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j4ygyu · 1 day

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all i want is you | pjs

pairing: loverboy!jay x reader

genre: angst, fluff

summary: idk how to summarize this🙏🏻

<a/n> little women reference used cope w it 🤣

you hear it, the teasing glances and the whispers as you walk around the school. it’s been like this ever since jay, the popular guy at school had asked you out about 2 months ago during valentines.

“hey look it’s your girlfriend” you hear it very clearly, but you know what they want, they want a reaction out of you.

you still turn your head to the side to look and jay seems.. embarrassed? sad? you weren’t good at reading people so you never tried that hard either.

there wasn’t anything negative about you or your looks, it was just the people around you who did not value you. but sometimes you did tend to forget and let your emotions control you.

same way, 2 months ago when jay had asked you out, private proposal. it was pretty unusal to you, you thought it was some kind of prank, you still do, like some kind of bet.

so you just stared into his soul that day, without responding you nervously just bowed at him and excused yourself.

few other students saw and reported it to their friends and slowlt by the next day, the rumor spread like a wildfire.

yes jay’s ego was hurt, you expected him to look down at you after that day but later on he just showed up with “i will win you.”

maybe he watched a movie and got motivated off it?

you did like him back, no doubt in that but all your life you’ve felt like you were in a competition and always losing it so you just let things be.

there was someone else who wanted him, some other of your classmate, yunjin.

so you just did not want to be in all this drama, yunjin already despised you, you did not want to make things worse.

you head back to class as soon as recess is over, ignoring all the whispers and the look of envy you recieve from yunjin.

“what is going on?” wincing in pain as yunjin pushes you onto some wall with a sudden question.

“what the fuck do you want?” you ask back as she laughs at your face “i thought i told you to stay away from jay?” you could’ve fought back to get out of her grip, but come on she had two girls behind her making sure nobody sees.

“i did, we haven’t spoken in a while” you say as you grab her hand harshly and pull it away “and, don’t touch me.”

the sternness in your voice intimidated her, you could tell by the way she was gulping, even though you appeared weak you still were strong enough to fight back so they could not do much.

“then why the fuck is a rumor about jay dropping all his friends for you going on?” she says as you look at her, not even surprised cause you were already done with this school and it’s rumors.

she steps back “god have you like casted a spell on him? why the fuck does he even want you?” looking at you in disbelief if you have caused it.

shrugging, “don’t know and don’t care” you say as yunjin tries to trap you between her and the wall again but the teacher calls out

‘what are you girls doing? get to class right now’

she gives you the dirtiest smirk known to man kind as you stare into her soul back with a poker face, not feeding onto her little trick.

deciding to talk it out with jay, during second break you visit him near the playground area.

“why would you choose me when you can have her? i mean she has everything i don’t” oh the way jay could answer this in a paragraph.

“she has everything but she is not you okay? she is a piece of shit who goes around and bullies people, just like she has bullied you your entire life at school” you can audibly hear breaths leaving his mouth, desperation of wanting you really evident now.

your gazes piecered each other’s souls, staring deeply, somewhere deep down you knew there was some spark as your chest tightened oh how bad i want you jay.

“you’re what everyone wants jay. i am someone they spit on and walk past. nobody wants us together.” you confessed absentmindedly.

“why do you care about what they think?” he asked, “its always been like that, you were a bystander too before you liked me” he lowers his head out of embarrassment.

knowing there is nothing more to add in to the arguement, you slide your hands in the pockets of your uniform skirt and walk away.

little did you both know, yunjin was eavesdropping everything and rage of jealousy filled her making her undereye twitch.

class dismissed.

it is finally the end of the day, the bell rings as the sounds of everyone packing their bags fill your ears.

jay’s class was right infront of yours, but unfortunately yunjin was still in your class so you just couldn’t avoid her for some reason, knowing you’re under her sight almost all the time.

she walks out first as you go extra slow, too tired for anything.

out of luck, no body stops you to tease you today, everyone annoying out of your sight.

walking down the alley as everyone else, it was almost empty and not crowded as usual, as you realise you came out late. shit what was i dreaming about.

something captures your eyes, but you were captured someone’s eyes way long before you noticed, it was yunjin, she saw you walking back home to school and grabbed the opportunity out of her luck that jay was walking back too at the same time.

“oh- jayie” she calls out for him as he diverts his attnetion to her now raising his eyebrows, “can i have some water.” she asks faking tiredness.

jay cringes at her but still reaches for his side pockets of his bag.

as he is doing that, yunjin watches carefully as you walk closer, minding ur own business.

thats it as soon as jay looks back up yunjin pushes him to the nearest wall holding him by his tie and kisses him.

she kisses him so hungrily, ignoring his pushes, finally jay gives her one sudden push that makes her lose her balance and fall over “dude what the fuck?”

“did she see it?” she thinks to herself directly looking back at you as she sees you standing there, amused and disappointed.

jay looks at yunjin but realizes that she is looking somewhere else, his gaze follows her as his mind freezes for a short second.

you slowly meet his eyes, he could feel the rage in your eyes, your face completely showing numb as turn your eyes back to your path and continue walking.

you walked as fast as you could avoiding him calling out your name, running behind you.

jay thought to himself, this is the most of my desperation i can show. mix of anger, love and worry on his face.

“just stop jay.”

both of you stop in your tracks as he pants swiping his sweat off, bending down taking supporting of his knee.

he uses all his energy to keep his head high, it was like your and his eyes were magnets, once attached you could physically feel the burden of breaking it.

“why don’t you get it? just leave me!” you scream from a distance at the top of your lungs, catching your breath as soon as you were done with your words.

your feet faces back to your path as you continue walking fast, you could hear his footsteps fastening again, you did not quit either as you start running back

“i have loved you ever since i’ve known you y/n why dont you get it”his voice ringed in your ears as you cried after each word, eyes getting teary and blurry.

that’s when you gave up and lost it all, crying right there on the spot. “what jay?” you ask as you shut close your eyes, your lips trembling and so were the words.

he didn’t stop, continued to approach you and close the distance, shaking you by the shoulder, even though the action seemed harsh it felt so soft, “why don’t you just accept this? why don’t you just accept me? what do i lack?”

what do i lack.

someone so perfect like him had feelings like that too, about a total complete loser like you? after all he was just a person, just like you.

you opened your eyes, your eyes met his as the world went quiet, his narrowed eyes staring at you, the tension in the air mixed with all your emotions crashing with each other.

both of you taking deep breaths and panting hard, feeling the heat radiating off each other, “i gave up everything you didn’t like, cant you see? i’m happy i did its fine and i waited and i will wait and i never complained..

and i-“

you kiss his lips to shut him up, the sensation in his heart goes crazy as you feel his muscles go loose, knees bucking as sense of weakness.

you hold his face, sharp bones of his jawline and cheekbones right in contact with your palm, he was so warm. his lips were like pillows, so soft.

his head spins around, incapable of coping with the moment. you pull back

“you know i figured you’d love me y/n.” he says without thinking as if he was on auto pilot

“oh god how much i love you” you kiss his lips once again grabbing his collar to pull him closer.

you couldn’t hold onto it any longer maybe this is what everythings meant to be.

#enhypen fluff #park jongseong #enhypen x reader #enha #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #enhypen #jay fluff

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deltaharrington · 1 day

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SHARING IS CARING

PAIRING: Boyfriend!Bokuto Koutaro x Fem!Reader x Hinata Shoyo

SUMMARY: Bokuto’s close friend, and teammate, Hinata is inexperienced when it comes to women, so Bokuto decides to share his girlfriend as practice…

WARNINGS: NSFW content, MINORS DNI, sexual content, kinda poly?, group mastrubation, etc. Timeskip Bokuto and Hinata (THEY ARE CONSENTING ADULTS)

Dating a professional volleyball player came with its ups and downs.

Bokuto was the perfect boyfriend by all means, but that didn’t distract from the fact that he had to travel a lot, and with your work schedule, you couldn’t always make it to games.

As much as he loved seeing you at his games, Ko understood that you wanted to work. (Even though he’d argued plenty that his own income was enough for you both).

At times when you were separated, he’d have more time with the MSBY team.

Especially Hinata.

It was no surprise that his star pupil had grown since high school. He was taller, more experienced, and a complete catch.

So when the ginger expressed that he hadn’t had any luck with woman, Ko was shocked.

“I’ve never even touched a woman, Bokuto-san!” The ginger whined in the locker room after a game. All of the other boys had left, and the pair always went back to the hotel together.

“I feel like….I don’t know how” He added and Bokuto raised a brow at the revelation. “Like..you! I see the damn scratch marks Y/N gives you, so you must be doing something right” Hinata said, his cheeks flushing a bit.

“Are you saying I’m good in bed. Shoyo?” Bokuto teased and the ginger groaned and huffed, shaking his head a bit.

“Can you teach me? Or…tell me how you do it?” Hinata asked “I can flirt and get girls just fine, but when we go to have sex- I don’t think I know how to please them enough”

Bokuto understood that better than anyone. When you two first began dating, he was more than inexperienced and he was terrified he wasn’t doing anything right.

It took practice, and soon enough, you were putty beneath Bokuto when you had sex. He was an absolute God in bed.

If only he had someone to teach him.

“I have a proposition for you, Hinata” Bokuto said before he sat next to the ginger on the locker room bench. “If Y/N is okay with it, I’ll let you borrow her for practice” He said.

Hinata nearly gaped at the offer. “Bokuto- I couldn’t do that! She’s your girlfriend!”

“Sure you can my man! I’m completely okay with it, if it’ll boost your confidence.” Bo said “And Y/N is good at this stuff! She helped me!” He said.

So it was settled. Now to get your permission.

“You want me to what?”

“I want you to let Hinata fuck you, he needs the practice” Kotarou said like it was nothing.

“I- what made you think of this?” You asked, shocked.

You’d just been lounging on the couch with Bokuto when he brought the topic up. He’d just gotten home and you were spending as much time together as you could before he had to leave again.

“He was stressing about pleasing women, and I was like that when I met you” Bokuto explained. Oh. So he felt bad for him.

“I…I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to it” You mumbled and he smiled. “Only if you’re there” You added and he nodded with a stern look on his face.

“I have to guide him- I’m not sending him in blind” Bokuto said “And besides, you are mine after all” He added and you rolled your eyes playfully.

The idea had your mind racing with not-so-pure thoughts. Having two big guys pleasing you? Oh god. You hoped you wouldn’t regret this…

“How’s next week sound, pretty girl?” Ko said and you nodded your head, the nerves in your stomach swirling at the mere thought of showing your boyfriend’s best friend how to fuck properly.

The night of the…uh act? You didn’t know what to call it, but it came quickly. Bokuto planned on bringing Hinata over for dinner and then afterwards “the fun would happen”, as your boyfriend put it.

He requested that you wore his favorite set, as he planned on getting in on the action too. He wasn’t fond of being left out, especially not by Hinata.

The poor ginger boy was a blushing mess when he arrived at your apartment, and you tried to calm him down with small talk, but that only seemed to heighten his nerves.

“Hey, Hinata” You spoke as he picked at his dinner, his cheeks properly flushed and his hands shaking like a leaf. Poor guy.

“No need to be nervous, think of this like volleyball practice” You said and he began to lighten up after that. Thank the Gods.

Once dinner was over and everything was cleaned up, Bokuto led you both to the bedroom, having Hinata sit in the chair near your bed so he could watch first.

Bokuto stood looming over you with a hungry look in his eyes. Your cheeks heated up at this, glancing to Hinata to see nearly the same look in his eyes.

Oh fuck.

“The first thing you have to nail is the way you kiss someone…like this” Bokuto said and moved to you, gently cupping your cheek before leaning down, pressing his lips to yours. You almost immediately moaned into his mouth just by the mere passion in his actions, allowing him to slip his tongue into your mouth.

Hinata watched intensely as you two made out, watching as Bokuto’s hands trailed to your waist and slipped under your shirt, gently squeezing at your plush hips.

Hinata was nearly a mess just watching something this intimate up close.

Bokuto pulled away, a small string of saliva connecting your mouths. A sheepish smile crossed your features he smiled. “Now she’s shy…” He teased before waving Hinata over.

Shoyo stood and made his way to you like he was a magnet, his eyes glued to yours.

“Your turn” Bokuto said and Hinata did as told. He gently cupped your cheek, tilting your head up to look at him before his lips met yours.

A gasp emitted from you as Hinata pulled your body flush to his, his large hand slipping under your shirt and traveling up your back.

He slipped his tongue into your mouth and your hands caught in his hair, gently tugging at the shorter strands near the nape of his neck, earning a grunt in response from him.

When Hinata pulled away, the same string of saliva held you together like with Bokuto.

“H-How was that?” He asked and scratched the back of his neck.

“Hinata..you were perfect, you did exactly what Bokuto would have” You said and your boyfriend smiled wide.

“See? You’ve got this ginger!” Bokuto said and gave you a smirk, moving to stand behind you.

“Stay in front of her” Your boyfriend ordered and Shoyo nodded his head. “Now, let’s get these off, hm?” He said and gently raised your shirt over your head, revealing the, nearly see through, bra you were wearing. He did the same with you pants, leaving you in your matching panties.

Hinata was a blushing mess “You’re so beautiful” He muttered and you blushed a bit.

Bokuto gently wrapped his arms around you from behind and you leaned into him. His hands trailed up and began to grope at your tits, emitting a small whine from you.

“She’s super sensitive, which means she’s very vocal…she’ll tell you if she doesn’t like something” Bokuto said and Hinata nodded his head profusely.

Bokuto’s right hand slid down your front and then into your panties, making your cheeks flush.

His middle finger found your clit and he began circling at a fast pace, causing you to throw your head back and let out a loud moan.

This lasted a bit, and Hinata was watching as you nearly fell apart in Bokuto’s arms.

“I like to play with her a bit, mark her up, bring her right to the edge…” Bo said right as you were close to cumming. He then stopped his movements, earning a pout from you.

“We’ve gotta let Hinata in on the action too, sweetheart” Bokuto said and you nodded “He can make you cum”

Hinata and Bokuto switched positions and you expected Hinata to have some trouble finding your clit, but he found it almost immediately, and he absolutely went crazy, his middle finger moving in circles at an ungodly pace.

“Hinata! Shit- that feels so good!” You cried out. His left arm supported your body weight as you leaned into him, loud and unpredictable moans leaving your throat.

“Fuck! Can I cum?” You asked and Hinata looked to Bokuto, who shrugged.

“It’s up to you Hinata” The man said and Hinata smirked a bit.

“Mm not yet, hold on a bit longer for me” The ginger cooed and you cried out in desperation.

“Please! Shoyo!” You begged and he hummed in confirmation before you came, your body shaking. Hinata held you up and helped you ride through the orgasm. He was good at this.

“Now give her some praise…she likes that” Bokuto said and Hinata nodded.

“You did so good for me” He whispers and pressed kisses to your cheeks and neck from behind you. “Good girl” He added and your cheeks flushed a deep red.

“Is….is that all?” Hinata asked and Bokuto raised a brow.

“Oh, we’re just getting started”

PART 1 of 2

#bokuto koutaro x reader #bokuto koutarou #bokuto x reader #haikyuu bokuto #hq bokuto #bokuto smut #msby bokuto #bokuto x you #shoyo hinata x reader #hinata shoyo #haikyuu shoyo #hq shoyo #shoyohinata #shoyo x reader #haikyuu #haikyu x reader #haikyū!!#haikyu smut

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brainrot-goes-brrrrrr · 2 days

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Savannah Squad Presentation Night Headcanons/Drabble [2/3]

it has been forever :'D (everyone say thank you to @moonbiine)

ANYWAYS, here's part 2 :}

Part 1: Taylor & Logan Part 2: Ben & Tyler Part 3: Aiden & Ashlyn [WIP]

Logan's POV

Two hours and twenty-eight minutes. It has been two hours and twenty-eight minutes and we've been stuck at 76% complete for forty minutes. Whoever made Windows deserves to burn and I stand by that, cause what do you mean that they can push an update and force restart my laptop.

"Logan when was the last time you updated this?" "Logan, why are there fifteen updates that need to be downloaded?" "Bro, when was the last time you actually shut down your laptop?" ... "I've been busy, okay--"

So it might be my fault. Partially. I will admit that much, but the laptop's never given me a problem before and it was running fine. It's just old, and has a few odd... kinks? I mean, the left half of the mousepad is jammed to the point where it can't click, and, sure, the screen does go black every now and again, but just hit it a few times it works! It's character, charm even (and I can't be bothered to fix it...)!

It was, honest to God, easier for Aiden to run back to his place and grab his laptop.

"So we agree that Logan is off electronic duty right?" Taylor had asked as Ben was setting up the other computer to the television screen with Aiden helping. It was a unanimous decision. Ben and Aiden are the new tech guys.

"Yeah, that's probably for the better," I had conceded.

Ben Clarke

Ben goes next because he saved the groups sanity by suggesting that Aiden just gets his laptop. Everyone, thank Ben for the night not failing.

To address the obvious, Ben has a text to speech app on his phone, which is connected to a speaker, that he uses to present. I will say that there is a sort of humor in this for two reasons. One, the voice can either be monotoned like a typical text-to-speech program with funny pronunciation errors, or two, it will sound like one of those videos on tiktok where an AI is reading a tumblr post about SuperBats or something and gets progressively more expressive as time goes on. Personally, I want to hear exasperated robot Ben voice explaining to Aiden why "Life is a Highway" on repeat can and will be considered a torture method.

Ben's music taste is GODLY. And he's more of a eclectic listener too so he has experience with a good amount of genres. This man does not bash other genres of music that he doesn't care for, he thinks its rude to the person he's talking to and to the artist.

Aiden is the exception to this rule^^

DESPISES having to subscribe to music platforms. What do you mean that you can't listen to a song on repeat without paying, what do you mean that you will interrupt his carefully crafted playlist with a recommended song that does not fit the vibe. This end up derailing his presentation couple times.

He has a set criteria that he judges on: length, vibes, transitions, and replayability. Good playlists should at minimum be an hour, have similar vibes/sound while still being unique, the transitions between songs shouldn't be jarring, and the playlist shouldn't be painful to listen to after a month.

Taylor and Ashlyn helped him judge everyone's playlists by acting as secondary perspectives. Taylor is more open to everyone's music tastes while Ashlyn scrutinizes them more. They pretty much just took a playlist that everyone listens to regularly, one that they made but listen to it every so often, and their liked songs.

I would also like everyone to remember that the series is set in 2016... they would have songs mostly from the 2000s-2010s with the exceptions of some 90s and 80s songs. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying that I looked up 2010s hit songs and I'm filled with nostalgia.

Overall, Ben's criticisms and recommendations are genuinely thoughtful. Especially the recommendations. For each person, after critiquing their playlists, Ben made a slide of genres and artists that each person should check out to expand their tastes.

(I'll probably make a bit about what songs were on their playlist, idk tho)

Group Reaction (how they ranked in comparison to each other)

Personally, Tyler and Logan getting the best ratings because their playlists are very consistent in their vibes and are replayable. I also think that Ben's music taste fits the most with these two for some reason, so they got the most song recs out of everyone.

Ashlyn is third in the ranking. She has one or two that she listens to occasionally, and they're pretty short. They are absolute polar opposites though. One of the playlists is rock, since she canonically likes Paramore (if you don't, get well soon), and the other is classical music for her ballet performances.

Taylor is next. Her playlist isn't bad, its just... a bit everywhere. Like it starts pretty good, but you can tell that somewhere along the lines of creating this playlist she just added songs that she remembered that she likes. It mostly fits the same genre. Ben makes her a more organized playlist after the presentation.

Aiden is dead last. It's not because his music taste is shit. Aiden actually has a pretty good music taste. No. Its because he only listens to his liked songs on repeat like a monster. It is musical whiplash. You go from a movie theme song, to crying, to listening to white girl club music, to rock, to crying again, and then for some reason the Home Depot jingle???? The only playlists that he makes are for jokes really. Do you know the John Mulaney bit where he plays "What's New Pussycat?" 27 times. Yeah, that's Aiden.

Tyler Hernandez

Tyler's next, and, I'm letting you know now that he sprayed the fuck out of Aiden for interrupting. Yeah, Ash pulled them a part.

Motherfucker is so pleased with himself, like its honestly so funny. Aiden had him by the collar and Tyler was just fucking smiling. Taylor does throw her slipper at him for being rude, but he could honestly care less.

The slideshow itself is the most soulless thing ever made, man used the Blank Google Slides template and called it a day. Like one stock image on each slide, and its so pixelated. He probably did it like an hour ago. That's why his presentation is funny because he's just jabbing at Aiden over and over with a basic slideshow that you'd see someone pull out in a Spanish 1-2 class.

You know what? He probably had another presentation about what piercing he think would suit the group best, and just did this one out of spite cause Aiden was being loud. I take back my previous statement about him doing it an hour before getting to Logan's place, he did this on his PHONE WHEN THE LAPTOP WAS UPDATING!!!! Like Logan was taking a walk, Ben was trying to fix the computer, the girls went to make sandwiches, Aiden was running errands, and Tyler made this in an hour.

His presentation is based off a tier system where it gets more effective with each method. Methods 1-3 are pretty basic where its just stuff like duct taping his mouth shut, 4 and onwards just gets funny

I'll be completely honest, each way he put is wild, and it gets progressively more deranged as the presentation goes on. These one's my favorite

"Number 9: Dying You know, I thought this would be the best way, but the bastard got crushed by a ceiling and walked it off. I want you to try and convince me that Aiden wouldn't crawl out of hell just to ruin my day. " "Number 10: Put him in a room alone with Ashlyn's mom and dad *insert a picture of Aiden sitting not so comfortably in between Ashlyn's parents* I don't even think I need to say anything else, I mean, I will, but like... look at him"

This is honestly the shortest presentation of the night but so far it's the most chaotic (he will quickly lose this title).

Tyler went through two spray bottles, mainly for Aiden, but he did spray Taylor once or twice. She threw a shoe at him. It's only fair.

Groups Reaction

Aiden is standing to the side with a towel around himself because Logan said his grandparents would kill them for ruining their couch. He's not exactly pissed but he is kind of sulking. Honestly this just makes his presentation so much better for him.

You know how Tyler asked for suggestions in the beginning, Ben and Ashlyn give him genuine ideas. Mainly Ben, just out of good humor you know. And Tyler's taking notes.

Taylor is giggling, but she does feel a bit bad for Aiden. At some point she gives him a consolation sandwich to raise his spirits.

Logan, however, doesn't and he's just quietly enjoying the scene that's unfolding around him.

The end of these two presentations are by far more chaotic than the first two, and it feels like its only going to get worse from here(/pos). Because right now Aiden is fighting with Tyler, getting him soaked too, Taylor is filming them while Logan provides commentary, and Ashlyn is standing with Ben setting up the next powerpoint.

While it was initially decided that Aiden would go last, Ashlyn suggested that she and him switch. Mainly so that he can drip dry while presenting, and sit down when he's done.

Aiden is following a presentation that was just jabbing at him, how do you think his is going to end up now?

#school bus graveyard #school bus graveyard webtoon #sbg #sbg (webtoon)#ben clarke #tyler hernandez #savannah squad #sbg powerpoint night #I might add more to tyler's later #not edited rn #we die like men

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apoptoses · 2 days

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♟ If they like board games, and how good they are at ‘em (for Armand)

and of course

☾ Sleeping habits (for Our Boys daniel/armand/louis 👀)

♟ If they like board games, and how good they are at ‘em (for Armand)

Does he like board games? Yes. Is he good at them? To the point Daniel has refused to play at times lmao

I just think he'd be the worst combination of rules lawyer but also arbitrary. Like if they're playing ticket to ride he's analyzing every move Daniel makes and denying him the ability to move a single car if it's already touched the board. You start placing your cars along a route and realize there's a better path? Too bad, you set one token down, Armand is not allowing take backs. Catan? He's ruthless, he knows the rules and will make life hell.

But he's also the kind of demon who learned about the concept of 'house rules' from drunk Daniel back in the 80s, and now the Trinity Gate monopoly nights take like seven hours because properties aren't being auctioned off and every time Lestat says anything about how this shit is unfair, he's the prince- he's forced to place $100 in the pot in the middle of the board and game drags on and on and fucking on.

Also I see him into those really complex modern board games that have like, six decks of cards, a rule book as thick as a dictionary, and need at least an hour to explain to a new player. Like wingspan or time stories. But that's fine because everyone in the household has their preferred complex game (I think Louis would dig time stories tbh) and he's down for any of them.

☾ Sleeping habits (for Our Boys daniel/armand/louis 👀)

Oh man oh man I had to marinate on this one, I have THOUGHTS.

This is a relationship configuration where Armand can sit back and be doted on and he's taking advantage of that. Like he is always always always sleeping in the middle on the nights they're all home. He just really enjoys the weight and comfort of being surrounded by the two of them but in like, two main configurations-

Armand on his back, with Louis and Daniel on their sides facing him- a fave because he gets the joy of their faces tucked up close to his cheek/neck, or a chin resting on his shoulder. ALSO because he gets the entertainment value of Louis and Daniel trying to figure out whose arm goes where like who gets to hold his waist, who gets a hand on his chest.

And it's awkward the first couple times because neither of them know if its okay if their arms brush, like what if they BOTH want their hand on Armand's chest? But after a few nights everyone is used to it, and occasionally Armand will feel Daniel's hand push against Louis' and shove it over a little just to be a pest. And Armand hears Louis sigh but he doesn't take the bait and push back like Lestat would, he just waits until the night Daniel is least expecting it and grabs his hand and holds onto it. And now they're buddies who share a bed with their shared boyfriend and hold hands and boy does that make for some interesting eavesdropping into Louis' mind for Armand.

Armand getting spooned by Louis, with Daniel on his side wrapped around Armand like an octopus- This one happens most often if Daniel is a straggler and comes to bed last. He has to lift Armand's arm, sneak in and snuggle up with his face buried in Armand's chest. And he's tall so being down this low results in his feet sticking off the bottom of the bed but that's alright, sometimes waking up with two people playing with his hair makes up for it.

And Armand likes this because he gets to feel squashed between them but his face is still out, and Louis would like it because his chin can rest atop Armand's head. Because I think both of them have some weird trauma that would lead them to wanting to be able to see their surroundings as soon as they open their eyes, and not want to feel smothered before they fall asleep. Like Louis getting buried in the wall in that coffin, and Armand's....everything. They're both a little hypervigilant as a result.

ALSO

In my heart of hearts Armand is like Lestat, a morning (evening?) person who is ready to get out of bed and go. But Louis and Daniel both like to linger in that space between death sleep and wakefulness, where they're napping like mortals and groggy.

And Daniel missed out on sleeping a full night with Armand for so long, right? Like as a mortal he'd wake up groping for Armand even though he's not there, and would wind up hugging a pillow instead.

So now whenever Armand springs out of bed alone and gets dressed he gets treated to the sight of Daniel shifting around until he snuggles up to Louis' arm and gets settled again. And Louis is so used to Lestat clinging that he doesn't even stir, he's accepted that tall blond men drooling on his shoulder is his fate ♥

#wow wow wow this is a novel lmao #i love them how did you manage to do this to me!!!#i feel so full of new thoughts and new energy #we gotta write the fic lmao it needs to happen!!!#vc headcanons #vc askgame #armand/daniel #armand/louis/daniel

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twinsunstars · 2 days

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Follow the Stars - a Bad Batch epilogue fic

Hiiii! So I wrote this fast even though I need to do a lot of coursework, so I hope you enjoy this fic I whipped up (as a May the 4th treat) about what I think happened when Omega told her brothers she wants to join the Rebellion, me adding some little tiny things to the scene with Hunter and Omega at the end (though that scene was already so perfect), and some other touches I think you guys will love. I also felt like the others would be more okay with letting her go than Hunter, so I just wrote this quickly based on how I see things lol. Also, forgive me, I have no fashion sense.

Feel free to share with others, and i hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts, I'll be happy to hear them!

@magicandmundane you're going to enjoy this :D

read under cut here if you just want to read on here than AO3 (I appreciate all comments left anywhere :)

The sun was warm on Pabu. Another wonderful day for a stroll or a boat ride out on the waters. The island barely changed over time, staying safely away from the Empire’s hands and its residents living in harmony as the days went on.

Omega stretched her arms out. She looked in the mirror, expecting her morning hair out of the shower to be the usual frizzy blond locks needing a heavy brush, but it was actually somewhat neater for once. Omega gave herself a confident smile, tying up her layers into a ponytail and reaching for her red bandana. Hunter had given his old bandana to her as a gift after they had escaped Mount Tantiss all those years ago, and Omega felt like trying out some new hairstyles.

The battle at Mount Tantiss was so many years ago, and Omega still remembered every bit of the struggles she went through. They had won the battle, and everyone was safe and free to put aside their lives as soldiers, filling those days with warm sunshine, ice cones, and family time. Eva, Jax, Sami, and Baryn had been safely returned to their families after Rex managed to locate them. Omega missed them every day, praying for their safety as young Force-sensitives.

The Batch had settled themselves into a small home in the middle of the island Shep had offered them to take after it had been vacant for so long. Wrecker had taken the responsibility of decorating, and Echo had many debates with him about positioning certain objects so the home was kept neat and tidy. Omega’s room was the only place Wrecker wanted to do completely by himself, just as he had done when they had the Marauder. Wrecker had put up some orange string lights similar to the ones he had put up before, and he was lucky to find them in stock at a nearby shop run by a local. There were also some light curtains and soft bedding that Wrecker had put his heart into finding and setting up delicately so that his little sister would be comfortable.

Omega had recently returned to Pabu a few days back after a small scavenging mission with Phee, retrieving a golden heirloom that was adorned with feathers and crystals from the depths of a cave Phee had described as “spiritual and archaic”. They had found the heirloom near a mystic waterfall that Phee said was rumored to grant wishes and protect those who come by if an individual sprinkled some of its water over themselves. Intrigued, Omega had done it herself, relishing the pure scent of the beautiful waterfall. The heirloom was safely delivered to a family whose ancestors had created the heirloom to bring peace and divinity to their village.

Omega adored all the adventures she would have with Phee whenever she came by and still listened closely to her stories like she was still fourteen and mesmerized by the way Phee would narrate all of those adventures she had before meeting Omega. Often, her brothers would tag along mostly because Omega wanted them to go with and she wanted Crosshair to have his first treasure-hunting adventure. Even Lyana got her chance to attend her aunt on one of those adventures once she got a bit older and Shep allowed Lyana to experience worlds outside of her home. Lately, the squad who always called themselves the Bad Batch preferred staying close to home and staying safe rather than risking themselves in places they barely knew things about.

The Empire was heard to be growing stronger each day, though there were many rebels out there who did everything they could to slow down their work and fight to bring their tyrannical reign down. Echo was one of those rebels, continuing to fight with Rex and the other clones who had survived the rescue from Tantiss, all willing to keep up the rebellion they had started. Omega heard a lot of stories about the Rebellion from Echo, and she would sometimes hear things from Phee whenever she witnessed rebel activity anywhere she went. Omega had left fighting and being a soldier behind after Tantiss to allow her life to have a childhood and live peacefully with her family, but something about the Rebellion’s cause and determination pulled her heart closer to the fight that called her name in her dreams.

“Omega, you ready yet? The ship’s landing soon!”

Omega heard Wrecker’s call, adjusting her jacket and taking a quick look at the red and black skull patch she had added onto her jacket; the symbol of her squad. Echo was coming to visit today, and he was bringing Emerie along. Phee had also said she was coming back to Pabu today after visiting an old friend, and it was perfect timing. Omega had planned a dinner with all of her family, and it was her chance to reveal what she had been wanting to tell her family for so long.

“Coming!” Omega hurried out of her room, smiling wide at her younger brothers who were waiting in the family room. Her brothers gave her a bright smile, their wrinkles starting to become more and more visible.

With their accelerated aging, Omega’s brothers were growing day by day, the gray streaks visible in Hunter’s hair and beard. His soft hair had grown a bit longer, which he had tied some into a small ponytail while leaving the rest down. Crosshair started to grow a beard that matched the gray hair he was already born with, allowing his hair to grow around his burn scar, and there were more wrinkles near his eyes. Echo had given Crosshair the robotic hand he had obtained during the battle at Tantiss, keeping his scomp link arm, which was still really beneficial. Wrecker had grown a full beard that was growing more gray to balance out the dark brown, and he had grown a liking to it. They all didn’t quite have much of a strong soldier’s figure anymore, but they were still able to show their strength.

The three of them were dressed in casual clothes native to Pabu, as Hunter wore a blue and red sweater with a brown bandana that Omega made for him with a blue cardigan and brown pants. Crosshair wore a dark gray knitted sweater with black pants, and Wrecker wore a red shirt with dark orange baggy pants. All comfortable out of the armor they had long placed in the treasure hall on Pabu to cherish the memories.

“Come on, let’s go meet Echo,” Hunter said. Omega nodded, following her brothers outside to head to the landing zone.

Pabu’s local market was cheery as always with everyone heading in to grab a savory snack or an ice cone as a treat at this time of day. Mox, Stak, and Deke were helping out the citizens who were out fishing, catching a few themselves and making deliveries to the shops. They had grown to the standard height and appearance of a regular clone, styling their hair the way they liked it and relaxing in their comfortable clothes. The young triplets never got to experience the life of a soldier like they had dreamed since their birth, but they enjoyed the childhood the boys were able to create for themselves on the island.

Batcher pranced around the market on her morning stroll, saying hello to many locals and getting pets and scratches underneath her woven collar. The lady she had befriended during her first time on the island had grown older and sat in a chair near a stall selling handmade bracelets, as Batcher enjoyed spending time with her. Batcher was growing older in hound years, yet her playful nature kept her lively.

She noticed Omega walking by with her brothers, barking and running up to her family. Omega smiled at Batcher, walking alongside Hunter to the landing zone. Batcher settled herself near Crosshair, displaying her soft smile at the man she helped heal and take care of ever since she had run off Wayland.

The family was just in time as a large cargo ship headed its way towards the landing zone, slowly setting the engines low and touching the ground. The ship opened up its entrance, revealing Echo and Emerie. Echo visibly looked like an elder, heavy wrinkles forming on his face and his stubble beard growing in, likely not having enough time to shave lately. He was dressed in some new armor the clones had helped him put together and painted in a design of red, white, black, and blue–representing both his family in the 501st and the Bad Batch.

Omega hadn’t seen Emerie in a long while, and she was glad her sister could carve out some time to visit. Emerie hadn’t aged much in physical looks, but she had cut her brown locks into a shoulder length hairstyle, letting it fly freely. She had gotten rid of those rose-tinted glasses she was given when she worked at Tantiss, comfortable in a maroon shirt with a blue jean jacket and dark teal pants, dark brown heeled boots adding a small inch to her tall height. Emerie had a small thin necklace that was made out of silver and adorned with orange crystals; a gift from Senator Chuchi.

She walked alongside Echo off the ship’s ramp, smiling wide at her sister. Omega ran over to the two, embracing them in a group hug. Batcher barked and ran over, excited to see Echo again. “I’m so happy you’re safe,” Omega said to them.

Echo chuckled. “I’m still in one piece. The Empire can’t dull my strength.”

Echo continued to fight against the Empire with Rex and the other clones as the Rebellion continued to grow in numbers, and had helped many clones settle down and find their place in the galaxy. The clones may have been growing older, but the fire they had as soldiers kept them willing to fight for the right cause. Some had remained on Pabu, their choice being to live a peaceful life away from the fight and the torture. They had settled themselves down in homes, and two had gotten themselves married to locals on Pabu they had connected with.

“You’re still growing old,” Crosshair piped up with a grin. Echo got a look at his brothers, and they definitely did not look like the same young energetic clones he had gotten to meet after being rescued from Skako Minor. They all smiled at their older brother. Wrecker came in for a big hug, causing Echo to nearly suffocate. Emerie chuckled.

“It’s good to see you again, sister,” Emerie said, giving Omega a personal hug. Omega gave her a soft smile.

“You changed your hair again. I like it,” Omega said. Emerie returned the smile and brushed a hand on Omega’s cheek. Her sister had grown so beautiful and so strong.

Luckily, Phee’s ship had just touched down as well. Phee stepped out of her ship, which remained painted in the colors Tech had painted his armor in when she had first met him years ago. Phee honored his sacrifice that way, remembering the man she grew so affectionate of. Tech loved sharing so much with her; Phee just wished there was more time for her to share more of herself with him.

Phee headed over to the family, Omega giving her a hug. Gray streaks ran through Phee’s dark brown curls, adding more color to the gold she already had intertwined in her hair. Phee may have been growing older, but her beauty never faded away.

“You’re getting bigger every time I come back. You’re as tall as me now,” Phee said.

“She’s still our little girl,” Hunter added. Omega gave him a smile. She wasn’t all that little now, but she knew Hunter would always see her that way.

Phee let out a laugh. “Of course she is. Now, what’s this about a special dinner you’re going to set up?”

Omega gasped. “You are all going to love it. Lyana’s helping me set up right now and cook. It’s a gift from me to all of you.”

“We’ll help too!” Wrecker exclaimed, Batcher adding in a happy bark. Omega nodded, the family heading over to the upper levels of Pabu to help prepare the food and set the table together.

Omega walked with Emerie and Phee, happy that she would be getting a chance to spend quality time with the people she loved one more time before leaving.

“Have you told them yet?” Phee whispered to Omega.

Omega sighed. “No. But I plan to soon. At dinner.” Emerie, Phee, and Lyana were the only people she had told about what she planned to do. They were supportive of her choice, and now Omega just hoped her brothers would be as well. Especially Hunter.

“I have a feeling this will not go well.” Emerie continued to walk with her hands behind her back, a habit she had developed growing up. She had listened to Omega tell her about her wish a while back during a comm call together. Emerie was worried about her and didn’t know if she was ready to join a fight that big, but Omega was free to make her own choices. Emerie made her own choice to join Senator Chuchi and the others to fight against the Empire and share all she learned to know during her time there, and if Omega wanted to do the same, she would honor it.

Omega had a feeling it wasn’t going to go well either. But she had to give it a try. She lived the rest of her childhood on Pabu. It was time for her to set off on her own adventure.

***

As Pabu’s sun began to grow golden in color, the dinner table had been set. Lyana helped Omega set down a few salad and rice bowls, setting a plate of bread rolls in the center. The dinner table was surrounded by many delicacies popular on Pabu, commonly the fish and seaweed rolls most people loved.

Everyone settled themselves down at the dinner table, ready to eat. Echo had changed out of his armor, sticking to a gold sweater with some blue pants. Shep and Lyana joined in, and Batcher napped next to Crosshair, her belly full after asking for food samples while everyone was cooking.

“First, a moment to present a blessing,” Shep began. He reached his hand out to his daughter and Phee, who sat next to him. Everyone held their hands together.

“We thank everyone for this wonderful food, and for Omega to help put together a beautiful dinner. May her life be filled with safety and happiness, and may we all prosper for the future to come.”

Everyone nodded, beginning to eat. Omega stuffed a fish and seaweed roll into her mouth, chewing to try and avoid talking. She wanted to express her feelings to her brothers, but now that the opportunity has arrived, she was too nervous to open her mouth. Emerie noticed her nervousness, shooting her sister a look of comfort. Phee and Lyana silently ate, waiting for Omega to make her move.

Omega swallowed, looking at Emerie. Her eyes told Emerie that she was nervous and felt like she couldn’t do this. Emerie gave her a smile, believing in her. Everything would be okay.

“Omega, you’ve been quiet.” Crosshair broke the silence, making Omega’s shoulder’s jump. Crosshair had noticed his sister was acting uneasy ever since they were helping to cook, and he had a strong feeling she was hiding something. “Is there something wrong?”

Omega swallowed, setting her fork down. She took a strong inhale in, slowly nodding a yes.

Hunter, sitting next to Omega, placed a hand on her shoulder softly. “What is it, Omega? We’ll listen. We can help you.”

I hope you can. Omega exhaled, deciding to stand up. “I have an announcement to make.”

She looked at her entire family, observing their soft faces, waiting for their sister to speak. Omega hoped everything would be okay and they would understand, just like Lyana told her.

“I have decided to leave Pabu and join the Rebellion. I want to help fight them and end the Empire’s tyranny. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

The table was silent. Omega waited for a response before saying anything else. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she would start to cry at any moment. Phee, Lyana, and Emerie looked around the table, observing the Batch’s faces.

Echo was the first one to ignite a smile, and then Wrecker. “Kid, that’s great! You’ll bring the Empire down!” Wrecker exclaimed, proud of his sister.

Omega smiled wide. “So you’re okay with it? I can go and fight? I’ve already got in with Senator Organa and the coordinates from him, he’ll be so happy to hear-”

“No.”

The sharp tone diverted everyone’s eyes to Hunter. Omega blinked. “What?”

Hunter looked up at his young sister with strict eyes. “You’re not going to go fight in the Rebellion. You need to stay here.”

Omega wanted to cry. She had a feeling Hunter wasn’t going to accept this easily. “Hunter, please. I’ve lived my life away from the fight ever since we won. The Empire is growing stronger, and the Rebellion needs more people for their cause. I need to help them-”

“And what if the Empire captures you again?” Hunter stood up this time, ready to debate. “The Empire could hurt you again and keep you hidden. Take your blood, torture you until you can’t breathe.” Hunter wanted to cry. He couldn’t imagine Omega getting hurt out there with him nowhere near her to help her heal. “There’s so many deaths out there in the Rebellion, what if you can’t escape?”

“I can handle that!” Omega felt like screaming. ““Hunter, I’ve fought the Empire so many times when I was young. You all know how I managed to survive Tantiss mostly on my own. I’ve been trained my whole life for something like this. You all taught me how to fight and how to be a soldier, and this is my chance to use those skills to help the galaxy be safe.”

Hunter was about to add another rebuttal, but Echo took his spotlight. “Hunter, she’s right. Omega can’t just keep sitting around on the beach and relax. She wants to do more, and her chances are out there.”

Hunter looked sternly at Echo. “Echo, don’t encourage this.” He blinked. “Did you get the Rebellion into her head? Is this why she’s bringing it up and wants to leave?”

“And what if I did?” Echo snapped, making Batcher wake up. “Omega has always had that rebellious heart inside of her, and you know how strong she is. Hell, she’s even taught me a few tricks. She can do this.”

“Echo-”

“Echo’s right, Hunter,” Crosshair piped in. “As much as I don’t want her to go either, she’s had a lot of training, and we’ve protected her since we won that battle. You all have more than me. This is her chance to make a change in the galaxy. You know you won’t be able to stop her.”

“Crosshair, you know what they did to you. What if they try anything on Omega? I won’t allow anything to happen to a girl so young.”

“Hunter, I’m not a baby!” Omega exclaimed. “I’m as tall as Emerie, I know how to take care of myself. I’m not afraid of the Empire.”

Wrecker frowned, afraid to say a word to try and avoid Hunter yelling at him. But he never liked it when Omega and Hunter argued with each other. “Hunter,” he said softly. Hunter turned to him with an angry look, and Wrecker felt like shutting up. But he wanted to be supportive of Omega.

“Omega is a strong girl. We should give her a chance to live a life outside of Pabu. We had our life, it’s her turn. She wants to follow the stars.”

“Wrecker-”

“Hunter, breathe,” Shep advised. He didn’t want to say more, afraid that Hunter could get more angry. Wrecker breathed, thankful Shep stopped Hunter before he could yell at him.

“You’re not going anywhere. You’ll stay here, safe and sound.”

After saying that, Hunter looked at Omega. Her lips trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. Hunter’s anger went cold as he looked at his little girl who was about to cry.

“You had told me that I could be whatever I wanted. I’m choosing to become a Rebellion fighter, becoming a soldier just like you all were. Why won’t you support that?”

Before Hunter could say anything, Omega stormed off, tears streaming down her face. Hunter’s shoulder slumped. He knew he had just made a mistake. But how was he going to be able to fix it in a way that would make sure everything would be okay?

Lyana and Emerie went after Omega to make sure she was okay. The rest of the table remained silent, refusing to eat more. Batcher whined, worried about Omega. Crosshair gave her a pet and a glare at Hunter. The brothers stood up, leaving the table to head back into their home.

Phee stood up to leave to check on Omega. “You’ve got some thinking and making up to do, Hunter.”

Hunter exhaled. He sat down in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose and wanting to let some tears out. Shep stood up, walking over to Hunter and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Kids grow up fast. It was hard for me to let Lyana out of Pabu with Phee, but she’s old enough to go out and explore on her own. You helped Omega grow up and taught her everything she needs to know. You know she can do this.”

Hunter knows. He didn’t know what to do about it though. He didn’t want his little girl to leave.

***

Morning dawned with the small moonyos awake and squealing as they ran around the land. Batcher ran after them, while Crosshair tried to get her to stay with him on her daily morning walk.

Omega breathed in, looking out her window at the sky. She loved flying up there, and she would miss it.

She got her bag ready, placing it over her shoulder. Omega had a lot to do. She stepped out of her room, meeting Hunter standing in front of her. He held a plate filled with sliced fruit.

“How did you sleep?”

Omega tried to take the frown off her face, but she just couldn’t. She gave Hunter a small smile and a nod. “Good. I need to go meet Lyana in the treasure hall. I’ll be back.”

“How about some fruit? There’s some sliced meiloorun,” Hunter offered the plate, knowing it was one of her favorites.

Omega looked at the plate of fruit. She stepped forward, taking the entire plate off his hands for her way. “Thanks.” She quickly hurried out. Hunter wanted her to sit down and eat, but she had already left.

Hunter knew she was really upset, and he felt sorry for being really strict with her. Ever since they had picked her up off Kamino, she was always willing to help save and protect those who needed it most. She never stopped fighting for the clones who became subject to the Empire’s experiments, playing a vital role in bringing that to an end. Omega was his little fighter, and she wanted to fight more.

Hunter just didn’t know if he was ready to allow her to go and fight. He had to fix this.

***

Omega walked to the treasure hall with the fruit plate in hand and nibbled on a slice of meiloorun, taking in the scenery around her in the market. She loved the aromas swirling in the air, remembering the times she would buy a lot of the sweet sticky treats that were covered in maple syrup and served on a stick. She loved them so much, Crosshair had to stop her once so her teeth wouldn’t rot and her stomach wouldn’t hurt. Omega was happy her childhood could become full of things natural-born kids were happy to have: ice cones, sweet treats, games, and a good family.

Omega walked nearby the central tree on Pabu, looking up at its blooming leaves. She circled around the tree, kneeling down in front of it.

After Tantiss, the Batch had set up a small memorial for Tech. The memorial was made out of flowers Omega had chosen with her brothers and Phee, and a few of Tech’s favorite items that were salvaged (though burnt) from the Marauder’s explosion, all arranged in a circle. Omega often came by the memorial to talk to her brother.

“Hi, Tech. Today’s a big day. I’m going to go join the Rebellion and become one of their pilots. You taught me to fly, and now I can put what you taught me to use. I hope you’re doing okay. Phee always told me you’re flying up in the sky, watching over us every day. I hope you’ll be up in the sky with me.”

Omega placed a slice of fruit down and took out some flowers from her bag, setting them down on the memorial. She stood up, saluting her brother and giving him a smile. Omega knew Tech was always with her, and she was ready to take him with.

Omega reached the treasure hall, entering to meet with Phee, Emerie, and Lyana. “I brought fruit.”

They were ready to say goodbye before Omega headed on her way tonight. Last night, the three had consoled Omega, and Omega had decided that she was going to leave on her own terms. The three knew they couldn’t stop Omega if they tried; it was Omega’s new dream she wanted to chase.

Phee, Emerie, and Lyana gave Omega warm smiles. Lyana approached Omega and wrapped her in a hug. Letting go, she took out a small handmade bracelet from her pocket. “To remember me by. We’ll match too.” Lyana raised her hand, a bracelet on her wristing looking identical to the one she gave Omega.

Omega smiled, putting the bracelet on her left wrist. “It’s perfect.” She looked over at Phee and Emerie, who were standing near the most valuable treasures to Omega which remained in this hall. She approached the two treasures, stroking one of Lula’s ears. She stroked the ears of the tooka doll that was gifted to her by Wrecker when she was young, missing the times she had slept with Lula snuggled next to her. Tech’s goggles were settled next to Lula, now held gently in Omega’s hand. Omega chose to have his goggles remain in the treasure hall to keep it safe.

“You said you planned on taking them along. You sure you don’t want them to remain safe in here?” Emerie asked.

Omega turned around to Emerie. “Tech taught me to fly, and I’m going to become a pilot because of him. I want him to be with me all the time. And Lula would love to accompany me on the missions.”

“Brown Eyes would be so proud of you,” Phee said.

“He would let you go.” Omega heard Crosshair’s voice, just as he, Wrecker, and Echo walked into the room. Gonky was with them, honking noises happily.

Wrecker rubbed his arm. “We… we’re not ready to let you go either. But it’s your choice. And we’ll talk to Hunter.”

“We’ll make him understand. You deserve a life on your own, and the Rebellion would love to have you as a fighter,” Echo said.

Crosshair walked up to Omega. She had grown so much, and yet he tried to harm her when they first met, all because of that stupid Empire. He had left all that behind, staying loyal to his sister. “Give them hell, Omega. They’ll never see it coming.”

Omega smiled, unable to hold back tears. Except for Echo, her brothers were long retired from the fight, but they chose to be supportive of their sister’s choice to keep fighting, just like they had always done. She leaped into Crosshair’s open arms, hugging her little brother close. Wrecker joined in, letting Echo join the hug as well.

“Thank you.” Omega broke away from the hug, wiping tears away. “Let Hunter know how much I love him, and I will miss him.” Omega wished she could tell him in person. She wanted to try and reason with him, but she didn’t want to argue with him again like yesterday.

Her brothers smiled at her, proud of the girl they raised. Gonky honked, talking to Omega.

“You want to come with?” she asked Gonky. Gonky honked more. The droid had some fight left in them, and they wanted to be with Omega all the way, offering their help.

Omega smiled. “Of course you can come.”

“Try to comm us when you’re there, so we know you’re safe,” Crosshair said. Omega remembered how much he loved to check on her, making sure she was safe and protected in every corner. Omega nodded.

“Comm us anytime you can, we’ll be waiting to hear all about it,” Wrecker added.

“If you ever need me, I’ll be a call away,” said Echo.

“As will I. I always want to be connected with you,” Emerie smiled.

“You’ll be one of the strongest pilots of them all. Let me know if you find any ancient treasures, or if you want to hear any more stories,” Phee said.

“Promise to stay in touch?” Lyana asked.

Omega smiled warmly at her family. “I will. I promise.”

***

Hunter sat on a rock, listening to the waves while the breeze ran through his hair. He heard Batcher’s barks coming closer, smiling softly. She was always around whenever someone needed help or comfort.

Batcher sat down next to Hunter, rubbing her head next to his arm. Hunter petted her, looking out at the water. He remembered all the times he had spent with Omega here. Swimming in the water, playing catch with Batcher on the beach, going out for a morning walk together. All the beloved memories with his young sister. She was technically older than them, but to Hunter, she was always their kid. His kid.

“I’ve got to let her go, don’t I?”

Batcher looked up at Hunter, letting out a small whine.

“I know, it hurts me as much as it makes you sad. She’s growing up, and Omega’s right. We taught her how to fight. Now it’s time for her to become whatever she wants to be.”

Hunter sighed, looking over at Batcher. “Come on girl, let’s go give our young one a farewell.”

***

Pabu’s silent nights were beautiful as always, the lights glowing around the water. Omega could hear the birds’ chirps grow more distant as she packed in her room. Everyone was getting ready for bed, while Omega got ready to leave. She fixed up her hair and made sure she had everything packed in her bag, the rest of her items ready on her ship. Omega was going to miss her family and friends so much, but it was just like Tech said; Change was something that everyone needed to learn to accept.

Omega stopped by her brothers’ room, the door half-open. She slowly opened the door without trying to make a loud creak, wanting to say a silent goodbye as he slept.

Omega had decided to write a note for Hunter, telling him her choice and that she loves him. She knew her brothers would let him understand. While Hunter slept, Omega carefully left the note next to the lamp.

Omega breathed, ready to leave her home. She headed down to the caves and looked up once more at the glimmering island, the home she grew up in. Omega cherished all the memories made here, and she would carry them with her whenever she went.

Heading into the cave to reach her ship, Omega listened to the water dropping nearby. She reached the part of the cave where her ship was landed, kneeling down and turning on the lantern. Omega heard a bark, looking up to see Batcher and Hunter. Omega smiled.

Of course he would be here. He’s always near me whenever I need him. Omega stood up, heading over to her brother.

“Thought you could just sneak off? Time hasn't dulled all my senses.” Hunter had sensed Omega near him while she had put down the note. He had waited until she had fully left to sit up, reading the note. He knew he was going to try and go against her word, and his brothers already let her go. Batcher wanted to say goodbye too in person, so he had taken her along.

Omega laughed, sitting down next to Hunter. “This shouldn’t be a surprise. The Rebellion needs pilots now more than ever.”

Oh, Hunter knew. She had already left them once before for the sake of their protection. He knew Omega was willing to leave on her own terms to help protect others.

Omega sighed. She had to stand up to Hunter. “I made my choice, Hunter. I want to do more.”

Hunter swallowed. “And we want to keep you safe.”

Protecting Omega had become their life ever since they had took her off Kamino and saved her from the Empire’s hands. Omega knew how much he wanted to protect her. “You have. But I'm not a kid anymore. You don't have to worry about me.”

She had grown up, but Omega was always a kid in Hunter’s eyes. He could never get over how tall she got all of a sudden one day and how she couldn’t fit the clothes he had gotten for her anymore. Omega had gotten so big for Hunter way too fast, it felt like it was just last year that he held a small girl in his arms every night.

“You’re our kid, Omega. You always will be.”

Omega placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Hunter, you've all fought enough. This? It's my fight. I'm ready.”

Omega let go of his shoulder, standing up to head to her ship. Hunter wanted to reach his hand out. He didn’t want her to go at all. He wanted her to keep staying by his side. He wanted the little girl who would bury herself into his arms to remain with him every night, letting him sing her a lullaby to sleep.

Hunter sighed. “Yeah, I know you are. But I'm not.”

Omega turned to Hunter with a comforting smile. She gave Hunter a tight hug, holding her younger brother close. She let go, already missing his warm touch. She told him to keep an eye on her other brothers and Batcher.

Hunter nodded. He placed a kiss on her forehead, giving her a smile. “Off you go.”

Omega smiled. She hurried off to her ship, Gonky waiting for her to come onboard. She knelt down to Batcher, giving her some pets.

“Omega.” She stepped onto her ship, stopping when she heard Hunter.

“If you ever need us, we'll be there.”

Omega nodded, heading into her ship. She set her bag next to Lula, who sat in a chair, ready for the adventure. Omega powered up her ship, adjusting Tech’s goggles in front of her. She had decided to place them in front of her so she knew Tech would always be alongside her whenever she flew. The ship was ready to go, and so was she. Her adventures in the stars were calling her name. She looked over at Hunter, who gave her a salute. Omega returned it, ready to go.

The coordinates to the rebel base were in, and Omega lifted off, rising up to the night sky. Hunter watched her go with a proud smile on his face.

Batcher whined next to him, already missing her best friend. Hunter gave her a pet. “It’s all right girl. She’ll be fine.” Hunter switched the lantern off, looking back as Omega’s ship rose up to space. Batcher watched before following Hunter to head back home.

Hunter felt like crying, watching his little kid go. He knew she was strong, and she would be okay. She’ll be a strong fighter and a strong Rebel.

This was her calling. Omega was ready to follow the stars, as they would guide her to her destiny.

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thejujvtsupost · 2 days

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Collar Crimes -> Pouring Rain

It’s technically not April (when i originally planned to write this) but life happens. I’m thinking the next one is gonna be how they met but lmk if you guys want something else. 💗

Notes: some of reader’s insecurities come out, Suguru’s a sweetheart, talks of violence and very light gore.

“Sweetheart?”

“‘M sorry! I’ll come back later- uh I’ll see you at home!”

(On a completely unrelated note, calling you sweetheart in front of everyone made your cheeks flush and heart flutter just the tiniest bit.)

This would be the first time you’ve interrupted his business. You should have knocked and now, on top of the humiliation of dripping water everywhere, you embarrassed yourself.

It was rare for you to go to Suguru‘s office, and certainly not unattended and unprompted. His building was closer to your evening class on campus than the penthouse and you were shivering and cold and completely soaked from the pouring rain.

Well, the rain wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t dark or for the car that drove by and drenched you.

“Leave.”

You flinched at his tone and bit your lip to stop it from trembling. You couldn’t let yourself cry in front of everyone and make it worse, you screwed up more than enough. Your head was already down and you were on your way out the door as fast as you could but you were blocked by the bodies of the other men leaving the room.

Oh. He meant the people he was meeting with, to your relief. Maybe he wasn’t too mad then?

“Not you bunny, c’mere. What happened? You must be freezing.” Warm arms wrapped around your shivering frame and held you close uncaring if he got wet too, a kiss to your forehead helped calm your anxiety from your interruption.

“I’m sorry for barging in, no one was out at the desk to tell me you were busy so I thought it was okay. I didn’t know- ” you were guided to the desk and onto the surface while he looked for something in the closet— a change of clothes.

“I don’t care about that, you’re always my first priority so never apologize. Why are you wet, sweetheart? I thought you had your seven pm class.”

“I did, but its raining so hard and my phone died so I couldn’t call anyone for a ride and my friends already left and I didn’t have an umbrella and I figured I’d just walk and try to be quick but then a car splashed me and I was so cold and tired and-” you took a big breath to calm down and stop rambling, “It was too much- dark too, and this was closer than going straight home.” You still felt bad for interrupting his meeting, but the warmer you got the less you regretted it.

Suguru closed the blinds to his office hummed in sympathy. (he never liked those damn friends of yours, they never valued you enough in his opinion and the fact that they left you there without even offering a ride only proved that) and started helping you out of the wet clothes clinging to your skin before placing them in a plastic bag to take home later. “You have my clothes here?”

He smiled, “You know I’m always prepared, but I figured they’d come in handy at some point. It’s just an outfit or two in a go bag for emergencies.” Your heart swelled, he was always so thoughtful when it came to you . “I got a few blankets and pillow too after you fell asleep here the first time, if you’re interested. I have to stay a few more hours but if you would rather go home I can have someone drive you.”

You shook your head, “I’d like to stay please, if it’s not a bother.”

“Of course it isn’t, why else do you think I have the blankets and pillow, bunny? You’re my bunny, you always have a place next to me.”

The tears started rolling, he wiped them away with large, warm tattooed hands and hugged you tightly to his chest. “Sorry, just been a rough day and I’m emotional.”

“I know, but you did a good thing by coming here. I’m proud of you for thinking of yourself instead of trying to get home on your own. Especially in the dark. You hate it, and s‘not safe for you out there.”

You were trying really hard, with your boyfriend’s help, to work on the part of you that felt less than and like a burden at times. It was difficult to unlearn the way you felt about yourself for years and years growing up but you were making great progress.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to hear what you’re doing for work? Isn’t it confidential?”

He just gave you a look and helped you slide on some socks.

“You should warm up soon, but how about a rest on the couch during my meeting for a little while, yeah? I’ll keep our voices down.”

You nodded and allowed him to wrap you in one of the soft blankets he spoke of before. “Wait here a second. I’ll keep it as brief as I can.”

“So we’re looking at about 50k in damages…”

Whatever they were saying didn’t really matter to you. They kept their voices low to not disturb you for the most part.

A newer member raised his voice once Suguru corrected him immediately. “Quiet down or I’ll cut your tongue out.” And there weren’t any other incidents.

prev <- index -> •

🏷️: @annoyingstrawberryballoon @missgab

#collar crimes series #yakuza! geto #reader insert #no use of y/n #geto suguru #geto x you #mob geto #jjk x reader #jujustsu kaisen x reader #getou suguru x reader #jujutsu kaisen

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lakin-sturniolo · 15 hours

Text

1 / 5

PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF YOU DO NOT LIKE IT. THIS IS MY FIRST SHORT STORY I HAVE WRITTEN AND I HAVE A BIGGER ONE COMING SOON!!!

WORKS EVERY TIME

SYNOPSIS: What happens when Matts best friend has been in love with him for years but still cannot tell him and excepts, he loves another? This is exactly what Y/N is going through when Matt asks her how to get his ex-back, but is he truly trying to get his ex-back or is that what Y/N just believes?

I sit here almost everyday of my life wishing I was sitting here as Matts girlfriend and not just as the boy’s best friend. Moving to California with them was an easy decision considering I would follow Matt anywhere since we have been attached at the hip for almost 16 years now. That of course changed a little when his Ex Elise came into the picture. Nick would bug me days on end about confessing to Matt seeing how badly it hurt me, but I just kept claiming it was strange just not being around Matt constantly and that any feelings they thought I had for him were false. Sighing, I grabbed my headphones putting them on and turning my music on since the boys would be back from filming soon. I hobbled up into Chris’s room looking for a hoodie before he got back and noticed I had one of his on.

I stopped wearing Matts when he started to let Elise wear them and thought it was only common decency not to wear someone else’s boyfriend’s hoodies. I also started to stay with Chris and Nick in their rooms when I stayed over. Loving Matt was easy, but trying to stop was harder. I knew a certain question was going to pop up when he got back, and I was not ready for it. I had heard him discussing it with Nick and Chris, but he would not do anything severe unless he had my opinion, my opinion on how to get Elise back. How to get the girl by Taylor Swift started playing in my headphones as the boys started up the stairs.

Stand there like a ghost

Shaking come the rain

“How did recording go?” I stood up from the couch to grab a towel considering the boys were drenched from the rain. “It went good, though I am exhausted, and I am going to take a shower real fast.” Chris took off down the other flight of stairs leading to his room. I handed Nick and Matt a towel each as Matt walked to the kitchen. “Hey Nick, can I talk to you real fast?” He slowly nodded his head squinting his eyes at me. I nodded, pausing my music, and walking upstairs with him. “What’s up? Is everything okay?” I patted his bed beside me hinting for him to sit down. “I um, I need to tell someone this and I feel like it

needs to be you. When I go back downstairs and Matt asks me how to get her back, I will be leaving. Not you as a friend but California, as a place. I believe I need physical space from him to be able to get over him, and I cannot do that in such a small area. So, moving across the US is what I feel will be best for me.” I could feel the tears slowly sliding down my face. Nick just sat there staring at me, I could see the tears pooling in his eyes. “Its that bad huh?” I just nodded before sobbing into my best friend’s arms. He knew how bad it had gotten but remembered that I would just simply deny it.

A knock erupted our hug as I turned away from the door as it opened. “Oh Y/N what’s wrong kid?” I turned to see Chris shutting the door behind him and walking up to me. “She is going to be leaving. Back to Boston for a while, um, it is worse than we originally thought Chris and she just needs a break away from any reminder right now.” I could feel Chris’s arms wrapped around me tightly before he sighed and pulled me to face him. “I think what I came to tell you is what you are hiding from.” I nodded, wiping my eyes before taking a deep breath and opening the door up. I stood there looking down the stairs. “HEY THAT IS MY HOODIE!” I quickly shut the door, bounding down the stairs now into the set of arms I so wished I could say were mine.

“Hey, I need to talk to you.” I just nodded at him while he grabbed my hand leading me to his room. Could he confess he loves me? Yes, but will he confess he loves me and not her? NO. I sat on his bed fidgeting while he paced in front of me. “I need your help on what I need to say to Elise.” I nodded before taking a deep breath. “Say that yo-

Say it’s been a long six months

And you were too afraid to tell her what you want

My music started playing again in my ear as I accidentally hit it fidgeting I guess. “Say it has been a long few months and that you were to afraid to tell her what you wanted.” He stood there looking down at me before speaking. “And that is how it works? That is how you get the girl?”

And that’s how it works

That’s how you get the girl

And then you say

I want you for worse or for better

I would wait forever and ever

Broke your heart, I’ll put it back together

I would wait forever and ever

“Um yeah just say, I want you for worse or for better and that you would wait forever and ever. That you broke her heart, but you will put it back together and would still wait forever and ever.” I had to laugh a little so I could stop the tears flowing as I have never related more to a Taylor Swift song than I do right now.

And that’s how it works

That’s how you get the girl

And that’s how it works

That’s how you get the girl

The silence was deafening, and I knew if no words were exchanged I would cry. “Remind her how you guys used to be. Like with framed pictures of simple little kisses on cheeks. Tell her how you lost your mind when you left her all alone and never told her why.”

Remind her how it used to be

Yeah, with pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks

Tell her how you must’ve lost your mind

When you left her all alone and never told her why

“So I need to explain to her that what I have been doing is only making things worse for the both of us and to apologize for the lost time.” He shot up from his chair heading into his closet. I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. He still looked completely past me as I told him how to confess to me how he felt.

And that’s how it works

That’s how you lost the girl

He came running out of his closet with a new jumper on and a hat. I stood up to hug him before wishing him luck and walking out. Chris and Nick sat in the living room watching me walk out. I simply gave a small smile and wave before bounding down the stairs. I reached the front door before taking in a deep breath and walking outside. The rain still pelting down around me. “WAIT, WAIT!” I turned to see Chris running outside to me. His warm arms wrapped around me tightly allowing me to cry into his arms once again. “He is so stupid. Just know that I will always be waiting here for you to come back and I will be visiting you. I love you to much Kid to let you go completely.” I could hear him sniffling into my hair before pulling back to wipe his eyes. He gave me one small smile before turning around to leave.

And you could know

That I don’t want you to go

Remind me how it used to be

Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks

And say you want me

It only took me ten minutes to get to my apartment from their house. I started packing as soon as I collected myself after an hour of sitting on the ground and crying. I got a text not long after I finished packing my last bag.

MATTY B <3

IT WORKED THANK YOU SM!

Glad I could help. Just please make sure to always have a good time and do not stress over anything!

What?

Hello?

Y/n?

Did I do something?

What happened?

Can you answer me?

Please answer the phone.

What did I do?

I ignored his texts knowing it only hurt me more. Only to have a knock pull me away from them and to my front door. I picked myself up thinking that Nick or Chris probably sent me food. Yet it was neither them nor food, but Matthew Sturniolo himself. In the pouring rain holding a gift bag and flowers. “Matt why are you here?” “I know we have been friends for 16 years and it’s been a long 16 years but Y/N, I want you for worse or for better. I will wait for ever and ever and I know that when I started dating Elise, I broke your heart because I was scared but I will put it back together. I will wait for you forever and ever. I even went and printed pictures of us together where you’re kissing my cheek and framed them, I am just saying that I want you to be mine. I texted you that it worked because when I told Chris and Nick about you ‘helping me get Elise back’ they finally spilled that you felt the same way I did.” I stared at the boy in front of me. Scared that if I moved too fast, he would vanish, but I knew he wouldn’t. I reached my arms up to grab the collar of his shirt pulling his lips down to meet mine. The kiss was soft and sweet like how I have always imagined kissing him would be. “Works every time.” I whipped my head around to the side to see Chris and Nick standing there fist-bumping. I groaned throwing my head into Matts chest as he laughed wrapping his arms around me. I guess it does work every time.

#christopher sturniolo #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo #sturniolo x reader #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo fluff

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belle--ofthebrawl · 2 days

Text

Mushy May 2024 days 4 & 5: First Aid and Animals.

No animals are hurt, there is a therapy dog!

Not what I had in mind as the first installment of the Hell on Wheels Au, but I suppose it would be appropriate to call it an introductory crash course. Basically it's a human au where they're all into bikes and cars and rollerblades, with a little bit of mystery sprinkled in regarding the Emeritus family and the role they play in a predominantly Catholic town, led by the good (?) Father Defroque.

Rating: General with a blink and you'll miss it hanky code reference.

Word Count: 2.5k

Characters: Aurora, Aeon, Sunny, Aether, Dewdrop.

As always, thanks to @forlorn-crows for putting the event together and @askingforthesun for being interested in this au that I once thought would never make it out of my head. The worst injury I've ever suffered required a mere six stitches so if any description of the fracture and sprain and mild head injury is unrealistic, I apologize and blame it on the ghouls still being extraordinarily resilient even as humans.

“Rory!” Aeon yells as soon as she goes down, nearly crashing his own bike as he tries to stop in time. She's on the ground in a heap, all he can hear is the sick crack of her helmet when she fell. He shoves his bike to the side and off the trail as he rushes to her, heart pounding and palms sweaty under his fingerless gloves.

“God, fuck, Rory-” She's not moving. Is she unconscious or just unable to? His hands are shaking as he pats her over, takes her pulse, checks to see if the sprawl of her limbs is unnatural, if there's a bend where there shouldn't be.

“Rory!” He repeats, heart pounding in his ears. Her helmet is still in one piece, no sign of cracking or damage so that means she's got to be okay, right? Why isn't she answering him?

His first instinct is to lift her up under the arms, get her off the trail in case someone else came along but he freezes. Wasn't there something about not moving people after a bad fall? Something with their spine…what if he made it worse? What if his best friend was paralyzed because he tried to help her? And what if she was paralyzed already anyway? Dammit, why had he told her his first aid knowledge was good enough? There was a lot in her pack but the most he could do was clean up the scrapes and bandage them. Why isn't she waking up?

She groans quietly and he could cry with relief.

“I'm calling for help.” He says, “Rory, I’m right here.”

Her hand is moving feebly on the ground; he grabs it and squeezes it to let her know he won't leave. A futile gesture when he pulls out his phone and thumbs the pattern only to see the little exclamation mark that tells him there's no service. They're too deep in the trail.

“Oh fuck.” He mutters.

Aurora groans again, struggles out of Aeon's grip to pry her helmet off. Her dark hair is stuck to her flushed skin in sweaty clumps but there's no blood that he can see.

“Ow…” she hisses, touching her head gingerly. Aeon, a flash of an old first aid class coming back to him, turns on his flashlight, checks her pupils. They both react to the light, a good sign. She's looking around, brow furrowed. He can't tell if that's a good or bad sign.

“My bike…?” She asks, in typical Aurora fashion.

“Looks fine.” Aeon says after he checks over his shoulder for it. “What year is it?”

“I dunno, I’ve had it since I was little.” She answers and he frowns. “Oh, you mean this year. Right, concussion check.” She tells him, then says. “That's going on the channel.” She mumbles. “You got that footage, right?”

Her GoPro. It's still filming from its secure place, strapped around his neck. He could laugh. He could scream. After taking an awful fall like that, all she's thinking about is her vlogging channel?

“Can you stand up?” He asks, but she’s already trying, slowly working her way up to a sitting position.

“Feels great.” She wheezes, flopping back down with a wince. “Just gonna…take five.”

She reaches for her shoulder now, revealing a large and ugly scrape on her forearm, blood already coagulating into a filthy mixture with the dirt. That he can help with, as soon as he fetches the black cylinder strapped to the frame of Aurora's bike. Inside is anything he might need for this exact situation if he had the brains to use it but self deprecation isn't going to help Aurora. The wipes, the little ibuprofen packs and the gauze is what's going to help her right now. Any idiot could figure it out, he tells himself.

Aurora grits her teeth at the sting of the wipes on her raw skin but bears it with patience as Aeon clumsily wraps her up. He tucks the ibuprofen under her tongue at her insistence; apparently it enters the bloodstream faster that way. He guesses it makes sense. Not like he hurts himself this regularly to know anything about the fine usages of painkillers. Still, he makes her swallow down some water so her mouth isn't too dry.

And then there isn't any more he can do. She can't even sit up without crying out in pain, clutching her side and even though she isn't saying anything, he's pretty sure there's something wrong with her ankle too. He saw the way she’d gotten tangled in the bike when she went down, an awful replay he can't shut off. He manages to coax her off the main trail, dragging under her arms while she kicks with her left foot to help. Props her up against a tree, gives her his snacks.

“Go.” Aurora says. “I promise I won't pass out.”

“If I meet up with anyone, I’ll have them get help and come straight back.” He promises.

She tries to laugh and it hurts to see it. The sound of her coughing follows him as he picks up his bike and starts trekking back to the start. It takes him longer on foot but after seeing Rory crash like that, he's a bit wary of his own bike at the moment, his own skills too new to be tested and risk hurting himself. Only when he clears the jumping areas and sets down on the flat starting section of the trail does he get back on and peddle. From there it's easy and it isn't much longer until he's dismounting again, pulling off his helmet and checking his phone for service. The single bar he gets is almost taunting him.

He's about to dial when a dog barks, then another. A cheerful voice cries out in return and from around the corner on the road comes the strangest sight he’s ever seen; a woman on rollerblades dressed like it's the 80’s being skated over the asphalt by a team of half a dozen mismatched dogs.

“Excuse me?!” Aeon calls out, abandoning his bike to break out in a jog. “Miss? Ma’am? Hello?”

“Stop!” The woman bellows joyously and somehow, each and every dog comes to a halt. Some sit, while others lay down and others still stand and guard the woman that serenely rollerblades through them like a sea of fur and slobber.

“Hey, honey.” She says with a bright grin. “What can Sunny do for you?”

“My friend, she's on the bike trail-” he starts. “Something went wrong on a jump and she crashed, she can't move, and I-”

“Breathe.” The woman says at the same time a cold, wet nose touches his overheated hand. He looks down into the friendly eyes of a golden retriever, who licks at his fingers.

“Breathe,” the woman says again. Sunny. She introduced herself as Sunny. The golden retriever nudges his palm and he grabs hold of its fur. “You got someone who needs help, I can help.”

“I gotta get back to her.” He blurts out. “Please, an ambulance.”

“I know sweetie, I know.” All the exuberance from her expression is gone, but there's no worry in her eyes. Just determination and Aron trusts her immediately. She unclips a lead from her belt and passes to him.

“Let me take this crew back to my car while you take Sweetness there and get back to Aurora; she's an ex-therapy dog and knows her way around someone in pain.”

He thanks Sunny, watches her take off the way she came with her odd little crew and looks down at the dopey, panting grin of Sweetness the golden retriever staring back up at him.

“I didn't tell her who my friend was.” He says, befuddled. Sweetness just blinks and tries to check his pockets for treats.

______

She's coughing again when he gets back to her, setting his bike down and untying Sweetness' leash from it. For a dog going grey around the muzzle, the golden had kept up surprisingly well and it's with a tail waving like a flag that she beelines to Aurora, nudging her way under her arm and licks the dried tears off her face.

“Cinnamon?” Aurora asks, sounding confused. “How did you-”

“I met a woman on skates with a lot of dogs.” Aeon says, sitting down on her other side. “Do you two know each other?”

“Oh yeah.” Aurora says, kissing the dog’s head. “This is Little Miss Cinnamon Pooh Sweetness the 3rd. Her full name by the way, but everyone calls her Sweetness for short.”

“No.” Aeon says patiently. “The dog walker.”

“Oh, probably Sunshine. One of Mountain's friends. Good!” The exclamation sends her into another coughing fit that she tries to swallow down with water. “She's gonna get Aether, he volunteers at the free clinic. Oh he's hot, you're gonna love him.”

“You have several debilitating injuries and all you can talk about is your damn influencer career and how hot some rando is.” He carefully ruffles her hair, avoiding the tender spot she touched earlier. “One of these days, you’ll fall and get some sense knocked into you.”

“Til then, there's you.” She says, poking her tongue out with a wink. Aeon sighs loudly and scrubs at his face, staring up at the sky.

“Yeah.” He says. “I guess I can be your common sense.”

____

Aurora is right though. Aether is hot when he stumbles up on them, jogging at a neat pace with a whole-ass red paneled wagon stocked with supplies and Aeon isn't sure if laughing is appropriate. The way Sweetness bwoofs and wiggles away to try and herd Aether closer to Aurora doesn't help at all. He just scratches her absently, even feeds her a treat from his pocket. Good with dogs and good looking?

Woof.

“Aurora.” He says sternly, looking down at the both of them. Aeon thinks that if the guy wasn't trying to be professional, he’d probably say something like “not this shit again”.

“My knight in khaki armor.” She says dreamily. “I think I cracked my rib again. And there's something with my ankle.”

“Again?!” Aeon says in disbelief.

“Again.” Aether confirms, mouth in a firm line as he squints. Aurora dimples up at him, lifting her arms as gently as she can, making grabby hands.

“Uppies?” she asks sweetly. “C’mon, show off those muscles to my buddy here, Aeth.”

Aether looks at Aeon, who sweats under the stony gaze.

“Can you help?” He asks. “I’d like to get her in the wagon without too much jostling.”

He might not be a beefcake like this guy, but Aeon still considers himself decently strong. Plus, Rory weighs like, a buck fifteen soaking wet. It's clumsy but they manage, with Rory hissing and cussing the whole time but it just makes Aether smile, shockingly. He surveys his grumpy passenger and nods.

“I would be more worried if she wasn't cursing us to hell and back.” Aether says, picking up the handle of the wagon. “This isn't going to be a smooth ride, but it's definitely not the worst situation you’ve been in.”

“We hoped she would grow out of it,” Aeon confides. Sweetness is carrying her own lead, leaving Aeon free to haul the two bikes. If Aether can pull Aurora, he can carry them bikes without complaining. Out loud, anyway. “But as you can probably see, her sense of self preservation is about as stunted as her height.”

“Boo, cheap shot!” Aurora says, sticking her tongue out at him. Aether chuckles, directing the wagon away from a stone jutting out of the ground.

“Learned that pretty quick after she moved in.” He says. “She sprained her wrist her first day in town at the skatepark.”

“Yeah, she sent me a picture of it.”

“Not having fun until I draw blood.” Aurora sings, then quietly mutters ouch.

“Hang on, princess.” Aether says with a smile that makes Aeon's heart skip a beat. There's a flash of metal from a silver tooth. God, could he get any hotter? “We’ll getcha taken care of.”

______

Aether's ride isn't what Aeon is expecting. It's a bright red mini-van, handicap accessible that easily takes Aurora in her wagon. Aether fusses over her, making sure she's strapped in as best he can manage, directs Aeon to the passenger seat after loading the bikes in and doesn't even put the key in the ignition until everyone's seatbelt has clicked. Sweetness makes a space for herself under the wagon, thumping her tail when Aurora coos her name.

“Can you believe this guy won the demolition derby at the county fair last year?” Aurora teases from the back as they set off, just a hair over the speed limit.

“That was outside of working hours.” Aether says primly.

“Real mean at bumper cars too.” Aurora says. “I mean, brutal.”

“I reiterate.” Aether says, clicking his blinker on a full six seconds before he switches lanes. “Outside work hours.”

They don't go to the hospital. Aether makes a face when Aeon questions him and chews his lip before answering.

“It's…” he starts, then sighs.

“I'm not fucking going there.” Aurora interjects. “Not after the horror stories I’ve heard from the others.”

“Horror stories?” Aeon asks. His mind immediately goes to ghosts walking the halls at night, doctors killing people for their organs, corpses rising from the morgue in the basement but the explanation as Aether puts it is rather boring.

“It's a Catholic based hospital.” He says. “Very Catholic.”

“Your suffering is a test from God type of Catholic.” Aurora scoffs. “Sure, the doctors are good but there's crucifixes and crosses everywhere, the nurses are nuns who were too mean for the parochial school and saying you don't want to be prayed over gets you marked as non-compliant in your file.”

“They can't do that.” Aeon says incredulously.

“Privatized healthcare.” Aether mutters. “Thankfully, there's an anonymous donor who sponsored the opening of a free clinic in town. Not to brag, but we have just as good a team and equipment as the other guys.”

“If you say the hospital’s name you have to spit.” Aurora stage-whispers.

“Gross.” Aeon replies, fascinated.

“The staff are better looking too.” Aurora says in a normal voice, making goo-goo eyes at the rearview mirror. “Delta still single?”

“And not looking to settle.” Aether says with a smile.

“Neither am I.” Aurora says with an equally crooked grin. Aeon fiddles with the window button and wonders if he’ll ever have a normal day in this new place. The rest of the drive is silent save for the classics station Aether flips on. At one point, they pull up at a four-way stop and get revved at by a motorcyclist who Aeon is pretty sure has the right of way.

“Thanks, Dew.” Aether calls as they drive past the biker. “See you tonight?”

The biker pulls a red and black striped handkerchief from their back pocket and waves, which is enough of an answer to make Aether laugh.

“I love how he just has that ready.” Aurora says. “Also, you should be ashamed of yourself, cruising for booty with an injured lady in your backseat.”

“You're no lady.” Aeon and Aether say at the same time.

“Owe me a coke.” Aeon says quickly and the way Aether chuckles makes his heart do flippy things. Even if it's offset by Aurora gagging in the background.

_____

Aurora's taken in by the aforementioned Delta, who doesn't react to her flirting save for a crinkling of their eyes behind the mask they wear.

"They have the technology." Aurora calls as she's wheeled through a set of swinging doors. "They can rebuild me!"

"She's something else." Aether says with a shake of his head. "I'm gonna call Sunny and let her know it's taken care of. Then I can get you signed up for a first aid course, if you're willing."

"Absolutely." Aeon says. He doesn't ever want to feel helpless again, doesn't want something worse to happen and not be ready to handle it. Aether slips behind Delta's desk and spends a few minutes typing.

"I can schedule you for a check-up as well, get you in the system. Why don't you take a seat in the waiting room over there? We got new magazines."

"That's really nice of you." Aeon says earnestly. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." Aether says sincerely. "It's what I do." Aeon takes a seat on a comfy pleather chair, Sweetness laying down beside him. He looks over the magazines, spends a few minutes reading an article about exotic trail reviews then gets too fidgety and turns on the television. It opens to a local news station, a pretty, immaculately made up reporter talking about local crime.

"-any information regarding the theft, please reach out to the sheriff or Father Defroque." She's saying. "Back to you, Brad."

"Robbery?" He asks Aether, who shrugs.

"Not like the money was going towards anything important." He says dismissively. "Don't trust the church, kid. Not in this town."

"Never have." Aeon says, gut squirming in suspicion at the way the priest currently being interviewed smiles. Something about him seems...too friendly. Too kind. Artificial. In comparison to Aether, the man is almost slimy. "Never will."

"Atta boy." Aether says and the tone of his voice almost makes Aeon blush.

#hell on wheels au #mushy may 2024 #aeon ghoul #aurora ghoulette #aether ghoul #dewdrop ghoul

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gumnut-logic · 2 days

Text

Talk No.1 (Complete)

Alexander Sweetapple series

Here is the whole fic as one 2700 word piece. Apologies for the tiny bits posted before. Nowadays I can only do snippets at a time and I'm far too eager to post for my own good. But here is the whole thing complete :D

Many thanks to many people for this series - @onereyofstarlight and @whatgaviiformes listened to my extensive babbling about this fic and other random topics today. They deserve an award. Many thanks to @idontknowreallywhy for the ask this belongs to. It doesn't quite answer it, but there are other conversations planned. After all, it says No.1 in the title :D Too good a prompt, I must say :D

I hope you enjoy this conversation between Alexander Sweetapple and Scott Tracy :D

-o-o-o-

“Alex baby, Mr Tracy wants to see you.”

Okay, if he balanced the reaction by adding more stabiliser earlier and slower, the result might give him the flexibility he needed in the final polymer.

“Yo, Alex!”

It was a bit of a stretch, pun intended, but it might just work. He calculated the time and volume of-

“Alex!”

He jumped and his stylus flipped out of his fingers, flying across the room to hit the pinboard full of notes he had been scribbling on earlier.

There was a crash as a pin, holding up far more than physics should allow, gave way and let its stack of flimsies explode to the floor.

“Oops.” Erica held a hand to her mouth. “Sorry.”

Alex stared at the mess scattered like artificial autumn leaves and just sighed. It had been one of those mornings. His current project had hit a bit of snag and he’d had to dive deep to find a solution.

Erica stood in the light from the windows of the portable building they were currently calling their labs. Her hair had shifted to more of a purple since the earthquake. Alex figured it was to offset the bright fluro yellow of her cast. Why her broken arm had a fluro yellow cast had been explained but Alex had yet to understand it. As always with Erica, colour choices were a mystery. Purple hair, pig tails with bobbly yellow ties, bright red lipstick and eyeshadow sparkly yellow with a touch of green.

She was just Erica.

She frowned at him. “Tia said Mr Tracy needs to see you.” She thumbed a hand in the direction of the door.

“Virgil? Virgil’s here?” Great he would love to hear about this solution.

“No, not Virgil, THE Mr Tracy.”

Alex blinked. “Mr Jeff Tracy?”

Erica let out a breath and rolled her eyes. “No, Mr SCOTT Tracy. Really, they need codenames or something. There are just too many Mr Tracys. The bird one, Alex. The Eagle has landed.”

“Mr Tracy?” Oh shit. “Where?”

“Tia’s office. Apparently, he was ‘in the area’.” She put a finger to her lips in thought. “Gordon could be the Fish. He’d like that, I think.” She started counting fingers. “There are three space guys, though. Youngest flies the Rocket, so we can call him that. Middle one…” She eyed Alex. “…assuming he does actually exist, could be Spaceman. Their Dad is The Astronaut. That leaves just Virgil.” She smiled and walked towards her desk, past Alex, trailing a blood red fingernail across his shoulder. “We all know he’s the ‘Lover Boy’.”

“Erica!”

But she only laughed. “You better get moving, Sweet Pie. The Big Bird’s a-waiting.”

He grunted, grabbed his tablet, and fishing his stylus off the floor, fled out the door.

The morning sunlight was glaring but warming in the cold brisk air. Around him the Māhia facility was a buzz of activity, mostly workmen hammering and hollering at each other as the new labs facility emerged where his former workspace had crumbled. It was an energising atmosphere. Change, for good or bad, was still change, and it offered new points of view and new inspiration.

And, of course, it didn’t hurt to return to Māhia with such a big change in his own life.

In all honesty, he was just really happy.

He trotted across the grounds towards the main offices, at one point glancing off in the direction of the landing strip to see if he could spot a Thunderbird.

No such luck, so he guessed Mr Tracy…Scott…had arrived in one of their private jets. He briefly wondered why he had dropped in and why he wanted to see Alex. Virgil had called him last night, with only a hint of checking up on him. He was learning that Tracys were much like Tracy Industries, a bunch of caring people who did their best to look after those close to them.

Close.

He grinned a little goofily.

He was close to Virgil Tracy.

It was with that wonderful thought that had him almost skipping into the offices and down the hall to Tia’s.

He was brought up short, however, when instead of finding Tia’s PA seated outside, another familiar and efficient woman sat there instead.

“Hello, Mr Sweetapple. It is nice to see you again.” Carly, Mr Tracy’s PA, smiled at him knowingly.

Well, it seemed knowingly. There was a sparkle in her eye that just said, ‘I know what you’ve been up to, Mr Sweetapple’. Whether she approved or not was not clear, but she knew.

Everything.

“Hi.”

“Mr Tracy is finishing up with the Director. Please take a seat and he’ll be with you in a moment.”

Alex blinked. This was the first time he’d seen Mr Tracy in a formal setting since leaving Tracy Island. On Tracy Island, Scott appeared to shed the ‘Mr Tracy’ persona and relaxed.

Alex had seen him joking and laughing, messing with his youngest brother’s hair, and there may have been a prank involving blue shampoo and Gordon.

To be honest, Alex wasn’t sure if Scott had been the victim or the perpetrator. After all, Gordon had also ended up with blue hair and because he was blond, the blue stood out much more than what had taken to the few silver hairs Scott sported.

That morning had been interesting. A little eye opening to see both brothers running around in towels yelling at each other - the athleticism had definitely been an eyeful. It had taken Mrs Tracy to bring the ruckus to a halt. Alex’s mum had been giggling so much - a presence the two Tracy men had obviously forgotten and there was a lot of red face to match the blue hair.

Alex himself had been curled up on the sofa with both his breakfast and Virgil, and had kept quiet in order to not remind them of his existence. Though his eyes had nearly fallen out of his head in the process.

The situation was not one he thought he would ever encounter.

Virgil had just rolled his eyes and smiled at Alex, probably at Alex’s expression, and kept on eating.

Let’s just say that Scott Tracy at home was vastly different to Scott Tracy in a professional capacity.

He swallowed and settled into the chair as Carly returned to doing whatever she was doing with her tablet.

Alex tried his best not to wear the corner of his tablet cover off with his fidgeting.

“Thank you so much for all your support, Mr Tracy. You’ve been so generous towards our rebuilding efforts.” Tia was walking through the office door, Mr Tracy at her side, smiling.

Blue eyes sparkling.

Alex looked down at his tablet.

“I’m gratified it is going so smoothly. You should be proud of your team here, Tia.”

“I am.”

Alex looked up to find the two of them shaking hands. Did Tia have a little of that hero worship in her eyes? He frowned. He’d never noticed it before, but there it was.

It was so familiar, it hit home.

He looked away again.

“Alex!”

He jumped and shot to his feet. He did not…did not…drop his tablet…barely. “Mr Tracy!”

“Tia, speak to you soon. Let us know if the team needs anything.”

“Thank you, Mr Tracy.” She eyed Alex with a smile as she walked past. Why did everyone seem to have that knowing look in their eyes?

“Alex, come on in.” Mr Tracy gestured towards the open door. The man was dressed head to toe in a silver grey business suit with a blue tie. A red tiepin shone in the overhead light, an engraved TI logo fading in and out as he moved. As expected, every hair was in its place as if he was ready for a promotional shoot. His eyes glittered as he smiled.

Alex did as asked and trotted into Tia’s office.

It looked like it always looked. Neat, professional and efficient. But as Mr Tracy shut the door behind him, Alex found himself swallowing hard for no reason whatsoever.

‘Take a seat, Alex. I’ve been meaning to speak to you out of earshot of Virgil for some time. Sorry to interrupt you at work, but I don’t think it can hold off any longer.”

What?

Alex followed him with his eyes as Mr Tracy took a seat on the couch opposite him, near the window. He sat back and crossed his legs, one elbow on the arm rest. Chin on his knuckles, he stared at Alex.

Alex began reconsidering all his life decisions up until now. Why did he want to talk to him without Virgil?

Shit.

Had he done something wrong?

Keep it calm. Worry about it when you know about it.

Yeah, right.

The silence grew as Mr Tracy looked at him a moment longer.

“I believe there is something we need to talk about, Mr Sweetapple.”

Mr? Oh, shit.

He swallowed. “Yes?”

“As to how our records claimed you were on site, when in fact you were in Gisborne.”

“Oh.” That.

“The mistake caused a great deal of grief on our part, Alex. We thought you were dead under the rubble.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Tracy. I thought I had signed out, but I didn’t.”

There was something on the man’s face, something like a memory that hurt.

Oh, god. Really? Mr Tracy had been worried about him?

A blink. Of course, Mr Tracy had been worried about him. The Tracys doted on their employees like extended family.

He stared at Scott. Did he know about him and Virgil before Alex did? He put himself in the place of the Commander of International Rescue, the great man who Erica described at length, heroically rescuing her from the rubble. Those blue eyes scanning the remains of the lab, knowing he would have to tell his brother who…

“Oh, god, I am so sorry.” He stumbled around the table, almost sending it flying, to land on the couch beside Scott. “I didn’t intend to cause worry. My mum was in Gisborne. Erica refused to let me have my laptop. It was a long drive. When I left I was in a hurry. I thought I swiped my card, I must have missed it. Honestly, I didn’t realise. I will make sure next time, I promise. I am so sorry.” His breath left him. How could he have done this to this amazing man who did so much. How could he have done that to Virgil? He had to apologise to Virgil.

He was suddenly caught between grabbing his phone and ringing Virgil, and consoling Scott, Virgil’s big brother who had thought he was dead.

“Alex.”

How could he have done this to either of them. The thought of Virgil going missing, the need to dig under rubble, the fear and grief…

“Alex, it’s okay.”

He looked up into kind blue eyes.

“I wasn’t intending to criticise. It was an accident. A situation we can use to improve the procedure. I was going to ask you for feedback and any suggestions you might have towards improving our staff security.” Scott arched an eyebrow.

Alex stared, mouth open just a little.

The eyebrow curled into a frown. “You okay?”

A blink and Alex shook himself. “Um, yeah. Sure, um, I’ll take a look at the system.” He swallowed hard, biting the inside of his lip. He took a breath and straightened where he sat. “I’m still sorry, Scott for what I put you and Virgil, through.”

“Mistakes happen. We learn from them so they don’t happen again.”

“It won’t.”

A half-smile. “I didn’t think it would. But any suggestions to improve the system would be welcome.” He sighed. “But anyway, that isn’t what I called you in for.” He reached over to the desk and grabbed his tablet.

What, there was more?

Perhaps it was mother nature throwing Alex a bone in that moment, because while Mr Tracy reached across to the desk, his head passed through the shaft of morning sunlight shining into the room.

The blue highlights in his hair lit up.

Barely there in normal light, but with the sun’s intensity they sparkled as much as his eyes.

Something curled up warm in Alex’s belly at the sight of them. It was a reminder of the man behind the professional. The Scott under the Tracy.

But then Scott moved out of the sun and Mr Tracy returned.

He studied his tablet, poking at it for a moment. “Your conduct during the Gisborne Earthquake was exemplary, Alex. You saved thirteen people.” A smile. “We are very proud of you as both an employee and a friend.”

“Oh.” A friend?

Scott smiled again. “And the people of Tairāwhiti would like to give you an award.”

Alex stared at him.

The smile shifted a little sideways. “Are sure you’re okay?”

Suddenly aware of an undercurrent of familiar Tracy amusement, Alex pulled himself together. “Um, they do?”

“You’ve earned yourself a Tairāwhiti Hero Award, Alex. Congratulations.”

-o-o-o-

Erica jumped on him as soon as he walked through the door to their lab. “So, did he give you the Talk?”

“What?”

“The ‘treat my brother right or I’ll skin you alive’ talk?”

Alex stared at Erica. “No.”

“Oh. So I don’t need to threaten him back?”

“Erica! He’s our boss!” Alex pushed past her.

“So? I’ve got your back, Sweet-Pie. I’ll take him for ya.”

He held his hands up. “No one is threatening anyone. Virgil was barely mentioned.”

“But he was mentioned?” Erica really did love the gossip.

“Only because of you.” Alex plonked himself down in his desk chair.

“Me? What did I do?”

“You dobbed me in about the cereal.”

“That? I have a right to report my silly lab partner for falling asleep in his cereal because he was up all night. You scared me. I thought you had drowned! I thought I was going to have to give you CPR!”

“I know. I said I was sorry. Did you have to tell?”

“Of course, I did. It was for your safety.”

Alex grunted. It had only been a parting heads up from Mr Tracy, but it was still mortifying.

Mr Tracy had even placed a hand on his shoulder. “Alex, from one insomniac to another - you are dating a worrywart. He’ll hound you for it. Trust me, I know.” Scott rolled his eyes a little. “Not that he can talk.” He let out a breath. “But as your employer, I want you to look after yourself. Far be it for me to advise on the maintenance of the artistic mind, but you are more important than the work, Alex.”

Alex twisted his lips at the memory. Mr Tracy was being kind but Alex had hit a breakthrough at 2am. He had been in the zone and if he had gone to bed, he would have lost the thread.

He had tried to protest that the design frenzy had saved him a week of work, but Mr Tracy had only frowned at him.

Alex turned to glare at Erica. “You didn’t have to give him the photos.”

Erica twisted her lips. “How could I not? Besides, the Fish loved them.”

“You gave them to Gordon?!”

She snickered. “Sweet-Pie, you are so cute when you’re flustered. Of course, I gave them to Gordon.” She grinned. “You should see what he gave me in return.” Her eyes were literally sparkling with mischief.

“What?”

But she turned away. “Nope, saving it up for bribery material. Be nice to me or you don’t get to see.”

“See what?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She sat down at her desk and did a very good job of suddenly looking busy.

“That’s blackmail, Erry.”

“Nah, you trust me too much.”

Alex grumbled and turned back to his computer. “Well, in that case, you don’t get to know what Mr Tracy called me in to discuss.” He opened one of his project files, jammed his headphones over his head and purposefully ignored her curious eyes.

Besides, he had an award ceremony to attend in a few weeks - a black tie event. And it had occurred to him that he was yet to see Virgil in a suit, much less a tux.

And the possibility was very distracting.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #alexander sweetapple #nuttyfic

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television-overload · 2 days

Text

of our own making

(an X-Files fanfic)

Chapter 10/34 - new years rockin' eve

[Read on AO3]

After the pleasant, downright normal Christmas they'd had, Mulder wasn't surprised that their New Years Eve was spent being chased by zombies like something out of one of his bad horror flicks.

He did, however, get to spend it with Scully, which was all he really could have asked of the day.

Their first few days back at work had been pretty run-of-the-mill. The traffic in the hallways was a little lighter, with some agents taking additional days off until after the new year. They used their slow days to complete the adoption paperwork and send it in, which allowed them to put it out of their minds so they could finally focus on work.

Aside from Skinner briefly asking in passing if they'd actually done it (trying his hardest to appear only mildly interested), it was easy to forget the monumental step they'd taken over the holidays. Their rings remained safely tucked under their clothes while on the job, but when he was at home, Mulder liked to wear it in its intended place, finding it helped him focus his thoughts when he twisted it idly on his finger.

A mangled arm was a small price to pay for ringing in the new year with his partner by his side, all things considered. A happy ending for all, most especially for Frank Black and his daughter.

Scully watches as the older man wraps the girl in his arms, burying his face in her hair. It's a sweet sight, but something about it makes her grow pensive, her expression darkening.

“What kind of world would we be bringing a child into, Mulder?” she asks quietly, unable to tear her eyes away from the little family as they leave the room hand in hand.

Her words surprise him in their negativity, drawing a halfhearted chuckle from his throat. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Scully, but adoption usually means we’re getting a kid that’s already in the world, doesn’t it?

Her shoulders deflate a little and she casts an unamused glance in his direction, looking far more vulnerable than she typically allows herself to be.

“You know what I mean.”

He does. Of course he does.

“Well, it’s the same world people have been bringing children into for millennia,” he reasons. “And now we’re about to be in a whole new one.”

He nods back at the TV screen, tuned in to Dick Clark's coverage of Times Square. All those people, completely oblivious to the dangers lurking in this world that defy logic and reason. Zombies are the last thing on any of their minds as they count down to the new year.

“But I believe mankind, in its essence, stays the same,” he finishes.

He'd faced this question months and months ago when Scully had asked him about IVF. Was this a life he could bring a child into? Was he a person worthy of being a father, even if only by genetics? The conclusions he'd come to had not been arrived at lightly.

“We can do this, Scully,” he says, softer. Sure. “We might have to make some changes, but… when it comes down to it, you and I are no different than anyone else wanting to raise a child.”

She gives him a disbelieving look, her eyebrow quirking into the air. He knows what she’s thinking; The reanimated corpses they'd just encountered would like a word.

“No, think about it,” he continues. “What's the one thing all parents—well, the good ones—have in common?” His question is semi-rhetorical, and she doesn't seem inclined to respond, so he answers for her. “They want what's best for their children, and they do all that they can to provide it to them because they love them. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty willing to do just that. And I think you are too, if these are the things you're worried about.”

Scully sighs, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes. “Mulder…”

“I promise to protect you and any children we may acquire from zombies and all other supernatural forces of evil, okay? Is that what you want to hear?” he adds, his joke finally drawing a smile out of her.

“Don't call it 'acquiring,’ Mulder,” she says with a breathy laugh. “That's weird.”

With the mood successfully lightened, he turns his attention back to the TV, where Dick Clark is beginning to count down.

“The world’s a-changing, Scully,” he says as he moves closer, tilting his head up to watch the broadcast. She mirrors him, standing close by his side.

“Thirty seconds, now. Thirty,” Dick Clark announces as the camera hones in on the Times Square ball, lit up in bright colors as it begins its descent. “Hug your friends and loved ones tight. What the heck, whoever that person is next to you. No time like the present!”

Now there's an idea…

“Here we go!” the announcers chant.

Ten!

Mulder looks down to his left. Well, she is standing next to him, after all. Why not?

Nine.

She's smiling. She has a beautiful smile, too. He's always thought so.

Eight… Seven… Six…

New Year's Eve is plausible deniability, right? If this doesn't work? Maybe there's a written rule somewhere he can check…

Five, four.

Well, it’s not like they haven’t done it before…

Three. Two.

Is this a stupid idea?

One.

Without further ado, Dick Clark's voice cheers, “Happy New Year 2000!” and Mulder makes his decision, leaning toward her with purpose. No turning back now.

She catches him at the last second, and by then it's too late to play it off. The only option is to follow through.

And follow through he does.

His eyes flutter closed as his lips make contact with hers, their touch light and tentative as it had been in the courtroom just a week before, only this time, he waits a moment longer to pull back. Her hand reaches up to cup his cheek, and it immediately sends his heart pounding into his throat, and he finds he can't speak. Auld Lang Syne is playing, but the sound fades from his ears.

The only thing his senses can hear, feel, taste, smell, is her.

When he opens his eyes again, she is staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face. Her hand hasn't moved, and neither does he.

“I—”

“Mulder, I—

Whatever words he was trying to conjure to explain himself die on his lips in an instant, and he can do nothing but gape at her. The air feels charged, and all at once he wishes he'd never done it and that he'd done it years ago.

His eyes flick down to her lips and then back to her eyes, desperate to know what words will come out of them next.

“I– got a call from the adoption agency,” she finishes, and his thoughts come crashing back to the present, his heartbeat pounding at an alarming rate. However he'd thought she might finish that sentence, that wasn't it.

She's looking at him though, worry flickering in her eyes.

“Th– the adoption agency?” he asks, his good hand slackening its hold on her lower back.

She nods.

“What did they say?”

Suddenly he feels nauseous, like maybe the mixture of zombies, drugs, and potentially life changing news was a little too much for his stomach all in one night.

“They… said that our application looks good, and they want to schedule a preliminary interview.”

At this, even his fingers on his injured arm have to reach out to her, brushing against the fabric of her shirt at her waist and stretching his sling to its limit.

“What?”

She nods again in confirmation, looking equal parts scared and excited.

“Scully that's– that's great news! It's good news, right?”

He doesn't know what he'll do if she gets cold feet now. A crushing blow like that isn't exactly how he'd like to start out this century, much less the millennium.

Her hand drops to his shoulder and she smiles, holding tight to him.

“It's good,” she confirms, though a trace of doubt still remains in her voice.

He pulls her into a hug, resigning his poor limp arm to be stuck uncomfortably between them, but otherwise holding her tight.

“Mulder, we're actually going through with this?” she asks into his shoulder.

He nods emphatically, a wide grin stretching his face. “Heck yeah, Scully!”

“They could still tell us no.”

His little pessimist. Good thing he's got enough belief for the both of them.

“Not until they've seen us and we've pled our case,” he says, pulling back to look at her. “Call ‘em back and make an appointment!”

Tears begin to pool in her eyes and she nods shakily again. “Okay,” she says, and releases his shoulder to wipe the wetness beneath her eyes. “Okay, I’ll– um… I’ll call them tomorrow.”

He wants to kiss her again. He wants to so bad, but he doesn't. Emotions are understandably high, and this entire situation is so confusing and complicated already, that he's not sure anymore where they stand.

One day, he thinks. One day he'll find the courage.

“Hey, Scully,” he says instead, placing his hand on the back of her neck to capture her attention.

She looks up at him tearfully. He shrugs and smiles goofily, relief and hope shining in his eyes.

“The world didn't end.”

~~~

Should I? Oh, why not. One more chapter. It's the weekend.

Chapter 11/34 - confessions

The interview with the adoption agency is scheduled for Friday of that week, which Skinner happily approves time off for. That leaves less than six days to prepare, and Scully busies herself with making sure they have everything they could possibly need to maximize their chances.

The night before the big day, Mulder is ordered to come over for a last minute study session (not that he would have been unwilling if she’d asked nicely, but with the stress she’s under, it comes out as more of a command). It feels like Arcadia again, going under cover, making sure they both have their stories straight.

Only this time, their cover is more or less their real life, give or take a few necessary oversimplifications.

“So, we’ve covered employment, medical history, familial relationships…” Scully lists, kneeling beside an array of papers spread out on her coffee table. “Am I leaving anything out?”

She bites the tip of her pen, glancing over her notes with her brows furrowed in thought. Reviewing this stuff could mean the difference between a happily ever after and rejection, that’s the scariest thing. She just wants to be thorough, and Mulder—bless him—has humored her thus far, answering questions, finding solutions to explain their… less than ordinary pasts.

It takes her a moment to notice when he doesn’t immediately answer, the silence dragging on just a little too long. Her first assumption is that he’s fallen asleep—which she wouldn’t blame him for if he did—but that assumption is quashed the moment she looks up at him on the couch, the serious expression on his face instantly shifting the mood.

“Mulder?” she asks, a worried crease appearing on her forehead.

"You know, we never talked about it," he says quietly, carefully, glancing across the coffee table at her. “Not really.”

"About what?" She’s starting to get anxious.

"The IVF."

And there they are, the three letters that still fill her stomach with dread and immense sadness anytime she hears them.

I. V. F.

"Mulder..." she starts, but he only leans forward, reaching out across the coffee table for her hand.

"I want to. I really do, Scully. I need to talk about it. It could come up tomorrow."

"I don't really like... thinking about it,” she says softly, wanting desperately to look away from the pleading expression that she knows she can’t say no to.

"I know. But don't you think we should?” he argues. “I mean, we can't brush it away like it never happened, Scully, I won't do that. It was important to me."

She doesn’t want to hear this. Her heart twists painfully, and she slams her eyes shut to lock down the tears beginning to form, shaking her head. Sure, she knows he’d wanted it back then, had hoped it would succeed. But it’s too late. It’s in the past, and she’d like to leave it there, if at all possible. To hear him say, in as many words, exactly how much he’d invested emotionally in those tiny embryos…

She doesn’t think her heart can take it.

"Since when do you like talking about things like this?" she asks, trying once to pull her hand away. “Things that… cause you pain?”

He clings on tighter, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand with both of his. "I can tell you the exact moment, Scully, and it’s when you knocked on my door in a dingy motel room and asked me what those bumps on your back were."

His earnest words stun her into silence.

Rain on the windows. A story of tragedy and determination. Honest words coming from the lips of a man she’d met only days before.

That trust had been there from the start.

He stands from his place on the couch and circles the coffee table, carefully pushing aside the papers in front of her to make a space for himself to sit. "The past hurts, but somehow—” he continues, “somehow you make it easier to face. To me, at least."

She sighs, turning her head so that she can muster enough strength to answer his heartfelt plea. Articulating something like this is not her strong suit, but for him, she’ll try.

"I– I've never wanted anything more in my life,” she breathes, the admission one she has never spoken aloud.

It’s the truth, though, and he knows better than anyone how difficult that is for her. Scully is not one for dreaming big, expecting rich blessings from the earth or her life. She, like him, has grown used to being disappointed, to having the things she wants taken away from her. He could make an itemized list, if he wanted to, of all the ways they’d been let down. Even the expectation of a clean, comfortable motel room has been slowly drained from her, and yet she had still allowed herself to hope in this.

“You know, for a minute, I really did think it had worked, that I was—" She pauses, leaving the word pregnant to hang in the air. Instead, she takes a shaky breath and continues. "Do you remember that day I got sick in the car on the way to a crime scene?"

She doesn’t have to specify which one, because it had only ever happened once, that was what was so odd about it.

"I thought that was it,” she says, “I thought that maybe—"

"I thought the same thing," Mulder cuts in.

Of course he had. She’d guessed as much that day, too, between bouts of heaving into a plastic bag in the front seat of their rental car.

The way he treated her extra carefully, taking turns slower, making a point to turn on the blinker with every lane change on the highway, stopping at a gas station for some ginger ale… She had allowed it all, too—the special treatment—because what if she was? She couldn’t risk it until she knew for sure. If that was her only chance…

Her lower lip trembles and she ducks her head. "I tried to keep my expectations low, but..."

His finger lands on her chin, tipping her gaze back up to face his.

"It would have been pretty cool, huh?” he says, offering her a small smile for comfort. “Can you imagine telling Skinner out of nowhere that we combined our DNA in a petri dish? I think the vein in his head might have actually burst.” He laughs, and is graced with the smallest of smirks for his efforts.

"I'd have these dreams,” she continues. “What our baby might look like, what personality they'd have. Whether they'd… be more like me or like you."

His lips. Her hair. His passion. Her scientific mind.

"Well, hopefully you,” Mulder speaks, smiling at the thought. “I think you've got your hands full already with one of me. There are many who would say you were crazy even to ask me in the first place."

She looks up at him with her head tilted, her eyes softening.

"I knew what I was doing."

She can tell by the way he brushes off the compliment that he doesn’t believe her, so she doubles down.

"I'm serious, Mulder. You're brilliant, imaginative, bold, caring... I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't want my child to share those same qualities."

She loves Mulder. She loves every infuriating little thing about him. She'd have been lucky to have a son or daughter with his kind, gentle personality, his determination to keep fighting when everything in his life is telling him he can't win. Teena Mulder didn't know what she had, with Fox Mulder as a son. He should have been loved, cared for, nurtured, supported all his life. Instead, Scully has the sense that the first and only person he has trusted to give him all that is her, and that is not a responsibility she takes lightly.

"I pictured this little boy,” he says, his lips curled in a sad smile as he speaks. “Dark sandy blond hair with just a hint of your red. Blue eyes just like yours. Jeans absolutely filthy with dirt and grass stains on the knees."

She closes her eyes, allowing the picture to form in her mind. She smiles, but it's pained. Such a beautiful thought, never to be.

"How can I miss someone so much that I don't even know?” she asks, the hurt audible in her voice. “Someone that never existed?"

Mulder presses his lips tightly together in thought, his eyes trailing over the room.

"They say that grief is the love we have that has nowhere to go, because that person has left us,” he starts, his voice reverent and pensive. “They never talk about how to love a person we never had in the first place, or a dream that’s just out of reach. But still, I think that love feels just as real as any other kind.”

He has a way with words, her Mulder. It has been the bane of their assistant director’s existence on numerous occasions, when such existential ponderings found their way into his reports.

But now… Well, it's just another thing she loves about him. She wonders if he's allowed himself to grieve for Samantha, or if his belief that she's still out there somewhere makes him fall into that second category.

"I just wish I hadn't put us both through that,” she says. “That I dragged you into it..."

"I'm glad you did,” he’s quick to assure. “Scully, that day you asked me was one of the happiest days of my life. The future is such a messy, terrifying thing, sometimes. You showed me that it doesn't have to be that way. That there can be hope. I'd forgotten what that felt like."

She's silent, unsure of what to say in response to that. He has all the right words, and suddenly, she has none of them.

"I don't regret it for one moment, Scully. We gave it a try."

She purses her lips, forcing back tears that are threatening to spill. "I don't think I could have done it without you," she says, shaking her head.

"Well, obviously,” he says, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a cheeky smile.

She gives him a look. "Mulder…"

"I know, I know,” he says, turning serious again. “I'm honored that you let me be a part of it."

That she would have let him be a part of so much more. A family. Everything, if he had wanted it.

"Well, listen,” he continues, “we ace this interview tomorrow, and we're back on track. Plenty of kids out there that need a home, right? Someone's bound to pick us."

His optimism emboldens her. "I hope so."

"We got this, Scully. They're gonna take one look at you and know for certain that you're meant to be a mother."

She distracts herself from his sweet-sounding words by focusing her attention on his loosened necktie, smoothing it down with one hand. "I'm picking out your tie,” she declares. “No alien decals or wild shapes and colors."

"I think it shows personality," he says in mock defense.

She can’t help the fond smile she flashes at him, glancing up into his eyes. "Not tomorrow, it doesn't."

-.-.-

The agency they ended up going with is out in Annapolis, so on the day of their interview, they drive out together, mostly in silence. Scully fidgets with the folder full of information and other documents they might need, picking at the corner of it while she goes over the important points in her head.

Mulder holds the door open for her when they arrive at the building, and she double checks that her ring is in place on her finger before approaching the front desk to check in. They’re instructed to take a seat in the small waiting area, and Mulder follows and sits down beside her. On the coffee table in front of them are a stack of brochures, the same one she found on Mulder’s desk what feels like forever ago. That had been the catalyst for this entire affair, and now look where they are.

She never could have imagined it.

A few minutes later, a plump older woman appears from behind a door, smiling at them warmly.

“Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Mulder?” she says, checking her clipboard.

Scully stands, followed by Mulder. “I, uh– I go by my maiden name. Scully,” she corrects.

“My apologies, Ms. Scully,” the woman says, leading them into her office and taking a seat behind a wooden desk.

They sit down in a pair of chairs opposite her, taking in their surroundings. There are dozens of thank you cards lined up on the windowsill behind the woman’s desk, presumably from families who have benefitted from the services offered here. It fills her with a cautious hope, though does nothing to quell the restless feeling that has plagued her since she woke up this morning. Mulder has kept his cool, so far, and she wonders how he does it.

“My name's Brenda Koske,” the woman continues, introducing herself. “I’ll be your case manager throughout this process. Should we just get right into it, then?”

They nod, unable to do any more than that at the moment.

“Okay, then,” Brenda says with a beaming smile, opening up a file folder on her desk. “So, tell me about yourselves, what made you look into adoption?”

"Well," Scully says, looking at Mulder for approval. "I– We found out a few years ago that I am unable to have children. We tried in vitro fertilization last year, but... it wasn't successful."

The woman at the desk nods and jots some information down in a notebook. Scully suspects their story, so far, is a familiar one.

"And how long have you been together?"

Scully's mouth drops open, but she isn't sure what she'll say. Before she has a chance to stammer something out, Mulder answers, "A little over seven years, now." He’s confident. Sure of his answer, despite it being a lie, or at least an egregious stretching of the truth.

The case manager writes down some more.

"And I see here that Ms. Scully has petitioned for the adoption of a child before. Emily Sim?" she states, checking her notes.

Scully tenses, and Mulder puts a calming hand on her knee.

"It's a long story," he says, answering for her, "but Emily unfortunately passed away from her chronic illness before the adoption proceedings could get very far."

Brenda nods. "I understand that this is a difficult subject, Mr. Mulder, I'm just trying to get all the information I need. From what I see here, this child was the biological child of Ms. Scully. I'm afraid I need more of an explanation."

She knows Ms. Koske doesn’t mean any harm by asking these questions—after all, they’d prepared for them last night. But it’s still hard to hear them come up.

Thankfully, Mulder was paying attention and is more than willing to take the lead.

"My wife was treated for her infertility by a doctor we couldn't trust,” he explains. She still finds it odd to hear him refer to her in that way, but it makes sense that he does it now. He can’t very well call her ‘Scully’ in front of the woman they’re trying to convince to give them a child.

Now comes the next part of their explanation.

“Her ova were stolen and used without her knowledge or consent, and Emily was a result of that. It was complete happenstance that we even discovered what happened."

"I'm very sorry you went through that, Ms. Scully," the woman says, looking genuinely sorry for her. "Quite a world we live in."

You have no idea , Scully thinks, and nods in recognition of Ms. Koske’s expression of sorrow.

"And you're married?" she asks next, her pen hovering over a checkbox on the form in their file.

"Yes, just recently,” Scully answers. The box gets checked.

"Congratulations! Why the long wait, if I may ask?" Brenda says.

“I ask myself that every time I look at her,” Mulder says while leveling her with his adoring gaze. He’s dialing up the married man act, which he is definitely within his rights to do, but it still catches her off guard. She hopes he doesn’t overdo it, risking tipping off their case manager.

"It, um– It never really seemed like something necessary for us to do," Scully answers, ignoring his sickly sweet comment and hiding her blush.

Mulder turns back to Brenda and adds, "But we figured, if adoption works out..."

"We'd like to make it as simple and straightforward as possible," Scully finishes.

"It certainly will help," the agent says, nodding as she jots down another note. "Where would the child be living?"

"I– We have an apartment in Georgetown.” Scully’s heart flutters anxiously at the close call, thankful she was able to correct herself before misspeaking.

"An apartment," the woman says as she adds that to her notes. It's impossible to tell if she means it in a good or bad way, and Scully can’t make out her handwriting enough to tell.

"I have money set aside from my father's estate," Mulder cuts in, causing Scully to look at him in confusion. "We'd eventually like to buy a house, if this works out." This wasn’t something they’d talked about in any of their previous discussions, nor has he ever mentioned it before, so she doesn’t know where it’s coming from. When she catches his eye, he gives her a subtle shrug.

They’ll have to talk about this later.

"I'll put down the Georgetown address for now," Brenda says, smiling encouragingly at them. "Just a couple more questions for now, you guys are doing great." Scully exhales in relief, her shoulders relaxing just a little. "I have to ask about your work. Your medical history tells me that your jobs put you in some pretty dangerous situations. What are your plans should a child be placed into your care?"

Mulder nods and squeezes Scully's hand, encouraging her. They'd planned for this, too.

"I plan to take a step back,” she answers, “I've spoken with our boss, and he's assured me that I could return to a teaching position at Quantico while serving part time in my current department as a consultant."

"Mr. Mulder?" Brenda says, turning to him next.

"I will be doing the same."

Scully looks at him incredulously, which the woman thankfully misses.

"It's time for us to settle down,” he continues, avoiding her questioning stare. “I think we've accomplished most of what we set out to do with our work, and we can't keep doing it forever, especially if we want to start a family. I've talked to our director about seeking out replacements for the both of us. Someone else will take over the department, while we lend our expertise as needed to the new agents."

This is the first she’s hearing about this too, but she wisely keeps her mouth shut, letting him say whatever he needs to say. Starting an argument about this now would not tip things in their favor.

But he can’t be serious about giving up the X-Files, can he? It hadn’t even crossed her mind to ask. Arguably the main reason he started the unit was to look into the disappearance of his sister, and that case remains unsolved. Would he just walk away? Would he resent her for it eventually, if he did?

"I'm glad to hear you're making strides in that direction,” Brenda comments, a pleased smile gracing her lips. “I was afraid we wouldn't be able to consider your application on account of your chosen field of work, but it sounds like you’re serious about starting a family.”

She writes some more and it falls silent. Mulder wraps his other hand around Scully's, bringing comfort and reassurance to them both.

"Last thing—and I'm sorry to keep bringing up difficult topics—” Brenda starts again. “Ms. Scully, you were diagnosed with cancer three years ago. Is there any chance it could return? You understand why I have to ask, don't you?"

"Yes– I understand,” Scully nods, swallowing nervously. “Um, no, I've been told there's little reason to think it will ever come back. I've been in remission over two years now."

Brenda nods and makes a final note, her pen leaving the paper with a flourish. "That's great, I'm so happy to hear that." She closes her notebook and file and smiles. "Well, you two, it sure sounds like you're overdue for a happy ending. Hopefully we can do something about that."

She shakes each of their hands in turn, standing up from the desk to escort them out.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, we'll be in touch as soon as your application is approved, and then we'll start looking for potential matches."

"Thank you very much, Ms. Koske," Mulder says, the perfect picture of a responsible adult worthy of becoming a parent.

Scully mumbles her own "Thank you," too overwhelmed to manage more words than that.

Mulder places a hand on her back and leads her out of the office and into the hall, standing closer to her than he usually does when they walk this way. His neck bends so he can see her face, and he whispers, "You hear that, Scully? She said when our application gets approved!"

Scully shakes her head, not wanting to get ahead of herself quite yet.

"She said 'as soon as', not when,” she corrects.

"Same thing,” he argues. “Come on, that went well, don't you think?"

"I hope so," she says.

His stride is confident and energetic. "It did, trust me. We had all the right answers."

"I was so nervous. I knew she would ask about my cancer," she states, shaking her head in disappointment.

"She was just being thorough,” Mulder assures her. “Cheer up, Scully, the part we had to worry about is over! I'm taking you to lunch."

"Mulder, we really should just get back to work—” Scully tries. She’s supposed to be the responsible one, after all. Reining him in. Wasn’t that why she complemented him so well?

"We're celebrating. One step closer to being parents, right Scully?"

It’s time she admits it to herself: she failed at reining him in years ago.

Now, she just goes with the flow. The best surprises are around the corner when she does so.

She hopes that this time is no different.

~~~

Lovely tag list ♡: [if you would like to be added or removed, let me know!]

@today-in-fic @ao3feed-msr @agent-troi @angegova @baronessblixen @calimanc @captainsolocide @clo-thespin @cutemothman @danasculls @deathsbestgirl @edierone @enigmaticxbee @figureofdismay @frogsmulder @gillian-anderson-in-the-tardis @hippocampouts @invidiosa @monaiargancoconutsoy @numinousmysteries @primrose19 @randomfoggytiger @skelavender @skylarksong @stephy-gold @teenie-xf @the-redhead-in-a-dress @vincentsleftear

#msr #txf #x files #xf fanfic #mulder and scully #my fanfiction #fox mulder #dana scully #of our own making #ooom #msr adoption fic #adoption

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bloodyhoon · 3 days

Text

the love club [ch 9]

genre: high school fanfiction, love triangle (park sunghoon x female!reader x sim jake) angst, fluff.

warnings: crying, mentions of death, kissing. english is not my first language so there may be grammal or spelling errors.

words: 2.7K

masterlist.

Two years had passed since a part of you began to feel alone and incomplete. Since you felt that your life had lost a part of its colors, a part of your shine had gone out and a part of your heart had gone with your mother, who had left two years ago. And every day you missed her with every fiber of your body to a level that you felt your body tear with pain at not being able to be in her arms, sometimes you wanted to scream and cry when you realize how you were slowly forgetting what it felt like to hear her voice, what her smell was like, what it was like to be in the warmth of her embrace. And her beautiful face. You felt that you were being punished, perhaps in another of your lives you had done something so serious that you deserved this suffering and for a long time you begged and you apologized to the universe for that, although you didn't even know why. If you had the opportunity to make a wish, that would be go back in time and stop just before the moment when that car crashed into the bus where your mother was traveling the afternoon they took her life was taken from her without warning.

Coming out of your thoughts, you clung to the blanket in your arms and hugged it tightly while with a sigh your eyes were lost on the pastel green wall of your room. That was the blanket your mother had knitted for you while she was waiting for your birth. You thought about everything and at the same time you were lost, alone and helpless. It was always like this, on the first anniversary of your mother's death you hadn't left your room for about two weeks, your father did everything possible to help you get ahead and you just refused to exist. Faced with those memories, you felt sorry for your father, he was suffering in the same way as you and yet he appeared strong and gave you the strength to continue. You felt selfish and embarrassed to look into his eyes, but he always held you in his arms and told you that everything was okay and that you weren't alone, and you had never done the same for him.

Over time, things got better and you moved on, you both moved away and you were enjoying the life you were living now, but you knew that eventually this day would come and you would return to that darkness that consumed you at that time. Your father had returned to Japan three days ago when he noticed that you were handling the situation well, offering to go with him to visit your maternal family and worship your late mother, but you still weren't ready to let her go so you refused, your father of course didn't insist and just left, contacting you all the time to make sure you were safe and well. Three days passed in which you had not left your house, you had not attended classes and you barely talked to your friends. You were hurting and you needed time, you didn't want to sit in front of your friends and fake happiness when you didn't feel it and you didn't want them to feel obligated to grieve with you either.

Your phone began to vibrate on the nightstand, when you see the screen, it marked around midnight and the name "Jaeyun" was blinking, illuminating everything around you. You hesitated for a few seconds as you watched the incoming call, but a part of you just said that you should answer and not make your friends worry, show them that you were not really bad as they thought and that little by little you were starting to be okay again. It would be selfish not to give even signs of life.

"Hello?" Your voice was a little hoarse and congested from crying the previous few days, so you cleared your throat quietly.

"Y/n, thank god" Jaeyun sounded worried "I know you're not having a good time, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I really wanted to hear from you after so many days. In fact, we all want to know about you, Yeji hasn't stopped asking how you feel and Riki no longer knows how to stop her from going to your house."

"I'm fine, Jaeyun" you were moved by his words and tears gathered at the corners of your eyes. "You don't have to worry, I'm just sad. I need some more time to myself to cope with this, I'll be much better soon."

"I understand" the boy remained silent for a few seconds. "You really don't want me to come see you? Maybe being accompanied will make you feel-"

"No" you were much colder than you intended. "I promise I'm fine, please stop worrying." The boy sighed a little frustrated on the other side of the line and nodded to himself, realizing that he didn't have to insist.

"Listen y/n, I know that sometimes words don't help much, but you will be okay, eventually it will stop hurting and you will learn to live with this, you are a great and strong girl, I assure you that your mom is proud of you. We are all proud of you, never doubt it."

Those words made some accumulated tears fall down your face, but you concentrated on breathing deeply trying to control your altered emotions, Jaeyun knew perfectly well that you were crying and it broke his heart not to be there with you to hold you warmly in his arms.

"Thank you Jaeyun" your voice sounded tiny compared to always "I really appreciate it."

After a few more words, the boy cut the call making you promise that if you needed anything or anyone you would call him without hesitation and he would be there for you in just a matter of minutes. You felt your heart warmed by Jaeyun's kindness and tenderness, not being able to believe that someone like him existed in the world and that he was there for you. Surprisingly, you felt comforted and a little more encouraged than other times, thinking that the year was not being so difficult thanks to the company of your friends.

A couple of hours passed in which you continued with your lost gaze on the wall, your father had called you too and you had talked for a few minutes before he said that he would return the next day, please take care of yourself and call him if something happened to you, or if you just needed to talk. You decided to get out of your bed and take a hot bath, your body ached from the tension you had carried the last few days in which you had been curled up in your bed living with your sadness as best you could. The clock showed 2am and you were already ready to go to sleep when a notification flashed on your phone screen with a message.

Sunghoon: how you feel?

You were a little surprised to receive that message, the black-haired boy had been the only one to not call you or ask about you apparently, so the message was a little sudden and at that time it was even more so.

You: i'm fine.

You didn't have anything else to say and you didn't feel like you could express much by message, so you just locked your phone and left it on your bed, it was only a few seconds until it rang again.

Sunghoon: can you go out for a second?

You raised your head suddenly and looked at the door of your room for a moment, then you just ran down the hallway directly to the entrance, and stopped dead, hesitating for a few seconds. Was he playing with you? It was late and the night was colder than normal, there was no way he would be at the door of your house at that time. But without thinking about it anymore, you gathered courage and opened the front door of your house. Park Sunghoon was actually standing in front of you in the cold night, dressing as casually and comfortably as possible as if he came straight from home. He had a worried look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" You couldn't hide your nervousness and trembling voice.

Sunghoon scanned you quickly with his eyes and you felt embarrassed because you were wearing plain gray pajamas, your long hair was darker because it was wet falling on your shoulders, your face was quite pale and your eyes were a little puffy. Your eyes showed the sadness you were hiding and the image completely destroyed his heart.

"I-" he didn't know what to answer you, he had really only decided to show up at your door after Jaeyun told them that he had talked to you hours before. It wasn't enough for him to be told that you were fine, nor was it enough for him to ask you by message, he needed to see you with his own eyes and that's when he realized that you really weren't fine as you were trying to show, your eyes didn't lie, so he impulsively entered and closed the door behind him, grabbing your arms and pulling you close to his body, hugging you tightly.

You were more than just surprised, your body felt weak and anguish completely invaded you, so you went limp in his arms and cried without being able to contain yourself. It was the first time you cried for your mother in the arms of someone other than your father, in fact, it was the first time you cried in front of another person exposing how broken your heart really was and how all this time you had not needing more than a comforting hug where you could cry. Sunghoon just held you tightly and caressed your hair without saying anything, demonstrating with just an action what no one had been able to with words.

(***)

Silence reigned in your room as you looked at your hands resting on your lap, Sunghoon was sitting in front of you observing every corner of your pretty face while gently removing the loose hair that fell on your forehead. You were both in the comfort of your room after a few long minutes in which you had managed to calm your crying and you felt better. Sunghoon could only look at you waiting for you to want to talk and if you didn't want to talk, he didn't care he would stay there with you in silence until he made sure you smiled again.

"You didn't have to come" you felt ashamed, you didn't think it was necessary for everyone to worry about you when you had only gotten used to isolating yourself and facing your feelings alone until you eventually kept them inside and felt good again. You also didn't expect yourself to cry like that in front of the black-haired boy, you didn't expect that his hug would release your hidden feelings so much.

"Yes, I had to" Sunghoon continued stroking your hair, with his other hand holding one of your hands, intertwining his fingers with yours. "You don't have to face your pain alone, you have many people caring about you ready to let you cry with them. I am one, that's why I am here. You don't have to be ashamed, if you feel like you want to cry you just have to do it so you can feel better." Sunghoon's tone of voice was soft and his words pierced the deepest part of your heart, you just nodded to his words silently.

"You can cry all you want" Sunghoon continued, "And if you feel like you've cried enough, then we can just stay silent, but I won't leave you alone."

"Hoon" the boy's eyes shine brightly at that simple nickname that he was used to, but that sounded so good coming from you "Thank you"

"Why are you thanking me like I'm doing you a favor?" the boy denied and smiled kindly at you "I'm doing this because I want to, I really had a hard time not coming sooner. I was desperate to see your pretty face and I was scared that you were going through this difficult time alone."

His hands cupped your cheeks and both of your gazes met. Sunghoon's eyes were sincere, with a small smile gracing his lips and you felt your heart beat rapidly at the complete attention the boy was giving you. You felt that Sunghoon's eyes were so expressive that a simple look told you everything that his mouth didn't, you felt accompanied and above all you felt comfortable, you felt that you could hold his gaze even though before it caused you so many nerves. Sunghoon looked doubtful for a few seconds as he looked into your eyes, then he looked at your pink lips, your face was flushed from crying, but he also knew that it wasn't just because of that and he really tried not to say what was going through his mind, but he felt like he couldn't help it.

"I really want to kiss you right now," those words came out almost as a whisper as he pressed his forehead to yours. He didn't doubt it, he had that idea in his mind for a few weeks, when he began to notice things in you that he never noticed in anyone else, when he began to see you with different eyes and his heart raced when you showed him your smile.

“Then do it” you replied and closed your eyes tightly, feeling shy.

Sunghoon moved slightly away from you, taking the time to continue looking at your face so closely after hearing that answer. You opened your shiny eyes and felt embarrassed when the black-haired boy did nothing but stare at you blankly, but in a matter of seconds he brought a hand to the back of your neck and firmly attached his lips to yours. You were startled as you were beginning to think that he would not kiss you and you put your hands on the boy's shoulders without hesitation, Sunghoon hugged your waist, lifting your feather-light body and pulling you closer to him. He kissed you with passion and firmness, for some reason you felt as if you had waited for that moment all your life and that his lips fit perfectly with yours, made to be together. You hugged his shoulders and let yourself go, you felt on cloud nine and as if you were in the right place and with the right person. You felt an inexplicable connection while your lips moved in rhythm without wanting to separate even though you knew you had to. Sunghoon lightly squeezed your waist and broke off that passionate kiss, he knew that if you continued kissing like that it wouldn't all end with a simple kiss.

"Y/n-" he said your name in a breath, still with his lips brushing yours and his eyes closed, not daring to let the moment go. You didn't know what led you to react that way, but you attached your lips to his desperately again as you moved closer to his body, almost climbing onto his lap, Sunghoon stifled a moan at your initiative and wrapped both his arms around your waist as the kiss deepened again. The atmosphere was beginning to change and get hot, he knew that if he didn't really stop at that moment, then he never would, so once again with difficulty separated from you and held you in his arms tenderly while he left a few last short kisses on your lips, feeling guilty for stopping "wait, wait."

"I'm sorry" you didn't know why you were apologizing when suddenly the situation hit you and you felt ashamed of what had happened, Your eyes were still closed tightly while the boy looked at you with a smile, then hugged you gently and left light caresses on your back with tenderness. Sunghoon laughed softly at how embarrassed you looked and you melted into his arms at the sound, hiding your face in his chest and not wanting to look into his eyes again.

"You don't have to apologize, pretty," he replied, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face, "just... it's not the time, you're not thinking clearly and I don't want you to feel bad later.

Both of you stood in silence with your bodies hugged together, your breathing a little irregular like your heartbeats as you processed everything that had happened minutes before. Neither of you expected things to turn out that way, but you both felt comforted and fulfilled with yourselves. Your heart was beating irregularly and not only because of the hectic moment, but because you couldn't believe what had just happened and how you felt so calm, being that it was Sunghoon, the boy who managed to make you nervous the most with the slightest action. You put some of your sadness aside for the rest of the time and Sunghoon felt happy to be next to you, hugging your body tightly, not wanting to let you go.

n/a: there aren't many chapters left until it ends. fun not so funny fact I had this story in drafts for almost two years but I never thought about publishing it because it was never my favorite story written by me, my study friend encouraged me to leave it free haha. right now it doesn't feel like something I wrote, compared to the way I write now but I grew fond of it a little

tl: @minhypenreblogs @deobitifull @youresolivlie @oneheart-break @lol6sposts

#enhypen scenarios #enhypen imagines #enhypen #enhypen drabbles #jake enhypen #sim jaeyun #park sunghoon #sunghoon imagines #sunghoon scenarios #jake scenarios #jake imagines #enhypen fanfiction

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frozenjokes · 2 days

Text

A Matter Of Fairness Or Maybe Fear

the next part of the mumbomaid au is four separate mini stories that will be posted as one chapter on ao3, but I thought it might be cool to post them separately here (and since this one’s done, I thought I might post it earlier before the rest goes up on ao3 >:D)

This call marked Scar’s 129th over the course of two days, and quite frankly, his persistence was starting to wear at Etho’s resolve. Maybe ‘resolve’ wasn’t quite the right word actually- patience might be better. This marked the sixth day Etho had been stuck in a little outlet away from home, burying himself in the mud day in and day out, and he was really getting sick of it- sick of Joel, actually, and Scar calling him every free moment of the day was getting quite frustrating when he was waiting on messages from Joel.

Etho let it ring. It wouldn’t stop Scar. Yesterday while sending Joel a very long and very angry message, Etho had accidentally declined Call 4 before the first ring concluded, so Scar knew Etho had his phone. Since then, Etho had also accidentally declined Call 7, 68, 70, and 103.

Call 129 ended and Call 130 began. Call 130 did not end before Bdubs rang at the same time, and that hurt, so Etho submerged himself to avoid it. Soon enough, it too was over. Scar’s insistent calling replaced Bdub’s ringtone without pause.

131. 132. 133.

Finally, it stopped, Scar probably running out of time on his work break. Thank god. Etho had enough on his plate without Scar breathing down his neck, but if he was really being honest, being bitter about Scar’s knowledge on his and Joel’s split souls probably wouldn’t change his behavior today. Scar had a habit of spam calling, and Etho did not know him to give up.

Call 134 just a couple of minutes after the 133rd snapped the last remaining thread of Etho’s patience.

Etho pounced on his phone, picking up with a wrathful hiss, “Stop calling me,” before hanging up. After Call 173, Etho was pretty sure this would never end until he grew a pair and answered the phone. With great disdain, he accepted Scar’s call.

“Hello? Etho? Are you there?”

Etho didn’t respond for a while, too busy fuming to speak. “I’m here.”

“Are you in immediate peril? Do you have time to talk?”

“I have time.” Etho spoke every word through gritted teeth. Scar was quiet for a long moment.

“Then hang the fuck up and call Bdubs you fucking asshole. He’s one more anxiety attack away from filing a missing person’s report, and I’m honestly shocked he hasn’t already! He’s convinced you’re dead in a ditch somewhere or kidnapped or something, and I don’t blame him. If you have your phone and you’re not bleeding out on the fucking rocks, there is literally NO REASON you haven’t called him.”

The wind of Scar’s anger left a heavy silence in its wake. Etho wasn’t quite sure how to break it, but he had a feeling Scar wasn’t going to just let him hang up without another word.

“I can’t call him,” he said instead, all too aware that Scar’s assault of his ears would only continue.

“Give me one good reason why you can’t call your best friend and tell him you’re okay. It’s nearly been a week, Etho, come on. The longest you’ve ever been gone at a time is three days, and you told us beforehand. And I swear to god if you say-“

“Scar, I can’t just call him, I’m not human.”

“You don’t have to fucking video call him!”

“I sound different, Scar. I can’t,” Etho insisted, desperation spilling through in sick waves. Scar didn’t get it. How could he make Scar understand? “What if he asks where I am? What am I supposed to tell him? I can’t call him.”

“You do not sound different! At all!”

“I do.”

“I didn’t notice! It can’t be that bad. Over the phone it won’t even matter- I can not believe you’re fighting me on this. Come on.”

“I can’t, Scar,” a soft whistle broke through behind the words, making Etho feel all the more pathetic. He didn’t want to be here. He’d give anything to be home right now, not worried about being seen or overpowered or caught- he’d give anything to go home, eat normal food- He had work too, he had deadlines! He didn’t want to be in this position at all! Etho didn’t- he didn’t want to upset Bdubs either, of course not, but how was he supposed to explain?

“When are you going to be home then, Etho? Because I need to tell him something. I’m going to tell him- at least that you’re okay. Do you even understand what you’re putting him through right now? Would you really rather let him think you’re in trouble than have a difficult conversation with your best friend?”

“I don’t- I don’t know, Scar. This isn’t my fault- it’s not like I want to be away at all! Please don’t.”

“I’m not mad that you’re not home, Etho. I’m mad because you have a phone to call your roommate with and you’re not using it.”

“He’ll ask questions.” Voicing the thought sounded so much worse, so irredeemably meager. He was being selfish, wasn’t he. Scar was right. But Scar didn’t- Scar didn’t understand the fear- the anxiety- How easy it must be for Scar to stand by the sidelines and tell Etho what was right and wrong. He had no idea.

Scar interrupted his train of self righteous anger before it could build further, “Bdubs has every damn right to ask questions! And even then, he probably won’t. He’d do anything to keep from stepping on your toes on issues like this, even when you treat him like shit. I’m serious. This is fucked. This is cruel. Cleo’s worried sick as well- we’re all worried.” Scar stopped with a huff and Etho heard him mess with his hair over the line, “You know what, this is a waste of time. I’m just going to call him.” Scar hung up without another word, lighting a sharp panic in Etho’s chest. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want this. But he didn’t want an angry Scar telling Bdubs anything about his situation much more.

He fumbled over Bdubs’ contact, pressing several wrong buttons before finally dialing his number. The phone didn’t even pass the first ring.

“Etho? Hello?” Bdubs spoke, drying the words off Etho’s tongue. Not that he had anything to say in the first place. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready for this. His mind seemed to dry up as well, leaving nothing but static in the wake of his panic. “Are you there? Etho?” Bdubs’ voice was faint. Terrified.

Sudden guilt wracked his body, physical in its pain like being caught in the middle of a head-on collision. “I’m here,” his voice shook, but he was hardly aware of it, “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Bdubs was quiet, the silence crushing, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

Neither of them spoke, tension thrumming through the air just as clear as audible sound. Etho didn’t think he’d ever be able to breathe again. This was so much worse than he’d ever imagined this conversation going, and he had imagined it.

…

Bdubs sobbed, and all at once Etho crumbled. Mermaids didn’t have the right anatomy to cry, but Bdubs didn’t question the strained noises of distress that bubbled out of Etho’s throat. Bdubs never did question anything, did he? Not to do with Etho’s disappearances. Not for years.

That wasn’t really fair at all, was it.

That wasn’t fair at all.

#hermitcraft #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #ethoslab #etho #bdubs #bdouble0 #the clockers #hermitfic

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