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bunny-yan · 1 year

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Is it okay if you make part 2 of the Yan priest with soldier reader? I really like that one so much

TW: death, violence, general yandere themes, minors DNI

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The head priest knew there would be many challenges when he was sent to the battlefront, but an unplanned trek through the forest wasn’t one of them.

He swept a handkerchief over his brow, unsure why he didn’t think to wear lighter clothes instead of his heavy robes, but then again he didn’t think the two of you would still be walking after thirty minutes.

“Is it really necessary to travel so far out?”

“Sorry,” you said, glancing back at the priest and thanking the heavens that he was in shape. You had slowed your pace, but he was able to keep up so you felt pretty confident that the two of you could make it to your secret spot. “We’re almost there. Just a little further.”

The priest bit his tongue, holding back a grumble but he couldn’t help the curse that began to slip out of his mouth when his foot caught on a loose root.

Your hand caught his flailing one as you wrapped a hand around his waist to steady him.

Pulling him up, his eyes widened when you looked into his with concern. “Are you okay?”

He nodded without a word, clearing his throat when you let him go. Readjusting his glasses, he said, “Yes, thank you.”

He frowned, thinking that maybe he was complaining a little bit too much considering he was the one to recommend that you get a bit of sunlight.

The head priest was a bit surprised when you invited him out on a picnic, but you insisted that you wanted to find a way to thank him for taking such good care of you. His initial thought was to decline the offer, knowing it wasn’t appropriate for someone in his position to be off gallivanting during a war, but when you grasped his hands in yours and pleaded he supposed a small break wouldn’t hurt anything.

The grin you wore was etched into his mind and he thought of it as he rubbed at his side, the warmth from your arm having seeped through.

“We’re here!”

He looked up and if you weren’t looking for his reaction you might’ve missed the slight rise of his brow at the sight of a field of flowers.

“Isn’t it amazing? I found it during one of my patrols and whenever things get a little overwhelming I like to come back just to sit for a little while.”

The head priest knew he shouldn’t have been surprised at this point. It was just like you to discover beauty in the midst of ongoing tragedy, but you continued to defy his expectations. He felt something uncomfortable tug at his heart, deciding to ignore it as you led him a little farther into the field before laying a blanket down along with the large picnic basket you’d carried with you.

“I’m glad the weather is nice today. I was a little worried it’d rain like it did last week but we lucked out!”

He nodded, feeling a little out of place as he took his seat on the blanket, feeling his nose itch.

It was a bad time to mention he was sensitive to pollen.

Feeling his power thrum alive to offset the symptoms, he attempted a smile.

“You chose the perfect time.”

It was strange. He’d only just registered that a war was being fought in the spring. It wasn’t the first thing he thought to think of considering the bombs the enemies sent their way decimated ground and soldier alike. There was no time to stop and think about what was. The reality of the situation clouded any light that hoped to seep through. It was hard to even believe it existed when constantly assaulted by the stench of blood and fear that permeated the medical tent.

It only reminded him of your first encounter.

“You seemed pretty close to the solider you brought in that day you visited medical. Phelps?”

You didn’t bother wondering how the head priest knew the things he did. You assumed he had a record of all of the patients that came into his care, so it wasn’t weird that he knew.

“Yeah, she’s my best friend.”

“Really?”

“We grew up together, actually.”

It wasn’t hard to believe. You acted as if it was your own life on the line when you arrived at the tent. He still remembered the way your voice sounded, desperate and broken as you begged for someone to help your comrade. You looked lifeless as you watched the priests surround her motionless body. Seeing you now was like night and day.

You looked alive, happy that you got some time away from the cot the head priest refused to let you leave, and a lot more relaxed than the tense ball of nerves you were reduced to during the time you were experiencing crippling pain.

He didn’t know when he’d realized it, but he found himself enjoying the easygoing smile despite the underlying feelings of animosity when they were directed towards any of the other priests. He’d leave his office to do a general check, ascertain whether the other priests were handling the immense load that constantly rested on their shoulders and his day was elevated with a quick glance in your direction. You’d be sitting on the cot, relaxing or reading a book, sometimes talking to the other patients or priests and he couldn’t help but feel as if something settled in his heart.

When he’d come to check on your condition, he knew he couldn’t linger for long because your smile was blinding in his eyes. His eyes would narrow, making you mistakenly assume that you had done something to gain his ire when he was simply hiding his embarrassment.

Thinking of it now brought on new feelings of embarrassment, and he cleared his throat to cover the ridiculous expression on his face.

“Do you have family waiting for you back home?” he asked, thinking it best to change the conversation before he thought about doing something he was sure to regret about that best friend of yours.

“I do! I have eight brothers and sisters.”

Of course the head priest already knew, but he felt it best to hear it directly from you. He could learn as much as he could about you, but it wouldn’t close the gaping distance between the two of you. It was already difficult enough considering the doctor-patient relationship the two of you had.

“Did you join to get some distance from them?” The priest couldn’t imagine existing with younger children. He’d spent enough time with others at the orphanage run by the church and he knew for certain that it was never a position he’d want to be in again.

“Oh,” you began, pausing as you thought about what to say. When your silence lasted for longer than a brief moment, the priest was afraid that maybe he’d made a mistake. His fears were alleviated when you laughed.

“Sure, it’s nice to have a bit of distance from my siblings but if I’m being completely honest I’m sending the pay I receive back to them.”

It was just like you.

“We lost our dad to the last war and so my mom was left raising me and my siblings on her own and I wanted to help support her. She actually begged me not to go.” You looked a little listless as you opened up about your reason for joining. It wasn’t hard to understand where your mother was coming from. Thoughts of losing you the same way she lost her husband were sure to be the only thing on her mind.

“What a horrible child.”

You gaped at the head priest, laughing after a moment when it was clear that he was joking. You weren’t sure he was capable of telling a joke, but listening to him now, you felt warmth enter your body.

“Yeah, maybe I am.”

The head priest sniffed, looking off to the side as he was a bit uncomfortable with how emotionally charged the conversation was.

“Have you ever thought about joining the church?”

You looked surprised by his words, but he thought it was the perfect time to bring it up.

“Unlike being a soldier, your days would consist of receiving offerings, prayer, maintenance and general upkeep of the church. You’d also receive a better salary than you’re getting now.”

That last point wasn’t completely true. Altar boys and the like generally received housing and that was it, but he was more than willing to cut his check short if it meant keeping you by his side.

He knew his plan succeeded when you appeared to actually consider his offer.

“I never gave it much thought, but that seems like something my mom would prefer.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about getting acclimated. I would have you shadow me for the duration of your training and you could join as my personal assistant.”

You would receive no better offer and if this wasn’t enough, he would think of the ways he could sweeten the deal for you.

“Thank you.” you said, smiling at the head priest. It was the sincerity in your voice that caught his attention.

When you came forward suddenly, the priest’s eyes widened when he suddenly found himself toppling over with you on top of him.

You didn’t seem like the type to pounce on someone and he didn’t see the mood heading in that direction at all.

His face erupted in a blush as he spluttered, feeling caught off guard for the first time in his life. He tried to question what you were doing, but froze at the look of pain that contorted your face.

Looking to the side, he’d finally noticed it.

An arrow was protruding from your shoulder. It was not a shallow wound.

“We need to get that treated.” he said, worry dripping from his tone as he pushed to get up.

Pushing him back down, you placed a finger over your lps.

You were certain that whoever attacked was acting on their own. It was most likely a scout that saw this as an easy opportunity to get rid of the Golden Priest. You were grateful that you’d noticed the glint before he loosed the arrow. You were clearly at fault. You had put your benefactor in harm’s way, but you were going to do you best to make sure he survived this.

Considering the direction the arrow came from, your assailant wouldn’t be able to see the two of you if you stayed close to the ground.

The priest watched you, studying the look of intense concentration that fought through the pain you were sure to be feeling.

You knew your assumption was correct when you heard rustling. Slowly reaching for one of the cutting knives, you felt yourself tense in anticipation. Your cover was going to blown soon so you had to act fast.

When the steps sounded dangerously close, you stayed low, launching yourself in the direction of the enemy.

The priest sat up quickly, looking at you struggle with the scout that made an attempt on his life and when you gained the upper hand, he felt he saw you in a different light as he watched you drag the blade across the man’s neck.

“We need to go.” you said, slightly out of breath and thankful that he offered assistance to help you up.

It was a shame that you hadn’t gotten to fully enjoy the picnic that you planned for the two of you, but your new wound was ana amazing excuse for you to remain in medical. He was trying to figure out a way to keep you around and this incident had to have been the Mother answering his prayers.

You’d taken an arrow meant for him. He couldn’t think of anyone who’d be willing to put themselves in harm way from a cold bastard like himself.

If the priest was interested in you before, he was obsessed now.

One way or another, you were going to come to his side.

#yandere #yandere oc #yandere priest #yandere x gn reader #yandere x you #yandere x darling #yandere male #yanderea asks #asks answered #orphan priest

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misspearly1 · 2 years

Text

Day Three: Threesome - Joel Miller & Arthur Morgan

Kinktober22 List

When Two Worlds Collide Series ⬇️

Chp1 || Chp2 || Chp3 || Chp4 || Chp5 || Chp6 || Chp7 || Chp8

(This kinktober fic is part of an ongoing series)

WC: 7k

Warnings: 18+ Content. Minors DNI. M/F/M Smut. Unprotected PIV. Double Penetration. Little bit of cum play and praise kink. Fluff.

AN: Wow, I did not plan for this to be 7k. It was supposed to be more of a PWP, but as soon as I started this story, words spilled out everywhere lmao. There's more plot than I planned to write, but I hope you all enjoy nonetheless. Thank you my loves. (I am absolutely visiting this story again in future, I had too much fun with it lmao).

“Gahh!.. Just hold it still, Joel.”

“I am! You hold it still, yer fucking dummy.”

“Dummy? Who ya callin’ dummy?”

“Do yer see anyone else around, Arthur? Christ almighty!”

Sighing frustratedly and dropping your book down into your lap, you roll your eyes at the sound of the men bickering with each other. They have yet to find common ground and the last three weeks being stuck in this hellhole has been torturous purely because of their constant, excessive arguing.

After realizing that you and Joel are inevitably stuck in the year 1899, Arthur moved you both into a little homestead in a wooded area called the Tall Trees. And right now, they’re trying to set up a perimeter by planting wooden posts into the ground to make a fence around the homestead and provide a little coverage, but of course, they have been arguing like they always do and have not been able to get much work done at all today.

You and Joel don’t belong here, obviously, and Arthur Morgan noticed that right away but luckily for you both, he isn’t fazed with peculiar phenomenon's. The man has shared a few stories with you in the last three weeks, detailing the crazy events that have taken place in his life and how most of them can’t even be explained, therefore when he came across you and Joel, it didn’t freak him out that you were from the future. In fact, it’s the least freakiest thing he’s come across in his life.

Arthur remains unfazed, you’re biding your time with books or short walks while you wait for a way out of here, while Joel just seems frustrated every second of the day. All of you are frustrated, but it doesn’t help when he is so much like Arthur. They don’t even realize how much they have in common and that’s the reason why they clash so much. They’re like long long friends, two peas in a pod who just insult each other constantly, argue, whine and butt heads, but by the end of the day, they end up laughing about it.

And, they both listen to you.

“Boys!” You yell after hearing too much of their deep, gruff voices and ask. “Do my ears a favour and just get along for five minutes please, okay? Yes?”

“Yes Miss Y/L/N.” Arthur responds with a nod and when you look over to Joel, he sighs softly, also nodding. “Yes ma’am.”

Turning back to your book upon feeling satisfied with their compliance, you find where you left off and continue reading, and it only took approximately three minutes for them both to start up again. However this time, they argued with each other quietly, whispering hushed insults back and forth like they were twelve and not in their thirties.

“I’d leave your ass in the dirt, so be thankful that you have her with you, asshole.” Arthur seethes, making a valid point to Joel - who couldn’t see that through his anger and barked back. “Oh! If she wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be drawing breath yer stupid fucking hillbilly.”

“Hillbilly?! Who ya callin’ hillbilly?” Arthur demands to know, the question actually making you giggle as Joel replies once again. “Do yer see anyone else around?”

However, as much as you found their attempt to argue quietly funny, you could hear just in their voices that it was getting heated again. You needed to physically intervene and get between them both.

Closing your book and dropping it to the table, the noise alerts them and they turn their backs to you quickly. You shook your head, as if you were annoyed but in reality, you found it amusing. They acted like children who had been caught doing something they shouldn’t have and tried to play it off.

“Y/N.” Arthur greets you as you approach, tipping his hat and Joel doesn’t even meet your line of sight. In fact, he purposely turned his red face away from you so you couldn’t see that he was seconds away from bursting into a fit of laughter. “Everything alright, sweetheart?” The cowboy asks, smirking as he chews on a toothpick.

“Mhm.” You nod, acting like you didn’t hear them arguing just moments ago. “Thought I’d come out here and watch you work. Make sure you’re gettin’ along, you know?”

“Naw, we’re all good. Ain’t that right, sunshine?” Nudging Joel’s side hard, Arthur flashes a bright innocent smile as if he wasn’t still trying to piss him off. Joel turns to face you now and slams a hand down onto Arthur back, emphasizing each word of his reply with extra hard pats. “Sure. We’re - just - peachy.”

Crooking one brow with your arms crossed, you fight the urge to laugh at Arthur smiling through the annoyance. You could tell he was dying on the inside, dying to smack Joel. “Very well then. Proceed.” You say, shrugging your shoulders. “Don’t let me get in the way of you two getting along.”

Instead of heading inside the house, you opted to take a seat on a wood log and watch them work. Arthur went to some nearby city called Blackwater yesterday and bought a wagon full of wood to build the fence around the homestead, hence why he made a good point earlier to Joel. Without him, you both would be stuck and helpless, so Joel should be thankful for his help.

You had no food, money or spare clothes for three days and Joel had to sneak into some poor old man's house to steal some food out of his kitchen before the cowboy came along and stepped in to help right away. Clothing you, feeding you and providing shelter, all Arthur asked for in return is that Joel helps him gather some money for supplies. And by gathering some money, he meant stealing and robbing from the filthy rich.

They withhold the details of how they ‘gathered the money’ but you’re not dumb. You know they’re not coming back with full pockets from honest work, especially when they come back sometimes looking like they’ve run a mile. Faces flushed red with sweat, clothes dirty and torn, bullets and throwing knives missing, meaning they had been used and of course, there was that first time they went out together and Arthur's horse came back with blood on her mane.

You know the clothes on your back, the food in your stomach and the money that bought the supplies for the fence came from dishonest work, just downright thievery and bloodshed. And since you're closer with Joel than you are with Arthur - you’ve known him a little longer - you asked him just one question; were they innocent people?

‘No. Never’, is what Joel replied with and from that point on, you didn’t ask anymore questions. You don’t wish to know what they get themselves into just to provide safety and comfort for you in this little homestead while you wait for a way back home. Which may not be too long of a wait as Arthur has a possible lead; a man named Francis Sinclair that might be of help - another peculiar and futuristic looking stranger he met a little while before he found you two.

The cowboy is going to stay with you and Joel for the next couple of days before beginning his search for Francis, just for precaution as he had heard of a nasty group of individuals living out here in the Tall Trees with you. A group called The Skinners, which doesn’t at all sound too good to be living amongst. Night-time is when it’s most dangerous and the perimeter is necessary for protection.

Joel and Arthur are good fighters, and they’ve built an impressive weapons arsenal lately too so you’re not overly worried about someone possibly knocking on the door late in the night, however what has been on your mind today is that there is only one bedroom in this little homestead. Joel had been sleeping on the couch the last two nights you’ve stayed here, but now that Arthur is staying here too, you wonder where he will sleep.

“Arthur.” You call his name with those thoughts in mind, suggesting a solution for the problem that will arise later. “Do you want me to rearrange the living room? To free up space for you and Joel?”

“Um, yes. That would be very helpful, miss y/l/n. Thank you.” He agrees with a smile, to which you wave him off and tut. “Please, just call me by my name and it’s not a bit of a bother. I'm happy to help.”

Moving towards the homestead, you head inside and take a look at what you can do in order to free up space. There’s only one sofa, and it’s small too. Joel doesn’t even fit on the damn thing and you’ve offered more than once now to switch with him so he can get a comfortable nights rest in the bed, but he refuses.

Overall, the homestead is fairly small, but with a few adjustments, it will provide some room for Arthur to lay out some blankets in front of the fire. You start off by pushing the sofa against the kitchen counter, then drag the table along to the floor and place it against the wall just under the window. There wasn’t a large space on the floor for Arthur to lay down because of the bulky double wardrobe in the room. The layout of the homestead was arranged poorly, but luckily for him, there can be a fix. The bedroom is the most spacious and the wardrobe would fit inside nicely, it’s just moving the thing that might be a problem.

Surprisingly, Joel and Arthur were relatively quiet outside. They haven’t argued and just kept their head down to work efficiently, so the thought of disturbing that to ask for help with the wardrobe ultimately pushed you to do it yourself. It’s heavy, but if you take your time it can just be shimmied side to side until it eventually gets to where you need it to be.

After moving a couple things around in the bedroom, you head back into the living room then begin pulling the wardrobe away from the wall. The sound of wood screeching across the floor gave you goosebumps and made you cringe, but it was working. The height and width of the door leading into the bedroom was a couple inches bigger than the wardrobe, thus giving you enough room to just push it inside. If it wasn’t so darn heavy.

While your whole attention and focus was directed to putting every effort into pushing the wardrobe inside the bedroom, you didn’t notice Joel or Arthur’s presence by the door leading into the homestead behind you. They heard all of the noises; the wood screeching, your struggling panting breaths and most amusingly to them, the snippy remarks you made about your own lack of strength.

Although they stood and watched for a few moments, Joel and Arthur had their fill of enjoyment watching you struggle to make adjustments for their comfort and stepped in to help. “Easy there, superwoman. The men are here now.” Joel jokes and lays a hand on your lower back, gesturing you to step aside while Arthur lays his hand on the wardrobe beside your hands, leaning against it as he looks down at you with a smirking smile on his lips. “Let us finish off, sweetheart. We’re mighty strong, you know.”

“Oh, and am I not? Is that what you’re saying Mr. Morgan?” You retort upon taking a little insult from his comment. Tilting your head to the side and waiting for him to answer you, he scratches the back of his neck and visibly cringes, thinking he had actually upset you. You’re quite good at teasing them. Behind you however, Joel thought it’d be funny to jump in and tease Arthur too. “Oh, Mr. Morgan, you’re in trouble.” He chuckles.

“Excuse me?” You turn to look at Joel, your face mere millimetres apart as you berate him too for his comments. “The men are here now.” You quote him while raising your brows. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean? I can’t do it myself just because I’m a woman?... Hm, shame on you Mr. Miller, didn’t peg you for being sexist.”

“You tell ‘em, girl.” Arthur now jumps in, the sound of his voice affecting Joel as he looks away from your eyes to glare at him. “Wait… A woman called me sexist once, is it not a compliment?” He asks and it makes you and Joel laugh, crumbling your angry façade. No longer acting as if you were insulted by them both, you turn to Arthur and shake your head. “No. It’s not a compliment.”

“Then why are you both laughing?” Asking another question, the poor man tilts his head to the side with bewilderment.

“Because Arthur.” You begin, reaching out to lay a hand on his chest with a gentle pat. “Because you thought that lady was calling you sexy.” Giggling still with Joel chuckling behind you too, Arthur looked offended as he mumbles sadly. “She wasn’t calling me sexy?…”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Your giggling comes to a stop now as you feel sorry for him. Stepping forward, Joel’s hand slips away from your lower back as you move closer to Arthur and cup each side of his face. “It’s okay, Arthur. It’s not your fault, honey. It’s the era of time you were born in and don’t worry, I think you’re sexy, not sexist.”

“You do?” He asks bashfully then smiles when you nod. Thanking you for the compliment with a hug, Arthur looks directly into Joel’s eyes and winks, the action making him scoff and call the cowboy out. “You lying piece of shit, you know what a sexist is.” He says.

“Oh, is that right?” You scoff. Pulling back, you look up at Arthur with narrowed eyes and the man glares at Joel, calling him an ‘spiteful hindrance’. As they bicker with each other once more, calling each other names and bringing you into it too, making the argument about you, it suddenly becomes clear why they argue so much - it’s because of you. Jealousy is rife in the air between.

Arthur calling Joel an spiteful hindrance is just another way of saying cockblock, meaning he was trying to woo you over just now before Joel called it out. They both like you and that realization makes your stomach flutter with excitement. You’ve never been in a position like this before, in the middle of two men fighting over you and truthfully, it’s so fucking arousing.

As their arguing, once again, becomes more and more heated, they are closing in with you squished in the middle of them both. Joel had his chest pressed against your back and Arthur had his chest pressed against yours, they were quite literally hurling insults back and forth right over your shoulder. “Boys!” You yell and their row comes to an immediate stop, though they both look down at you and now suddenly become aware of their proximity.

“Sorry, darlin’.” Joel mumbles and steps back. You already begin to miss his warmth.

“Me too, girl.” Arthur adds to the apology, also stepping back. And you miss his warmth too.

Nodding to them both, you now step aside to let them take over and push the wardrobe into the bedroom. You take advantage of their backs turned to you and squeeze your legs together to ease the ache between your legs. Since you’ve been so caught up with making a temporary home here, it never dawned on you before about Arthur and Joel possibly being attracted to you.

You’ve known Joel longer than Arthur, but only by a couple of months, and it’s the last three weeks being stuck in this situation that have really brought you three closer to one another. You’ve grown so used to their company that the thought of departing from Arthur saddens you, but also, just thinking about going back to your normal life as Joel’s neighbour was saddening too.

You barely talked to him, he was always working and so were you. Things will change once you go back, you know that for sure considering all you have been through with the man, however you wonder what happens to Arthur. It’s evident he and Joel have a crush on you and you feel the same way - you like them both, and that’s an issue because only one is going back home with you.

Upon feeling the evening sun warming up your face, you head into the kitchen to prepare dinner to distract yourself and your thoughts. You can already feel where your mind is heading towards, which is an area to think about letting both men have you. But you can’t. You can’t think about that sort of stuff, it’s not a good time and besides, Joel and Arthur wouldn’t want that anyways, they each would want you all to themselves, not to share.

After filling a pot with water, chopping up a variety of vegetables, diced meat and adding a few cubes of beef stock, you call for help to lift it into the living room to hang above the fire. It’s too heavy for you to carry, but Arthur and Joel enter the kitchen, both of them move towards you then stop to look at each other. A silent moment passes, as if they were wordlessly communicating to each other, before Arthur steps forward and lifts the pot off the counter. He carries it into the living room, leaving you alone with Joel, who then asks if you are okay.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?” You smile, hoping it would help to disguise your obvious mood shift. Joel can tell, he isn’t oblivious, hence why he asked if you were okay in the first place. “Is it because of us? Because of all the arguing?” Joel searches for the answer, clearly picking up on your lies. “We’re sorry, darlin’ and it won’t happen again.” He insists.

“Joel-” You sigh, readying yourself to tell him that it’s not because of all the arguing, but he steps closer and cuts you off. “I mean it, doll. It won’t happen again, we um… we had a little chat in the bedroom and it’s for the best anyways since he’s gonna be staying here with us and all.”

Well, that is a good thing I suppose, you agree silently. Nodding to him, you forget about trying to explain that it’s not the arguing that’s on your mind and just let it go. “And besides, who’s gonna take care of you if we end up killin’ each other?” Joel chuckles with a smile, the sincerity and kindness behind that statement making you feel weak in the knees.

“You won’t kill each other.” You whisper in reply, shaking your head. “You clash because you both care about me and my safety, that’s all.”

“Yeah darlin’, we do indeed.” Joel agrees, then jerks his head to the side to beckon you into the living. “C’mon, we should eat.”

Grabbing a few slices of bread and a bottle of liquor, you head into the living room and join Arthur by the fire. He had already laid out a few blankets and was stirring the pot of stew when you sat down on the floor beside him. This homestead isn’t much, but it’s their company that makes it homey and gets you through this whole ordeal of being stuck here.

While you waited for the stew to be cooked, you each indulged with a small glass of whiskey. The air was quickly filled with the smell of home cooking, alcohol, good laughs and smooth flowing conversation, and sexual tension. Now that you know about their attraction to you, you’re picking up on subtle details that you missed before, like the way Arthur looks at you and laughs when Joel says something funny, or vice versa.

And how they always tend to sit together to look at you directly when they’re talking. Joel and Arthur were currently sitting on the floor with their backs against the sofa while you sat opposite them, occasionally checking the stew. The topics of conversations always include you, no matter what they’re talking about, they bring you into it, even if it’s just to share your opinion on what they were talking about.

However, the most visible detail you notice now is how they look at you. Whichever one you’re talking to, you notice the others eyes roaming the expanse of your body, and if you’re talking to Joel and Arthur at the same time, their eyes always end up dropping to your lips at some point. It’s like they’re both daydreaming about you at the same time.

Turning away to check on the stew again, you immediately notice Arthur and Joel tilt their heads together and stare at your behind in the corner of your vision. Your original clothes were thrown out, replaced with a new wardrobe by Arthur and it now makes you wonder if he chose these clothes strategically, knowing how they would look on you beforehand.

The jeans you have on are high waisted, snug and figure hugging. The shirt is a warm pink in colour, plaid patterned with a v-neckline and rolled up sleeves, it’s just a simple button down, tucked into your pants. The whole outfit is simplistic and sweet, though the men looked at you like you were dressed in lingerie. And it was making you feel incredibly sexy.

You felt beautiful and seductive from their drooling gazes, and God do you want them; want them to just give in to their desires and just take you right here on the living room floor. You want both of them at the same time filling you up live you’ve never been filled before. You want to be crowded by Joel and Arthur, surrounded by their love, attention and warmth, wrapped up in it and filled with it.

Turning your head to look at them quickly, they both snap out of their trance and clear their throats awkwardly as they look away. “How’s the food coming?” Joel asks while scratching his beard, a lousy attempt to hide that he was just ogling at your ass and Arthur pretends to look for something in his satchel, not even daring to meet your gaze otherwise he would blush red like a tomato for being caught.

“Oh, it’s coming. Shouldn’t be too long now, boys.” You say softly with a tinge of seduction rolling off your tongue. Though it was very subtle, you saw how it clearly had an effect on them as they both gulped and shifted awkwardly. You wanted to push a little more and see how far you can tease them before they catch on to what you’re doing.

“You both have been working so hard today.” Holding their eye contact, you give praise while fighting your urge to smile. “Gotta keep my two heroes well fed and taken care of so you can take care of me, ain’t that right?” You ask.

“Right.” They breathe the word in unison, both looking at you like a deer in the headlights with the hidden sexy undertone in your voice. Looking back at the fire while you nod, you watch in your peripheral vision as Joel and Arthur turn to look at each other, mouth agape and shrug with confused expressions. They shifted their positions awkwardly once again, but this time with Arthur subtly trying to readjust himself before Joel nudges him with his knee, as if to tell him to behave before you see it.

They’re aroused - aroused, turned on, but hesitant, it’s that simple. You’ve had enough experiences with men in the past to know that Joel and Arthur are hesitant to believe your sexual cues, and just like most men you have shared sexual encounters with, they need clear, understandable signals that you want them, not vague hidden undertone in your words.

However, that being said, it is amusing to tease them after all. You have always enjoyed teasing them, even before you knew they wanted you in the most sexually explicit way. “I hope you’re both hungry.” You glance over to them briefly with a mischievous grin on your lips as you move to sit on your knees.

“Starving, babydoll.” Says Joel.

“Ravenous, darling girl.” Says Arthur.

Their answers were pleasing to your ears, but they both sounded deprived of something else and not food. Resting your weight on the heels of your feet, you arch your back when checking the stew and over your shoulder, you could hear Joel and Arthur sigh heavily with a sexual need.

“Well that’s good then.” You whisper, then hum a moan after inhaling the delectable scent of your own cooking. “Because I’m really, really hungry too -” Tilting your head to look at them in the eyes as you sample a taste of the stew off a spoon, you wrap your lips around the object slowly, swallow it, then share something daring. “- it’s been a while since I had some good tasting meat in my mouth.."

Joel and Arthur look at each other again, this time not caring that you are watching them like a hawk, waiting for their next move. When they turn back at you, smirks on their lips and predatory looks in their eyes, you open your mouth slightly and poke your tongue into your cheek, hoping that it was a clear enough cue for them.

“Well why didn’t you say it’s been a while?” Asks Arthur as he readjusts himself in his pants, this time without Joel nudging him to stop before you see. You were already watching and smiling at the sight of his growing bulge, even licking your lips.

“We can take care of that little problem for you, doll.” Says Joel, a fire burning in his eyes at the thought of you splayed out on the floor, taking him and Arthur. He had to ask though, he needed more confirmation of what you wanted exactly. “Would you like that? For me and Arthur to help - together?”

“At the same time?” You smile, and it was contagious. An invisible unknown weight is lifted from their shoulders with your smile, your reaction radiating from your body across to Joel and Arthur. They both grin, chests swelling with anticipation of your dirty desires to have them both, which is a fantasy they have talked about privately without you hearing multiple times now.

“Of course.” Joel breathes a heavy sigh, filled with sexual frustration. “Anything for our girl, ain’t that right Arthur?” He looks to his so-called rivalry beside him, the man he argues with constantly day and night, Joel looks to Arthur and waits for his confirmation that he wants this too.

“I um… Just to be clear, we’re not actually talking about meat, right?” He clears his throat nervously and as you giggle, Joel shakes his head ‘no’. Arthur relaxes then, a smile spreading across his face again as he confirms. “Yes. Anything for our girl, Joel.”

Now, as their gazes land on you, powerful and intense gazes that feel like a spotlight is being shined on you, they each hold a hand out for you to make the next move. You’re in charge, it’s your comfort and preferred pace they’re most concerned about. You can see it in their eyes. Hungry and starved for your touch, to pleasure you endlessly with your body pressed between them both, but only at your pace.

Moving away from the fire and into the middle of the floor, you look at Joel and Arthur as your hands reach for the buttons on your shirt. And now they move. Dropping their arms and readjusting their positions as you prepare to undress, they wanted to be comfortably seated for the strip tease show you were putting on.

You notice how they both hold a hand on their thighs, inches away from their growing bulge that was just aching to be buried inside your warmth, however you assumed that their eyes would lower with each button you pop open, but they didn’t. Joel and Arthur continued to gaze at your face, the irises of their eyes expanding with lust as more and more of your skin is revealed.

Arthur's reaction to your underwear was most interesting. He was probably expecting a corset of some sort, but instead was met with a thin black transparent material doing a lousy job at covering your nipples. You blush under his stare, watching the way he gulps when you pull your arms out of your shirt and sit before them, semi-naked.

“Ever seen a bra like that before, my friend?” Joel asks, nudging Arthur’s side. He shakes his head and you giggle before reaching behind your back to undo the hooks. The straps slide down your arms before falling to the floor, exposing your rotund breasts and pert nipples completely for both of their eyes to see. Though the room was heated with the fire and a palpable sexual need, a cool shiver ripples across your body under their intense wandering gazes.

“Oh, these pants are rather tight.” You tease while faking a struggle with the button and zipper on your jeans. Looking at Joel, you toy with the waistband in a seducing manner and ask. “Won’t you help me, handsome?”

“Oh, it’d be my pleasure, babydoll.” Joel growls. Moving towards you, he reaches for your pants but you stop him and hold his arm before pulling him to move behind you instead. “I want Arthur to watch you undress me.” You explain, placing your hands atop his as he wraps them around your front. They’re big, strong and warm, splayed across your lower stomach.

Feeling caged in by his arms with his broad chest pressed against you, your head lolls back to rest on his shoulder as he drags a hand up your stomach, teasing you a featherlight touch. Arthur groans while palming himself over the fabric of his pants, watching Joel cup your breasts with a gentle grope made him hard and needy, impatient to hear you make the prettiest of sounds.

“These aren’t tight at all, sweetheart.” Joel tuts playfully against the skin on your neck, his fingers slipping inside your jeans with ease. “Oh my.” He chuckles softly directly into your ear, tickling you purposely with his beard. “She ain’t wearing anything underneath these jeans, Arthur and she’s all wet too.” He says.

“Jesus.” Arthur grunts now, then leans closer. He can physically hear your slick as Joel slides a finger through your folds, the sound was rushing blood straight to his cock causing a throbbing ache. His impatience was growing at a rapid rate, becoming too much to bear and he needed to see how wet you were, not just hear it from Joel's actions.

Meeting your eye contact, Arthur's heart flutters with your sweet smile and the breath escapes him as you close the gap and seal your lips over his. He kisses you back fervently, tongue slipping inside and swirling around with a deeply satisfying hum. You gasp and moan, eyes springing open with muffled giggle as Joel pulls your jeans down.

Now completely exposed, he cups your pussy from behind and you arch your back for him, providing easier access for his fingers teasing their way into your entrance while you kiss Arthur. In the corner of your vision, you could see Arthur rubbing himself over his pants and you break off from the kiss with a request he couldn’t possibly refuse. “Lay back for me, honey. I’ll take care of you.”

“Oh now, this I have to see.” Joel groans, curious to watch you pleasure Arthur while he fingers you from behind. You could hardly contain your moans from his actions and the sounds you made were expanding his chest with pride. Bending his fingers into a come hither motion, he smiles with Arthur as you halt your movements to let out the most pornographic sounding cry. Joel had his fingers buried deep and was caressing your g-spot, amping up the pleasure a couple notches.

“How she looking from that angle?” Arthur asks Joel, though his eyes remained on you as you opened up his pants. “I gotta say, she’s looking real pretty on this side.” He winks as you looked up at him, freeing his cock from the confines of his jeans and wasting no time taking him inside your mouth. Arthur then throws his head back with a broken moan. “J-Jesus. That f-feels so fucking g-” He tried to say, but couldn’t finish his sentence as you take more and bury your nose into the hairs on his mound.

“Atta girl, Y/N.” Joel chuckles, praising you for shutting Arthur up. Removing his fingers from your heat, you moan from the loss which causes Arthur to grunt from the vibrations, and while he balls his hands up into fists at his side, you wiggle your hips for Joel, hoping he gets the message that you're needy for his touch. You feel Joel removing your jeans fully and tossing them to the side, then hear a zipper being opened and see more clothes being thrown to the side. He’s naked now, naked and hard.

“This okay, babydoll?” He notches the tip at your entrance, asking beforehand if you’re okay for him to continue. Nodding and humming around Arthur's cock in your mouth, you manage to choke out a yes before holding onto his thighs and bracing for the first stretch of Joel entering you.

He teased you first, coating himself with your desire before pushing the tip inside with a heavy sigh. “Goddamn.” Eyes rolling shut, Joel takes a moment to compose himself before holding into your hips. “So warm and tight, darlin’.” He rambles breathlessly.

Looking up into Arthur's eyes as Joel carefully pulls your hips back while pushing his hips forward, you mewl with the stretch of his cock entering you. Though he was slowly and gently easing into you, helping you adjust to his size, you felt in his bruising grip just how much he wanted to be rough. You felt everything. Every vein and ridge, full of every inch of him when he bottoms out.

“Christ!” Joel shudders, groping the meaty flesh of your ass before clinging on for leverage as he pulls his hips back then sheathes himself inside again. The action caused you to push forward and choke on Arthurs cock, which then made him grunt loudly from the sensation. “FUCK.”

You moan with pleasure, the sound reassuring both Joel and Arthur that you were okay to continue. Relaxing your jaw and taking as much as you can of Arthurs cock, you timed your movements skilfully in order to breathe, working in tandem with Joel’s fast paced rhythm.

“Goddamn, darlin’. You’re pussy’s squeezing me so tight.” Joel heaves a broken groan, feeling your fingers circling your clit from below, thus causing you to clench around him. He was barely holding onto his composure before, but now he’s struggling not to spill his seed when he’s only just begun. Just thinking about cumming way too soon burns his cheeks with both embarrassment and amazement. Embarrassed because he wants to last longer and make you cum first, and amazement because of your ability to make him climax so soon.

It was all too much. Too good and too much. The feeling of your warmth wrapped around him with a vice-like grip, the sound of your ragged moans, gagging and even the sound of Arthur moaning with bliss. Just looking at your body from behind, your beautiful, sexy figure laying in a compromising position while being filled with two cocks - that image on its own was pushing him closer and closer towards the edge.

“Y/N.” Joel cries your name. Damn near bruising your ass cheeks with the tight grip he had on them, his movements became sloppy and fast, his breathing erratic and heavy, and his composure completely gone. “Y/N, I’m gonna cum babydoll.” He warns, euphoria outweighing the shame of reaching his peak so quickly.

Bringing your arm around, you hold his hand and push your hips back, a silent signal of reassurance that he hears loud and clear seconds before spilling his seed deep inside your cunt. You hum around Arthur upon feeling Joel’s warmth coating your walls and filling you up. You could hear how wet you were as he continued to roll his hips forward with a slow grind and fuck you through his own high.

Moments later, you taste salt on your tongue and see Arthur’s brows pull together as he grits his teeth. “Sweetheart.” He inhales shakily, warning. “I’m close.” Humming around him, you suck softly and fondle his balls, drawing the orgasm out of him as he groans your name to the high heavens above.

You had the pleasure of tasting his release while watching him unfold before your very eyes. Gulping back ropes upon ropes of his salty seed, Arthur groans continuously and his whole body shudders with aftershocks. Your climax quickly reaches its peak and you release Arthur to mewl.

Pleasure burns across your chest, heating up your body temperature as you break out in a sweat, blissful waves ripple across your abdomen with each gentle thrust from Joel behind you, prolonging your high for as long as possible before it becomes over sensitive. Which didn’t take very long and you cry out that it’s too much moments later.

“S’okay darlin’. We got you.” Joel soothes comfortingly as he pulls out. You whine from the loss, already missing the sensation of feeling full, though you didn’t stay empty for very long as Joel catches his cum spilling out of you with his finger then pushes it back inside. “Wouldn’t wanna leave a mess on Arthur’s bed now, babydoll. Keep you full instead, huh?” He speaks with a teasing tone, but you had a better idea.

“Take me to bed.” You mumble. Lifting your head from where you had buried it into the blankets, you look up at Arthur and repeat your request. “Take me to bed and make love to me - both of you.”

Arthur looks up at Joel and jerks his head to the side before reaching out for you. He takes you in his arms, wraps your legs around his waist then stands from the floor with ease. “Oh.” You gasp upon feeling his cock brushing against your clit, causing you to clench around nothing.

The man felt that and stopped walking to push you up against the wall beside the bedroom door. Then, as Joel was busy locking down the house behind him, Arthur took advantage of the little moment he had you all to himself and carefully slipped the tip of himself inside your cunt. "Fuck!" You cry into his neck, digging your fingers into the skin. "Arthur, fuck me, please." You plead, wanting more, needing more.

Over his shoulder, you looked at Joel, watching him struggle to close the windows, lock the doors and remove the pot of food from the fire as he tried to keep his eyes on you and Arthur. He wanted to watch, wanted to watch you get fucked by another man. You smiled at him, a devilish smile and beckoned him over with a finger.

"You like watching Arthur, don't you?" You ask to which Joel nods in reply as he walks over to you. He stands behind the cowboy, a little hesitant though, hoping he wasn't interrupting. Arthur tilted his head back then tutted at him. "What you are waiting for brother, kiss her for fucks sake."

"Fuck her harder then." Joel growls, then looks to you immediately, hoping that it was okay. Which it was. You breathed a heavy sigh, nodding your head pathetically and pulled Arthur close so you could meet Joel's lips in a kiss. Arthur pushed you up against the wall and fucked you harder, your backside slapping against it with each thrust.

Breaking off from the kiss, you rest your chin on Arthur's shoulder and continue to gaze into Joel's eyes, babbling about how good it feels. "I.. want... you... both." You manage to say between each brutal thrust. "Nghh! Fuck, Joel! I'm gonna come." You sob, gripping the base of Arthur neck.

Closing your eyes, you mewl through the release of your orgasm, clenching around Arthur with a vice-like grip that he struggles to push through. "So fucking tight." He grunts through gritted teeth. Holding a hand to the back of your head, he groans heavily through his own orgasm, releasing creamy white ropes of his seed inside your cunt.

"Yeah, that's it." Joel praises, holding a hand to Arthur back as you whine from the sensation of being filled. "Keep pumping her full." He says and you open your eyes to look at him with a smile appearing on your lips. As Arthurs movements slow down, you reach out and cup the side of Joel's cheek, running your fingers through his hair while he asks if you're okay.

"Never better." You sigh breathily, then shake your head. "Arthur take me to bed."

"I'll be there in a second." Joel reassures as Arthur moves away from the wall and carries you into the bedroom. After pulling the duvet cover back and laying you down in bed, he climbs in behind you and waits for Joel to join. He plants kisses along your neck, rubbing reassuring hands up and down your side as you wiggle your backside into him. Moments later, Joel enters the bedroom and turns all of the oil lamps down, barring one in the corner of the room which casted a warm, soothing glow.

“Hey there, beautiful.” He whispers as he climbs into the bed, laying in front of you. Cupping the side of your face before leaning in to kiss your lips, you lay your leg over his and reach behind you to pull Arthur closer. Joel breaks the kiss, but holds the proximity to gaze into your eyes as he asks. “You ready for me or Arthur, babydoll, it's up to you.”

“Both.” You shake your head and watch as Joel’s eyes widen a little before looking at Arthur. “Are you sure, sweetheart?” He asks, worried that it might be too much. “We don’t want to hurt you, darling girl.” Arthur whispers into your ear, but you turn to him and reassure with a kiss on his lips, mumbling that you’re sure.

Breaking off to turn back to Joel, you kiss him while Arthur hooks an arm under your leg and lines himself up. “Nice and slow, sweetheart. We’ll work ya open nice and slow.” He whispers into your neck as he rolls his hips forward and buries himself to the hilt. You whine into Joel’s mouth from being filled once again and dig your fingers into biceps. Each of them are impressive in size, though you're eager to have them both cum inside of you at the same time.

Lowering your hand to Joel’s side, you pull him in close then notch the tip of him at your entrance. “Please - I can take it.” You plead, burying your face into his neck. He and Arthur work together by taking turns, opening you up more and more with each roll of their hips.

“Fuck! I am in heaven.” Arthur grunts into your hair, relishing the feeling of his cock slipping inside of your cunt before pulling out and feeling Joel enter you. Joel was equally lost in the feeling. They both were breathing heavy grunts and sighs, the noise pleasing to your ears and providing a distraction from the unbelievable stretch.

“Such a good girl, darlin’, taking both of us.” Joel whispers into your neck and the praise goes straight to your head, boosting your confidence to take more. You couldn’t decide what was more arousing, the fact that they were getting themselves off taking turns fucking your pussy, or hearing how love drunk they were.

You felt crowded by both of them, crowded and exhausted. You couldn’t move even if you wanted to, so instead, you just lay squashed between their bodies and held on. Their hands roaming the expanse of your body with reassuring strokes and your sexy whimpers were muffled by their positions over you.

Joel buried his face into your neck with Arthur pressing his forehead into your hair, both panting now as their orgasms approached. Though the position prevented them from burying their cocks to the hilt, it didn’t matter because you were nearing your own climax just hearing, feeling and experiencing them both make love to you. Three of you coming together as one, your pussy filled with their love, they plant many reassuring kisses to your skin and praise how good you were for them.

However with your continued reassurances, they quickly became hungry again; hungry to pleasure you until you’re absolutely spent. This went on for hours throughout the night, Arthur and Joel making love to you at the same time. It was enough to make you climax again, and again, and again. Until you eventually fell asleep in their arms, completely crowded by their love and devotion.

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moonstarlupinsworld · 22 days

Text

A light glyph

Author notes: Before we start, I want to say I'm thankful for the people who joined based on my last fanfic (Ms. Weems X Injured Reader). I do intend on keeping up with the series, I promise it's not a costume of mine to disappear all the time lol.

The owl house

Eda Clawtorne X King X Reader

TW: This chapter deals with themes such as panic attacks, SH, and suicidal idealization. Your discretion is advised.

Eda’s almost petrification, Luz was almost killed in the fight with Belos, and your only way home is destroyed. Looking at your sister so sad as she tried to think of a way to go back was just too much to bear. You are trying your best to hold it in, but in the end, everything might explode.

After Eda’s almost petrification and the aftermath of the event, you’ve had an eventful couple of weeks. She is now unable to use her magic, and even if it’s taking a long time to get used to it, she’s trying her best. After destroying your only way home, you’re unable to communicate with Camila. This was super hard for Luz, and even if you try your best to be supportive, you can still see how much it affects her.

Now, the sun already setting, you are at the Owl House laying on the couch, King fast asleep in your chest. You are trapped, but it’s adorable to see his little paws covering his face as he mutters in his sleep. Luz is currently concentrating on a new glyph, hoping this time it will work.

“You have a visit! Hoot hoot!” Hooty said in his usual enthusiastic voice as the door opened, revealing a happy Willow

“Hooty, not so loud, ” you shushed, your eyes pointing at King

Hooty disappears, closing the door. Willow takes a seat beside Luz, looking at her concentrated face. Luz greets her friend with a hug, explaining all about the new glyph and the super cool fog it was supposed to create. Willow was quite interested, and kept still, watching as your sister failed (again) with the combination.

“It will work next time” you reassure her. She nods with a sad face, pushing aside her notepad. Just then, Willow stands up.

“Guess who was able to convince her dads to do a small sleepover?” she said, excited “They said it was all right as long as we didn’t conjure anything weird or create major chaos. Gus will be there too!”

Luz has a thoughtful face, looking upstairs where Eda is.

“Wow, that sounds so cool! But, I have to ask Eda first…”

Out of thin air, Eda appears behind the girls, startling them.

“Out, out of my house now!” she ushered, rushing them away with a gesture of her hands, “ Go have fun Luz, and you too Y/N.”

You sigh, it was not on your plans to go out, at least not tonight. Luz says thank you over a million times before dragging Willow by the arm upstairs so she can get her things ready.

“Give me King here, I’ll cuddle with him while you are gone, ” Eda offers with a smile, getting closer to carry the small demon.

“May I stay home for today?” you asked, not looking her in the eyes, “I just do not feel like it.”

She looks a bit shocked, but quickly changes expression and smiles.

“Sure kid, I’ll go upstairs and tell Luz, ” she walks away, and before turning over to the stairs, she adds, “And, hey, if you need anything I’ll be in my room.”

You nod, smiling. After preparing everything (and trying to convince you with five different tactics), Luz and Willow leave. You said your goodbyes and then hugged King. A feeling of drowsiness thanks to the sleepless nights takes over you, and you yawn a few times before falling asleep.

You woke up in your sleeping sack, tucked in and with an extra pillow under your head. The sleepiness was gone, so you decide to get up and look out the window, sitting on the edge, one knee close to your chest as your mind goes a million questions per minute. Were you sad about being stuck here forever? If you took away the beasts, the moments your sister and friends almost got killed, and the weird weather (and food), this place wasn’t that bad… Somehow, you felt at home. Was that wrong? What if Luz found out about this and she got mad? What if Camila one day found out and she simply hated you? And if all of this was your fault? After all, you were the first one to run as soon as that weird owl stole your sister’s book, she simply followed.

A sudden pinch in your heart makes you wince, trying to breathe so the pain would ease. You keep looking at the landscape, thinking about Luz. You could bet anything right now that she’s having a blast with Willow and Gus. She deserved it, it had been such a stressful couple of days.

What else could you think of? Penguins… otters…. Polar bears…

Another pinch, this stronger and making your breath shaky. No, not now… You were strong. This was not about to happen.

“Penguins, cute guys with a suit forever in the pattern of their skin. They are…” You put a hand on your chest, trying to distract yourself.

Your heartbeat quickened, and your breathing became shaky and unease, blurring your vision… Your hands started shaking, and your legs wobbled a bit.

Nobody could see you like this, especially not Eda… after all, she’s still recovering from the recent events.

The bathroom… the bathroom.

You hop back to the floor, rushing to the improvised safe place. You’ve been living here enough to know your way around the house without any lights on. Opening the door was difficult, but you managed.

“Okay Y/N we got this, breath” you tried to say to reassure yourself, but it wasn’t working, “come on Y/N, you can do this on your own…”

You closed the door making as little noise as you could. Whatever was about to happen, nobody had to see it. Finally, you decided to turn on the light, darkness was not a friend of yours in this kind of situation. Resting your hands on the sink, you looked at yourself in the mirror.

You tried. And tried. And tried again. All the techniques you know, all the breathing exercises, even covering your ears to try and shut the thoughts wasn’t working.

But maybe you deserved it. Maybe you deserved to feel this. You were dying. Yes, indeed you were. Your breathing was so fast now, and almost no oxygen was coming into your lungs. It was a miracle you were still standing. Maybe all of this was your fault. Maybe you could have thrown Luz into the portal before you blew it to pieces. At least she could have gone home. Maybe you were a monster, just like your classmates told you. Eda didn’t have to be taking care of you, only kids needed a maternal figure. You were a grown-up. Almost fifteen, already a grown-up. Yes… Your legs started failing, and you looked at your reflection in the mirror. Pathetic. A pathetic, weak human, unable to protect the only thing they had to defend. A weird human. You looked down, glancing at all the lines covering your arms like shooting stars. Damn, you were weak, pathetic, and gross. You didn’t belong anywhere… you didn’t deserve Eda to be so worried about you. You should…

“SHUT UP!” You said, way louder than expected, and in your anger, you punched the mirror with your fista “Just go away, go away, and leave me alone, please…”

The mirror broke into a million pieces, and that make you panic even more. Blood was dripping from your knuckles, and the sensation seemed to numb the pain inside you a little. Small pieces flew all around, and a bigger one fell to the sink. You grabbed it, your thoughts all according to the same thing.

Eda, who was asleep, was startled by the noise. Her first instinct was to rush to your room, a light glyph in her hand. Nothing, just an empty sleeping bag. She started searching everywhere, calling you out loud.

Eda was panicking, some feathers getting onto the surface as she frantically called out for her owlet… until she heard crying in the bathroom.

“Oh no”, she muttered before knocking at the door, “Owlet, are you in there? Is Eda…”

You were now sitting on the floor, your legs had finally given up, and you collapsed, your back resting against the wall. The piece of shattered glass was still in your hand. You didn’t hear Eda’s voice or the frantic knocking on the door.

“I’m gonna come in, okay?” she said before opening the door.

After giving a quick look around, she realized three things:

One, the mirror was a goner, little bits of it were all over the floor. Two, her kid was on the floor, tears streaming down their cheeks and their breathing going a million per minute, a panic attack certainly. And then, three (and most important) she saw it: the glass.

You looked at her and tried to cover the piece of crystal, but it was too late. It took her only a few seconds to kneel, getting to your eye level.

“Give me that,” Eda said, not mad but firm.

And strangely, when she reached her hand to yours, you simply let that thing go. No resistance, no anything. You didn’t even try to mask your emotions or clean your tears.

“Help…me” you muttered, feeling like you were about to pass out any second now.

“Kid, breathe,” she says, worry clear in her voice “Is it all right if I touch you?”

You nodded weakly. She grabbed your hand, leading it to her chest and exaggerating her breathing so you could copy it. Her other hand went to hold yours, trying to stop you from hurting yourself even further.

“Come on, in for four,” she says, exaggerating her breathing so you could copy it “Then we hold and then breathe out. We got this owlet, I’m here.”

It took you a few minutes before you could sync it to her pace, and every time you failed to breathe you grew increasingly frustrated. And then, finally, you did it. You could see now, and the knot slowly untangled from your chest. It was still there, but at least now you were able to breathe in and out without choking.

But over your new calmness, a new thing decided to emerge: guilt. Eda should be sleeping, how could you keep her up at this time of the night? Were you acting like a child right now?

“It is not your fault to keep me awake at night, Y/N” Eda said, a peak of a smile on her lips, “I can’t read minds, but those eyes are telling me everything… I heard a noise and got scared something bad happened to you.”

You look down, now trying to hold back your tears. And then, your injuries started to sting. She looked at your busted knuckles, clicked her tongue in disapproval, and looked back at you.

“What about a more comfy place than this small room?” she asked, getting up from her knees “I can help you up if you want.”

You nodded, way too exhausted to articulate words. As you stood up you realized how cramped you were. Your legs were still wobbling, so Eda carried almost all your weight as you walked to the living room. King was there, and as soon as he saw you he threw himself into your arms, hugging you as tight as he could. The owl lady tried to let him go of you, but honestly, it felt nice, so you asked her to let him be. She smiled, getting to the kitchen for the medic kit.

“I heard a noise and thought some demon had got into the house,” he explained, looking at you “Are you all right, Y/N?”

You nodded weakly, sitting on the couch, him still in your arms. You were so ashamed of what you’ve done. You were older than Luz, it was your duty to be strong and care for others, it didn’t have to work the other way around.

“Sometimes you need someone to drag you home before the boiling rain hurts you, kid,” Eda said as she came back from the kitchen “I know it is hard to ask for help, but you got me now.”

“Don’t forget me! I am the ruler of the demons and shall protect you fiercely” King added, his little paw on a fist, acting as the mighty king he was.

Eda smiled half-heartedly as she grabbed your hand, cleaning the blood from it. You observed as she so patiently cleaned it and made sure there was no glass inside the wound. Then she grabbed the other one, repeating the process. She looked so concentrated as she wrapped your hands in with bandages, so worried…

“I don’t deserve help…” you whispered, finally speaking, “ I could have thrown Luz into that portal before blasting it… What kind of a big sibling I am if I can’t protect her as I should?”

Your voice started cracking, and the tears threatened to come out again as you tried to make sense of your words... King looks at Eda with desperation, his head tilting towards you in a clear attempt to ask “What do we do?”.

Eda knew some things about your past. Even if you were not an open book, anxiety physical symptoms would betray you from time to time, or the fact you always wore a hoodie, and maybe the fact you stayed home with her while Luz went to the witch school was enough to know more about you.

She sat beside you and pulled you closer, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. Your tensed body quickly melted into the touch. Your head went to rest on her chest, small sobs coming from your mouth as you tried to calm down.

“I am no expert in those light glyphs yet, but I would create the brightness one if that could help you get out of the dark, Y/N” she whispered, holding you closer, “Not all the weight of the world has to be on your shoulders, it’s okay to let go sometimes. You are really important to me, kid, please come to my nest next time you need help.”

This warmth was something you had only felt with Camila, back in the human realm. The owl lady, that woman who tried to push everyone away and act cold, but on the inside was a warm and loving person. You felt at ease. Finally, your thoughts stopped being so loud, and you could only listen to the owl lady. Your eyes started drooping, the exhaustion finally hitting you.

“Don’t tell Luz”, you whispered in the middle of a yawn.

“Tell her about what? We played Hexes Hold’em all night and then we fell asleep” she winked, assuring you this whole thing would be a secret between you and her. “Just rest, owlet, tomorrow we can go to a nice place for treasure hunting!”

But you didn’t listen to the last part, already passed out against her, and King snuggled in your lap snoring softly. She smiled, getting comfortable and yawning.

“Damn, how I love this kid” she whispered, smiling as she looked at you, “don’t worry y/n/n, I’ll protect you.”

#toh #toh fanfic #eda clawthorne #king clawthorne #luz noceda #fanfic #panic attack #comfort #the owl house #comfort character

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lec743 · 1 year

Text

Rockstar AU (FNAF Fanfic)

You know. As a normie, I bet Reader would be questioning their relationship with the two amazing rockstars. Also Reader isn’t one to back down from a bet, no matter how stupid it is. Also, also, @kaleidoscopek9, I’m deciding to make it cannon that my Y/N has a minor criminal record, like for trespassing and loitering and jaywalking. All the stupid stuff a person can get into trouble for that’s arrest-able for. They’ve got it on their records

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

Alright. It’s go time. You are in clothes that are as close to what the stagehands wear. You’re wearing a face mask to hide your face. You’re wearing a non-descript hat to hide your hair. You are stand outside the back area of the stadium, and waiting for an opening to casually saunter in.

Blending in with your clothes wasn’t the only thing you prepped for either. Two weeks before you decided to sneak into the show, you took the time to do some research to know the lingo for what stagehands say and what equipment they normally use. You even found a floor plan of the stadium so that you could mark and memorize all the different escape routes you can get out from if you get caught.

Is this a lot of work just to see two rockstars you’re not completely sure are your friends? Yah. Is it worth it? You think so. You rationalize that the smiles they give you isn’t just their personas that they use for a strange fan. Moon also visits you at your workplace at Grandma’s Bodega every other month, so that has to mean something.

The back of the stadium is busy as people are rushing to get last minute jobs done. You see someone struggling to lift some cables and you walk in and help them out.

“Ah, thanks man,” the stranger said.

“Of course,” you said.

Then you and the woman walked up a ramp, past security and into the backstage area. As soon as she was setting the cables down, you were already moving on to see if Moon and Sun were in their dressing room. They weren’t. So, you move on to the look around the backstage area, wondering if you could find them before they had to go on stage. As you squinted through the simi-darkness, you heard someone yell at you.

“Hey! You!”

You froze and turned to the voice.

It was a big burly security guard that was walking up to you. You actually recognized him as the man who initially chased you around the stadium all those months ago. You hoped you weren’t as recognizable to him.

“Where’s your I.D. badge?” he asked as he stood over you.

You pat yourself down as you go, “It’s right… Wait. It’s—I know I had it on me,” then you snap your fingers and go, “Oh wait! I probably left it in the bathroom by accident. I’ll go get it.”

You move to go pretend to get the said I.D. but then the guard grabbed you by the forearm. Then he pulled you closer to him and pulled your mask down. The scowl on his face deepened as recognition shined behind his eyes.

“You’re coming with me,” he said as he tightened his grip on your forearm.

“Nah. I’m good.”

You swung your arm down, breaking his grip on you by the fingers, and you ran. As you ran you heard him chasing after you and using his walkie-talkie to tell his security team that there was a breach on the premises. You did your best to make it hard on him to follow you; serpentining through people’s work, equipment, and people in general. You weren’t wanting to mess anything up too badly, but you also didn’t want to get caught.

A couple of security guards blocked your first choice of an exit, and you make a wide U-turn as you go around the back of the stage. You hid in the shadows of a curtained area and once you heard them run past you, you frantically looked around for that small door you remember seeing on your map. The small door is supposed to be a side door that leads out to a private parking lot.

You find it in the simi-darkness just as you hear the security team charging back towards you. You bust through the door and hide among the vehicles. There were a few buses, trucks, and normal looking cars. As you crouched among the vehicles the security team ran out through the door. You heard them yelling about spreading out to find you.

You were slowly inching your way towards the gate that leads out of the isolated parking lot, and as you were hiding behind the front of a bus, you heard someone whisper at you.

“Hey, Kid, what do yah think yah’re doin’?”

You look up to see a gentleman in maybe his fifties. He looked like your stereotypical trucker, with a mesh baseball cap with a fish on the front, a salt and pepper ginger handle mustache, and he was super tan.

When you looked up at him in surprise, his eyes widened at you like he recognized you.

“Hidin’ from security?”

You nod.

The trucker man looked around then he said, “Come on. I’ll let yah hide on the bus.”

You scramble to the other side of the bus and the door was open like he said. You climbed up the little stairs as it closed behind you and scrambled past the man to the back of the bus. It was a fancy bus, with little succulents setting on the windowsills, and a lot of blue and yellow plush pillows, and there were small portable instruments like a small keyboard and acoustic guitar. You made it to the back of the bus and hid in the bathroom. You sat in there for a bit, contemplating the wisdom of trusting a stranger like this when you heard the door to the bus get knocked on.

From the bathroom you heard, “Hey, Mark. Have you seen a trespasser hiding out here?”

“Nope. Don’t believe I have.”

“Well, be careful. Who knows what they want with Faz-co’s property.”

You made a face at that. Sure, Fazbear Entertainment created Sun and Moon and all the other fun themed animatronics, and by technicality they own them because of that, but they don’t own them spiritually…

“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.” You heard the trucker man say.

There was a long pause, and you took the time to think about the ethics of how a company literally makes sentient robots and how they trap them into things they may or may not like or want to do, when there was a knock on the bathroom stall.

“Ah!”

“Yah better not be takin’ a shit in there. The bus isn’t designed for solid waste like that.”

You open the door just a crack and look up at the man. “Do you know me?”

“Yah’re quite famous around this entertainment establishment, or well… The boys haven’t stopped talkin’ about you since that little marriage license prank you pulled.”

You opened the door all the way with a groan. You really were never going to live that down. You should have just done a funny picture signing or something instead. Ah, well… You still wouldn’t trade those signed fake marriage licenses for anything anyways.

“So… Mark, right?” The trucker man nods. “Thanks for hiding me. I’ll get out of your hair.”

Mark steps back as you get out of the bathroom and he says, “Yah don’t have to go. Yah can stay in here until Sun and Moon get done with their show and I have to drive them back to HQ. They’d love to see yah.”

You keep your back to him as you fiddle with your fingers. “And you’re okay with that? With some weirdo fan hanging out with them?” You turn around to face him.

Mark takes his hat off to smooth back his graying ginger hair as he said, “Look. I’m their driver. Not their babysitter. If they want to spend time with a fan, then that’s their business. And like I said, they would love to see yah again.”

You sway back and forth on your feet and say, “Sooooo… What should we do as we wait?”

“Want to watch the live stream feed of Moon and Sun’s show?”

You brightened at the offer. “I would love that!”

You gather up the pillows and Mark gets out his phone and the two of you sit on the couch as you watch Sun and Moon play live at the concert as you hide in their bus. When the show was over, it was still going to be a while, so you learned about Mark.

You learned that Mark has been Moon and Sun’s driver for a decade now. You’ve learned that’s he’s more than a fan of the robotic rockstars, and he treats them more like his sons. He get’s the bots things that Faz-Co would deem not needed for them, when it absolutely was needed for their emotional wellbeing and he would sometimes drive them around longer routes for them to have the chance to look around more. It’s gotten the man in trouble more times than he can count, but he doesn’t mind getting into trouble for them.

You chuckle at the notion and say, “Yah... I don’t mind getting into trouble for them either.”

Mark gives you a soft smile and ruffled the hair on your head. “Yah know what. I don’t think yah’re just a weirdo fan. Yah’re alright, Kid.”

“Wanna trade phone numbers?”

“Sure.”

As the two of you were swapping phone numbers, there was a knock on the bus door.

Mark stood up and readjusted his pants as he walked. “That’s my cue.”

You stayed seated in the bus, confident that the bus windows were thickly tinted enough to hide your form. You heard Mark speak with the security team that was escorting Sun and Moon and then Sun walked into the bus. He looked tired and sad and happy all at the same time. It made you want to give him a hug. When you locked eyes with him, he froze.

You brought a finger to your lips in a sush-ing motion as you gave him a small smile. Moon walked in and was frozen at the sight of you too. You waved at him.

When Mark closed the door, he pushed aside the two bots and said, “Come on boys. Did you freeze on us? They got chased by security just to see you two.”

Moon wheezed and said, “No! You didn’t!”

“Yep. I tried sneaking into your show.”

Sun leaped for you. Static-ly, squealing happily as he embraced you into a firm hug, “How’s our favorite little Star!”

You laugh at the affection, hugging him back. Moon moves around the two of you and sit on the couch with you, his arm resting comfortably over your shoulders as you and Sun talked. Mark watched the seen a bit with a small smile on his face, then he moved to his seat and started up the bus.

“You guys were amazing as always with your performance.”

“Thanks Angel,” Moon rasped as he leaned against you more.

Sun rested his head more comfortably in your lap as the bus started to drive out of the private parking lot, with Sun’s arms wrapped lightly around your midsection. You mindlessly ran your fingers lightly over Sun’s rays. They felt like soft plastic.

“I thought it was really funny how you kept losing and then making more drumsticks appear on your person as the songs went, Sun.”

“Thank you. I thought it was funny too.”

“How many are you able to keep on your person at a time, anyways?”

The bus bounces a bit as Mark drives over a speedbump.

Sun sits up more and makes a show of how he doesn’t have anything in his hands. Then he acts surprised, like there’s something behind your ear. Then the pulls out four drumsticks from behind your ear. You cackle at the sight.

“That’s amazing!”

“Thank you. A bit of old coding and practice,” Sun said, preening from the praise.

You turn your attention to Moon and said, “I also like that thing you do with your voice when you sing Golden Horizon. You sound so ethereal. It gives me the best shivers.”

“You mean, like this?” Moon’s voice was low and soft, with a bit of a rasp that had so many feelings in it. You felt your skin prickle in goosebumps.

“Yah! Amazing.”

Moon chuckled lowly. “Thank you.”

The three of you talked a bit more about different things, but you didn’t know how much longer this drive will last, so you pushed through your nervousness and decided to just blurt it out.

“Are we friends!?”

“Huh?” They both asked.

“I mean,” you side eye Moon, “I’ve only ever seen you guys at the concerts, so we don’t see each other often. So, I don’t want to get presumptuous on what we are to each other and whatnot.” You said tapering off at the end as you lost more confidence the more you spoke to Sun and Moon’s staring.

You especially avoided eye contact with Moon. You don’t know who knows about his late-night wanderings from the company, but you certainly weren’t about to out him now. If he’s going to tell someone, you’ll give him the chance to let him tell them by his own admission.

You felt a metal hand on your shoulder, and you were turned to face Moon. “We’re friends, Angel.”

“Really,” you said, unable to help the surprised sound in your voice.

“Well, only if you want to.” Sun spoke up quickly as you turned to look at him. “We don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“That’s what I was worried about too! I don’t want to make you guys uncomfortable either.”

“Oh, come now. We’re married,” Sun teased.

“You’d never make us uncomfortable,” Moon added jokingly.

You pouted as Moon and Sun chuckled over your reaction.

“Alright.” Mark said from the driver seat. “We’re at a stop light. I’m goin’ to have to kick yah off, Kid.”

You sigh sadly. Moon leans a little heavier into you and Sun’s rays shrink into his head.

“Okay. Okay,” you say as you get up, “I’m going. Bye guys.”

“Bye Star.”

“Bye Angel.”

Both animatronics gave you sad little waves as you walked off the bus.

“Give me a text when yah get home okay. I don’t want to be worried to death that I left yah in a death trap of a neighborhood or somethin’.”

“I will Mark,” you said before the bus door closed behind you and you quickly ran off the road for the sidewalk.

You stand on the sidewalk and watch the bus drive off. The glass was tinted so darkly, even if the animatronics were waving goodbye to you through the window, you wouldn’t be able to see it. It didn’t stop you from waving goodbye to the bus. Once the bus was out of sight, you walked to the nearest bus stop to take you home.

#fnaf #fanfiction #punk! sun & moon #rockstar au #kaleidoscopek9

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carolinaboy34 · 1 year

Text

“15”

By this time, I was worn the fuck out but feeling so good. He didn’t knock, as instructed, but just came in the room and dropped his pants before lining up behind me and thrusting into my well-used ass in order to get off. He didn’t pay any attention to me, or even talk to me, but just used my hole as a warm fleshlight and fucked into me deeply and firmly, pushing my body into the bed. I had cum running down my legs and splattered over my back, but he didn’t seem to mind the mess, as nothing would get in the way of his goal of cumming.

Not long after I came out and had sex a few times, the perfect opportunity to live out a fantasy presented itself when my roommate George told me one Tuesday that he was going home for the weekend to see some friends and go to a football game. I didn’t have any major homework that weekend either, so I decided this was the time I wanted to be a cumdump. I’d read tons of stories about guys that did that, and it sounded amazing. I’d recently discovered that I was a pretty submissive bottom and loved to be used by guys to get off. It was a real rush to be the singular object of their desire and have that power to bring them to the heights of ecstasy with just my body. And to feel that power as they crested the top of that mountain and released all of that energy through their dicks and into, or onto, my body was amazing. It was an energy rush that lasted me days.

So, I read more about how to prep for such an event and discovered that solid food was the enemy, so I only had a liquid diet for the rest of the week. I played with my toys to prep my hole and muscles to be able to take whatever came my way, and on Friday, I changed my Grindr profile with a great pic of my ass as I kneeled next to my bed and to announce that I would be taking whoever came to visit me on Saturday starting at noon. I got lots of messages from guys asking if they could come over early to “warm me up”, but I declined. They evidently didn’t like sloppy seconds (or fifths).

The instructions were clear. No knocking. Just come into the room. If I was occupied, they could wait or use whatever part of me wasn’t currently employed. They did not need to talk to me or engage in any way, unless they wanted.

I woke up Saturday and went for a run to relax and get my body warmed up. I took a nice long shower and cleaned everything well, so as to not have anything get in the way of a great time. I had a protein shake to get some energy then cleaned our room some so it looked presentable. I answered about 10 messages from guys on Grindr saying they were going to come at such and such a time, so I supposed it was going to be a busy afternoon! I guess clothes would just get in the way, so I stayed naked and about 5 minutes until noon, I lubed up and kneeled down next to the bed, laying my chest on the mattress.

Right at noon, the door opened and three guys came in at the same time. They kind of stood around and talked to each other, deciding who would do what, and they eventually did paper - rock - scissors to decide. They came up with a plan and got naked, then the first guy came up behind me, leaned down to spit on my hole, then lined his dick up and pushed in with one move.

“God, he’s so tight! This feels fucking awesome!”

The second guy came up on the bed and kneeled in front of me, lifting my head with my hair and pushing his hard dick into my mouth. He was about 6 inches and average girth with a flared head, so I could easily take him all the way. He used my hair as a handle and lifted and lowered my mouth on his dick. I used my tongue to stimulate the shaft while he went in and out, barely reaching the back of my throat, but he moaned and told his buddies how good my mouth felt.

The third guy was naked and jacking off but stood to the side, waiting for my body to become available.

The two guys in me were working in unison, pushing in and pulling out at the same time. They Eiffel Towered me by high fiving a few times while they were inside, but they enjoyed a steady rhythm and both approached orgasm about the same time. The guy in front pulled my head down onto his dick fully, breaching my pharynx and lodging his head in my throat before firing off 5 - 6 shots of cum straight into my esophagus. He pulled out a little and fired two more shots in my mouth, and I got to taste the warm, salty load he gave me before swallowing it down to join the rest. They guy in my ass kept fucking while he came, firing a shot each time he bottomed out deep inside me, punching into my guts each time to force his load as deep as possible. They both pulled out about the same time, and I collapsed onto the bed to get my breath. The guy that fucked my ass slapped it and said thanks, and the guy I gave head to rubbed my hair like a puppy.

They both got dressed but stayed while their friend lined up behind me, spit on my hole, and rammed his dick into me hard and fast. He was not going for style or technique but speed, brutally fucking me and driving my body into the edge of the mattress. His balls slapped against mine each time he bottomed out in my hole, and he was ramming my hard dick into the mattress. After a few minutes of this relentless fuck, I could feel my orgasm rise up from my toes and explode out of my dick, spraying my cum against the mattress and causing my ass to contract around him. This pushed him over the edge, and he rammed into me one last time and held still, firing 6 - 7 shots deep inside my body. He pulled out as quickly as he went in, and I flexed my hole tight to retain as much of their loads as I could. He got dressed, and the three left without saying much else.

I had a few messages from Grindr that I replied to, staying in position on the floor by my bed. They were mostly guys saying how hot it was that I was doing this and they’d love to come by and drop a load. I generally replied that they were welcome to come by this afternoon, but I would be done around 4-5, so they better hurry.

Just about the time I finished my last reply and laid my body back down on the bed, the door opened and one guy came in. He was a little guy I recognized from the dorm, but I didn’t know his name. He said hi and asked how I was doing.

“I’m doing great! Thanks for stopping by.”

“It was just too much to resist. Have you been with anybody yet today?”

“Yeah, three guys were just here and left their mark inside me.”

“Fuck, that’s so hot. Their loads are still in?”

“Yep. Two in my ass and one in my tummy”

“Ugh, fuck that’s awesome”

With that, he came up behind me, undressed, and spread my butt cheeks apart, looking at my red, puffy hole and smelling the sex there. He kissed my butt cheek on the right then stood up and lined his dick up with my hole and pushed in. He was decidedly average in size, but he felt amazing as he went in and bottomed out with his pelvis against my ass. He held that for several seconds, his dick pulsing in my hole, before pulling out and pushing back in several times. About the tenth push, he held still again inside me, and I could again feel his dick pulsing with his heart beat. His whole body shivered against mine, and after a few seconds, he resumed slowly fucking me. He pushed in about 7-8 more times before he gasped and held tight inside me again as his dick pulsed and spasmed, this time depositing his load to join the other two. He pulled out and apologized for not lasting longer, but I told him it was great, then leaned up and gave him a kiss, which he returned earnestly. He then got dressed and left. I flexed my ass again to hold in what I had and relaxed on the bed, waiting for my next visitor.

I waited for a little bit and started to think that maybe no one else was coming, but I said I’d be around for a few hours, so I just relaxed but got up on the bed as my knees were starting to get sore. I was still on my knees with my shoulders on the bed, ass up, and waited for the next person to arrive.

It was only a few more minutes before my next visitor came in. He wasn’t a student at the school. He was older and kind of out of shape. Scruffy beard and a beer belly that hung over a respectable 6 inch dick that was hard and red when he got undressed. His calloused hands felt great when he grabbed my hips and pulled me to the edge of the bed before leaning down and spitting in my hole. He stood and lined his dick up before slowly entering me, spreading my ass lips apart as he pushed in. Once he bottomed out, I could feel his hairy belly rubbing against my ass while he stood still and ground his dick inside me, his groin rubbing against my ass cheeks in a forceful, circular motion. He then started to fuck me hard and fast, banging into me each time he entered, his belly hitting me first, then his groin slapping against my ass. He was grunting with each thrust and muttering about spoiled college kids while he assaulted my hole until his thrusts became more erratic and he started saying “Fuck” each time he bottomed out, depositing number five deep inside me. He pulled out unceremoniously and got dressed, then slapped my ass hard a couple of times and left.

It was about 15 minutes or so until the door opened again, and my next visitor came in. I recognized him as a football player, but he had a hat pulled down low on his face, like he was trying to stay hidden. He was the star defensive back for the team, tall and broad with sculpted muscles and a narrow waist. He just grunted an “Oh, fuck” when he saw me on the bed and asked how I was.

“I’m great! Thanks. Dude, don’t worry if you don’t want anyone knowing you’re here. I won’t say a word, and you can lock the door if you want.”

“Thanks, man, That’d be awesome.” He locked the door then took off his clothes and came over to the bed. He just lightly touched my ass and ran his fingers over the skin, then started to massage them more strongly, grabbing my muscle and squeezing them, pulling my ass cheeks apart to show off my hole. There was a little cum leaking out, but I had managed to hold most of it in. He kept kneading my ass and raising and lowering it, just playing with me.

I looked back and was able to admire his body. He was much taller than me and outweighed me by a lot. He had zero body fat and his glistening skin was dark and blemish free, with no hair anywhere that I could see. His hard-on was standing proud up against his abs and was uncut, with the foreskin still gathered around the head. He had huge testicles hanging low in their smooth sac. He was probably 7 - 7.5 inches long and pretty thick, and the shaft was smooth and shiny, with one prominent vein running along the length.

He lowered my ass down once more and pushed on the small of my back with his left hand, while his right grabbed his dick and lined up with my hole. He dropped some spit onto the head of his dick and then pushed forward until it made contact with my body. He continued to push, going deeper and deeper, stretching me out more than I had been today and maybe ever. The pain was intense. But once his groin made contact with my body, signaling he was all the way in, the pain turned to burning pleasure, and I moaned out loud as he started to saw in and out of my hole. Once he was satisfied I could take him and that I was up for it, he grabbed onto my hips and pulled me back until I was right at the edge of the bed and was fully impaled on his dick. He started to raise and lower my ass on his thick cock as he stood there still, pushing me all the way down onto him before pulling me almost completely off. I started to use my muscles to assist him, raising and lowering myself on his massive pole, the only sounds in the room being my low moans and the squish of my hole stretching over his dick.

He let go and allowed me to do the work, remaining still at the edge of my bed while I fucked myself on him. I was going at a breakneck speed, nearly coming all the way off before dropping back down, taking him fully into my guts. He grabbed onto me again when it was clear he was close to coming, and pushed me all the way down before bellowing a mighty roar and emptying his balls inside me, spraying his load over the walls of my colon. His massive load, at least 8 or 9 shots, filled me up and joined the other loads now residing in my body.

He rested in me for a few moments before slowly pulling out. I quickly clamped my ring closed to hold it all in, and he stepped away from the bed and got dressed. He thanked me for the great ride and my discretion before unlocking the door and quickly escaping the room.

Two guys came in about 5 minutes later. They asked how I was and if that was Randall, the defensive back for the football team.

“I’m fucking great, Thanks. Nah, I thought the same thing. He’s just similar. How are y’all?”

“We’re great. We’ve never fucked someone together but thought it was hot when we saw your profile. How many guys have been here so far?”

“Six. Five guys have fucked me and one got head.”

“Fuck that is so hot. You ever done this before?”

“No, but it’s always been a fantasy. Roommate is away, so the cumdump can play!”

“Fuck yes!”

And with that they got undressed and both stood at the edge of the bed behind me. One of them spread my cheeks apart and spit into my hole, although he didn’t need any lube at this point. He grabbed his dick and lined up before spearing me completely with one move. When he bottomed out, he forced a big glob of cum to be ejected from my hole, and it splattered all over his groin.

“Oh damn, that is so nasty!”

His friend said “And fucking hot!” and gathered some of the cum off his friend and started jacking his dick. His friend fucked me long and deep, holding me steady with a hand on the small of my back and sawing in and out of my hole. After a couple of minutes, his friend kind of pushed on him and said “Hey, it’s my turn!” Number one pulled out and Number two took his place, driving into me hard and fast. He held still for a couple of moments, his dick pulsing inside my hole, before jack-rabbit fucking me with short, fast strokes, his body hitting mine hard each time he bottomed out inside. His friend pushed him away after a few moments and took his place again, fucking me with long, deep strokes again for several minutes before pulling out and giving his friend some time. This went on, back and forth - long and deep followed by jack-rabbit short and fast - for a while. They were able to make each other last by taking breaks, but eventually, Number two was inside and pushed all the way in, held me still with a tight grip on my ass and fired 6-7 shots deep inside my hole. Number one must’ve been jacking off because shortly after Number two started shooting inside me, Number one blasted his load over my back and ass, some of it evidently landing on his friend.

“Fuck dude, that was so hot. But you came on me!”

“Sorry man, couldn’t help it. It was too much, and I had to unload.”

With that, they hugged each other, spreading the cum that had collected on each of them over the other’s body, before taking a t-shirt of mine that was on the floor and wiping themselves clean and getting dressed.

“Dude, we’ll come back later if you’re still open and up for it. That was fucking awesome!”

“OK. It was great! Maybe I’ll see you guys again later.”

After they left, there was a bit of a wait for the next guy. I replied to a few more messages and got a drink of water. By the time he came, I was worn the fuck out but feeling so good. He didn’t knock, as instructed, but just came in the room and dropped his pants before lining up behind me and thrusting into my well-used ass in order to get off. I recognized him as a professor on campus - I think in the English Department. I’d seen him in the gym occasionally, and he had a really nice body. He was mid 30s and married to another professor, and they had a couple of small kids. He didn’t pay any attention to me, or even talk to me, but just used my hole as a warm fleshlight and fucked into me deeply and firmly, pushing my body down into the bed. I had cum running down my legs and splattered over my back, but he didn’t seem to mind the mess, as nothing would get in the way of his goal of cumming. He continued to thrust hard, getting rougher with each push. He slapped my ass a few times, which tightened me up and gave him added sensation, and that doubled his efforts. He slammed into me, bottoming out against my ass cheeks with each brutal push into my hole, which was grabbing at his shaft to try to ease the assault. His fucks hit a fever pitch before he froze fully inside me, his cock spasming as it deposited the 9th load I’d received today deep inside my hole. After he finished cumming, he pulled out, grunted a thanks before getting dressed and leaving as quickly as he came in.

The next visitor came shortly after the professor left. I recognized him from campus and the gym. He was super cute and well built and was very sweet. Short blond curly hair with rosy cheeks and a great smile.

“Hey there. How are you?”

“I’m doing great. Thanks!”

“So, have you been busy?”

“Um, yeah. You’re the tenth guy to come by.”

“FUCK! That’s so hot. How are you feeling?”

“Fucking wonderful. This has been a goal/dream for a long while. I love being the sub-bottom.”

“Well that’s incredible. Do you have a preference of how we do this?”

“Nah, man. Just do it however you’d like! I’m here for you to get off the way you want.”

“Fuck, where have you been my whole life?”

“Right here, man!”

With that, he undressed and came up to the side of the bed behind me and messaged my ass cheeks a few moments then spread them apart to look at my puffy, used hole.

“Dude, you’re ass looks sore. You’re ok?”

“Fuck yes. The pain is amazing and just turns my whole body on.”

He used his fingers to run across my hole and spread my ass lips apart gently. The stimulation was turning me on like crazy. He leaned down and spit on my hole some then rubbed it in with his fingers before standing back up, lining his dick up and pushing in. He watched my hole slowly expand to accept his head then his shaft, and he kept pushing until he was fully inside.

“That is so hot to watch. Your hole just gobbles it up!”

He then pulled out then pushed back in and started to slowly fuck me. It wasn’t the hurried fuck I’d had today, but a slow, almost romantic coupling. He kissed my neck and stretched out so our bodies were touching as much as possible. He wrapped his arms around me and rolled us over onto our sides, slowly pumping into me. He reached down and grabbed my hard dick, painfully stiff and leaking, and stroked me with the rhythm of his fucks. He was one of the most attentive partners I’d ever had, and he brought both of us to the precipice of release together before he pushed into me fully and stroked my dick until I released a pent up load over the bed sheets, and only then did he let his go and fill me up with the 10th load I’d received today.

He stayed inside me for several minutes and just held me, nibbling on my ear and kissing my neck. He shifted and slid out of me, and I felt so empty. I grabbed his arms around me and held tight for as long as he’d let me, which was several more minutes. He rolled me over and kissed my lips gently then more urgently, pulled back and looked me in the eyes, his with a sparkle that startled me. He gave me the sweetest smile before getting out of my bed and getting dressed. He told me he’d love to see me again and then quietly left my room.

Four guys came next and essentially ran a train on me that lasted about 45 minutes. They took turns using my mouth and ass and would switch out every few minutes. After each of them had been in my ass and used my mouth, they started over again. I noticed that one of them wasn’t there and looked over near my roommate's bed and saw him on his knees sucking another of the dudes that were there. So as one of them was fucking me and one was using my mouth, the third was getting sucked by their friend. They kept rotating like that - ass, mouth, friend - for a long while. I lost track of time and space and just descended into the bliss of a major fuck, enjoying the feeling of my ass getting pounded, my body shaking against the assault, the sounds of the squish my ass made as it accepted their hard dick spreading my hole open, my occasional moan, the smell of hormones and sex in the air, the taste of their dick and my ass as they used me, and the sight of three dicks pounding into my mouth. My vision was focused solely on the dick in my mouth and the pubes of the guy it belonged to.

Eventually, one of them signaled he wanted to cum, so the guy fucking me pulled out. He was replaced with a hard dick that pounded into me and loaded me up with another batch of cum. He punched it into my ass hard and fast, then pulled out and smacked my butt cheek then said “Next!”

Another of them entered me harder than the last then just held inside me as he fired off 6-7 shots deep in my hole to join his friend’s cum. The first one that finished came around and stuck his dick in my mouth to clean it, which I dutifully performed. The second one then pulled out and came around to my mouth to get cleaned off while the third grabbed my hips and entered me slowly and steadily. He held my hips in a tight grip and fucked me for several minutes before bellowing a long “Fuuuuuuck” and depositing his contribution inside me. After he pulled out and came around for his clean up, the fourth guy, who’d been sucking them entered me and lasted about 10 seconds before finishing. He then came around and I cleaned his dick off too, tasting all four of their loads, and several others, as well as some of me coating his dick.

They all got dressed and left, and I realized that they never said a word to me while they were there. They just spoke to each other and grunted and groaned, but didn’t talk to me at all. That turned me on something fierce, and I got hard as a rock again. I stayed on my knees and started stroking myself, using some of the cum leaking down my legs as lube, and was really into the feeling and close to getting off for the third time today when the door opened.

I looked over and saw one of the biggest guy I’d ever seen before. He made my room look tiny. He was probably 6’ 4” or so and weighed 300, doubling my weight. His muscles had muscles, showed off with a sleeveless t-shirt and sweat shorts with flip flops. His broad, round shoulders bulged with every movement he made. He smiled when he saw me jacking off.

“Turned on?” He said in a deep, booming voice.

“Uh, yeah. This has been a crazy day. Four guys were just here without saying a word to me, and it kinda got to me.”

“That’s hot. I imagine you’ve been busy. A friend was here earlier and said I needed to come see you. How many have been here today?”

“You’re number 15.”

“Fuck. That’s incredible. They all fuck you?”

“All but one, who I blew.”

As we were talking, he was undressing, revealing his incredible body to me slowly. His huge pecs stood out from his chest and were capped with puffy, long nipples. His abs were bulging with the stress of holding in his massive size. His legs were thick and hard and were capped by an ass that stuck out from his body like a shelf. When he dropped his shorts, he was going commando and the biggest dick I’d ever seen in person or in porn was hanging there in front of me. He was hard, but it still arched down over his balls and must have been 9 inches long. It had a huge head and a missile-shaped shaft that got wider the lower it went. His balls hung down in their loose sac and were big and heavy, swinging with every movement.

“That’s fucking hot. Have you had fun?”

“Fuck yes. It’s been incredible. Total dream.”

“Do you think you can handle me? I’d understand if you couldn’t, but I’d really like to have a piece of your amazing ass. It’s so fucking sexy.” As he was saying this, he was rubbing my butt and spreading my cheeks apart, eyeing my puffy, sore, exhausted hole. I remained hard, and he reached under me and stroked me a few times before going back to my ass and playing with my butt cheeks some more.

“Oh fuck yes! I can handle you. Do it how you want!”

He was rubbing a finger over my hole and started to push inside, and his finger sunk in to the base quickly. He added a second then a third before he started fucking me with them, pushing in and spreading them apart to open my hole up. His hand was making squishy sounds as it spread my ass apart, cum occasionally coming with his fingers as he pulled out.

He added his pinky and continued to fuck me, getting nearly his whole hand inside.

“Have you ever been fisted?” He asked as he continued to put four of his massive fingers inside me.

“No” I said with a shaky voice, my shoulders on the bed and my ass up, my knees spread out and tired.

He pushed my body over so I was laying on my side, then took his hand out of my ass and straightened me out so I was on my back, my knees splayed out to my sides. He reached out and put his four fingers back inside me, and the wonderful stretch he gave my hole elicited another moan from me. He was twisting his hand around and going in and out when he stopped fully inside. I could feel his hand moving around some then the stretch got more intense. He was concentrating on my hole and his hand, his eyes wide and his mouth slack. I felt the stretch reach a peak, and I was about to say no for the first time today when his eyes got wider and I could feel my sphincter clamp down around his hand.

“It’s in! It’s all the way in!”

“Huh?”

“ You’ve taken it all. My whole goddamned hand is inside you.” He slowly pulled it out before pushing back in and my muscles clamping down around his wrist.

I was kind of delirious with the sensations - a wonderful mix of pain and intense pleasure, as well as an odd sense of accomplishment. He was slowly fucking me with his hand, my hole stretching then snapping down with each push and pull. I really wanted him to fuck me, so I started pushing against his hand and moaning more urgently. I brought my feet up and wrapped them around his body as much as I could and tried to pull him into me. I couldn’t move him at all, but he started to understand what I wanted, so he pulled his hand out and wiped it on the bed before pulling me down so my ass was hanging off the edge of the mattress. He bent his knees some and grabbed his massive dick to line it up with my wide-open hole before he started to push in.

Despite the stretch he gave me, him entering me was still a struggle. I started breathing hard and was afraid I may hyperventilate as he slowly pushed into me, my hole stretching to the most it’s ever been by a cock. He just kept going! I wasn’t sure when he was going to bottom out, but I eventually felt his body against my ass and his belly rubbing my dick as he fully lodged inside me. He leaned forward over me and put his arms on the bed on either side of my body, his face in front of mine. He has a huge single on his face, his eyes sparkling, as he started to pull out then push back in. I wrapped my legs around his back and put my arms around his neck and held tight, hanging from his massive frame while he rocked into me. He got into a rhythm and just pounded me without pause or a break. He kissed me, nibbled on my ear and grunted into my face but just kept pounding. I was swinging back and forth somewhat with each thrust, the punches from his dick pushing me up his body. His fucking became more intense, and I was nearly swinging off of him as he pushed into me. He was kissing me urgently, moaning with each thrust. He raised up so his hands were on the bed and I was nearly a foot off the mattress, still hanging off of him and being rocked by this massive beast. He continued to kiss me and was punching into my ass as fast as he could when he suddenly dropped back down onto the bed and pushed into me one final time before roaring and firing 9-10 intense shots deep inside me. I wasn’t sure I had enough muscle tone to hold any of it inside me, and as he continued to fuck during his orgasm, I felt his load running out and down my ass. When he started cumming inside me, my hard dick, stimulated by his body rubbing against it, fired its third orgasm between our bodies.

He slowly started to relax against me and I was afraid he thought I could support him on top of me, but he spared my tired body and stayed on his elbows above me while he continued to nibble my neck and tell me how amazing that was. He slowly started to stand, and I relaxed my grip around his waist and neck, staying on the bed when he stood and pulled out of me. My feet dropped to the floor and my body relaxed into the sticky sheets covering the mattress while he continued to chatter and get dressed. I wasn’t totally aware of what he was staying, but he came back to me after he dressed and kissed me again, telling me how much fun that was and joking that he needed a toy like me to live with him. I giggled but didn’t say anything, just watching his amazing smile as he talked. He was getting ready to leave and said his final goodbye, and I asked him if he could lock the door behind him.

I stayed on the bed with my feet on the floor for a while. My phone kept buzzing with notifications of messages, and a few people knocked on my door, but I ignored it and just enjoyed the sensations I was feeling in my body. I took 15 loads today! Fuck me, that was amazing. I was more tired than I’ve been in a long while and sore in places I didn’t know existed, but the warm glow that enveloped me kept the bad feelings away. I just laid there with cum running out of my hole and my cum drying on my abs, globs of other’s cum cooling on the bed around me. I eventually drifted off to sleep in the same position he left me but woke up a few hours later curled up in a ball on my mattress. I looked outside and saw it was dark, so I debated getting up to shower then searching out some food, but decided against that.

I wrapped that crusty blanket around my tired body and fell back asleep, the cum of 15 guys, and my own, leaking out of me and soaking into the sheets.

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miszswan · 1 year

Text

PEOPLE YOU KNOW PART 3 TEASER

Jack had spent the last couple minutes looking through Camila and Amiria’s stories on Urbans phone as the latter along with Neelam was getting ready to go.

All he could see was the two friends shopping and enjoying themselves, preparing for the festivities that were approaching within the hour.

He smiles to himself as he hears her laugh again, he’d been deprived from the real thing for too long.

That’s how it’s been since she left. Amiria had blocked Jack on everything, from her Twitter to iMessage, Jack had no way to contact her. So he’d use Urbans phone to see how she was doing, how Ani was doing even though Amiria hadn’t posted a single picture of her daughter on the internet.

He thought it was smart, kept her out of the public eye, she was far to young for that.

He also knew that she still kept in close contact with their mutual friends but only invited Dru, Neelam and Urban.

Amiria was actually the person who introduced Jack to Druski when she was invited to an event he was hosting. At the time the two had been very good friends for just over a year, were and still are like brother and sister.

Urban and Neelam on the other hand just remained in contact with Amiria and checked on her as much as possible. Sometimes they would visit her when they were in town, especially before the big fight that ended everything.

Even though they’ve all been a lot busier, they still keep in touch.

Part of Jack wanted to beg the three of them to not go but he didn’t want to ruin her day.

With Neelam waiting in the hallway of the hotel the three were staying in, Urban goes to Jacks room to get his phone. He walks in to find Jack lying on his bed with a frown, scrolling through more of her posts or posts of her co stars with her.

When he sees Urban he switches off his phone and gives it back.

“You can’t keep doing this.” Urban scolds as he looks at the state of his best friend. “Especially after the stunt you pulled last week.”

“What else am I supposed to do? She won’t talk to me.”

“You aren’t entitled to a conversation with her.” The moment those words leave his mouth, Jack roles his eyes. “I’m telling the truth. Ami doesn’t owe you anything. Especially after everything you put her through.”

“I wasn’t that bad.” Jack says trying to defend himself.

“She has the right to take as much time to think about whether she wants you in her and Ani’s lives or not. You have to give her that time.” Urban scoffs. “I thought after fifteen months you’d realise that you genuinely fucked up.”

“So you’re taking her side.”

“Get over yourself, I will always support you but for this I can’t. Amiria is being a mother. She’s protecting her daughter from as much pain as possible and that includes you after you clearly showed her the kind of father you’d be.”

“That’s not fair, I was pissed that day.”

“That’s always been your excuse when it comes to her.” Urban purses his lips as he felt his more protective side come out. “I’m sorry man but Neelam, Dru and I are going to be supportive friends. Clearly this is important because she wouldn’t be having this thing 6 months after Ani was born.”

Urban makes his way to the door. “What do you mean? I thought this was just another family tradition.”

“It is Jack but Amiria told us multiple times that this happens because if the mother or the child or both have a dangerous and risky birth. The same event happened with Mrs Campbell when she was 6 months old, Amiria when she was 6 months old and clearly this is happening because somehow bad happened the day Ani was born.” Urban says quickly before leaving, not being able to see the dumbstruck expression on Jacks face.

If something really bad happened while Amiria was in labour, is there a chance that she could’ve been dead today? Is there a chance that Ani could’ve died in childbirth? Is there a chance that they both could’ve died that day?

He had to try one more time. If he was going to properly give her space he had to let her know how sorry he was. One more time.

@iheartharlow

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#jack harlow #miszswan talks #amiria campbell #amiria imogen maiah campbell #people you know series #jack harlow x woc #jack harlow concepts #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow angst

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slytherhys · 2 years

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Strung-Out Heart V

A/N - I've been fighting demons writing this chapter and this is as good as it gets, ig? Hope you guys enjoy it because I'm DRAINED. Also, I promise good things are coming, we're getting rowaelin soon

TW - Strong language, mature themes.

I - II - III - IV

Rowan

If there was something Rowan knew he could always count on it was his job. Maybe it was weird to enjoy it half as much as he did, but something about being able to share his art with people who actually wanted it on their skin was something that made him extremely happy and, most importantly, extremely focused on only that. When he had a needle gun in his hand there was nothing that mattered more than art. There was only his gun, and his canvas – there was certainly no space for thoughts about blondes and tiny dresses and soft lips.

Unfortunately for Rowan, his only appointment that day were two small mountain tattoos on a guy’s knees that were done 40 minutes after he had begun. The parlour closed in two hours so he had closed himself in his office, working on flashes to get his mind off of things for a bit but at this point nothing short of blissful oblivion would help him.

It had been a little over a week since Rowan had last seen Aelin and kissed her senseless before snarling and running away like a wild animal. He couldn’t exactly say he was proud of his actions, but he honestly didn’t know if he could’ve acted any better. He was also struggling to wrap his head around her jealousy. He wasn’t sure what it meant and he wouldn’t let himself hope. Not for her love and certainly not to get her back. He always knew he’d fall easily into her arms again, that’s why couldn’t let himself drop his defences around her.

He had spent so many months of his life wanting Aelin to be back that now that she was here, he was almost afraid of what exactly being around her would do to him; as if having his dream come true would turn him into a twisted version of himself he was too scared to let be.

Rowan’s hand stilled over the stag he was just finishing drawing. When, exactly, had wanting Aelin back become his dream again? Rowan felt jaded, exhausted by his own doing. He had barely slept the past few days and he had been visiting Fenrys’ bar way more often than what he probably should have. He had been battling himself all week, wanting to see her again but needing to stay away. Only he knew exactly how he had felt the night he had kissed Aelin and only he knew exactly how he longed to feel it again. To feel heragain.

A knock on his door pulled him away from any straying thoughts. Lorcan had probably finished his last job considering he was bursting inside Rowan’s office like he owned the place. Rowan supposed he did, but still.

His friend looked eerily pale, his hands jittery as he quickly made his way towards the leather couch by the window, where he sat. His giant body seemed unable to stay still as his hands clasped and unclasped, his foot tapping against the floor. His eyes were slightly wide, and yet he looked everywhere but at Rowan. He waited for his friend to calm down, raising an eyebrow as he watched Lorcan unravel right in front of him. It was sort of amusing if he was being honest.

Rowan knew Lorcan had a booking in less than twenty minutes, so he wasn’t concerned. He has always been someone that struggled with having emotional talks, and from the way he kept clearing his throat – an odd telling that gave him away every single time – Rowan knew that was what this was about.

He wondered if Lorcan was here to speak about Aelin. As far as he knew, there was no reason for him to know Aelin was back in town and there was certainly no reason for him to know Rowan had kissed her days ago. Or had she kissed him? The details were a bit fuzzy. Either way, he wouldn’t care to find out exactly what his best friend would do if he found out Aelin was back in town.

Rowan broke the silence first. “Is everything-”

“I asked Elide to marry me.” Lorcan blurted out, his eyes wide as he finally set them on Rowan.

Rowan felt his browns pinch together, confusion overtaking his features. “Okay,” He drawled as he took in his friend’s pale expression. He had never seen Lorcan acting so neurotic before. He certainly didn’t look happy. “Did she say no?” Rowan asked as softly as he could, an apologetic look on his face.

“What?” Lorcan’s voice thundered through the parlour as he pushed to his feet. Rowan thanked the gods no costumers were in the waiting room. “Why would you say that?” He shrieked, his hand nervously brushing through his hair before settling on his hips.

Rowan sighed in relief. “She said yes.”

“Of course she said yes, you asshole.” Lorcan all but growled.

“You looked fucking miserable!” Rowan snapped, going to his feet. “You’re terrible at this.” He mumbled.

“I don’t think I actually believe it.” Lorcan muttered, his eyes on the floor. “I’ve been going around in a haze for days-”

“Days?”

“And I still can’t believe she’s going to marry me.” Lorcan smiled softly, as if momentarily forgetting Rowan was in the room. If there was anything Lorcan despised it was showing emotion in any shape or form. Rowan still wondered how exactly he managed to find a girl like Elide but then again, he was pretty sure only someone like Elide could be right for his best friend. Rowan grinned, circling his desk and pulling Lorcan to a hug.

“Congrats man.” He patted him on the back, ignoring Lorcan’s muttered protests. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Thanks.” He coughed. Rowan fought a smirk as Lorcan cleared his throat for the tenth time in under five minutes. “There’s…” Lo mumbled something under his breath before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Rowan simply watched him with raised eyebrows until the giant finally broke. “Will you be my best man?” He fired, the words jumbling together to the point Rowan had to take a second for their meaning to finally settle in.

Rowan’s face broke into a shit-eating grin. “Your best man?”

Lorcan shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Fuck yes.” He laughed, pulling his best friend to yet another hug. He knew Lo was probably seconds away from pushing him away, but he couldn’t give a shit right now. He was too happy.

Lorcan patted him on the back as a clear sign it was time for Rowan to step away, so he did. “We’re having a small get-together to celebrate tomorrow. At our place. Will you be there?”

“Of course, mate.” He replied immediately, unable to stop smiling.

Rowan had known Lorcan his entire life and there had always been something eerily cold about the man. They had never really gotten into the depths of it, but what mattered was that the day Elide came into his life a new kind of light entered his best friend’s eyes. They had something akin to magic and Rowan very well remembered the words his best friend had muttered the night he had first seen Elide.

I’m going to marry her.

He was drunk off his ass, having spent the entire night drinking to celebrate Aelin’s birthday. She had been the one to introduce them, having met Elide in college and invited her to celebrate with her friends. He would’ve never have guessed a 5’2 woman would be the one to make Lorcan go speechless, but it was a sight he would never forget.

Rowan also remembered what he had said back to Lorcan as he stared at a buzzed Aelin, but he pushed those words aside and focused on his best friend instead.

The bell from the front door sounded through the shop, followed by a smooth voice calling for them. Lorcan’s next costumer was probably already here, but Lorcan still looked like he was about to have a heart attack at any second now. Rowan offered to prep him while Lorcan calmed himself down. He had a gleaming suspicion that meant Lorcan would call Elide before heading out to tattoo the man waiting by the entryway.

The man was tall and lean, with short raven-black hair. He looked relaxed, his blue eyes taking in the main room and Lorcan’s studio to his left before settling on Rowan. He raised an eyebrow. “Lorcan?” He asked once he noticed Rowan, his eyes roaming his appearance as if he expected something else.

“No, he’ll be out in a bit.” Rowan said, nodding towards Lo’s station. “I’ll prep you, if that’s okay?”

The man frowned, nodding as he made his way towards the leather chair, his steps unhurried. The only noise in the parlour was Lorcan’s playlist playing softly through the shop’s sound system. The man took off his jacket and his shirt, lying down as his eyes went back to Rowan.

“Are you Rowan?” He was surprised to note a slight accent in his question. He looked up to the man, his eyebrows raised. “I checked your social media; I know there’s two of you working here.” He shrugged gingerly.

Rowan supposed that made sense. Lorcan was the one that managed the store’s marketing, so he wouldn’t know much about it. All he did was take pictures of the tattoos he did and even then Lorcan always grumbled about them being too shaky or too dark for their feed, whatever that was. “Yeah, I’m Rowan.”

The man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Had he been expecting something else? He had never seen that man in his life, but not for the first time Rowan was feeling a bit…weirded out. Was he missing something?

“You’re from around here?” Rowan asked conversationally. Maybe he was from Doranelle, even though the accent didn’t exactly match his family’s.

“Rifchold, actually.” His lips quirked up. “I’m visiting a friend, but it’s a surprise.”

“The tattoo or your visit?”

He shrugged. “Both, I suppose.” He mused. “I didn’t exactly tell her I was coming and I’m not sure she won’t have me sleeping on the street.”

Rowan raised his eyebrows as he put on some latex gloves. “Would she do that?”

He chuckled. “You’d be surprised.”

“She sounds like a handful.” Rowan started disinfecting the area where the tattoo was supposed to before grabbing a razor.

“She makes up for it.”

Rowan raised his eyebrows and smirked, ignoring the implications of that sentence alone. “You guys sound close.”

“Well, we’ve been living together for the past 3 years so I guess you could say that.”

“Sounds serious.” Rowan smirked, his focus on the drawing of the dragon the man was about to get tattooed. “And your friend-”

“Ready?” Lorcan appeared suddenly, his grin directed at the man on the chair. He looked collected and there was a bit of colour to his face, so that was good. The man seemed to relax at his appearance and Rowan took off his gloves so Lorcan could get to work.

“I can’t wait to surprise her.” He grinned back, his eyes following Lorcan as he got his ink ready.

Rowan felt his eyebrows rise. “You’re doing this for a girl?” He asked before he could stop himself.

The man eyed Rowan curiously. “Among other reasons, yeah.”

“Is that-” He started but quickly got cut off by Lorcan’s murdering gaze. Right, not great for business.

“Pot meets kettle.” Lorcan teased, pushing forward when the man raised an eyebrow. “He also got a tattoo for his girlfriend a few years back so it’s not like he can talk.”

“Really?” There was a glint in the man’s eyes that Rowan didn’t exactly appreciate, far too calculating for it to be innocent. Rowan felt himself scowl.

“The fact I got one should make me an expert on the matter actually.” He growled.

“What did you get?” the costumer asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” He snapped, making Lorcan chuckle. Rowan couldn’t help but miss the pale anxious Lorcan that had been standing in his office earlier. “I’m done for the day so I’m leaving.” He mumbled over the sound of the gun, quickly turning back to his office. He probably sounded every bit of the child he felt, but he didn’t care, even if Lorcan was clearly amused by it.

“Bring some wine tomorrow!” He shouted as Rowan left. He could’ve sworn he felt the name tattooed on his ribcage burning as he left the parlour.

…

Going back to Lorcan’s and Elide’s apartment had always felt like a bittersweet experience. No matter how different the entire place seemed, Rowan couldn’t exactly erase all his memories from living there. It was like a part of him had been left behind for others to use, and Rowan had never decided how exactly he felt about it, even if he had been the one to suggest to his friends they take the apartment once he left.

However, going back there to celebrate an engagement felt like a sick prank the universe was trying to pull on him. Mainly when it had only been a few days since Aelin had gotten back – and only a few days after he kissed her. He wanted to be happy for his friends, but sometimes the memories of that apartment felt too real for him to ignore them.

The apartment was packed. There were a few members of Elide’s family there – none of Lorcan’s, but Rowan wasn’t entirely surprised by that – but the majority of the guests were friends of the happy couple. Rowan was on the couch talking to Fenrys when Lorcan finally managed to step away from diplomatic matters, slumping against the couch like he had been running the marathon. He even looked a little sweaty if Rowan was being honest.

“I might beg her to elope.” He grumbled, his eyes focused on Elide. Rowan had been ignoring the petite brunette all day, mainly because she kept looking at him with a weird look on his face. He wasn’t entirely sure what that was about, but he was scared to find out. If he had done something to upset Elide he feared what she would do to him.

“She might go for it.” Fenrys shrugged, taking a sip from his scotch. Lorcan looked at the blond, an intrigued look on his face.

“You think so?”

“She doesn’t look like she’s exactly enjoying her uncle’s company, so I’d agree with Fenrys.” Rowan added, looking at Elide just as she looked at him. She narrowed her eyes before her uncle demanded her attention again. Rowan was man enough to admit he was a bit scared.

“How did you ask her?” Fenrys asked looking way too uninterested for it to be genuine. Rowan refrained from commenting on it, though. Glass houses and all that.

Lorcan paled a bit. “Does it matter?”

Fenrys turned to him, a smirk starting on his lips once he noticed Lo’s unease. “Yes, I think it does.”

“It’s not appropriate.” He quickly mumbled, getting up before anyone could ask anything else. Rowan frowned.

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Fenrys groaned, turning to Rowan. “Do you think they were doing it when he asked?”

Rowan snorted, ignoring the blonde’s question. “Doing it? What are you, fifteen?”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Fenrys sighed dramatically.

“Good.”

“It probably happened at the bakery.” Fenrys mused. “That would explain the secrecy, right? No one wants to think about them fucking in the same place they buy their bread.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “You should find a new hobby.”

“I’m just brainstorming here.” He said, his voice drowned by the doorbell. Rowan wasn’t sure the apartment could handle anymore people and from what he could tell, everyone was already here. Fenrys pulled his attention back to him again. “Maybe at the parlour? But asking someone to get married at the tattoo parlour seems a bit tacky.” He droned on, even though Elide’s shriek sounded through the room.

“Aedion!”

Rowan’s head snapped to the door, where Elide was hugging a frail-looking Aedion. He hadn’t seen his friend in weeks – not for lack of trying this time around – but he looked different from the last time they had been together. There were dark circles under his eyes that Rowan could spot from afar and even his body looked skinnier. His cheeks looked hollow and his smile weak, even though he was trying hard not to let it show to Elide who kept fussing all over him like she was his mom. Before he could even register anything else he was making his way towards Aedion, his eyes focused only on him. The blond spotted him immediately, sending him an apologetic smile before he pulled him to a hug as well.

“Where have you been?” Rowan asked, just as his eyes locked on who stood behind his friend. He was sure Aedion had answered his question, but everything turned to white noise as her turquoise eyes looked up at him, vulnerable and… fearful.

Aedion pulled away, his smile as brittle as before. Rowan did his best to ignore Aelin as he stared at his friend.

“What’s wrong?” He asked in a low voice so only Aedion could hear. Suddenly a lot of things seemed to line up – Aedion’s disappearance, Aelin’s return and now Aedion’s fray looks. He didn’t want to assume the worst, but things weren’t exactly looking pretty. Aedion seemed to taste his words before opening his mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Lorcan’s voice sounded through the apartment instead, approaching Elide at a worryingly quick pace. Elide simply rolled her eyes and stepped away from him, reaching out for Aelin’s hand. Rowan simply watched, unable to speak even when Elide sent him an apologetic smile.

“She’s a guest.” She simply said, her brown eyes clashing with Lorcan’s, as if daring him to say something. His best friend glanced at him before frowning at Elide.

“That’s not a good idea.” Lorcan gritted through his teeth, making Elide glance at Rowan too. It was eerily like living through his parents’ divorce all over again.

“I-I can go.” Aelin stuttered, a pretty pink tinting her cheeks. Rowan hated that he noticed.

“You do that.” Lorcan snarled.

“Lorcan, I swear to the gods-” Elide took a step forward, probably ready to lash out at Lorcan when Rowan spoke.

“It’s okay.” He said softly, making his friends stare at him with disbelieving looks. Aedion looked like he was two seconds away from pitying him and he would rather set himself on fire before letting that happen. “I don’t mind.” He said, his voice as cold as he managed. Aelin looked up at him again, gratitude clear on his pretty face. There was a reluctance to her posture that he could relate to.

“Thank you, Ro.” Elide smiled softly, going on the tip of her toes before kissing him on his cheek. She pulled Aelin towards the kitchen and Rowan made his very best effort not to follow after them.

Lorcan approached him, completely uncaring towards Aedion’s presence. “Are you sure about this?”

No, he wasn’t. He had spent the last 8 days getting pissed at himself for not being able to stay away from her and the very last thing he needed that moment was for another round of Aelin Galathynius, but he wouldn’t ruin Elide and Lorcan’s night. Not because of her and certainly not in that apartment. Those walls had already witnessed too much of their stained history.

Besides, it was just a few hours in the same apartment with twenty more people around them. The chances of them even talking to each other were slim to none.

“I am.” He finally said. Lorcan frowned and Aedion looked at him like he didn’t believe him. He wasn’t sure he believed himself either.

................

TAG LIST: @superspiritfestival @llyncooljones @leiawritesstories @morganofthewildfire

#tog fanfiction #tog fic #tog #strung out heart #aelin fic #aelin galythinius #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfiction #throne of glass fic #rowaelin

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naminethewriter · 2 years

Text

Self Care Can Include Many Things

Loceit Week comes around once more 😍 I’m so excited to see what everyone comes up with! There will be quite a few references my entries from last year, look forward to that 😊

Thank you @loceitweek2022 for organizing this! 💛💙

Here on Ao3

Masterpost | Loceit Week 2022 Masterpost

Summary: Janus and Logan have a project to work on. But they also need to take a break sometime. Janus knows an opportunity when he sees one.

Janus arrived in front of his project partner’s house two minutes before their agreed meeting time. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered with being punctual but Logan was annoying about stuff like this and he wasn’t up for a lecture, so he left his house early. He locked up his bike and went to the front door, ringing the doorbell. Less than two seconds later a child’s voice loudly called:

“I’ll get it!” Then quick footsteps approached. Patton, Logan’s younger sibling opened the door and started grinning as soon as fae saw him. “Janny! Did you come to play? Can we play Mario Kart? I practiced and now I’m super good!” Janus chuckled but shook his head.

“I wish I could, Pat, but your brother and I have a project we need to work on today.” Patton started to pout and Janus quickly gave faer a pat on the head as compensation. “If we finish quickly we might be able to play a bit later. Or I’ll come over again in a few days, that okay?” Fae continued pouting but nodded.

“If you pinky promise!”

“Alright, if you insist.” Just as they linked fingers, Logan appeared behind his sibling.

“Salutations Janus. I see Patton coaxed you into a pinky promise, I hope fae didn’t ask for anything unreasonable.”

“Did not!”

“No, fae didn’t. I just promised to play Mario Kart with fae sometime soon so fae could show me how much fae improved, right?” He grinned down at the child who nodded in agreement.

“Very well then. Patton please go back to your activities now; Janus and I have work to do.”

“Okay, but you need to finish quickly so we can play!”

“I will make no promises.” Apparently Patton had expected as much since fae ran off without another word. Janus laughed quietly.

“Visiting your house is as delightful as ever.” Logan sighed.

“I would have preferred to go to yours but my parents are both out and Patton cannot be left alone for such a long time yet.”

“I understand. Then shall we?”

“We shall.” Logan led him into the house and up the stairs into his bedroom where he had already prepared enough space to work, materials they could use for their research as well as snacks and drinks. The perfect host like always.

It didn’t take long until they were both seated and comfortably at work. Logan had gone to the library to get them reference books which Janus found a bit unnecessary, they were only supposed to prepare a twenty-minute presentation on self care for health class, citations not needed. But Janus also knew Logan well enough to know that that wouldn’t stop him from doing so and he didn’t mind as long as Logan didn’t force him to read through those books. He preferred online articles.

They had agreed to work in silence for the first fifteen minutes and then present to each other their findings and after that narrow down the examples they wanted to use and research more. Logan started, talking about how important a healthy diet and drinking a lot of water were, as well as dental hygiene. Janus listened patiently even as Logan’s explanation turned more into a rant that went slightly off topic but if he was being honest, and he didn’t tend to be often he just knew to tone down his sarcasm in front of Logan and his sibling (both often got confused with his way of speaking), he could listen to Logan talk about anything for the rest of the day. His crush on the bookworm was not really a secret but Logan was very dense when it came to romantic relationships. He hadn’t been aware of their friends’ relationship until Roman and Virgil kissed right in front of him and even then he needed to ask for clarification.

Janus was patient though; he was waiting for an opportunity to make his move and he had a very good feeling about today.

Logan eventually stopped himself and blushed a bit when he realised how much he’d been talking.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to ramble.” Janus waved him off.

“I don’t mind. You made some fascinating points.” Logan’s face got even more red.

“Thank you. For listening I mean.”

Janus good feeling increased ten-fold as a plan formed in his head. He grinned.

“No problem, Logan, I truly enjoyed myself.” He delighted in seeing Logan’s ears turning red now as well.

“Would you like to present your findings now?” he asked after clearing his throat. Janus’ grin got a little bit wider. Logan was way too cute; he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from teasing him a bit longer.

“Of course. I decided to look up how to build a healthy work schedule. It felt appropriate to our current situation and will be beneficial to our classmates.” Logan nodded along, taking notes. He wasn’t as flushed anymore but still a bit red. Janus was looking forward to making him flare up again.

“One of the main points I found is the importance of taking breaks, to stretch and clear ones head every now and again.” Logan continued to scribble his thoughts down, not picking up on what Janus was hinting at but he hadn’t expected him to. So he slowly reached over, gently grabbing Logan’s hand to get him to stop. The blush intensified again as Logan looked up and met his eyes. Janus smiled at him.

“We’ve been working for almost half an hour now, I think we deserve to take a break, right?” Seemingly unable to break eye contact, Logan again nodded and allowed Janus to carefully remove his notebook and pen, setting them down on the table.

“Wonderful. Then let’s try another suggestion I found that might be helpful. It’s about avoiding touch starvation by initiating physical contact with people close to you. So, would you mind coming over here, Logan?” Apparently his friend’s brain had short-circuited because Logan let himself be pulled over and into Janus’ lap, facing him, without any protest though his face was bright red again, including his ears. Janus could look at him like that for hours but there was something else he wanted to do in that moment.

“Is that comfortable, Logan?” He nodded, still seemingly speechless and unable to look away from Janus’ eyes. Janus smiled fondly, deciding that he’d teased and waited enough.

“Would you be willing to hear a not-so-well-kept secret of mine?” Logan didn’t answer so Janus took his silence as agreement. “I like you a lot, Logan. You are smart, passionate and very fascinating to observe. And I would love to take you out on a date sometime if you would let me.” By then Logan was the brightest red he’d been all evening, finally breaking eye contact to look down at his hands which were now fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“You are not joking?” he eventually asked in a small voice. Janus carefully guided his head up by his chin so he could look him in the eyes as he answered.

“I would never do something so cruel, Logan. I mean every word.”

“Could you kiss me, please.” The request rushed out of Logan’s mouth and he himself seemed surprised by it but before he could take it back, Janus leaned in and locked their lips together.

#namiswriting #loceitweek2022day1 #day 1: self care #loceit #logan sanders #ts logan #janus sanders #ts janus #patton sanders #ts patton #logan and patton are siblings #nonbinary patton #fluff #getting together #sanders sides fanfiction #fanfiction #reblogs are appreciated

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marmolady · 2 years

Text

Isla

Main Pairings: Michelle x Quinn

Summary: Michelle and Quinn bring home their new baby girl.

Word Count: 7748

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, @mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading!

_____________________

“This is insane. In. Sane.” Michelle dropped her bobby pin and swore. However she’d anticipated becoming a mother, this sure as hell wasn’t it. But somehow… now that the possibility was there… it fit. She raised her eyes to Quinn’s, and accepted the retrieved pin with shaking fingers. “I want to say ‘yes’,” she said quietly, but with so much more conviction than she herself had expected. “So, what happens next? I’m guessing we sit down with Jen and have a conversation between the three of us.”

Quinn took Michelle’s hands in her own, squeezing them until the metal of the pin pressed into her skin, and met that strong gaze.

“I… I want to say ‘yes’, too,” she said. “I feel it deep in my bones, that this is right-- you know?” Laughing with exhilaration, she could feel tears prickling her eyes. She was never supposed to live long enough to be a mother-- but even in that joy there was the deepest pain in knowing what was being lost. But her friend trusted her, her out of anyone, her and her amazing, brilliant Michelle, to take that little life into their hands. She was touched right at her heart. “I think we need to tell Jen that we want to be moms to her baby with her.”

USA, February 2027

Life, Michelle had come to realise long ago, never really did run out of curve-balls to throw her way. Life could be turned on its head at any time, and she’d just have to learn to roll with it. No, it wasn’t ‘trapped at the end of the world, everyone else is dead’ level, but bringing home your first child-- and one born in deeply emotional circumstances-- was certainly… a lot.

Ready or not, she and Quinn were bringing home baby Isla. Their perfect little girl; eight pounds, and with a fine dark smattering of hair. She was strong and healthy, putting to rest persistent fears for the expectant mothers, of which Isla had more than most.

Eager grandparents on both sides had already been warned that the newly formed family would be taking at least a couple of weeks to settle-- any visits would solely be by invitation, specifically if help was needed. No one, not even an eager Craig, was fool enough to come barging in when Michelle had put her foot down. She had to be staunch in her resolve; there was a lot that they were struggling to come to terms with-- Quinn especially. If her wife needed time and space to get her head around all this, Michelle would make it happen.

The door creaked open, and they were home in their spacious Northbridge apartment.

“Home, sweet, home, Isla!” Quinn announced, but the tiny child in the carrier didn’t even stir. “I guess we’ll have to show you around later; even if you were awake there’s so much that you won’t be able to take in yet, little one.”

Michelle gave a shiver. “Oh my god-- goosebumps! I can’t believe she’s really here in our apartment. She’s home!”

She’d half expected some wrench to be thrown into their plans at the last minute-- some long-lost relative of the birth-mother show up and demand custody of the baby, or some adoption official swoop in and insist the baby would be better off in care. Or even a yeti take the baby as her own. None of the scenarios were likely, but with so much on the line, catastrophising was all too easy.

Even with everything going exactly to plan, the turmoil was immense. Isla’s birth mother, Jen, always to be acknowledged as one of three mothers as important of either of the remaining two, was dead. The strain of labour proved more than her frail body could handle, and Rotterdam’s took her after a lifetime of courageous fighting. A chance meeting at a Kelly Foundation event several years prior had resulted in a firm friendship between Quinn and the younger woman with whom she shared so much… and in time to come, the answer to Jen’s prayers when she’d found herself pregnant. Then had come the rollercoaster; fears that the unborn infant might have inherited Rotterdam’s and the hard discussions about what they’d do if she had, the doubts and the fears, the nights Michelle and Quinn spent wide awake wondering if they were unconsciously taking advantage of a dying young woman. But through it all, Jen had remained adamant; her baby girl would be her gift left to the world, and the trusted friend who’d supported her would, in turn, support her daughter. Their daughter.

The baby began to fidget in her sleep, and Michelle jumped to make a bottle of formula-- or, she attempted to, but Quinn, catching on to her wife’s nerves, caught her hands and twisted her round into an embrace.

“First bottle in her new home? I think that might be a job for two mommies rather than one.”

“All right, fine.” Michelle exhaled slowly, then threw herself into the hug. And breathe. “Between you and me,” she said, rather too shakily to convince a soul, “how hard can this parenting crap really be?”

____________________________

USA, 2039

The scream reverberated all around her. It was everywhere, and it was everything. Years of medical training, of dealing with uncooperative patients, had prepared Michelle for this moment.

Isla kicked out on the floor, hitting a shelf, and sending a cascade of boxes and packets tumbling down. And still she screamed, unintelligible.

Crouched down with her daughter, Michelle tried to get hold of Isla’s hands, met only with resistance. She tried to ignore the gaze of onlookers-- probably a fifty-fifty mix of scornful and sympathetic. Had she not been so desperate to put on a show of calm for her daughter, a brutal tongue lashing would have been in order. Sometimes holding back barbs was one of the hardest parts of parenting.

“NO-O-OO!” Isla hollered.

“Isla, I need you to use your words for me,” Michelle said loudly, as clear as she could manage over the continued noise. “Darling, I can’t understand when you’re screaming.”

The toddler continued to struggle.

“Look at me-- look at me! Look at Mommy, Isla….” She managed to get eye contact for a moment-- progress. “Sweetheart, can you take a big breath in?” She demonstrated, exaggerated for effect.

To Michelle’s sheer relief, Isla stopped screeching for long enough to take in a big gulp of air.

“That’s my girl! Aaand… breathe out.”

Isla did, but her tiny face immediately crumpled all over again.

“One more time for Mommy! Big breath in….”

As Isla calmed herself, that wildness in her eyes slowly flickered out, the more familiar sweet, happy toddler resurfacing from beneath it. Her hair was unkempt and falling out of her sparkling hair-clips, her cheeks were red and streaked with tears, but she was Michelle’s beloved baby peeking out from the hysteria.

“Well done, Isla! That’s it… that’s it….”

Isla’s sobs subsiding, she looked up into her mother’s face with a loud hiccough. “I want-- that-- hic-- one…. All a people getting toys. Why not that one, Mommy?”

“There’s a toy you want to show me?”

“Put a in a twoy for home.”

Michelle carefully remained calm, knowing just how easy it would be for the disgruntled toddler to tip back over the edge. But she sure as hell wasn’t putting any big sparkly toys in the trolley for home, no matter how bad of a migraine she might be risking. “Sweetheart, it’s very close to Christmas, do you know that? That’s why so many people are here buying toys.”

“We buy toys!”

“When we’re doing, our Christmas shopping, it’s even more fun to find special things for other people who we love.”

Isla took a sharp inhale, clearly gearing up for another lung-busting shriek.

Oh, no you don’t….

“Isla, why don’t you show me the really cool thing you found, and then we can see if you can find something extra special to wrap up and hide for Mama? What do you think Mama would like?”

“Pesent for Mama?” Isla queried, visibly rolling the concept over in her mind, weighing up whether it was an interesting enough prospect to ditch her tantrum to pursue. “For unna a twee?”

“That’s right.” Michelle replied, far more brightly than should have been possible for someone a hair’s breadth away from bursting into tears herself.

Fucking hell, child, don’t you make me have a breakdown in the middle of a goddamn Walmart. I am this close….

And then, as if by miracle, the storm passed and Isla stood up, bounced on the spot and smiled.

What. The fuck. Did I just perform an exorcism right now? Sure, no one witnesses that bit, just the screaming meltdown.

But rather than voicing her bemusement, Michelle held out her hand, immediately taken by her little Isla, now grinning from ear to ear even as tear streaks still lined her face.

Isla looked up at her, all puffy eyes and smiles. “Mommy we find dowfins for Mama!”

“That’s a really good idea, Isla, we’ll see what we can find with dolphins-- Mama would really like that.”

So, it wasn’t exactly going to be a quick and easy shopping trip. If it meant the tantrums could be kept at bay, Michelle would take it but honestly… it would be the dolphin-treasure-hunting detours that she knew she’d hang onto forever. But she’d be damned if she wouldn’t remember that exorcising trick as well.

_________________________

USA, 2031

“Well,” Quinn said with an exhale as she sat down beside her mother, “it’s not come back, baby’s fine, and the doctor is pretty convinced I’m not sick at all.”

“Oh, Quinnie, thank goodness!” Fiona Kelly took her daughter in her arms and held her. “I knew, but… god, the places your mind goes to….”

Quinn knew those places all too well. She’d been ‘cured’ before, only to have her symptoms return. How could she possibly reassure her mother that it was different now, that what happened on La Huerta had permanently taken any trace of the condition from her body, when she herself felt utter dread every time she developed the smallest sniffle? She should have known morning sickness would be a nightmare for her.

“I’m just… ‘burnt at both ends’ is what the doctor called it. I told her everything I had on my plate and she looked at me like I was mad! I known Michelle tells me I take on too much, but I just tend to, you know, laugh it off. As if she can talk!”

“It’s hardly surprising, sweetpea. I remember the first time-- when we thought that experimental treatment had worked-- you spent every day trying to cram as much in as you possibly could in case the chance to do those things would never come again.”

Isla came skipping into the room, draped in a very pink, very sparkly number, something put together enthusiastically from her mountain of dress-ups. “Grandma, do you like my dress?”

Fiona beamed at the little girl. “It’s very pretty, Isla. Can you give us a twirl?”

As if that even needed asking. Isla turned in a flourishing pirouette, laughing. That tinkling laugh warmed Quinn’s heart and her soul. It was confronting to see just what innocence she’d have had when she herself was that age… before everything changed. It made it all the more precious. Yes, she’d taken on a lot, but nothing would come before making sure her little daughter had the easy, carefree childhood she hadn’t had. The kind she’d seen on television. In the kids playing in the streets on their bicycles-- with friends.

“I guess I never saw the things I have on my plate as ‘work’; it’s things I love. And I suppose that was enough until I went and put a pregnancy into the equation.”

Isla leaned up against her mother’s knees and looked up at Fiona. “Do you know the little, little baby in Mama’s tummy? It’s my brother or my sister.”

“I know!” Fiona gushed. “It’s very exciting. The baby in Mama’s tummy is going to be my grandbaby, so then I’ll have two! Isn’t that lucky!”

“I want it to be called ‘Pie’,” Isla said, deadly serious. “Pie is good. Spessolly the one we had when Bà came to our house for dinner.”

“I guess… ‘Pie Nguyen-Kelly’ has a unique kind of ring to it. We’ll have to talk to Mommy about that,” Quinn said diplomatically, trying not to laugh at the thought of the look on Michelle’s face should such a name be proposed. “But we have lots of time still. We’re probably going to think of lots of really nice names before we all decide together.”

Now, Isla was all but climbing into Quinn’s lap, nuzzling up like a puppy wanting pats. “I think the baby should be called ‘Pie’ or ‘Glitter’… or ‘Cuddles’.”

Quinn squeezed her and kissed her hair. The giggles were exactly what she needed after the doctor’s visit… and being given the realisation that something had to give. It would not be Isla. Already, Quinn had found herself being uncharacteristically sharp with the headstrong little girl, and it left her feeling sick with guilt even after apologies were said.

Fiona met her daughter’s eye, knowing. “You’ve poured so much into the foundation; no one would think ill of you taking a step back to have some more ‘mom time’. Besides… I think we both know your dad would absolutely throw himself into keeping things ticking over.”

“Yeah… I do know that,” Quinn said, and she found herself sniffing back tears.

“Mama, are you sad? Do you need to be kissed better?” Isla contorted herself so that she was fully bent over, twisted to look up into her mother’s face.

Baby, you are an actual angel.

“Don’t you worry-- Mama’s just fine,” Quinn reassured. “I’ve just realised that I have all the time in the world to do all the things I want to do. I’m going to have more fun and be less worried--”

“--and put your feet up and relax once in a while,” Fiona added for her. “For your own good, and Michelle’s, and Isla’s… and baby Cuddles.”

Isla’s eyes grew wide. “You think we should call it ‘Cuddles’?”

Fiona chuckled. “It’s got my vote so far. We’re a cuddly family!” She squeezed Quinn’s knee. “The foundation, ‘For Goodness’ Cake’, this little lady, and a pregnancy? Darling, you’re so very special, but you’re not a superhero.”

If only she knew…. But this was now, and Quinn had to admit the truth. Time to come up for air… and trust that she wasn’t fighting a ticking clock.

“I think Mama’s a superhero!” Isla loudly announced.

And that, Quinn knew, was the reason why.

__________________________

USA, February 2027

It was so easy. Easier than either of them had braced themselves for. Isla took her carefully measured amount of formula, burped on cue, and was now sleeping soundly in her bassinet while her mothers looked on, entranced.

Michelle rested her head on Quinn’s shoulder. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much at once. I’m so full of love right now, but the sadness is just… just stifling.” She sniffed. “I’m just so damn grateful Jen got to hold her. What a piss-poor consolation! But she almost didn’t even have that. It’s just fucking bullshit.”

Quinn looked at the tiny child in the crib, a little life already touched by Rotterdam’s, watching the rise and fall of her chest. They already knew that Isla didn’t have the condition, for Jen had insisted on screening in utero before deciding to go ahead with the pregnancy. Quinn understood completely, even as questions of ‘what if’s were stirred up in her. Isla couldn’t be shielded from what she’d lost though, and it sent an ache down to Quinn’s heart. How was it fair that the Island’s Heart had let her live, while others suffered and died of the same condition? This little angel might be sleeping soundly beside her real mother right now….

“I feel ashamed for being happy to have her, because I can’t separate it from how we have her,” Quinn said. “It really is just… love. Bittersweet and absolutely enormous. It reminds me-- this is going to sound stupid--” she added apologetically, but Michelle gestured for her to go on. “It reminds me of when the Island Heart was influencing me-- not when I was fully possessed-- but when there was something so strong, I could feel it filling me up from top to toe, and every inch of me could feel it. This love is like that. And that,” she chuckled softly, “kinda reminds me of our wedding day, only that was so much easier, no conflict, just pure joy.”

Michelle nodded, thoughtful. The poor child wouldn’t be looked on as something bittersweet forever, would she? Jen had no regrets, had been so proud of the little bundle of baby that had been placed in her arms, she reminded herself, so maybe everyone else would be able to look at things in a similar way. In time.

“Chellie…?” Quinn breathed. “How the hell do I ever tell her that something from beyond this world saved me, but couldn’t save her real mom?” The ‘r’ word slipped out before she could help it and she felt Michelle wince beside her. “God, sorry! I know I shouldn’t say that. We’re her moms too… I’m just so scared. It’s the most selfish thing; worrying that she’ll wish she didn’t have us at all, and she had Jen instead. I had the whole pregnancy to work through those stupid worries, but it turns out they’re not going anywhere.”

Michelle gave her wife a sympathetic look. She got it. She might not have the guilt Quinn felt over being cured, but she sure knew a thing or two about dreading that she’d be a let down to the daughter she already loved as her own.

“I think… worrying that she’ll resent us comes with the territory.” She reached into the crib and gently stroked the baby’s fine hair. “It absolutely breaks my heart that she’ll never meet her other mom, who loved her so much. I can’t see how that won’t be tough on her.”

____________________________

USA, 2034

Seven-year-old Isla sat at the kitchen bar, playing despondently with the last remnants of her breakfast. She knew her Mama, Quinn, had been keeping a close eye on her, noticing that she hadn’t quite been herself. Isla didn’t want her mom to worry. So, she braved the question. A big one. Perhaps the scariest of them all.

“Mama?” Isla asked quietly, her sparkling eyes slightly glazed over. “I- I’ve been thinking. And… wondering a bit.”

“Yeah? You do seem like you’ve been lost in thought these past couple of days. Has something been troubling you?”

Quinn nudged very gently, balancing out the need to show genuine interest in what was on her daughter’s mind, with the need to make sure no pressure was being exerted. She seemed to have a knack for it; Isla had always been very forthcoming-- sharing everything from troubles with her math homework, to social drama from the schoolyard, to those big worries about whether Mama might get sick with Rotterdam’s again and die just like Tummy Mom Jen did.

Isla looked down into her bowl as she spoke. “You and Mom… do you… do you think you would love me more if I was your own actual kid? Like… like Conor is.”

“Isla…,” Quinn said gently, and she came around the counter to put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Come sit down with me on the couch.”

They sat down together, little Isla hunched over herself, perched at the edge of the seat, while Quinn kept an arm around her, never letting the reassuring touch slip.

“You’re my daughter, sweetheart. You’re Mom’s daughter. Baby, you are our actual kid.”

“But-- but I’m not!”

“Y-you know love… it doesn’t really care about things like how you’re related. I love you for all the time we’ve spent together-- all the times you see I’m sad and you grab me a tissue and snuggle me until I’m smiling again. I’m really, really lucky you know. I have you, and I have Mr Con. I was just as excited to meet you as I was to meet him-- and just as nervous! I wanted to get everything right, and make you feel happy, and make you feel just how much I loved you. And from the moment you were born… I just love you so much it feels my heart isn’t even big enough to hold it all.”

Isla snuggled in, sniffling. “I’m sorry….”

“Darling, it’s okay! It’s natural to worry about things like that. You probably don’t know this, but Mom used to be worried that Conor wouldn’t love her as much as he loves me, because they weren’t related either.”

“What? But Conor loves Mom! He thinks Mom’s the best thing ever! I think he wants to be just like her when he grows up.”

“Exactly. These worries we have… they’re normal to have, but it doesn’t mean what we’re worried about is true at all.”

“So… so I didn’t hurt your feelings? I know you love me, I just wondered… if it was different, you know?”

“Of course not, angel.” Quinn kissed the top of Isla’s head with a loud ‘mwah!’. “It’s my job to put those little fears to rest-- you don’t deserve to have those worries hurting you, okay? You’re my special girl. The specialest.”

“That’s not even a word, Mama!”

Quinn squeezed her tightly, tight enough that there could never be any doubt of the love there. “Doesn’t matter, it’s still what you are!” She gave Isla another big kiss, and stroked her rosy cheek. “Tummy Mom Jen wold have said so too. She loved you so much, babe. Even when she was very sick, and very scared, knowing she was bringing you into the world made her feel brave.”

Isla looked up at her mom, big eyes watery. “It’s not fair that she died. I wish I could meet her. And give her her Mother’s Day card in person instead of putting it in the fire to go to heaven. We would be a really nice family.”

“We really would be. She’d be as proud of you as me and Mom are-- actually, I’m sure she is, wherever she’s looking down from.”

Sniffing, Isla gave a slow nod of the head. Quinn gently rubbed her arm, comforting her.

“Hey-- I wanted to bake some special cupcakes for Mom to celebrate this new job. Do you think you could help me out with the decorating? You do always manage to get them just the right amount of sparkly.”

The edge of Isla’s mouth twitched, a smile threatening to burst forth. That was a cheering-up activity if ever she heard of one. “W-we… um, we could decorate them like brains and stethoscopes, ‘cause Mom’s a brain doctor.”

“Not glittery-sparkly decorations? Are you trying something new, Isla?”

“I can make brain and doctor cupcakes glittery-sparkly. So they’re extra special for Mom. Do you think she’d like that?”

“Sweetie, she’d love that.”

Little Conor’s ears must have been burning, for he came toddling over from the rug on across the room where he’d been playing with building blocks, eyes wide.

“We a making steffyscup cakes?”

“We sure are, kiddo!” Quinn said, standing up and scooping her small son into her arms. At only three, Conor could only do so much to help in the kitchen, but there was no way she’d have him miss out on cupcake fun. Cupcake fun was her specialty. “I’m gonna need you each to pick out a really yummy flavour, something you think Mom will like.”

“I fink mud.”

“That’s gross! Mama! Mom does not like mud.”

“Okay, how about chocolate for Con?” Quinn could have burst out laughing at the look on Conor’s face; he clearly hadn’t considered that chocolate might have been rather yummier, but he was very suggestible to the idea. “And what do you think, La-la? It can be anything you like, even if it means we need a quick run to the shops.”

Still needy, Isla clasped Quinn’s hand and buried her face against her. “I want them sprinkles and glitter and strawberry,” she mumbled. “Really pretty for Mommy so she knows we love her.”

While Conor ran to grab his shoes, eager as he was to get some sweet treats happening, Isla hung back, still hugging Quinn’s waist.

Quinn crouched down to talk to her little girl and spoke to her softly.

“Isla? I’ve been thinking, sweetheart. It’s been a little while since we took you to Tummy Mom Jen’s grave… do you think you might like to go sometime to talk to her?”

“I would really, really, really like that, Mama,” Isla replied, a little muffled by her thumb and finger in her mouth-- a nervous habit. “Can we… can we go with Mommy, too? I want all my moms at the same time.”

Quinn cradled Isla’s head and kissed her. “Of course, baby. And you’ll always have us.”

_____________________________

San Trobida, 2036

Isla absolutely loved it there. ‘The Star of San Trobida’. It wasn’t the biggest holiday resort she’d ever stayed at, nor the fanciest, but it was the only one she knew that had forests up the walls and roofs outside and a beach and two pools and-- this was probably the best bit-- some of her La Huerta family around the place. She’d had to write about the family holiday to San Trobida for school, which had been pretty fun. Aleister was excited to be interviewed by her about the hotel and all its innovations in sustainability, and how it was helping put the small country on the international tourism map after years of civil war. Isla had interviewed Estela was well. She hadn’t gushed on nearly so much, but Isla got the impression she too was very, very proud of what Catalyst International had achieved.

So, when the nine-year-old woke up on the morning of her birthday-- and the last before they returned to their usual accommodation at the Hall’s place in Valle Brava-- she realised she wasn’t quite done with documenting her adventures. Did New Year’s resolutions only count at the beginning of the calendar year, or did birthdays count as a new year? Because she had a plan to start something fun.

“If I kept writing about our holiday-- not just the five-hundred words Mrs Mason wanted-- could I, like, print it off to keep? And then I could keep writing about all the exciting things we do all year!”

“That’s a really nice idea, Isla,” Quinn said brightly from the ensuite, where she was brushing her hair.

Michelle took a little longer to perk up of a morning, certainly before anything caffeinated had been administered, but she gave her daughter a warm-- if tired-- smile. “You really enjoyed that little piece of homework didn’t you?”

“It didn’t even feel like homework, which was weird,” Isla said. “Writing is kinda fun when you can write about stuff you care about. I wanted to do a travel journal for ages, but most of our holidays are to places that are too secret.”

“I know, baby,” Quinn said, sticking her head around the door frame. “But if you want to write about La Huerta, you can always keep a journal in our house over there? We can keep important things secret and still have fun, yeah?”

That gave Isla another idea. “If I write a load of stuff about going to San Trobida, I could take a few copies to La Huerta to give to my friends, like Talauet, and Zhaali, and Ashala. They can’t go and visit different places like this on their own!”

She jabbered excitedly, legs swinging off the side of the plush hotel bed, confident that her mothers were hanging on her every word. “And I know they can read English pretty well, but it would be nicer I think if Diego could help me out with translating into Vaanti-- and I could put photos with it and everything! Is it okay if I use the family tablet to write it all and to take pictures? I swear I won’t like… drop it in the sea or something.”

Quinn felt her heart swell at the passion in her daughter’s voice. “Just make sure it’s got the heavy duty case on. We all know it’ll end up in Conor’s hands at some point--”

“--and he’ll definitely drop it?” Isla finished, clearly knowing her younger brother’s points of weakness.

“He will definitely drop it,” Michelle attested, not bothering to hide a shudder. She loved her boy to absolute pieces, but that didn’t mean his tendency to crash through life wasn’t exhausting at times. She fished the tablet-- already sporting a few dings-- from the bedside drawer. “While we’re here, why don’t you start with taking some pictures of the hotel?”

Isla jauntily crawled up the bed on all fours, then knelt up to put her arms around Michelle. “D’you wanna be in the pictures?”

“Not until I’ve fixed my hair, thank you,” she replied, wicked-fast, making her daughter giggle.

“Okay! I think you’re always beautiful, but you can say when you think you’re beautiful enough for pictures.”

Quinn caught Michelle’s eye, her gaze brimming with adoration. It still made Michelle’s stomach flip, make her feel her strongest self. Actually-- why not capture these moments, messy and real as they were? This was her little girl’s ninth birthday, and these moments would never be had again.

“Screw it!” she said, and again, her giggly girl laughed, light and free. “If my bed hair’s on this holiday with us, it gets to be in the photos. We’d better grab Conor, though-- his PB&J face needs to be captured as well!”

Perfect was them like this, open and honest… a family.

___________________________

USA, February 2027

“Have you looked at your phone in a while?” Michelle called from the lounge. “Mine’s just about blowing up with messages. Zahra says, ‘congrats, happy for us, but not to take that as any sign that she wants to babysit ‘it’’. Aaaand separate text from Craig asking to babysit if we ever need it. Yeah, don’t think that’s happening.”

Quinn burst out laughing. It was wonderfully grounding to hear from their friends. This whole rollercoaster of hospitals, adoption, loss, and bringing home the baby left her feeling as though she was existing in a whole different world to everyone around her. While only Michelle was in the thick of it with her, the outpouring from family no matter how far away left her knowing that they weren’t going through it all alone. She joined Michelle and sat down beside her on the sofa.

“Poor Craig,” she chuckled. “I think he might just have to wait until bubba’s old enough to not be a Zahra repellent. I’m pretty sure she’ll want to hold a baby when hell freezes over.”

“Nice long text from Taylor, as if we’d expect anything else….”

Quinn took the phone and read, soon finding her face aching with a smile.

‘Don’t worry, not gonna try and get a conversation out of you-- just dropping a line to let you all (!) know that we’re thinking of you and we love you. Liv has been asking about baby Isla all day! Anyway, we’ve sent you an Uber Eats gift card for the likely event that you’re too exhausted to even think about cooking. Check your emails! I think Stel sent it to Michelle’s but not sure. Love you guys SO MUCH, over the moon for you and can’t wait to meet your gorgeous girl. Just know that we can be right there if you need anything at all, okay? Also, don’t freak out about replying to this long message-- just enjoy a good meal and we’ll hear from you when we hear from you. Massive hugs and congratulations! T & E & L xx’

“Aw, that’s really sweet!” she said. “Not gonna lie, I’m this close to crying from relief that we don’t have to cook….”

“Oh my god, hard same!” Michelle exclaimed. “You would think med school would prepare you for tired, but nooooo, apparently there are depths of exhaustion I hadn’t plumbed yet. Different emotions I guess.” She selected another message. “Raj is crazy excited to get back into experimenting with baby purees.”

Then she read aloud the message from Sean and her eyes grew misty.

‘Hey guys, had to send you my massive congratulations. Isla is gorgeous, and no matter how hard things feel right now, she’s so damn lucky to be growing up with you two as moms. After all the talking about it for so long, it’s crazy to think she’s really coming home with you! I know it’s hard to reach out when you’re exhausted, but don’t you ever forget that I’m here for anything you need-- we all are. You are both absolutely amazing.’

Michelle wiped her face. “Wow. That one really hit me. I guess… after everything we went through, it means a lot.” She looked up to Quinn’s smiling eyes. “I’m gonna have to save all these. Pretty sure we’re gonna need to remember this feeling when things get tough.”

“Yes,” Quinn said, and she leaned in and softly kissed her wife’s lips. “And we’re gonna need to remember that we’re not doing this alone. Isla may not know it yet, but she’s got a big family who love her to pieces.”

________________________

USA, 2038

Isla cried and cried and cried. Her slight body shook even as she buried it in Michelle’s arms… whatever comfort she gleaned didn’t take away the hurt like a knife to her chest.

White hot anger surged through Michelle’s body, engulfing her from head to toe. She knew this kind of ugliness all too well-- how utterly naiive to even dare hope that Isla might get through her childhood without being made a victim. What could she even do to help but be there for her?

Quinn came back to them on the couch, having seen that Conor was happy playing away in a sea of Legos on his bedroom floor. It was just as well, for Isla needed support. Of course, Quinn knew that kids could be cruel, but having been so socially deprived had made it a somewhat distant concept. Here and now, looking upon her sweet girl, all dressed up for a party after saving up for a new outfit specially, and so proud of the jewellery she’d spent hours hand-crafting as a gift for her best friend, only to be told-- texted of all things-- that she wasn’t invited after all, her spot taken by the popular new girl in their year… it was shocking, and it damn near broke Quinn’s heart.

“That’s it, my darling,” she cooed, rubbing a hand gently on Isla’s shaking arm. “You just cry it all out, okay? We’ve got you.”

She glanced up and met her wife’s eye. Michelle looked ready to punch someone. It wasn’t often Quinn felt that kind of anger, but with her daughter sobbing in her arms… she got it. What anger wouldn’t do, though, was help Isla.

Michelle, clearly taking great efforts to not let her fury affect Isla, rubbed her arm. “Hey… we know we can’t make up for what you’re missing out on, and that sucks. What we can do, babe, is give you a special night in; you choose the movies, you choose the snacks, and manicures are on me.”

Isla sniffed, her face crumpled. “But I don’t have any friends. H-how sad do I have to be to have a party on my own?”

Quinn kissed her temple. “You’ve got us. And… hey!-- how about we see if Liv’s free? Friends still count as friends even if you’re hanging out down a video call.”

It didn’t seem likely to Isla that anyone would want to go out their way to keep her company when she felt like absolute crap, but she nodded, humouring her moms' well-intentioned desire to make her feel better. But then, not a half hour later, she was talking to her special friend all the way in San Trobida.

“You don’t have to hang out with me if you don’t want to,” Isla said softly, apologetic, unaware that her shattered confidence and self-worth on full display brought her listening mothers close to tears. “It’s okay….”

On the tablet screen, Liv simply looked baffled. This wasn’t the self-important rather pushy Isla that she knew. “What? As if! We haven’t talked in ages. And, well, if you’ve had a shit time of it, I’m not letting you go until you feel at least a little better. You’ve bullied me into feeling happy enough times not for me to return the favour, you know.”

Isla’s lip quivered. “Thanks.”

“Do, uh,” Liv ventured, a little unsure, “do you want to talk about it?”

Isla hugged herself. “Not really, I’ll only start crying again and my face is puffy enough already.”

“Bet your Mom’s got something for that.”

“Yeah. Best part of being a sad sack is that Mom’ll break out the fanciest face cream to make me feel better. I know I don’t even need to use lotions or anything yet, but it makes me feel confident like Mom.” Even talking about it did something to perk Isla up. Her moms were going to spoil her rotten until she was feeling herself again; games and cupcakes and pampering would be the remedies of choice. “Well… basically,” she said, feeling braver, “what happened was Paisley ditched me for Alison again. Only this time it’s for her actual birthday party… that she invited me to months ago. So… so I pretty much don’t have any real friends.” Isla’s lip wobbled dangerously, and the lump in her throat was choking. She gave in, and the tears came once more. “I-it’s not fair! I never did-did anything to her except be her friend.”

“Oh, La, that really sucks. I’m so sorry. I wish I could just give you the biggest hug right now!”

Isla whimpered. “I wish you could too.” She trembled as she sat there. “Alison says it’s because I’m a-- because I’m bossy.” She couldn’t bring herself to repeat exactly what Alison had called her.

“But you’re good bossy,” Liv argued. “Whenever I hurt myself, you never leave me the hell alone until I get patched up. You barge in and take over whatever the twins are doing because you’re older and you want to make sure they know how to do things properly so they stay safe. And when everyone was first learning Erin’s new pronouns you gave the filthiest looks when anyone got it wrong. Fair sure it caught on so quick partly because everyone cared so much, and partly because no one wanted to incur your wrath. E felt so good to know you had her back-- you know you’ve always been one of her idols, right?”

Isla’s cheeks had gone quite pink. She scoffed, looking at her hands. “It doesn’t seem like anyone outside my La Huerta friends see it that way….”

“Then they’re dumbasses, and they’re missing out.”

“Yeah, but I’m missing out too. You try and survive middle school with no friends-- it’s bullshit!”

Even through the screen, the empathy in Liv’s face shone through. “I know. It really is horrible, and you don’t deserve any of it. I’ve been there… a lot. If you ever need to vent, you can throw me a message any time. Or even just to talk about any old crap. Don’t even worry about bothering me, okay? I always like to hear from you.”

“...Yeah?” Isla asked, uncharacteristically meek. Liv was a good deal older than her-- nearly fifteen and a real teenager-- and didn’t really need to waste her time with what must seem to her like a little kid. But Liv never let her feel like just a little kid, and right now, it was exactly what she needed.

“Yeah! I’m actually not doing too bad for friends here now, but I don’t have anyone who I’m really close to other than Reggie. I’ve always been a little on the outside. And yeah, it’s kinda shit, but it also makes the people who matter really stand out. You’ve always been one of them.”

Isla smiled and smiled, blushing from her cheeks to her ears to the back of her neck. “You’ll always be my friend too, Livi.” She took a shuddering exhale, a breath she didn’t realise she was holding, and knew she was fine. Somehow, the hurt in her heart was dulled. “Hey, do you wanna watch a movie with me? Do you like Labyrinth? It’s one of Mama’s favourites from when she was little and needed cheering up… and David Bowie in those tights cracks me up.”

“Ohmygod, yeeessss!” Liv cried. “As long as you don’t mind Mama Tay showing up in the background and singing along like the total dork she is. Oh! Oh, oh! We can get Reggie and the twins in on this too! Reggie’s a total nerdface… he’ll spend the whole time just studying the mechanics of the puppets and crapping on about the pain-staking detail. Anyway-- I can call them if you like?”

Actually… that sounded rather wonderful. Paisley could keep her shitty stuck-up party; Isla had better things to do and better friends to give her time. And by the sound of her mom’s car rolling up back in the driveway after a quick supply run, a bitchin’ pedicure was soon to be had.

__________________________

USA, February 2027

A cry from the crib wrenched Quinn and Michelle from a too-brief kiss and embrace.

Quinn smiled against her wife’s lips. “I’ll take diaper duty if you get a bottle prepared?”

“Sounds like a deal.” Michelle kissed her once more, a quick peck before Isla’s cry grew louder, sharper. “Take turns?”

Quinn laughed softly. “That’s a plan!”

She went to little Isla and took her in her arms, hushing her and gently rocking her. Those whimpers were like a pull to her very heart, not unlike the feeling she had when tethered to the Island Heart. How Isla came to be in her care was irrelevant to it; she felt the love of a mother, and it was beautiful and all-encompassing.

As Quinn brought Isla out to the changing table and undid her diaper, she called out to Michelle; “We’ve got a lot of pee in here, but no poops! Did you catch the time for your records?”

“Thanks, babe!” Came the reply. “Yep, already got that sleep logged!”

One day in and Michelle was already big on tracking and managing ‘wake windows’, getting the very beginnings of a routine in place. Quinn went along with it, though she would have been perfectly happy keeping things a little more relaxed; if structure helped Michelle cope with the chaos that came with parenting a new baby, she’d take her lead.

She brought a clean and happy Isla through to Michelle and they all snuggled up together on the couch. Quinn passed the baby on and felt her heart swell as she watched Michelle feed her.

Michelle looked up and met Quinn’s warm smile. “This is terrifying. But… we’ve got this.” She gave a little laugh. “I’ll have to tell you when my year out’s done whether babies are better or worse for the stress levels than a medicine residency.”

Quinn chuckled appreciatively and leaned in close to kiss Michelle, feeling their sweet daughter safely nestled between them.

Yeah. We’ve got this. Little baby girl, you’d better brace yourself, because there’s gonna be a lot of love coming your way.

_________________________

Dark rings circled Jen’s eyes, even more noticeable now as her face hollowed. That deep tiredness, though, couldn’t hide the bright spark in her eyes when Quinn and Michelle sat down at her bedside with the news that they’d picked out a name for her approval.

“Right now,” Quinn said, nervous, for already she’d found herself attached to the name, “we’re pretty sure we want to go with ‘Isla Quy’. If you like it.”

“That’s pretty. I’m assuming ‘Quy’ is Vietnamese?”

Michelle nodded. “It means ‘precious’. My family has a tradition of using a Vietnamese name as a middle; I really wanted to carry that on. So, Isla Quy Nguyen-Kelly.”

Jen beamed. “I really, really like that. Our baby Isla.” She groaned, leaning into the pillow. “That helps. Her having a name. I’m glad you freaking finally decided on something; I was beginning to think I’d die with a nameless baby.”

“Not on our watch,” Michelle said. “You’re her mom; a name to call her is the least we can give you.”

For a little while, Jen was quiet, exhausted from even the exertion of a small happy thrill. It was bullshit.

“You wouldn’t believe the looks I get,” she said darkly, her voice a croak. “People don’t know what to say to a dying girl. Throw in a baby bump? I’m not sure what’s worse, the condescending pity or the scathing judgement.”

“They just don’t have a clue,” Quinn said. She’d seen those looks; they made her stomach clench. What people couldn’t understand, they’d sneer at; safe and detached, and condescending.

“Nah, they don’t. I mean, look at me. Deathbed at twenty. You’d think the world might have owed me something good, something that might make my shit-show of a life worthwhile? That’s what Isla is. Can’t I have that? My little girl living, laughing, loved and happy, long after I’m worm-food in the ground.”

“And she will be, you know. So, so loved.”

“You don’t expect kids to happen, not with Rotterdam’s. If it can’t be my miracle, I’m glad she’ll be yours. In a small way, it feels like I’m winning. Got to take those small victories.”

She rested a hand tenderly on her belly. It was likely she’d never know her child, but knowing the baby’s name made the little one so much more solid, real to her. The movements in her body were not some trick of an illness; they were Isla Quy Nguyen-Kelly.

As victories went, Isla wasn’t even a small one; she was everything.

#quinchelle #endless summer #michelle x quinn #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #quinn x michelle #catalyst kiddos #playchoices

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 1 year

Text

Carpe Diem - Chapter 10

Pairing: Sketchbook (Kaisa/Johanna)

Summary: Carpe diem: one of the five latim mottos of the arcadist, or neoclassical movement. Literally translates to "seize the day"

Picking up where Locus Amoenus left off, this fic follows the lives of Kaisa and Johanna for a couple weeks as their feelings grow and develop. Updated weekly.

Notes: Hey, guys! Sorry for having skipped last week. In my defense, it wasn’t a cliffhanger. Anyway, I hope you guys are still up for this story! Btw "Pasargada" in the first paragraph is a reference to the poem "Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada" (I'm leaving for Pasárgada, in English). It's just supposed to represent an idealized place, but I like to pop Brazilian lit references bc why not :)

Read it on ao3 or read the first installment on this verse or read the second installment on this verse

When Johanna drove back home, much later into the evening after having spent a lovely afternoon with Kaisa, saying she was on cloud nine felt like it fell flat in comparison to her feelings. She was in heaven. She was in Pasargada. She was in Ancient Greece, about to deliver an offering to Aphrodite in thanksgiving for blessing her with her beloved. Cloud nine was nothing compared to how she felt.

So, of course, she had had to share it. Edmund hadn’t been home when she arrived, making her assume he was working on his professor’s project. She could have texted him the news, but this felt like something that was too big to deliver over text. This deserved drumrolls and pomp, and she wanted to make sure she could see his face when she told him. That being the situation, she decided to do the next best thing and pay her best friend a visit, both to gossip and to let him know he would still be hearing a lot about Kaisa, but under very different circumstances now.

Alfred lived in a student accommodation which was also inside the campus, a short walk away from Johanna’s house. The flat was shared between him and two other alumni, a Weather Sciences graduate who was doing a masters in fire sciences and another one that frankly, nobody could figure out what he did. Johanna had been there enough times to show up uninvited, and as the door had been unlocked when she arrived, she allowed herself in.

“Guys?” She announced herself by saying. “It’s Johanna. Is Alfred here?”

“In the kitchen, Jo!” Came his voice through the wall that separated the entrance corridor, which had the doors to each of their bedrooms, from the communal area, which consisted of a living room and an attached kitchen. When she walked in there, the three of them were in the process of making dinner.

In the back of her mind, Johanna thought that there would definitely not be dinner for her that night. Even if she hadn’t eaten her fill for the day from the spread Kaisa had made them, she was far too giddy to be able to eat anything else. It felt like tiny explosions of fireworks inside her belly.

“Good night, you three!” She said, a little breathlessly and accompanied by a happy wave. It was enough to make Alfred stop chopping a tomato and lift his eyebrows at her. He knew her well enough to pick up on the sudden bright mood. “How do you do?”

“Well enough, thanks.” Answered the guy whose major nobody knew, as he was putting something in the oven. He had long, curly brown hair that fell over his face and made it hard to distinguish his features. The other one, who kept his black hair tied back in a neat bun, offered her a smile and a ‘same here’.

“Would you guys mind if I talked to Al for a minute?”

There was no need to ask, of course. Alfred had already stopped his salad preparations and was wiping his hands to go give her attention, but the other guys were nice and Johanna didn’t want to disturb their meal prep. Both assented, and Johanna let her friend guide her to his room where they could have more privacy.

Alfred’s bedroom was impeccably neat, exactly like she imagined the inside of his mind must be like. There was not a single book out of place, and not a single crease on his duvet. Until she unceremoniously sat on it, that is, and she almost felt bad for it. Her spirits were lifted too high for any guilt to register on her mind. After closing the door behind them, he sat down on his desk’s chair and made her retell, word by word, exactly what had happened.

Even if she’d tried to do it to the best of her ability, her mind was too convoluted with chart topping amounts of adrenaline and oxytocin for a single coherent thought to come to her, so she often had to take back a sentence after she realized she’d forgotten to mention something that came before it, or had to repeat the same point in the story twice to make sure it was accurate enough for him to get a crystal clear image of what had happened.

He was over the moon for her, as expected. Johanna was sure Kaisa would eventually get a ‘hurt Johanna and you’re dead’ speech, but it was much more likely that this would come from her cousin rather than Alfred. His style of support was much more like helping Johanna overanalyse their interactions than making sure Kaisa knew she’d regret it if she messed up. It was something she was grateful for, of course, but unfortunately it meant that he was armed with a lot of realism to cut through Johanna’s haze.

Which meant that he’d noticed the lack of usage of the ‘g’ word in Johanna and Kaisa’s conversations.

“Isn’t it kind of obvious, though?” Johanna asked when he pointed it out. “We both made it clear we like each other a lot. Doesn’t this make us automatically girlfriends?”

The look Alfred gave her told her he knew damn well she was trying to convince herself through wishful thinking.

“From the girl who asked to hold your hand and then didn’t make a single move until you spelled your feelings out for her? No. I think this situation calls for being stark clear, Jo.”

When she arrived back home, still thinking about Alfred’s advice, Edmund had already come back and settled with a book on their couch. His pretend annoyance when Johanna walked up to him and said she needed to talk to him faded as soon as he noticed where the conversation was going. As soon as she mentioned Kaisa with a besotted schoolgirl voice, he sat up and told her to sit down by his side, clearly hanging on her every word.

All things considered, he did a great job of pretending to be nonchalant and only mildly invested in their relationship, offering her nothing but brief well wishes before announcing he was still very tired from the night before and going to bed. Johanna wasn’t fooled for a second. Deny as he might, Ed was a softie at heart, and she rolled her eyes lovingly as he walked away to his room. Maybe ‘pretends to be cold, is actually a dork’ was just her type of person.

Johanna had only just decided that a cup of tea was what she needed for the heaviness of somnolence to begin to fall over her when her phone whistled with a text.

Kaisa 🐈‍⬛🔮

…So apparently Tildy and Frida had placed a bet on when we’d get together.

Doing her best not to allow her kettle to drip water before she placed the lid on it, Johanna barked a laugh. A wave of affection for Kaisa’s family washed over her as she quickly typed a response.

omg that’s so Them

I bet Tildy won

Kaisa wasn’t typing for long before the answer came.

Tildy won.

Now she’s bragging about ‘believing in me’ or something. I’m never going to tell her the first move wasn’t mine.

Give urself some credit! Johanna typed, you told me you had been wanting to show me her garden that time. pretty good flirt, if you ask me

The typing sign was off for a considerable couple of seconds, which Johanna took as her typical baffled silence.

I was FLIRTING??????

Oh, good God.

She really did have some work ahead of her.

………

Even though they very much wanted to, it was impractical for them to meet on Sunday. Johanna had a group project to work on, and Kaisa, as always, was getting desperate about all that she still had to study. It didn’t stop them from texting all throughout the day, however, and they kept sending each other little nothings that had brought them joy (with the exception of the text Kaisa had sent her asking why she was getting bizarre threats from her cousin).

It was on Monday that they did meet. Johanna had just left a lecture, and Kaisa had arrived early for hers so they could eat together in the cafeteria. The sun was at its peak when they met in the humanities garden, and Johanna felt static energy all around her when she saw Kaisa approaching her with a coy smile and rosy cheeks.

“Hey!” Closing the space between them with eager steps, Johanna pulled her into a hug as soon as she was in arms length. She felt Kaisa’s arms sneaking around her middle as well as the smile on her face when she buried it in Johanna’s shoulders, and scented lavender on her hair. “I missed you. You look beautiful.”

Two months ago, Kaisa would have rolled her eyes and pointed out how they had seen each other the day before yesterday. She would have looked the other way if any couple was being as sappy in front of her, and considered herself too busy and focused on more important things to waste her time similarly.

That Kaisa was probably dead in a ditch at that point.

“Why do you say that?” She asked and didn’t move away from Johanna, not even an inch. She’d done her best to reign it in when picking her clothes for college, catching herself wanting to dress up as if she was going on a date. She supposed she was, but she was pretty sure she’d heard those romance movies that Tildy enjoyed so much saying it did no good to overdo your attempts to impress someone. It only made you look desperate.

But then again, she was currently clinging to Johanna like a koala, so she wasn’t sure she was doing too well on the desperation front.

“Because it’s true, and it’s true everyday, and I’m tired of limiting the amount of times I say it to you.” When she stepped back - minimally, their arms were still around each other, but looser now - Johanna was smiling and gazing into her eyes like she wanted to try and drown in them. “I thought you were the prettiest person I’ve ever seen since the first time I laid my eyes on you. I still can’t believe my luck that you let me be near you.”

If Kaisa had been blushing before, the way she felt like she had been for the whole weekend, now her face was burning up. What the fuck. People should <em>not</em> be allowed to talk like that in public. How was she expected to know how to deal with this?

“You sound like a medieval troubadour poet.” She said, trying and failing not to smile. Aware of Johanna’s eyes on her, she looked down at the grass as if it held the secrets that would save her from acting like a ridiculous teenager in love.

“Well, did they get the girl?”

“No, they usually died at the wars of reconquest first.”

For a moment, Kaisa was afraid she should have thought of something smooth and flirty to answer instead of blunt honesty, her worries were put to rest by Johanna’s twinkling laughter.

“Sucks for them, but I already consider myself more successful than their lot.” Her eyes were sparking with satisfaction when Kaisa dared to look back. “Shall we go? You must be starving after your long trip all the way here.”

After they untangled themselves from each other’s arms, Kaisa curtsied before her. “You know I would hike through the harshest terrains to get a glimpse of you, my lady.”

Though she scrunched her nose playfully, Johanna’s face gave away her delight as she hooked her arm through the one that Kaisa had offered her.

“Very on brand of you to try and outdo me, Don Quijote.”

“Don Quijote was insane, Anna.”

“And you aren’t?”

Gladly allowing herself to be defeated, Kaisa chuckled and pretended she wasn’t seeing the way Johanna was looking at her with so much open fondness through the corner of her eye. There had to be a limit of happiness you could feel at once without spontaneously combusting, right?

Something told her that she would go a good length of time testing that theory in the future.

………

“Listen, I’m not questioning you, I just don’t get it!”

They had just finished eating the somewhat questionable food that was offered in the nearest cafeteria, and technically it was time for Johanna to go home and study and for Kaisa to head to her lecture, but they loathed the idea to leave each other. Johanna had already suggested that Kaisa went to her house after the lecture so they could be together a little longer and she could drop her off at home, but it still felt like they were glued to their chairs, both unwilling and unable to separate from one another for any amount of time.

“I mean, what’s the philosophy behind it if you don’t eat any other animal, but do fish meat? What have they done? Have they sinned against you?”

“Yes.” Kaisa answered, her hands flat on her lap and her back straight as she kept her face the most serious she possibly could. “Fish do not blink. I don’t trust them. Therefore, they are sinners and deserve death by my fork.”

Johanna buried her face in her hands and laughed, taking Kaisa with her when she could no longer keep up the bit. She herself had considered turning vegan many times, especially since she began living with Edmund, but she knew she didn’t have the resolution to commit to it just yet. Kaisa, though, was nothing if not committed. In fact, Johanna was willing to place a bet on her only eating fish solely so she could make that joke.

“Okay, Kai, you win.” She said after taking one last sip out of her water bottle. “I subscribe to your brand of fishtianity.”

She bowed her head solemnly. “Welcome, new convert.” When she rightened her posture again, there was a teasing lopsided smile on her lips. “We’re going to have to find something else for you to call me now, though. ‘Kai’ is what Frida calls me and now it’s kind of… weird.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. I’m going to be straight with you, ‘sisterly’ is not how I picture our relationship being from now on.”

“Anna, that’s the least straight you could possibly be.”

It was a good thing she had finished her drink, otherwise she would have choked.

As she watched Kaisa look at her with a mischievous sort of satisfaction in her eyes, Johanna briefly wondered if she had been aware of this very issue when she gave her a nickname different from that which her family and friends called her by, but dispelled that thought when she remembered how very much unaware Kaisa had been when making moves on her. In that aspect, the girl really seemed as thick as the books she read.

Which brought her to the matter she’d been mulling over since talking to Alfred.

The conversation had given her the perfect hook to pop the ‘what are we’ question. Even if a loud cafeteria wasn’t the place she would have preferred that to happen, it was a quick and easy chance to end the dilemma that had been troubling her. She was just analyzing whether it would be too sappy to hit Kaisa with ‘can I call you mine, then?’, and whether Kaisa would even understand it as not being a joke, when a voice she didn’t recognize spoke from behind her.

“Kaisa, oh thank goodness, I have been looking for you everywhere!”

Johanna turned her head to see where that had come from, but not before she saw Kaisa’s eyebrows rise up in amusement.

“Well, in the new century we have this thing called ‘cellphones’ that we can use to talk to people. They really are quite magical, though I know elderly people like yourself can have some trouble with them.”

The tall woman squinted at Kaisa, her wild grey hair falling over her face.

“Didn’t know the humanities people were allowed to use them, that’s all.” She answered, sarcasm dripping from her words. “From the way you lot speak, I thought you were still sending pigeons to each other.”

Johanna’s presence was noticed by the newcomer when she snorted. Her eyes immediately softened when she noticed someone else was accompanying Kaisa.

“Oh, hello.” She said, looking like she didn’t exactly know what to do. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Johanna greeted her back politely, quite confused but willing to try to fit in on that unexpected situation. Across from her in the booth, Kaisa sighed.

“Johanna, this is Victoria. She’s the asshole friend I told you about.”

Victoria’s eyes shined with recognition when Kaisa said her name. She stepped closer, and offered her her hand. Assuming that this was just how she greeted people, Johanna gave her hers for a handshake.

“Ah, so you’re the Johanna I’ve heard so much about!” She said cheerfully despite Kaisa’s clear warning glare. “A true shame your situation, I’m sorry to hear you’ve been burdened with being on the receiving end of this creep’s affection.”

“Victoria.” Kaisa hissed. “If you’re done, could you please just tell me why you’re looking for me?”

The woman blinked, and the spark in her eyes was replaced by a cloud of concern as she was reminded of her message. She bit the inside of her cheek and fiddled with her labcoat’s hem.

“Oh, that.” There was a stiffness to her voice now. “I’m sorry, maybe we should talk about that alone.”

Kaisa frowned. Victoria wasn’t usually one for seriousness. She only carried things like a burden when their weight hid a true importance, and the only time she could remember seeing her look truly austere was when comforting Kaisa after they met, when she had been crying in a hidden nook. Besides, she’d just confessed to Johanna for her, which, mind you, was concerning since Victoria had not opened Kaisa’s messages since the prior week and had no way of knowing they were actually on the same page now. Her saying they needed privacy wasn’t a good bearing.

"It's okay.” Kaisa found herself saying anyway. “I’m sure that whatever it is, it’s okay if Anna hears it.”

Still standing up beside their table, Victoria glanced at Johanna so quickly it was almost imperceptible, not quite sure about that affirmation.

“If you say so.” She reached into her labcoat’s pocket and picked up a small metal device. Kaisa recognized it as being one she’d shown her in her lab once, a small recorder Victoria had built herself so she could easily record experiments without a bigger gadget holding her down or having to bring her phone into the lab. There was also something about resisting ‘extreme weather events’, but she hadn’t been paying that much attention. “But I warn you that it’s upsetting.”

She placed the device in her hands, and sat down in front of her, by Johanna’s side in the booth. Both of them watched Kaisa closely and with concern, as she ignored the drumming of her heart and brought the machine close to her ear, finally pressing play.

#my fic #fic: cd #verse: carpe diem #sketchbook ship #sketchbook ship hilda #sketchbook ship fanfic #kaisa hilda #johanna hilda #sketchbook college au

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robertlaskarzewski · 1 year

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Fourteenth Week

Hi, my name is Robert Laskarzewski, and I am currently a sophomore at the Darla Moore School of Business studying International Business and Marketing. I’m a part of the International Business Responsible International Leadership (RIL) program and will spend the Spring and Fall semesters at the ESSEC Cergy campus. I was born and raised in California, about an hour away from San Francisco. I chose to attend the University of South Carolina specifically because of the RIL program and the amount of time abroad that was offered. Once I was accepted, it was an easy choice to choose to pursue my studies there.

Unsurprisingly, I started my Monday by going to the Paris Flea Market again. I realized that the market was far bigger than I had realized. There were two or three other sections that I had not stepped foot in until this week – I’ll be back in the coming weeks for sure. I also went to go get some of my film developed at a place called Negatif, an independent film developing studio in the center of Paris. I had found it on google and the place was really interesting and exactly what I expected of a film developing shop. Later whence I was back in Cergy, I visited the Église Saint-Christophe de Cergy, a church near the Cergy port area (construction beginning in the 12th century and finishing in the 13th century).

On Tuesday, I had my final for my E-business class which was taken in-person but online. On Wednesday, I did another long run to the Axe Majeur of Cergy where I could take in the nice weather we were having. I also had my last class session for my EU history class, one of my favorite classes that I’ve had so far. On Thursday, I had part of my French language final where we had to listen to several audio excerpts and answer some questions about them (I thought it was easier than the mid term that we had).

On Friday, I had my final Responsible Marketing class where my group had to present our final proposition for Longchamp (a recycled leather jewelry program) and a video along with it. Afterwards, I went to Paris to pick up my developed film but unfortunately, out of the 72 pictures I had taken, (2 rolls of 36 pictures) only 4 had been captured correctly a bleak 5% success rate. Although I was a little disappointed, I knew that this was just part of the learning process and that I can only hope to improve upon it. Either way, I received a refund from the store, so it wasn’t a complete loss. For dinner, I went to a restaurant in the port with some of my friends and I got a big hamburger.

On Saturday, the only thing on my agenda was attending the Paris F.C. game against Saint-Étienne – a team with lots of history and a successful past but now is stuck in the second division of French soccer. As soon as I arrived, my heart was in my stomach as I saw the crowds of green gathering outside the stadium (green being the color of Saint-Étienne). Although P.F.C. was technically ranked higher than Sainté, I knew that the number of supporters could be troublesome for my beloved Parisians. Less than a minute in, the visitors were a goal up – a nightmare scenario for the home team. I thought there was no way the team could get back into the game after being shocked by such an early goal, but they were somehow able to scrape back one goal. Then another. The home crowd was flying, the belief was there that a win was possible. Less than five minutes later, the visitors scored again, putting the Parisians back at square one. Two quick consecutive goals for the visitors in the second half meant that all hope was lost by the end of the game. The visitors’ end was roaring with their devoted fans, and it felt like the stadium was being dominated by green shirts in the stands. Despite the loss, the home fans (myself included) still clapped for the team as they left the field after the game to put in a valiant performance against a side with such huge support.

On Sunday, I was supposed to have an Easter brunch with several of the members of my cohort, but unfortunately the plans fell through. Instead, I ended up getting an early dinner with some of my friends at a small taco restaurant. It was good but could not compare to what I would be able to get in the states. Afterwards, we got ice cream and wandered throughout Parc Monceau, a pretty park that was filled with locals and tourists alike, soaking in the sunny weather.

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the-naked-king · 9 months

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a cup of nostalgia

fandom: ensemble stars

characters: tenshouin eichi, sakuma ritsu & shino hajime

word count: 1629 words

summary: eichi is sick so hajime and ritsu bring a tea party to him in an attempt to cheer him up

3 pm.

It was around the scheduled time that FLAVOR would meet. This week they had been planning on hosting a tea party in the gardens. The weather was also perfect for it— the sun was actually out compared to the previously gloomy days. Everyone was actually able to coordinate a meet up which was rare given the circle had grown outside the Yumenosaki tea club so finding a time where everyone could meet up was difficult.

Truly it was a set up for a wonderful tea party… except for the fact that Eichi was yet again stuck at the hospital.

Weather fluctuations and a busy schedule did no favors for him. Maybe it was his own fault for not admitting when his body needed a break and this was the consequence for his careless mistakes.

While he felt a lot better, the doctor suggested he stay another night for observations— fortunately Eichi had this day off in advance, so he wasn’t missing any important work. Unfortunately, his day was being wasted away in this dreadful hospital room.

There was not much to do except wallow in self pity and hatred. Watching tv did not help the slightest bit— his go to entertainment only reminded him that he could not even do his job in his current condition. All that there was left to do was stare out the window, which didn’t really help him feel any better as all he could think about was the fact that he was missing out on the tea party.

Quite honestly, whether or not he would actually admit it out loud, he was looking forward to the tea party. It was one of the few opportunities where he could simply forget about everything and enjoy a cup of tea with his friends— it was his own personal sanctuary. Even though it was different from what he was used to in high school. It carried on to be his safe space.

Oh what he would do for a cup of tea brewed by Hajime and one of Ritsu’s questionable looking but scrumptious pastries.

“I suppose I shall have to wait until we can schedule another meet up.” Eichi sighed to himself before his moment of self pity was interrupted.

Knock. Knock.

Ah, it must be one of the nurses coming to check on him for what was the fifth time this afternoon. “Come in.”

The door creaked open, but rather than a nurse, Hajime peaked in. “Excuse the intrusion… Can I come in?”

Eichi looked back surprised, though his expression was quick to fade into a warm smile. “Did I not just say come in?”

“R-Right! Sorry!” Hajime’s face flushed as he opened the door to come in, Ritsu following closely behind him carrying a bag on his shoulder.

“And what do I owe for this visit? I assumed that you two would be busy with the tea party. Were you not supposed to meet up around this time?”

“Hmm~? Is Ecchan not happy to see us? C’mon Haakun… let’s just go. It seems our visit is not appreciated.” Ritsu yawned in response and attempted to turn around only for Hajime to pull him back by his sleeve.

“You know that is not what he was implying, Ritsu-oniichan.” Hajime sighed, pulling Ritsu to Eichi’s bedside. “The tea party got postponed until we can decide on another day that would work for everyone… but we didn’t want the things going to waste so we thought we would bring the tea party to you.”

Had it been canceled because of him? While Eichi did not want to assume that much importance to his position in the group, there was still a tinge of guilt if that were the case. It was difficult to coordinate a day where everyone could attend, especially when the weather was as perfect as it was today. Who knows when the next time they will be able to meet will be.

“I mean, it kindah worked out anyways… the other two got called for some last minute stuff with their units. The plan was kind of ruined to begin with.” Ritsu seemed to have taken note of Eichi’s subtle disappointment upon hearing about the rescheduling. “Haakun brewed some tea… It should still be hot in the thermos. I made some pastries.”

As he spoke, Ritsu brought a chair around to the other side of Eichi’s bed. Hajime muttered a quiet ‘excuse me’ as he wheeled the little tray table over to the bed. It wasn’t anything like the set ups they were used to— nice spacious tables with a nice little table cloth. Cute little tea pots, tea cups and centerpieces to go along with the theme of their tea parties. Rather than, it was three plastic cups, a thermos and tupperware of Ritsu’s homemade desserts.

Nothing too fancy (or at all)... but still, it was about to become one of their fondest memories together.

“Tea is good for your health. I picked a blend which would give Eichi-oniichan immunity a good boost.” Hajime proudly proclaimed as he poured the blend into a cup for Eichi who graciously accepted it.

“Thank you, both of you.” Eichi held the cup between his hands, the warmth trickling his skin as he breathed in the calming aroma of the tea which lifted his spirits almost immediately. “Though, you did not have to trouble yourself because of me.”

Ritsu clicked his tongue as he leaned back against his chair. “You think a little too much of yourself, Ecchan. We just didn’t want to waste the refreshments and the other two were busy so…”

“You are an awful liar, Ritsu-oniichan.” Hajime giggled and passed Ritsu a cup of warm tea before taking a seat across from him. “You were the one who suggested we bring the tea party to Eichi-oniichan because you were worried that he would be upset about missing out.”

Ritsu blushed slightly, caught in his own deception, though he could not really deny the truth even when Eichi looked at him all smug.

“Is that true, Ritsu-kun? I must say I am deeply touched. I had no idea you held me so high in regards.” Eichi teased, gaze shifting to the cup in his hands. He brought the cup to his lips, taking a small sip of the contents— it was pleasantly bitter, filling him with instant warmth, flavors bursting on his taste buds. Hajime never disappointed when it came to brewing tea. This was just what he needed.

Choosing to ignore that comment, Ritsu nudged the tupperware of treats towards Eichi. “Have a pastry. We went through a lot of trouble sneaking these in for you.”

The doctor recommended he stay away from sweets and focus on a healthier and more natural diet… though it had been a while since he had the pleasure to share pastries made by Ritsu. Taking a questionable looking pastry, Eichi took a bite to find it wasn’t too overly sweet— just the way he liked it.

“These are delicious… now if only they didn’t look like a kindergartener’s art project.” Despite the comment, Eichi devoured the pastry rather quickly and went for seconds.

“If you hate the way they look so much then don’t eat them.” Ritsu scoffed, attempting to take the tupperware away only for Eichi to smack his hand away.

Hajime could only giggle at the two. “You know Eichi-oniichan loves the desserts you make. He is just too shy to say so.”

“Please~ Shy and Ecchan do not go together. I think you might be a little delusional about him, Haakun~”

Each bite. Each Sip. The playful banter. It was almost nostalgic, bringing him back to the days when the tea club was simply the trio hanging out in the school gardens. Times are different now. Their schedules were packed and now they had newer additions to their circle— though he did enjoy their company too (but he would never admit that to Hiyori), it felt nice with it just being the three of them together. It brought him back to his little sanctuary… which was odd given he was currently where he dreaded to be the most. His sanctuary wasn’t a specific spot— no, it wasn’t the school gardens or Ensemble Square, it was wherever Hajime and Ritsu joined him for a cup of tea and nothing else mattered, even if it was a fleeting moment.

Holding the cup between his hands, Eichi brought it back to his lips for a longer sip, setting it down with a content little ‘ah’ as he finished his cup. “I know I already said this, but thank you, both of you. Despite the circumstances, this is really nice. It brings me back to the old days…”

Without missing a beat, Hajime poured Eichi another cup. “You say old days like it was ages ago when it was just last year.” He giggled, looking at his seniors with a fond smile. “It is very nice though… I am glad we could do this. I just wish Eichi-oniichan didn’t have to be hospitalized for it to happen…”

“Then when Ecchan is all better we will just have to do it again…” Ritsu hummed in response, lips curling into a small smile when the two nodded in unison. “Get better quickly then. Don’t be doing anything stupid or work yourself sick again, okay?”

Eichi chuckled lightheartedly. “Of course not. That is a promise.”

What was a grim day took a turn— no longer did he feel like he was bound to his hospital bed. Instead, Hajime and Ritsu whisked him away from the dreadful sterile prison, pulling him back to their sanctuary which radiated the same warmth and light that a garden tea party would have to offer.

#ensemble stars #enstars #fanfic #fanfiction #enstars fanfic #eichi tenshouin #ritsu sakuma #hajime shino

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ourfertilitystory · 10 months

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Our Story

Over the past 3 years our family has endured 4 miscarriages, and this is our story.

In July of 2020 we decided it was time to try for a child and figured we should get started. You never know how long it may take, so we were pleasantly surprised when it only took 1 month. We felt like the lucky ones after so many friends stories of 6 months to a year + trying. That first scan, that I was happy to attend given COVID, brought such joy beneath the masked faces in a small cramped hospital room. Two weeks later, after an uncomfortable feeling from Amber, that joy was gone as we were told baby had stopped growing at 6 weeks

Society doesn’t really talk about miscarriage - but trust me it’s there. It only takes one person to open up about it and all of a sudden half the room is telling stories of either themselves or close friends/family. There is plenty of focus on getting pregnant, but less time spent on how to keep a pregnancy going. A fact we would come to find considerably frustrating

After a night at home with medication in which I saw amber go through something nobody should, the next doctors visit determined the pills hadn’t completed their job and she would have to take them again. A repeat of the worst night yet would have to happen

With resolve we told ourselves that having a miscarriage is common, so we should just try again. That’s what the doctors said anyway. Another month of trying and to our surprise we were in pregnancy number two. Tentative excitement hit us once again at the first scan, with baby this time having a small flutter of a heartbeat on the screen. We left with an agreement for Amber to come back in a weeks time, just to make sure given what happened the last time. For the return appointment Amber had to go alone given covid, so I waited patiently for word and received a text message 30 minutes later. “It happened again. 7 weeks, no heartbeat”

Given the pills hadn’t worked so well last time, the doctor prescribed a heavier dose. A heavier dose means what I thought was the hardest night I’d ever seen Amber have was now worse. Two amazing golden retrievers offered their emotional support and we got through it

After 2 with similar results you’d think there might be a change in focus from doctors, but the answer to most questions was “bad luck try again”. We were getting pregnant, and that was supposed to be the hard part. We changed doctors for the third pregnancy, which again came within a month or so of trying, and this new doctor offered some new theories and small ideas we could try. She also saw us weekly to help quell our anxiety. For 3 scans in a row we saw that little flutter of a heartbeat - and then on the 4th scan we didn’t. Now 9 weeks in and the baby we had nicknamed Atlas wasn’t to be

We were advised that a D&C (surgical removal) was a better option this time so off to the hospital we went. My beautiful wife was able to relax for maybe the first time in a year, driven by the fact she had general anesthesia flowing through her veins. With the option this time of sending Atlas to be tested for any abnormalities we thought we could finally get some answers. A couple weeks later and we had the results that the embryo was perfectly normal. No answers at hand

Our amazing Doctor sat us down to talk through next steps and recommended we see a fertility doctor. Through her connections we were able to get in to see Dr R who would become our new best friend

The testing began on both of us. While nothing genetic popped up it was discovered that the D&C had left Amber with Ashermans - an internal scarring issue that can lead to infertility. Surgery to repair the scarring would be the first necessary step, however surgery if not done correctly can only make things worse. Luckily Dr R is one of the best in the United States at this surgery and it was completed successfully

With a desire to have multiple children, a decision was made to do a round of IVF to bank some embryos. We didn’t know how long the process of figuring this out would take, so we may as well get embryos now. This meant we could also test them to make sure they were viable beforehand. Given how relatively easy getting pregnant had been there was an expectation IVF would go well, so we did our first round with hopeful confidence.

IVF isn’t fun. Every night, mixing medications and then 2 injections, which turns to 3 after a week or so. Every other morning, 7am blood draws for amber for monitoring. That goes on for around 2 weeks until they tell you it’s time. Then a “trigger shot” which is a very large looking needle that has to be given at at a specific time. If your retrieval is scheduled for late morning, the trigger could be at 2am. The nurse recommended that I practice stabbing an orange to get used to the motion of giving the trigger shot into Ambers butt

After a round of IVF we took a much needed vacation. With IVF they tell you the number of eggs retrieved right after surgery, and then the next day they call to tell you how many eggs fertilized. You then wait 3-5 days to see which ones make it to the stage at which they can be tested and frozen.

Statistically you can expect around 50-70% to fertilize, and then 50% of those to make it to the end. Get 10 eggs out, hope to end up with 2-3 embryos. We had pretty good egg numbers so left for vacation feeling good. The next day we got the call from the nurse - only 1 embryo had fertilized. Mixed feelings of frustration and disbelief combined with the hope that this one little embryo would make it 5 days, and then end up being viable. The statistics definitely not in its favor, embryo #1 made it the 5 days, and after a nervous 2 weeks we got the call that the embryo was viable

With round 1 not what we had hoped it was decided we should do round 2. Doctors will tell you the chance of success is in the 40-60% range for a single embryo to turn into a pregnancy, so given our history of miscarriage we felt we needed some more buffer. A little tweak to the level of medication and it was back into the nightly shots

Round 2 turned into a round 3 after a similar result. At this point frustration was reaching peak but all we could do was continue to try. Round 3 finally produced slightly better results, and we felt it was time to jump into a transfer

It’s a weird feeling sitting in a hospital corridor knowing your potential future child is being loaded into a needle and placed into your wife. Science is incredible

Post transfer you wait a couple weeks to go in for a pregnancy test. They don’t recommend using at home tests as they aren’t as reliable and can produce false results. We couldn’t help ourselves. The little blue line was there and our fingers were once again crossed

Dr R threw everything the book had to offer at us. Testing this and that, monitoring that and this. I think deep down we were hopeful for the first time in awhile. A heartbeat at 6 weeks that grew stronger at 7 and 8 weeks and all of a sudden we were as far as we had been. At the back end of week 9 amber felt a similar uncomfortable feeling that she had in the first 3 pregnancies. Now approaching week 10, Dr R was hopeful all was ok but said we should come in the next day just to check. A scan; a 9.5 week embryo; no heartbeat

In that moment you just want them to keep checking. Surely not Doc, just check again. I remember putting my head in hands and losing it for the first time. The first 3 I had tried to just stay strong for Amber, but this time I couldn’t

At 10 weeks you are right on the edge of being able to use medication for the miscarriage. Given the scarring from the first D&C, having another surgery would likely result in infertility, so it was either the pills or wait and see if it would happen naturally. Ambers amazing acupuncturist worked some magic a week or so later, and at 1am on a Thursday Amber woke me to tell me it was happening. My incredible wife gave birth to our 10 week old embaby on the floor of our bathroom after the hardest 3 hours of our lives. He is buried under a cherry tree in our backyard with a memorial stone that reads:

“An Angel in the book of life, wrote down my baby’s date of birth. Then whispered as she closed the book, too beautiful for earth”

The next day, running on fumes and living in what felt like a dream world we went for dinner with some close friends who knew the situation. They understood that we needed to eat, drink, vent and then forget for the evening. Friends like these have helped to keep us going the entire journey

Once we were ready we went back to Dr R to plan next steps. With a heavy heart he discussed that we really had used the entirety of the official book, but that he was open to looking into “hocus pocus” medicine. This led us to reproductive immunology

Reproductive immunology is a growing area of study that focuses on the potential for the body to harm rather than help a pregnancy. The idea is relatively simple - if the body accidentally identifies the embryo as a bad intruder it may look to attack versus nurture it. The way to deal with this is to alter the immune system; something that could be rather dangerous during a global pandemic. With a ton of research in hand we decided that this path; alongside an additional path of powerful anti clotting medication would be used at the next pregnancy

While planning for reproductive immunology we decided with Dr R that it would be smart to do another round of IVF. Given we had used an embryo we wanted to try to bank another one. Dr R brought up the fact that we could consider doing a round that was FDC certified, so that any embryos we got could be used for a gestational carrier. While using a gestational carrier (often mistaken for a surrogate) wasn’t a path we really wanted to go down, it made sense to prepare for that. This meant extra testing including full body physicals to ensure we didn’t have anything that could be passed on to a carrier via the embryo

IVF round 4 just felt different. Levels were stronger, and by this point we felt like pros with all the shots. We got a call from Dr R at the airport on the way to our summer vacation to let us know that we had the best results yet. 2 healthy embryos, and one that was inconclusive. An inconclusive test, he explained, only happens once in a blue moon, and if we wanted we could have it re-tested. This was risky, but we knew without testing we wouldn’t feel comfortable, so went ahead with the test. The test went fine and we ended up with a 3rd embryo from this round

In November of 2022 we decided to go ahead with another transfer. Amber was monitored and the date of transfer was set for 11/11/2022. On 11/09/22 I woke up with a headache, and by the afternoon I had tested positive for COVID

If it was strange sitting in the corridor outside the hospital room while your wife has your potential baby implanted, it was 1000x worse waving goodbye to her from my quarantine bedroom as she left for the hospital alone. As she told me though, I was doing the best thing I could do at the time for our little one. Staying away was best. The embryo chosen had a grading code of 3AB, and so this new little chance at hope became nicknamed our little 3AB (later to become 3ABY by friends) Two weeks later and once again we broke the rules and took an at-home test. Again the little blue line meant the start of hope and anxiety. Amber at this stage was 2 weeks in to her new immunology medication - the same medication given to some cancer patients with side effects such as “bone pain”. Three injections every morning that left her stomach a constant bruise

A 6 week scan brought a heartbeat, and that heartbeat remained for weeks 7,8,9 and 10. After 10 weeks we graduated from Dr R so after a long year and a half we were back to our OBGYN, this time with an 11 week old embaby

Breaking through the first trimester is often a time to celebrate. That’s when many announce their pregnancy to the world, but for us, that moment was taken away. With our history there was no celebration and no announcement; much too risky for us. An anatomy scan at 20 weeks gave some excitement as baby had all the parts they need; but no comfort yet. Week 24, the viability stage, was maybe the first time we took a breath, but still no real comfort

As we sit here a month or so out, and we feel 3AB kick and punch at Ambers stomach it is finally settling in. We’ve convinced ourselves to set up the nursery, get the stroller and car seat, and even throw a baby shower for amber. It won’t be fully real until 3AB is here in our arms, with the real name we’ve now chosen, but we have at least moved from hope to excitement.

Our story is just one of many. Through this experience we’ve made new friends to share stories (and medication) with, and Amber has found a great network of support online. This journey comes in many forms, each as difficult as the next, and is way more common than you’d expect. The other aspect of all this, away from the physical and emotional toll, is the financial burden. In most cases insurance doesn’t cover the majority of what we’ve been through. All 4 rounds of IVF out of pocket at ~$30,000 a pop, plus the expensive immunology protocols. We are fortunate to have the jobs we do that allowed us to do this journey, but for many that isn’t the case

My wife is superwoman. Amber - incredible doesn’t even brush the surface. This powerful woman has been pricked and poked with daily injections, enough blood draws to fill a bank, multiple surgeries and the emotional toll of losing 4 children. She’s done this while continuing to work, through a full home renovation, Covid quarantine, and all while continuing to keep our little family ticking away at home. I don’t have words other than I love you

To the ones that came before: We never got to meet you. The quick flutter of a heartbeat we saw on a screen that made our hearts beat just as fast; but we never got to feel that heartbeat beneath our fingertips

If love alone was enough then trust us you would be here

But with all the pain and frustration it is because of you that we now sit here, 6 weeks away from the due date of our little one. Baby Rainbow - willed into existence alongside the lessons that each of you gave us

While not here in the physical world with us, you all live through this little one and in our hearts forever

We love you; Always

(Baby 1 - 6 weeks) (Baby 2 - 6.5 weeks) (Baby 3 - 9 weeks) (Baby 4 - 10 weeks)

A side note: for anybody wanting to donate to research on recurrent pregnancy loss, the link below is a a good one

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sunflowersanddaydreamsingreen · 2 years

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Sunflower dump 🌻

I’m still seeing sunflowers everywhere every day, usually in places I “shouldn’t” be. Today, my kayak fell off my roof rack while driving home from the lake. After me and my equally short daughter got it back up and ratcheted it down super-extra tight, we took a backroad way home through a tiny town on a route I’ve never taken (and tbh I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going) to avoid having to get on the highway closer to home. Sunflowers? Fuck yeah. A whole damn field of them.

Last Monday, the road my wife and I usually take home had been closed, which we didn’t know until my wife was about to turn onto it. We had to detour around the outskirts of town and I saw sunflowers five different times in the 10 or so minutes it took to get back around and into town.

The other day I stopped in a cemetery on a whim that I pass on occasion on the long way home from the next little city over. It felt comforting to be in a place where death was real — somewhere other than in my mind. There was no obituary, no funeral for Nick and it’s been hard to convince my brain that he’s really dead. I drove just a little ways in and got out of my car. I didn’t go more than a few feet from my car, but I saw close to 30 sunflowers.

Yesterday my wife called me seconds after I had gotten done checking out at the store (not one I often shop at because it’s on the other side of town, which seems to be a pattern here) and asked me to pick up something else on the way back to the lake. I set my bags behind the register with the cashier and then walked around to the back of the other side of the store. I passed the garden section and found a gnome (an obsession of mine) holding a sunflower. It was the last one.

My grandma is in the ICU and being transferred to hospice. My wife and I went to visit her the other day and got lost three separate times and ended up in the whole wrong building. We were walking down the hallway trying to figure out where we were supposed to be and passed a painting of sunflowers.

One day a long-distance friend sent me a picture of them holding sunflowers while wearing a shirt covered in sunflowers. Another day a friend posted a picture of them posing against a tree in a sunflower dress in front of a field of sunflowers.

I don’t know if anyone reads these or cares, but I like to have a place to archive these stories and the pictures I’m able to get of them. I’ll get back to writing witchy shit soon, I promise. Been really really tired this week. But here, have some sunflowers.

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scarlettriot · 3 years

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Along for the Ride PT 1

Pairing: KirishimaxF!Reader

Summary: A drunken mistake had you marking the little Plus One box to your snobby cousin's wedding. Kirishima told you not to worry, if you couldn't find a date, he'd go with you. When the wedding gets moved up, there's absolutely no time to find a date and you're now about to be traveling to America with Kirishima on a private jet no less, dreading having him meet your rude and impossibly arrogant family.

Contains: Kirishima and Reader both come from very well-off families. Plus-Sized Reader. Fluff. Hurt/Comfort.

Warnings: Kinda smutty for a minute. Minors DNI. Drunken Sex. TW: Manipulative Family Relationships. TW: Body Image Issues

A/N: This story has been rolling around in my head for a while now. I might rewrite this and repost. Or I might just post the whole thing soon. I dunno yet. It does get smuttier.

Word Count: 4,974

"What's up with Y/N?"

Eijiro stepped out of the locker room with a towel slung over his shoulder and made his way into the kitchenette where Mina was chugging a bottle of water before getting back to her patrol. His eyes were trained on their mutual friend out on the patio, pacing.

You had your phone pressed to your ear, the high neck of your hero costume unzipped to your collarbone and he noticed your gloves discarded on a chair.

"No clue." Mina shrugged. "She got back from patrol and she noticed a bunch of missed calls from her mom. She's been out there, flailing on the phone for the last fifteen minutes now."

The three of you had met in your second year at UA when you transferred into their class and were quickly accepted by their little squad of friends. You were a bit quiet at first but quickly found comfort in the group. Eijiro had grown especially close to you when you both interned with Fat Gum.

Late nights traveling on the train back to school, a few close calls while helping patrol, and days spent playing cards while you both healed up in the hospital left plenty of time for Eijiro to get to know you better than most. It was how he knew you had a pretty bad relationship with your family, why you hated returning home for the holidays almost as much as you hated any and all forms of tomatoes.

He considered going out there just to see if there was anything he could do but before he had the chance, you were sliding the glass door open. "Oh, good, you're back." He offered you a bottle of water for your throat that he assumed was sore after that argument. "I- um- can I borrow you for a second? Alone?"

Mina snorted a laugh. "If you guys wanna bang it out on the counter you can just say so. I gotta go to work anyways."

Eijiro threw the towel at her as she left the room leaving you two alone. "What's goin' on?"

You hoisted yourself up on the countertop while he leaned against the fridge. "You remember my cousin's wedding that's happening this winter?"

He nodded. He vividly remembered the both of you getting waste a few weeks ago when you were filling out the RSVP and accidentally marking 'plus one'. Then you ran around trying to find White Out but he'd told you if you didn't find a date or have a significant other by the time of the wedding, he'd just go with you.

You argued that your family was bat shit crazy, had more money than they could spend in their lifetime and because of that, they were among some of the rudest people you knew, and you didn't want Eijiro or anyone else around that.

The thing was, Eijiro already knew that and was still okay with going. He came from money too. A lot of it. His family was just more welcoming than yours, the wealth never really going to their heads. But, he reminded you that he'd ran into enough people like those in your family that he knew how to handle them. You finally agreed to let him accompany you, leaving the plus one box checked but the name line blank.

"Well, my cousin just found out that surprise, she's pregnant! And, obviously, she can't have a wedding while seven months along so they've decided to move the wedding up to this weekend."

He nearly choked on his own spit. "This weekend? As in four days from now?"

"Yup! Saturday at 4 in the evening. Oh! No one's supposed to know she's pregnant either. So, I'm just supposed to compliment her on how flattering her dress looks, how thin she is," Your hands strangled the water bottle between them, "And I have to find something flattering to my figure because my mother has seen me in my hero outfit and she's so glad I wear a mask because if anyone knew her daughter ran around looking like I do, well, it'd ruin her!"

You massaged your temples circling back to the actual point, "Anyways, I just wanted to bitch for a sec and let you know you're off the hook since four days is just a little short notice and I told her my plus one wouldn't be able to get the time off that fast."

He pushed off the fridge. "Well, wait, hang on! I'm not letting you go in alone to deal with them! Hell no! You need backup!" You looked almost taken aback by his abruptness, "Yeah. I can work this out. Is the wedding at the same place it was supposed to be or has it moved?"

"No, it's still that fancy lodge in California. I was planning on leaving Friday morning and then coming back either Sunday night or Monday morning since my mother insists I go to their brunch the following day. But, Eijiro, I already have this weekend off..."

"Denki owes me a favor or twelve. He's supposed to be off this weekend too, I'll just see if he can cover me."

"And if he can't?"

"Then..." He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, "Y/N, am I feeling warm to you? I think I might be starting a fever!"

You folded your arms, shaking your head, "Thought you said lying isn't manly."

"Technically, correct. But, what would be real unmanly is for me to let you deal with your family's bullshit all alone." You watched him closely, "To be honest, I'm sure we could just explain you had a family thing come up and asked me to come along for moral support. I don't really think anyone would think twice about it. Hell, you took a few days off to console me when my turtle died suddenly!"

"Eiji, you refused to eat."

"And you brought me my favorite dumplings! Same thing!"

You might have shaken your head at him but your arms opened wide. The telltale sign you wanted affection. He walked forward, consuming you in a tight hug. Your arms latched around his neck, face buried in the hollow of his throat. "You're the best."

"I just do what I can."

>>><<<

You should have canceled. Instead of Eijiro faking sick to get out of work, you should have faked it with your mother so you didn't have to go in the first place. You crumpled to the floor of your bedroom in pure frustration amidst the twenty or so outfits and dozen pairs of shoes you'd thrown out of your closet trying to find something that your mother would deem appropriate.

It wasn't your fault you had a fuller figure. You worked out, ate right, not to mention your job kept you very active, and yet your, hips, ass, and breasts were by no means subtle.

Your mother had also insisted on the dress being floor-length and modern, "Do try not wearing all black. It's a wedding, not a funeral. And, get your hair looking natural, please." And, just like that, 70% of your wardrobe was out the window!

"It's open!" You called from the floor when the doorbell rang.

"You really should lock this." Mina tutted, walking through the door with a bag full of takeout.

"I do. At night."

"Honey, it's 9 PM."

"Night like bedtime."

Mina just rolled her eyes and walked into your tiny kitchen. "I see the dress hunt is going well."

"I actually figured it out!" You got off the floor, careful not to step on a heel as you made your way to the pink haired woman, "I'm just gonna go in my birthday suit. I figured, my mother made my body technically therefore she can't disapprove of it. Because, you know, she's never done anything wrong in her life!"

Your best friend snorted out a laugh and passed you the take-out container stuffed full of stir fry. "you're a wonderful person, you know that?" You loved the fact Mina didn't even have to ask what you wanted.

"If you'd just move closer to work then you could pick it up yourself and I wouldn't have to bring it to you."

"Too expensive." You declared after a mouthful. "You pay almost twice as much as I do per month and I just don't see the point. I have damn near the same amount of space you do for half the cost!"

You adored your small one-bedroom apartment. It was perfect. Right above a bakery that you visited each morning after your run and a little balcony that provided you with the most stunning view of the sunset.

"You and Kiri, I swear." Mina just shook her head and curled up with her food on the loveseat. "I thought he'd end up with the biggest house out of us all the moment we started making that real Pro money. You've seen his parent's house. It's massive! You could get lost in that place!"

Eijiro's place was barely bigger than your own. He lived in the same condo he had since you'd graduated UA, claiming it was perfect for him in each and every way. But, you knew that he donated a sizable amount of his paycheck every month to charities, the same as you. With savings to spare, neither of you saw the point in hoarding it and therefore the small condo was all he could afford with what he actually kept.

"Just don't understand how a guy that big can live in such a tiny little space. At least with you, it's you know, physically feasible."

Eijiro's bedroom was barely large enough to fit the king-sized bed the man needed to sleep comfortably and even then, his feet were dangerously close to dangling off the bed. And, as if the man's ears were burning, your cell phone went off under a pile of discarded shoes.

Shark-E: Figured out your dress situation? If not, I'm just gonna pack like ten different ties and hope for the best.

You: Yeah! I totally did! I'm just gonna wear this birthday suit I got and call it a night.

You chuckled at your own joke all over again. Watching the grey ellipses appear and then vanish, appear and vanish again. After a third time, you took pity on the man.

You: Joking, Ei. I still don't have it figured out but Mina's over so, hopefully, she can help.

Shark-E: Gonna give me a damn heart attack! Seriously, I wouldn't put it past you just to see the look on your mom's face. Tell Mina hi and good luck to you. I vote the dress from the Hero Gala two years ago.

You: Hi from Mina. Can't. Too much boobs.

Shark-E: You take that back right now! There is NEVER such a thing as too much boobs!

You chuckled to yourself, putting your phone down, and then finished off the last of your delicious dinner, thinking about the dress Eijiro mentioned.

You wondered if maybe there was a way you could make the thing work but it was so very low cut. So much tape had been used to make sure no slips happened but damn was it worth it! The beaded bodice with the sparkling long sleeves, gods, how you loved that dress.

"I'm inclined to agree with our shark boy. You're busty, who gives a damn. You looked hot as hell in that dress."

"My mother, that's who. As much as I'd like to not give a flying fuck what she thinks, for some dumb reason, I do. On top of her telling me that the amount of cleavage I would show would be vastly inappropriate for a wedding, she'd also say the way it hugs my hips makes them look too fat."

Mina rolled her eyes. "She's such a piece of work." Pushing herself up, she held her arms out to you, wiggling little pink fingers for you to take. "Come on then. Let's get you sorted."

"What about that one you wore to the charity art thingy with Kyoka last winter? The one with the silver top."

"Silver is too close to white." You called out from within your closet.

"What! Not true!"

"You know that. I know that. Every person with two brain cells knows that, which is why most of my family does not know that."

"Fine..." She whined and started sifting through the opposite end of your closet. "Oh, what about this?" Mina waved about the blue and green plaid skirt that made up your uniform from your middle school days when you lived in America. "Please try this on. I'm begging!"

You were pretty sure it wouldn't even go over your thighs anymore.

"It's got a better chance of fitting you!"

Mina threw it at you anyway. Slipping off the sweats you wore, somehow, someway, you were able to tug it on AND get it zipped, barely. It no longer covered your ass but you still enjoyed the way it swished around when you wiggled your hips.

"You could be fulfilling so many people's fantasies right now." Mina mused.

You pulled the skirt off and sweats back on, throwing the former back at her. "Yeah, you can take it and go fulfill Hanta's fantasies if you like. Not like I've got anyone to impress." You pulled down a dress you bought on sale a year ago but Mina was quick to dismiss it.

Too puffy, she said and then held up one that was from Momo. "I needed to get it shortened and I don't have time for that now."

"Wait..." She hummed and dropped the Momo dress. "I know what it should be!"

Mina hurried through the closet, grumbling about not finding it. "Just tell me which dress and I can tell you where it's at."

"It's that one you got for grad night and then you got sick and couldn't go!"

"Mina, Mina I can't wear that! That's actual vintage, not like, made-to-look-vintage!"

"But it's so elegant and has that off-the-shoulder sleeve thing. The wedding is at a damn sky lodge! It'll look so pretty in the snow! Ah! Found it!"

She yanked up the long, elegant gown from the garment bag you'd never removed it from. There wasn't a single wrinkle in the burgundy fabric. It looked just as beautiful as the day you found it in that second-hand store, on a mannequin with gaudy stage jewels that you just had to buy so the look was complete.

You ran the back of your hand over the velvety fabric, soft to the touch. "It'll be too tight now. If I was the same size I was at graduation-"

"Bullshit!" Mina cut you off with a dismissive hand, "You've got hips now. We aren't 18 anymore! It's not like it's some clubbing dress. And I bet no one would say a damn thing about your figure if they knew how easily you could crush them with those thighs!"

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. Without quirks, you gave every single one of your classmates a run for their money in hand to hand. Most were fairly easy to beat. You could usually take down Eijiro in about five or six minutes and Katsuki in half the time. Funny enough, it was Ochaco that gave you the hardest time.

"I'll consider it. But help me find something else just in case."

>>><<<

It was another two hours before you finally agreed on an a-line, empire waist green and gold number that had been the bridesmaid's dresses for Tetsutetsu's wedding. Mina thought they were a crime the first time they had to wear them, she had no idea what you were thinking.

That's why the moment you were preoccupied with trying to find yet another dress for the Sunday brunch, Mina pulled out her phone.

You: DO NOT, under any circumstances, allow Y/N to wear the green dress. She's bringing two because she can't decide. Red is the winner!

Jaws: Aw, come on. If she likes it, let her wear whatever she's comfortable in. She'll be under enough stress already.

You: Kirishima, it's the dress from Tetsu's wedding. The one that looks sparkly baby food.

It took him a second to respond.

Jaws: Alright. Understood. I thought you guys looked good but damn, she hated that dress.

You: We all did.

Mina looked at the message chain again and couldn't help but asked, "Are we just gonna ignore the fact that you and Eiji are flying all the way to America, last minute, to attend a wedding together, even though you're not together?"

"We've flown to the states before."

"For work!" She sat up eagerly. "This is different, Y/N! This is a date and not just a, like, casual date but a wedding date!"

You poked your head out of the closet. "No, it isn't. This is a friend helping another friend who stupidly mismarked an RSVP." You corrected very plainly but Mina wasn't one to give up so easily.

She whined, dragging out your name, "You guys have been doing this thing for ages. Why do you have to be so stubborn about it all!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Mina started ticking off points on her fingers. "He was the first person you opened up to at UA. You saved his life when he was busy saving Katsuki's life second year. You spent all that time interning together, became sidekicks together. Went to America together for three whole months, ALONE, and you honestly expect me to think there's nothing between the two of you!"

The truth of it all was simple really; 17 year old you had a massive crush on Eijiro Kirishima. He was sweet, always listening to you, providing comfort when you needed it, and always encouraging you to push your limits. He was bright and honest, a little slow in the head from time to time but that made him all the more endearing.

He was also head over heels in love with Katsuki Bakugo.

It was why you never made a move. Never spoke a word of the feelings you harbored. You didn't dare to cross that line with him because you couldn't ever hold a candle to the explosive man.

In the three years Eijiro and Katsuki spent together, your brain finally started registering Eijiro as just a friend, nothing more, and certainly nothing less. You thought your heart had followed suit but it was becoming more and more apparent that wasn't the case. Because the night he showed up at your door, tears in his ruby eyes, every lock you put on your heart broke open.

The same way you couldn't hold a candle to Katsuki, Eijiro couldn't hold one to Izuku. You knew exactly what he was feeling even if you never intended to tell him. Too overcome with fear. If Katsuki came back... that'd be it. Eijiro would go back and you wouldn't even blame him!

Still, the redhead consumed a decent chunk of your heart though, you couldn't deny that after the three months you spent together in America, gathering intel on a smuggling ring, living in the same apartment. The groggy, 'good mornings' when his voice was still scratchy with sleep, hair falling in his eyes. The late nights bandaging wounds and killing cheap bottles of wine while watching terrible American reality shows.

It was those bottles of wine that did you in on your second to last night in America. Supplying you with courage and draining your sense of reason, allowing you to crawl onto his lap, into his arms. You could still remember the pressure of his lips on yours, those sharp teeth gently dragging along your lower lip.

Scared hands tracing the curve of your ass before taking handfuls to squeeze. The laugh that came from you was unlike anything you heard before, something so genuine that you couldn't reproduce.

How it felt when he lifted you up and took you to his bed, laying you down taking his time removing your clothes, and watching with awe as you pulled away his own. The way he looked over top of you, his hair a curtain of red around you just before you closed your eyes, gasping while he filled you.

You also remembered the guilt that crept into your head during the wee hours of the morning, the doubt that was louder than the snores coming from behind you.

It made you slip from under his massive arm, gather up your clothes from his floor, you tucked the blanket around him, and pressed a kiss to his temple before padding out of the room.

You told yourself you'd talk to him about it if he brought it up, but he never did. Not the next morning, or night, not on the plane ride back home, nor anytime since. It was a memory you'd hold close to your heart, one you wouldn't let slip away or share.

"There's nothing there, Mina. We're just good friends is all." You lied with a smile on your face, something that had become surprisingly easy to do.

If only you knew that Mina saw right through it. That Mina already knew the truth of it all.

>>><<<

It was nearly one in the morning when your phone rang. The goofy picture of Eijiro with face half painted at a festival a few years back never failed to make you grin.

"It's a little late." You answered by way of greeting.

"Don't pretend like you were anywhere close to sleeping, you little night owl."

Chuckling at the nickname that had followed you since high school, "What's up, Eiji?"

"I was going over flights. You said in the office that you wanted to leave on Friday?"

"Yeah. I have patrol tomorrow and I didn't find any flights after 6 PM so, Friday is the earliest."

He was quiet on the other line for a moment. "Yeah, you don't have patrol tomorrow, or work at all for that matter."

You sat up a bit straighter in bed. "Um, yes I do."

"No, you don't. I called Mina, asked her if you'd mind taking that shift for you and, since she knows what's happening, she agreed the extra day for travel would do you some good. So, she's covering you tomorrow then you're off work until next Wednesday. As for me, thanks to all that overtime I put in when Denki, Kyoka, and Hitoshi got married, the three of them are splitting up my days so I have until Wednesday too."

Eijiro sounded impossibly proud on the other line, you could almost see the smirk on his face. "You've got this all planned out, don't you?"

"And a bag nearly packed. Just need you to tell me what ties to bring."

"Gold, burgundy, and black."

"Thought your mom said no black for you?"

"She said no black for the wedding. She said nothing about black at the brunch!"

You couldn't wait to put on the tea-length dress that had been a favorite for years. Satin with a lacy top and, best of all, pockets.

He let out a rumbling laugh that fell off into comfortable silence as you laid back in your bed, lights still on, the room still a mess. You tapped the speaker icon and laid the phone on the pillow right beside your head, listing to the various sounds of Eijiro moving around.

A door creaking open, a hanger clattering against another, and a zipper. "And just like that, I'm all set."

"Don't forget your passport or hero license."

"I have one in my wallet and the other in my backpack."

You swiped up on your iPad, off Netflix, and going to google, lazily searching through flights. "So, did you find any good flights since you've clearly been looking?"

Another chuckle, "Eijiro, why are you laughing?" More stifled giggles had you sitting up in bed again. "Just tell me a site you were on. They're just flights, what's so funny?"

"There isn't a site."

"You said you were checking flights."

"And I was... on my family's jet."

"Eiji! No! No, no, no! That is supposed to be for their business or hero things! My stupid cousin's wedding is neither of those things!"

"Relax, Y/N. My family has multiple and they don't have any business trips planned right now anyways. I already cleared it with my mom. Seriously, I just mention your name and she's likely to let me have it for a whole year at least. Plus Todoroki's is back up in working order so the agency is covered too."

Damn, why'd he have to be so good at planning from time to time! You'd completely forgotten about the second jet his family had. Always opting for the larger one since the few missions they needed it for required them to bring fifty or so heroes along.

"Besides, if we fly private, we can land at an airstrip closer to the venue and won't need to drive four hours on top of a ten-hour flight."

"Alright, okay, thank you but, let me take care of the rental car, please. It's the least you can let me do."

"Deal. I just have one more question for ya."

"What's that?"

"Wanna leave tonight?"

You nearly dropped your damn iPad in shock. "Eijiro! What the fuck has gotten into you! It's the middle of the night!"

"I'm excited!" He boomed, "I haven't had a vacation in months!"

"I hate to break this to you, buddy, but this isn't going to be a vacation. You really shouldn't get your hopes up. This isn't going to be a good time with laughs and fun memories... my family, they just, they aren't those kinds of people."

"But we are." He stated matter-of-factly. "If they want to have sticks up their asses then let them! We'll have a good time on our own, laugh and make fun memories! So, what do you say, Y/N? I can be at your place in fifteen. I just gotta put shoes on and grab my keys..."

"Wait, hang on. Are you forgetting that we need someone to, oh, I dunno, FLY THE PLANE! Actually, we need two someone's, can't forget about a co-pilot!"

He hummed happily and you rubbed your temples. "You, you have a pilot and a co, don't you, Eiji?"

"Mhm! There is a company we use. Two can be at the hanger in an hour and every hour after that. I just have to make the call and get the flight plan approved which will be done before I even get to your house."

There was literally no reason to say no. You had mostly everything packed, nothing you needed to get from the store, all you had to do was put on pants and pack up your hygiene bag and you were ready too. Maybe getting there quicker and getting the whole thing over with would be better than staying home dwelling on everything.

"Better put your shoes on."

The glee in his voice, that was enough to make this whole thing worth it, "I'll see you soon."

>>><<<

Eijiro reached into the backseat and plopped a bag down on your lap the very moment you were buckled in. "Had to make a pit stop." He explained.

"It's after two in the morning, where'd you have to..."

"Just open the bag and don't complain."

You found it filled to the brim with all your favorite snacks.

"I'm sure the plane will have a bunch of snacks we can raid but I know for a fact they don't have these." He held up a pack of cookies and creme flavored pocky that had been his favorite for as long as you'd known him, quickly followed by your favorite flavor too. You also found a massive bag of gummy worms and jolly ranchers.

"So, what you're telling me is our teeth are going to rot by the time we land? Not that I'm complaining."

You ripped open the bag of ranchers knowing that was what he'd go for first and sure enough his hand dove inside just as he pulled away from the curb. You could hear his dangerously sharp teeth biting through the rock candy like it was nothing while you still rolled one around your mouth.

Eijiro asked you about the resort you'd be going to, wondering if you'd been there before or what other stuff you guys could do when you weren't dealing with your family. "I figured we could fly back Monday night or Tuesday morning, you know, just play it by ear in case there was anything else we wanted to do."

More than anything, you wished you could just leech a little bit of that excitement from him. The glimpses of his smile you caught as you drove under the street lights made your heart ache.

"What?" He asked with that wide smile of his. You'd been caught staring, red-handed.

"I, uh, I just don't know what to tell you."

You could see the subtle change of his grin, watch as it softened and his hand came to rest on your thigh. "Hey, it's gonna be fine! And if we run into them while out doing stuff, you can just avoid them or hide behind me!" At least hiding behind Eijiro is an easy thing to do, damn mountain of a man.

His thumb slowly brushed back and forth. "'S gonna be okay. I'll beat 'em up if they're assholes!"

You snickered at his Katsuki impression and let the drone of the radio fill the air around you both. Enjoying the silence the rest of the way to the hanger with Eijiro's hand atop your leg.

#mha #bnha #kirishima x reader #kirishima x y/n #eijiro kirishima #kirishima smut #mha x reader #mha x y/n

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