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talesofesther · 11 months

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the one who stayed

Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Summary: For a moment, Sebastian thought he lost you, and now the guilt for what happened is eating away at him.

A/N: Yes, this is very random. I debated a lot on whether to even post this here or not, but, this Tumblr is, before anything else, a library for me to store my own works. I post everything I write here, so I figured this one shouldn't be the exception because I did like how it turned out.

Masterlist

Cold. That was all your brain could register at the moment; how the ground felt so cold underneath you.

"She's not moving."

You could hear a familiar, urgent voice right beside you. But as the seconds slowly trickled by like blood dripping from an open wound, it became increasingly hard for you to understand what exactly that voice was saying. Yet you could still register the fear laced within the tone, you could feel it in the shakiness of his hold.

Trembling hands held onto your arm, one of them slowly brushing against your skin until it found your hand.

You wished you could see his face right now. Sebastian had always been bold, confident. Though you were almost certain there would be a faint blush hidden under his freckles right now because of the intimate gesture.

But your eyes were heavy. Try as you might, you couldn't seem to blink them open. Come to think of it, your whole body felt heavy, maybe that's why you couldn't move. Even breathing was slowly turning into too much effort.

The hand holding onto your own tightened its grip.

People were talking around you. You couldn't make out any words anymore, they sounded like nothing but faint noise. The tune of his voice still kissed your ears, however; even if you couldn't recognize the words, you knew it was him. And he sounded erratic, scared. There was a tightness to it, syllables getting stuck in his throat; it was all wrong, you didn't like to hear him in this state.

A deeper voice was there too — you instantly recognized the timbre that belonged to the man who was always crushing Sebastian's hopes — and in the back of your mind, it brought anger to your chest. But there was nothing you could do anymore. Wisps of remaining magic tingled on the tip of your fingers and held your heart in a tight, hurtful grip. Maybe you'd gone too far.

A pair of rough hands then picked up your body, taking you away from the cold embrace of the catacomb's floor.

And when the blood dripping from your nose reached your lips, coating your tongue with a metallic taste, you realized that maybe you did go too far after all. Part of you could already hear the keepers berating you for rushing your abilities.

Consciousness slipped from your grasp shortly after that. Your head falling limp against someone's shoulder, and feeling a hand still holding onto yours.

—

Hogwarts' hospital wing was pretty quiet most days, only with the usual first year who scraped their elbow falling from a broom or suffering the effects of a spell gone slightly wrong. They never stayed for long though, nurse Blainey was all too used to these types of encounters.

Yet every now and then, one of the beds stays occupied for a longer period of time.

There were several beds — their metal frame and pale sheets doing little to ease the hospital vibe — one beside the other on each side of the spacious room.

You were glad to be put on one which stayed further away from the main doors; it made for more calmness this way. You had no need to engage with the unfortunate first years and could focus on leaning back and feeling the soft wisps of sunlight kissing your skin from the high window behind you.

It bothers you that you can't exactly remember how you got here. The nurse hadn't filled you with much information either; she told you an older man had brought you in, talking about a casting exercise gone wrong and you overworking yourself; she also said you remained unconscious for about 15 hours before finally waking up — pale, weak, confused.

Most of those feelings still crawled under your skin. Your body is still feeling 10 times heavier than it actually was. You wanted to get up and run off to find Sebastian but you had a nagging sensation that, if you did so now, you'd fall face-first on the floor.

The fabric of the thin blanket draped over you felt soft as you worried it between your fingers, nearly tearing it apart. The last thing you remembered was being in the catacombs, with Sebastian, and wanting to do nothing but protect him — both from himself and his uncle.

His uncle.

Could it be that he was the one who actually brought you back to school?

You doubted Sebastian would have the strength to carry you all the way back here — as much as he might fight you on that argument.

Running a hand through your hair, you pulled at the roots. Your frustration escaped with a long sigh.

The old floorboards creaked under a new weight. At first, you assumed it would be nurse Blainey coming back to check on you. But, from the side of your eye, you caught a glimpse of green, and your heart fought against your ribs, trying to escape your chest.

Sebastian stood a few feet away from your bed, though you could hardly recognize him. The brown locks of his hair were all over the place, way messier than usual; his eyes had a red tint to them, mixed with dark circles of someone who hasn't slept in a while; his usual grin was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced with a pained frown; his hands held onto his robes with a death grip.

"I heard you were awake."

His voice didn't sound like the one you had grown to love.

"How are you feeling?" The question stumbled past his lips and he avoided your eyes shortly after. He sounded as if you would yell at him to leave at any moment. It only got you more confused.

"Better, a little weak still," you bit at the inside of your cheek. This moment shouldn't feel as fragile as it does. "Care to tell me what happened?"

You didn't think your tone was harsh, but Sebastian flinched at your voice anyway. Bad memories washed over him like a bucket of icy water.

He met your gaze before hesitantly closing the distance between you, choosing to sit at the edge of your bed.

He looked worse up close. Eyes distant, trapped elsewhere.

"We were fighting against my uncle and the-" Sebastian gulped, guilt squeezing at his throat like barbed wire, "the inferi."

You acknowledged his words with a soft nod, slowly remembering things as he spoke. You pushed yourself up to sit straighter, just a couple of inches closer to Sebastian. He looked like he needed it.

The words lingered on his tongue. You never thought you'd see him this way; hesitant, lost, regretful. With tears on the verge of spilling over his freckled cheeks.

"You were trying to reason with my uncle; and me, for that matter," Sebastian chuckled halfheartedly, "trying to stop us from killing each other, when the inferi started to close on us. You didn't think twice, and all I saw were lighting strikes coming through the ceiling of the catacomb, destroying everything but us, and… you laying on the floor afterwards."

Memories were clearer now. Sebastian had attacked his uncle after he destroyed the relic and they started exchanging spells at each other while the inferi slipped from Sebastian's control. Everything could go very bad, very quickly. You remembered trying to speak with them, make them see past the anger clouding their judgment. But it was to no avail. What you remember the most, however, was seeing Sebastian so focused on his uncle, and unaware of the mass of inferi coming towards him.

You really hadn't thought twice at all. Ancient magic flowed through your veins like wildfire; it was all you could feel. The rumbling of thunder became your heartbeat. You killed each and every one of the creatures, burning out all of your energy in the process.

"And what of Solomon?" You found yourself wondering.

Sebastian pursed his lips. His eyebrows scrunched slightly as his body tensed for a moment and then relaxed again. "We stopped fighting as soon as I ran up to you. I- I begged that he'd help me bring you back to school. I'm not sure where he is now." His body shook with each intake of air. "Or Anne."

"Well, guess my plan worked after all. At least I got you to stop fighting," you tried to lighten the heavy air around you and Sebastian, mustering a teasing grin as you tilted your head to try and catch a glimpse of his eyes.

Sebastian worried his lower lip between his teeth to keep it from quivering. There was no witty remark, no ironic comment. Nothing. His tears were one blink away from spilling over.

Maybe if you listened closely, you'd be able to hear your heart shattering. For him. For this broken boy barely holding the last pieces of himself together in front of you, for this boy who stood so desperately alone in the world.

You reached out, your hand closing tightly around Sebastian's — because you couldn't bare seeing him alone one second more. Your thumb brushed against his skin. You could feel his trembling. "We'll find him, and Anne. I promise we'll figure things out, Sebastian."

He was shaking his head before you even finished speaking, squeezing his eyes shut and causing a single tear to roll down his cheek. "No, you don't understand," his broken words fell from his lips at the same time he pulled away from your touch.

"I never-" Sebastian stood up then, choking on his own breathing as he looked at you with a mix of longing and anguish. "It was never my intention to hurt you… I'm sorry," he whispered, so quietly that if the hospital wing wasn't as empty as it is, you would've missed it.

"Sebastian, you didn't-" you cut yourself off when he abruptly turned away from you and started marching towards the main doors of the spacious room, putting as much distance between you and him as he could.

The fatigue still gripping at your muscles was the last thing on your mind when you threw away the covers and stood — albeit on shaky legs — to go after him. "Sebastian, please wait," you called, grimacing as he took your heart with him.

Ultimately, you didn't go very far. Nurse Blainey stopped you in your tracks before you could even reach the middle of the room.

—

The sun rays shining through the tall stained glass windows were warm against your skin, doing little to help with your current sleepy state as you tried to at least pretend to be paying attention to class.

"It's been nearly a week, Ominis." You groaned, folding your arms on top of the table so you could lay your head down, "do you think he's mad at me for trying to stop him?"

The boy sitting beside you chuckled quietly, twirling his wand in his hands. "Darling, I don't think Sebastian could be mad at you even if he wanted to."

Before you could ask what he meant by that, Professor Binns walked by a little too close for comfort; his ghostly form sending a shiver down your body.

"He's been spending most of his evenings hiding away in the Undercroft," Ominis felt around on the table until his fingers brushed the fabric of your robes, he gently closed his hand around your wrist and squeezed comfortingly. "I believe it would do both of you some good if you went to see him."

—

It was mostly dark out already. The sky slowly filled with stars as night settled in and a soft cold breeze hung around the DADA hallways. The pristine floors reflected the image of your shoes, pacing back and forth restlessly.

You were having second thoughts. Apprehension tugged at your heartstrings because as much as you didn't want to admit it, the sight of Sebastian walking away from you so desperately that day had stung.

Though no matter how much you stalled, you knew you'd relent. The sleepless nights you've been going through lately are enough of a telltale of the effect Sebastian has on you.

A deep breath filled your lungs and you closed your eyes, pleading for your heartbeat to settle as you pushed open the door to the Undercroft.

The familiar warmth hugged you instantly. All of the candlelights dimly shining against the stone walls forced away the frown that clung to your brows. You'd never blamed Ominis for being so protective of this place, it really was the perfect hideaway.

You found Sebastian pretty quickly. He sat on the floor against the far wall to your right, knees tucked close to his chest as his wand moved delicately, making a paper bird flap its wings and fly around in front of him. The bird fell limply to the floor when Sebastian's eyes landed on you, however. You thought you saw him gulp and straighten his back too, but other than that, the Slytherin boy expressed no other reaction upon seeing you. It felt almost as if he was expecting your arrival.

Your feet were momentarily frozen to the stone floor, Sebastian's gaze burning through your soul. You also couldn't help but notice how lonely he looked, just sitting there by himself; it made your stomach turn unpleasantly. You wondered if he considered himself deserving of it.

It was as if you spoke with your eyes for a beat. You saying that if he wanted you to leave, you would. And Sebastian pleading for you to stay.

All that could be heard were your steps echoing through the Undercroft as you carefully came to sit beside him. Your shoulder just shy of touching his.

The silence wasn't a comfortable one, but it also wasn't awkward. It was just heavy. There was a tension in the air that none of you knew how to address.

Sebastian's knuckles were white around his wand, he sat stiff beside you, not once glancing your way.

You figured that if you didn't speak, you'd be sitting in silence for hours. You glanced down at the paper bird that lay discarded on the floor, your lips quirking up just slightly as you picked it up; "you know, my mother taught me how to make these when I was younger. Without magic, that is." You chuckled. You rarely spoke about your parents, it was a sensitive topic. But it was your way of trying to make Sebastian feel more comfortable to share what he was feeling with you; what was bothering him.

"I used to get rather frustrated when I couldn't get it right the first times," you gently inspected the small bird with your fingers, thumbs running along the smooth white paper, "but she'd always tell me to take a breath, count to five, and start again."

With your eyes fixed on the paper bird in your hands, you didn't notice Sebastian's eyes fixed on your profile. The grip on his wand loosened slightly as he committed every detail of you to memory.

A shiver ran down your back when you finally turned your head to face him again. He was close, your breaths mingling as the lines of your relationship blurred and burned with the candles.

"Sebastian…" You breathed, watching the way his eyes darted to your lips and back to your eyes, "about what happened at the catacombs, I'm-"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry." He cut you off suddenly, voice quiet and a little choked, but firm.

"I am, though," you leaned your head back against the stone wall, involuntarily leaning closer to him as your body gravitated to his warmth. "I'm sorry things didn't go as planned, but I promise we're not gonna stop looking for anything else that might help Anne."

Sebastian averted his gaze from you, furrowing his brows. You saw tears steadily collecting on the bottom lid of his eyes, despite his efforts to hide them. "Stop it," he mumbled.

You shifted in your seat, your jaw set tightly in place. The beats of your heart against your chest were painful. The thought of Sebastian distancing himself from you was painful. So much so that you fear you'd be willing to do anything to fix it, within reason or not.

"I mean it, Sebastian, I will do anything-"

"Stop it! You don't get it, do you?" He snapped, his eyes burning into yours again and shining under the candlelights. "I saw you laying on the floor of that damned catacomb and I thought you were dead!" The syllables broke and stuttered past his lips, the pain and fear he felt that day came back in waves and twisted his expression.

You were stunned to silence, watching as Sebastian opened his mouth, lower lip trembling as he searched for his voice again.

"Do you have any idea of what that felt like?" He whispered, words strangled and squeezing his chest until he had trouble breathing. You were nothing but a blur in front of him. Sebastian pursed his lips to try and keep himself from breaking. Speaking it out loud somehow felt like making it real. "I thought I'd just lost you, and… and it would be my fault."

The feeling of your gentle thumb carefully brushing against his cheek brought Sebastian back to reality, and he realized his tears were already dripping down his chin.

"I would never blame you for what happened," you shook your head, smiling sadly as you felt your own eyes sting, "you were just trying to help your sister, when everyone else had given up."

"I will cure Anne… but not at the expense of you," in some ways, he looked surprised at his own words; at the truthfulness of them. He gulped back a sob, "I thought I could control it," Sebastian breathed in sharply, avoiding your gaze but leaning into your touch, "I went too far, as Ominis has probably told you a thousand times already."

You chuckled softly, sneaking your fingers over his jaw and until they disappeared between the brown locks of his hair. Sebastian closed his eyes briefly at your comforting touch, allowing himself to melt against you. "He's more understanding than you give him credit for," you smiled.

That got half a smile out of Sebastian, his freckles highlighted by the candles around you. His hand inched closer to your free one resting on your lap, the tip of his fingers timidly closing around yours, craving more of you. His pupils were blown wide when he finally looked up at you again.

"I promise to never do anything this reckless again." His low tone left no room for doubt.

You leaned in slightly, feeling his fringe tickle your forehead. You thought you heard him trying to suppress a gasp, but maybe it was your foggy mind playing tricks on you.

There was a glint in his eyes you'd never seen before, still shining with remains of his emotions; but vulnerable, calm, loving.

"I am quite fond of your reckless side, though."

Your unexpected words brought an endearing blush across Sebastian's freckles. You felt the shape of his teasing grin when his lips touched yours.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment if you want. <3

Sebastian’s taglist: @milkiane @v1ci0us

#sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow imagine #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow x f!reader #sebastian sallow x f!mc #hogwarts legacy x reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #sebastian sallow fanfiction #my story

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percheduphere · 6 months

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CONSIDER:

Mobius gets shot on the field. The Avengers have apprehended Loki believing he's the reason behind the attack. They place magic-dampening cuffs around his wrists. Loki begs to see Mobius. Thor senses there is something different about Loki. He convinces the Avengers to acquiesce. They agree but only with their supervision. Loki approaches Mobius's bedside in the hospital. He takes Mobius's right hand into both of his, squeezing his fingers. Mobius's eyes flutter. He wakes.

LOKI: Mobius!

MOBIUS: (smiling) Nice to see you, too. Jeez, and I thought pruning felt-- (His eyes drop to their joined hands.) --wait, are those CHAINS?

LOKI: Well ...

MOBIUS: Why does this always happen to you? Why are you always someone's hostage? You wear shackles like candy bracelets! Does it hurt? Are you okay?

LOKI: Am I okay? Mobius. You were shot!

The Avengers' eyes bounce between Loki and Mobius.

MOBIUS: And as you can see, I am already receiving proper medical attention. You on the other hand--

LOKI: Oh, please. This is all for show to make those idiots feel safe. You're the one who's lost over a liter of blood!

MOBIUS: Which is currently being replaced by this handy-dandy IV line! Loki. You've been carrying the multiverse on your back for the last, what? Four, five eons now? When was the last time you felt comfortable?!

LOKI: That is different. I am a--

MOBIUS:--God? Really? I had no idea! Y'know just because you have a high pain tolerance doesn't mean you're supposed to tolerate the pain! (He peeks over Loki's shoulder, making eye contact with Bruce Banner) Excuse me? Hi, hey, you must be Dr. Banner. Pleasure to meet you. Listen, could you do me a favor and remove those, please?

LOKI: You're impossible. I'm calling the nurse.

MOBIUS: While you're at it, ask her to get a goddamn ice pack for your goddamn wrists!

LOKI: URGH! I am good now and I will not be damning anything! (he stomps off)

#lokius #loki #mobius #loki series #my fanfic ideas

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yurinaa-world · 9 months

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Could I pls request hcs for the housewardons(twst) reacting to a reader who likes to hang out in really weird/dangerous places (like a chandelier, the roof of ramshackle, at the top of a tall tree) and constantly giving them heart attacks.

Characters: Housewardens x Gender Neutral Reader

Synopsis: reader that hangs out in dangerous places

Warnings: fluff, spelling mistakes

𝑅𝒾𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝓈𝑒𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈

The boy is growing grey hair because of you. Like, what are you doing in the chandelier? Like, of all of the places you spend your time, you chose a damn chandelier and didn’t even when you were on the roof of the ramshackle dorm. Like, seriously, you don't want to hurt that badly and might get brain damage, but sometimes he thinks that you already do since who's sane enough to like this?

𝐿𝑒𝑜𝓃𝒶 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇

Like why? Why do you do this? Who has the motivation to do this? Well, of course, it’s you; the first time he saw you in the high tree, he thought that someone must have put you there, but no, "you wanted to be there." Why, who knows, and does he care enough to ask maybe? But seriously, get down; he’ll catch, what? Don’t you trust him just a little? He’s hurt, but don’t worry, he��ll never let anything happen to your pretty little head.

𝒜𝓏𝓊𝓁 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑜

Ah… not what he expected from you; he’s never really seen you do such crazy stunts like this before. A person without magic might as well be asking for a death wish, but of course, he would never let that happen to you. He won’t charge you for him to be by your side just in case something happens; he’s doing it from the bottom of his heart just for you.

𝒦𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓂 𝒜𝓁-𝒜𝓈𝒾𝓂

That's pretty dangerous; you’ll give the poor guy a heart attack if you keep this going. Like, what if you break something or worse, hit your head so hard that you get permanent brain damage and then be hospitalized? He dreads seeing you in such a state, so please be careful; he’s just trying to make sure you're okay!

𝒱𝒾𝓁 𝒮𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑒𝓃𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓉

NO NO NO Vil will not be having this. Like, do you think you're going to get away with scaring him this way because it’s not happening? He might start getting wrinkles, which would ruin his image! You’ll be repaying him, and you're banned from going to "hang out" at those sorry-excuse places you go for fun.

𝐼𝒹𝒾𝒶 𝒮𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒹

You're going to break something, and if you do, he won’t care (he would care) because you did that to yourself, so why does he stop you if he doesn’t care? well… Well, he doesn’t have to answer to Normie like you; okay, he might care a little, but just a little, since you love to annoy him from his games because of your chandelier again.

𝑀𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓊𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒾𝒶

You are such a fearless human; even on the roof of the ramshackle dorm, you have no fear at all; you only came up here for fun but started to star gaze... How interesting. Well, if you don’t mind if he joins you, would you? He’ll hold your hand since you might slip (even though he uses magic).

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

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seresinhangmanjake · 8 months

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From Two to Four

Single Dad!Jake Seresin x Single Mom!reader

Summary: a trip to the movie theater with your son becomes more eventful when you meet a man and manage to save his daughter's birthday from being ruined.

notes: this is going to be a mini series from @rosiahills22 request :)

warnings: none.

Words: 841

----

PART 1:

Your arm is being yanked on but that isn't unusual. With the way your son is, you're surprised you've not had a trip to the hospital to have your shoulder shoved back into its socket. He's strong for his age, and with the handful he is already, you just know you're in for more surprises as he ages; ones you can only hope you'll know how to tackle on your own.

Jamie pulls you through small crowd after small crowd in his effort to make it to the treats. Only when you're in line does he drop your hand so he can press his nose against the glass shelf displaying every variety of candy he could possibly want. A sugar-high child was not in your plans for the day, but you refuse to dull his excitement.

"Mommy, can we get rainbow gummies?"

His voice blends with a sudden cry, and you turn your head to find a small girl leaning against one of the theater's decorative pillars. Her blue tutu is scrunched in her little hands, and the bedazzled tiara on her head is beginning to slip sideways. Softly brushing away her tears is a man crouched in front of her. He tries to right her crown as her finger shoots directly toward the large movie poster behind the man's head.

"Daddy!"

"I know, baby, I know. But it’s sold out," he sighs. "We'll come back tomorrow, OK? I'm sorry."

He stands straight and takes her hand, a look of utter heartbreak marring his handsome features when he begins to lead her past you toward the door.

"Excuse me,” comes out of your mouth without a thought.

When he pauses, the little girl nearly bumps into the back of his calf. His eyes meet yours, and the tenseness tightening his brow and the line of his lips soothes.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but I have two extra tickets to the same movie if you want them."

A dark blond brow raises. “You’re going to see The Dragon Princess of Amethyst Mountain 2?”

“Well, the first one had such a gripping storyline." You chuckle at the amused expression on his face. “My son is with me,” you say and look behind you at the boy all but licking the glass case in anticipation. “Jaime, come here, sweetheart.”

Candy magically forgotten, Jamie bounds over to you with the widest of grins, stopping right beside you to stare up at the man.

“Hi!” he says loudly and clearly, with a certain confident authority only a four-year-old could possess. “I’m Jameson “Jamie”.

The man laughs. “Hi Jameson “Jamie”, I’m Jake, and this is Olive.”

Jamie’s eyes immediately go to the girl. His head tilts. “Like the snack?”

“Jamie, honey, don’t say–”

“Yea,” the girl pipes up, her tiny fist rubbing at the dried tears below her eye.

Your boy's eyes light up, and you know what he's about to say before it exits his mouth. “I love olives!”

"Really?"

"Yep yep!"

Jake chuckles, releases his daughter's hand, and moves to stand beside you so he may join you in watching your children form an instant bond.

"Just so you know," he says, leaning closer, "I didn't name my child after a food, intentionally."

You don't care what and why he named his child as you watch Jamie take an immediate liking to her. He needs a friend, and you've never seen him invested quite so quickly.

"Hey, I don't judge," you reply, making the man laugh again. You're starting to like it. It's deep and husky and has an intoxicating element that wants to lure you into your own fit of giggles.

"I'm Jake," he formally introduces, sticking out his hand for you to shake. You do so as you offer your name in return. "So how did you end up with extra tickets to the best movie in town?"

"I've got a sister who's a flake and a brother-in-law with a missing backbone," you say before clicking your tongue. "Which is a shame, honestly, because I think he really wanted to see it."

"Well, I hate to say I'm thankful for that, but you've just saved my daughter's birthday, so…"

"Daddy," Olive calls, her entire mood having taken a complete shift, "can we get rainbow gummies?"

"Sure, baby."

Jamie and Olive jump up and down, their hands tightly clasped together. Then your son hurriedly leads the girl back over to the candy case to show her everything she's about to enjoy.

"How old?" you ask.

"Four."

"So is Jamie."

As if on cue, Jamie looks back at you. "Mommy, and cookie dough bites?"

"Your boy's got a good appetite," Jake says, crossing his arms and nodding his head Jamie's way.

"Oh, just you wait. He'll want–"

"And popcorn, Mommy?"

You snort. "See?"

Jake's eyes travel over your face, pulling forth a light blush that you can already feel heating your cheeks. His wide open lips display pearly whites, and there is a glint in his gaze when he says, "Well we better get them their snacks then."

---

A/N: More to come for this little series! I hope you liked it :)

tags: @wkndwlff @sagittarius-flowerchild @dempy @kmc1989 @oliviah-25 @xoxabs88xox @matisse556 @hardballoonlove @ssa-sadboi @lynnevanss @pono-pura-vida @tgmreader @amgluvsbooks @ravenhood2792

#jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #top gun maverick #jake seresin fic #jake hangman seresin x reader #top gun #jake hangman seresin fic #top gun hangman #jake hangman seresin x y/n #tgm #tgm fic #tgm hangman #dad!jake seresin #dad!jake seresin x reader

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roosterforme · 9 months

Text

The Younger Kind Part 28 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley is leaving soon, and everything is changing for you. As your graduation approaches, he takes some matters into his own hands. He wants to share everything with you, and sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff, smut, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4700 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

Sunday night ended up being family night, and Bradley was hoping it could become a regular occurrence. The three of you went to see a movie, and Noah sat in the middle. Or at least he started out there. About halfway through, Bradley scooped Noah up onto his lap and slid over one seat, wanting to be closer to you.

So when the movie wrapped up and you had your fingers laced with his and your head resting on his shoulder, Bradley made it a point to say this should happen all the time.

You kissed Noah's cheek and then his before you stood. "But you'll be deployed soon, Daddy."

He eyed you up and down as he stood with Noah's arms wrapped around his neck. "Trust me. I know how much I'll be missing out on when I'm gone. The two of you will be eating homemade food and taking nature hikes."

"And coloring," Noah supplied.

"Can't forget about that," Bradley said, reaching for your hand. "Now let's get you home. One of you has daycare in the morning, and one of you has finals."

"I still wish you could come with me," you whispered, letting your cheek rest on his bicep on the way to the parking lot. "I'm sure I'd do much better if I got to sit on your lap and eat Skittles the whole time."

After Bradley buckled Noah into his carseat, he wrapped his hands around your hips and pulled your body to his. "No reason we can't keep having sexy Skittles time at home," he rasped. "There's something magical about you and me and the living room couch."

You whimpered as your hands came to rest on his chest. When you pressed your glossy lips together, Bradley wanted to take you right up against the Bronco again. But he knew everyone needed to call it an early night, which probably meant no sex.

So he opened your door for you and helped you inside and then drove home. When you and he were in bed for the night, he kept his hands in innocent enough places as you studied a few more things on your phone. He quizzed you on a few topics, and when you started yawning, he insisted it was time to go to sleep.

"You'll do great, Princess," he whispered, gathering you up in front of his big body and spooning you. "I love you."

"Love you, Daddy," you sighed softly as you fell asleep. Truth be told, he was less worried about your day than he was his, because he knew you'd do great. Meanwhile Bradley was going to have to run across town during lunch to meet with Tracy. He already had a case of Red Bull in the back of the Bronco that you insisted he should take to her. And he had to follow through with everything related to Meredith, which were some loose ends he was anxious to get tied up.

He usually slept great with your body tucked against his and his hand resting on your belly, but not tonight. Noah was old enough now that the deployments were going to get harder. And Bradley didn't know what he was going to do if you wouldn't move in with him. Or if you found a job outside of San Diego and moved away. You told him you applied to a world-renowned hospital in Arizona. What exactly was he supposed to do with that information? Demand that you stay here in California and continue to love the two of them forever?

His lips came to rest on your neck, and you whimpered in your sleep. This was the first time Bradley had ever felt this way. He supposed he'd loved Meredith. He'd been in love with another of his exes, too. But this was insane. And you were so young, Bradley could feel you holding back when he talked too much about the future. So he knew he was going to have to keep things exactly where they were for a few more months, at least until he got home.

He must have dozed off eventually, because he woke to you kissing his forehead and whispering, "I'm heading to campus. Good luck with Tracy."

"Wait," he grunted, sitting up and reaching for you. He tugged on your hand until you were sprawled across him in bed giggling softly. Bradley cupped your neck with one hand and stroked your cheek with his thumb. "You'll do great today, Baby. You're incredible."

With a kiss to the tip of his nose, you were running out of his bedroom, and Bradley decided to just get up for the day as well. And when he went into the kitchen, he found a full breakfast spread for him and Noah on the table. Fruit, bagels, jelly and muffins. And a little note for him to read to Noah saying you had to leave too early to say good morning, but that you'd be back in time for dinner.

"Fuck," Bradley groaned, holding the note in one hand and cradling his face in the other. He needed you here. They both did. It was startling that he could hardly remember what it was like before he met you.

"Daddy?" Noah called from the hallway, and then Bradley got started on the morning routine.

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

When Tracy's receptionist opened her office door for him, Bradley strolled in wearing his flight suit and carrying the case of cans of Red Bulls. Tracy looked up from her small conference table and started laughing.

"You're a client," she informed him. "I shouldn't accept gifts from clients."

He shook his head. "Not from me. From my girlfriend."

"Ah," she said, reaching out to take it from him. "Then I accept. Have a seat."

Then Bradley was presented with a huge folder of things to read and sign. Tracy went through all of it with him and answered what seemed like a hundred questions, and after an hour, he'd worked his way to the end. "So what does that all mean exactly?"

She ran a purple highlighter over his name on the last sheet and said, "Means you are Noah's sole legal guardian. The only one who has rights to anything related to custody. As soon as you pay me and I file the paperwork, that is."

Bradley was reaching for his checkbook right away, but Tracy held up a hand. "Not yet. You asked me to look into appointing a temporary guardian for Noah? And what it would take to get a protective order?"

"Three protective orders," Bradley clarified. "All against Meredith."

Tracy sighed and leaned back in her seat. "You want to appoint your girlfriend as a temporary guardian? While you're deployed?"

"Yes."

"No problem. We can fill that paperwork out right now."

Bradley's heart soared in his chest. But only until Tracy said, "However... getting protective orders against Meredith for all three of you is going to be a little bit tricky."

"How?" Bradley demanded. "She attacked my family when they were at a playground! I can't be around to watch them all the time."

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about you. If you know you're leaving for deployment, you'll have to disclose that information to the clerk. And if you try to lie about it, then I won't be able to represent you any further."

"What does my deployment have to do with the fact that I know my girlfriend still thinks about slamming into the parking lot at Myers Park? I was picking asphalt out of her arm."

She shrugged like she knew he was right. "Exactly. But the only times you saw Meredith were when you invited her into your house and when she accidentally ran into you at the coffee shop."

"I doubt that was an accident," Bradley ground out through gritted teeth.

"Be that as it may," Tracy said, walking across the room for two water bottles, "when you combine that with the fact that you'll be out of the country, you may be denied."

Bradley sat quietly for a moment and sipped the water bottle he was given. "Well, can I file for the three of us anyway?"

"Sure. The filing fees will total around $1,300. And you can sign for Noah. She will have to sign and submit hers on her own behalf."

"Give me the papers," he said, and she stood to print them out. "And if you have the time, I'd like to ask you what exactly would be involved if I ever get married and decide I want someone to adopt Noah."

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

Bradley and Noah were already home when you got there, and you went running inside with your tote bag smacking your hip. "Bradley?" you shouted, sprinting into the kitchen and right into his arms. "I aced my anatomy exam," you whispered against his lips as you threw your arms around his neck.

He slipped his hands around your waist and held you as he kissed you. "I knew it," he said with a smile as you kissed him a little harder. Your fingers were in his hair and you were tasting his mouth with your body pressed again his hard chest and abs. And then you heard Noah scoot his chair across the floor, and he came over to investigate.

With a soft grunt, Bradley let go of you. Then you knelt down and kissed the top of Noah's head. But when you looked back up at Bradley, his eyes were needy as he planted his hands on his hips.

"I didn't even get to the best news yet," you told him as Noah hugged you. "I have two job interviews tomorrow. One in the morning and one in the afternoon."

Bradley pulled you to your feet, and Noah was sandwiched between you. "Where are the jobs?" he asked, his voice a little rough.

You licked your lips and smiled at him, but he looked apprehensive. "One is in a hospital and the other is private practice. I'm excited about both of them."

"Are they here?" he asked, his left hand gripping your waist a little tight. "In San Diego?"

"Yes," you replied. You turned down interviews with a few out of state jobs already. It was a no brainer at this point; you wouldn't be this happy anywhere else. "I want to stay in San Diego."

After that, Bradley didn't leave your side for the rest of the night. He helped you make dinner, he helped you get Noah ready for bed, and then he helped you get organized for both of your interviews. And he kept kissing you as often as he could. "You're clingy tonight, Daddy," you said as he pulled you onto his lap on the couch. "Not that I mind, really."

His hands were up inside your shirt, his big palms flat on your waist. "You scared me with that Arizona bullshit the other day."

You snorted and kissed his cheek. "I applied for that one after I thought you and Helen were hooking up."

"Shhh." He shushed you and then kissed your lips. "Don't say that. You belong right here."

You licked his lips and wiggled yourself against him. "Right here? With your dick poking at me?"

He was trying not to laugh. You could tell. You always got a good laugh out of him, and this time he chuckled before he ground himself up against you. "Yes, Princess. Right here on my dick."

He let you tilt his head back against the couch so you could take control of kissing him. It was sloppy and hot, and he had your shirt and bra off in no time. He used his big hands to slow down the rolling of your hips as he dipped his lips down to tease your breasts. He wasn't rushing anything, just gently sucking and releasing you with soft moans and grunts. But you were going to lose it. Your fingers were tugging on his hair, and you thought you might cum with your jeans on.

"You're so sensitive," he whispered, nibbling on the underside of your left breast. His tongue flicked over your nipple and you whined his name. "Gorgeous tits."

When you slipped down to the floor between his legs, intending to suck his dick here like that very first night, you only got your lips around his cock for a few seconds before he wrapped his hand around the front of your neck and stopped you. "What are you doing? I want your daddy dick."

"Fuck," Bradley growled. "You're gonna get it." He eased you back onto the floor and stripped your jeans off you and pulled his own pants down to his knees. "I said you belong on my dick. You didn't disagree."

He kissed the valley between your breasts before rolling to your side. He looked cocky, laying next to the snag in the area rug with his arms folded behind his head. But he had every right to lay there with a smug expression, because his cock was huge, and he knew how to use it.

"I don't disagree," you whispered, straddling him and slipping him inside where he stretched you until you were gasping and grabbing at his shirt. With the fabric balled up in both fists, you leaned down to kiss him and whisper, "You're huge, Daddy."

"Mmm," he hummed, kissing you back but making no move to touch you. "Show me what you got, Baby."

You were clenching just from his words alone, and when you started riding him, you teased your own clit with your middle finger. He had you doing all the work to get yourself off. Not that it was difficult with his cock inside you and his handsome face to look at. When you squeezed your breasts, it looked like he was going to reach for you, but instead he just let himself relax and watch. It shouldn't have surprised you that you got off twice on him like this, moaning and jerking your body along. You were sweating and shaking after the second time you came, and Bradley eventually reached up and stroked his fingers along your neck again.

"Did you get enough?" he asked, and you nodded vigorously. "You ready for me to cum in that pussy?"

"God, yes," you moaned, and he brought his hands to your hips and guided you in a smooth rolling motion that would have been enough for you to finish again if you weren't so wrung out.

"I'll cum for you," he grunted. "Every fucking time." And then he was gritting his teeth, the veins in his neck and forehead so prominent against his skin. And he came with your raspy name on his lips.

You snuggled against his chest, thoroughly exhausted but honestly having the best day. He rubbed your back gently and kissed the top of your head. "God, you're such a good girl," he whispered, and you let out the most embarrassing sound in response that just made him chuckle.

"I'm ready for bed," you informed him a minute later as you let his soft cock slip out of you.

When you met his eyes, he kissed you softly and said, "Can you do one thing for me first? In the kitchen?"

So you pulled your underwear and shirt back on and shuffled into the kitchen with his hand on your hip. He nodded at the table, and you sank down, exhausted, into one of the chairs.

"Would you mind filling this out?" he asked, handing you a pen and some paperwork. But you froze when you really looked at it.

"You want me to fill out a petition for an order of protection?" you asked, looking up at him. "Against Meredith? Did Tracy say this was a good idea?"

He kissed you so well, you decided to stop questioning everything. And when he said, "Yes, Princess. Please fill it out," he stood next to your chair as you started writing your name at the top. You filled everything out all the way to the bottom. You wrote a bit about Meredith at Myers Park which gave you chills. When you filled out your social security number, Bradley removed his hand from your back to type something up in his phone. But when you got to the end and saw that it would require over four hundred bucks to process this form, you pushed it aside.

"You know, I don't think this is actually necessary." You set the pen down on top of it and added, "I think the most important thing is that you and Noah have some sort of protection in place like-"

Bradley silenced you with a lingering kiss that trailed off into a dozen tiny kisses before he pulled his lips away from yours. "It's necessary. I need to know that I did everything I could to keep you and Noah protected, okay? And I'll pay for it."

But you didn't want him to. You should be able to do things like that for yourself. And you would! In a few weeks you'd hopefully have a steady income. Things would be different then. You could buy new clothes, and it wouldn't be the end of the world if your car died. But right now, paying to have this form processed would be a stretch beyond what you could afford. And you were about to tell Bradley no and rip it up, but he was holding his phone screen in front of your face.

"Pick a design," he said, placing the phone in your hand. "They have one with a princess crown I thought you might enjoy."

"What's this for?" you asked, completely puzzled while looking at the Mastercard website. "I don't need another credit card."

"I added you to my account," he said confidently. "Just pick a design so I can order your card and have it arrive before I deploy."

"What?" you gasped, handing the phone right back to him and standing up. "No, you don't have to do that. Don't add me."

"I already did, Baby. I just read your social security number off the form you filled out. Choosing a card design is the last step, and the page is going to time out in a minute. You want the one with the princess crown?"

"You shouldn't be paying for things for me," you protested. "I'll use my own credit card while you're away. I'll have a job!"

"No," he said, shaking his head and holding up his phone. "When I'm gone, you'll be one hundred percent responsible for Noah. I'm adding you as a temporary guardian for him. I'm paying for an order of protection for you. I'm paying for everything. You have thirty four seconds left to pick a card design, by the way."

You glanced at the screen and looked at the timer before meeting his eyes again. "I can use my own card, and you can pay me back later."

"Absolutely not. You're making my life easier. Just knowing that Noah is with you of all people serves a dual purpose. I know he'll be taken care of, and I know you won't be too lonely. Twelve seconds."

"But, Bradley-"

"Pick a card, or I'll leave Noah with Penny."

You glared at him and reached out to tap the purple credit card design with the gold crown on it.

"Now was that really so hard?" he asked with a satisfied smile.

"You're obnoxious." But you kissed his cheek, and then he followed you to the bathroom for a shower, reminding you that he put five hundred dollars cash behind the TV.

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

Your graduation was coming up on Friday night, and you'd been so busy all week, Bradley had barely seen you. You told him both of your interviews had gone well when you got home on Tuesday, but you hadn't shared much more beyond that. He got the sense that you were hoping for one or two job offers, but you didn't want to jinx anything. So he just asked you a few open ended questions as you snuggled on the couch with him.

Then you told him he and Noah would have to eat leftovers for dinner on Wednesday, because you were going out with some people you knew from school.

"Will Greyson be there?" he asked immediately, wrapping his hands around your waist. "Or those other fraternity idiots who deserve to feel my fists connect with their faces?"

You placed open mouthed kisses along his scarred neck in response before promising it was only a few girls going out together. "Just some ladies who will drool on themselves if I mention how sexy you are. But I appreciate your enthusiasm, Daddy."

"You want me to drop you off and pick you up? Just in case? And that way you can drink as much as you want?" He knew he sounded clingy. He felt fucking clingy. It must be the result of his upcoming deployment weighing so heavily on his mind, but he didn't really care. He wanted you with him all the damn time, and he wanted you to know it.

You responded by raking your fingers through his hair and sucking on his neck. "You're such a Daddy," you whined, dragging your lips along his skin and kissing his stubbled jaw. "You always want to take care of me, but I always want to take care of you."

And a minute later, you were sucking his dick like only you could. Soft, innocent eyes that just made him harder, and long lashes that brushed your cheeks when you gagged on him. After he came for you, he watched you swallow him down and then lay with your cheek on his bare thigh with your fingers softly brushing along his trimmed hair up to his abs.

"You take care of me," he whispered after a few silent beats, earning him a smirk as your lips grazed his soft cock. "And not just like that. You make my house feel warm. You adore my kid." As he ran his knuckles softly along your cheek, he watched your eyes flutter closed. "I've never loved someone like this before."

"You haven't?" you asked softly as your warm breath teased his thigh.

"No," he promised. "Nothing even close to this, Princess."

So when Wednesday night came, and you went out, Bradley put Noah to bed after he whined about how he missed you. Then he settled on the couch alone and put a movie on. When the movie ended, and you still weren't back, he thought about texting you. Had he misunderstood about you going back to your forgotten rental for the night or something? The idea made him uncomfortable. You didn't belong there any longer.

Bradley responded to some texts from Nat so his phone would already be in his hand if you tried to contact him. He was just deleting some old emails when he heard your car pull into the driveway, and then your key was in the door.

"Hi," you whispered, rushing inside and gently closing the door before heading his way in your pretty dress. You were smiling as you climbed right on top of him where he was stretched out on the couch.

"Hi," he replied before your lips met his. "Did you have fun?"

You grinned and braced your hands on the arm of the couch behind his head. "Yes, but I missed you. And I logged in to check my grades when they posted at six o'clock."

He let his hands rest on your back. "And? How did you do?"

"I had a 4.0 this semester, probably because you're the best study partner, Daddy."

He smiled up at you. "Or maybe you got perfect grades, because you're perfect. And Noah and I will be in the front row at your graduation on Friday. Can't wait to watch my perfect girlfriend in action."

"Are you really going to sit in the front row?" you asked with a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah. I'll push my way up there. I'll knock over elderly people if I have to."

"Oh," you said with a snicker, "so you'll knock over people your own age for a better seat?"

Bradley smacked your ass while you laughed, and he hauled you to bed.

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

You wanted to tell Bradley your good news in person, but you didn't get a chance to see him before your commencement ceremony started. Where you were standing off to the side backstage, you could see the front row starting to fill up. When you saw someone's elderly grandmother hustling along with a walker, you had to bite back your laughter. Because a moment later, Bradley came rushing for one of the only remaining empty seats left up front with Noah in his arms.

As soon as they were settled in, you pulled out your phone and texted him.

Nice work. You didn't even have to trip that old lady to get a seat.

You watched him take his phone out of his pocket and smile as he entered his passcode. Then his shoulders shook with laughter as he eyed the woman and her walker where she sat right next to him. And then he started to look around the room, clearly trying to figure out where you were, but it was time for you to collect your diploma.

Bradley Bradshaw: Nothing is going to keep us from watching our Princess. Noah is very excited.

You were excited, too. For so many reasons. When your name was called, and you walked across the stage to collect your diploma, you could hear Bradley's voice over the rest of the crowd in the auditorium. As you turned back toward your seat, you blew them a kiss. And you barely heard a word of the speeches, because you couldn't keep your eyes off them.

And then it was all over, and you were no longer a student. Anxious to get to them so you could get home and talk to Bradley, you nearly tripped over the old lady's walker yourself. "Careful," Bradley said, laughing harder than you thought was necessary as he caught you. "Or you'll be the one who needs a walker."

You ignored him and kissed Noah's chubby cheek as he hugged you around your neck. He tried to say congratulations a few times, but then he just went back to hugging you instead.

"I love you, sweet Noah. And I love you too, Daddy."

"Ready?" Bradley asked, taking Noah from your arms and leading the way out to the parking lot with his hand resting on your back.

You followed them in your car, and when you pulled into the driveway, Bradley was scooping Noah out of his carseat. "He's out," he muttered as you opened the front door for them.

You gasped. The house smelled like fresh flowers and something sweet. When you turned on the light, there were flowers everywhere. Noah had made a banner out of construction paper that was all taped together. And when you went into the kitchen, you found champagne, a stack of adult coloring books, and a small cake decorated with Skittles. It took Bradley a minute to get Noah in his bed, but when he strolled into the kitchen still wearing his sexy suit, you threw yourself at him.

"Let's open the champagne," he muttered next to your ear. "And then we can eat some Skittles cake. And you can take me to bed and do whatever you want with me."

You giggled as he backed you up to the counter. "I have more good news."

It wasn't lost on you the way Bradley's lips parted in silence before his eyes dipped down to your belly. "Do you?"

You nodded and bit your lip. Maybe what you had to say wasn't actually that exciting at all, but you blurted out, "I got two job offers."

"Princess!" Bradley gasped, gathering you up into his arms. "Of course you did, Baby. Everyone wants a piece of you." He set you down on the counter and kissed you about a thousand times. He told you he was proud of you. He told you he would help you make a decision by next week. And then he fed you some Skittles cake, but you insisted on splitting it with him 50/50.

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

Daddy will be gone soon. I have a lot of asks about dirty/sweet/loving/rough goodbye sex with Daddy and Princess. So stay tuned for that. Hope you enjoy your fic, @beyondthesefourwalls And thank you @mak-32 !

PART 29

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harleehazbinfics · 1 month

Text

Dear Baby, Chapter 4

Dear Baby, m.list | Author's Profile

A/N: i just turned 22, the big, two-two. Man, it's crazy to think, i used to be the youngest one when i was off running around and joining discord servers. god- Word Count: 1500+

“Miss (y/n) is there a baby in here?” the little princess asks as she gently rubs your tummy making you giggle at the fluttering feeling.

“Yes, there is, my sweet princess. And any day now I’ll be expecting my first child,” you reply swiping her hair behind her ear.

It had been several weeks since Charlie’s first visit and Lucifer arranged for her to come visit during Saturdays consistently, which Lilith who I heard begrudgingly approved of. So, days pass idly where Lucifer and I would go on with our daily lives of dining together, working together and relaxing when we could together, considering my health and growth of my little one. I refrained from going to hospitals or meeting with doctors to lessen the risk of news getting out about Lucifer hiding a Goetia in his castle. That would be an absolute nightmare. So, he helped me pick up some parenting books he already had and bought me a few inconspicuously to aid me. Which have arrived while I entertained his precious daughter while he received them.

Charlie lets out an awe with stars in her eyes as she continues petting my belly and adds, “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl? I think it’ll be a boy!”

“I don’t mind either. But it’ll be a while before we get to meet them. When they come out of me, they’ll still be in an egg!” you explain to her making her tilt her head in confusion.

“An egg? Do all babies come from eggs?” she asks with furrowed brows confused.

“Do you remember who the Ars Goetia are?” you ask her which she shakes her head to, “I’m part of the Ars Goetia and it’s our job to go to Earth as representatives of his majesty and report to him about what happens on Earth. We Goetia’s take the features of birds. To signify our status as messengers for his majesty.”

She carefully thinks about what you said and her eyes light up, “So, you’re a bird?! Can you show me your real form please?”

You gave her a laugh and nod, “Alright, alright.”

You closed your eyes as you allowed your magic to transform you back to your usual form. As you open back your eyes, you see Charlie looking at you with stars in her eyes.

“Wow! You’re so cool! You look very beautiful, Miss (y/n)!” she gushes with a high tone making you smile at her compliments.

“Thank you, princess. However, I think you’re far more beautiful than I,” you say as you pinched her cheek making her giggle at your touch.

“So, that’s why you’re gonna lay an egg! I see,” she says as she understood the reason behind it, “May I touch your hair?”

You dipped your head and allowed her to caress your feathers, “Yes, you may, my dear princess.”

She touches you feathers in fascination. Your hair was smooth, silky, and ticklish to touch that it entertained her ‘til you heard a knock on the door. Your feathers puffed up from the scare and transformed back to your human form and winked at Charlie with a finger to your lips telling her to keep it a secret, which she mimics cutely.

“Charlie? There you are!” Lucifer calls her relieved, “Come, your mom is here to pick you up.”

She hops off your lap and reaches for you hand to hold trying to help you when you stood up. The three of you walked out of the room together hand in hand with Charlie in the middle.

“What were you doing with (y/n)?” Lucifer asks playfully seeing how giddy his daughter was after talking to you alone.

She looks at you briefly before settling back to her father, “It’s a secret!”

When you arrive at the waiting room, you see Lilith with her arms crossed waiting for your arrival. Eyes still hidden behind her shades making you feel intimidated as you realized you were still holding hands with their daughter with her husband. You gently pull away your hand, which thankfully, Charlie didn’t mind as she kisses her father’s cheek goodbye.

She then walks back to you and pulls you down to her height and also kisses your cheek making you look surprised.

“See you next week, Dad! Miss (y/n)!” she waves as she walks out with her mother.

You and Lucifer wave back with a satisfied smile. However, you check on Lilith who pulls down her shades ever so slightly and see her scrutinizing glare. You hiccupped at the intimidation and pull down your hand in shame.

“Are you okay?” Lucifer asks you worriedly, seeing your change in behavior when the door closes.

“Yes, of course,” you try to assure him which only earns you a doubtful look making you fess, “It just seems like you wife doesn’t like me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry that happened. She just might be venting her anger at you. I’m sorry,” he sighs.

“It’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle,” you reply with a confident smile.

“No, you shouldn’t be treated like this. It’s unfair to pull you into our fight,” he grumbles as he sits on the couch holding his head.

You fall silent, not finding the words to reply to him. You didn’t have to as he takes your free hand and gently tugs you to his side.

“I should tell you why we split up,” he says before clearing his throat.

You look at him in surprise, sitting next to him. Then patiently waiting for him explain his situation.

“We got into a massive fight after a few centuries coming into hell. I was cooped up in my room, feeling miserable about myself for disobeying God and ending up here. I just couldn’t find a good way to cope with that loss, you know? As much as people portray that I have no regrets and I’ve turned my back against Heaven. They couldn’t be more wrong about that assumption. I love Heaven, but I betrayed their trust in me. And that is something I have to deal about myself every day.

“So, after gathering my bearings so a moment, I realized what Lilith was doing while I cowered away. I learnt that she was gathering power from all those who’ve fallen here. This alerted me and the angels. I confronted her about it and asked her to stop. I just didn’t want another problem to arise, more so now that we’ve fallen here. We had nowhere to turn to if we started something with Heaven. But… she shook me off and told me I was a coward, and asked where that bold man she met in that garden then left me, taking our daughter with her,” he confesses with his head tilted down in shame, making me cover his forearm to comfort him.

“So, she wanted to rebel against Heaven for forsaking her?” you ask cautiously.

Lucifer lets out another sigh and replies, “It would appear so. I wouldn’t blame her. Aside for not standing beside her for the same reason, I think she also hates me for her dragging into this mess.”

He covers his face with his hand. Guilt, shame and frustration filling his entirety. You looked at him worriedly as he fell into another pit of self-loathing.

“I’m sure no one would have foretold this to happen,” you say softly taking the hand that covered his face and held both his hands together, “But, if you think about it. Charlie being here with you, isn’t that the best thing that could have come out of this situation?”

He looks at you with teary eyes in realization and smiles as he nods, agreeing with me. You return it before wiping his eyes. He gives you a laugh feeling your touch ticklish and takes them back in his hands.

“Until now, her anger hadn’t blown off. The only reason she’s allowed me to see Charlie was because of our love for her, and thanks to you, for giving me courage to see her again. If it weren’t for you, I’d imagine my relationship with her would be strained,” he says gratefully squeezing my hands and giving me a warm smile.

You flush red at the look he’s giving you. Feeling fluttery inside, unclear if it were the butterflies or the little one inside you, but nonetheless, it was a pleasant feeling.

“You’re welcome, your majesty,” you reply with a smile of your own, cheeks red making him think of how lovely you looked right now.

“Call me Lucifer, please,” he requested from you as his red flush gone unnoticeable with his red cheeks.

“Lucifer,” you call him, making him sigh dreamily from how intimately you called him.

‘Uh, oh,’ he thought. There it was. That sticky feeling in his heart as he thought of you.

It was no brainer for Lucifer to deduce what he was feeling right now. He’s fallen for you. Your warmth, kindness, beauty, and much more he could list down in more than 6000 words. You were very special to him. And he hoped he was as special to you as you are for him.

Dear Baby, Taglist:

@wonderlandangelsposts @spoiled-slutt @roboticsuccubus83 @simbalioness @reachthestars @atlas-rin @luc1fersducky @condy-wants-a-cookie @lovestruck-enby @azullynxx @delightedtosee @beansluvsmilo @cherry-4200 @aria-tempest @lvstyangel @0strawberrysorbet0 @corvid007 @enby-goblin @whydosnakesnotdance @willow404 @psychoanalyze0 @sweetadonisbutbetter @hahalameee @manachpo @dionysusismypatrongod @obessivlyonline @idkwhy5000 @gabile18 @bontensbabygirl @rocketxgirl @pastelpinkhobbies @theblueslytherin @purplerose291 @sappire904

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lizzaneia-elizalde · 7 months

Note

you do historical au right? So how about a Villainess who actually is a regresser but she saw too much hardships in her previous life that this time she's all set on herself (you can add revenge or not if you don't want). A tyrant disguised saw her real self which is extremely kind to general public (she built orphanage, hospital and schools for her people) (she's the heir but got scammed in previous life, so she used all that knowledge to get even more riches with beneficial businesses so she's practically richest aristocrat). She's evil and rude on the looks (because she hates limelight and does all good will anonymously). So yeah. The tyrant is real deal evil and he's obsessed with our Villainess now. Oh dear. What a plight..

Sorry for the request being all over the place, i didn't know how to put it better :(

Yandere! Villain x Regressor! AFAB! Villainess! Reader

Anon, you know how to capture my attention. And the request is comprehensive, don't worry!

Another historical AU for the roster. This time, rather than starting off with the villain, let's start of with the MC/you! (Because most of the time it doesn't really focus on the ML now, does it? Hope you don't mind.)

Yandere! Villain name: Eros

You don't remember how you got here, except for dying by a stupid woman who can't aim for jack shit.

You just got home from a grueling day's work. Always getting ahead of yourself and working yourself to the bone just to please your boss who's a major asshat, and loves when his employees curry favors with him.

It's a dog eats dog world, so you curried favors with him.

You're his favorite employee. Always giving you snacks and an extra day for your vacations. But that meant working harder than what's needed. Overtime, going home late, it drained you. But hey, it's worth it.

Yet, this wouldn't happen, and you would still be living like a young princess if it weren't for the damn mistress your fiance, the crown prince, has.

Elysia, a daughter of the baron, spent the night with the crown prince, Yuno. Earning the affection of the prince since...

Actually, you don't remember how Yuno became infatuated with Elysia.

Is the fuck really that good that Yuno neglected his fiancee?

And you, the daughter of the second Ducal household (who's not related to the royal family, of course) was blinded by rage and betrayal that you made Elysia's life a living hell.

Erm, why not the crown prince's too, then?

Remembering your past life made your head hurt. From the cliche love story down to the way you were treated made you scream to the oblivion.

After all, after Yuno figured out how you treated Elysia, he made your family kick you out. Powerless against the royal family, they had no choice but to exile you.

You got employed by your employer by then, an eccentric man who spoke of other worlds called 'Earth' and is bringing 'modern day capitalism' here. Whatever that means. But hey, he developed these things called 'cellphones' that made him skyrocket with money.

He's a weirdo, but at least he's easy to please.

But the bitch Elysia "accidentally" blasted light magic to your way, killing you instead of an assassin. Great.

But, then, you're only the minor villainess. The main villain was someone named Eros. The other Ducal household and your father's rival.

As young as 16, he already conquered the ducal household he's in and then, 6 years later, he had wealth rivalring that of the royal family's. Heck, maybe even surpassing it.

"Hello? Where's the checks and balances of this world?" That's what you usually ask yourself.

You never saw him outright, since he's always been so busy. But you clearly remembered when you're in and out of a coma back then after you got struck with the magic, a war broke out due to him.

Fortunately, you regressed into a baby still, so you could avoid being engaged to Yuno, and being involved with Elysia.

Growing up again with your mature mind was weird. Unlike last life, you weren't a brat, but a proper, cold, and an unattainable standard of what a noble woman should be. Well, if you exclude the coldness and the bitchy attitude sometimes.

In all honesty, your family loved you dearly. A clear contrast from your last life. You're a role model, perfect in every way. Beautiful, smart, talented, and shows clear interest in politics and business.

The previous life, you were only a mouth to feed with a pretty face and a political pawn to integrate yourself into the royal family.

And as usual, you got engaged to the crown prince, much to your dismay.

Yuno was easy to read. He doesn't like clingy women, and he likes the chase. He's dumb, and only knows how to spend money.

"Ah, he's worthless."

What did you saw in him in the previous life, really?

Since you were unattainable to Yuno, he became attached to you. Wanting to conquer you.

And you always returned his advances with a flick of your fan and covering your face with a glare with your sharp eyes.

You're the thorned Rose of the Kingdom. Beautiful, yet prickly. It brought you to the limelight, but also, not. Due to you being closed off, news of you rarely get out.

So in the free time you had, you always disguised yourself with your dark magic and filled up your own coffers with the help of your knowledge of business last life (from your employer.)

You built hospitals, made schooling accessible... You were basically the saintess rather than Elysia.

Oh, did I mention that Elysia, with light magic, was the saintess, and you with dark magic was the prophesied Villainess? It's complicated.

But right now, with Elysia failing to bed Yuno in his crown prince coronation, due to him being only attached to you, you were free to do what you want while thinking of your next plan.

What you didn't know is that a certain pair of crystal blue eyes followed you.

You walked along the street of the outskirts of the Kingdom, inspecting the newly built school.

You just got out of the ducal household and immediately went here after being confronted by Elysia once more, who "accidentally" stumbled into the chateau and into you and Yuno. Can she get more obvious, really?

You never used your dark magic here in the outskirts since you felt safe in the people's arms. They never judged you, nor used you for your money. They're just glad more and more accessible facilities are being erected by the young lady.

While walking around, you got into the councilor's office who's busy with enrolling the children. He's the chief of the town, and is one of the few people who graduated fully back in the capital.

He graciously accepted the position of being the councilor after you approached him, since you genuinely wanted to help the outskirts.

You saw children happily playing around while the parents lined up, excitedly talking to one another.

When they saw you, they immediately curtsied and said hi.

"My lady! Hello!"

G-greetings my lady..."

"Oh my stars! It's the lady!"

"Look over here, my lady!"

You giggled and decided to mingle with them more, talking about mundane things in life and what other facilities can you put here.

"Okay, so a shopping center, huh? Okay, that's noted. Also, I think a gymnasium would work well also, so that there will be a place where all of you can have meetings, and also have children play."

They all excitedly nodded and bid you goodbye as you went out.

You felt like yourself here in the outskirts.

Maybe you can convince your father to give you this part of the territory, and your brother can manage the main household?

Your thoughts were interrupted by children pulling your skirt to play, cheekily grinning and playfully pushing a ball up to your arms. You grinned and chased them around, roaring loudly like a monster and pretending like you're a dragon.

The giggles and screams of delight of the children filled the lively streets, along the chatter of the townspeople.

"Sir? Are you okay? What are you looking at?"

"..."

Eros' eyes widened, then softened as he saw you, chasing the children around, playing with them and not minding the dirt clinging to your outfit.

He gulped, suddenly feeling his heartrate pick up as he cleared his throat. Red flushed his cheeks, as foreign yet also the familiar feeling of infatuation filled his heart.

The noise that surrounded him faded into the background, and somehow, everything seems so bright and colorful. All he could see is you, and you, and you...

You...

Beautiful, thorned you.

Eros.

The name itself sends shiver down the spine of people.

Of fear? Love? Or arousal?

He's a man of few words, only letting his actions talk to other people.

Such an otherwordly beauty like him garnered unwanted attention since he was a child.

Other than being extremely handsome, he's also very talented with politics and business, also with physical activities like horse riding and hunting.

Due to this, his mother developed a twisted inferiority complex, and also an almost incestious relationship with him.

She always hurled words that hurt his soul and emotions.

Then she'll hug him while saying sorry.

This cycle would continue on and on until he's 16.

It was supposed to be a joyous day, not until his mother forced himself on him.

Disgust, fear, and rage filled his body that time, and all he remembered is awakening his dark magic and consuming his mother.

After that, he was knocked out cold.

When he woke up, he remembered his past life on Earth.

He's a business man of such a high position, CEO.

He clawed out of his way from poverty. Stealing, investing, selling, he did everything just to get out of the clutches of being a plebian.

And, when he struck gold when his stationery business thrived, his genius made it possible for him to talk to investors and convinced them to invest in his work.

God, he's rich.

And once he reached the age of 24, he's a rich man.

Then he died due to being assassinated by his rival.

With now his previous life in his roster, he became a formidable business man. Eccentric even.

By some weird cheat, he developed cellphones.

Something so revolutionary was first met with skepticism, but it boomed in popularity when his friend, the crown prince Yuno, bought and used it.

it was weird, really. Yuno approached him to employ his ex fiancee in his company and take care of her.

Eros, who didn't mind, employed you.

Sweet, lovable you.

It was funny seeing you struggle to curry favor with him. Not used being the one who had to try to get close with him. The way you struggled to hide a frown when he mentioned over time, the way you hide your disdain when he talks about extra work...

God, you're so cute.

He spoiled you in the best he could do. Extra vacation days, snacks, all he could do without being too obvious.

Then you died.

You... Died.

By the hands of his friend, well, ex-friend's mistress.

Elysia.

That damn bitch doesn't know her place.

Then and there, his eccentricity died down, and all he knows is revenge back then.

You were in and out of coma, and seeing you swim between life and death made his heart roar out in pain.

He felt so helpless seeing you pale and vegetative, something that wasn't you.

So, with a soft promise leaving his lips, he waged war in your honor.

He fought blood, sweat, and tears in your name.

All he could think is you.

All he could see is you.

And as he ignored Yuno's plea, he beheaded Elysia.

The damn bitch raised the notion that dark magic users are evil, despite dark magic being only an another element.

She turned the tides on you.

Why should she live?

Yuno also. He betrayed you.

Once the royal family was dead, he brought your comatose body to the throne, and killed himself with you at the throne.

He made you ingest poison, something that doesn't cause pain to your already pained body.

Meanwhile, he killed himself by striking a sword down to his chest, and to his heart. The very same heart that loved you dearly.

Then he woke up,

a child again.

Back in time.

Getting away from the busy bustle of the ball, you got out to the garden and sighed. Letting the cold air bite into your skin.

Dread filled your heart as you realized once more that Elysia was nowhere to be found, and so did Yuno.

Your nerves got to you and you left the scene, overthinking the worse of the worst.

Did Elysia actually bed Yuno successfully?

Albeit just a bit late?

You covered your mouth, shaking dreadfully. The pain of your last life was getting to you once more. Trauma trembling you to the core.

"My Lady? Are you okay?"

A deep voice broke you out of your reverie. Something so silky, smooth, and familiar.

You turned around, your heart pounding as you saw your employer, Eros. He's dressed in noble clothes, gold, black, and blue.

He looks more uptight and strict this time around. What happened? Why does he look like that?

You never connected the dots, since you thought your employer and Eros were two different people.

But this?

Your heart trembled.

"G-greetings, your lordship." You curtsied, fighting back a frown just like how you did with him last life.

"You're still the same as ever."

"What is it?"

"Oh nothing." Eros waved his hand.

This life, Eros was more brutal than the previous life. He exposed his mother, a pedophile who touched him and stole money from the household, letting her get beheaded by a rusty axe in the middle of the colosseum. After that, he joined the interkingdom war, and won it much earlier than before.

He's basically a warlord. A tyrant to his territory who imposed such strict rules that you doubted yourself if this was the same Eros you knew.

You both silently stood in front of each other before he took off his coat and gently draped it on your shoulders.

"It's cold out here, my lady." He whispered. His long eyelashes fluttering as he blinked.

He inhaled your scent, his lips trembling.

He missed you so much.

His precious rose.

He gently brought your hand to his lips, kissing it softly and lingering there, with his eyes screaming obsession.

His grip was strong yet also loving.

It made you blush.

"My Lady, if my friend, Yuno, hurt you, approach me."

Your eyes widened.

"Approach you?"

Eros smiled. His handsome face blinding you momentarily.

"Yes, i'll help you take revenge."

Eros eyes swiftly looked at the balcony up above.

"Like this."

Eros swiftly dipped you and kissed your lips.

God, you tasted so divine upon his lips.

His tongue delved into your mouth, sweeping and tangling with your much more timid ones. He cupped your cheeks, bringing you impossibly closer to him.

His eyes were glaring at Yuno back at the balcony, who was naked on their bottom half with Elysia, shielding you from the scene.

Yuno's eyes widened, and he hastily dressed up, his eyes boring into Eros', and you.

This life, he'll protect you from pain.

He'll protect you from Yuno and Elysia.

He'll burn down the ground for you.

Just say the word.

---------

Hmm, twist upon twists. I love it. HEHEHEHE

#yandere boyfriend #yandere imagines #yandere male #yandere writing #male yandere x reader #tw yandere #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere fic #yandere drabbles #lizzaneiaelizalde

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sbdskate · 8 months

Text

Laws Of Attraction (Part 8) - DR x lawyer!fem!reader

Summary: McLaren is in breach of contract, dr3 hires a lawyer to deal with the aftermath. Tropes ensue. Slow burn. Enemies (kind of)-> Friends/colleagues -> Lovers

Pairing: lawyer!fem!reader x Daniel Ricciardo

Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff, language, slight angst, alcohol consumption, McLaren, bad jokes

Word Count: 4,277

A/N: I tried out some different writing styles this chapter and candidly, I’m not sure it’s my best work. There are more scenes from DR’s perspective and I found out that writing race dialogue is very difficult. I tried to stay true to the actual Abu Dhabi 2022. Please bear with me through this chapter, feedback of any kind is always appreciated. Please, thank you, and enjoy!

When you arrived at the paddock, Daniel was still distracting himself by taking pictures of literally everything, including the ground. You let him be though, no matter how silly it seemed. The last thing he needed was to psych himself out before the race. As you approached, the McLaren PR crew was already waiting with cameras to get content for the last Unboxed video of the season which was your cue to peel off.

“How are you feeling?” you asked hesitantly, making sure to keep an appropriate distance from your client.

“Honestly, I’m fine. Maybe I’ll feel different once the suit’s on, but right now I’m good.”

“You’ll let me know if you need anything, right?” He caught the seriousness in your tone and found it endearing you were being so protective of him. It seemed you were more nervous than he was.

“Actually, hold on,” he stopped walking.

“What? Is everything alright? Oh-” *click* “Daniel!” He laughed at your disgruntled expression as he lowered the camera.

“I’m fine, promise. I’ll see you after the race.” He gave you a polite pat on the shoulder as he began to walk away, but you grabbed his arm before he was out of reach and pulled him in for a big hug before you could second guess yourself. He didn’t think twice as he wrapped his arms around you. You quickly released him, reinstating the arm’s length between you.

“Good luck today, you’re going to do great,” you said as you composed yourself. He walked backwards continuing your extended goodbye, unable to look away from you.

“I know,” he said, with a cocky smile plastered on his face. *click*

You snorted, your stoicism overpowered by his charm. You waved one last time as a sendoff before he disappeared into McLaren hospitality.

As usual with race day, it was a lot of hurry up and wait. Daniel exchanged helmets with Lando and Zhou, sat for photos with the team, sat for photos with the grid. He tried to take in every detail. He laughed when he walked in the garage and saw his mechanics donning cowboy hats embroidered with “yee-haw thanks DR” and the outline of him doing a shoey.

Everyone seemed to think he would be walking around as though he were attending his own funeral, but for the moment he felt he didn’t have much to be sad about. He needed a break – from the spotlight, from McLaren, from training, from racing in general, and there was no shame in that. In twelve hours that break would become a reality, and that was something to be very happy about.

When it came time to change into his race suit, he waited with baited breath for the garment to exert some kind of magical force over him. He stood in his drivers room waiting for the tears, or nerves, or something. Everyone told him it would hit him when he put the suit on. But he examined himself in the mirror, widened his stance and put his hands on his hips. Power pose. No, he was still the same Daniel Ricciardo, despite what people tried to tell him. And this was just another race.

It was less than ideal starting P13 due to a three-place grid penalty carried over from the Brazilian Grand Prix after his run-in with Yuki, but Daniel pushed aside all the growing frustrations as he waited eagerly for the lights to change, feeling his pulse sync with the idled roar of the engine. The few seconds before the race played out in slow motion, as they always did. The rest of the pressures of the moment faded away as he focused on what was in front of him, ready to react. He was at peace, and allowed himself to feel the overwhelming therapeutic emptiness. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

And it’s lights out and away we go!

He survived the first lap shuffle and chaos, but lost a position to Lance. There was still plenty of race left though, and his goal first and foremost was a clean race without a DNF. Making it through the first few clustered laps unscathed was step one. Once the pack started to disperse, he began his grueling climb back to the points.

Here comes Daniel Ricciardo on the inside of Schumacker, gaining a place back.

It was lonely for a while. He extended his lead from Mick, but couldn’t seem to fully catch up to Lance. Lance pitted on lap 14, as expected with mediums if going for a two-stop strategy, allowing Daniel to gain a position. It subsequently opened up the floodgates, others shortly following suit bringing Daniel up to P8. He knew he would have to pit eventually, but if he could just nurse this set a bit longer and maintain this position as long as possible, he had a shot to finish in the points.

Lap 18, Daniel Ricciardo still hasn’t pitted yet.

Even in the last race, it shouldn’t have surprised him that McLaren would try to short stick him one last time. Good riddance he would be done with this circus in an hour. George passed him, as he expected in better machinery and on fresher tires.

He finally pitted on lap 20, switching to hards. The team did a great job with a 2.3 second pit stop but he came out in P18. He had a job to do, it was time to get to work.

Daniel Ricciardo, down in 18th place. Making some overtakes and having a bit of fun. Makes a lovely move on Kevin Magnusson going into Turn 9.

In quick succession, he picked off Mick and Bottas, Seb pitted, and somehow Alonso DNF’d. Before he knew it, he was back to where he started in P13.

Fernando Alonso has not had the best of luck, our first retirement of this evening. Mechanical failure. That is a real shame for him, real shame. Meanwhile, here comes Sebastian Vettel! Haven’t said that in a while. Very nice move on Pierre Gasly.

News at Alpine that there’s some water leak, that was why they had to pull Fernando in. He feels the unreliability there has cost him nearly seventy points during the course of this season. Since he came back to Formula One, well, the reunion with Alpine then Renault has ended in retirement. Sad for all parties. And this means that Fernando Alonso has been beaten by his teammate, Esteban Ocon. But I’ll tell you a bit more about that later, as Daniel Ricciardo manages to get past the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanou.

He encroached on Alex, smelling blood in the water. Even though Alex nicked the wall, he maintained the position longer than he thought. He had to respect the work the kid was doing in that tractor trailer of a Williams. The track conditions were cooling as the sun set, making it difficult to regulate the temperature of the tires.

Daniel Ricciardo trying down the inside there on Alex Albon. Now you saw what happened in Mexico when he tried that on an unsuspecting Yuki Tsunoda and they came together, but this time around they managed to keep apart. But uh, for McLaren they need to start clearing a few cars here. Norris is seventh. Ricciardo out of the points. Albon now pits.

He wished he could have overtaken Alex properly, but he wasn’t complaining as he gained another position. The second stoppers continued, moving his way up to P9. He could breathe a bit now that he was officially in the points. But it was short lived as his friend, former teammate, and mentor had popped up in his rearview, more than two seconds behind, but quickly closing the gap. There were still fifteen laps requiring him to preserve the tires while defending his position.

Sebastian Vettel is gaining a bit on Daniel Ricciardo in tenth place. Ten laps to go.

He almost missed the second Aston Martin in his rearview as Lance passed both of them. He shared Seb’s frustration that they were the sacrificial lambs of their respective teams testing out the one-stop strategy. He was still in the points for now, but Seb was an admirable adversary and with only seven laps left in the race he would not take the position for granted. With officially one second between them, he had to push. They were both on very old tires, but Seb’s were younger.

The two leavees, Ricciardo and Vettel. Vettel’s closing in on Ricciardo, and he’s going to get him in the next lap or so if the current pace keeps up. Five laps to go in the Formula One season, 2022.

And oh my God, what’s this? Hydraulic problem for Hamilton, as you can see as Carlos Sainz passes Lewis who’s still stuck in seventh gear! This might be curtains for Lewis Hamilton this evening. He’s got it down into fifth gear – oh. Oh no, this is disappointing.

As was the nature of racing, he wasn’t going to question his adversary’s misfortune. With a mechanical failure taking Lewis out, he moved back into P9. He was so close to the finish line he could taste it, but Seb was still less than a second behind.

The final lap. He saw the fireworks go off for Max, but he couldn’t lose focus.

Daniel Ricciardo under immense pressure from Sebastian Vettel. This is going to go all the way to the wire.

There’s twelve million dollars on Sebastian Vettel trying to overtake Daniel Ricciardo here, twelve million dollars if they can get extra points at Aston Martin to see if they can get above Alfa Romeo in the Constructor’s Championship. Is it Ricciardo or Vettel? Nineth or tenth? Both drivers leaving as of the end of this season. Ricciardo potentially to go as a reserve driver at Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel waving goodbye to Formula One and giving us thrills and excitement right to the checkered flag! Is he going to get past Daniel Ricciardo? It’s going to be close!

Ricciardo takes that nineth place, Sebastian Vettel scores tenth in his final race! And well, what did he say? “Remember these times, they might not last forever.” Sebastian, thank you. The memories definitely will.

Daniel's jaw unclenched to let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in that moved his whole chest, shoulders relaxing. He barely had time to process what he had just accomplished when his engineers came on the radio.

“Yes mate, P9. Good job. Finished in the points. Good stuff, good stuff.”

“Cheers guys, that was, uh, that was fun at the end. Think we did well to hold him off, well done. That was good.”

“Great race buddy. Great overtaking, that was a proper Honey Badger show, that was good.”

He bit his tongue. He could only be so pleasant to the people who had diminished his confidence over the last two years. Having officially crossed the finish line of his last race, he would remain polite and cordial but didn’t feel the need to suck up to them more than he needed to.

“Daniel, could I have Purple Default 64X. And if you could go back to Purple C1.”

He did as he was told, unphased by the short radio congratulations. He was pleasantly surprised, however, when a picture of his win at Monza last year popped up with the rest of the team. The memory of that day came flooding back and the feelings that went along with it. The triumph he finally felt. The renewed sense of hope for what may come with the rest of his tenure with McLaren. The Daniel in the picture had no idea he would basically be kicked out of the sport he loved so much in less than a year. He had no idea he would fall out of love with it, even as he was just starting to get his groove back.

“That’s cool,” he chuckled. “That’s really nice, thank you guys.”

“Cheers buddy. It’s been an honor, Daniel. It’s been an honor, really great good two years.” He hated the lump he felt in his throat. “I know we haven’t always had the results we’ve wanted, but we’ve had some pretty good ones along the way. And uh, I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say how much we’ve all enjoyed working with you.” He swallowed thickly, praying no one had eyes on the front facing camera in the car.

“Yeah, appreciate your efforts. Thank you…Alright, it’s nice to finish in the points. Well done guys. Thank you.” He did his best to switch the conversation back to race at hand, taking away the focus of the gravity and finality of the situation. Looking at it in isolation, away from the totality of the last two years, it was a good race. He continued to drive and wave around the track, doing some donuts here and there, but the gestures felt empty.

“Ok, so into the pit lane, and when you turn the engine off then go to P0. Kill the car and switch everything off.” The back of his eyes began to sting. Switch everything off.

“Understood. Uh, alright guys.” There was so much he wanted to say but he was never good with words, especially not at this moment. “Thank you. I think you know…how much I appreciate your efforts over the last two years. So… thank you.” He tried to keep his tone steady, but felt his voice crack. “And thanks for this display, on Purple C64. Cheers.”

“Yeah, 03 we weren’t really able to use I’m afraid.” He knew the engineers were only talking about the mechanical configurations, but the words felt like a gut punch. They were done with him. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

The feelings he had waited for all day, the ones everyone expected, suddenly hit him like an avalanche. He wanted to get out of the car desperately, but couldn’t do so when he was a mess like this. It was probably the last time for the rest of the night that he would have any time to be by himself with just his thoughts. It was done – and he realized again after taking a few moments to compose himself, maybe for now that was a good thing. What was it Seb had said?

“There are a lot more important things than racing in circles.”

He jumped out of the car, feeling the impact of the gravel below his feet. He stretched his limbs, finally free from the confines of the cockpit and was hit by a wave of relief that washed over him. He was free from expectations, restrictive diets, constant jet lag. Free from McLaren. All he had to do was get into his ugly orange team kit one last time for post-race interviews. He knew he would be asked hard questions, about his past and his future, but he was ready. He had nothing to be ashamed of, and if anything, had many things to be proud of. You’re the only driver to have won in that brick of a car in the last ten years you constantly reminded him. He finished the season on a high, including a great race battle with Seb. He was done hiding, done minimizing.

So he went from interview to interview, unafraid to be honest with himself and the world. It’s ok to admit that he’s had a hard time the last two years, that he’s happy to be taking some time away from the sport and to take care of his mental health.

He slowly made his way back to the McLaren garage as he pushed through the crowd, dodging fans trying to get selfies and autographs, politely declining additional interviews and comments from strangers. In a sea of blurred faces, he spotted you. One of the mechanics had gifted you an extra celebratory cowboy hat and you appeared to be in deep conversation with one of them. Your hands moved around animatedly as you spoke, like they always did when you were passionate about something. The mechanic laughed, and he wondered what joke you had told or whether you had said something unintentionally funny. He found himself smiling, excited to get the answer.

The mechanic noticed him first and waved. He touched your shoulder and pointed in Daniel’s direction. You squinted as you searched the crowd with intense focus. Daniel’s heart nearly exploded when your eyes finally landed on him – you waved eagerly with the biggest, brightest smile on your face that put all the track lights and fireworks to shame.

The mechanic gave him a quick hug and pat on the back first, adding a subtle wink for good measure before walking away, seemingly aware of the need for the two of you to have your own space. For the second time that day, you engulfed each other in a warm, firm hug that perhaps lasted a beat too long. He liked how you perched on your tip toes to get your head as close to the crook of his neck as possible. He liked the feeling of your small, delicate hands on his back. He liked that he could smell your hair products, distinct from the scent of your perfume, sweet florals and jasmine contrasting accents of patchouli and bergamot. He liked you.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, you were amazing today,” you gushed.

“Thanks,” he said, knowing that the flush he felt in his cheeks wasn’t from the race.

“How are you feeling now?” you asked sincerely. He took a moment to think on it before answering.

“I’m not sure. Good I think, but tired.”

“That’s valid.”

“How was your day?” It was an innocent question, so he was confused when you laughed. He was just trying to make conversation. “What?”

“You just had your last race of the season and you’re officially getting out of your contract with McLaren tomorrow, and you’re asking me how my day went?” He shrugged.

“I’ve already talked about myself more than enough today. I want to hear about you.” Your laugh lines softened.

“Well, let’s see. I didn’t have to work, I met Usher, and I got to watch my friend’s last F1 race and he kicked so much butt. So I’d say it was pretty great.” His heart skipped a beat. Friend.

“You met Usher?” He glossed over the other stuff, unable to trust himself if you delved any further into the topic.

“Yeah, he was hanging out in the McLaren garage. Did not have that on my 2022 bingo card. But uh…” a sheepish grin grew on your face. “I don’t think he appreciated I kept dropping his lyrics in casual conversation.”

“Oh no,” he laughed, and the smile on your face grew.

“Y’know… just when I thought I said all I could say, he was like…yeah. And he also said -”

“Hold on let me guess,” he said between giggles. “You remind him of a girl he once knew.”

“You know…you would not believe all the things she put him through,” you said, joining him in laughter. He observed you playing with your hands behind your back, your chest puffed slightly, clearly finding great joy in your own corny jokes.

“Maybe if we’re lucky he’ll perform at the McLaren afterparty.” The words rolled off his tongue before he had the chance to think about what he was asking of you. It was one thing to go out with some of the other drivers offsite, but a McLaren sponsored event when you had been their adversary only a short few months ago was less than appropriate.

“You’ll have to let me know.” His heart fell a little, not missing the polite decline of his subtle invitation. He didn’t want to admit how much he truly needed you there. But he was on a roll with this whole honesty thing, so he bore his soul to you.

“I don’t want to go,” he said in a low voice, running an anxious hand through his hair. “I’m tired and I don’t know how I’m supposed to spend the night celebrating with these people. I can barely look half of them in the eye.” He couldn’t remember the last time he had begged for anything. He hoped his plea would be convincing enough, but you only gave him a sympathetic smile.

“You’ll be ok. Lando will be there, and there are plenty of people in your garage that had nothing to do with the decisions Zak or Andrea made. You still have people in your corner. Lots of them. And they want to celebrate with you.” He closed his eyes as you encouragingly rubbed the side of his arm, but finished with a firm pat. “Chin up. You’re almost done.”

Right. The race was only half the battle he would face today. Until the end of the day, he was still an employee of McLaren.

“Will you come pick me up if the kids at school are mean to me?” He always used humor as a defense mechanism, but he hated how much truth there was in the metaphor. You leaned in close to whisper your reassurance, a calm pleasantness in your shadow of a smile. You spoke slowly and deliberately.

“I will commit a felony and make it look like an accident if anyone is mean to you.” He was left grinning from ear to ear when you pulled away, your quiet resolve contagious as he felt his anxiety melt away. “You got this, and I promise I will celebrate with you after everything is signed tomorrow.” You extended your pinky, and he gladly linked his with yours in a solemn vow.

“Fuck ‘em all, yeah?”

“Fuck ‘em all.”

You sat in bed freshly showered, full body shaved, and facemask on. You felt guilty as hell sending your client off to the lion’s den with no support, so you had gone straight back to the hotel once he was out of sight. There was no need to go to the Amber Lounge or anything, not that you would even be able to get in without Daniel. Besides, you had your own personal Super Bowl tomorrow that you needed to be prepared for. You had ordered room service and shot off a few emails when you heard a knock. You checked the time – it was nearly midnight. You wrapped yourself in the cozy hotel robe for modesty before checking the peephole. To your confusion, but not surprise, you saw Daniel standing by himself in the hallway.

“Hi?” He looked up, admiring your frame in the doorway. You were just as beautiful in a robe and slippers as you were in a LBD and Louboutins. He bit his lip for a moment, clearly holding back a smile.

“Hi. Uh, I think you got something-” he trailed off, lightly brushing the tip of his nose with his finger.

“What? Oh! Fuck. Right.” You turned around to quickly rip the nose strip off your face. You winced, feeling the sting of the adhesive. You did your best to hide your discomfort and embarrassment with a smile when you turned back around. “Sorry about that. You’re back earlier than I thought.”

“Yeah. I figure I showed enough face for the evening. Plus big day tomorrow, right?” You nodded, unsure where this exchange was going as he fidgeted in place. “Also…” he looked around cautiously. “I didn’t want to get caught stealing this.” He pulled a bottle of very expensive champagne from behind his back, proudly presenting it to you. Your jaw dropped and morphed into a giant grin in spite of the arguably illegal activities that had transpired.

“You didn’t…For me?” You grabbed the bottle from him, feelings goosebumps form when your fingers brushed. “Wait. If I accept this, does it make me an accomplice or accessory after the fact?” He chuckled.

“I don’t know, you’re the lawyer. You tell me.” He took a step forward.

“Well. I’m not going to say no to a free drink I suppose,” you said, examining the bottle in your hands. He cleared his throat.

“I figured we could enjoy it after tomorrow – or, I mean, you could enjoy it,” he took another step forward. For reasons unknown, he seemed to lose confidence as the gap between you narrowed.

You looked back up at him, inspecting his condition. Perhaps he was a little tipsy, but he was far from being wasted which you were pleasantly surprised about given his apprehensions going into the evening. It either meant he wasn’t leaning on alcohol to handle his emotions, or he was taking tomorrow’s signing very seriously, or both. Whichever one it was, it demonstrated restraint and growth and you were proud of him for it. Admittedly, you had also been nervous leaving him to his own devices for the evening. You had wanted to go with him, to be there for emotional support. You had relied on the rationale that it was a McLaren sponsored event, but at this point the two of you had a consistent track record of blurring the lines of professionalism and friendship whenever you went out together. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust him – you didn’t trust yourself.

But the man standing in front of you was composed and mature (relatively speaking, of course). Perhaps a little nervous, as you watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. But nevertheless, even after the emotional, mental, and physical turmoil of the day, he stood before you with respect and poise. Yes, you trusted yourself with him wholeheartedly.

You took a step back, opening the door wider.

“How about we enjoy it now?”

Tags: @ravenqueen27 @leslizzle @zendayabelova @eitak-t @chiliwhore @wewoo1233 @thatchickwiththecamera

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harmonictechnicality · 1 year

Text

Eddie's Memory Log: Day 30

part 1 here | part 2 here | part 4 here | part 5 here | part 6 here

(ao3 link here)

After one whole month of documenting Eddie Munson’s semi-fucked memory levels, Steve has come across a few crucial bullet points:

Eddie never forgets his own name.

If Eddie’s pain levels are bad, so are his memories.

Eddie likes the lime jello better than the chocolate pudding, except he always forgets.

Eddie’s memory is worse after the weekend, but it gets better throughout the week.

Eddie can hum the theme songs to all of the shitty soap operas (even on bad days).

Eddie’s memory is at its best if he’s had multiple visitors the day before.

And maybe the most important bullet of them all:

Eddie always remembers three people (Wayne, Dustin, and Steve).

Memory Log: Day 31

It’s Monday, which means Steve hasn’t seen Eddie all weekend. The knuckleheads and Hellfire lemmings take the weekend shift since they don’t have school. Steve should be grateful for the time off, but he can’t help but wonder how Eddie is feeling - if he’s throwing hissy fits or being confectionery sweet to all of his guests.

The curiosity and concern has settled its way into Steve’s routine during his days off. That’s just how it is.

And that’s exactly why Mondays are becoming Steve’s (secret) favorite day, despite Eddie’s brain managing the slightest soft-reset after the weekend.

“Is he a Hyde or a Kathy today?” Steve asks the nurse at the visitor check-in counter.

He knows the majority of the staff by now, and they’ve all adopted his Eddie Behavioral Lingo. Steve is getting far too cocky about being the hospital trendsetter.

“He’s um…” the nurse's gaze drifts up to Eddie’s door.

Shit. Steve bursts into the room because he already knows exactly what that translates to.

It’s a high-pain day. Eddie affectionately calls them Grendel Days - he finally decided to play along with their lackluster literary references.

Oh yeah… Eddie remembers Beowulf

“Hey, hero.” Steve speaks in a lower volume because loud noises are brutal on days like this. “I heard that Grendel crashed the party today, huh?”

Admittedly, Steve had Dustin retell the important chunks of Beowulf to him cause there’s no way in Nerd Hell that Steve was going to read that fantasy bible of theirs.

Eddie squints one eye open to look at Steve. “That son of a bitch is trying to slice open my goddamn kidneys, I swear.”

“Should I get my nail bat?”

“You’re what?”

Damnit.

Eddie remembers zero fucking percent about their monster battles (and it’s probably best to keep it that way while he’s still recovering).

“Not important.” It is but whatever. Best to just change topics. “Can I interest you in any pain distractions?”

“What are you gonna do exactly - open your letterman jacket and offer me a lollipop?” Eddie snorts at his own joke before slumping over, holding his sides.

Steve wags his finger at him. “See, that is karma for being so mean to me all the time.”

“That?”

“All this pain you’re having.”

“Actually, I think it’s because I’m some type of Demonic Tinker Bell.” Eddie offers, fake coughing into his hand. “If not enough people are calling me freak, I start to die.”

It’s just a joke, but Steve is not so keen on his friends joking about things like Mortality anymore.

Still, he laughs. Plays along easily. “All hail the freak.”

Eddie stops his fake coughing fit.

“And just like that, my wings of darkness have returned.” Eddie flicks his wrist theatrically, giving Steve the weakest smile. “See? Much better.”

But it’s not Much Better. Eddie spends the rest of the visit seething with internal pains. Switchboard style - one area inflicting jolts of throbbing agony, then another. Eddie grabs wherever it hurts the most. Sometimes he can’t touch every pain point, it’s just too widespread.

Maybe Steve should… No. He’s not sure his hands could stop the hurt any better. He’s not a doctor and he’s not fucking magic. Steve is just the guy that wears offensively bright sweaters and watches Eddie’s torture spectacle from a front row seat.

They don’t talk much after that.

Eddie can’t talk through the pain. And apparently… neither can Steve.

Memory Log: Day 35

The pain has been monstrous all week long. They’ve had to plug Eddie’s heart monitor back in because his heart rate tends to skyrocket when waves of pain hit. It used to be easy to forget that Eddie suffered anything other than head trauma.

Not anymore. Not with his room beeping like a terminal metronome at all hours.

Steve stops asking Eddie’s novel-based behavior levels because he already knows the answer. Wishes he didn’t.

“Munson?” The lights are off, which helps with Eddie’s headaches. That’s good. Less pain in his head, behind his eyes. Small victories.

“Go home.” Eddie’s breathing sounds labored.

Steve settles into his chair anyways. “Can’t.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

“Me neither.”

“Steve, I swear.”

“Like a sailor.”

Eddie chuckles. “Hurts to laugh.”

Seeing Eddie like this is god awful. He should be shredding on his guitar or mocking Dustin senseless for his clashing pattern combinations. He shouldn't be wrapping his arms around his torso, confining the pain that’s mangling him from the inside out.

“We’ve gotta find a way to get Grendel out of your system, man.” Steve bends down to Eddie’s eye level. “Cause this fucking blows.”

Eddie opens both eyes this time - they’re so sunken in. “… Grendel?”

Shit no.

If Eddie’s pain levels are bad, so are his memories.

Steve tries again anyway. “You know… from Beowulf?”

“Sounds cool.” Eddie eye’s close again. “Are they a band?”

Eddie doesn’t remember Beowulf.

“You think everything sounds like a band name…” Steve mumbles, ignoring the disappointment pinging in his mind.

Eddie reaches for the guitar pick on his neck - one of his bandmates brought it by a couple weeks ago. He rubs his thumb over it as if he can transfer memories through fingerprints.

“Hometown Slut.” Eddie sends a sideways smile over towards Steve. “Snatching virginities and record deals.”

Okay. Fuck. Eddie remembers inside jokes. That seems like a big fucking deal.

Steve attempts to not overreact with this revelation. Avoid another hair ruffling/thumbs-up situation. “Did you have to use the word ‘snatch’ in your weird little slogan?”

“Oh the word choice was very unavoidable, Stevie boy.”

Steve shuts the notebook, focuses on keeping Eddie distracted from his pain. “What about your band?”

“What about it?”

“Do you remem…” Steve searches for another phrase. “Do you think you can tell me the name?”

“Alright, please stop treating ‘remember’ like it’s a dirty word.” Eddie whines. “I’m not the fucking cable version of Breakfast Club. Stop censoring yourself around me.”

“Right.” Steve opens the binder back up.

Eddie doesn’t remember…

“Corroded Coffin.”

Phew. Eddie does remember his band.

“Do you remember what instrument you play?” Steve puts emphasis on the un-censored word.

“Accordion.”

“Be serious.”

“Polka is dripping in sincerity.”

Steve pinches the skin between his eyebrows. Truly, it’s impressive that Eddie can still manage to be a massive prick, even when he’s writhing in pain. It’s like he’s going for the goddamn gold medal of assholery.

“Guitar.” Eddie dangles the pick around, somewhat peeved. “Now can we chill with the third degree for today, officer?”

Steve notices Eddie’s monitor is beeping faster than it was when he first entered the room. That sobers him up from his irritation.

“Yeah, sure.” He sighs. “No more questions for today.”

Eddie cuts him a devious look. “Well I didn’t say that now, did I?”

“Huh?”

“Oh the vapid look is not nearly as cute as you think it is.” Eddie lifts himself up slightly from his stack of pillows. He flattens them out and into a pillow wall as he sits upright. “How about I ask the questions today?”

“Why? I’m not the one who’s struggling with brain stuff.” Steve walks over to give him a hand. Eddies seems to be struggling with his strength, which is to be expected after becoming a fucking bat buffet.

“That’s debatable.” Eddie mumbles.

Steve’s close enough to feel his breath as he pushes the pillows comfortably around Eddie’s new sitting position.

It’s not weird, the close contact or the breath. Steve has been helping Eddie with gross shit for a month - holding his hair when he starts puking or coughing up blood. Unraveling him from tubes and cords because Eddie is notorious for twisting himself into a medical straight jacket with this shit.

It’s not weird… it’s just weird how aware Steve is of Eddie’s breath. How warm and jagged it feels, even through his layered clothes.

Maybe Eddie is aware too, because he starts breathing through his nose the longer the silence is drawn out between them. Steve finally takes a step back, creates a non-breath-touching distance once again.

“Humor me then.” Eddie fills the tense pause.

Steve crosses his arms. “Don’t I always?”

“No. Usually, you aggravate me.” But see, why do Eddie’s eyes get all shimmery when he says snarky shit? And why does Steve suddenly use words like shimmery to describe Eddie Munson?

Why does it remind him of those sequined dresses that girls wear to homecoming dances when Eddie’s eyes do that shimmery thing? It’s like his mind is taking the insults and turning them into compliments, which is so bizarre.

“Steve?”

Shit, right. Say something instead of thinking about Eddie’s sequined eyes, goddamnit. “Yeah?”

Real original, asshole.

“Just… look.” Eddie taps his fingers against this side of his bed. “There’s sharp pains shooting through every fucking limb on my body right now. I just need a distraction today - not a pop quiz.”

Yeah, Steve offered the distraction idea at the beginning of the week. But really, that’s not what he’s here to do. He’s here for the kids. He’s here to fill his jobless life with a meaningful task. Help Eddie the way he couldn’t help him in the Upside Down.

But the kids have no idea what it’s like every day. How some days, they are friendly and comfortable with one another. How some days, there’s a verbal boxing match between them - and on those days, they’re both the losers.

How some days, Steve is the one getting flustered instead of Eddie (who’s usually being called out for staring at Steve’s hair or arms or whatever else his eyes decide to fixate on).

Nobody else knows how many climates this hospital room can hold. Nobody besides Steve and Eddie.

“Fine.” Steve decides after mulling it over for far too long. “I’ll be your distraction.”

“Careful, Steve.” Eddie breaks the non-breath-touching distance, poking Steve’s wrist. “You almost sound flattered.”

“Hardly.” Bad time to bring up the word hard - when they’re seesawing between taunts and flirtations. Thank god for the binder Steve’s holding, obscuring any part of his anatomy that could potentially betray his coolness at the moment.

“Go ahead, Munson.” Steve backs away from Eddie’s touch. “Ask your questions.”

Eddie runs the entire thing as if he were a late night talk show host. Uses his hospital side table as his interview desk. Pretends his empty jello container is his microphone. Calls Steve his ‘special guest’ the whole time. Steve scoots his chair right next to Eddie’s bed, just to keep up the talk show charade.

An hour into it, they’re both feeding off one another’s energy and attention. Steve can tell by the way Eddie’s fingers unclench from his sides and his teeth stop gritting together, that his pain is subsiding - or perhaps it’s no longer at the focal point of his mind. His heart monitor is at a tempo that seems ideal - less fast and less choppy. More like a ballad than a pop song.

Eddie’s questions range from common to outright strange. He asks Steve shit like, ‘what’s your favorite breakfast food?’ And then follows it up with, ‘okay - but if you could only eat scrambled eggs for dinner, would they still be your favorite breakfast? Or does time of day play a vital role in your food preferences?’

“Does it fucking matter?” Steve rolls his eyes. More than annoyed by Eddie’s constant need to play devil’s advocate.

“Nothing matters, Harrington.” Eddie replies. “And please stop answering my questions with more questions. This isn’t a goddamn improv game.”

Eddie remembers how to be a pain in the ass.

Steve doesn’t write it down, doesn’t really need to. “What the hell is an improv game?”

“I swear to Johnny Carson, I’ll kick you off my show.”

“Whatever.” Steve isn’t any less confused, but what’s new. “I guess time of day does matter a little bit.”

“Ha! Knew it. You’re so predictable.”

“And you’re a fucking handful.”

“That’s high praise coming from such an esteemed guest of the show.” Eddie’s hand is splayed over his chest, over his heart. The heart that’s beating like a ballad and not a pop song according to his monitor.

Okay stop.

Steve knows this is a game. A shtick. So why is his face heating up? Why are his palms sweatier than they were twenty minutes ago? Why does Steve keep wondering what Eddie’s eyelashes feel like against his cheek when he flutters them in that overly dramatic way?

The clock interrupts his questioning. Probably for the best.

They exchange goodbyes. Eddie always gets a little concerned that Steve might not show up again. Steve always tucks his bitchiness away to reassure Eddie that he’ll be back on Monday.

It’s their routine. Not just Steve’s routine. It’s theirs now.

Memory Log: Day 38

It’s Monday. Soft-reset day. Steve’s new favorite day.

“Hey, Steve.” One of the nurses stops him on his way to Eddie’s room.

Her name is Sam - Steve likes Sam the best because she lets him stay longer on days when Eddie feels his shittiest. She also gives him gum to help with his nerves.

Hospitals do that sometimes. They just activate his nerves like glow sticks. Snapping and crackling the radioactive colors that make his stomach churn.

Anyways, the gum helps.

“What’s up?” Steve asks.

“Just wondering,” Sam gives him a pleasant smile. “Do we have a code for Eddie’s good days?”

“Good days?” They don’t hear that phrase often around here. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe you should think of one.” She starts flipping through some files. “He’s been in great spirits for three days now.”

Three days? Steve rarely gets three hours of Eddie being in great spirits. The guy is a perpetual ghoul, so this is definitely something to celebrate.

Steve makes a pit stop to the vending machine. Grabs them a couple of root beers and candy bars for the occasion. Look, it’s not champagne and hors d’oeuvres, but it’ll suffice. Besides, Eddie doesn’t strike him as a ritzy kind of dude anyways. He’d probably make some joke like, ‘you mean to tell me that a whore made these d’ouevres?’

Jesus christ, Steve’s been hanging out with Eddie for too long.

“There’s my favorite lady killer.” Eddie is already grinning as Steve walks in the door.

Still remembers Steve is a Hometown Slut (of all the things that would stick to his brain… why that?)

“Seriously, you look sharp today.”

Steve’s knees lock at the compliment. “Um. Thanks. So do you.”

And the crazy part is, he means that. There’s a peachy color returning back to Eddie’s skin. The bags under his eyes are a faded gray instead of an Almost Black.

And his hair. Eddie’s hair is actually untangled. His curls are fluffed out, sort of feathery at the ends. Maybe somebody trimmed all of the dead pieces off because it looks... Well, it looks nice.

Steve kind of hates to admit that.

“Guessing your pain levels are better?”

“You guess right.” Eddie nods. “Whatever meds they gave me Friday night finally kicked Grendel’s lousy ass.”

Eddie remembers Beowulf again.

“Glad to hear it.” Steve is trying to process how great things are going. Eddie’s complexion. Eddie’s memories. It’s never this clear on Mondays. Steve tries to just be grateful to have a day like this, but he can’t help but wonder why.

Why now?

“Eggs for breakfast?” Eddie is fiddling with his necklace again.

Steve jerks his head up. “You… didn’t forget?”

“Don’t get too excited.” Eddie gestures to Steve’s pants. “Because I wish I could forget those ridiculous khakis that you always wear on Mondays.”

“Shit, really?”

“What’s the deal with that anyways?” Eddie’s nose scrunches up at the question. “Laundry day or something?”

“I…” Yes.

“Or do you think your ass just looks better in lighter colors?”

“Well…” Also yes.

Eddie winks. “Looks like your ability to complete a sentence is just as fucked as my memory, huh Stevie?”

Steve nervously runs his hands through his hair. “This is just a lot to process, sorry.”

And it is. Steve starts jotting everything down before he starts to forget:

Eddie remembers Steve’s favorite breakfast food.

Eddie remembers Steve wearing khakis on previous Mondays.

Eddie remembers Steve’s Memory Fucked inside joke.

Eddie remembers a shit ton about Steve.

Eddie remembers.

Very lightly, Steve scribbles on the corner of the page:

Eddie notices Steve’s ass…

The rest of the visit is pretty awesome, one of the best ones they’ve ever had. Eddie recalls practically everything from Friday, which is blowing Steve’s mind. They talk about his visit with Dustin on Sunday, and how excited Eddie is to see Wayne on Thursday. Steve doesn’t even bother with taking more notes because Eddie remembers it all.

They talk like real friends today. Friends that occasionally notice other friend’s asses or get lost in their sequined eyes, but still. It’s somewhere in the ballpark of friends, right? Whatever it is, it’s better than ripping each other apart with insults. That’s gotta count for something.

Eddie falls asleep an hour before visiting hours are over. He falls asleep still smiling from the last joke he told before dozing off. Steve studies his facial features because he can finally see more of them (Eddie’s bangs were trimmed too, thank god).

He’s still pretty banged up. Cuts that overlap and bruises that change gradient the further up they spread. As if the softer parts of Eddie are still freshly wounded. That’s not how it works, Steve has been beaten up enough to know that people don’t bruise like fruit. Not really.

Steve can just see more of Eddie now, which is proving to be a dangerous road to travel down. Way too many detours to let his mind wander. Think. Overthink.

He thinks Eddie is attractive. That’s the detour he’s taking tonight. And if this person didn’t already occupy so much space in his mind, that detour might be more shocking to him. But it’s barely registering on the shock-meter.

Eddie’s unharmed features are highlighted in attractiveness against the purples and grays and reds. It’s almost impossible not to notice that he’s attractive when his face has this many colors. This much character.

Steve doesn’t know what’s going on. This could all be his exhaustion kicking in. Or maybe Eddie’s great spirits has twisted Steve’s outlook on things. Or maybe it’s an illusion from the Better Day they’ve shared together.

The only clear answer that Steve has right now is that Eddie remembers him. And that fucking means something.

Steve stops by to tell Sam the good news on his way out.

“I think he’s getting better.”

Sam nods once. “He definitely feels better, I’ll give you that.”

“Sure, but…” Steve begins. “I think his memory is getting better too. He remembers the littlest details about me.”

“Steve.”

“That’s huge, right?” Steve is so awestruck. “Like… I don’t know, Sam. Maybe he’ll get to go home soon.”

She doesn’t respond right away. Her eyes just keep shifting between Steve and Eddie’s door.

“I think I need to show you something.”

That can’t be good. Her tone is very, ‘speak with me after class, young man.’

They quietly walk back into Eddie’s room. Sam motions her head for Steve to approach Eddie’s bedside. Cautiously, Steve does.

She gently pulls back Eddie’s thin blanket, and Steve feels the air vacate his fucking lungs.

Eddie’s arms. There’s tape and IVs and tattoos and scars - all of the usual stuff.

But then there’s writing. Eddie is covered in black ink, scribbled notes filling in all the gaps of his pale skin. Steve can’t make out most of the words - it’s all messy.

But there’s one word he spots over and over again.

‘Steve.’

It’s all messy, sure. But it’s all about him.

“Holy shit.” Steve whispers, quickly looking towards Sam. “Sorry, didn’t mean to swear.”

“No, that’s an appropriate response.” Of course she’d be cool about him swearing.

Without waking up Eddie, he begins to decipher the notes as best as he can:

Scrambled eggs. Extra hold hairspray. Hyde or Kathy. Yellow sweater. Khakis on Mondays.

There are notes on things they haven’t talked about as well. Things that Eddie has just observed:

Steve visits Mon-Fri.

Steve laughs at all of your jokes, even the mean ones.

Steve applies chapstick when he’s nervous.

Steve will untangle your wires without making it weird.

The name Steve no longer sounds the same after reading it fifteen times over.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.” Sam places a hand on Steve’s back. “It’s not that he’s remembering everything again.”

“Oh.”

“He just doesn’t want to forget you.”

No. That can’t be right. That can’t be possible. Of course Eddie knows who Steve is. Of course he does.

Steve finds a shitty excuse to get the hell out of this place. He’s polite about it because Sam is a kindhearted person, but this is so fucking unfair. Every last bit of it, down the last ink stain on Eddie’s nondominant arm.

Max isn’t awake. Eddie still has a skim-milk memory. Nothing has gotten better?

Well that shit ends today. Because whatever detour Steve’s mind discovered tonight, it’s leading him down a fucking freeway of tenacity. He’s fueled by whatever attraction or feelings he’s developing for Eddie. Whether it’s friendship or something more, it really doesn’t matter. Not after tonight.

Steve just cares about Eddie way too much to let his mind rot away like this. He’s too close, too connected to the problem to let it go unsolved forever.

As soon as Steve gets home, he calls Robin.

“Really, dingus?” Robin answers the phone like that. Annoyed and groaning already. “It’s late and I’m neck-deep in a John Hughes marathon.”

“It’s about Eddie.” Steve gets right to it.

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh fuck.” She exhales loudly. “How can I help?”

“You’re friends with his bandmates, right?”

“Yeah, kinda. Why?”

Steve flips through the memory log. Locates one of his crucial bullet points:

Eddie can hum the theme songs to all of the shitty soap operas (even on bad days).

“I need you to ask them to make a mixtape of Eddie’s favorite songs.” Steve requests. “And it should be in chronological order. From stuff he liked as a kid, to stuff he’s into now.”

“Okay…” Robin pauses. “And you think this will help?”

“I don’t know.” Which is true, it could be a big waste of time. “But I’ve gotta try something.”

This might be dumb. But music helped them defeat(ish) Vecna. So there’s a possibility it could massage the knots in Eddie’s mind. Relax him enough to remember his life. All of it.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Steve adds before hanging up.

“What?”

Steve hits the accelerator on his freeway of tenacity.

“I need my fucking car back.”

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie ficlet #these are getting longer than I ever thought they would be I'm sorry!#but things are gonna get way more flirty next time 😏#oh and I’ve read this too many times to know if it’s decent anymore #so if it’s mush… that is why 🙃#and please bonk me on the head if I forget to tag you please xx

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haveyouseenthisskeleton · 27 days

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Skeleton's S/O notices a car following them as they walk in the street. Suddenly, the car speeds on them with the clear intent of knocking skeleton over. S/O pushes Skeleton out of the way and Skeleton can't do anything but watch as the car rolls over his partner. For the main 10.

I swear I answered a post like this before, or I asked a similar thing on Ratsoh's blog I don't know xD Anyway, here's your angst.

Undertale Sans - His soul stops beating briefly as he watches his S/O get hit and fly several meters away. Sans quickly recovers from the shock and runs to rescue his S/O. He doesn't care about the car and teleports the both of them to the nearest hospital, screaming for help. The next hours are the scarier of his life as he has no idea how bad are the injuries, and he has to call his brother, his S/O's family, and then Undyne to report what happened. He's quite shaken, but luckily, his S/O got out of it with only a broken leg which could have been way worse. Sans refuses to leave their side while they're recovering, and he's going to have nightmares of this for weeks.

Undertale Papyrus - In a vain attempt to save his S/O, he summons a barrier of bones in front of the car. It didn't stop the car but slowed it enough to prevent his S/O from being seriously injured. By doing that, however, he injured seriously the car driver as a bone pierced the front window and impaled them. Papyrus quickly calls for an ambulance before sitting with his S/O to comfort them. He doesn't give a shit about the man crying for help in the car. Other people are already helping them. Papyrus is just glad you're more or less ok. You get out of here with only bad bruises.

Underswap Sans - He tries to grab your arm to pull you above his head and slams you into the floor behind him, but got too slow. Blue got dragged along with you, still holding you, and he heard several of your bones break. He's horrified and struggles to keep his calm as you're screaming in agony. He calls an ambulance for you and the driver, in a good state still. For now. Blue is enraged and drags him out of the car. When the rescuers come, the man is in a coma, and Blue is compressing his S/O's wounds, covered in blood. He doesn't care if there are consequences. His S/O is severely injured but will heal after long months of recovery.

Underswap Papyrus - He gasps in shock as his S/O is violently thrown into a wall. Honey meets the eyes of the driver, who is quickly not done with them, and he just reacts instinctively, running to protect his S/O with his own body. He takes the second hit bravely as a lot of people starts recording the scene and calls the cops. Poor Blue arrives right to see the man going for a third hit, but he doesn't have time to do it as Blue absolutely destroys the car with blasters. Honey has a few broken ribs and just lays unconscious on his S/O's unconscious body. They both survived with serious injuries, but the doctors said him putting his body in the way definitely saved his S/O so he doesn't care.

Underfell Sans - He goes full protect mode and jumps in front of his S/O with hundreds of bones ready to attack and two huge blasters. Red is eyes in eyes with the guy and he's furious. If the man makes any threatening gesture, he attacks and kills them. Once sure they're not a danger anymore, he goes to check on his S/O and calls an ambulance. He's extremely protective during their recovery, nervous and jumping at any sound.

Underfell Papyrus - He's horrified and immediately feels guilty. He should have been the one protecting you, and yet here you are. Edge has a strong healing magic though so he can quickly relief your pain while the ambulance arrives. He never leaves your side, not even one second. However, as soon as he's sure 100% you're alright, he's leaving for a few days to hunt the man who hurt you down and kill him. An eye for an eye.

Horrortale Sans - He's in shock and triggered by all the blood. No one can approach his S/O as he's attacking on sight, completely distressed and panicked. Despite the pain, S/O slowly manages to calm him down and convince him to let the rescuers get close. He's growling at any suspect gesture, but he lets them help you. He's so worried he even comes to the hospital despite how much he hates the place. The doctors try to make him leave the room sometimes but, uh, that's not going to happen. He's protective during your recovery.

Horrortale Papyrus - He fell on his back and got stuck there, watching in horror as the car hit you. He's crying and screaming your name, unable to move to help you. He's more and more distressed as he sees the blood, and even though kind people try to help, Willow can't calm down. He's freaking out completely and eventually starts to have hallucinations of the Underground because of the pain. The rescuers had to sedate him to calm him down. He's so relieved when he wakes up next to you, alive and fine despite your broken legs. Toriel is already helping to heal them faster with her magic, so you're in safe hands. He goes back to sleep with a light sigh.

Swapfell Sans - No hesitation, he attacks the car with all he has to defend his S/O's life. He empties all of his magic on it actually, before collapsing, panting heavily. He then crawls to his S/O to check on their injuries and calls an ambulance. He then takes off his jacket to put it under your head and talks to you to keep you awake and comfort you.

Swapfell Papyrus - He jumps on the car to avoid you being hit. You manage to get out of the way, but Rus gets carried away at a scary distance before the car violently crashes into a tree, making Rus fly in the air. Luckily, he ends up in a big pile of leaves and doesn't even have a scratch. He's the luckiest bastard ever and he can't believe he's alive. S/O still insists he goes to the hospital for a check-up. The guy of the car got the most serious injuries, but who's going to cry for them.

Fellswap Gold Sans - As the car tries to flee, Wine shoots in the tires and watches coldly as the car rolls over down a hill. He then sits next to his S/O and starts to heal them waiting for an ambulance. He doesn't tell them about the second car, pretending the guy ran away. Once S/O is taken care of, he walks calmly to the guy who hit his S/O, then drags them to his home, never to be seen again.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's completely paralyzed with shock, staring at the blood. His hands are shaking as he tries to wake his S/O up, more and more distressed. He eventually starts to scream for help, not even realizing he's doing it. Some people passing by quickly come to help him. Coffee completely breaks down and calls his brother for help, because he has no idea what to do. Wine quickly joins him to calm him down, then asks Coffee to explain what happened. Of course, knowing someone tried to kill his brother is not going to please Wine, who immediately starts to hunt the driver down. Someone is not going to have fun.

#undertale #underswap #underfell #horrortale #swapfell #fellswap gold #sans #papyrus #undertale ask blog #undertale asks #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 5 months

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ngl ever since i learned that rook might intern as an archeologist to explore ruins (which is crazier when you realize the world of twisted wonderland is very mysterious and fantastical; i'm sure those ruins are genuinely dangerous) i totally see him as someone who'll just get shadier and more strange over time. i wouldn't be surprised if he ends up with an energy similar to Undertaker from Black Butler or one of those shady magical pawn shop owners that knows way too much and has a million secrets. like, he's ALREADY like that and he's just a 18 year old boy, just imagine the menace he'll be someday--i can't even imagine where Jade will end up as well.

Eh, I'm sure he'll fiiiine in whatever ruins and archeological sites he ends up at it's Rook, I'm pretty sure the dangers out there are afraid of him instead of the other way around/j 🙃 I definitely feel like Rook won't be growing out of his eccentricness anytime soon. He's going around collecting more and more secrets every day at NRC already; the difference now is that he has just changed locations and is now being paid to do it. When he comes back for graduation day, he'll be Too Powerful...

As for Jade, maybe he can use his internship to learn more about the mountains and/or the land flora and fauna?? He could also look into magic pharmaceuticals, since he excels in that subject. They seem to be special interests of his--though he does hate to be bored, so I see him maybe doing something different each semester of internship (there's three max, I believe; you can take on a different one each semester or decide to stay at the same one). I think he'd learn a lot of valuable information that could help with expanding the "Leech family business" and connections to the land, as well as supplementing the business with knowledge of untraceable poisons :)) I could also see Jade taking up much less conspicuous internships where he's in more of a supportive role so as to not draw attention to himself, or just in a powerful enough position where he can collect useful information while maintaining his facade. Some kind of business-oriented or information collecting role where he's handling sensitive information (like client files?), maybe.

I'm not sure if TWST plans on progressing time to this extent in-game (maybe the next main story arc will be the following school year?), but I would love to see the third years as fourth years and the second and first years moving up a grade! (Plus incoming first years!) Then we can get new students, dorm leaders and vice dorm leaders being succeeded, and see old favorites going on their own internships and graduating 😭 I'm super interested in seeing the life and career directions each student takes, especially since we've gotten bits and pieces hinted to us in voice lines and vignettes. (For example, Riddle's mom wants him to pursue medicine, but Riddle has also expressed interest in law due to his time at school; Azul seems to have an interest in law and/or business but also hospitality, as he runs the Mostro Lounge.) Where each person decides to go and what they want to do can tell us a lot about their character and their ambitions, and it can also open up avenues for exploration and growth. (Kalim is going to inherit the Asim family business, but has also expressed before that he feels he isn't mature enough as he is now; Cater isn't quite sure what he wants to get into yet, since he's so used to putting on a cheery "mask" around other people, etc.) There's tons of interesting possibilities! (Imagine NRC's class reunions 10 years down the line though??? Their roster would be so stacked with important and influential people in a variety of fields and specialties.)

#twst #twisted wonderland #Rook Hunt #Jade Leech #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #spoilers #notes from the writing raven #Riddle Rosehearts #Azul Ashengrotto #Kalim Al-Asim #Cater Diamond

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cozage · 5 months

Text

The Daughter's Return Part 3

Chapter 23: Uncertainty

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 2.2k

You woke in a strange, metal room. It was sterile, as a hospital room should be, but there was something…comforting about it. Small touches of decor, such as the framed comic books and patterned bedspread made you feel slightly more at ease about your surroundings.

But that didn’t mean you wanted to hang around for long. You had to find Ace and Luffy.

To your dismay, the door was locked. While that normally would’ve sent you into a panic, you could hear Jinbe softly snoring right outside. You were guarded by someone your father respected. That gave you some comfort in this insane situation.

So you tried to rest. But you just ended up tossing and turning, waiting desperately for anyone to give you news. To tell you that you weren’t alone. A soft click of the lock had you sitting upright, desperately needing information.

“I’m surprised you’re awake,” the doctor said as he walked in the door. “You need rest.”

“What-”

“The baby is fine.” He sat down in a chair next to your bed, the color drained from his face. “We had to do a few surgeries, but everything is okay now. Honestly, I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I have some guesses, but we’ve never seen a baby survive that long with direct contact of a devil fruit ability like yours before. It’s unheard of. But your child will make a full recovery, as long as you don’t use your powers for the rest of the pregnancy.” He gave you a slight scowl, trying to reinforce the importance of his words.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Your child was fine. Whether it was divine intervention or some other strange cause, you hadn’t lost the baby. No more devil fruit powers for the next few months, but you had anticipated that obstacle anyway.

You almost felt relieved. Almost.

“How are Ace and Luffy?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Strawhat-ya is stable. How are you feeling?”

“How’s Ace?” You asked, fiddling with your bracelet to avoid eye-contact. He was avoiding your question, which meant it had to be bad.

“We’re monitoring him closely,” the man said, caution in his voice. “He’s got some severe burns across his back that are causing some nerve damage, but he will be fine in a few days.”

Your heart quickened at the uncertainty of his words, which was picked up on the monitor connected to you. Your brain was already running through scenarios, trying to find the best outcome.

“We should get to Marco,” you whispered, thinking out loud. “He could help.”

The doctor's eye twitched. “If you don’t think my assistance is satisfactory, you can leave.”

“That’s not what I meant,” you rushed to correct yourself. “He just has a devil fruit that can magically heal people.”

“Ah,” the man seemed to relax a bit. “The Phoenix guy, right? I saw him on the battlefield. A division commander for the Whitebeard Pirates.”

“That’s him,” you said, nodding. You didn’t even know if he was still alive or not. You had no idea where he was or what he was doing. You didn’t know anything about the outside world.

He cleared his throat, watching you closely. “You are a part of that crew, right?”

You nodded again. Was it still a crew if your captain was dead? You weren’t sure. You pushed down the grief that came with that thought. You couldn’t bear it yet.

“I’ll get my guys to figure out which way they headed,” the man said. “We’ll try to get everyone back together with their crew. But you need to rest now. Don’t worry too much, we’re doing everything we can and it’s bad for the baby. Just rest for a few days and I’ll handle what you need.”

“That’s very kind of you.” Your cheeks were wet and you realized you were crying again. You quickly wiped your eyes, trying to get a hold of your emotions. “Thank you, doctor.”

“Trafalgar,” he said. “Trafalgar Law.”

Your eyes darted over to him. You knew that name. You had heard it on two separate occasions before this. And now he was sitting in front of you.

“I know you.” The words were out of your mouth before you realized what you had said.

Trafalgar Law’s eyes narrowed at you, trying to decipher your words. “How’s that?”

You couldn’t tell him the whole truth. You’d only make him more uneasy. So you picked the explanation that was simpler. One that would continue to keep him as an ally.

“I read a Marine report about you a few months ago. Sounds like you stirred up trouble in the North Blue for a while before coming here.”

He gave you a devious smirk, but you could see his body relax at the information. Being from Flevance, you couldn’t imagine what this man had seen over his lifetime. No wonder he was skeptical of people who knew of him.

“Get some rest,” he said, getting up from his chair. “I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you, hopefully with some information about your crew.”

“Can I see Ace?” You dared to ask.

Law froze. “I don’t think it’s a good idea at the moment.”

“But-“

“Just stay put,” he said, finality in his voice.

“Are you going to lock my door again?” You could pick the lock or break the door down if you needed to, but you’d like to avoid that. You didn’t think the captain would like it if you started rampaging through his ship.

He sighed. “I’ll keep it unlocked for your comfort. But don’t wander. This place is a maze. I’ll let you know when you can see the others.”

He shut the door without another word, leaving you with more questions than answers.

—-

You couldn’t sleep.

You were completely fine. Your baby was healthy, by some strange miracle. But you had no idea how Ace or Luffy were doing.

And it drove you insane.

The soft snores coming outside of your room indicated that Jinbe was asleep. If you could sneak past him, you could try and find Ace or Luffy. And then they wouldn’t feel so alone.

And neither would you.

The door opened smoothly and silently, and you quietly stepped over Jinbe as you made your way down the hall.

It was cold in this metal ship, and you resisted the subconscious urge to use your powers and heat yourself back up. There were no windows in the ship either, so you had no idea what time of day it was, or where you were at.

It was almost claustrophobic if you thought about it too long, so you moved your mind away from the ship you were in and focused on the boys you needed to find. They had to be around here somewhere.

The halls were silent except for the light patter of your feet as you moved, randomly picking different hallways to turn down. You’d pause occasionally at the sound of laughter echoing through the ship, but it always sounded distant.

“How big is this damn boat?” you whispered to yourself, weaving and turning. You could’ve sworn you had been down this hallway before, but they all looked the same.

“Who the hell are you?” a voice came from behind you, causing you to jump.

You quickly turned your head to find a knife pointed at your throat.

You were pretty sure he was glaring at you. Though it was hard to tell, since he had sunglasses and a hat on.

“I’m looking for Portgas D. Ace,” you said, taking a step back.

He pushed his knife closer to your throat. “That’s not what I asked.”

You rolled your eyes and in a flash, you grabbed his wrist and quickly disarmed him. You took the knife and handed it back to him, and then began walking away.

“Hey!” he shouted, running after you. “You’re the Newgate girl, aren’t you!?”

“You shouldn’t run with knives,” you hollered back, trying to walk faster. You had to find Ace. You couldn’t waste your time on this strange man.

“Hey!” You saw a flash of burnt auburn hair under his hood as he darted in front of you again. “Captain said you can’t see them yet. They’re still in critical condition.”

You scowled. “Law told me they were stable.”

“Errrr-” The man looked around, but there was nobody to help him. “They’re mostly stable.”

“Mostly?”

“Let me just take you back to your room. I’m sure you can see them in the morning.” He held his hand out, trying to usher you back the way you came. “I’m Shachi.”

You pushed past him, ignoring his words. You needed to see them. Both of them. Now.

“Hey! Gods, you’re stubborn!” Shachi ran back in front of you trying to block your path again.

This was getting too tedious. You closed your eyes, trying to think about how you had used your observation haki so well earlier during the battle. You calmed your racing thoughts and focused on the task at hand. Letting your mind flow, reaching tendrils out to find Ace.

Two hallways down, a right, and then a left. Ace was in the room on the left, Luffy on the right. You were close. You drew a mental map, making sure you wouldn’t forget.

“Are you okay?” Shachi asked, so close you could feel his breath on you.

You pushed past him and sprinted. You ran down two hallways and took a right. You were close. Just one more-

A familiar blue hue enveloped you, and you were teleported into a strange room. It looked like an office. And at the desk sat Trafalgar Law, reading a book.

“I told you to stay in your room.” He looked at you, exhausted and disappointed. “Are you a child? Do I need to lock your door again to ensure you don’t leave?”

He reminded you of Marco. In the worst ways.

“Am I a prisoner?” you demanded, clenching your fists in case you needed to swing.

“No,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you can wander around my ship freely.”

You frowned. “I want to see Ace.”

“And I told you that’s a bad idea right now.” He sighed, putting his book down.

You were about to start arguing, but he continued speaking. “If you want to see him, just know I tried to warn you.”

His words made your heart skip a beat, and you wondered if it was worth it to see him in pain. If he died, and this was the last time you saw him…

No, Ace promised he wouldn’t die before you. He would make a full recovery. He was strong. He was powerful. He wouldn’t die from a little bit of lava. He wouldn’t have chosen you if that were the case.

Law stood to his feet and walked to the door, and you silently followed him. He weaved in and out of hallways expertly, until he stood in front of a door.

“Are you sure?” he asked, standing in front of the window. You could hear the sounds of machines methodically beeping and whirring, and your heart felt like it was in your throat.

You could only nod, too scared to speak.

He opened the door and you saw the love of your life, hooked up to machines through a mess of wires and tubes.

You carefully walked over to him, afraid you’d startle him.

“He’s in a coma,” Law said. “You can’t wake him up. You don’t need to be quiet.”

But you still tiptoed around him as you examined him. His entire upper body was covered in bandages, but you could smell the stench of burnt flesh. It made you nauseous just looking at his broken body, and you had to resist the urge to find the nearest trash can.

“When will he wake up?” you asked, looking at Law. You couldn’t keep the fear out of your eyes, you didn’t even bother to hide it.

He took pity on you, thankfully. “Hopefully tomorrow. He needs rest. He needs to decide for himself to survive.”

“And Luffy?” you asked, looking at the room across the hall.

“He’s in the same boat. Ace’s back took most of the damage, but Luffy still got a decent amount of damage across his chest.”

“Can I sit here for a bit?” you asked, looking back to Ace. You could barely tell it was him, and it made you want to weep just seeing him so broken.

“Sure,” Law said. “I’ll have Shachi put up indicators to get back to your room.”

You nodded. Tears were pooling in your eyes, and you knew if you spoke anymore, you would lose your composure.

You waited until Law closed the door before you broke down. Your sobs and gasps for air filled the room, mixing with the artificial sounds of beeps and monotone sounds.

“You promised,” you whispered, grabbing his hand lightly and interlocking your fingers. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me. So please. Don’t leave me here alone. I can’t bear it, Ace. I can’t do it by myself.”

He didn’t answer, of course. You didn’t expect him to. Instead, you held his hand and rested your head on his mattress.

Maybe Law was right. Maybe he would wake up tomorrow, right alongside you. And all would be right with the world again. Maybe.

Tag list! @taeyoge @teiza @tojislawyer @trafalgardnami @bloopbopsblog @dancingnewcat @dxestyi @flooofity @nyxthedragon01 @deadsnothere @h-rhodes1598 @morgyyyyyyy @trafalgardvivi @fiestynatureweeb @frogpogjoghurt @beepboopcowboy @ms-portgas @luvyallbabes @appalost @zuchkaa @saybeyonce @stray-npc @kitsunechan707 @theyluvmesblog @heartysworld @aira-needs-sleep @mothmomjay @ophelias-flowerss @aqualein @sehyojae @fanficwriter5 @forgotten-blues @amberash05 @firefistnoct @depressed-but-make-it-cute @stuckinthewrongworld@lizpoir

#one piece #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #one piece x reader #one piece x you #portgas ace x you #portgas ace x reader #portgas d ace x reader #ace x y/n #ace x reader #portgas d ace #portgas d. ace #cozage #✧˚ace✧˚#were almost at the end folks!!! :)

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doctorbeth · 2 years

Text

Dragon

There have been some really big patients in the hospital recently... A giant Curious George who was used in department store window displays once upon a time (and who was getting a bath to welcome a new family member), a large gorilla with seam splitting issues, a Steiff giraffe almost as tall as me who had been kept in a damp basement... but today I wanted to share the dragon, because she is unique! Handmade originally, there are no others like her. But... unfortunately, after years of adventures with her person, and LOTS of hugs, her scales were wearing, she was loosing her magical shine, and she could no longer hold up her tail. Here are some of her diagnosis photos:

Now we didn't want to lose her expression, or any of her look for that matter, so the plan was for her to come to the hospital and get lined, which means she would also get restuffed. Her irridescent areas were already lined (you can see the quilting) and her spine spikes were too small to line, so those were repaired, but everywhere else she got a second layer, so as her fabric wore from future adventures, lining would become visible before stuffing. This also reinforced her velvet.

I actually had a near perfect fabric match for her velour that we used for the lining:

Of course, once she was lined, you could only see the inside of the fabric looking at her inside. Here she is inside out and lined... be warned, some people find the inside out photos a bit disturbing so jump past if you don't want to see a dragon's insides.... I'll leave some space so you have time.

Then she got restuffed, including, of course, a heart with a bit of her original stuffing:

You can see the heart is the same fabric as the lining, which matches her outside velour.

Soon, she was ready to fly home!

It took a very large box, because now that her tail stood out straight, and she was plump again, she needed a big rectangular box that she could occupy two sides of, with lots of padding, so as not to squish spines or wings or fingers.

She flew home to Colorado and her person wrote:

Thank you so much. She is perfect, just arrived!! YAY!! I can’t believe it, she’s really here. <3 I hope so, too; I hope I can give her to a child of my own someday. This is such a special gift you’ve given me, i want you to know how much I truly do appreciate it.

#stuffed animal repair #stuffed animals #dragon #dragons #toy dragon #stuffed dragon #purple dragon #stuffed animal hospital #handmade stuffed animal #art stuffed animal #large stuffed animals

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afreakingdork · 2 months

Text

Weak Spot - Chapter 61

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

EDIT 4/30/24 DUE TO A HATEFUL REMARKS THIS CHAPTER ART HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY REMOVED

Warnings: Aged-up Turtles, Romance, Meet Cute, Villain Donatello, Cussing, Crushes, Xenophobia, Fear, Intimidation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Love, AFAB Reader, Vaginal Sex, Sex Rough, Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Creampie, Teasing, Scent Kink, Sexual Tension, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasms, Cunnilingus, Fellatio, Marathon Sex, Somnophilia, Bondage, Feral Behavior, Feral Donatello, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Public Sex, Dom Donnie, Human/Turtle Relationships, Turtle Noises, Roleplay, Sexual Roleplay

Synopsis: A love story of villainous proportions! Though it hadn’t come easily, as these things rarely do, you found yourself in a whirlwind romance with a handsome and mysterious mutant. His idiosyncrasies had been easy to ignore as attraction grew into something more. However, will love endure when the unknowns about him end up being far darker than you ever considered?

Fem!Reader References/Warnings Below Cut

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

Fem!Reader References/Warnings: hospital stay, vomiting, healing, mental breakdown

You were exhausted by every definition of the word. As long as you were awake there was something there vying for your attention and it left you drained. From healing to tests to visitors, occurrences were all around you. Sleep came in inevitable spurts and felt like your only respite. Consciousness was a thing to be dealt with as much as you wanted otherwise.

Your friends came in pairs.

Your ex-roommate, Coral, had apparently shown up more than once while you were unconscious, but upon seeing you, eyes open for the first time, she burst into her first actual tears. It left the two turtles always in your presence a noticeable speechless as she rushed over, but kept from collapsing onto you. In time though, she was in your bed and regaling you in how she attacked Leo assuming he was the cause. Leo corroborated the story citing how alike the two of you were which then led to Coral finding out about the S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. suit debacle.

She reigned hell down on the blue turtle for even thinking to touch the automaton.

As amused as Donnie was about Leo’s beat down, his own bitterness dictated he bring up how Coral still had beef with his son.

Coral said that was all in the past and Leo was left sputtering on what appeal S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. had to have charmed so many.

All the while, your nervous friend Nelson, who now lived with Coral, was fluffing a bouquet they had brought.

You heard Donnie throw him a comment about foliage and the two talked a quiet distraction as Leo sulked in a corner.

“So… Magic underground city.” Coral said, pushing your cuticles back even though you’d told her multiple times how much you hated it.

“It’s maybe another dimension?” You wanted to yank your hand free, but it would be too much effort.

She slowed, studying your nails. “You’re not going back, right?”

“No, I was already over it, but now…?” You sighed.

“Never.” Donnie cut through both conversations with bitterness.

“Good call.” Coral pointed to him without looking. “Sucks about your library though.”

“Library…?” Leo didn’t glance over as his phone was now in hand.

Donnie’s gaze pointedly narrowed where Nelson could see it.

Your nervous friend tilted his head with concern.

Leo heard the silence and it pulled his gaze. “The mystic library?”

“Leo…” You warned.

“If there’s a detail left out that can help the investigation…” Leo pressed back, sitting upright.

“It’s not related.” You decided.

“How would you know?” Leo bristled.

“Can you not bitch about Y/N’s memory loss? I’d suppress the thing too, damn!” Coral hissed.

“Sorry, I’m trying to cover my bases and make sure there isn’t a larger plot to kill them.” Leo mimicked her tone.

She glowered.

Donnie exhaled quietly.

Nelson gave him a sad smile.

Donnie took it with a slight nod.

You knew Nelson knew as much as Leo, but even he could sense the line.

“Them.” Coral spoke around her tongue. “Going soft, blueberry? Don’t you and grapes over here have mega beef?”

Leo was on his feet with furious eyes, but he stayed rooted in place.

Coral only cocked a waiting brow at him.

Leo’s gaze narrowed.

Her smile grew.

“Why don’t you talk motive then, detective sea rocks?” Leo walked over, gearing up for a challenge on the way.

“Omigosh, I’ve never heard that one before.” Coral feigned a gasp behind a hand before tucking an arm around you to appear more casual. “I’ll bite.”

“Please.” Leo pulled up a stool and took the position of the Thinker.

“We got vacation gone wrong and a jealous ex.” Coral shrugged as if that were obvious.

Donnie reared.

Nelson held up anxious hands.

Leo bit down on a bark of laughter. “Ex, huh?”

“Oh yeah, this has crime of passion written all over it.” Coral pointed at your bandages. “Don’t you think?” She lolled her head toward you.

You weighed your response before looking at your boyfriend. “Donnie’s never mentioned one.”

Donnie shot Coral specifically, an embittered look. “At best, the yokai in question was marked in my database simply because they were part of the police department. I have no greater notes and no further ties.”

“Knew you read turbo virgin.” Coral lowered her lids as if Donnie had walked right into her trap.

He only stared back.

Leo lasted one entire second before he began to cackle so hard it spun his chair.

It stung, but you knocked your head against Coral’s.

“Hey!” She squawked, more for your sake.

“Leave him alone.” You switched your grip as fast as you could and dug your nail into her nail bed.

“Ouch!! What the fuck!?”

“Yeah, it hurts!” You sent her your disdain.

She sent her own.

“Y/N’s injured…” Nelson felt the need to remind the room.

Coral ignored him and left her hand in yours. “It has to be something like that though. To drug ‘em both, but only hurt Y/N. From what you described, it sounds like they wanted Donnie to watch.”

“Not my name.” Donnie grumbled.

“I got you multiple birthday presents, I’ll call you whatever I want.” Coral smoothed out her fingertips to yours.

You could feel Leo picking up the tidbits of closeness and how it rendered him further confused.

“Evidence schmevidence.” Coral continued. “They had a hard on for purple.”

Leo tapped his stool. “Nothing we don’t already know.”

“How long was he on the force?” Coral was far more careful in examining the hand on your injured arm.

“Twenty three years.” Donnie replied.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything to me.” She skimmed your digits. “How’s that fall into your timeline?”

“Coral, Leo’s here.” You sighed.

“So? Hey, blue balls, do you not know Plankton's backstory or what?” She didn’t look up.

Leo made a confused face at the nickname.

“You don’t know the back story.” You reminded her with a dull stare.

“I know some!” She huffed, proud. “Apparently more than pepper face.”

“I have two brothers. You aren’t coming up with an insult I haven’t already heard.” Leo seemed both amused and not.

Coral shined him an all too wide grin.

Donnie was caught in thought. “Records indicate he became a beat cop around the time I became official.”

You leaned your head on Coral’s shoulder.

She laid hers on top. “Official how? He must have met you then.”

Donnie either felt lonely or sensitive because he crept up to your side. “I have no such memory.”

You held out a hand for him and he took it.

“How old are you?” Leo looked at Donnie, tepidly.

“Vivisection placed me at approximately 35.” Donnie responded, keeping his gaze to your hold.

Leo made a disgruntled noise.

“Vivi…” Coral mouthed before the word sank in. “Who cut you open?!”

Donnie didn’t budge.

Coral checked with you, but you tucked your head away.

“He cut himself open.” Leo spoke with knowing disdain.

“How would you know!?” Coral glanced at him.

“I don’t, but I do. Look at how they just reacted.” Leo threw a hand up to gesture to you. “Besides, he used to always do fucked up shit to his body. I’m surprised he isn’t the one bed ridden.”

“Shame you’re so imprecise with that blade you supposedly trained your life with.” Donnie turned up hatred.

Leo’s body rose with a current of surprise and rage.

Nelson wandered into the line of fire. “U-uh w-we were talking about the common enemy!”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed. You have no sense of self perseveration, I swear. Nels, come here, stupid.” Coral removed herself from you and held out a hand.

Nelson resisted and stayed firmly in place between Donnie and Leo.

“Nels!” Coral growled.

The man in question shook his head.

Donnie stepped in closer behind him. “As good a time as ever for you to finally admit why you spared me that day.”

Leo didn’t break eye contact, but there was something unstable about him.

You didn’t know what Donnie was talking about.

“Y/N…” Coral pleaded with you.

You could barely hear her. “Donnie?”

Donnie laid a hand on Nelson’s shoulder.

You took it as an indication that he’d be safe.

Coral went to move.

Leo blocked her with a raised hand.

Her shoulders hunched, ready to strike if need be.

“You were eleven or twelve when you became an official villain.” Leo finally spoke and the entire moment disengaged.

No collective sigh had, the humans in the room wilted.

“Same as me.” Leo mumbled out the side of his mouth.

“Approximately.” Donnie steered Nelson back towards the bouquet.

“The yokai was six times your age.” Leo spoke his thoughts.

“Gross.” Coral chanced, still shaken.

You nudged her lightly and she spared you a downtrodden look.

Leo nodded. “Surprised a newbie cop survived… Especially one that failed to get on the force three times.”

You felt a pinch in your head and looked toward your water cup.

Nelson was closer and got it before Donnie could.

You thanked him quietly and drank.

“Why’s that?” Coral ventured.

“Someone almost single handedly wiped out the force.” Leo bobbed his head toward Donnie without looking.

“At twelve…?” Coral looked at Donnie then you.

You had no defense.

You kept your eyes down.

“Not so fun galavanting with a murderer.” Leo barely kept a sneer in line. “Who doesn’t know enough now?”

“Leo, shut the fuck up.” You spat bile.

Leo only snorted and folded his arms.

He closed himself off.

For a long moment there was quiet.

Then Coral picked at your blanket. “Antelope lived…”

You were the only one to look.

“The bastard.” Her eye was on your covered body. “Obsessed with becoming a cop means he’s prone to going all in. Who’s to say he didn’t get high off living through an encounter with the demon child?”

Donnie’s eye darted as he connected the dots.

Your head hurt.

This was hitting the limits of your interactions.

You also had physical therapy scheduled soon.

You were about to mention it when Leo piped up. “His family all worked city jobs. If you fold in the mystic library, however it fits, then he’s obsessed with some duty to the city.”

In a sudden slam of your skull you had a vague thought about sacred spaces before your stomach churned.

As if socked, you hunched forward on a gag. “Gonna vomit…!”

Coral was out of the bed and Donnie was around you with a pan. “I’ve got you. Let it out.”

You gagged and spit as he rubbed your back.

“That’s enough.” Leo spoke softly. “Visiting hours are over.”

“Y/N…” Coral mumbled.

“It’s…” You choked.

“Y/N is alright. You’ll come back?” Donnie asked for you.

“Of course… Don’t worry.” Coral headed towards the door. “Nels, seriously this time.”

“Yeah…” Nelson maneuvered around Donnie and shot Leo a vicious warning look as he passed that only you and the receiver seemed to see.

Leo was scorned as the two parted with apologies and goodbyes.

With nothing coming up from the nausea wave, you eventually laid back and cursed to the dead air of the room.

Heading home after a month in the hospital was tainted by what you now thought of as your chaperone. It didn’t matter that you had been in a coma for three of those weeks, but in the hospital it had felt like one thing; Leo was there as an added pair of hands when you were at your worst. He gave Donnie a break when caring for you which you were endlessly thankful for. His mischievous side paired with his convenient powers meant you had all the contraband you could ask for from anywhere in any world. He also had a command over nearly the entire staff and, just as Donnie alluded to, you couldn’t help but notice that your hospital stay had been a positive one because of it.

In your own home though, he felt like a freeloader.

Leo was no longer as useful with no one to manipulate and he had a clear fear of touching anything in your place. His entire being was now closed up and often placed in parts of the apartment that he deemed safe. While he never said it aloud, the dart of his eye and paranoia you had learned of him spoke to how painfully aware he was of the cameras monitoring his every move. This was compounded by S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., a walking manifestation of a bug in Leo’s eyes, who stopped by routinely to drop off supplies. Your son was an antagonist whether he realized it or not and he pressed Leo whenever he had the chance because he deemed it fun. You loved the automaton dearly, but his rambunctious nature meant his visits were shortened. Donnie couldn’t mediate and you were left missing his smaller form to sleep with as the best sentient heating pad on the market.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s human sized form had already been enough of a shock to Leo, so you assumed it had been decided that any more information about your son was to be kept under lock and key.

It was something you had to surmise as several decisions had been made without you. You might have found a way to ask, but guilt was eating away at Donnie for his failings already. He had to bury enough in front of his foe, because of his ninpo, and on top of being your caregiver, which meant he looked ready to keel over. You wanted to support him, but you yourself were still casted for at least another month. The spica had been your nightmare and even though you could technically walk with crutches, the threat of the plaster breaking at your hips, as you had been warned, hovered over you like a blight.

You had been assigned an in-home physical therapy.

Another invader in your home, she was kind, but she was yet another thing to think about and another barrier for Donnie to mentally navigate.

There were also the other turtles. Leo had been forced to essentially move in, which meant Mikey and Raph made excuses to drop by. It was clear their nerves were frayed over their brother’s new housing situation as it was, to them, in a lion’s den. Though each man was independent, there was a clear separation anxiety if only because of trauma. It just so happened that the source of all that was themselves and your boyfriend. It showed on all four turtles faces that this situation was progressing for too long and you were the cause.

You didn’t feel at fault.

You wished your body would heal faster and Mikey had offered to hit you with more mysticism, but having talked to the youngest had revealed the many side effects that could have taken place which put Donnie’s waiting room arsenal into perspective.

You’d told him no, that you would do this the old fashioned way, and in classic Mikey fashion, he had already moved onto the next thing.

You wished you could too.

While your assailant was no longer alive, it had been upsetting to find that the investigation had been one closed for lack of evidence. They Hidden City considered it open and shut without further motive. You weren’t sure if you were afraid of another attack stemming or in general, but anxiety took up the very little left of your sanity. You were back to near chase level concerns and it was the only way you were glad the apartment was never empty. You avoided windows and doors, but being in your own bed helped to an extent.

Heal.

You just needed to heal.

Then process.

There was a mountain of feelings to process.

If it wasn’t you, it was Donnie.

If it wasn’t Donnie, it was Leo.

If it wasn’t Leo, it was the other turtles.

Then your friends.

Then your job.

Then, everything.

One total week of your new homebound hell and you’d hobbled over to the kitchen by request of your therapist. You tried not to cry as you looked up at the cabinet that held cups. There were so many things you needed to do in order to free up a hand to reach them. It had already been an aggravating stepwise process just to get over here and having to wrangle your crutches away and back once again zapped the rest of your energy. A psychic collapsing, you were on the verge of tears for nothing and you wilted right there against your own counter.

The barest sound, not even a snivel, summoned the two men.

“Y/N?”

“Hey, you good?”

There was no escape.

No where you could even cry in peace.

Not here.

Not in the bathroom.

You could yell.

You had yelled.

You’d snapped at Donnie more than once.

The ugly side of healing, your frustrations with yourself leaked out and leeched up at those around you.

For Donnie, he took everything in a careful stride. He knew you didn’t mean it and gave you space while he was still just within reach. It still affected him, however. He’d paper mached himself into a pasted shell, but the cracks were evident. No matter how many layers he put on to hide it, pieces like that weren’t meant to be jostled. If you could have kept it in, then he wouldn’t be cracked.

You also couldn’t discuss this as there were prying tympanum.

For those reasons, Leo became your target.

You hated that.

He accepted it all too easily.It felt wrong in how calmly he’d take the barrage.He wasn’t like Donnie where he understood why you were lashing out. With Leo, it almost felt like he’d been waiting his whole life for the punishment. It spoke of many things, all too haunting and not yours to deal with. As much as he’d stomped into your life, you couldn’t help, but grow a certain fond of him. He’d helped you, he helped your mate, and he did it all after he and the ones he loved most had been terrorized for almost two decades.

Tears ran currents down your cheeks and you huffed feeling the pain of crying.

The scar tissue around your liver sat like a rock in your abdomen.

Your shoulder muscles ached near constantly.

The healed line along your ribs was taunt skin that tugged if you bent at any angle.

The damn cast sat unrelenting around your hips and deadened everything.

You choked a sob and you sensed both men flanking you.

“What’s wrong?”

“Does something hurt?”

You only shook your head.

Irrational.

Was that the right word?

No, you had justification.

It still sucked.

“Leo!” You quacked out against the barrage.

You could tell the men apart without looking and turned to your right where he was standing with a certain amount of surprise. “Yeah?”

“I need… I need time with Donnie. Can you… go do something, I don’t know… Just for a while?” You hadn’t meant for the water works to sway him, but you felt how messed up your face was when you sent your plea.

It snapped Leo’s expression shut, but there was a haunted quality to his eyes.

You knew that.

You knew your messy emotions were a threat to Donnie’s ninpo.

You just wanted some damn time to grieve with your partner.

You hadn’t had a single real moment alone with him.

All of this thankfully seemed to translate because Leo eventually gave a curt nod. “Sure. I’ll go… out, I guess. Just for a bit, but you message me if anything, anything, happens.”

You agreed and watched him go.

You waited until the door clicked shut before turning on Donnie.

He wrapped you up in his arms the best he could and brought you close.

Was this the first real hug you’d gotten from him since leaving the hospital?

You despised that.

“It’s too much!” You were forced to give the emotions voice.

Donnie nodded into your head.

“I miss you! I hate this. I can’t…!” You rooted into his sweater.

He continued to rhythmically concur.

“And you…!” You pulled back and he loosened to give you space to.

Your hands sat useless against his plastron.

Having to keep your crutches to your body meant you could reach even less of him.

You were too addled to press him and he wouldn’t allow his emotional veneer to fall.

It was a new one that you loathed.

It was different from the one he used in public for safety.

This one clung to him sickly and all the time.

It was the one that kept his powers at bay.

Shut and locked away, your watery eyes morphed his expression.

It was selfish to think he’d cry along with you, but you wanted him to so badly.

You wanted him to be able to express his own anguish.

You knew it was there.

Trapped along with everything else.

“You…” You wilted against him.

He held your pieces together.

“I miss you…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t-!” You banged his plastron.

He did nothing.

“Don’t… do that.”

He was at a loss.

“You had to. I wouldn’t be here otherwise…” You pressed your forehead just above his pectoral scutes. “You saved me. Full stop, no cost.”

“Leonard-”

“Leo nothing!” You came up glaring. “You saved me! I’m talking about you!”

His face sat neutral.

Throwing your weight against him to steady yourself, you released both your crutches to grab at his head, unencumbered. He caught your waist for balance and you used his distraction to pinch and pull his cheeks as far apart as you could. His teeth appeared stretched and he made the faintest noise of discomfort.

“You can’t even churr…” You let go and did nothing to soothe what you knew stung.

You watched his lip move as he tried to conjure something, but nothing came so he sent a metered sad gaze down at you.

“You can’t…” A few more tears loosed. “You can’t anything…”

“Y/N…”

“I can’t help you. I can’t do anything. This all-!” You nearly bit your lip and huffed to let it quiver.

Donnie nodded, the strain showing in lines on his face. “My research is coming up bare.”

“Yeah?” You leaned in close, having figured he was up to something like that, but you hadn’t had a chance to really talk.

“It seems the rat destroyed the surviving Hamato documents in a fit of letting his sons free the shackles of their destiny.” You could tell saying the sentence alone almost made Donnie vomit.

You couldn’t lean up, but you tilted your head and he came down enough to accept a peck to the cheek.

“The rest are cagey about details.”

You ran your hands along his arms. “I guess that makes sense; if they don’t teach you then you can’t use it against them.”

“But we’re inexplicably tied because of it.” Donnie’s brow furrowed.

“You’re too dangerous to leave alone.” You sighed at the conundrum.

“Contained for so long…” He had a haunted edge to his eye. “It’s as though it aggravated the ninpo’s release. It doesn’t feel as though I can be put back within the tomb of my body. It flows violent and endless… Illustrative of me… I suppose.”

You squeezed him.

“S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and I are scrounging for records. Ninpo differs heavily from mysticism. It’s far more powerful, but it’s…” Donnie sneered. “Nonsensical. You get it by trusting family? Why? The blue bastard mentioned saving the red rube, but he’d done that dozens of times prior to whenever they unlocked it.”

“Right…” The memory dawned on you. “You saw them before like they were and then they suddenly had powers.”

“They even changed outfits.” Donnie stuck his tongue out the slightest bit.

You felt your spirits raise with how cute the action was.

He noticed and sucked the pink bit back in.

You accentuated the purse of your lip.

He mentally chewed for a moment before darting down and licking your cheek.

You squeaked and giggled into him.

He relented for a few kisses before pulling away.

You hadn’t dared test it and the mood was terrible with Leo around, but you knew Donnie was worried what even the most innocent of romantic thoughts would do to his ninpo. The most touch you’d dared was when you’d have to me moved or stabilized. He relegated the work to his hands so it came as a shock a few days ago, when you’d given up after being unable to change your own shirt due to a muscle spasm. Donnie’s body had pressed yours while he helped you and the heat there felt like something new.

Your mind was pained by the deficit, but your body had forgotten so quickly.

You cuddled close to him and, for a moment, felt those thoughts were unwarranted; he was always here. “Not everyone can nail their suit on the first try.”

“I made a few upgrades over the years, but style wise…?” He let the sentence hang.

“Spooky.” You peeked up at him.

“You think I’m spooky?” He leaned down with a faint leer.

You nodded and kissed the tip of his beak.

“The stalemate stands, but it seems there’s been improvement?” He murmured, hovering close.

“With you, me, or them?” Again, you felt the weight of the many thoughts crushing you, but this time you felt them held mutually with your boyfriend.

“Me…” He had a starting edge. “This…” He tried again. “We haven’t gotten a moment like this.”

“It seems alright…?” You tested him by swiping an all too light finger along the side of his neck.

His eyes shut and he gave the faintest shiver.

Your finger danced at his collar.

His lids lifted and showed his clear gaze. “I would say so.”

You smiled into him.

He took a longing press from your lips before he came away with a chuff. “Your improvement isn’t linear, but is obviously occurring. That’s as to be expected and as for… them, we continue regardless of their existence.”

You felt a similar lightness in him and chased it with a nipping kiss.

He allowed himself to languish in it.

Reassurances.

Hadn’t you both agreed long, long ago that those were necessary?

“How long do we have before I need to finish my homework and walk back across the apartment?” You glanced at your fallen crutches and back to him.

He had the faintest little smirk and curled around you under the guise of gathering your sticks for you.

“Ten more…”

Pulling at the resistance band, you rattled with a whine as you didn’t think you’d make it.

Across from you, your physical therapist was standing close and you despised the thin layer of sweat coating your body. It was so little effort to have taxed you this much. She also could undoubtedly smell the BO. The worst of which had to be the cast which was building odor from the lengthy use. Having been in it for almost two months, it made sense, but it was yet another reason to despise the damn thing. Donnie and Leo had yet to say anything, but you could tell by the way they turned their beaks that the pungent odor was worse for them.

Humiliation on top of misery caused you to rush the last six reps.

“Woah, woah. We gotta go slow to build that muscle…” The physical therapist caught you immediately.

“Just a… second…” You wheezed.

She traded you a bottle of water and held the band as you drank it down greedily.

Nearby Donnie stood with an arm crossed against his torso and a hand covering the bottom half of his face.

As you came away panting from labor and oxygen deprivation from drinking too much water, you knew that to be his PT position. He assumed it in every session you’d had so far as he wasn’t allowed to be present for the ones in the hospital. You wanted to ask why he always appeared the same, but you hadn’t been able to. A literal workout, you only wanted to wash up and then bury the exhaustion afterward. By the time you were back to the barest energy levels, you tabled it because another session was the last thing you wanted to ruminate on. During, however, you’d see him and wonder.

Was he holding himself back?

Was it hard to watch you struggle?

Did he want to help?

He never once interfered or made a noise. He kept his distance unless coaxed, which would sometimes happen if the physical therapist needed to demonstrate how to do your homework-type exercises. She was only scheduled to come by three times a week so you were expected to continue even when she wasn’t around. He took that job with a severity and was a menace about you having exactly the right posture to maximize healing. You knew beside his search to control his ninpo, he’d been studying everything there was to know about your particular injuries, but neither field seemed to be progressing.

Leo, on the other hand, almost always used your sessions to nap. You were sure he was worried in the beginning. He probably thought Donnie would fly off the handle at seeing you taxed, but instead Donnie stood as an intent observer. Seeing that to be the case, Leo took these moments as time off. Never a guest, Leo had fallen into a fixture-like role in your home over the course of two and a half weeks. It never felt like he truly moved in, though he rarely ever left, which made him almost an odd lamp you wished you could toss out. The couch was where he frequented and you assumed he was hidden there where you couldn’t see. His break while you busted your butt stung worse than Donnie’s hovering. It’s not like you wanted him around while you worked out, but him acting like these moments were vacations made you want to snap the resistance band in his face.

Even if it sometimes felt like it, neither man looked down at you.

You could do this and it was the only other thing you thought Donnie might be thinking. As much faith as you had in him, he had equal droves for you. If he was watching to see each sweat droplet marking your progress, it filled your chest with pride. Even when you failed to complete a full set, your physical therapist still congratulated you and marked each time you were able to go even the tiniest bit farther. Donnie knowing and being there to see each time you improved helped your resolve. You’d push past this because you wanted to. He was there to see it and you’d show him exactly what kind of resolve his mate had in the face of adversity.

You really needed to confirm how he felt.

For now, unfortunately, you shared a readied look with your trainer and they nodded, setting you back up to continue. “You’ve got this.”

“Yeah…” You stretched out the phrase and put tension on the band.

A purple light lit up somewhere behind you.

Three occupants of the apartment shot to look with rigid fear as the fourth casually turned.

Donnie’s computer was glowing at maximum strength and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s little icon was jumping up and down on screen.

“That’s cute…” The physical therapist chuckled. “Did you download that?”

“Ah-ha… yeah…” That wasn’t exactly a lie, but you were still sweating over thinking Donnie had manifested a legion of artillery.

Donnie was in furious motion.

A small smile slipped on your lips as he was sure to scold S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. for scaring everyone even though he’d be careful in his wording to not admit that was the case.

What was curious was Leo scurrying around the corner and into the bedroom.

He had a nervous twitch to his brow and it took you an exhausted second too long to realize it was because he was running from S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. It prompted a new kind of grin that Leo pointedly ignored.

“Hey, Lucinda, what’s shaking?” Leo played it cool and offered a fist bump.

Your physical therapist met it casually. “Oh, you know me now? Finally done ignoring me?”

“Not ignoring…” Leo leaned to one side and snapped a playful gaze right back. “It’s business. I’m on the job. Gotta act all tough and serious, you know!” He tucked his hands into his pockets and bobbed his broad shoulders.

“Uh huh.” She didn’t seem to believe it for a second and gestured for you to keep going.

You did exactly one rep before you had to stop. “Okay… no… You two know each other?”

“Oh yeah.” Lucinda said it like it was some kind of big thing.

“We go way back.” Leo joked the same way.

You stared on, unamused by the show.

Lucinda broke into a smile. “Fine, Leo here once forced his way into my old office to train.”

“Forced is a strong word…” Leo’s eyes rolled in a way that said he was avoiding guilt.

“He pretended to be an injured patient and then pelted us with a thousand questions until my boss got wind and yelled at him.” She clarified.

Leo made a sheepish high pitched noise that whittled down to a nervous chuckle. “I did get hired on though.”

“How’s Mikey?” Lucinda tapped your band.

You took a deep breath and went through your last reps.

“Good. He regained nearly all motor function, but he hasn’t quit the health nut bit.” Leo watched you with a trainer’s eye.

“I haven’t talked to him in a few years, but it was no joke. He was always onto some cutting edge stuff.” She seemed amused.

“You don’t live with him.” Leo huffed.

“You’re too hard on your family.”

“You know us Hamatos.” Leo banged his chest once to accentuate his tough plastron.

She sent him an arched brow that said she didn’t appreciate the joke.

Leo shined her a bright grin.

You drank a bit more from your bottle and let the pieces fall into place. “Mikey’s hands…”

The other two perked up.

“I thought this was a job?” Lucinda sent a suspicious glare towards Leo.

Leo pointedly looked away. “You know Mikey!”

“Cause Mikey gets around, right?” Her sarcasm cut thick and felt like a stark contrast to the concise person she was at work.

Leo laughed nervously before turning a wild gaze to you. “You know Luci here went into PT because she was a bully!?”

“Now, hold on!” She shot to her feet.

That spelt the truth for you and while you still wanted other answers, you were amused by their display.

“Yeah! She has a thing for making people hurt and figured this was the field to go in!” Leo cackled.

She had to jump, but she pinched his cheek and dragged him right down to her eye level. “In front of my patient!? Nu-uh!”

Leo couldn’t help, but laugh and you joined.

“If you know him, then you know he lies through his teeth.” Lucinda released him and dusted her hands.

“He’s always working an angle.” You remarked.

“Yes!” She pointed at you with a grin. “If he wasn’t a hero, he’d be a total grifter!”

“What’s that old bit? Selling stolen VCRs?” You mused.

“Yes!” She reached out and patted your good arm in appreciation.

“How old do you think I am?!” Leo looked between you two.

“Considering I just found out a little more than a month ago…?” You pretended to wonder.

“Month?!” Lucinda rounded on Leo again. “What is the deal here?”

“Yeah, Leo? What’s the deal?” You spread a grin on thick.

Leo held up his hands and his brow came down in irritation. “Come on… You don’t need to gang up on me!”

“Then explain! I’m not trying to assume anything, but it’s hard not to notice my patient’s partner is also green.” Lucinda folded her arms to wait.

You blinked once as the connection hit you.

The news knew Donnie as a masked villain from the turtle’s rogue’s gallery.

The truth was far more complicated.

You wondered if Leo had ever dealt with this before.

“You know what they say about assuming?” Leo had a stark edge.

You knew the joke, but his serious attitude just barely threw Lucinda off as she said, “No…?”

“They make an ass out of you and me.” Leo didn’t let up his serious nature as he clapped a hand to her shoulder.

It took exactly one second for the joke to hit her and she shoved him. “Ugh, I hate you!”

“She’s mad she couldn’t hurt me because I don’t have a poppable spine.” Leo held up a hand as if telling you a secret.

“Would you-!?” She swatted at him and he easily dodged while he continued to laugh.

“You know…” You did your own solemn positing.

Lucinda stiffened.

“You haven’t denied anything he’s said about you…” You marked the end of your sentence with a jeering grin.

Her lips flattened out into a caught line and it was her turn to assuage guilt. “That’s-! I mean-!

You pretended to wait.

“Fine!” She wilted. “I’m not a bad guy though! It’s my dad! He always had me walking on his back or pulling his arms and stuff as a kid! I loved the sound! So I might have bugged my friends and got a reputation for being the resident finger popper! Look how it turned out! All’s good at the end of the day!”

You gave her an affectionate smile. “That’s cute actually.”

“No, it’s not!” Leo bellowed and then openly shivered. “You two can’t hear just how loud those sounds are! There’s a fizz almost like soda between the joints! Eugh!!”

“And my boss wonders why you didn’t stay on…” Lucinda shook her head.

“That’s not why-!” Leo bit with a lighthearted edge.

“Why did you…?” The question leaked out from you even though it meant you interrupted.

The pair looked at you before Lucinda turned with a look that said she knew her story had been shared and thought she deserved to reveal something of her own. “I don’t know how close you are, so he might try to argue, but he hopped on to help his baby bro out at like 18ish. You still had a baby face then.” She turned to coo at Leo.

He sneered.

“He was real cagey about it, I just mentioned his whole fake spiel, but the boss took pity on him and hired him to clean up so he could unofficially work on the job.” Lucinda continued and bumped Leo to show she was doing it in good will.

He took it with a sigh.

“Those cracks on Mikey’s arms?” You asked before another thought hit you. “The tear in space time…”

“The what?” That was news to Lucinda.

“Hup-hup-hup!” Leo’s hands waved viciously between you and during the flurry he sent you a look that said you were right, but you needed to drop it.

“You know!” You quacked. “Because they look like the time rifts in movies!”

Lucinda evaluated both of you evenly before she gave a slow nod. “Yeah, they kinda do… Anyway, Mikey was a rough case. Terrible loss in coordination, muscle tearing, spasms… I really felt for him. The whole office did once Leo finally brought him around.”

Leo turned his head, oddly not liking this spotlight.

You studied him as he usually seemed more like one to preen.

“His recovery was… amazing.” Lucinda moved on. “Mikey was so motivated. He ended up always lifting spirits at the office.”

“He does group therapy now.” You offered.

“Of course he does.” Lucinda gave a smile that said she didn’t know it, but wholeheartedly believed. “Great kid. Both of you.” She slugged Leo affectionately.

“Yeah, yeah…” Leo brushed her off with a sly smile.

“Your turn.” Lucinda pointed at you.

“Next set?” You pulled the band up, ready.

“No, why this is all hush hush?” She gestured around.

Leo shifted, trying to cover how uncomfortable he was.

You kept your eye on him.

You guessed you didn’t blame him for still thinking the worst of you.

You weren’t his biggest fan, but he’d come through for you and Donnie in a major way.

In this instance, you couldn’t imagine throwing him under the bus. “Hero business.” You gestured down your half wrapped body. “He got sucked into dealing with my attack.”

“You were…!” Lucinda trailed off as she caught herself. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my place…”

“It’s okay. You’ve been amazing. You’re really good at your job.” You meant every word.

She smiled with a tinge or relief.

Leo was looking at you in a similar way.

Donnie made a small noise.

You all turned towards him.

He coolly glanced between the group before landing on Lucinda. “Something urgent has come up. I need to step out for a moment.”

“Sure. We got this. Right, Y/N?” She turned to you.

You were about to respond affirmatively when Leo cut in.

“What.” Leo’s flat tone held accusation instead of question.

Donnie only flicked him a glance.

“Donatello…” Leo spoke weighty, painfully aware of the company.

“I’ll be nearby.” Donnie relented that much before looking at you.

With no indication on his facial features, you saw in his eyes that this was something wholly necessary and had to do with his ninpo research.

You turned to Leo and hoped you betrayed as little as Donnie. “You still remember how to do this, Leo?”

He resisted looking away from Donnie before his eyes fell to you and the resistance band in your hand.

“Sure.” There was a tart quality to his voice before he reached for the rubber. “Sure, yeah. I use these to warm up at the gym.”

Donnie gave you one last look that had a tinge of longing before he departed.

Leo demonstrated stretching the band behind his back and Lucinda pushed you to try the as of yet attempted advanced maneuver. It pinched your shoulder, but she held your arm, ready and testing, to make sure you could execute safely. You manage three tugs before you wilted in pain and she passed you a cloth to dab your sweat.

“Amazing. Seriously. You’re really working hard and I can tell you aren’t skimping when I’m not around.” She soothed you.

You hummed a sort of laugh into the towel. “The walks around the apartment suck the most.”

“Oof when we get you out of the cast and onto the bars?” She sympathized.

You groaned lightly until a chirpy ringtone went off.

You pulled your towel down to find Lucinda making a tight face and looking at a phone in her hand. “I apologize. I don’t normally take calls while working, but…”

Her eyes were glued to her screen and you sensed a problem. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks.” She answered. “Hello?”

You watched her walk into the living room and sank where you were propped at the edge of the bed.

Leo was looking to the side as if he could see through the walls to where Donnie had gone.

“He’ll be right back.” You tried to calm him.

Leo said nothing and slipped his hands into his pockets as he waited.

Lucinda’s voice grew worried and both of you were soon trying your best not to pry as she came over with a fit waging on her features. “Y/N, I’m so sorry. I’m going to have to cut today’s treatment short. Something… I need to-”

“Everything okay?” Leo turned, his eyes examining.

“My mom fell. She’s already at the hospital and they say she’s stable, but I need to go.”

“Go, go.” You urged. “I’ll work through what we’ve done before.”

“Thank you. Hold onto the equipment. We’ll pick up with your session in two days.” She went for her bag nearby. “Actually, Leo can lead. Leo try some passive internal rotations and elbow extensions if possible. Otherwise, cool down.”

“You got it, boss.” Leo snapped his finger into pointing at her. “I’m sure your mom’s tough, she raised a bully after all.”

Lucinda snorted and waved him off with additional goodbyes as she left.

For a moment you both sat in silence.

“So... Passive… what now...?” You tried the air.

Now having his worries double, Leo looked at you with a waning expression before he wadded up the band. “Okay, we’re seriously doing this. Uh… Let’s see…”

“Why’d you say it like that?” You held a confused look and reached for the band.

“Maybe because I haven’t done PT in years?” He mirrored you and slapped your hand away.

“Hey!”

“So passive internal rotations work your supraspinatus…” He circled as if looking for something. “We need something long. Hey, do you have his stupid stick?”

“Are you joking right now?” You gave him a dull stare.

“No. It’ll work really well for this.” Leo approached you with an even temper.

“He keeps his bo on him.” You shook your head lightly.

“Damn.” Leo folded his hands on his hips. “The band is too stretchy. How about a big ruler?”

“Leo.”

“What’s it called? A yard stick?” Leo again did a little turn. “What else would be straight…?”

“Leo.”

“We could skip it for elbow extensions, but those are tougher…” He gave a weighty sigh, his eyes still moving.

“Hey.”

“Maybe we could sneak a curtain rod? There’s enough of them…” He looked past you to glare at the layers behind you on the windows.

He didn’t seem to hear you.

“Or this… thing?” He gestured to the canopy where the drapes were temporarily pinned out of the way.

He apparently also couldn’t remember he could portal to get anything he needed.

“It’s too clean!” Leo took a step that you clocked as nervous. “There’s stuff, but this place is…”

You tilted your head, studying him more carefully.

Like a slow cropping of data, you saw him piece by piece.

The barely there worried crease of his brow.

The way his lips kept parting the slightest amount.

The constant rove of his pupil.

His entire body was one twitch away from spasming.

“Leonardo.”

You watched the jolt happen in real time before he looked at you.

His gaze betrayed him.

It wasn’t that you called to him, it was how.

That was how Donnie said his name.

It made sense and you felt your expression sadden.

There it was again.

Everything was too much and you’d missed something so obvious.

It was like Leo though, you thought, to be the best at bearing the burden. Similar to how he accepted when you lashed out, it was his curse brought upon himself as you’d always seen it. He took his duty as his life and the current of which was basically cohabiting with the person who he considered had ruined it. His paranoia hadn’t evaporated just because he’d seen a new side of Donnie, he’d simply saddled up with his biggest fear so long that he’d grown a certain amount of numb to it.

He was also clearly entrenched in a never ending panic attack and his little naps during your physical therapy took a new light.

Donnie hadn’t been sleeping at night, but he had the dual excuse of fearing for his ninpo slipping in his sleep.

Leo had to keep one eye open from the couch.

“Why’d you…” He had almost a laugh to him though it was soaked in a certain level of misery he couldn’t keep out of his voice. “… say it like that?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while.” You couldn’t move so you reached for him.

He only looked at your hand and twisted the resistance band up between his own.

It acted as a shield.

He had to keep his barrier.

“Leo… Do you need a sec-?”

“Elbow extensions!” He cut in, his eyes wild and unfocused. “Okay so let’s see how high you can reach!”

At this rate he was going to break.

Something was making this worse.

What was it?

Had he been at his limit?

What had pushed him?

You tried to trace back, but found little.

You reached up lightly in hopes he’d feel compelled by how you hadn’t dropped your gesture.

“How high!” He repeated as if he were the unseen coach on a television set.

You moved to raise your arms and felt the pull in your shoulders. “Leo, I’m not so sure-”

“Push it!”

“Leo!” Your hands just barely surpassed your head, but the muscles in your healing shoulder locked.

“Shit.” In a quake, his gaze honed and he came closer. “Hold still. Try not to drop it.”

“That’s easier said than done…!” Your expression pinched.

He fought against himself before slinging the resistance band over his shoulder and cupping his hands around your rotator cuff. “Slow, we’ll work it down. What was I saying…?”

“What’s going on?” You had unintentionally caught him.

“Don’t.”

“Leo.”

“This isn’t fair.” He pressed lightly into the muscle.

You jumped, but made it did little more than strain your insides.

He gave a soothing shush and rubbed with a lighter touch. “It’s a cramp. Give it a second.”

“In that second, you could tell me-”

“I’m not doing whatever you think I will. Not here. Not ever.” He glared at your arm instead of you.

Not here.

That was an odd specification.

Leo had been holding back.

He had his own emotional mask.

He paraded as a habit.

There was more than he let on.

You wished you had a better read on him.

You felt out of sorts.

Your usual prowess was diminished by the many stressors.

How could you pay attention when there was too much to watch?

You felt like sludge.

A dozen mental monitors were on and all of them vied for your attention.

In a single blink, you were sending a wide gaze to Leo.

His lips flattened out as if caught.

You watched a bead of sweat pock his forehead.

It wasn’t enough to trickle, but it was there.

He still had your arm.

It had yet to loosen.

“Darling Protocol.”

It was enough that Leo stopped.

“Cut all feeds until Donnie returns.”

For you, nothing had changed.

For Leo, he seemed struck as if the command was for him.

Then his gaze rose.

He moved, still holding you and looked around the corners of the room.

“Leo…?” You tested in a tiny voice.

“They’re… off…” He rolled wariness to you.

“It’s just us.”

“That’s worse!” He shouted.

He was too close and you winced. “I thought that’s what you want-!”

“Well you're wrong!” He pressed too hard into rubbing your shoulder.

You squeaked in pain for a moment before your arm suddenly drooped.

Leo shot several feet away and looked at you like he might explode.

“That’s…” You were extremely careful in testing your shoulder in a roll. “… way better. Wow.”

“Turn them back on! What was with that name? What is wrong with you!? It’s always something! Always you!”

“What are you talking about?” You exhaled irritation. “I thought you might want a break from the cameras. I’m trying to help! You’re the one acting like you’re caged up!”

“Yeah, because I’m locked in here with you!”

You stared at him openly.

His eyes sat enormous and trapped.

“With… me?”

He shook and wrapped a hand around his throat. “Fuck. Forget it! Just forget I said anything!”

“Leo.” You looked for your crutches.

“You’re stuck!” He pointed and saw an opening where nothing had changed. “I can go over here and you can’t do a thing about it!” He headed toward the partition.

“You sound like you’re five! You’re really going to run!?” You shouted after him and your helplessness drowned you in droves. “What do you mean me!? Shouldn’t it be Donnie?!”

“Donnie!?” He mocked your voice and came far enough around the wall to send an incensed gaze. “I’m not scared of him! I’m scared of you-!!!”

The slap of his hand against his mouth was so loud it echoed.

You had no idea what was happening.

Each consecutive action he made seemed newer than the last.

Your powers of perception were a joke.

You didn’t know a single thing.

Your lips parted, but he moved first.

“Fuck!!!” He socked the wall so hard that cracks split and crawled around the edges. “Oh, fuck that’s worse…” He stared at his damage and wobbled further out into the open where you could see him. “No, no, no… What am I-?! Fuck! I haven’t been to the gym in months! I’m-!!!”

You could only watch as he fell apart.

Shreds of him unraveled with a spool and he made it a few more steps on a wobbly form. “Keep it together. I can keep it together.”

“You don’t have to…” You whispered as quietly as you could.

“I don’t have…” He mimed it back. “No…” He stabilized in a slouch. “Yeah, I don't. No. I’m fine. I’ve been fine. I’ll be fine.”

The whole of him lost mass like a dropped ball of yarn.

“Cool down. You need to finish your exercises.” He marched over, a snag still caught and he lost more of himself on the way.

You couldn’t believe he was trying to drop this.

“Close your eyes.”

“No.”

“I’m not going to look at that pathetic face. I’m not going to explain.”

“Are you telling me or you?”

“It’s a trick. You're trying to trick me and I’m not playing.”

“Stop answering then.” You sharpened your glare.

“I-!” He breathed hard as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

“Are you scared of Mikey too?”

Leo reared. “Why would I be?”

“He’s always trying to get you to go to therapy.”

Leo barked a single acidic laugh. “What? You think you’re helping me?! You have no idea!”

“Then tell me!”

“No!”

“Then stop acting out!”

“I’m not!”

“You cracked a wall because you’re scared of some human!”

“I’m not scared of you!”

“That’s not what you said!”

Leo rose as high as he could without going on the tips of his toes.

Instead of menace, you saw the last strings of his will holding him up.

The slightest press would cause what was left of him to unfurl and he’d be nothing more than a long line of everything he’d ever done.

You had a choice.

You could be his undoing or you could leave it be.

“Leo.”

You spoke.

He listened, his mouth a thin line.

You reached up with your good hand to gesture to your bad shoulder.

On his mirrored body, that’s where the resistance band still hung.

He loosely puppetted as you directed and, as he brushed it, it startled him.

You watched his gaze narrow more and more as he pulled the thing down to cradle in his palm.

A loose and floppy bit of rubber, he looked as though he’d sob over its lifeless body.

Instead he shifted his grip and wound the edges around his fists.

Then he pulled the band across his body and for a blissful moment, he wasn’t here.

He was at his beloved gym and his thoughts were clear.

He spoke.

“I don’t hate you. I’m not… scared scared of you, but damnit, Y/N.” He pulled the band as far apart as it would go and you thought it might snap. “I can’t… keep pretending like being around you is fine and dandy. I knew what to expect from Donatello. I knew…” The edge came again and he yanked so hard you saw a tear form in the middle of the band. “I knew…” Coiling his hands another loop, this time he pulled as if he had the intention to break it. “I knew-!” In a rapid bungee bounce, it split and both sides whipped him. “I knew I would never reach him! I banked on it! I pushed the others back after their attempts! I wouldn’t let them get closer! That left me! Did I think I could do it? Fuck no! I didn’t think I could do a single thing, but that’s what you do when you care! You stick your neck out again and again! You do everything you can! You put your life on the line! You show them-! You show them-!”

His own twine snapped, his entire being drooped.

“You know what I am?”

Your heart beat heavy in your chest.

“I’m…” He had to look away, loose straps of rubber dangling in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this.”

You fisted the loose sweats that fit over your cast.

“I’m jealous.” He told you, his eyes glazed.

You felt your own well.

“I’m jealous of you.” He doubled the effort and with it came pressure on his lips. “I’d buried it so goddamn deep. That’s where it was supposed to stay, but no! You couldn’t leave it alone! You kept digging! Every time! Every single time! Until you dug it out of me! I’m scared of that! I’m scared of what you keep doing to me! To us! You could have dropped it! I treated you like shit! You were supposed to drop it! You were supposed to leave. You weren’t supposed to make it! You were going to be my excuse! You would have been the final straw! Enough! So that I could finally… make it make sense! We made sense! We’d given up! That’s how we were! It wasn’t happy, but it was what we…!” He dropped the pieces he clung to.

Your throat swallowed your heart.

“I was a hero.” He hunched into himself. “I was the best. I was the leader. I saved everyone. I couldn’t save-!” He choked and sent prayers toward you. “You did it over a fucking sandwich!!!”

Tears loosed and dotted your hands.

“My family is all I have and I couldn’t save him…!” Leo’s knees hit the ground so hard it covered up the raw shout slicing his throat right before he went ghostly quiet. “I’m so tired.”

You pressed your hands to your chest to keep yourself in check.

He didn’t need your tears.

He didn’t need anything more from you.

No matter how, this was your doing.

“I only ever needed my family…” Leo wept.

You couldn’t move.

You couldn’t do anything.

You could only watch.

Leo shook out a few more tears before he held a hand up as if grabbing a pole.

A sword appeared in an etching of blue and from it he sliced into the floor and opened a portal.

He then drew his other limb, heavy as lead, up from his side where his phone was picked from his pocket.

He punched a few numbers in and stared over the abyss he’d created.

“Mike.”

You couldn’t hear the other line.

“Code green. Portals in the strategy room.” Leo pulled his phone away and you watched as his thumb slammed the end call button.

He then moved methodically, as if to sip elixir from the blue pool, and dipped his hand into the portal.

His arm jostled from some movement on the other side and then his muscles went taunt under his sweater as he pulled.

He fell.

Straight down and out of the apartment and, like a swapped mirror, Mikey was thrust up and out.

The younger brother spun around, clearly confused as he floated above the portal until it disappeared.

He then searched around until his eyes landed on you and he soared over.

“Are you okay? What was that? What happened…?” Mikey hovered close and gingerly took your shoulders.

It was the right amount of pressure and sobs broke free from you.

Mikey held you close and asked no more.

You didn’t hear the front door click, but you did hear Donnie’s voice. “I apologize. That call was… of… the…!”

He ran.

“Don-na-tello…” Mikey croaked through snivels.

“What’s…?”

As soon as you sensed Donnie close enough you shot your bad arm out, caught a fistful of his top, and yanked him in.

Mikey moved to one side and you clutched both of them to keep them together. It took Donnie several long minutes until he brought an arm around you.

💜NEXT💜

Through sickness and health, my darling betas have my undying love @tmntxthings and @thepinkpanther83

#weakspotfic #rottmnt #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction

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