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#I couldn't sleep so I made some more things
ynbabe · 2 days
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Cute situations w/ f1 drivers- ep2.
Asking the drivers if they 'wanna nap?'
Charles:
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"Wanna nap?" You asked the man as soon as he stepped into his hotel room, tired and eyes red. You knew Ferrari wasn't some winter wonderland but you didn't know why Charles put up with it.
You had been close friends with the man, since before he'd started f3 too, you knew he bled Ferrari red but this wasn't bleeding this was suicide.
Nonetheless, you were there for him, every weekend, only today there wasn't much to do, he had just come back from some meetings. He looked at you and hummed, taking off team-issued merch and throwing himself on the bed beside you.
You turned on some sad Adele song and faded into sleep, holding the boy close to you, his head resting on the curve of your neck.
Carlos:
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"Wanna nap?" You asked Carlos as you both walked into his drivers' room, it was early in the morning at the Las Vegas GP and just as the year before they had messed up the timings and the drivers had to wait till four-thirty in the morning to get on with the programme.
Knowing the both of you, you were sure if you hadn't extended the offer the both of you would have ended up doom-scrolling through Netflix looking for some show to watch fighting off sleep.
"What?" He asked, shocked at the offer for a second before raising his browns and winking at you, "You finally feel my charm didn't you?" he laughed as he climbed onto the small and rickety bed next to you. "Smooth operator strikes again," he praised himself, pulling you close to him, enveloping you in his arms as the big spoon.
You groaned and kicked his shin, making him complain, "Dude you're so fucking lame!" You made fun of the older man who only replied with terrorism (tickling you,) "S-top, stop, I'm sorry," you laughed, trying to escape the death grip he had on you, eventually getting him to stop.
He let you catch your breath as he set an alarm, before trapping you in his warm arms again, both drifting into a comfortable sleep.
Lando:
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It was way past midnight but you couldn't sleep, unable to get yourself out of the party high, too drunk to rest your brain. Thankfully you weren't the only one.
There was a barrage of knocks on your hotel room, a slurred voice with a British accent begging to be let in. "Y/n/nnnnn, I can't sleep," he cried once in the room, stumbling over nothing as you both made your way to your bed.
You giggled as he fell, brushing his hands over the cold blanket. You joined him, crawling onto the bed slowly as the room around you spun. You laid on your back, clinging onto the bed for dear life.
Lando noticed and piled on top of you, making you raise a question brow. "So you don't fall off," he muttered, his face buried in your chest.
"Ohhhh, that makes sense," you said, understanding his thought process as the spinning slowed down. "We should nap," you said out loud, eyes shutting due to the comforting warm weight on top of you.
Lando hummed in return, wrapping his hands around your waist, as you pulled one hand up to his and another grabbing his curls for extra support.
Oscar:
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There were two things everyone knew about Oscar, he hated waking up early and he loved sleeping. So when his trainer woke him up on a perfectly cosy yet cool Monday morning to exercise, he nearly wanted to kill the man, only stopping because that would take much more effort than simply going through with the workout.
Your apartment was closer to the gym than his, so he happily invited himself in to bitch and moan about his trainer and how that man must have hated him.
Rolling at your friend's antics, you pushed away your laptop, walking from the dining table to where he was sitting on your sofa.
"Wanna nap?" You had barely finished your question when you were pulled onto the Australian.
"I thought you'd never ask," he whispered, as he shuffled on the narrow sofa to get comfortable, you still on top of him, his arms wrapped around your waist and your face buried in his neck.
"Are you using me as a teddy bear?" You asked incredulously, trying to get up to no avail as the man's grip on you was far too strong.
"Yes, now let me sleep," he murmured, already half gone.
George:
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George had a habit of pushing himself too far, ever since he was a child. When you guys had just newly become friends, the boy had spent hours trying to find out what exactly you liked and didn't, stalking your Instagram and your family's Facebook.
You had found it endearing but also concerning how he always wanted to be perfect. So when you walked into his house at midnight (you got a key made- there's a reason the both of you got along so well,) and found him staring unblinkingly at his laptop and a large mess of papers spread across the wooden coffee table.
"Dude, what is wrong with you," You whisper-yelled at the man making him jump, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Me? What is wrong with you?" He yelled, panting as you jumped over the back of the couch, sitting right next to him, ruffling through the papers much to his chagrin.
"Shut it, Georgie boy," you smirked at him using the nick name he hated. “What are you even doing, it’s so late?” You asked looking at the taller man who started off in a rant about the car and everything he was doing wrong, making you slide down on the sofa till you head was resting on the backrest. You lifted your feet up to rest them on the coffee table, making George rush to move a stack of papers so they wouldn’t be under your feet.
Perfect. You grabbed the man’s shoulders and made his head rest on your lap.
“What on earth are you doing!” He yelled more than asked, trying to get up but you doubled down.
“George you need to sleep,” you deadpanned as he tried to make you let him go, knowing his pleas fell on deaf ears he gave up.
You raised your brow, “wanna nap?” You asked teasing the boy.
“Only for a few minutes,” he pressed, making himself comfortable, while you tangled your fingers in his hair, “maybe more then,” he sighed and let his eyes shut, slightly watering and finally fell asleep.
Lewis
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Lewis had never been a friend to you, he was more like an annoying yet caring older brother or like a fun uncle of sorts. The man was fiercely protective of his friends, even those whom he saw in animosity.
But you were different, Lewis would steal your coffee, eat your food, and push you around but he'd also sneak you Red Bull (much to his disgust,) into his driver's room during late races, walk you to your hotel room after parties and get you souvenirs from races you couldn't be at. Similarly, you loved to annoy the man, stealing his expensive jackets, which looked hilarious due to the size difference, stealing his headphones and running away with them and most importantly coming to him with your problems day or night.
So no, Lewis wasn't surprised when you showed up to his driver's room in the middle of the day, even though Toto had revoked your pass for the day (for bullying George, but it was worth it,). He was ready to tease you but then he saw your eyes, red and tears flowing down your face.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" He immediately came up to you, giving you a once-over to see if you were injured. "Did someone say something, are you hurt?" He asked panicking at your silence. You simply wrapped your arms around the older man, hiding your face in his chest, quietly sobbing and sniffling.
He walked you both to the sofa in his room, seating you down, trying to wipe your tears, "Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked as you finally calmed down, using his arm as support to sit up.
You cleared your throat, "No, I just wanna nap," you hiccuped slightly.
"Okay," he leaned back so you could rest your head on his shoulder, giving you one of his airpods to relax, which you gladly accepted.
Lance & Fernando (they aren't always gonna be together but the situations... THE SITUATIONS WRITE THEMSELVES)
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"Oh honey that’s not," Lance said pointing to your coloured hair (matching with Alex) and thats how the conversation had started and had ended in a cat fight.
“At least I’m not a nepo baby,” you yelled as you threw a basket of oranges at him, which he dodged, darn those f1 reflexes. The basket itself smacked him square in the face, leaving a red indent across his nose. He glared for a second before jumping over the table you were fighting across and pulled your hair. “Owww, you bitch”
You bit his hands in defence, to which he kicked your shin, screaming you launched yourself at him, crashing the both of you to the ground, “oh my god, okay, truce, truce,” he panted, pushing you off him.
“Just so you can catch your breath,” you retorted making him mock you. In reality, you were definitely much more tired than he was. You were struggling to catch your breath, your head killing you where he grabbed a large chunk of your hair.
You turned to look at him, resting your head on his stretched arm, he was massaging his nose, the bruise turning purple now, “well that was fun,” he turned to face you.
“Sooooo fun,” you rolled your eyes, “wanna nap? My heads killing me,” you are far him in accusation but he glared right back pointing to his swollen nose.
“Sure,” he shrugged, shifting closer to you and closing his eyes. You opened your mouth to make a joke but were interrupted, “there are like a million oranges on the floor right now, I’ll throw one at you,” you accepted defeat and fell into a comfortable sleep.
That’s how Fernando found the both of you, slightly scowling but fast asleep, he took a picture for blackmail’s sake and placed a blanket over the two of you.
PT-2 w/ Max, Logan, Alex, Daniel, Yuki, Pierre, Esteban, Zhou.
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extemts · 1 day
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im BEGGING for some joost hurt to comfort!! something like hes having a bad day and when the reader tries to help him hes js so overwhelmed he snaps at the reader but like in the end they make up and stuff
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Valentine, my decline is so much better with you.
I love love love hurt to comfort!! This goes hand in hand with another request I had! That being said, go give your loved ones a hug and tell them you love them. requested? yes! reader? gender neutral! genre? hurt to comfort, arguing, eventual fluff
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
"Fuck!"
The cursing coming from the other end of your apartment today couldn't be counted on both hands anymore. Joost was two days away from releasing a single he wasn't even happy with as of now.
A few months ago you decided to finally move in together and since both of you had rather stable jobs, looking for an extra room to get your boyfriend a studio at home made sense. It gave him the chance to really focus on his music at a a place he felt comfortable at, and on top he could always ask for your opinion on something, if you weren't currently at work, where you wish you would be at right now. You decided to only take a short shift today, wanting to get home and relax, but your boyfriend had been tense the whole day, which you really didn't blame him for, but you knew he was a perfectionist when it came to his music. He had a bad habit of being rather unresponsive whenever he was really focusing on his work, meaning a tab on the shoulder while he had loud music blaring through his headphones, with his computer screen being a mess of snippets and recordings for a song, it would totally send him over the edge of sensory overload. Today was one of those days where it seemed really bad for him. He fed himself into a hole of hating a perfectly good, soon to be released, single and now he was stuck in a loophole of fixing things that didn't need to be fixed, being satisfied with them, and then when listening to it again, suddenly hating the entire thing. You have tried to offer him your help or comfort several times today, but he always declined it, yet seemed grateful for your care. It got so bad that you had to pull his chair out of the room for him to come eat dinner with you, and only if you could eat while laying on the couch so he could cuddle with you, which he desperately needed today.
You were in no way upset with him or this situation, at least not for the reasons one might be, but instead the fact that he had promised both himself and you to stop listening to upcoming releases three days prior to the date they were supposed to come out, because that was the time where his brain decided to convince him half of what he just created over months was absolute shit. There was nothing you could really do to help him, except make sure he at least remembered his basic needs like eating and sleeping.
You tried to calm yourself down and try not to worry too much about him, taking a deep breath before you heard anything curse word coming from his studio, followed by a loud shatter, and rather quiet whimpers which convinced you to go check on him one more time. When you opened the door you managed to figure out what happend- he knocked over a glass and it seemed to have cut his finger just a little. "Hun, are you okay? Let me help you." you quickly grab a few tissues to place on his finger as you tried to calm him down but he seemed to have been pushed over the edge completely with this. "I don't need your help! I told you, I dont want help, I don't need it, I am perfectly fine! Please just stop interrupting me for fucks sake." the first thing he said to you in hours and its you getting yelled at for trying to help the poor overworked man? You throw the rest of the tissues at Joost for him to care for his own issues now. "Deal with it yourself." you ended up leaving him right where we was, trying to hold back tears as you let yourself fall onto your bed, wanting to scream into the nearest pillow. This wasn't a side you knew from him, because he really never got mad at you. As much as you wanted not to have to blame him, this was beyond unnecessary.
The tears start flowing, your hands clutched against the pillow as you curl up on your side of the bed. You weren't necessarily crying about being yelled at, you were a tough one afterall, but more so the fact that he worries you so much and what you get for offering help ends up being disrespect.
You were barely even awake a few hours later, having spent the evening by scrolling through various social media apps just to distract yourself. Right when you decided to stop waiting for your boyfriend and head to sleep, you felt the dip in the mattress next to you, meaning Joost had decided to finish for today. He turns arond to face you, or more so your back, to carefully brush some hairs out of your face, allowing you to feel the new bandaid on his finger. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." he eventually huffed, his voice quiet enough not to disturb you, even though you clearly weren't asleep. His voice was raspy, barely even audible- maybe from crying, maybe from recording vocals all day. Slowly, you turn back around to face him, your hands holding onto the blanket. "I got lost in the single and broke our promise. You just wanted to help but I was so overwhelmed and then it just all tipped over- I'm really sorry." Joost rubs his eyes as he finishes his sentence, the tear stains quite obvious on his face. You only wrap your arms around him to pull yourself close to him, feeling the need for being close. "It was unnecessary but it happens to everyone some times... Thank you for apologising."
With that, you fell victim to being covered in kisses.
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JOOOOST IS BAAAAACK
anyways i hope this was good xoxo
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edelgarfield · 2 days
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the soft tender way essek talks abt caleb like.
campaign 2 episode 90
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when jester asks him about himself he takes a pause, seems to contemplate what to say, before shaking his head and answering:
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There's a waver to his voice before he seems to harden and his facial expressions are very dismissive and a bit sarcastic.
The episode ends shortly after this, and at the start of the next one is when Essek comes over for dinner. So IMO this moment Essek is debating whether to open up to M9, initially brushes them off, then thinks about it & changes his mind.
episode 91 we have this exchange:
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he doesn't elaborate. he's completely flat & unemotional. he changes the subject by asking to sit as soon as he can.
yasha asks abt him and he does the same thing
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noteably there's a long pause after ashley's question, at which point sam & travis chime in where essek's eyes are literally darting around and he's clearly uncomfortable, and that's when caduceus interrupts.
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deep breath, nervous chuckle, crosses his arms and looks down before answering
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jester asks why he changed his mind
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he's making eye contact during this part, casual, & expressing mild frustration but still calm
there's a pause between this line & the next where he looks down and does this:
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at this part he doesn't make eye contact until halfway through and only maintains it for a few seconds as a time
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deep breath, does this again:
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then looks up and says as quickly as possible:
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head bowed, speaks into his lap
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another pause, a look of clear confusion on his face before shaking his head
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after caleb gives him a dunamancy potion in repayment for his help:
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same hands folded head bowed posture as before
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the whole conversation, he DOES NOT offer up information without being asked directly, usually multiple times. he deflects by talking abt his position, and whenever he decides to be vulnerable or reference the actual reasons for his visit (his loneliness & feelings of kinship) he looks away & braces himself. imo any time he admits to his loneliness his posture reads "ashamed." particularly when jester asks if he lives alone; i don't see a reason for him to look down & hunch his shoulders if he didn't feel like he was admitting to some personal failure (either bc he lives alone, or bc it shouldn't bother him as much as it does). there's also, of course, his newfound guilt at having betrayed m9 and being unable to walk it back.
compare that with cr3; while in the smut shop he deflects BH's attempts to learn about him, but that night he not only answers their questions without resistance but actively offers up more information.
he tells them abt his connections to ludinus, he tells them he's partially responsible for the current state of the world despite having every reason not to, he tells them abt his friends & his partner. he admits to his past faults openly & with little hesitation. he breaks eye contact briefly when talking abt ludinus etc. but never for long, and never in the same way, shoulders hunched, head down, hiding behind his hands.
the only time he seems to experience anything resembling shame or embarrassment is when he gets flustered admitting to wanting to message his partner before he sleeps.
i didn't mean to go through every single part of cr2ep91 where m9 ask about essek's personal life, but i did bc it was fascinating. when essek spoke to m9, he very much does not want to talk abt himself. the few things he does share say that he's very solitary & the few relationships he mentions are not close. any time he feels pressed to admit his true feelings, he feels ashamed and struggles to do so.
i imagine to essek in cr2ep91, he couldn't even imagine having a partner that he'd want to speak abt the way he speaks abt caleb. the idea of a version of him who has a life he wants to talk abt and share is absurd. but in cr3, for all his faults & mistakes he's made, he does, he wants to talk abt his partner & friends & the things he's learned. he has a life he wants to share bc it brings him joy.
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vivwritesfics · 23 hours
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Bleeding From The Storm
Chapter Five - Lilac
After the death of his son, the head of the Dupont family wants his daughter protected. He moved her to Monaco, the safe zone, and has her protected by Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen was never supposed to meet her. He didn't even know who she was. But he knew she was beautiful, and he knew he wanted to know more, much to the horror of Charles Leclerc.
1.2K
Warnings: hints of smut, talks of death and murder
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The Dupont's weren't in the Netherlands for very long, just a week. But Max was determined to make every second with her count.
The broom closet was potentially the most unforgettable moment of Max's life. When their father's finished the meeting and Max was called back to Jos's side. It was incredibly difficult for him to concentrate on anything with a lacy, lilac underwear in his pocket.
It was easy to convince Jos to let him spend more time with her. All Max had to do was tell his father that his spending time with her and being nice to her was manipulation tactics, and Jos agreed. Max said things to his father, things that made him sick to his stomach. He knew Bunny wasn't stupid and pliable, but those words had Jos agreeing.
Max had never been the type to take a girl out for lunch or dinner. In his line of work it was easier to just sleep with them and move on. But not Bunny. He couldn't get her out of his head if he tried.
It didn't help that she looked so pretty sat across from him, sundress covered in pretty blue flowers, as she sipped her drink. She'd been saying something, but Max didn't know what, too busy admiring her to listen.
She looked at him like she was expecting an answer. "Sorry, Angel," he said, shaking himself out of it. "I was a little distracted."
He'd been staring at her the entire time, she knew. Her smile was wide, shy embarrassment written on her face as she looked down at her near empty drink. "I asked when you're coming back to Monaco," she said, using her straw to stir the drink.
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth when he thought. "I don't know, Angel," he answered. Angel, never Bunny. She loved it, loved the way her insides squirmed every time the name left his lips.
"Are you gonna tell me when you're back?" She asked.
Max's heart jumped, ready to leap out of his chest. She wanted him around for more than just her short stay in the Netherlands. He knew he had to get back to Monaco as soon as possible.
"Angel, I promise," he began. As soon as I'm back in Monaco, I'll come see you," he said, hand reaching across the table. He didn't know what he expected, maybe for her to place her hand in his. Not for her to start running her nails across his skin in such a soothing manner.
A shiver ran down his spine. It was a mixture of soothing and ticklish. He sucked in a breath as he turned his hand over and she began tracing patterns along the back of it. "When you come to Monaco, we'll have to do something fun," she mused. "Plus, you'll have to return my underwear to me at some point."
His eyes damn near bulged out of their sockets at that. "Holy shit, Angel," he croaked out. He checked the time on his watch, only to distract himself. But then he found himself releasing a sigh and a small 'Fuck'.
Her nails stopped moving against his palm. "What is it?" She asked.
Max closed his hand around her fingers. "I've got to get you back," he mumbled and stood, pulling her up with him. "You're going back to Monaco tonight, right?" Max asked, but he already knew the answer.
"Yeah," Bunny mumbled, a pout on her pretty lips. "Are you sure we have to go now?" She asked and Max nodded his head.
Lacing her fingers through his own, she allowed herself to be pulled away from the Café max had taken for to for lunch. In that moment she wasn't Bunny, she decided. No, she was Angel.
They passed a secluded little alleyway. It wasn't pretty, not by any means, full of rubbish bins and overflowing with trash. The smell as they passed was atrocious.
But still, she gripped his hand and pulled him into the alleyway. "Angel," Max said, catching her before she could flatten herself and her pretty white and blue sundress against the dirty wall. "What are you doing?"
Her hands were around his neck as she looked up at him, giving what Max could only describe as puppy dog eyes. "I don't want to say goodbye yet," she whispered and pulled him closer.
Max let his eyes drift shut. If his Angel was kissing him, he wasn't going to complain. He just pulled her against him, keeping her flush against his body. Max knew he was giving everything over to her, but he didn't much mind.
She moved away from his lips, kissing across his jaw and down to his neck. "Fuck me," she said breathlessly. "Fuck me right here, against this wall."
But Max shook his head as he pressed his forehead to her own. "I'm not gonna fuck you in this dirty alleyway," he said and checked his watched. "Besides, I've got to get you back."
He grabbed her hand once again, but this time her pout was unmissable. It took everything Max had not to give into her. "I'm sorry, Angel," he said as they approached the Verstappen stronghold. "I promise to make it up to do in Monaco."
She let go of his hand, but for no other reason than to protect Max and herself. Them being together, it was impossible, forbidden. If Dupont found out what the daughter he'd been trying so hard to protect had been doing? It would have started an all out war.
Max was silent as he led her to his fathers office. He knocked and waited for confirmation before leading her inside. Max stood himself by the window while Angel, his Angel, went to stand by her father.
"Dupont," said Jos as he looked over at the signature on the paperwork. "I trust the shipment will arrive in the next two weeks."
"Verstappen, you have my word," said Dupont, his hand coming to rest on his daughters back. She stood straighter, but her gaze was still focused on the ground.
No more pleasantries were exchanged as Dupont and Angel were led from the office. Jos waited just long enough for them to be out of earshot before he opened his vile mouth.
"She was was delectable," he said in Dutch, and Max clenched his fists by his side. "Much more pleasant to look at than that old crone Dupont would insist on bringing everywhere he went."
If it had been anybody else talking about his Angel like that, Max would have lost it and pummelled his face beyond recognition. But he kept himself composed. "What about the business?"
"She is Dupont's only living heir, and yet she seems incapable," Jos said, ignoring Max's question. "As soon as she takes over from him, Dupont and everything he has will be ours. I've always wanted to own part of France," Jos said more to himself than anybody else.
Max's mouth went dry. He said her name. Not Angel, not Bunny, but her name. "What happens to her once you've... gotten what you want?"
Jos laughed a dry sort of laugh. "Max," he said with a shake of his head. "She'll be dead."
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Can I rq for hc about twst.. Where the fem!reader(gn!reader if like) has an abusive father and caused her a truma? And the boys ( the first years + lilia & leona & azul & trein) are shocked when they find out?
Something about angst/comfort with some fluff .... I hope you're comfortable writing that.
A new start
thank you for the request. I'll be honest, i was debating wether to write this or not, as abuse is a complex subject, and i was worried about misunderstanding or accidentally offending those who have gone/are going through this. But remembered that, I too, turned to fanfics for comfort during some of my worst days, and if i can be, or at least create, that comfort for someone else, then I'm satisfied with what I've achieved in live. But I do have a 4 character limit that i have to enforce for the sake of my own mental health, so i didn't do the first years, I'm very sorry.
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Reader opens up to them about their abusive father
Characters: Lillia, Leona, Azul, Proffessor Trein
Format: Headcanons
Warnings: Talk of past abuse
written platonically, but Leona and Azul can be read romatically
!Please note that this is not meant to glorify or romanticize abuse, but meant as a form of comfort for those that need it!
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Lillia
-Lillia has always been one to sneak up on and scare people, he just found their reactions so funny!
-But he can easily tell that you react a lot more intensely than others. He eventually stops sneaking up on you, because your reactions aren't fun, they just seem.. sad to him.
-Instead of surprise, you feel fear, and he doesn't like it. He can tell, just from that, that something is wrong, and while he wants to know what, he won't pressure you. As a father, he learned quickly that, that only leads to dishonesty
-As the two of you become closer, you start to be more comfortable and open with him
-And during a particularly calm conversation, a rather rare thing with someone like Lillia, you finally open up to him
-You two are sitting on a bench near his dorm, with no one around, when your conversation suddenly shifts to the past.
-As you tell him what your father did, Lillia feels anger, no, rage.
-But not at you, never at you. No, he is enraged that your father could treat his own child like that. He raised his enemy's son, after a war that lastet years, the child of the same man that killed the woman he loved, and still managed to be the best father he could be. And that trash bag of a person- if you could even call him that - couldn't even take care of his own?! 
-When you see the look in his eyes, you almost get scared, but something just tells you, that anger isn't directed at you. And before you can question him, he pulls you into a hug. You would dare to call it the most gentle hug you have ever experienced.
-"You are safe now. You always will be for as long as I'll live."  His words are as genuine as can be, as his grip tightens ever so slightly. But it doesn't feel like a cage, more like a weighted blanket engulfing your body, the weight slowly lulling you to sleep.
-If you weren't crying before, chances are you are now. And he lets you, comfortingly rubbing your back your back as you sob into his shoulder, finally letting it all out.
-The days after that, you notice that Lillias attitude towards you has changed over so slightly, he is acting a lot more caringly, he is acting.. almost fatherly. And you don't even realize that, that is his goal.
-He makes sure you always eat enough, and will cook your lunch and dinner himself if he has to, and that alone is motivation enough to eat properly, checks up on you, helps you with homework and similar, and always lends you a shoulder to cry on.
-Lillia has already made up his mind. He raised a human and a fae prince, what harm could taking in one more human do?
-You may have not have had a proper father up until now, but rather late than never, no?
Leona
-He noticed how skittish you seemed to be when you first met. The fear in your eyes obvious, no matter whether you try to hide it or not, as he snapped at you for stepping on his tail. It was the main reason he let you of so easily.
-He saw it again during his overblot, right before he transformed, as well as shortly after his recovery, when he approached you to sort things out. He expected fear, an overblot is nothing short of scary after all, but something about your fear just seemed different to him, but he decided not to bother you about it.
-Eventually you two get closer, he considers you one of his closest friends ...which isn't that great of an achievement since he doesn't have that many- but at least actually becoming one of his friends at all can be counted as one!
-One day, while simply hanging out, he decides to bring it up. He says it casually enough that you know you don't have to answer, without him having to outright say it. 
-You decide you trust him enough and tell him about your father and what he did
-He's shocked. He doesn't know what exactly he expected, but it, for some reason, it wasn't this. He thought maybe bully's, a bad ex, or something like that... but your own father? He didn't know he could hate someone so much without ever meeting them
-He's now wide awake, but stays quiet. He has never been good with words, let alone comforting someone, so he just lends you an open ear. 
-The quietness might put you off at first, but his tail subconsciously wraps around your arm, as he processes it, I'm afraid this is as much proper comfort you'll get, but if you decide to hug or cuddle him, he'll let you
-While he may not be the best with words, he does know how to take action while still being lazy.
-He practically has his own fan club at his beck and call, also known as the savanaclaw dorm, and he puts them to use.
-He tells them to make sure no one gives you trouble, and that you remain harm free, or else they'll have trouble with him. And it works! Suddenly all your bullies leave you alone!.. you don't even realize the amount of savanaclaw members staring the bully down.
-It's Leona's way of comforting and taking care of you, because if your father won't, then he damn sure will.
Azul
-Azul can be very observant when he wants to be, so it wasn't hard to tell, that the fear you felt when the twins got violent in front of you.. your fear was different, than that of the usual person
-He has to be honest, when he first saw it, he thought maybe he could utilize it to make you sign a contract.. but after his overblot his entire perspective seemed to change, you just seemed to understand his childhood trauma a little to well, how the constant abuse could hurt and even change oneself
-He'd be lying if he said that, that wasn't part of the reason you two got as close as you did, you two just seemed to understand to understand each other on a deeper level
-One day, while simply sitting in the VIP lounge while he worked, you two once again ended up talking about the past, and this time, you decided to be the one to open up to him about your childhood
-Azul stops in his tracks as you do, horrified at the thought of that happening  happening to you. He was just quiet for a moment, and unlike usual, this wasn't a comfortable silence
-"Well.. you're here now, he won't reach you here. I'll make sure of this, I'll make a contract to prove it." His voice was quiet, as he was debating what to do, he wanted to properly comfort you, but he didn't know how. He was still very young when his mom got divorced and, well, the twins never exactly needed comforting. So instead, he does what he does best, write a contract.
-For once, it's a contract that benefits you more that him. It mentions that you'll get protection from bully's and your father, should he somehow end up in twisted wonderland, and that Mostro lounge can be like a save haven that you can go to even after it's closing times. In return, he asks that you come to him should anything happen to you, from your father actually finding you, to simply getting triggert by something that reminds you of the past, whatever that may be.
-He just hopes that, even though he isn't the best when it comes to comfort, he can be the save haven for you that your dad failed to be.
Professor Trein
-Trein likes you for the simple reason that you're one of the very rare students that doesn't either cause trouble or fall asleep in his class
-During the topic of ancestry and how it affected history, ever so often the topic would change to the students family's, some students interested in yours, since your from another world. He couldn't help but notice how you never brought up your father.
-Eventually Trein became your favourite teacher! Sure, his lectures can be boring, but history is one of the few subjects you can participate in, and as long as you behave, he's actually pretty nice!
-Trein, already a father of multiple daughters, couldn't help but feel fatherly towards you, he made sure you knew you could confide in him
-One day, the lesson is about the past of some important historical figure, as things happened to be, this historical figure was abused too. Trein almost immediately noticed how quiet you got, and how hesitant you were to do the assignments. So, Trein asked you to stay after class
-He told you he noticed the change, and you decide to entrust him your story
-Trein, as a father himself, is horrified. How could anyone do that to their own flesh and blood? He lets you speak, nodding occasionally to let you know he's listening.
-"I am so sorry that happened to you. you deserve better". If you need or want it, he'll hug you and let you sob into his shoulder
-Trein, similarly to Lillia, will start to act more fatherly after that. He won't be less strict with you exam wise, but if he feels a subject could be triggering to you, he'll let you know before class, so that you can mentally prepare yourself, or miss class with his permission if needed.
-Since you aren't from twisted wonderland, you don't have a legal guardian here, do you? How do you feel about adoption? He's already raised multiple daughters, he's sure he can do it again. That way you also have somewhere to go during holidays! 
-He can't change what has already happened, but he'll make sure your last few teenage years are spent happily in a proper home
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Abuse is a sensitive subject, and while i tried my best to be as respectful as possible, I know it is very possible for me to have done something wrong. So, if anything here is disrespectful, triggering, or just generally insensitive, I beg you to tell me, so that i can fix it as fast as possible.
I admit to not being the most educated on this subject, but if you are still in this situation or believe someone else is, I believe there are different hot lines for different country's that can tell you what you can do to get help. If you can, find a public computer or use a friends phone to find and call said hotline.
I truly hope that your okay anon and anyone else that is reading this, and that this fic could bring you some comfort.
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The Distance part 3
Note: thanks for waiting while I'm dealing with my flu. I managed to take my time and finally wrap this fic up in between naps. I hope you will enjoy it.
part 1 - part 2
Warnings: 18+! suggestive/light smut, mention of alcohol.
pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)
summary: Sihtric finally took you home.
wordcount: 3,7k
Masterlist
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Sihtric couldn't keep his hands off you during the drive to his house. He kept his hand on your thigh without ever pulling away, foolishly using his other hand to both keep control over the steering wheel and to shift gears, as well as to use his blinkers. You wanted to tell him off for his slightly reckless behaviour, but then you also didn't want him to remove his hand either. And even if he had tried, since both your hands were wrapped tightly around his lower arm, you wouldn't have allowed it anyway.
And Sihtric didn't only struggle to keep his hands off you, he also struggled to keep his eyes off you and his lips away from you. He took your hand in his many times just to kiss it, the only reason you allowed him to take his hand off your thigh, and he used every red traffic light to quickly kiss your lips, which resulted in him often not realising the light had turned green, as he was to busy sticking his tongue down your throat, so that the cars behind you started to honk more than once.
'You should focus on the road,' you laughed.
'I can't,' Sihtric mumbled and smiled at you as he held your chin, 'nor do I want to,' he shrugged and kissed you again before he finally hit the gas.
The closer you got to his village, the more you began to recognise the surroundings. You had wasted many hours in the past seven years on google maps, clicking through the street Sihtric lived in and the surrounding areas. Just to get a glimpse of the things Sihtric saw every day. And when you had told him one day that you spent a lot of time browsing his village, he had laughed. But not much later he found himself doing the very same thing with your city. Despite knowing exactly what to expect from the place Sihtric lived in, you were still pleasantly surprised by how cute the village was, and you definitely weren't against moving there some day.
You recognised the pub, The Sleeping Guard, from where Sihtric had often called to facetime you in the dead of night when he was drunk and about to walk home. You recognised the old mailbox, which you had seen in pictures he would text you after he had sent you some post, which was usually an envelope with a handwritten letter, telling in detail how much he loved you, and he also always included several polaroid pictures of himself which he had taken just for you. You recognised the bakery too, because Sihtric would always send you a photo of the delicious baked goods in the window when he passed it, just to tease you because he knew how much you loved some good pastries. You also recognised the police station, unfortunately, because over the past seven years Sihtric had been arrested more than once for participating in bar fights, which always happened at that pub you passed by just moments ago. Luckily those arrests were always rather meaningless and had never affected his job being a history teacher. But then again it was a small village, so everyone knew everyone. And everyone knew Sihtric was a good guy.
And then finally you recognised the large oak tree at the corner of his street. You couldn't even really call it a street, it was just an old road with a dead end which was surrounded by three fairly big houses, and Sihtric lived in one of them. The house was old, built with sandstone and black wooden beams and a roof made of straw. It was your cottage dream, except that the house was a lot bigger than a cute cottage though.
'I can't believe I'm here,' you mumbled to yourself as Sihtric parked his car in front of his house.
'Tell me about it,' he agreed and, before getting out of the car, couldn't resist taking your face in his hands to kiss you again.
He then was quick to open the car door for you after he had jumped out, and he grabbed your luggage out of the trunk. He took your hand as he walked you up to the front door, and before he unlocked the door he told you his only rule in the house was to take your shoes off, because he simply hated to vacuum. Once inside you immediately kicked your shoes off, and you smiled once you looked into the large mirror that hung on the wall next to the front door, which you also recognised.
'Damn,' you said, 'you've sent me so many mirror selfies from here.'
'I have,' Sihtric laughed and circled his arms around your waist as he stood behind you, 'almost daily, I think?'
'More or less,' you agreed.
'Mhm,' he hummed in your ear, 'and I think I should take a photo now actually, don't you think so too?'
You nodded with a smile and Sihtric fished his phone out of his back pocket. First he took a picture where you were just standing side by side, his arm around your waist and flashing his sly smile in the mirror. But for the next picture he turned you to face him and he gently took your chin, pressing his lips sweetly onto yours while your hand was on his chest and the other on his waist. And that's the picture he would later post on his instagram, which caused him to lose a few followers that he didn't even care about.
Sihtric was just a normal guy living a normal life, who was a simple history teacher at the local highschool. But you knew he had quite an online following because he was a hot history teacher, and he had somehow gotten rather popular on instagram the last few years. You weren't worried though, you trusted Sihtric had always been faithful to you, which he truly had been, no matter how tough those seven years had been. And the fact he wasted no time to show you off now that you were by his side only proved his loyalty to you.
'Okay, well,' Sihtric suddenly sounded a little nervous as he opened the hallway door to the living room, 'welcome home, darling.'
'Oh my god,' was all you managed to breathe when you stepped into the dimly lit room.
The big but cosy living space was illuminated with dozens of flickering led candles, casting a faint warm orange glow while the sky outside had begun to darken. Sihtric took your hand and pulled you with him, towards his salon table which was stacked with presents he had bought for you.
'I picked you up empty handed, not even giving you flowers,' he said softly, 'and I knew I looked like a proper douche doing that, but it was only because I had everything here for you.'
'Sihtric,' you sighed with a smile and teared up, and it was all you managed to say when your eyes scanned the table.
Several floating heart shaped balloons were tied to a large vase that was placed in the centre of the table, which held seventy red roses. Next to the vase was a cute teddy bear which held a heart that said I love you, and in front of the bear was a wooden basket in which Sihtric had tucked all kinds of snacks he knew you'd enjoy. Next to the basket was a gift bag, which held a cute pyjama set he had bought for you, and on the other side of the table you saw a brand new robe with some fluffy flip flops in your size. And at the very front of the table was a small black box, which Sihtric grabbed off the table and handed to you first.
'I hope you won't think this is cheesy,' he blushed as you opened the box.
'Oh, Sihtric,' you sniffled as you stared at the silver necklace with a single rune, which was displayed on a small velvet cushion, 'this is your initial, isn't it?'
'It is,' Sihtric smiled, 'and I actually have one too,' he quickly pulled out an identical necklace of his shirt, 'but it's with your initial.'
You wiped your tears as Sihtric locked the necklace around your neck, and you kissed him deeply as a way to thank him. Then he encouraged you to check out all the other gifts, to which he received numerous thank you-kisses as well, and after that he showed you around his house. It was so strange to be in a place you knew so well just from photos and videos, to be able to actually touch the objects you had only seen on your screen and to be in Sihtric's presence still felt like a dream that was too good to be true. You hoped that taking a refreshing shower would bring you back to earth again, and while you fixed yourself up, Sihtric ordered some pizzas and transformed his living room into the comfiest cuddle spot you had ever seen.
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You returned to the living room wearing the clothing Sihtric had gifted you, and you melted at the cosy atmosphere he had created whilst you were away. His sofa was usually just that, a 3-seat couch, but because he wanted a cosy evening with you he had folded the sofa-bed out and created something that looked like a gigantic bird's nest. Numerous fleece blankets were thrown on it and he had built a wall with pillows inside the blankets. He had cleared the salon table and the roses were placed next to the tv, where you could still admire them. 
However, Sihtric was nowhere to be found, until you heard a cabinet door slam shut in the kitchen and shortly after he walked out, holding two plates. Your eyes grew wide and you forced yourself to keep your jaw from dropping at the sight of him as he put the plates on the table and sat back into the cosy spot he had created. He clearly had gotten comfortable too while you took a shower, as he was wearing his red sweatpants, those you knew all too well from pictures, and on top he wore nothing but the silver necklace on which your initial dangled, and his previously messy hair was now nonchalantly tied back. Sihtric was almost always shirtless when he was home, as clothes often felt suffocation to him, so comfortable sweatpants or just his boxer shorts only were his usual home attire.
'Oh, I hope you don't mind,' he said when he saw your big eyes.
'Definitely not,' you laughed and sat next to him, not even hiding the fact you were eyeing him up.
And Sihtric didn't mind, for his eyes trailed down to you bare legs with ease and he couldn't help himself either; before you knew it he caressed your legs lightly with his hand while he looked at you. And you, in turn, mindlessly traced your fingertips over his bare chest.
'Look,' you said, 'I know I always said I'd jump your bones once we meet, and believe me I want to,' you laughed, 'but in truth, I'm way too nervous to have sex or anything like that right now.'
'Don't worry, doll,' Sihtric smiled and took your chin, 'I'm nervous too. And I never expected any of that on the first night either. We may have known each other for all this time, but we never got to physically explore each other. It'll happen when it'll happen, don't worry about it.'
You then both enjoyed the pizzas that had been delivered while you watched some light tv and later snuggled up closer, stealing kisses and smiles while making each other lightheaded with every touch and every sound.
'You know,' you suddenly snorted, 'I still got those videos.'
'Which videos?' Sihtric frowned.
'You know,' you rolled your eyes as your cheeks heated up, 'those where you… you know,' you mumbled, 'jerked off and came.'
'Shit,' he laughed and hid his face in his hands, 'you kept those? Surely you get off to those, huh?' he taunted in an attempt to distract you from his reddened cheeks.
'Well, of course,' you confessed with a grin, 'why? Is that creepy?'
'Nah, you're good,' Sihtric winked and pulled you closer, burying his face in your neck and he inhaled your scent, 'you smell so good, darling,' he murmured against your skin.
'So do you,' you smiled, nose pressed against his chest.
'You'll think I'm crazy, by the way,' he then said and leaned back, 'but… years ago after you told me which perfume you use, I went and bought a bottle. And I always spray it over my pillows after changing the bed.'
'I don't think that's weird,' you smiled as you melted in his eyes again, 'I think that's cute.'
'Well,' Sihtric chuckled, 'it was kinda weird to me, because you smelled like my pillow when I hugged you at the airport.'
'Speaking of pillows,' you laughed, 'where do I sleep tonight?'
'Well, I sure hope it will be next to me.'
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'Psst,' Sihtric called from outside as he stood in the pitch black of his backyard, 'you should come see the stars right now.'
You switched off the tv and joined your boyfriend as he smoked a cigarette and gazed up at the night sky. Because the village he lived in was rather remote, it was quiet outside and no big city lights ruined the view of the milky way above you. Sihtric wrapped his arm around you from behind, kissing your cheek and neck before he suggested sitting outside for a moment before going to sleep. You happily agreed, and while you got comfy in the big lounge chair outside, Sihtric grabbed a few drinks and his bluetooth speaker.
You sat together in the chair, all snuggled up as you both enjoyed a drink and the sight of the moon and her stars while David Bowie was sounding softly through the speaker. And when Heroes suddenly started to play, Sihtric jumped up and pulled you out of the chair with him.
'Dance with me,' he whispered with a soft smile.
You couldn't refuse him, and even though you quickly realised you both weren't great dancers, it didn't stop either of you. You both laughed as quietly as you could, not wanting to wake up the nearby neighbours, while your arms were around his neck and his hands on your waist. And you desperately tried to not trip over his feet or collapse through your weakened knees every time you heard his low chuckle in your ear. And in between the soft laughter you stole kisses as you continued to sway your bodies lightly to Bowie's catchy sound. 
Sihtric grabbed another beer from the table, and you laughed when you saw him take off the cap with his teeth. It was something silly to prove his masculinity to you, which he didn't need to do at all, but you also found it stupidly attractive and you couldn't resist grabbing his face and kissing him passionately. Heroes faded away through the speaker and you continued to kiss intensely and deeply when Never Get Old began to play.
I'm screaming that I'm gonna be living on till the end of time…
Forever…
'You know,' you said, 'Bowie also had two differently coloured eyes.'
'I know,' Sihtric smiled, 'I firmly believe people like my eyes because David Bowie had the same condition.'
'Maybe,' you laughed, 'but I like yours better.'
'Good,' he chuckled and kissed you again as the music continued in the background.
There's never gonna be enough sex…
And I'm never ever gonna get old…
'I love you,' you breathed against his lips, and you then both stumbled and fell down on the grass.
'Fuck,' Sihtric groaned after he clumsily landed on top of you, 'I spilled my beer,' he then laughed, 'are you okay?'
'Yeah,' you laughed, 'are you?'
'Yeah,' he smiled, 'wait… I mean, I- I love you too.'
You both stared at each other as the moon casted a faint silver light on one side of your faces, quietly gazing at each other like you had gazed up at the stars.
The Moon flows on to the edges of the world because of you…
Again and again…
I'm awake in an age of light and living it because of you…
'Sihtric, I love you,' you whispered and pushed a strand of hair out of his face that had escaped his now messy bun.
'And I love you,' Sihtric whispered before he cupped your cheeks and kissed you again.
I'm looking to the future, solid as a rock…Because of you…
Your hands roamed all over his half naked body, and soon you felt his warm hands sneak under your pyjama top.
'I want you,' Sihtric breathed against your lips.
'I want you too.'
'I'm right here,' he hummed softly, 'come take what's yours, darling.'
And I'm running down the street of life…
And I'm never gonna let you die…
He picked you up in his arms and carried you inside, back to the love nest that was his couch and he grabbed his speaker on the way back, throwing it on the chair next to the sofa and he laid you down on the soft pillows and fleece blankets. The song changed as Sihtric climbed on top of you; Bowie's Can You Hear Me sounded faintly in the background as he kissed your neck softly and slowly while taking off your top. You pulled out his hair tie while he kissed your lips again, raking your fingers through his hair as you felt the weight of his body comfortably pressing down onto you as he began to lightly grind his arousal against you.
Show your love, love…
'Are you sure about this?' he asked after he had slid off your short pyjama pants.
'Yes,' you smiled.
You looked at each other with warm cheeks and hooded eyes, knowing you both weren't in a rush to make love and had thought it wouldn't happen the first night anyway, but everything went so smooth and so natural… the feelings couldn't be denied or resisted. And why would you? You had yearned for each other all this time already, so why waste any more time? You undressed each other completely, carefully and without haste, as you had all the time in the world right now to explore each other after all. And you kissed him as he was still on top of you, while he was lowered down onto you and leaning on his elbows and knees to give you some space.
'You think you can take it?' Sihtric smiled against your lips while you slowly worked his length with your hand, his breathing intensifying with each stroke.
'Yeah,' you whispered, 'but go easy, okay? It's been a long time.'
'I know,' he reassured you and kissed your lips, 'it's been a long time for me too.'
I want love so badly…
I want you most of all…
You wrapped your arms around his neck and tried to relax as you felt him gently push himself inside you. He gave you time to adjust, distracting you from the painful yet pleasant stretched out feeling by kissing you deeply and lightly caressing your leg after he had wrapped it around his waist. But he was so needy for you, he quickly seemed to lose his self control and he began to buck his hips into you as he moaned heavily.
Take it in right, take it in right…
Well, can you hear me?
Yeah…
Can you feel me inside…
I do…
'Easy,' you hissed lightly in his ear as you pulled his hair, 'easy, baby.'
'I'm trying,' Sihtric moaned deeply, 'you just feel so good,' he breathed, 'fuck.'
Show your love, show your sweet, sweet love…
Show me your love…
Take it in right, take it in right…
Take it in right into your love love
Babe, take it in right into your love life…
The music continued as you made love, and you both climaxed rather fast. Quicker than you had both anticipated, but no shame was felt as it had been worth the long wait regardless, and you knew you had plenty of time to make long lasting love throughout the next two weeks, until you had to go back home again. And you began to doze off with your legs tangled and your arms wrapped around each other.
'I'm never letting you go anymore,' Sihtric whispered before he fell asleep.
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The next morning you woke up, feeling relieved to find out none of it had only been a dream, but your new reality instead. Waking up next to the love of your life was just as perfect as you had imagined, and you didn't think it could get any better. But when you started to hear the rain outside tap against the living room window while thunder rumbled in the sky far away, you smiled and snuggled up closer to your handsome man, who was woken up by the same sounds that had gently awoken you seconds earlier.
'Morning,' he hummed in your ear as he spooned you.
'Morning,' you smiled, enjoying the feeling of his lips on your neck as you were cosy and warm under the blankets while you were both still naked.
'I love you,' Sihtric whispered.
'I love you too.'
'Stay forever?'
'You know I want to,' you mumbled sleepily still, 'let's not think about when I have to leave yet.'
You heard a vague rummaging sound after Sihtric had searched for the drawer next to the sofa with his eyes closed, and he only opened his eyes slightly to make sure he had grabbed what he had meant to take out of the drawer. You blinked the sleep out of your eyes and turned to face him, and then your eyes widened in surprise.
'Then stay,' he whispered a little lazily as he smiled at you, while he held up a small black box with a ring inside, 'stay and marry me, my love?'
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carriesthewind · 24 hours
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I watched Jenny Nicholson's new video on disney's failed Star Wars hotel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0CpOYZZZW4), and there is some absolutely *fascinating* mental processes on display on the galactic starcruiser subreddit.
While many people are responding reasonably, some die-hard fans over there are spouting the absolutely unhinged, reality-denying, victim-blaming talking points she discusses in her video. There are several people who seem really invested in not just disagreeing with her, but insisting that she is not only objectively wrong but a bad-faith hater.
So I picked one of these people at random and scrolled back to try and see what their experience of the hotel was.
[Rambling musing below the cut. Unedited because I'm typing this because I can't get to sleep.]
Unsurprisingly, they insisted it was magical and life-changing and one of the best experiences anyone could have. However, these declarations of how important it felt to them were accompanied by no specifics about what about the experience was actually so great (with one exception, which I'll get to in a minute). Their very first post was about how they couldn't articulate why experience felt special.
I have some theories.
First, as Jenny alludes to in her video, there is a psychological pressure to justify the value in something a person has already invested so much money and time into. At one point, the redditor describes waiting on the phone on hold for two hours just to book an *add-on* for their trip. And as she says, the feeling of judgment from others only adds to this pressure. The redditor outright states that they feel uncomfortable saying they went to the hotel (outside the fan groups) because of how people react.
But I think it's more than that. As Jenny describes in her video (and as the redditor's description of their own experience matches), the experience was exhausting and overstimulating. The redditor describes being overwhelmed and overbooked, but also says they feel like they should have skipped out on sleep because they feel like they missed thing. And then, at the end of the second day - a literal 16 hour day of activities - there is a big finale, starting with an adrenaline-triggering "alarm," where you watch a cool live fight in the midst of a hundred other cheering, excited people. And this is the one positive specific that the redditor describes (multiple times, in fact!). They aren't a big fan of the sequels, but they "gasped when Rey showed up" in the finale. This isn't surprising at all! They were watching a live show while in a suggestible state and experienced an adrenaline rush, and their brain processed this as a magical experience.
This is reinforced by the redditor's descriptions of their nostalgia. They talk frequently about wishing they were in the hotel and wanting to return. But they specifics of what they miss are either vague or signifiers of the emotional experience (e.g. talking about how they miss the smell...because it reminds them of the hotel). And at one point, they mention that they miss the pre-trip anticipation almost as much as they miss the hotel itself.
This is a huge tip off that their interpretation of their experience was completely disconnected from the reality of the hotel. Whatever made the experience feel magical for them (whether or not I'm correct about my suspicions as outlined above), it had very little to do with any disney did or the actual quality of the hotel.
To be clear, I'm not invalidating the redditor's experience - if they say it felt life-changing and they don't regret what they spent, I believe them! I love all sorts of things in ways not reflected by any "objective" quality.
HOWEVER. I can also admit that! If someone criticizes something flawed that I love, it's not a personal attack on me! And my love for it isn't an justification for a) contributing to a narrative to encourage people to massively overpay for it and b) attacking people who didn't care for it and blame them for "doing it wrong"!
Especially - and here's the most interesting part - if I have many of the same criticisms of the thing myself.
Because while the redditor has only one specific about what made the experience great, they actually include lots of specifics about their experience. It's just that those specifics are all flaws. Here are some details of their experience as they actually describe it:
There were not enough character actors for them to actually interact with them meaningfully
The setup of the role play made them feel horrible social anxiety for a large chunk of the first day
They were forced to miss at least one major story event because of poor scheduling by the app/disney
Describing being randomly shown story beats disconnected of their actions within the roleplay/game (but describing it as 'I don't know how we accomplished that')
Nearly crying at one point because they were effectively locked out of a story moment
Wasting over an hour trying to figure out how to do a minor quest b/c of poor design
The experience the redditor actually describes is of a fairly-poorly designed, overcrowded larp that made them anxious, exhausted, and at times actively miserable, but ended with a really great adrenaline high. All of these things are objectively bad, and they all match onto Jenny's criticism.
But the redditor subjectively looks back at their experience as wonderful and magical. And so they are angry at Jenny, even though her criticisms map neatly onto their own experience, because she frames them as problems with the hotel. They seem to feel a pressure to defend their subjective experience by rejecting the possibility of any other interpretation of the experience, even the objective bad experiences of others.
In one of their most recent (of many) angry posts about how disingenuous Jenny is, they say, "For me, there's no reason to relitigate the debates surrounding the cruiser. We are more than happy to enjoy our memories from the time and let the rest of the "haters" just wallow in their hatred."
Three sentences earlier, they described how they used some of their precious time inside the magical hotel to try to prove she was lying about not being able to see the dinner show because she was placed behind a column.
The redditor cannot simply enjoy their memories from the time. Because even in the middle of their experience, they were forceably attempting to prove that all the money and time and expectations they invested *must* have been objectively worth it. Jenny's video is threatening because the redditor cannot pretend that they just had different experiences, that Jenny got unlucky while the redditor got lucky and had fun.
After coming home they feel unhappy, which *must* be because the experience was so good that they are dissatisfied returning to their 'normal life'. The anxiety, the wasted time, even the tears? Those weren't the experience, the experience was the adrenaline rush at the very end. It was life-changing. It was magical. It was worth it. All of it was worth every penny. It had to be.
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trippinsorrows · 1 day
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with me + part 4
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authors note: the love and response to this story continues to absolutely floor me. you guys are all so sweet! i was nervous about posting, but everyone has made me feel so happy that i did, so thank you!
couple of hints about things sprinkled through this one. the more i write, the more things are getting fleshed out, so idk how many parts this will be atp, nothing too crazy though!!!
also, some tags don't seem to work for some reason, like when i type it, the hyperlink doesn't appear so super sorry to those impacted by that!!!
warnings: angst, fluff, language, suggestive content
song inspo: with me by destiny’s child
word count: 5.8k
taglist: @pixiedust4000 @southerngirl41 @yolobloggers @msbigredmachine @wonderingfashion @shayaaaaaaa @usoholic @brokenglassslippers @gators-aid @dersha89 @southerngirl41 @empressdede
You couldn't eat. 
Couldn't sleep.
Could barely think straight.
All that consumed you, ate at you, gnawed at your sanity was one thought and one thought alone.
He wanted to take her from you. 
Joe wanted to take your daughter from you, your four year old daughter who still couldn't even go to sleep at night unless she got to see or speak to you.
The daughter who he'd only known existed just recently but was seemingly set on ripping away from you.
That thought destroyed you, made you raw from blistering agony at just the idea of not having Callie with you full time. It destroyed you to the point that you decided to throw some clothes on, hop in your car, and set your google maps for the hotel you knew he’d be staying at. Damn the fact that it was the middle of the night or that you were stupid as hell for being in that situation in the first place. None of that mattered. 
You needed to talk to him, and you needed to talk to him now. 
Joe opens the door with a forceful swing, looking as irritated and disheveled as you’d expect one to look at nearly 1am in the morning. However, when his eyes land on you, confusion meshes with irritation. “Y/N?”
“Hi.” It’s said in a breathy tone. You're struggling to remember the script you rehearsed the whole drive there. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late—”
“What the..….” He sighs heavily and steps aside, motioning for you to come in. “Get in here.”
You don’t need to be told twice, looking around the hotel room that looks so plain and undeserving of someone with Joe’s stature. But, you also know this area isn’t exactly saturated with 5 star hotels, far from it. This is probably the most elite one he could find with such short notice, and it’s not bad at all, just….basic.
He clears his throat, and you return your attention to the man who you just realized is also shirtless. If not for the pending mental breakdown you’re fighting to keep at bay, it would be extremely distracting. Joe is a lot of things, and fine as hell is at the top of that list.
“What are you doing here, Y/N?” He sounds exhausted, and you can’t tell if it’s from the argument earlier that day or being woken up in the middle of the night. Probably both. 
“I just—I need to talk to you.”
“Now?” 
Nodding, you continue. “I know….I know I messed up, okay? I should have told you, but I just—I need you to look at it from my perspective. I need you to just hear me out, and if—if you still feel the same way, then–then I’ll have to deal with that….but please.” 
He’s leaning back against the dresser, arms crossed, taking time to answer as he weighs your offer. Finally, he concedes, “you came all the way over here. I’m not just gonna send you away.”
You’re thankful for him being willing to at least hear some of what you have to say. “Callie.....she was conceived the last time we were together.” Not sure if that part was necessary or the best way to start out, you quickly move on to the next point. “I didn’t find out I was pregnant until two months later. And on top of not knowing what the fuck to feel, I barely knew what to do. I was pregnant by a married man that I’d been sleeping with for three years. A married, famous man at that. Who I finally decided I needed to move on from.” 
Revisiting this is harder than you expected, harder than when you rehearsed it on your drive here. “I was scared, Joe, okay? I was scared, so I—I did what I thought was best at that time, and clearly it was wrong. I 100% own up to that, and you get to be angry with me, but you don’t get to let that anger influence your decision making, because it is.” 
This is the part you debated so deeply on whether to say or not say, to potentially poke the already irate bear. But, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t speak up for yourself and your daughter. “You want a legal custody arrangement, and I understand why, but—Joe, your name isn’t even on her birth certificate, but to tell you the truth…..I wanted it to be. I did.” Whether he believes you or not is on him, but it’s true. Because while he wasn't present in her life, he was still her father. Nothing would change that. “They wouldn’t do it without you present and without a paternity test—”
“I could have been there,” he interrupts, sounding more hurt than anything. “I should have been there.” 
“You’re right, but you weren’t, and I’m sorry for that too. I’m not trying to make any excuses here, just lay out facts. And the fact is that you can get a paternity test, you can establish paternity, and you can try to secure joint custody, but we both know there’s no way you can take her on. You work nonstop, Joe, and she can’t be on the road like that. She’s four for fucks sake. Calista needs stability, and she has that with me. You know I’m right.”
And you can see that he sees you’re right, the wheels turning in his head as he takes in your sound predictions.
“And I know you don’t right now, and that’s okay, but I am asking you to please trust me enough to know that I will not get in the way of you getting to know Calista. Trust that I only want what’s best for her, I’ve only ever wanted what was best for her.”
“Why should I?” Despite his words, you can see and hear the crumbling of his defenses, of the brick and mortar wall he'd erected earlier during the first round of this conversation. “What’s different now?”
“Because she asked about you.” This is the part that crushes you the most, that makes you wonder if you’ll ever be able to forgive yourself for even putting her in that situation. “Because she thinks you’re not in her life because she’s not a good girl, and I will not have my child grow up thinking she wasn’t good enough for her father to want to be in her life.”
You won’t let her grow up like you.
Period.
Having this discussion, saying these things aloud, you’re slowly starting to recognize how some of your own unaddressed issues have contributed to this situation. How your refusal to confront buried trauma has bled into another generation. It’s…..uncomfortable, to say the least.
And something you definitely need to revisit, probably sooner rather than later. Just…not right now. 
You’ve got to sort this through first.
It’s after a few minutes of silence that he finally speaks, voice surprisingly calm. “You’re right.” You let out a deep breath, nearly falling back at his words. You knew he was wavering but not to the point where he would yield. “I know….I know our situation is complicated, and I’m sorry for being so cold with you. I just—fuck, I don’t know how to process all of this.”
You cross your arms over your chest. “Neither do I, but we can figure it out, because we can’t…..we can’t put her through a custody battle. I won’t do that.” Despite your very valid facts, you also recognize that while he probably wouldn’t win, he has access to the best legal team money can buy and would outlast you in court by miles. 
You won’t say it aloud, not even sure if you can, but you’d soon rather concede than put her through that. You’d give him whatever he asked for if it meant sparing her from that trauma. 
It’s a far cry from your stance hours earlier, but time and actually thinking things through made you realize the pain you’d experience at having Callie taken from you would be nothing compared to what that experience would do to her. You know custody disputes can be long and nasty, and though she was still young, you didn’t want to find out if they would question her. 
You’d sacrifice your soul and surrender. 
You loved her enough to let her go.
“You’re right.” He repeats himself, even and calm. It’s such a stark difference for both of you compared to the blowup from earlier. There’s actual communication occurring, talking with each other, instead of at each other. Listening to hear, not to react. “I—I couldn’t do that to you. I spoke out of anger. My schedule is crazy and she needs stability. You give her that.”
There’s an insurmountable amount of relief that washes over you at his words. It’s night and day from the angry—though rightfully—man that stood before you earlier today. And you couldn’t be more grateful. 
“Thank you.” There aren’t enough words to adequately express the depth of your gratitude. Joe is well within his right to be upset, and like you said, you’ll take whatever that is, so long as the both of you can agree that Callie being with you is for the best. For her, but for you too. You won’t deny that. Your daughter is your life, and the thought of being without her, even for a period of time makes you sick to your stomach. “I–” You wipe your eyes, completely unaware that you’d been crying at one point, the tears starting to dry up. “I’m taking off work tomorrow and keeping her home. You…you can come over once I pick her up from Mariah's."
His eyes light up with appreciation that matches your own for his willingness to look past his feelings to do what’s best for your child. “Yeah?”
You offer a small smile. “I’ll probably get her around 10 and text you when you can head over.”
He nods, and the excitement in his expression warms you. It’s so strange how you can go through so many emotions in such a short time regarding the man in front of you. He always has been able to evoke things out of you that no one else could.
“Thank you, Y/N.”
The way he takes you in, assessing you, it makes you shift your weight from one foot to another. Your hoodie suddenly feels too heavy, warmth climbing up to your cheeks. “I—” You gesture to the door with your thumb. “I should head out.” 
It’s when you turn to leave that he grabs your wrist to stop you. 
“Where are you going?”
Your brow lifts at his tone and words, confused by the quick change and his hand on your arm. “Umm, home?” 
“Like hell you are.” His dismissal is firm and final as he informs, “you'll crash here tonight.” Your face must be painted in defiance, because he explains, “it's almost 2 in the morning, and you look exhausted. I'm not letting you get on the road. Anything could happen.”
“Joe—”
He lifts his hand, silencing you as he points to the middle of the room. “You can take the bed. It's uncomfortable anyway.”
Ironically, a small yawn escapes, further proving his point. You are exhausted, in several different ways. The idea of driving back home right now is not nearly as appealing as sleeping off the day's events. “Okay.” Remembering his comment, you add, “you could have picked one of those fancy hotels ya'll stay in, you know.”
“I don't think there's anything ‘fancy’ within 30 miles of here.” He's not entirely wrong, the town's local steakhouse is considered the definition of fine dining and hotspot for special occasions. 
“There were once rumors of a Hilton being built.”
He looks almost hopeful. “When was that?”
You bite down on your lip. “When I was in middle school.” A small laugh escapes at his look of exasperation. 
“You should take the bed. It's gotta be more comfortable than the alternative.” Truly, because the idea of Joe's big ass trying to sleep on a damn fold out sofa is both hilarious and tragic. “I just need a shirt.”
He looks at you. “A shirt?”
“Yeah.”
“Because…..”
Rolling your eyes, you tug at your old college hoodie. “I can't sleep in this. It's uncomfortable as hell. I dress light at night. You know—” And you stop yourself, because he shouldn’t remember that you always sleep in either a big shirt or thin top and shorts, never more, oftentimes nothing at all when he was in town.
For obvious reasons.
You’re grateful when he turns away and digs through his bag, probably the only one he took with him. He always traveled lightly. He comes back, reaching you one of his black t-shirts. 
“Thanks.” Accepting the item, you walk over to the bathroom, closing the door behind you. Standing in the mirror, you take in your appearance. Joe was being nice by saying you look exhausted, cause you look like shit, every bit of the days events, loud and blaring. Blowing out a breath, you start removing your clothes but pause when you go to remove your bra.
Is that….is that too much? You haven’t slept in a bra in years. Not since puberty randomly hit you over the summer between freshman and sophomore year, where you went from a modest A cup to a whopping D. And post Callie body definitely wasn’t a D anymore. It just seems….it seems indecorous. 
Deciding to go with safe instead of sorry, you swallow your discomfort and keep your bra on. With the hair tie on your wrist, you do your best to pineapple your hair, knowing good and well it’ll be frizzfest when you wake up but not really caring. 
Another yawn leaves your mouth as you walk out the bathroom only to turn into a scowl as you find Joe sitting on the sofa on his phone.
If it wasn’t so late and you weren’t so tired, you’d argue with him why it’s stupid of you to take the bed. He’s at least a foot taller than you. But, you don’t have it in you so just mutter “stubborn asshole,” place your folded clothes on the dresser, and climb into the bed. 
You double check your alarm is still set for the right time and lean across the bed to place it on the nightstand. There’s a comfortable silence between the two of you for a couple of minutes, your eyes closing as you try to sleep, even if for a couple of hours before you have to get back on the road. 
“What is she like?”
Your eyes open at his question, unexpected but understood. You think about it, wondering how to answer, how to explain all of the wonderful things that is your child. Finally, you settle on an answer, soft and honest. 
“You'll find out for yourself tomorrow.” And turning on your side, you murmur, “goodnight, Joe.”
He doesn’t say anything after that.
But while you sleep with the hope of believing that this can be worked out between the two of you, Joe lies awake, taking his turn with mind running a mile a minute.
He knew this would be difficult, knew it was going to get ugly to some extent, but what he didn’t expect was how impacted he'd be by seeing you again.
There was a stark difference between seeing you in photos and seeing you in person. His anger at the situation helped him to not react as strongly, but not as much as he liked or needed it to.
Because regardless of all his outrage, he’d missed you.
Even with your deception, with your deceit and all of his confusing emotions toward you in this whole situation, he missed you. 
Joe might not be ready to admit it aloud, but he’s never gotten over you. And not for lack of trying. He’d had a period where he tried to fuck away his feelings, tried to busy himself in between the legs of other women, his favorite distraction when he was in his twenties. Tried to remind himself that it was never meant to turn into anything anyway, that it wasn’t a big deal. But his efforts were fruitless and a waste of time.
He cared about you, he cared about you, arguably, more than he’d ever cared about a woman. Even….even Jadah.
The night you ended things was still a sore spot for him, still something he plays over in his head trying to make sense of. On the surface level, it’s pretty plain and simple. You wanted more, he couldn’t give it to you, so you moved on. 1+1. He was legally married for fucks sake. He couldn’t blame you for wanting more, but there was also a part of him that wondered why you didn’t just ask him for more.
Then again, that went both ways. Why didn’t he ask you for more?
It’s easy to say it was because of Jadah, because of his marriage, and that was both true and untrue. On his part, anyway. Divorce was easy in name but far from it in every other area. And for him, meant being forced to confront demons he tried his best to keep at bay. Up until two months ago, at least
Joe closes his eyes. This is all too much. 
He came here ready to confront you, and he had, in fucked up way, even if partially deserved. He came here to meet his daughter, to begin to form a bond with her, and he will do that. He just has to push the complicated feelings for you to the side and place them on the backburner until he can sort through that mess.
Calista is his priority right now. Whatever this is between you and him can be figured out later.
Hopefully. 
________
“She can be shy until she gets to know you.”
The day seems to have escaped you, getting on the road early in the morning to drive back and prepare to pick up Callie. She’s thrilled to see you, and vice versa. The two of you spend the beginning of the morning together, stopping at a local diner to share a breakfast before heading back to your apartment. You spend a little more time together, one on one, before texting Joe to head over, staying true to your word. 
Especially since he informed you that he had to fly out tomorrow morning. You expected as such, knowing he’d probably already been gone longer than higher ups liked. He could only push the limits so much. 
You don’t even have to be looking at him to know he’s nervous, an understandable but strange thing. Weird almost. Joe’s a lot of things, but nervous has never been one of them. “But once she gets comfortable, she won’t shut up.” That makes him smile, and you’re grateful for that.  Sure enough, you find Callie in her playroom, which used to be your office space, but the more spoiled she became from your mom, the more you realized her room was too small for all of her stuff. “Hey, Callie Bear.”
Callie looks up, smile bright as she runs over to you. You lean down to meet her hug. She gives the best, loving hugs. “I’m making you something, mommy.”
You gasp. “You are? Well, I can’t wait to see it.”
“It’s a surprise, so no peeking!” She lifts her little finger, wagging it in your face. Laughing, you nod and push back some of her curls. Callie’s eyes then land on Joe’s massive frame standing near the doorway, silently observing. You can see the emotions so clearly on his face: surprise, shock, happiness.
Callie’s smile dims as she moves closer to you, holding you close, her stranger danger kicking in. A small part of you is grateful that even at almost five, she knows to be cautious. Then there’s the other part of you that’s saddened at the fact that the “stranger” she’s cautious of is her own father. “Baby, this is….this is….”
“I’m Joe,” he finishes for you, and you’re both grateful and annoyed. Conflicted because a small part of you wanted to be the one to tell her, but also grateful he ironically took that responsibility off of you. “I’m an old friend of your mom’s.”
Welp.
That’s not….that’s not what you expected him to say, not what you two discussed. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but you were under the impression that they would tell her the truth. His statement isn’t exactly a lie, you did once consider Joe to be a friend, much more than that, but still. Joe’s role in Callie’s life is significantly more than that. 
This seems to ebb away some of Callie’s caution as she asks, “really?” Her eyes fall on you, almost looking for approval. With a tight smile, you nod, giving her the relief she needs to loosen her hold on you. “Do you like Disney?” That causes you to genuinely laugh, something your sweet child definitely inherited from both you and your mom was a love of Disney. 
“I do,” he answers, and you pause. Does he really? Perhaps. Regardless, it’s a smart answer for your Disney loving child. “Do you?”
Callie nods happily, grabbing your arm and twisting it to show the ‘remember who you are’ tattoo on your wrist. “Mommy and grandma have Disney tattoos, and mommy’s gonna get a Moana one for me!”
“Really?” Joe, now crouched down to be at her eye level, sounds genuinely interested, and maybe he is. Callie is impressively charismatic at only four. She’s also his daughter who he’s wanting to develop a relationship with, so it’s not far-fetched that she could be talking to him about the rate at which grass grows, and he would entertain it like he was watching a 49ers game. “You like Moana?”
Is water wet? “She’s the bestest! Right, mommy?” 
You chuckle, fixing her shirt. “She watches it almost every day.” You always found it interesting, ironic even, that your daughter instantly gravitated to Moana, unaware that the voice of freaking Maui is her cousin, that she too had pacific islander ancestry. Through her dad. The dad you kept from her. 
“You know I don’t know if I’ve seen that one—”
Callie’s mouth drops open as she looks at you, “mommy, can we watch it? Please? Please? Pleeeeaaassseeee?”
“Okay, okay, okay,” you relent after pretending to think about it. You like to limit her screentime to two hours, and even though she already watched The Princess and the Frog earlier for the 97th time this month, there was no way you were not gonna allow this bonding opportunity. 
Squealing, Callie surprises you by breaking away and moving over to Joe, reaching for his hand. “Let’s go, Joe!” She pulls on the sleeve of his hoodie, probably to lead him into the living room where Disney Plus is signed in. 
Alone in her playroom, you run over what just happened. You thought you would tell her the truth, tell her that this is the father she was asking about, the one she thought didn’t want her when in actuality, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her.
And for a second, you get pissed off. Why wasn’t Joe honest with her? Isn’t this what he wanted? To be in her life. It’s confusing. He is confusing. But….you try to give him the benefit of the doubt, certain that he must have some reason behind his actions. You just hope they’re damn good reasons.
“Mommy!” You know that tone of hers, the tone that tells you a request is to follow. 
You shout back, “yes?”
“Joe likes popcorn too! Can we have some?”
You laugh and shake your head, shouting out an ‘okay’. Walking out of the room and into the living room, you find Callie near the TV, arm outstretched as she explains every detail of Moana, even the most obvious ones. But, Joe is sitting on the sofa, watching and listening intently. His smile is stapled. 
He looks…..he looks so happy.
Moving into the kitchen, you move around quietly to not interrupt and to get their popcorn made.
Waiting for the popcorn to finish, you hear Callie ‘whisper’ to Joe, “Mommy can’t cook, but she makes good snacks.”
Amid his laughter, you walk near the living room, hands on her hips. “I heard that, little ms. ma’am.”
“That’s what Grandma says,” Callie defends with a shrug of her little shoulders. “She says mommy is pretty and smart and funny, but she burns water.” She looks off, confused, as if it’s finally registering to her that that doesn’t make sense. “Mommy, how do you burn water?”
Joe is on the sofa, hand over his mouth, fighting for his life. You also can’t help but laugh at the absolutely serious look on her face. “Finish your movie.” 
The microwave dings, so you grab two bowls and fill them up equally. Delivering them to both, you place hers on the coffee table as she’s back to narrating. “Popcorn, as requested.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes go wide with excitement as she suddenly asks, “will you watch it with us?”
Damn. You had a feeling she would ask but was hoping she wouldn’t. Disappointing her twice in one weekend felt criminal. “Callie, I'm super behind with work.”
“Pleeeeasssseeee.” She starts with the begging again and then looks at Joe to inform him, “mommy’s a teacher. Do you have a job?”
Joe chuckles. “I do.”
“What do you do?” She asks in a sing-song tone. You give him that ‘I told you she never shuts up’ look. 
“I’m a professional wrestler.”
She’s clearly intrigued, asking, “are you actually good?”
“Callie!” This little girl and her lack of filter sometimes never ceases to amaze you. Your mom swears up and down it’s your payback from how blunt you were as a child. 
You’re starting to believe it.
Joe gives a shrug, clearly loving every bit of this. You can tell he wants her to keep the questions coming. He’ll answer em’ all if it means getting to spend time with her. “I’m alright.”
At that, you give him a look and crouch down to her level. “He’s very good.” You take the remote and quickly pause the TV, adding on, “matter of fact, he’s the universal undisputed champion.” Joe gives you a look, and you can tell he’s surprised by you knowing this piece of information.
You don’t watch wrestling as much as you used to, partially due to what happened between the two of you, mostly because you don’t have the time, but even non-wrestling people know about Roman Reigns and his current, historic title reign. You’re not sure if you’d feel entirely comfortable saying it to him, but you’re massively proud of Joe and all he’s accomplished. You always knew he could do it.
Her eyes widen with excitement and curiosity as she looks at Joe for clarification. “Really?”
“That is true.” 
Head tilted, she moves away from you and climbs on the sofa to sit next to him. Her little legs crossed over as she continues with the questions. “What does undis—undis—”
He helps her out, also angling his body more toward her. “Undisputed?” 
“Yeah! What does that mean?”
You can see he’s taking a minute to decide how to answer. “It means I don’t lose. Ever.”
“Whoooaaaa,” she breathes, obviously impressed. “You must eat a lot of veggies. I don’t like them, but mommy says they make you big and strong.”
“Your mom is right,” he agrees and looks her over. “You’re a very smart little girl. How old are you again? Like 15?”
“No, I’m four!” She giggles and lifts up four fingers. “But, I’ll be five on May 19th!”
His gaze softens. “Your birthday is in May?” She nods, happily. His smile is warm, emotional. “So is mine.”
You still for a moment. You hadn’t even thought about that, that her birthday was just days away from his. There’s something strangely sweet and moving about this fact, both to you and definitely to him.
“Really?” 
And that’s how it plays out for the rest of the day, a combination of Callie’s incessant questions, intermittent viewing of Moana and parts of Encanto. Lunch and dinner sprinkled somewhere in between. You’re even able to sneak off to do your lesson planning, Callie more than fine with just Joe to entertain her.
It warms your heart to see them connect almost instantaneously.
It’s why you wait as long as you can to interrupt, never wanting to do so, to invade their moment. But, you also know your daughter, know that she needs a certain amount of sleep to function the next day. And when you check in on them and catch her yawning, you know it’s unfortunately that time.
Sighing, you enter the living room with your arms crossed. “Callie Bear, it’s time to start getting ready for bed, mamas.”
“Nooo.” She whines. “I’m not tired.” Her groggy voice and scowl would indicate otherwise. 
“Of course, you’re not.” You bend down in front of her and reach for her hand. “Come on, we gotta tell Joe bye. He’s gotta get back to his hotel.” Despite her obvious objections, she climbs off the sofa and accepts your hand but not before looking at him. 
“Will you come over again tomorrow?” She asks with hopeful eyes and a voice of excitement, both things that make being honest with her that much harder.
He obviously doesn’t want to give her the truth, but it’s better than the alternative. With a frown, he answers, “I wish….but I’ve gotta get back to work tomorrow, Callie.”
Her smile drops, and sadness arises. “Why? Do you have to go?” Her quiet voice is comprised of disappointment and despondency. You can tell it hurts him. Her hope is dashed, replaced with sadness. “When will you come back?”
“As soon as he can.” You jump in to assist, hating the way he looks so devastated not having a specific date for her. Truth be told, you wouldn’t be surprised if he won’t be able to get away for another few weeks, if not more. “And you know what, you can use my iPad to Facetime him when he’s available anytime you want.”
Her eyes light up. “Really?” 
“Of course,” he assures. He reaches to push some hair out of her face. “I’ll call you whenever I can.”
She gives him a small smile. “You promise?” 
Joe swallows. “I promise, sweetheart.” 
Pleased and obviously ecstatic at this information, she surprises the both of you by tearing her hand from you to throw her little arms around him for an unexpected hug. You’re not sure why, but the sight makes your eyes water. His eyes close as he gently wraps his arms around her as well. You look away, almost uncomfortable interrupting this moment between the two of them.
When she pulls away, you swear you see disappointment reappear in his eyes. “Bye, Joe.” 
She returns to your side, and you gently direct her, “go put on your jammies and pick out a book. I’ll be right there in a few minutes, okay?” 
“Okay, mommy.” Without protest, she turns and heads back to her room. When it’s just the two of you, you turn to him, “she really likes you.” It feels silly saying such a thing. He’s her father. She should like him. She should love him.
But you also know better than anyone that being someone’s biological parent doesn’t automatically make them a parent. 
“That’s why you didn’t tell her, isn’t it? You want to gain her friendship first.” In watching and participating in the interaction between them, it dawned on you just why he didn’t tell her right away. Joe wanted to first establish a baseline with Callie, wanted her to get to know him just for him, to bond with him not because he was her dad, but because she wanted to. 
And clearly….clearly it worked. 
“She’s amazing,” he whispers. You see he’s still caught up in the emotion of it all, meeting his daughter for the first time, connecting with her as quickly and easily as he has.
“She is,” you agree, suddenly remembering why you’d dismissed Callie. “I–I uhh, I have something for you.” Standing back up—your knees were gonna hate you tomorrow—you pull the thumbdrive out of the back pocket of your jeans. He also stands with you. “I was that new mom who was intent on documenting every single thing my kid did, and I’m kinda glad I did now.” You reach and drop it in his open palm. “I got everything on video. Her first word, first time crawling, first time walking….all of it.” Suddenly uncomfortable with his silence, you add on, “I know it’s not the same as being there, but—”
“Thank you.” he interrupts in a quiet voice, immensely grateful to you at this moment. “Thank you, Y/N.” 
Emotion seems to be the keyword of the day, because yours are also all over the place, for a variety of reasons. It’s an experience that’s both overwhelming and confusing, but also….nice? You can’t necessarily describe it, but there’s something comforting about Joe having a role in Callie’s life.
But that doesn’t equate with your decision to not tell him about her in the first place, hence why you’re a hot ass, confused mess.
He’s making you feel things again, and you don’t like it. 
“I know getting back here won’t be easy, especially with the holidays rolling around. But, whenever you can come, you’re welcome. I mean it.” Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away. You’re highly doubtful he’ll be touching down before then. “Christmas is her favorite holiday. I know she’d love to have you here for that.”
“I’ll be back before Christmas and for Christmas.” You don’t know how, but you do know he’s convinced of it, and you don’t put it past him. He seems entirely determined. 
“Okay.” You walk him to the door, unsure why your bodies being so close to each other is an uncomfortable yet pleasing feeling. “Oh,” you suddenly remember something. “You need to make a Snapchat account.”
He scowls almost instantly. “A what?” A small laugh escapes you at his instant disgust. “I’m too old for that shit.”
“We both are, but it’s an easy way for me to share Callie and all her randomness with people. Make it and send me the username. I’ll add you.” It seems all it takes is for you to mention Callie, and he’s sold. He nods in agreement, all distaste washed away with the eagerness of receiving photos and videos of Callie on the regular. You keep your hand on the door, chewing on your lip, murmuring, “Goodnight, Joe.” 
He gives you a look, something unspoken in his eyes. “Goodnight, Y/N.” 
Closing the door behind you, you lock it and take a deep breath, unsure why your stomach is in knots. Not from anxiety or fear but happiness. 
You’re happy to have Joe back in your life, even with all of the bullshit that’s transpired in this single day. There’s something relieving about having him around, and you know it’s for Callie. It needs to be just for Callie, because what you can never do again is allow yourself to fall back into that situation. 
No matter how badly your heart and your head are clashing right now.
No matter how much you're starting to wonder if your heart ever really left that situation.
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Text
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He Suddenly Became a Plushie!?
Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.
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One late night.
I suddenly woke up and shifted in bed.
Mai: "Hm? Kanetsugu?"
Kanetsugu: "You're awake? It's still before dawn. Go back to sleep."
I heard Kanetsugu's voice from the other side of the folding screen.
(He's still working.)
(He must be really busy. We haven't slept together for a few days.)
(I should at least see his face.)
With that thought, I headed in his direction.
Mai: "Huh!?"
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Kanetsugu: "I told you to sleep."
A plush toy that looked just like him was sitting on the writing desk.
Mai: "Um, wait, huh? WHAT!?"
Kanetsugu: "Are you alright? Calm down for a moment."
Mai: "There's no way I can calm down, even if you tell me to! Could this be a dream?"
Kanetsugu: "Unfortunately, it's not a dream."
Kanetsugu: "I don't know why, but after finishing my duties and returning to the room, I suddenly felt dizzy."
Kanetsugu: "Next thing I knew, I had turned into this doll-like thing you see before you."
(So the plushie talking in front of me right now is...)
Mai: "Are you really Kanetsugu?"
Kanetsugu: "It's understandable that you would make that face, but I'm really Kanetsugu Naoe."
Still dumbfounded, the plushie deftly turned the pages of a book with its short arms.
Mai: "What are you doing?"
Kanetsugu: "I'm reading a book on Onmyodo that was in the room. If it's caused by some curse, it might be helpful."
Kanetsugu: "I plan to go to the archives tomorrow to see if there are any other clues."
Mai: "Then I'll help too!"
Kanetsugu: "No need. I'll handle this myself. You should go to bed."
Mai: "I can't just sleep when it's such a big deal for you! Besides, I'm completely awake now."
Mai: "If you need more books, I can go to the archives and get them."
Kanetsugu: "Don't be stupid. If you start moving around at this hour, someone in the castle might hear the noise and cause a commotion."
Kanetsugu: "If you want to help, you should stay put and wait for dawn instead of moving recklessly now."
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Kanetsugu: "Besides, if someone were to see me in this state, they might mistake me for some kind of monster."
He spoke briskly in his usual manner, but seeing him move his short arms and walk with his round feet made me smile.
(Crap. It's too cute. I can't even focus on what he's saying. And to be honest...)
Mai: "I want to touch it."
Kanetsugu: "………"
Kanetsugu: "When you say you want to touch it, you mean me?"
(Did I say that out loud!?)
Mai: "Sorry. I know it's inappropriate at a time like this, but..."
Mai: "You're so cute that I just want to touch you a little."
Kanetsugu: "........."
Mai: "I'm sorry, I guess that's too much to ask."
Kanetsugu: "Do as you like."
Mai: "What? Really!?"
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Kanetsugu: "It's not like it’ll hurt me."
Mai: "Then I'll take you up on that offer."
Before he could change his mind, I picked up his small body.
He was softer than I expected and as light as a feather.
Mai: "Hehe, so cute."
Kanetsugu: "Hey, don't pet me too much."
Mai: "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
(I can still smell his scent even in this form.)
Drawn by the sweet smell brushing past my nose, I buried my face in his fluffy body.
Kanetsugu: "Oi, time's up."
Mai: "Huh, already?"
Kanetsugu: "You were the one who said 'just a little,' remember?"
Mai: "Oh, right. Then, just a little longer."
Kanetsugu: "Get a grip. I might look like a doll, but I'm still a grown man inside."
Mai: "I know, but I just want to adore the cute you for a bit longer!"
Kanetsugu: "Hey!"
Ignoring him, I rubbed my cheek against him, causing him to start squirming in my hands.
Kanetsugu: "Stop it, Mai."
Mai: "Waah! Why are you suddenly struggling? Did I hurt you?"
Kanetsugu: "No."
Mai: "Then, do you dislike being touched?"
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Kanetsugu: "That's not it either."
Mai: "Then, why...?"
I pulled my face away, and he hesitated for a moment before continuing.
Kanetsugu: "I can't hold you in this form."
Mai: "What?"
Kanetsugu: "No matter how small my body becomes, the desire within me doesn't disappear. If anything, it feels like torture." 
Kanetsugu: "If you keep touching me like this, I don't know what I might do."
Mai: "........."
His soft, fluffy hand gently touched my cheek. My cheeks grew slowly hotter as I saw the familiar warmth in his round eyes.
(Even now, he still wants to touch me.)
Kanetsugu: "If you understand, stop teasing me. I—"
Mai: "Kanetsugu!"
Overwhelmed with happiness and love, I hugged him tightly.
Kanetsugu: "Didn't you hear me? I said stop this."
Mai: "I heard you, but I don't care. Just knowing you feel this way makes me happy."
Mai: "I love you!"
Driven by a surge of emotion, I kissed him.
The next moment—
Mai: "Whoa!?"
Kanetsugu: "----!"
He started to shine brightly, and I closed my eyes instinctively against the dazzling light.
Realizing I had let go of him, I quickly opened my eyes.
Mai: "Ah!"
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Kanetsugu: "………"
Standing before me was Kanetsugu, his violet eyes gazing at me.
Mai: "You turned back to normal!"
Kanetsugu: "Yeah, it seems so."
Mai: "Thank goodness! But to think that a kiss could turn you back is like a fairy tale. Huh?"
Just as I sighed in relief, he pushed me gently yet firmly onto the futon.
Mai: "Um, Kanetsugu, this is..."
Kanetsugu: "I warned you repeatedly. I told you not to provoke me any further."
Kanetsugu: "You said you don't care what I might do, so don't regret underestimating me later."
Mai: "Mmm..."
He kissed me deeply, his grip on my arm restricting my movement.
His body, now human, felt entirely different from his plush form.
(I could never regret this.)
(Being held by him again makes me happy.)
As his kisses trailed over my body, I surrendered to his love, losing myself in the moment.
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❀ Ikesen Masterlist
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lazyyogi · 2 days
Note
How do you gain self control? Or would it be self discipline? I’ve been struggling with my weight for quite some time now, and I always end up going back to bad eating habits. And how/where do I find motivation? Thank you for your time, namaste.
I don't like the concept of motivation and I don't feel it's very empowering or helpful. When someone wants to do something but they can't bring themselves to do it, we'll say they lack some abstract concept of motivation. It's a very crude perspective with no real insight. Not only are you stuck but you also feel like you are lacking something.
So I'm here to tell you that you are not lacking motivation, or anything at all. The fact that you want to make a change is motivation enough. You're good on the motivation front.
So what's the problem? Resistance. Identify and address all the ways in which you are resisting. Once those obstacles are removed, you're free to move forward. Take exercising for example.
When I wanted to begin exercising regularly, I found it difficult to maintain consistency. I wondered what was wrong with me, that I couldn't muster even a fraction of the motivation that others seem to have. So I examined my behavior and routines. And what I found was interesting.
Firstly, because of my schedule, I knew the only time I had to exercise was when I came home from work. And I realized that if the first thing I did after coming home was anything other than exercising, it became a lot more difficult to then make the decision to exercise.
Secondly, I found that if I hadn't eaten well that day or slept well the night before, I often didn't have the energy to exercise.
Thirdly, if I had to leave my apartment to go somewhere to exercise, there were more opportunities for excuses to skip going.
Fourthly, if I paired my exercise routine with my daily meditation session, I became more consistent both with exercising daily and also meditating daily. Exercising before meditation made me feel more relaxed and focused for the meditation.
And lastly, if I had some particular result I wanted (like muscle abs or bigger biceps or whatever), then my own impatience to see those results made me feel like my efforts were fruitless and useless. This detracted from my enthusiasm to exercise and made me less likely to do so.
Using these observations, I made some changes.
I made a rule that the first thing I would do after getting home from work is exercise and then meditate. I would be extra mindful of not skipping meals at work and making sure I got a decent amount of sleep when possible. I researched and found solid exercise options that could be done from home. And, perhaps most importantly, I emphasized and relished the way my exercise regimen made me feel rather than my physical appearance.
With these changes, I maintained a more empowering attitude and a more consistent pattern in my exercise routine while also enjoying its benefits--more energy, better mood, etc.
However, there were plenty of times that I faltered. After going on vacation for a week, getting sick, or just being too busy, it could be difficult to get back into the rhythm. The way I handled this is by viewing exercise in a way similar to how I view brushing my teeth.
I don't ask myself if I feel like brushing my teeth. It's something I've just accepted as part of human body maintenance. In other words, I regard it as inevitable. That way, the question isn't how to summon the motivation to do something. It's about circumventing whatever forms of resistance we encounter and then surrendering to the inevitability of our practice.
It's also important not to judge and scold yourself for your lapses. Otherwise that makes it all the more difficult to get back into your rhythm. You need to be willing to begin at the beginning, again and again, over and over, day after day. If you're willing to do that, to be a beginner, then no amount of lapsing back into obsolete habits matters. They're just temporary disruptions from which you will inevitably move on.
I think you will find that a lot of this applies to any kind of lifestyle changes we wish to make, including eating. I'm sure there are more specific tips and tricks for dietary modification as well, I'm just no expert on that.
Finally, I do think that daily meditation will be an immense benefit for you. It is a practice that equips us with the ability to experience and process all kind of feelings and emotions--including cravings, desires, and fears.
I hope this helped. Much love!
LY
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jodiellie · 20 hours
Text
Week 1 Evaluation
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It's been a week since I've started this journey, so let's reflect on how the first week has been!
First of all, let's have a refresher on what my GOALS for this 30 days initially is~
Fixing my sleep schedule
Incorporate more physical activities (doesn't have to be exercising, can be stretches or walks!)
Drawing more often for practice
Sleep:
I'd say sleep wise, I'm slowly getting better at it. Though, there are moments where I couldn't get myself to sleep and ended up getting worse. But in general, I think I've made good progress than before I started on this journey, so good job me! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
Physical activities:
I'm pretty proud of my progress for this! So far, I've managed to do something everyday for the past week to get my body moving! Whether it be actually following along exercising videos on Youtube or some stretching to ease some tension on muscles! Again, good job to myself uwu
Drawing:
Now this. I did NOT meet this goal at all during this entire week, which is a shame. I think I was focusing a lot on taking better care of my own body that the thought of taking care of my skill set kinda slipped my mind? Which, to be fair, is kind of expected since even trying to remind myself to do certain basic self care task is difficult in itself. So, it's okay, we'll just have to do better during the following week~
Extras:
Other extra stuff for my health that I think would I've done well is also finally taking my meds and vitamins. Though it's not consistent yet, I'm glad I finally was able to take them more than I was before. This goes for my water intake as well! Sometimes I would go on days without drinking any water at all, which is quite bad... But now that I'm trying to actively record down my days and what I've done to better my body, it serves as a reminder in itself to drink more water, so yayyy another great job done for me °ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ°
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Things I need to improve/add for the following week:
After a week into this journey, I think I'd like to adjust some of my goals and be a little more specific in what I want to achieve for hopefully the next week! This will help me be a little clearer with what I need to do and help myself feel good in the future >:)
Try to sleep 30 mins earlier than the last, but the latest time for me to go to bed would be 3am. I have been doing quite okay with only a few slips here and there on this. So hopefully by the end of the next week, I can somehow sleep around 12am instead.
Still moving my body every single day, but let's try to exercise 3 times this week for at least 30 minutes! It's been a long time since I've exercised that I forgot how good I always feel afterwards both physically and mentally. So yes, I'd like to challenge myself to actually do some exercise more often! ( *` • ω •´)ゝ
Since I have 0 progress on my drawing, I want to start slow and easy myself into it. Since it feels daunting (for some reason), let's try achieving at least 30 minutes per day for 3 days of art practice. Can be anything, like anatomy, color study, or even just my own personal art. As long as it reaches the goal I set, then it's good :>
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writtenjewels · 2 days
Text
One Bed
Salim watched Jason out of the corner of his eye, waiting for the other man to look upset. Instead, Jason just let out a grunt and dropped his suitcase in a corner. Salim kept waiting, but Jason was now messing with the curtains and the room's air conditioning system. He didn't seem bothered at all by their situation.
In all fairness, there was nothing wrong with the room. It had a decent view, a television and landline phone if they wanted to call for room service, a bathroom, a little mini-bar, a comfortable chair and even a desk. There was only one problem: Salim was sure he booked a room with two beds. His eyes darted over to Jason. The younger man had satisfied himself with the room's temperature and was surfing television stations.
“Should I--?” Salim began.
“Sorry, I'm a night owl,” Jason interrupted. “I'll turn off the television if it bugs ya.”
“No, that's all right. I'm not very tired right now, anyway.”
“Well, then.” Jason grabbed the chair from the desk and dragged it over next to the one he was using. “Park your ass here, grab a snack from the mini-bar. Enjoy some American television.” He seemed so relaxed that Salim couldn't help feeling more at ease. Maybe he was making too big a deal of the bed. After all, as soldiers they both had to sleep in all sorts of conditions.
Except it was a very different thing sleeping next to a fellow soldier in the cold or rain, and sleeping next to someone in a comfortable bed.
Salim opened the mini-bar to distract himself. “These snacks are much smaller than I was expecting,” he commented.
“That's how they get ya,” Jason answered. “Make ya rack up a bill with the snacks. Maybe we can just do room service.”
“Isn't that more expensive?” Salim wondered.
“Who cares? We deserve it.” That was true. Salim conceded to Jason ordering, settling on the chair to watch whatever program was on.
The evening went on with them eating through snacks and laughing at the shows. Salim started to get tired around ten, but managed to fight it until eleven. He kept missing pieces of the show, and didn't realize at first it was because he was nodding off. The next time he opened his eyes, the television was off.
“You didn't have to do that,” he protested.
“It's getting late and there's nothin' good on at this hour,” Jason shrugged. Salim got up and stretched, then hesitated, staring down at his clothes. Not the sort of attire that would be comfortable sleeping in. “Embarrassed by your PJ's?” Jason guessed.
“No.”
It was a little ridiculous to feel self-conscious. It wasn't like he was trying to impress Jason or anything. Salim went through his luggage and pulled out some pajamas. He considered going into the bathroom to change, but that also seemed ridiculous. They were both men, weren't they? Both soldiers, both having seen other male bodies in various states of undress. He shook his head and started working off his clothes. He could hear Jason pulling out some sleep attire, too.
Salim looked over. “Oh, my god,” he gasped. “You have hair!”
“Shut up, asshole!” Jason snapped, throwing a shirt at his face. Salim just laughed. Seeing Jason without his hat was a strange experience. Somehow it made him look more naked than being shirtless, though that was certainly an intriguing image.
Even after over a year spent in Iraq, the marine was very pale. His muscles were firm, his build lean, and his chest smooth. Then Jason dropped his trousers and Salim was surprised to see the boxer-briefs. For some reason, he was expecting Jason to go commando. He turned to his own task of dressing for bed. He didn't always wear shirts or bottoms to bed. Salim's eyes darted to Jason and caught the marine looking at him.
“You wanna use the bathroom first?” Jason asked.
“Sure.”
Still no comments about their situation. Salim washed up and got under the covers with Jason joining him. The light clicked off and there they were, sharing a bed. Salim could feel Jason next to him even though he tried giving a little space. He stared up at the ceiling, hands folded and stared at the ceiling.
“This is weird,” Jason declared.
“I was waiting for you to say so.”
“I didn't want to. You didn't seem to mind, and I didn't wanna seem like I was complainin'.”
“I thought you didn't mind,” Salim countered, turning his head to look at Jason. “I can go to the front desk.”
“Nah.” Jason shrugged. “I'm all settled in and comfy now. It ain't too bad for a few nights.” Salim let out a soft noise. “What about you?” Jason asked.
“I don't know,” Salim mused. “Do you snore? Do you squirm around?” He got a head shake for both questions. “Then I suppose 'it ain't too bad.'” Jason let out a snort and rolled so he was turned in Salim's direction.
“Hearin' you use the word 'ain't' is the funniest shit.”
“I play the long game in getting you to laugh at my jokes, jarhead.” That only made Jason laugh again, his dark eyes twinkling. “You should have let me tell you the one down in the catacombs,” Salim continued. “It was a good one.”
“Tell me now.”
“No, sorry, the moment has passed.”
“Asshole,” Jason chided, and this time it was Salim who laughed. Salim shifted in the bed to face Jason.
“You really aren't tired at all, are you?”
“Nope. But you don't gotta stay up with me.”
“I seem to have found my second wind,” Salim said. He had a feeling it was because of Jason. It was the same as when they were in the catacombs: whenever Salim felt tired or disheartened, Jason's conversation and presence kept him going. “I don't want to get out of bed, though,” he added.
“These sheets are pretty nice,” Jason agreed. “The thread count's probably higher than my military paycheck.”
They fell quiet. Looking at Jason from this angle was a little strange. Seeing him in darkness was nothing new, but without his hat Jason looked so different. His hair was a little longer than a military buzz, and Salim could actually see his eyes. Salim followed the silver chain of Jason's dog-tags down to where they rested on his chest. He had the strange impulse to touch the flat metal.
“Salim,” Jason spoke up. “This is kinda nice.”
“It ain't too bad,” Salim agreed, pleased when Jason laughed.
“G'night,” Jason sighed, rolling away.
“Good night,” Salim echoed. He rolled over as well.
No, he wasn't going to go report the mistake. Three more nights of sharing a bed with Jason. He didn't mind that arrangement at all.
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yayakoishii · 4 hours
Note
can we get some drunk love confessions from sanji?
Sober | Sanji x Reader
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x GN! Reader
Word Count: 2k
Genre/Tags: Light Angst, Fluff, Insecure Sanji; there's a scene that might feel like dub-con to some but it's consensual from both sides– please read at your own discretion! ♡
A/n: thank you so much for this prompt anon,, I love drunk confessions myself so I was excited to write this!! I wasn't sure if you wanted the reader to be confessing or Sanji, so I decided to make it Sanji this time since I already wrote a fic where reader drunk confessed. I hope you enjoy this ♡
also available on ao3!
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The shouting on the ship got your attention from where you were playing cards with Usopp. Across the deck, Zoro and Sanji were fighting again. Even in the dark cloak of nighttime, they sure had the energy to fight without missing a beat. You sighed to yourself then decided that it would be better if you went over and distracted Sanji so the fight would end.
Except, before you had even stood up, the screaming stopped and the two were now stomping towards Zoro's stash of sake. You raised an eyebrow as you saw them sit down across each other, still glaring. You hurried over to them after telling Usopp that you'll be back in a while.
"What's going on?" You asked quietly to Nami and Chopper who had been watching over the two.
"They're having a drinking contest," the navigator replied matter-of-factly. Your eyebrows shot up in shock. Why would Sanji challenge Zoro to a drinking challenge of all things? "Zoro challenged him. And of course your lover boy couldn't back down."
"Nami!" You hissed at her, cheeks flushing. "Don't say that so close to him!"
Nami gave you a deadpan look. She still lowered her voice for your sake, "Sanji is dense as fuck. I bet all my money he wouldn't figure out your feelings from such a simple term."
"I'd still rather not risk it," you muttered underneath your breath before turning your attention to the drinking challenge in front of you. The two of them had already managed to down more than half of the first bottle. Illuminated by the lights on the deck, you could see the slight flush starting to rise on Sanji's cheeks.
The blonde chef could hold his liquor well but going against Zoro was probably equivalent to digging his own grave.
"This is not gonna end well," you sighed. "I'll just go finish my card game with Usopp. Are you gonna watch over these two or…?"
"They're paying me to play referee," she shrugged. You rolled your eyes and bit down the smile trying to come up. Chopper announced that he was going to sleep and to call him if something happened. You both waved him goodnight. Giving Nami a thumbs up, you went back to your seat too. Usopp was staring intensely at his own cards. You stared at him for a few seconds.
"You looked at my cards, didn't you?" You said flatly. Usopp's eyes widened and he started denying but gave up when you started shuffling the deck again. "Let's play one short game before turning in for the night."
You could still hear Zoro and Sanji fighting in the background, the noise just incoherent enough that you couldn't quite make out the words. You could tell Sanji was steadily getting more and more drunk as his voice started getting a little higher and shrill as he shouted. Even in the dead of the night, the Thousand Sunny was as lively as ever. The thought made you smile to yourself as you triumphantly showed your card sets to Usopp, finishing the game.
"You're suspiciously good at this," Usopp complained as he started packing up the cards.
"Be happy I didn't bet money on this," you grinned and leaned back in your chair. "You'd be a penniless beggar otherwise."
Usopp muttered something under his breath that you didn't quite catch. The day's exhaustion was starting to catch up and you decided that it was a good time to go to sleep. You had the early morning lookout shift anyway.
"Goodnight," Usopp called out as he left. You tilted your head up and down to acknowledge his words but stayed in your seat for a few more minutes. The shouting had ceased sometime ago and the low murmurs of conversation washed over you like a lullaby.
"(Y/n)!" Nami's shout of your name startled you awake from your half-asleep state.
"What is it?" You asked with a yawn as you made your way over. "Is their match over?"
"I had to stop them cause I don't think either of them plans to stop," she frowned. "I don't know about Zoro but Sanji would definitely die of alcohol poisoning if this goes on."
You laughed for a second but froze when you realised that Sanji was staring intensely at you. It made you self conscious and you automatically carded a hand through your hair to ensure it wasn't sticking out awkwardly.
"You should take him back while I squeeze my money out of Zoro," Nami winked at you and ran after the swordsman who had already wandered off somewhere. She was gone before you had even finished nodding.
"Alright, Sanji, come on," you smiled down at him, holding your hands out so he could stand up with the support. The chef stopped staring at your face and switched to staring at your hands instead. From your angle, you couldn't quite see his full face but the red splotches on his ears and cheeks were enough indication of how drunk he was. You waited for a few seconds. After a few beats of silence, Sanji placed his own cold hands into yours. You immediately covered them, trying to warm them as you pulled him up. The blonde must have been more drunk than you had thought because he lost his footing and nearly crashed into you.
Thankfully, you realised just in time and instead of the two of you falling on the deck, Sanji had crashed into your arms. Chests pressing, now he was the one looking down at you with a half-lidded gaze. The proximity resulted in Sanji's smell enclosing you, and you flushed at how one of his hands had sneaked around your waist in the confusion somehow.
"So beautiful," he whispered. Your heart was thudding faster, almost like it was trying to escape the confines of your ribcage. You nervously laughed it off.
"Alright, you've had too much to drink," you joked and tried to separate but Sanji's grip did not loosen. He always fought with his legs so you tended to forget that his arms were just as strong. Fingers spreading apart, his hand splayed across the small of your back. The cold touch over your shirt made goosebumps rise on your skin but you were distracted by the way Sanji's tongue was lightly grazing over his lips. The soft pink seemed to be shining in the light.
"This must be a dream," he spoke quietly, seemingly more to himself than you. You stayed still, praying that Sanji couldn't hear your crazy heart rate and that he would forget this tomorrow. (Or well, maybe he shouldn't forget this. You didn't know which option was more appealing at the moment.) "You smell divine, my love."
"Y- You too?" You squeaked out in panic, wanting to hide your face but your hands were trapped between your bodies, resting on his shoulders. Sanji laughed at your words– a soft, genuine, relaxed laugh that you didn't often get to hear. It made your embarrassment quell down and your heart felt warm. Sanji wasn't wrong. Something about this whole night seemed to feel hazy and distant, like a dream. He would only say such words and smile like that around you in a dream, right?
"I wish this wasn't a dream," his words sent something cold down your insides. "If only this was real…"
You paused and looked up at him. Pushing your body on the tip of your toes, you leaned into his ear and asked quietly, "What if it wasn't a dream? What would you do?"
You didn't know what had possessed you but it felt like the right thing to do, the only natural question to ask after his previous words.
"So many things I've wanted to do for so long," his words were still quiet, almost like he was afraid to break the tranquillity of the night. You stepped back and Sanji let you this time. His expression seemed broken and his eyes looked glassy.
You had never actually seen Sanji drunk. He had a high tolerance for alcohol and he usually didn't drink much to ensure he could take care of anyone else who was. (He always said it was just for the ladies but you knew he was secretly looking out for everyone even though he wouldn't admit it.) He never really cried in front of you either. The fact that a drunk Sanji was sad and broken was news to you.
"Sanji," you didn't realise you had cupped his cheeks until you had already done it. Something about that desperate look on his face had spiked an intense urge in you to hold him close. "Is everything alright?"
"If this was reality," his voice wavered, unconfident and so unlike the usual him, "you wouldn't look at me like you're doing right now. If this was real, you wouldn't be in my arms right now. You would never love me the way I love you and you would never see me as something beyond a crewmate."
Your breath hitched at the words, fingers accidentally pressing harder into Sanji's jaws. He didn't seem to feel it because a tear slipped down his cheek and onto your hand, the liquid trailing between your touch.
"That's okay," he blinked, a few more droplets falling down or getting stuck in his eyelashes. "As long as I can hold you like this in a dream… that's enough for me. I won't ask more of you if this was real. All that you give me is already more than I deserve. After all, for someone like me… There's no way you would fall for someone like me. And that's okay. Because you deserve someone better. But I'm so selfish. I wish I could keep you all to myself. I wish I could hold you like this in reality, and tell you how much you mean to me. I wish I could make you smile all the time and be a shoulder for you to cry upon on your bad days. I wish I could k- kiss you and tell you over and over… how much I love you."
It felt like a swarm of butterflies had suddenly erupted in your chest. The fluttering feeling was ticklish and you couldn't quite form words and you could only gape at Sanji. He still seemed to believe this was a dream because his other hand cupped your cheek. His thumb brushed against it, gentle and warm, no longer cold after all the proximity in you two. Before you could say anything, he dipped down and captured your lower lip in between his own, gently caressing it with his tongue. The sudden sensation made you erupt in flames, the blush reaching the tips of your extremities.
"S- Sanji," you breathed out shakily when he let your lip go to slip his tongue into your mouth. You wanted this. You had wanted it for so, so long– but not like this. You drew your head away before he could successfully infiltrate the warm, wet cavern of your mouth and instead gave him a flushed smile. His eyes still looked glossy but there was an unmistakable softness in them.
You would normally have told yourself that he was just drunk and didn't mean it. But there was a part of you that knew it wasn't the effect of the alcohol. Sanji was unbearably honest when he was drunk. His true feelings were what's making him sad. Denying them would be both idiotic and disrespectful, but you couldn't accept them either. The words he spoke weren't ones he had decided to say himself. He thought this was a dream.
"Tell me this tomorrow morning," you whispered, pressing a gentle and slightly wet kiss on his cheek. "Tell me you love me when you're sober. Tell it to me, when this is real and no longer a dream. I'll wait for you to tell me when you feel ready for it."
Sanji stared down at you, his eyes starstruck and in an expression of awe. The sight made your heart clench but you told yourself that he will do it. He will tell you his feelings again, when he is in full consciousness. For that, you had to let him go right now.
"And then we'll do everything that we have wanted to do for so long, yeah?"
°•❀•°
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queer-n-here · 1 day
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Hey, I hope you're doing well. I saw your post regarding sending requests of different fandoms. I hope that you're familiar with MHA. If so, could you write a Dabi x gn! Reader?
Where the reader helps Dabi, by mending his bruises and calming him down after he comes back bruised up after a fight and angry because he didn't expect to get this injured.
Just wholesome fluff <3
Take your time! Totally understandable if you don't know the fandom.
🩷
Here you go! Also, I haven't really watched MHA (but I know stuff) so like Dabi might be a lil ooc here.
Contents: Post- Shoto v/s Dabi scenario where Dabi seeks gn!reader out.
Warnings: Uh... Hurt/comfort. That's it? No smut.
There was a knock on your door.
You frowned, raising your head sleepily from your bed. But you weren't annoyed, not really. The entire Paranormal Liberation Front knew better than to disturb you unless there was a life and death situation.
And so you pushed yourself out of bed and stood, stretching your limbs as you walked over to the door of your room. When you pulled open the door, however, sleep deserted your mind like a scared deer.
It was Dabi.
There was blood on his face.
He looked up at you, eyes slightly dazed, seemingly surprised at his arrival on your doorstep.
You knew what was wrong; he had no need to speak.
"Come in," You stood aside, and after a moment of looking at you as if he was lost, Dabi entered.
You led him to your bed, and he sat down.
"I didn't mean to come here, I..." He trailed off, looking so unsure of himself it hurt your heart.
Dabi was almost never like this. You couldn't imagine the pain he'd gone through to thoroughly numb himself like that. It made you ache.
"It's alright," You said, voice slightly hoarse from just having woken up, even if it was the middle of the day. "Since you're already here, stay a while."
He nodded.
You couldn't be upfront and ask him what he was thinking. He'd shut himself up, smirk at you, and joke about your concern. That was the last thing you wanted. So you opened a bed-side drawer and pulled out a stack of tissues.
"Here, clean the blood off." You handed it to Dabi.
He tried, rubbing messily at the blood that flowed endlessly from his patchy skin, and you realized that it was his blood, the sort that dripped from his seams when he would otherwise be crying.
It made you want to pull himself to you, press him into your bones and hide him from the world. But you steeled yourself.
Taking the tissues form his hands, you helped him clean up.
"Hah, look at you, I need to help you with this too now." You joked, your voice cheerful in a way that you weren't feeling.
Joking was required here, if you acted too soft on him, he'd pull away, say he didn't need to be babied. You had to take care of him in a way that didn't let him know you were.
So you smiled at him, wiping the blood off till it didn't flow anymore.
You threw the tissues away, and turned to look at Dabi again. He was sitting slightly hunched, as if he had no strength in his body, his hands limp on his lap.
"How was the fight with Todoroki?" You asked him, in a seemingly casual tone.
"Fine," Dabi's hoarse voice was even more hoarse.
"Hmm," You stood up from the bed, and immediately his hand wrapped around your wrist.
"Where are you going?" There was accusation in his eyes.
You smiled. "Nowhere. I was out earlier today, bought some stuff. Got some for you, too. Don't you want your present?"
He hesitated, then let go. He nodded.
You rummaged in a drawer before pulling a bag out, walking back to Dabi and plopping down on the bed beside him before handing him the bag. He took it from your hands, and peeked inside.
It was a pack of sweets.
"What am I, a kid?" Dabi said, his voice slightly hollowed.
You raised your hand and knocked on his forehead, making him look up at you, slightly surprised. "You said it, not me."
And then slowly, miraculously, Dabi smiled. His cheeks pulled back and his eyes glowed, and in that moment he was so beautiful you almost lost your mind.
"I'm not the one who likes Optimus Prime." He said.
You feigned offense. "What did you just say? Optimus Prime is not for kids, it's for everyone!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Dabi chuckled, and somehow, at the end of it, his head was on your shoulder.
You let him put it there.
There was silence in your room for a while after that, and when you looked at Dabi again, he'd already fallen asleep.
So you put him to bed, pulling off his shoes and gently lowering him onto the bed before covering him with your blanket. You sat at the edge of the bed, watching him sleep.
"Dabi, you big buffoon, what am I gonna do with you?"
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ask-noonescity · 3 days
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Tora@Erebrus: A little tiger on a prowl again. This time she peers over some books at Erebrus, grinning. "HI!" She exclaims, hoping she got the jump on him. With a toothy grin, she leaps over and plops in front of him, "Books! Boring! You're like my brother!" She says this affectionately, no malice intended. "Why do you like books!" Then she claps her hands, Excitedly, "I know! Tell me a good story!"
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"G-Geez kid you truly got me there!" he said holding onto his chest taking few good breath's to stabilize his human form. He watched the Tora plop right in front of him onto the soft blanket he couldn't help but to chuckle meekly to her words
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"Because some books hold really interesting stories - and some great knowledge I can use it to make me much sneakier and stronger!" he said with a small flex of his hands but then quickly dropped it as he felt silly by just giving the kid light play along;
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"OH huh, a good story?" he now entered small thought he didnt really know any children stories he gulped trying to think of something he might have heard perhaps - he glanced to Tora seeing her expecting him to start speaking as he chuckled lightly "Okay sure - then sit tight; but you might find it boring" he said simply now with a small smile to Tora as he took a breath now to start the story
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Once upon a time, when all the gods still roamed the earth and there were no dreams, there was a little orphan a Flittle.
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She was a hard worker, and when the hard work ended, she stared at and adored the moon. Every night she would come to the lake and sing songs of their imaginations and wishes until it couldn’t anymore and would fall into the void that was sleep then, regretting each time the sun had come up in place of the moon. The moon could not speak, but it loved the little creature, and all they could do was listen to their songs. As the time passed, the visits slowed down. As the time went on, the little grew weaker. The moon listened to the flittle sing before the song one night quieted out.
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The small bird sat under the tree where it always sang. The moon shined its lights brightly, focusing on the flittle. The stars that the moon had made started to fall, showing its deep sorrow, but one star fell slowly; perhaps it was from the moon itself—perhaps it was a tear. As the tear fell and the soul rose, it fused together, creating a warm light shooting straight up to the moon.A familiar song filled the sky, making the stars reappear as the moon's hopes rose once more as a familiar figure stood in front of them.
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"Finally, we can be in one space,” the figure said as it emerged out of the light. The moon knew instantly that it was a flittle but reborn as their kin with a gentle kiss on the soul it made the little thing transform into a goddess. To make have a purpose as a goddess it gave it the power to fill the void when someone slumbers—a power that can make others see their loved ones once more.
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"err...or something like that..." Erebus ended the story slightly unsure of himself his eyes once more went to Tora "Apologies my memory is sort of fuzzy on that story so I had to somehow cut it a bit shorter..."
@lustrous-dawn
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mspoodle1 · 2 years
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wip - toy bird, several fish, toad and frog with a toy tray
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