaking his head with a shake. Hyacinth ran down the hallway. Eloise shrieking loud when she opened her door, greeted by her hastened sister. Hyacinth came to a stop, mouth gawking in surprise. Wondering where she would hide from her brother.

Setting her mind to it, she ran to the right, opening a door. She quickly shut it. – “Hyacinth?” – Benedict said, pausing his actions. – “Can I hide here?” – she asked, looking around for a hiding place. – “What? Hide? What are you on about sister?” – Benedict set his paintbrush aside, watching her from behind his canvas. – “Yes hide brother what is there not to understand about.” – she answered, sitting on her knees, looking under his bed.

Humming curiously she got back up. She ran over to his closet, opening it firmly. – “Do you think I could fit in here?” – she questioned. Benedict rushed to her, coming to stand between her and the closet, shutting it. – “No!” – he called out. – “No?” – Hyacinth repeated innocently. – “No I can’t fit in there or no I can’t hide there?” – she proposed unsure of his intentions of his words. Benedict spread his arms. – “No as in no, you cannot hide here or anywhere in my room for the matter!” – he told her off.

Hyacinth pouted her lips pitiful. – “Why not?” – she begged to know. – “I am painting sister.” – he sighed out, gesturing at the canvas presented in the center of his room. Hyacinth barely gave the canvas her attention. – “I won’t disturb you. I promise.” – she said wobbling on her feet, hands behind her back. Benedict pinched his nose bridge. – “Hyacinth no. I can’t have you hiding in here and Gregory storming in to find you.” – he explained to her.

She crossed her arms bothered. – “Where else am I supposed to hide? Gregory can come look for me any second now.” – she cried out. Benedict pulled his shoulders up, turning her around towards the door. – “Not my problem.” – he shoved her towards the door, ushering her out of the way. He shut the door before her. Hyacinth reacting by sticking her tongue out.

Hearing Gregory downstairs, she panicked. Her time was coming to an end if she ever wished to hide. Panicking, she ran further down the hallway before Gregory would come up the stairs and see her. Huffing and puffing loud, her mind could barely think rational. A thousand terrible hiding idea’s popping in her mind. All those that would easily give her away. Groaning out of breath, she did not want to give Gregory the satisfactory of finding her in the first two minutes of the game.

She wanted to do better. Turning a corner, she came in a corridor she rarely visited. One could say almost foreign to her. Quirking her eyebrow up, she moved swiftly through it, looking in wonder around. Letting her finger trail the wallpaper. It seemed older then those downstairs. As if it hadn’t been taken care of in years. There were another set of stairs at the end of the corridor as she went up. Her curiosity taking a hold of her. Completely forgetting about the game she went up.

It went darker, the further up she went. No windows cast upon the stairs to light up her way. She came to a stop before a wooden door. The handle was old and heavy. With some effort, the door opened with a shrieking sound. She so hoped no one had heard that. She blinked rapidly to adjust to the dim lighted room she found herself in. Only the light from a small window above granting the room some light. She carefully pushed the door closer to the lock, yet not quite in it.

Venturing further into the room, she peered around trying to get glimpses of what was stored here. She gasped running over to a wooden crib. It started rocking creakingly under her grip. Lifting her fingers up, she rubbed them together feeling the dust on them. It had been a while since the crib was used. She measured the size between her two fingers, trying to visualize how small she would’ve been to fit in. That seemed like an eternity ago when she could fit in that crib.

Giggling loud she imagined what it would look like if she laid in it now. Her legs and arms sticking out. It was just too funny to think about. She moved around the crib further down the room. She lowered herself, hands pressed onto a table, watching a dusted vase. It was see-through, yet not. Being so close to the dust, made her cough loud. Straightening her posture she kept coughing. Slowly turning around, the back of her hand against her mouth.

She stopped coughing, hand lowering as her gaze fell upon a hidden portrait it appeared. Hyacinth went over to it. The closer she got, the more she furrowed her brows. Perhaps it was a portrait of her father in his early days? She took a hold of the frame, moving something in front of it forwards so the portrait wouldn’t be damaged when she pulled it up. Slowly the portrait got pulled up, her eyes widening in wonder. She took the portrait with both hands, moving it closer towards the light falling into the room.

She smiled as the person looked so much like her father. Yet if she squeezed her eyes a bit shut, she could faintly see features of Anthony. This was clearly not her father. Yet he resembled him much. Who could this young man be and why is his portrait hidden away? Hyacinth wanted to know more, taking the portrait with her. She went back to the door, going through it. Down the steps back into the corridor. When passing her siblings rooms she got spotted. Gregory pointing firmly at her from across the way. – “Found you!” – he called out loud.

Hyacinth spoke back, coming nearer. – “Yes you found me, good work of you brother.” – she walked past him. Gregory crossed his arms bothered. – “You are no fun like this! Did you even hide?” – he called out to her. – “I did then I chose to come out of hiding.” – she shouted making her way down the stairs. Gregory stomped with his foot on the ground, annoyed at his little sister. Why couldn’t she simply play the game rightly. Close to crying, his lip trembled as he rushed to his room.

She went down the stairs, straight on to the study of her father. Edmund and Anthony lifted their heads up when she barged in. – “Hyacinth?” – Edmund spoke. – “Sister?” – Anthony said at the same time. Hyacinth struggled a bit to keep the portrait up. Her father jumping up from his chair to assist her. He ran around the desk, holding the portrait up before it could hit the ground.

“Whatever for are you carrying this?” – he chuckled, turning the portrait slowly around to see what she was carrying. – “I…” – his smile dropped in an instant. Sorrow reflecting upon his features. – “What is it father?” – Anthony asked coming nearer. – “Who is he?” – Hyacinth asked curiously. Her father seemed to have turned to stone. Not responding one bit. Anthony came to his side, eyes widening at the portrait of you. – “Where did you find this!” – he called out, snatching the portrait from his father.

The tone in Anthony’s voice terrified her for a moment. Thinking she had done something wrong. – “The… the attic… I…I…” – she looked at her father seeing the tears swell up in his eyes. She dropped to her knees, begging for forgiveness. – “I was playing hide and seek with Gregory; I did not mean to find it. Father forgive me.” – she cried out.

Edmund blinked himself awake, rapidly to keep the tears at bay. He softened a smile up for her. – “It is alright my child.” – he spoke, pulling her back on her feet. Hyacinth sniffed loud with pouty lips. Anthony set the portrait down on the desk, brushing any dust off with care.

A faint smile upon his lips. Edmund motioned for her to follow him. He went to sit down, pulling Hyacinth on his lap. – “That… that is a portrait of your brother Y/n.” – he told her, pointing at it. – “Brother?” – Hyacinth repeated confused. – “Is… is he away?” – she wondered since she’s never met him. – “No…” – Edmund replied with sadness in his voice.

“He’s gone.” – Anthony answered letting his finger brush over your uniform on the portrait as it removing any folds from it in person. – “What do you mean he’s gone?” – she wanted to know. Edmund took a deep breath. – “Hyacinth…” – he said to her making her slowly realize. – “Oh…” – she quietly answered. A moment of silence fell upon them till she spoke. – “How… how did it happen? How come I don’t remember him?” – she asked curiously.

Edmund smiled faintly. – “You were still in your mother’s womb. Slowly growing.” – he tickled her briefly making her smile. – “Your brother Y/n, Anthony and I had gone hunting.” – he started his story. Anthony turning around to lean against the desk. Anthony immediately pulled back to the moment. It was a nice warm summer’s day. There were up and about from early starters.

Long awake before anyone else was. Anthony felt beyond honored to go hunting with his father and older brother. He so very much looked up to you. Aspired to be just as gentile and determined as you. You could do no wrong in his eyes. He’d nearly hit a deer, yet the hunt was unsuccessful. Upon the walk home, you were there to give him the word of advise he needed.

“Say brother, no need to be pitiful.” – you spoke, moving an arm around him. Father just up ahead. Anthony took a deep breath. – “I almost had it. If my hand just didn’t tremble that much.” – he cursed at his own hand, looking down at it. You clasped your hand around his, moving it out of his sight. – “Your hand will steady, do not worry about that my brother.” – you told him. Anthony sighed. – “It is just…” – he responded coming to a brief stop. His shoulder slouched forwards, making you notice it quite quick.

You smiled, needing no more words to understand. Taking a deep breath, you set your hands on his shoulders. – “You did alright brother. There is no need to pity yourself with doubts. Believe it or not, I was much worse on my first hunt.” – you said with a smile. – “I don’t believe you.” – Anthony answered. – “Yet it is true.” – you insisted on. – “I had the unfortunate matter of nearly shooting my own hand off.” – you showed him your hand, laughing loud. Anthony wouldn’t have it, shaking his head.

“No, a skilled shooter as you, I do not believe you. You are taunting me brother.” – he spoke, pulling your hand down. You laughed even more. – “It is true.” – you showed him your hand, pointing at a little scar by your wrist. – “I’ve got the scar to tell the tale.” – Anthony’s eyes widened. How was it he’d never noticed that scar. Yes it was small and faint, yet it was there. You stopped smiling, hearing your father whistle loud between his teeth.

“Boys keep up or your mother will scold me!” – he called out from further up the path. The both of you ran to catch up with him. Both joining him at once side. Edmund patted you on the back with a smile. Riffle in hand, you took a satisfying breath upon seeing the manor once more. How good it felt to be home. Edmund and Anthony were laughing as you were a step behind them. – “Oh, she would adore those!” – Edmund pointed out, looking at the flowers.

He rushed over to them, Anthony following him on foot. Edmund took off his satchel and placed his riffle down. Coming to kneel before the flower patches. Hands deep, he ruffled through the flowers. The soft humming of bees never catching his attention. He plucked a few Hyacinths when Anthony came kneeling close to him. Admiring another set of flowers. – “Are you going to woe mother with some flowers?” – you laughed teasingly coming to stand behind your father and brother.

“Yes.” – Edmund huffed out, plucking another Hyacinth. He smelled it briefly. – “They are quite lovely are they not?” – he said out loud. A bee buzzing near him. – “Yes, indeed they are father.” – Anthony responded, looking over at his father. – “Daphne will be jealous if we return with nothing for her.” – he added, plucking a few flowers. Edmund moved his head back, noticing the bee in his vision. Furrowing his brows with annoyance he whiffed it away with the back of his hand. – “This bloody…” – he said getting up and backing away.

You came nearer wanting to aid your father. Edmund ducked away from the bee as he had kept waving his hand around to shoo it off. – “Father do not anger…” – you warned him, words suddenly cut off by a sting of pain. – “Au.” – you softly said, having felt the stinger in your neck. Anthony chuckled, looking behind him. – “Y/n.” – he said. You moved your back towards him and your father, walking closer to the estate. – “The darn thing stung me.” – you pointed out, touching your neck briefly. – “Apologies Y/n. I didn’t mean to anger the creature.” – Edmund said with half a smile.

Anthony was still plucking flowers, furrowing his brows when he heard you grasp weirdly for air. – “Y/n?” – he said. You felt your neck swell up, face turning pale. Turning around your lips were almost sealed. Looking as pale as a dove as you stumbled a bit forwards. You revealed a bit of your red neck to your brother and father. You stretched your hand out, wheezing loudly. – “What is it?” – Anthony questioned, getting up. You stumbled into your father’s arms, sending him down with you.

Grasping for air, blood veins almost popping out on your head. – “What? What?” – Anthony called out coming over. You sputtered loud, moving your fingers over the sting wound. – “Someone help us!” – Edmund shouted loudly. – “Help us!” – the panic alarming in his voice as he held you. You lost your balance falling onto your back in the grass. Edmund looked frantically down, pulling you onto his lap. Mouth open you were grasping for air. Choking on dry air. – “Help us! Someone help!” – Anthony raged out in panic.

Your head shock back, grabbing your hand desperately at Anthony’s arm. Needing your brother’s comfort. The scaredness in your eyes broke Anthony’s heart as you kept desperately grabbing for him. It took him a few try’s to take your hand in his. – “Y/n, brother!” – he called out worriedly. – “Y/n… Y/n you must breath.” – Edmund called out, holding you. – “I…I…can’t…” – you answered hoarsely, feeling how much closer to death you were. Anthony was panicking, freaking out as he couldn’t think properly.

He held your hand tight, watching you with horror. Your movements slowed down as you turned to look at him, choking on the lack of air. – “Brother.” – you hoarsely said in deep panic. Wanting Anthony to take away the pain. To tell you all will be alright as you felt your end draw nearer. Anthony stared back at you with wide eyes in fear. Slowly you laid your head back, reaching up to touch your father’s cheek.

Your fingers barely touched his skin as your hand lowered slowly once more. – “No-no-no-no.” – Edmund whispered out seeing how the light in your eyes was fading out. – “No-no-no-no-n-n-no don’t do this.” – he told you, shaking his head. Your hand plopped to the side, eyes falling shut as your head felt weightless. – “No Y/n!” – Edmund cried out. – “Do not leave us!” – he shouted with a crack in his voice. Anthony’s eyes were wide with fear.

Slowly it was sinking in that he had lost his brother. He looked down at your lifeless hand in his. Seeing how his touch gave your hand no response. Edmund moved your head a bit up, letting his chin rest against your forehead. Mouth open as no cries came out. Silent as they were cramped in his throat. Then a loud sob emerged from deep within followed by a cry of agony.

Anthony’s head trembled, moving your hand towards his chest. Cherishing it near his heart. Edmund was crying loudly, rocking you gently in his embrace. – “My son…my boy.” – he cried out, releasing a cry so raw it scraped his throat. The sounds drew in some curious watchers. Tears rolled down Anthony’s cheek, seeing his brother, the one he looked up to lay still in his father’s embrace.

Edmund looked over his shoulder, sniffing loudly. – “They cannot see him… not like this.” – he told Anthony, seeing Violet among them. – “Anthony!” – he called out for his attention. Anthony looked sharply his direction, trembling to the bone. – “Go!” – he ordered. Anthony nodded shakily, laying your hand near your body. He hesitantly got up, barely able to keep up straight. He stumbled over to his mother telling her the children should head inside.

Anthony sniffed loud, wiping a tear off his cheek. – “If I had not decided to pick flowers for your mother.” – Edmund spoke feeling a lump in his throat. – “If I had not angered the bee, your brother might still be here.” – he continued, looking at Hyacinth who had tears in her eyes as well. Anthony gripped on tight to the desk.

Remembering what that day brought upon him. With the loss of you, it meant he was the next heir in line. Making it his sworn duty to fulfill your tasks as the eldest brother now. Making sure the family was well taken care off with father. – “I wish I knew him.” – Hyacinth spoke. Edmund smiled faintly. – “You would’ve loved him… he would’ve loved you…” – he answered pinching her cheek.

Anthony moved his hand to his heart, looking up to the ceiling with a saddened smile. Closing his eyes gently to picture you in front of him. Allow himself to feel what it felt like to have those glorious days with you as second. If only he could’ve held on to you longer. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head, turning to look at your portrait. – “If only you could taunt me one more time brother.” – he whispered touching your portrait.

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