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official-weasley · 3 years

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Tiger - (The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley AU)

Warnings: is getting a pet a warning? 🤔🙈

Word count: 5,205

Characters: Charlie Weasley and my OC Nova from TICW which you can find here

Nova

“Mum, when is dad coming home?”

Aoede and I were sitting on our sofa, watching cartoons and eating cookies. An episode of Tom and Jerry just ended and Aoede noticed that Charlie wasn't home yet.

“In a few minutes, sweetheart.” I ran my fingers through her soft hair, getting another cookie from the bowl.

“Is he late?” Aoede posed another question.

“No. It's five minutes until 3 o'clock so he hasn't finished working yet.”

“I wish he didn't have to wolk that long.” Aoede sighed.

“Oh, sweetheart, me too. But he works every day until 5 or 6 so he is already coming early today because it's Friday.” I wiggled the bowl to switch Aoede's attention to cookies.

“Fliday and Sunday ale my favolite. You know why, mum?” Aoede turned to me before trying to stuff an entire cookie in her mouth.

“Why?” I giggled, watching the chocolate get smeared all over her face.

“On Fliday, daddy comes home earliel and we have a cuddle day and on Sunday we have pancakes fol blefcast.” Aoede clapped excitedly.

“Breakfast, Aoede.” I corrected her.

“Bleak...fast.” Aoede furrowed her brows trying to remember the word.

“There you go! Nice job!” I pulled her in a half hug.

She was sitting next to me because my belly was too big for her to sit in my lap.

“You know what,” I said after I took a bite of yet another cookie, “Fridays and Sundays are my favorite too.”

“Leally? Because of daddy being home and pancakes?” Aoede's eyes were sparkling.

“Because we all cuddle on the sofa and pancakes.” I sniggered.

“What about dad?” Aoede asked curiously.

“Meh.” I swung my hand, trying to sound uninterested.

“Mum,” Aoede gasped, “stop it! You love dad!”

“I do,” I giggled, “nothing gets past you, does it?”

“You tlied to tlick me!” Aoede fully turned to me and took my cookie. “No cookie fol you!”

“Hey, give that back, I'm eating for two!” I made puppy eyes at her.

“Those only wolk on dad, mum.” Aoede giggled and put my cookie in her mouth.

“You are too smart for a 3-year-old.” I playfully shook my head.

“I am just good at taking youl cookies,” Aoede said with her mouth full.

“Want to watch another episode or should we wait for dad?” I reached for the remote.

“Wait fol dad. I will talk to the baby now.” Aoede cleared her throat after finishing the cookie.

I still didn't like the fact that Charlie raised his voice at her the night Bill and Fleur came by. I wasn't used to it as my parents rarely had to do it with me and I have learned from them that most of the time just talking peacefully works wonders.

Before Aoede was even born, Charlie expressed his concern about how his mother always shouted at him and his siblings and that he doesn't want to be like her and made me swear that I would scold him if I ever notice he is turning into his mother.

He might not have shouted at Aoede like Molly used to shout at her boys, but it was evident that he has lost his temper with her and I wasn't okay with that. Especially, when Fleur told me that she was the same when her sister was born and later Bill trying to calm me down telling me that he and Charlie were the same when their younger siblings were born.

Charlie and Aoede worked it out the second Charlie and Bill came back inside and he apologized to me 3 times that night before we went to sleep.

Even though I forgave him the second he sat down and talked to our daughter I couldn't help but notice that by raising his voice Aoede started to warm up to the fact that she is getting a sibling.

The first thing she did, she asked me when the baby is coming. Then she asked Charlie if she can join him when he was singing to my belly. To say that we were both shocked by her sudden change of heart was an understatement but at the same time, we were over the roof about the fact that we could talk about the pregnancy in front of her without her glaring at us.

She usually played with her Unicorn plushie or did puzzles – which her grandpa Artie sent her the second we told him she finished the dinosaur one – when Charlie was either talking or singing to the baby. It was progress that she didn't mind, but last week she got curious and actually listened to what he was doing.

Two days ago, when Charlie was still at work, she stopped playing all of a sudden and walked to me, avoiding my eyes. I had never seen her so shy around me so I asked her what was going on. After a lot of mumbling to herself and fiddling with her fingers, she admitted that she would like to try and talk to the baby.

I did my best, hiding the fact that her action shocked me and made her sit next to me on the sofa so she could sit on my legs and talk to the baby. She only introduced herself before getting too shy and jumping off me to go back to her toys but it meant the world to me.

Charlie, of course, couldn't believe it when I told him and was hoping he would get to see it and since she wanted to do it again today, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he will be able to witness this miracle sooner or later.

“Okay, whenever you are ready.” I smiled softly at her, gently stroking her hair.

“Hello.” She tapped on my belly so lightly that it tickled me. “Uhm, mum I don't know what to say.”

“Well, your dad usually tells the baby stories.” I encouraged her.

“Oh, I know plenty of those!” Aoede's eyes sparkled as they did every time she got an idea.

“Hi, baby!” She waved at my belly. “I love cookies. My uncle Geogie makes the best ones and I love when he comes and we make them togethel. I love the ones with chocolate the most! You will love uncle Geogie, he is so funny! But uncle Bill is my favolite. He has longel hail than dad and he lets me play with it. He isn't as funny as uncle Geogie but his stolies ale fun! He loves auntie Fleul. She is vely pletty and...”

Before Aoede could continue the front door unlocked and Charlie stepped inside.

“I'm home!” He sang.

“Daddy, shhh! I'm talking to the baby!” Aoede whispered with a finger in front of her mouth.

“You are what?” Charlie raised his eyebrows and locked eyes with mine.

“She's talking to the baby,” I whispered, trying not to giggle too much to disturb her.

Charlie was quick to put his jacket away so he could join us as he couldn't wait to be a part of this. He kissed Aoede's forehead and got a little groan in return for disturbing her. Then he gently pushed me upward so he could sit down and I positioned myself in his arms. He kissed the top of my head, listening to Aoede tell the baby all about her uncles and aunts and why she loves each of them.

“The last one is uncle Pelcy. I only saw him once. Daddy doesn't like him much I think...” Aoede gave her words some thought.

I looked up at Charlie who swallowed thickly, his eyes on our 3-year-old.

Percy came home for the first time about 2 months after the war. The reactions to his action varied. Arthur and Molly were just happy he was back. Ron, George, and Ginny didn't want to hear him out at all. Charlie and Bill were hesitant and asked him to give them some time to think everything through.

Because Charlie wanted Aoede to have all her uncles in her life, he invited Percy to stay with us at the end of last year. It was very awkward but I saw that Charlie tried to understand where Percy was coming from and even though their relationship is still a bit shaky, they exchange a few letters per month.

“I...ah, mum! Ah, what did I do?!” Aoede suddenly jumped in the air, her eyes widened in horror, looking at my belly.

“What happened?” Charlie got alarmed.

“Nothing,” I giggled, “the baby just kicked and Aoede felt it.”

“Oh.” Charlie sighed in relief, tightening his arms around me.

“The baby kicked?” Aoede tilted her head and slowly climbed back on my legs.

“Yes. That's what you felt.” I chuckled, finding her reaction amusing.

“I didn't hult you?” She was still in shock.

“No, sweetheart. You did the same when you were in my belly.” I gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her toward me to give her a hug and calm her down.

“O-okay.” Aoede took a deep breath and buried her head in my shoulder.

“So, if I am not mistaken, it's cuddle day.” Charlie grinned at us, trying to make Aoede forget about the kick.

“Yes!” Aoede exclaimed and carefully climbed off me and jumped to the floor.

“Where are you going?” Charlie asked her as she started walking to the drawer where I had my art supplies.

“I want to look at mum's dlawings.” She explained as she pulled out one of my sketchbooks and walked back to us.

“I thought you'd want to watch cartoons.” Charlie teased her.

“No. Mum and I watched Tom and Jelly befole. I want to do this now.” She lifted her hands in the air for Charlie to help her back on the sofa.

“Do you want to watch a cartoon?” Charlie whispered in my ear.

“Sure.” I smiled at him and gave him the remote.

“Mum, look!” Aoede turned the sketchbook to me. “It's Blue but little!”

The sketchbook was opened on a drawing of a kneazle which I drew the year I came to Romania. Blue was Felix's kneazle and is now living with Andrei. Aoede loves to go there not only to play with the animal but also to spend time with Andrei who she calls her best friend.

The first time Andrei heard her say that he shed a tear and didn't understand what he did to deserve that title but gladly took it. Andrei is the one who first showed Aoede a picture of a unicorn and told her all sorts of stories about his interaction with the creature. Andrei is even better at telling stories than Charlie is so it's no surprise that unicorns are her favorite creatures.

“Yes, that's Blue when he was still a cub.” I thumbed through the book to find the other drawing of him. “See, that's him too.”

“Oh, so pletty. I love Blue, mum.” Aoede was admiring my drawing, her eyes sparkling.

“I know you do, sweetheart.” I watched her trace her little finger over the lines of Blue's ears.

“Mum, can we get a kneazle?” Aoede said more to herself than to me.

“You think you are old enough to take care of a kneazle?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Yes! My best fliend showed me how to feed Blue and how to make Blue's ful look pletty and shiny!” Aoede closed the sketchbook, her eyes locking with mine.

“Hmm,” I tapped my chin with my finger, giving the idea some thought. “I love your idea.”

I grinned at her, making her eyes even bigger and if it would be possible sparks would fly out of them.

“But we have to ask dad first.” I pressed my lips together knowing this is going to be very amusing to watch.

“Dad, dad! Mum and I want a kneazle!” Aoede was shaking from excitement.

“What now?” Charlie mumbled, his eyes still on the telly.

“A kneazle, dad! Oh, can we? Please!”

“What about a kneazle, Pumpkin?” Charlie asked absentmindedly.

“We want one!” Aoede started to look annoyed because Charlie still didn't look at her.

“Wait what?” Charlie turned down the volume and looked at his daughter.

“We want a kneazle, dad! We want a kneazle!” Aoede bounced on my legs.

“We?” Charlie cocked an eyebrow, his gaze switching from Aoede to me.

“I said she has to ask you first.” I winked at him.

“Why me? Why do I have to decide?” Charlie narrowed his eyes at me.

“You're the man of the house, aren't you?” I sniggered.

“Right.” Charlie nodded his head, still a bit confused about how we are suddenly discussing having a pet. “Well, what did you say?” He whispered to me.

“I said that I love her idea,” I replied.

“You did?” Charlie tilted his head. “You think she's ready to have a pet?”

“I am!” Aoede crossed her arms on her chest.

“Love, we are 14 days from your due date, we'll be busy with the baby. How are you planning to take care of a kneazle too?”

“You are making some good points, Charles.” I nodded. “However, I think Aoede has enough experience because of Blue to take care of one.”

“She's 3!” Charlie exclaimed.

“So that's a no?” I pouted. “I think that's a no, Aoede.”

“Why!” Aoede whined.

“Wait, how do you think this is a good idea?” Charlie ignored our daughter.

“Well, you know I wanted to get a pet ever since we moved to Romania but then we didn't have the time and now we have a house and you know we will always find an excuse and honestly since we both love animals so much, it's a miracle we don't have a zoo already.”

“Okay, true, but you know that Aoede is too young to take care of it alone and I will be at work so you will have to feed it and everything.” Charlie sighed.

“I am aware of that, Char. But it would also be a good opportunity to teach Aoede to be responsible and I can handle a toddler, a baby, and a kneazle.”

“Daddy, please!” Aoede looked at Charlie with the biggest puppy eyes I have ever seen. “I will help mummy, I plomise. I will feed it evely molning and evely night and I will tlain him to poop and I will give him lots of cuddles!”

“Yeah, there's no doubt about the last one.” Charlie tried not to look at Aoede because he knew he won't be able to resist her looking at him like that.

“Admit it, you want it too.” I nudged him, whispering.

“Of course, I want it.” Charlie ran his hand across his face, still not fully convinced.

“So we ale getting a kneazle?” Aoede gasped.

“Oh, I don't know.” Charlie gave it some thought.

“Please!” Aoede and I said in unison, making puppy eyes at Charlie.

“I swear if our second born has your eyes, you three will be the death of me.” Charlie sighed in defeat.

“I think that's a yes, Aoede.” I giggled and high-fived her.

“Yes!” Aoede thrust her hands in the air, carefully climbed off me, and started dancing around the living room.

“I can't believe I was the one who needed convincing for us to have a pet,” Charlie whispered after a few moments of us giggling and watching out daughter celebrate.

“I know it's kind of an impulsive and an irresponsible decision but I know we can do it and I believe Aoede will take care of it. She loves to help Andrei with Blue and honestly, he has taught her a lot about kneazles.” I defended my decision.

“That's true, she is pretty responsible for her age and I guess it would be a good distraction for her from the baby in case she ought to change her mind.” Charlie scratched the stubble below his chin.

“I mean we kind of owe her for having another baby.” I chuckled.

“Oh, great. So what are we getting her when we're having our third child?” Charlie raised his eyebrows at me, looking amused.

“Let this one be born first, will you?” I laughed.

“I can't wait.” He kissed me first on the nose, then on the lips.

“So, are you really okay with it?” I asked.

“Yeah, why not.” Charlie shrugged. “You tamed a chimera which is supposed to be untamable, how hard can having a kneazle be?”

“I guess we'll find out soon.” I nodded my head at Aoede who was still running around the room shouting that we are getting a kneazle.

Charlie

The morning after we decided to get a kneazle, we visited Andrei to see if he knows anyone who breeds them. Even though my girls convinced me to get one, I still wasn't sure it was a good idea. It wasn't that I didn't want one – in that regard, I thought it was a good idea too – but I was worried for Nova and how she'll be able to handle everything while I'm at work.

The second pregnancy has been draining her and I have no idea how she will be after she gives birth and Aoede is getting more energetic each day and even though I will help her as much as I possibly can, I will have to go to work too and I don't want Nova to be exhausted for the next year because we decided to get a pet.

When we woke up in the morning I told Nova that I will ask Andrei if he thinks it's a good idea and if he reckons we can take care of one with having a baby on the way.

We walked to the Sanctuary – well Aoede ran most of the way because she was too excited – and knocked on Andrei's door when we reached his cottage.

“Aoede! What a pleasant surprise!” Andrei grinned when he saw our little one.

He picked her up and twirled her in the air.

“Andy, Andy, we are getting a kneazle!” Aoede told him the news the second he put her down.

“You are?” He bestowed her with a grin before turning to us. “That's sudden.”

“Yes, very,” I spoke first.

“Charlie thinks it's a bad idea with the baby on the way.” Nova followed.

“I think your timing couldn't be more perfect,” Andrei said casually.

“Really?” Nova and I said together.

“Kneazles are the best pets to the people they can trust and they tend to trust children more. Aoede is great with Blue, he simply adores her meaning she is trustworthy. If a kneazle trusts the whole family then they are better behaved than most cats. All you'll have to do is feed it, comb its fur around 3 times per week and play with it, which I think won't be a problem.” Andrei nodded his head to where Aoede was sitting on the floor, playing with Blue.

“So they aren't too high maintenance?” Charlie wanted to know.

“Not at all. They are a much better first-time pet than crups. They learn faster because they are highly intelligent and they don't have as much energy as crups so they mostly like to cuddle with you.” Andrei continued with a smile on his face.

He then asked us how we came to the idea and Nova explained how Aoede saw Blue in my sketchbook and made him laugh when she told him how they convinced me to get one.

“Why were you against it, Charles? You and Nova have been discussing getting a pet since you moved here.” Andrei teased him.

“That's what I said!” Nova chuckled.

“Well, I was just hesitant with the new baby and I won't be home all the time to help around the house and...” I sighed. “I guess I just got worried.”

“Understandable,” Andrei nodded, “you know you'll get some time off when the baby arrives and in case your kneazle will be too much to handle you can always bring it here.”

“Thank you, Andrei.” His words calmed me down.

“Do you know anyone who breeds them or where we could get one?” I wanted to know.

“Mary would be your best call. She lives in the same village you do and Felix got Blue from her.” Andrei answered my question.

“Wait, you mean Mary Hucklewood? The one that has the drug store?” Nova got excited.

“The very same!” Andrei smiled.

“Oh, that's going to be easy, Char! She's a really sweet lady. I had no idea she's a kneazle breeder.”

“Yeah! Her kneazles won some amazing awards on shows and such. I am sure she'll be able to tell you more!” Andrei looked towards where Aoede was still playing with Blue.

“Did you hear, Pumpkin? We know where to get a kneazle.” I kneeled next to her and rubbed Blue's belly.

“Leally? Can we go now?” Aoede gasped.

“We can't just leave Andrei after being here for 10 minutes.” Nova giggled.

“I would love to come with you if you'll have me. I have to buy some groceries anyway and I haven't seen Mary for a long time.” Andrei said, winking at Aoede.

“See! We can go now! We can go now!” Aoede was jumping up and down.

Without saying another word, we walked to the door and headed back to the village.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Nova as we were walking hand in hand, Andrei, and Aoede right in front of us.

“The walk is doing me good. My feet hurt but I had to move from that sofa eventually.” She said softly. “Not 14 days before your due date.” I tried hiding the concern in my voice. “And I'll massage your feet the second we get home.”

“Thank you, Char.” Nova smiled appreciatively at me before turning to see what made Aoede squeak.

“Mummy, daddy, we're here!” She pointed at the house on our left, hardly containing her excitement.

“Now, Aoede, even if Mary has a kneazle for us to adopt, it doesn't mean we will get it today, okay?” I kneeled next to her.

“I know, dad.” Aoede sighed disappointedly but I knew she understood the situation.

“Go ahead, then. Knock on the door.” Nova nudged her so she got closer.

Aoede took a deep breath and knocked on the door so gently that I was sure the lady inside the house won't be able to hear her.

It was amusing to see Aoede nervous but in a way admiring to watch her in this state because she showed me that despite being so young, this means a lot to her.

“I think we should let Aoede do all the talking so that we see if she is really ready for this,” I whispered to my wife.

“Okay, she seems a bit nervous.” Nova giggled.

“Yeah, she's adorable.” I followed her lead, waiting for someone to get the door.

“Maybe you should knock again, Pumpkin.” I encouraged our daughter when she started to turn around to look at us.

She did as she was told, her knock more determined this time.

“I'm coming, I'm coming! Pretzel, dear, move to the side so I can open the door.” We heard the voice in the house say.

The door creaked opened and a lady in her fifties was standing in the doorway.

“Andrei, Nova! What a pleasant surprise!” The woman grinned at them.

To me, the woman seemed familiar but Nova usually paid more attention to people than I did because she reckoned that we should know the people who live around us in case there would be any spies – that was back when we were at war.

“Hi, Mary! Long time no see!” Andrei waved at the woman.

“And you must be Nova's husband Charlie and I bet this little cutie is Aoede.” She locked eyes with me and smiled before bending down to shake Aoede's hand.

“That is me!” Aoede beamed. “Maly, this is my best fliend Andy and my mummy and daddy and we ale hele because you gave Blue to Andy and mummy and I want a kneazle. See, daddy isn't sule but he said that we can have one if we will take cale of it and I plomise, I plomise Maly that I will take the best cale of my kneazle. Blue leally likes me!”

Nova and I chuckled at Aoede's enthusiasm, Mary however looked surprised.

“You sure know how to make a good first impression, Aoede,” Mary said after waiting for a moment longer if Aoede is done talking.

“And all that she said is true, she is amazing with Blue and he adores her.” Andrei supported Aoede's statement.

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.” Mary nodded toward Aoede who was petting one of Mary's kneazles. “Pretzel doesn't trust a lot of people and he has certainly never let anyone touch him the first time he meets them, so your daughter is really good with animals.”

I blinked a few times before exchanging a look with Nova – getting all teary-eyed and proud of my daughter. From the looks of it, Nova wasn't doing any better, as she sniffed and couldn't stop smiling.

“Unfortunately, you would have to wait until the next year. I have given away the good kneazles from my last litter a few weeks ago so I am afraid you are too late.” Mary bowed her head, sadly. “Kneazles breed only once per year, if they do, so it's hard to say.”

“Oh,” Aoede tried her hardest not to sound disappointed even though I could see her eyes filling with tears.

“What did you mean with the good kneazles?” I asked.

“The ones that are suitable for shows and further breeding,” Mary explained.

“We would have it as a pet and we are not looking to breed kneazles.” Nova's voice turned cheerful.

“Well,” Mary put her hands on her hips, “there is one then. I was planning to keep him for myself but if he'd like you I would gladly give him to you.”

She invited us inside and we followed her upstairs.

“What's wrong with him?” Nova wanted to know.

“He is completely healthy and loves to eat,” Mary laughed, “but there was an accident when the litter was a few weeks old.”

“What happened?” Aoede got curious.

“He was trying to make friends with my Venomous Tentacula.”

Mary opened the door and motioned with her hand that we should come inside.

“Hi, sweetness, I brought you some company,” Mary said in a baby voice.

The room was full of kneazle equipment and the kneazle Mary addressed was the only one inside. He was orange with brown spots and the only thing I could see being wrong with him was the tipped left ear.

Andrei, Nova, and I stood in the doorway while Nova encouraged Aoede to enter the room. She made a cautious step toward Mary, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Go on, he's friendly.” Mary smiled at Aoede.

Aoede took a deep breath and sat down. Nova's eyebrows raised, while Andrei and I exchanged a look.

Aoede didn't move nor called the kneazle, she waited patiently for him to come to her. Since kneazles are big on trust this was a smart move and it blew me away that my three-year-old knew what to do.

The kneazle tilted its head to the side and observed Aoede as if she was the only one in the room. He looked very playful and after a few moments approached Aoede carefully. He sat down right in front of her and tilted his head again.

I have never seen my daughter sit so still. She was always running around or talking to us or drawing on my arm or making ponytails on my head or painting my nails. The only time she didn't move was when she was sleeping and even then we sometimes found her on the other side of the bed compared to where she fell asleep.

I can't find the words to express how proud I was of her at that moment and I felt like crying and hugging her and telling her that she's the best but I had to be patient like she was with the kneazle and do that later. If nothing else her behavior proved to me that she was ready to have a pet.

The kneazle took another step forward and extended his paw toward Aoede. She carefully moved her right arm and placed her hand over his paw. The creature purred and jumped in Aoede's arms.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Mary clapped excitedly.

Andrei looked almost as proud as I did and I caught myself observing the scene with my mouth open.

“Yeah...wonderful.” I turned to Nova who was sobbing and brushing away her tears.

“Oh, you ale so pletty! Look at youl ful and colols and oh,” Aoede gasped, “look at youl eal!”

“That's Tentacula's work.” Mary shook her head.

“He is pelfect!” Aoede turned around to see our reaction.

“I think he likes you, Pumpkin.” I sent her a wink.

“Mhm,” Nova mumbled, looking ever so proud.

“He's all yours, Aoede.” Mary walked to her and put her hand on her shoulder.

“I have to ask mummy and daddy filst.” Aoede gently hugged the kneazle and placed him on the ground so she could stand up.

“Can we have him, dad?” Aoede stopped in front of me, looking up and waiting for my answer.

I turned my head to Nova to see what she has to say about it. She nodded her head slightly and I bent down to our daughter.

“We can have him.”

“What is his name?” Aoede asked all of a sudden as if she has just remembered she doesn't know his name yet.

“I didn't name him for some reason. I just kept calling him sweetness, so the honor is all yours.” Mary smiled at her.

“Oh!” Aoede's eyes sparkled as she was thinking of the name. “Tigel!”

“Tiger?” Nova, Andrei, and I said at the same time.

“Tigel,” Aoede repeated.

“You're going to name a creature after another creature?” I raised my eyebrow.

“You're the one to talk!” Nova laughed. “Have you forgotten that you named an abraxan at my aunt's Dragon?” She nudged me with her elbow.

“Touché. I completely forgot about that.” I felt the heat on my cheeks as I scratched the back of my head.

—

“Another thing she has after you.” Nova giggled.

“And what's that?” I put my arm around her waist as we walked toward our house.

Andrei was helping Aoede carry Tiger and all the supplies Mary gave us for him.

“She is as bad at naming creatures as you are.” Nova pressed more into me, while I just playfully rolled my eyes.

I didn't care what she named him. Aoede had many moments so far that made me a proud father but her interaction with the kneazle beat all of those moments' arses by far and even though she probably got her intuition for animals from Nova, I was happy that she got the creature-naming after me – even though, I had to agree, not the best trait to inherit.

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juniorgman187 · 3 years

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The Bones (Reid Series) Part 2

Summary: After doing an even deeper dive on Valerie’s past, Spencer finally meets her, but his invasiveness isn’t the worst part ... the worst part is he might actually like her.

Playlist: “The Bones” by Maren Morris & Hozier (BONUS: song includes major foreshadowing) Category: Series, Fluff, Soft Angst, Eventual smut and *NSFW content Pairing: Spencer Reid POV x Fem!OC - Valerie Content Warning: invasion of privacy, allusions to Maeve’s death, arrhythmia Word Count: 3.4k

Part 1 |

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

After firmly deciding not to weave Penelope into my tangled web, I was met with the arduous burden of conducting my own research.

Firstly, I would need a computer - yeah ... a computer. That’s how far I was willing to go for this pursuit. I once vowed never to fall victim to modern technology’s clutches, and yet here I was, doing my research on a public library’s computer. To my credit, I hadn’t gone out and bought one, I was merely using my resources.

With the need for a device out of the way, all that was left was the knowledge of what to look for. But that didn’t pose a problem either.

Funny enough, with as many rules and restrictions as there are regarding patient privacy and confidentiality, all it took was matching dates of news stories with hospital records to complete my research. I was fairly certain I was only scratching the surface of information about Valerie as opposed to the sea of things I could’ve uncovered if I asked for Garcia’s help, but there are only so many lines a person can cross in one week.

This was my limit.

Call me naive, but I was actually quite surprised with just how expansive the internet is. To an almost relentless degree, I would open an article and it would lead me to ten more about the same topic. It was this never ending rabbit hole that seemed to spiral on forever. I kept digging deeper and deeper until I could no longer dig.

I’d officially hit rock bottom.

It took me a grand total of just two hours to unearth all the ‘dirt’ I could on a young Valerie Bishop.

Local 16-year-old Wins Nevada’s Statewide Art Contest! Published by Henderson Press.

Valerie, just a sophomore in high school at the time, was donning what any experimental teen girl would’ve worn in the early 2000s - bootcut jeans and a sequin blouse over top of a plain camisole. And if I zoomed in close enough, I could spot the evidence of a sparkly blue shadow coating her eyelids. Surprisingly, though, that wasn’t the first thing I noticed.

It was that smile. That tooth-achingly sweet smile.

Though I never got the chance to see Maeve truly smile, that’s what I imagined it would look like.

The photographer must’ve caught her midway through a laugh, at least that’s what the image of her slightly open-mouthed grin told me. Meanwhile, her two tiny hands were clenching her overbearingly large trophy while her artwork stood behind her as the background.

It didn’t take me long to figure out why her painting won. Simply put, there was no need to see anyone else’s art to know that they couldn’t possibly compete with hers.

Hers was an abstract rendition of what I believe to be a forest of some sort. The detail is what I was most drawn to. It would’ve been unbelievable on its own but the fact that she was 16 when she painted it? That’s what was unbelievable to me.

If that’s how talented she was at that age, I could only imagine how much more talented she became with time. However, I lost the chance to investigate the current state of her skill before a related article from The Cleveland Gazette about Valerie succeeded this one.

From Award-Winning Artist to Henderson’s Hero

Read my interview with 17-year-old Valerie Bishop to find out more about her struggle with arrhythmia and how she turned her pain into a project!

By Kelli Gallagher from the Cleveland Gazette.

Gallagher: Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Valerie.

Bishop: Of course! I’m happy to.

Gallagher: You’ve become somewhat of a hero in Henderson, Nevada, haven’t you?

Bishop: I wouldn’t call myself a hero ... but if everyone else wants to - I’m fine with that. (laughs)

Gallagher: Don’t be so modest! I mean, what you’ve done is so incredible, and you’re only what? Seventeen?

Bishop: Yes, ma’am. I just turned seventeen this past August.

Gallagher: Wow, I can’t believe how young you are and yet you’ve already accomplished so much. I saw that you won a statewide art contest last year. Tell me more about that.

Bishop: That’s a funny story actually. My Grandma Sheila was the one who entered me in that contest. I didn’t even know about it until I won it. She’s always surprising me, though. In fact, she’s the one that surprised me with my first ever art supplies, when I was about eight or so. They were these super expensive oil paints, and I knew she couldn’t afford them, so I told her we should return them and get something cheaper, but she said, “Nonsense. When the bones are good the rest don’t matter. A house don’t fall when the bones are good.” That was kind of her saying.

A house don’t fall when the bones are good.

The bones.

Gallagher: I’m interested to know more about your relationship with your grandma. If I’m remembering correctly, she was also diagnosed with arrhythmia a while back too, right?

Bishop: Yes, she was, but that’s never slowed her down. And as for our relationship, my grandma and I have always been close, but arrhythmia, in a weird way, has brought us even closer. She has always been my biggest supporter and the fact that we’re both on this journey together makes her my biggest supporter even more so.

Gallagher: Absolutely. Now, I also heard that you’ve started a fundraising program to possibly start a gallery and studio in Virginia Beach. If you don’t mind me asking, why Virginia Beach? Is there any special significance?

Bishop: Actually, that’s where my grandma met my grandpa, and they got married and started a family there, too. So if Grandma Sheila hadn’t been there to meet him, she wouldn’t have had my mom, and that would mean I wouldn’t have been here either. I like to think Virginia Beach is where it all started. In a way, it’s where my bones are. That solid foundation in Virginia gave me everything I have today.

Gallagher: That is just incredible. I’m so glad to see your fundraising project is thriving, but I can’t imagine any of this has been particularly easy for you. You were diagnosed right around the time your senior year was starting right?

Bishop: Yes ma’am.

Gallagher: So what brought you from Henderson to Cleveland?

Bishop: Well, actually, I didn’t want to move, especially not before I graduated, but Cleveland has the best cardiovascular hospital in the country and my health is far more important than graduating in the same state I grew up in. So when my parents were willing to move me and my sister out here, I saw it as a privilege rather than something to be sad about.

Gallagher: I am so inspired by you, Valerie.

Bishop: (laughs) Really, why?

Gallagher: Despite everything that’d been thrown at you, you are still so grateful. I hope you never lose that.

Bishop: I promise you I won’t.

Gallagher: So one last thing before I go, what is one hope you have for your future self?

Bishop: I hope, future self, that your ‘bones’ are still strong.

Gallagher: Beautiful. Thank you so much again for doing this, Valerie. I sincerely hope you reach your goal and you get to open up that gallery and studio in Virginia Beach.

At the bottom of the article, there was a footnote from Kelli Gallagher.

Exactly 10 years later, Bishop was able to move to Virginia Beach and open up her gallery and studio.

By the end of the article, I felt a genuine sense of pride for Valerie, and I know I had virtually no right to know these things about her, but I could still be proud of her for them right?

I would never fully get my answer to this question before I crossed the final boundary.

After exhausting all that I could gather from the internet without Penelope’s assistance, the only thing left for me to do was actually meet her in person. However, this would prove to be a bigger obstacle that it seemed. I decided to delay the daunting task until the next day. A decision partially influenced by the phrase, ‘sleep on it.’ I prayed I’d gain clarity on what to do when I woke up the next morning, but even with a night’s rest, I was still undecided as I drove to Virginia Beach once more.

To sit in my car that was conveniently parked right in front of the gallery was a poor choice. Because with every passing second, the temptation to walk in grew, but the fear of regret dampened those impulses. The more I thought about it, the more I psyched myself out. Between my two choices, to freeze or to fight, I should’ve taken the third - to flee. But I was here now and I couldn’t leave empty-handed for a second time.

After a moment’s indecision, adrenaline coursed through my veins to give me the courage to get out of my car. When I felt an outdoor breeze blow over me, I knew there was no going back now. Right when I walked in, the little bell above the door rang, solidifying that I was officially crossing the threshold, and whether I liked it or not, she was going to see me after hearing me walk in.

“I’ll be right with you!” A small voice called out from somewhere in the back. She was hidden from my immediate sight, and somehow that made it so much worse. It was now I that was waiting for her, instead of her unknowingly waiting for me.

As though I were prey getting ready to escape a predator, I stayed put by the door. It gave me a full view of the entire place anyway.

Scoping out my surroundings, I spotted the paintings that were carefully measured and placed on the walls, almost to perfection. I had no time to notice anything more before the person in the back walked out.

Immediately when I saw her, I knew.

“You’re … not Valerie.” I couldn’t help sounding so disappointed but luckily, the woman that came out took no offense to my observation.

“No, I’m not,” She laughed. “But I can get her for you-”

“No wait!” I uselessly leapt forward to stop her from saying, “Vee! There’s someone out here to see you!” But that’s precisely what she did anyway. Evidently oblivious of my previous protests, she politely smiled back at me. “She’ll be right out.”

For the second time that day, I waited with bated breath, anxiously anticipating the arrival of Valerie. And I was almost too focused on subduing the pounding of my heart to realize that she was actually walking out of the back right now.

“Hi, sorry about that!” A new voice chirped.

Valerie.

The moment I laid eyes on her, it became clear to me that the pictures in her files hardly did her justice. Nothing could compare to the real sight of her. I was only able to catch the profile of her face when I saw her in the cafe, but in her entirety, I began to wax nostalgic. Though her face and hair and body had transformed into that of a grown woman’s features, I could still identify the same tooth-achingly sweet smile that a younger Valerie once wore on the front page of the Henderson Press. She was no beast to conquer, she was just a girl, smiling at me in that same gentle way.

Her expression just as well showed no indication of recognition, not that she would recognize me, considering my letter was anonymous and unless she pulled the same stunt I did, she wouldn’t ever recognize who I was.

“I’m Val,” She made her greeting to me while untying her dirtied waist apron, and it was merely the action that caused my gaze to fall to her hips, but when she shed the apron, I was still staring. There was something sort of mesmerizing about the way they swayed as she approached. It wasn’t until they stopped swaying completely that I realized they did so because there was no more distance to advance - she was already right there in front of me, patiently watching me stare.

“Val?” I blinked hard to revert my gaze while also playing into the part that I had no idea who she was.

“Mhm. Short for Valerie,” She confirmed happily. “Like the Amy Winehouse song.”

This time, I genuinely didn’t know what she was referring to, and my confused countenance prompted her to clarify, “You don’t know that song?”

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she began to playfully sing, “Well, sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water ...”

While she watched my face and waited for the recitation of the song to jog my memory, I was just as much studying her face. I could tell she was only kidding when she sang, evidenced by the laugh that followed her rendition, but it sounded so unironically good that I had to question what other talents she possessed.

“Um, I was actually thinking more like Valerie, the martyred medieval saint, whose name stood for strength and health.” No sooner than the words spilled from my mouth did I recognize the freudian slip - the simultaneous coincidence and confession. The coincidence was that, now, with Maeve’s heart beating in her chest, she lived up to her name - she was newly strong and healthy. But I worried, she would see the correlation I drew between her name and her successful transplant and would realize that I knew more about her than I let on. Did I just give away too much?

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier. What was it?” Her casual dismissiveness of my previous statement did nothing to ease my worries. Was she beginning to piece everything together?

“Oh, right!” I said dumbly. “S-Spencer. I’m Spencer.” I was such a blubbering bundle of nerves that I actually reached out to shake her hand - a stranger’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Spencer,” She softly laughed, which was hopefully not out of the enjoyment of seeing me squirm. “What can I do for you?”

A loaded question, don’t you think? What can you do for me, Valerie? Well, for one thing, you could’ve answered my letter, but to say something as bold as that would require me to admit the real reason I was here, and how could I do that without mentioning how I found you in the first place?

“Um ...” Whose birthday is the soonest? “My friend Emily’s birthday is coming up and I was wondering if I could possibly buy a painting from you as a birthday present.”

There was the faintest perceptible skepticism in her expression, but that could’ve just been my paranoia talking because in the next breath, she didn’t suggest a proclivity to my deceit. “Yeah, of course! Do you know what her favorite medium is? Or her favorite artist? Or her favorite style of art?”

For every addition to the question, I wordlessly shook my head no. Was my lie already unraveling? Could she see right through me?

“No worries. If you want, you can walk around the gallery and tell me if you see anything you think she’d like.” She made her offer to me sweetly, then disappeared into the back room again. I tried to follow her with my eyes for as long as I could, but from where I was standing, I couldn’t see very far into it. I wandered a little further into the center of the gallery to possibly catch a glimpse of what was occupying her time back there, but when I heard the chattering of two voices, Valerie and the other woman, coming from the same general direction, I realized I was completely alone in this part of the studio.

With no one around to bear witness but these portraits, I could’ve easily slipped out and made my escape, and I might’ve even done it had it not been for the unmistakable gravitational pull forcing me to stay here and walk about the room.

Making my way throughout the gallery, I would pause every now and then when a painting would stand out to me, which was often, considering each picture was impressive.

But there was one painting in particular that piqued my interest. It made me feel something I’d never felt before.

It wasn’t special by any means. By rights, I shouldn’t have even noticed it, for it wasn’t the largest painting, nor the smallest one - it wasn’t even the most average painting. But it felt exceptionally ... Valerie. I had no doubt in my mind that she painted this one - in fact, I had a good bet that she painted most of these portraits, if not all of them - but this one. There was just something about it that I couldn’t put my finger on.

“So,” A draft was created from where Valerie swiftly and unexpectedly joined me at my side. “What do you think?”

“Um, there’s definitely something,” I struggled to find the word. “appealing about this one.” Almost as soon as the word came out of my mouth, I knew it was only a matter of time before she called out the inadequacy of my answer.

“Appealing?” She repeated in mockery. “That’s the best you got? Come on, you’ve been standing here for like ten minutes. There must be something about it you like.”

“I’m not sure.” I honestly admitted with a shrug.

“There’s no wrong answer.” She assured me, but I found that hard to believe.

“So if I said I see a grizzly bear attacking a UFO, that wouldn’t be wrong?”

“Nope,” She popped the p. “If that’s how you interpret it then that’s how you interpret it. Just because someone else sees it differently, doesn’t mean you’re wrong.” It would’ve sounded like complete bullshit or nauseatingly cheesy coming out of someone else’s mouth, but her delivery felt so genuine. It actually moved me.

As she said this, she turned her head in my direction to look up at me, causing her shoulder to brush my upper arm, sending a wave of goosebumps all over my body.

She was so close.

But I was so unbothered by her proximity that I didn’t even notice exactly how close she really was. If someone else had invaded my personal space like that, I would’ve moved in the opposite direction just on instinct, but I didn’t even think to do that with Valerie. I was so comfortable with her being there.

But was that just because a part of her was once Maeve’s? Was the entire foundation of my likening to Valerie built upon that single attribute?

Was that my bones?

“Um,” I began fidgeting with my hands to self-soothe. “I like it. I don’t know why. But I like it. How’s that for an answer?”

There was a pause before her response that compelled me to look at her, but when I did so, she was already looking at me. “I’ll take it,” She nodded. “It’s the biggest compliment to me if my art can make you feel something.”

Was it the art that made me feel something ... or you?

“I’ll tell you what,” She walked over to grab something from the front desk. She came back with a small piece of cardstock. “I’m going to an art exhibition next weekend. Why don’t you come with me and see if you can’t find something for Emily there?”

She handed me the paper, which was actually her business card. “You don’t have to have an answer for me today, but call me when you do.” She seemed to think that was the end of the conversation, but I still had more questions.

“You’re inviting me?” was the first question that came to mind, albeit the dumbest one.

“Yeah, you can be my plus one.”

I gulped to dislodge the lump in my throat. “Like-like your date?”

She furrowed her brows with mild confusion. “Um ... sure, if that’s what you wanna call it,” which was the last thing she said to me before vanishing within the back room again.

I peered back down at the card and tapped it gently on the palm on my hand as though to register its presence really being there.

For all intents and purposes, this card was meaningless. But to me, it was the formal consenting - nay, invitation - to reach out to her again. She was willingly extending this line of contact to me.

No more public library computers. No more files. No more ‘research.’ Just her number - a way to reach her without veering off my moral compass.

Despite this, I still had no clue whether or not I was going to accept her offer.

All that I did know was that I wanted to see her again.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

PART 3 COMING SOON!

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sxfterhearts · 4 years

Text

35. [4:28 pm]

➳ pairing: youngjae x reader

➳ genre/warnings: fluff, royal!au, prince!youngjae, lady!reader

➳ word count: 1,496 words

➳ summary: 35. “After you.”

➳ author's note: hello angels! i’m so so sorry for my recent absence, uni has been really busy. here is a youngjae fluff to make up for it! this is my first time writing this au so i’m excited to share this! it was a lot of fun and i got really inspired by nbtm + the wildflowers i saw on my trip :)) have a nice day and week lovelies <333

“After you,” Youngjae said breezily, a royal blue, satin covered arm coming up to brush a stray branch aside, clearing the path ahead for you.

“No,” You shook your head with a faux frown, refusing. “After you, Your Royal Highness.” Insistently, you rooted your leather high boots firmly onto the ground, not moving an inch.

“C'mon, Y/N!” He sighed exasperatedly, dramatically. Youngjae always harboured a burning hatred for formalities. “I know you liked our old spot at the top of the hill, but I swear you’ll love this place even better. I just want to show you a part of this kingdom that you’ve never seen before!” A glint of excitement flashed across your eyes at the mention of exploring another corner of his family’s vast lands. Sensing that you were about to cave to his request, the Prince hastily interlocked your fingers with his, guiding you through the dense forest just beyond the edge of the Royal Gardens. “Besides, as your host, I ought to bring you someplace that didn’t make you sneeze your brains out every other minute. The canola fields have triggered your allergies ever since you were a child.” Youngjae added.

“But I like the canola!”

Youngjae scrunched up his nose in distaste. “Well, I certainly don’t like explaining to your maids why their precious Lady turned into a swollen, slimy tomato by the end of our evening together and–”

“Okay, fine!” You squeezed his hand to signal your defeat. He couldn’t see your resigned, dejected look, the one that you wore every time he won an argument, but if he did, you’d bet on every single horse in your stables that he would clutch his stomach and double over in boisterous laughter. “You’ve said enough. Point taken.”

Satisfied, the Prince continued to lead you further into the forest. His pleasing, melodic whistles (charming renditions of folk songs, you supposed) were in harmony with the tunes of the lively forest. Your ears could easily pick up on the airy whispers of rustling leaves, the sweet sopranos of chirping birds and the trickling stream singing in an allegro tempo. It was shaping up to be quite an orchestra, with the one and only Youngjae taking centre stage as both lead singer and conductor.

Throughout the far-reaching kingdom ruled by the Choi dynasty, Youngjae was known as the precious youngest son of the reigning monarchs. The boy made quite a name of himself by gracing those around him with his sunshine smile and bright personality. There were even poems and songs written about the Prince’s ability to shine his brilliant light onto his people’s lives. Many claimed that the Prince had a heart of pure gold, as he would often roam beyond the gates of the Palace, interacting with the locals by personally buying his art supplies from the markets, painting murals and paintings for the young and old, and lending a hand whenever a carriage got stuck in mud or when an old grandpa strained himself while moving large crates of vegetables. The people often muttered under their breaths about how it was such a shame that Youngjae had little chance of claiming the throne, for he was the last in line after his elder siblings. But the Youngjae you knew and grew up with had never set his sights on being King. Ever since spending that first summer in the Palace with his eleven-year-old self, you were certain that he was meant for even greater things. Youngjae loathed politics and diplomacies. He hated pretending like someone he wasn’t, just for the sake of strengthening relations and maintaining peace. All Youngjae wanted to do was to live a carefree life and practice his art.

“We’re nearly there, My Lady,” Youngjae chirped in his best impression of a maid. “Just have to cross this tiny little stream.” The young royal came to a halt before the gushing stream, his free arm circling around your waist securely.

Your mouth went dry in an instant. The body of water a few steps ahead of you seemed like anything but a tiny little stream; it was fervently licking at the banks, swallowing and chomping up any leaf or branch or insect that stood in its way. You were deafened by the relentless roars of rapidly flowing water, causing you to shrink into his side in search of safety. Petrified, you glanced upwards at the Prince, shaking your head slowly to get your point across. You did not like this, not at all.

“I know you’re scared, Y/N, but I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me. I’ll hold onto you so tightly that we’ll be stuck together like two peas in a pod.”

“But I… I don’t…”

“You’ll never get hurt, not on my watch.” Youngjae declared resolutely. He knew; he could tell from your shallower breaths and widening pupils that you were afraid of falling in, just like you did five summers ago. You and your brother loved spending time within the Palace’s walls, but you had taken a special liking towards the koi pond right at the heart of the Royal Gardens. Each summer when you returned to the Palace from your home in the Northern Lands, the trees and the flowers and the design of the Gardens would change beyond recognition. The pond was the only thing that remained untouched, year after year.

You used to love sitting by the edges and feeding the koi fishes or testing out your paper boats with Youngjae and your brother. You could stay there for ages, from sunrise until sundown. That is, until you accidentally tripped into the pond and nearly drowned. After that, you avoided it like the plague.

“If you’re really not comfortable with this, we can turn around, no big deal.” Youngjae reminded you in the gentlest voice he could muster. The stream was barely a meter wide, with a large sturdy rock smack bang in its centre, but he knew; he could feel the hesitation radiating off your skin. He was aware of how the minutes seemed to drag into hours as you gasped for air that afternoon, your feet straining and struggling to reach the bottom. Youngjae knew that the memory still haunted you.

Your clammy hands clawed onto his back, your fingernails leaving deep imprints through his luxurious tunic. Sensing his eagerness to show you this new hideout of his, you tried your best to swallow your fears and gave him a slight nod.

“You sure? We really don’t have to.”

“I swear, Choi Youngjae,” You whispered impatiently. “If you don’t move right now, I’m going to change my mind.”

He chuckled at that, all melodious and warm. His laughter felt like a blast of sunshine on a cool spring day, which did wonders to ease your nerves. He wasted no time in holding you close to his chest, similar to how you would position yourselves when dancing side by side in the Palace’s ballroom. “It’s a lot like dancing, really.” Youngjae said, inching towards the very edge of the stream. “You just have to coordinate your steps with mine. We’ve done this before a million times. Now, right foot, oh yes, your right. Okay, ready? Take a big step and –”

Your feet moved in perfect unison. The two of you arrived on the rock in the blink of an eye. “We made it.” You breathed out in disbelief.

Youngjae simply cradled you snugly in his arms for several moments. You relished in the immeasurable amount of security you felt being with him, while he grinned smugly at the sight of you finally overcoming your fear. “I told you so,” He pressed his lips against your ear and whispered.

The rest of the journey only took another five minutes. Before you knew it, you arrived at a small yet breathtaking clearing in the forest. The ground was decorated with a plethora of wildflowers emerging amongst tall grass, specks of white and gold and pink everlastings flooding your entire vision. In the middle of the clearing sat a large rock and a fallen trunk, the ideal place to sit down, catch your breath and take in the wondrous scenery.

Which was exactly what you and Youngjae did for the rest of the late afternoon. You drank from your flask of elderflower cider while inhaling the fragrant, floral perfumes surrounding you; Youngjae chewed on the end of his sketching pencil while also crafting a rough sketch of you in his notebook, resting on the trunk. You laughed and you talked, all while sharing a loaf of buttered rosemary bread you swiped from the kitchens this morning.

Much to your pleasant surprise, you didn’t let out a single sneeze. Not even when Youngjae passed you his sketch for your inspection and placed a white flower behind your ear. This was exactly why he brought you here, he claimed.

He was right. As it turned out, you loved this place the most.

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awkbo0b · 4 years

Text

Two of a Kind:1

A/N: Hey everyone, I finished Outer Banks on Netflix about a week ago and I fell in love with the Pogues. Mainly JJ. So I after reading some of there really creative writing about JJ x Reader i came across an idea for my own spin off story. the girl in the story will be named Mae Clemonds, this helps my flow with writing. Also this chapter is going to be a bit boring since i need to introduce my characters and give background on them, but once this passes it should be better and will have much more of JJ and the rest of the Pogues!

Now imagine JJ meeting a girl who is so much like him he can hardly stand her, and same goes to the girl. Can you already feel the sexual tension?

Warnings: swearing, underage drinking

As I pack my third suitcase that i have strictly made for my art supplies, I hear a knock at my door. “Hey, Mae, how is it going in here?” I turn to see my mom standing in the doorway, she has dry clay smeared across her forehead, as usual, and her curly ginger hair is somehow managed into a bun on top of her head.

“Oh you know, it’s going. Got all my water colors here,” I say as i point to them in my suit case, “and my notebooks here, and all my brushes, pencils, and pens are in the pocket.” I smile as i close the suit case and zip it up. “Now I am all set.” I glance at the other two large suitcases that are full of clothes and bathroom necessities, then up to meet my mom’s bright blue eyes. “How about you and dad?”

Mom returns a smile, “Good, your farther finished packing this morning and we just finished the piece as planed. Once I am washed up we will be ready in about thirty minutes, go ahead and load these into the car.” she responded as she pushed herself away from the door frame and began to turn away from the room. “It’s going to be a great summer, I can feel it!” mom adds as she gracefully moves down the hallway, throwing her hands in balled fist above her head as if she just won something.

A couple months ago my aunt Sadie called my mom and dad offering a once in a life time opportunity. Something that you should know about my family is that we are artist, all of us. My great grandma Allison was the one who started the line of artist. She was an amazing painter, oil was her favorite but you could give her mustard and she would still create art. Her and my great grandpa Clemonds opened up their own gallery, and it has been passed down through the generations. The artistic touch also ran through the family. Not all of us are painters, some are photographers, and others are sculptors like my mom and dad. I like to draw/sketch and use water colors. But no matter what their choice of media is, my family creates art and adds it to the gallery. The Clemonds family is widely well known in the art community.

So back to the once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity that my Aunt Sadie called my mom about a couple months ago, is the chance for them to create a series together.

About two years ago my Aunt Sadie and her family moved to the coast of North Carolina for a new scenery for their photography. Living in Chicago does give you a lot to work with but my Aunt needed something with more green and less buildings. This move included my cousin Tony, who also happens to be my best friend.

Tony said that where she lives is called Outer Banks and the elite class of the area are a different level of filthy rich. Nose up in the air, refuse to look at anyone who makes anything less that six figures a year level of filthy rich. And these people did their research on my cousin’s family the second they moved in down the street and instantly started asking for personalized art they could buy.

My Aunt agreed to set up her own business to start selling her art there without the ties of the family gallery back at home, and then one day she came up with a great idea. She wanted my mom and dad to come to North Carolina and to work with her. Neither me or Tony know what our parents had in mind but after two years I’m going to see my best friend, and the plane leaves in 2 hours.

The drive from the airport to Tony’s house felt hours, I am so excited to see her. We facetime every day but it’s not the same and seeing each other in person. Once the rental car pulls into the long driveway leading up to one of the biggest houses I have every seen, I see Tony running down the porch. Her long, wavy, blonde hair flying behind her with the biggest smile on her face.

“Dad, can you just stop right here for me, so I can get out?” I almost whine, just as happy to see Tony and as she is to see me. Dad chuckles and bring the car to a stop long enough for me to hop out.

Tony and I clash together in a clumsy hug. “Oh God Mae, I’ve missed you!” Tony squeals, hugging me a little tighter.

“Same here, dude,” I pull away to look at her face, to see she is crying. Tony and I are so different in so many ways. She is that cute soft girl who wears skirts, always her hair done, and is emotional. Where as with me and my dark brunette hair, I like to wear worn down t shirts and shoes with denim shorts that are frayed at the end. I speak everything that comes to mind, down for almost anything, and communicating emotions is my weakness.”Lets get my shit inside so you can show me around.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder and we make our way to the parked car to unpack.

After unpacking Tony told me about a ‘kegger’ that was going to go down near the beach called the boneyard.

“Fuck yeah, lets do it!” I say in a loud whisper so her parents didn’t hear.

Tony laughs, “just to remind you though, remember when I told you about the rival between kooks and pogues?”

“Um, yeah vaguely, why?”

“Well I live in figure eight which is technically kook territory so when going to this party to avoid any drama we should probably stick with the kooks.” Tony’s voice got quieter at the end of that sentence. She knows when she tries to give me advice I typically tend to ignore it and cause issues.

“Well,” I begin, plopping myself onto her bed, “I guess I can try, but if I remember correctly, the kooks are the one who are in the wrong most of the time?” My parents (Tony’s parents too) raised me to not see someone as a social class, judge them on how they treat you not by how much money they have.

“Yeah, normally they talk down on the pouges because they are from much less but,-”

“But that’s not cool Tony, we both know this.” I cut her off a little more harshly than intended.

“But,” Tony’s tone is desperate for me to hear her out,”I had a lot of troubles making friends and fitting in when I first came here two years ago. And I’m just starting to not be the weird new girl who sits in the art studio all day.” Tony sits down next me. “I’m not asking you to be rude or to look down on people, just to help me keep some of the friends I have finally made here.”

I let out a long sigh, “I’ll do my best.” Tony jumped from the bed and did a little victory dance, she only did this when she got her way with me. “Well, lets start getting ready.” Tony laughs as she start going my clothes to help me find something to wear.

As we walked down a sandy pathway through the trees, a bonfire came into view, along with a large group of people around the ages of 16 to 19. The sight of the fire inspired an idea of a drawing that I will probably start tomorrow. “where should we place our cooler?” I asked Tony.

“Looks like everyone is placing theirs over by that tree, most of the time its help yourself at these things so don’t become alarmed if you see someone getting into our cooler.” Tony shakes her finger at me knowing that I wouldn’t hesitate to confront anyone. I raise my hands up in surrender.

“I’m on my best behavior tonight.” I gave my best smile, causing Tony to giggle. “Now lets start the night off right.” Once we got our cooler placed we opened it and took out a sandwich bag that contained two limes, and our small bottle of tequila. It’s tradition for us to start our nights drinking with a shot together. Once the first shot is down we drink what we want. “Cheers,” I say then take a chug from the bottle and hand it to Tony as I bite my lime, and she does the same. Then we place the tequila back and grab ourselves a beer and walk towards the crowd of people.

Tony introduces me to a couple people she has become friends with in the last school year. They all seem nice but the entitlement that radiates off of them is insane. “So, you guys are from the same family, right?” asked one of the boys who i didn’t bother to remember his name.

“I mean, that’s what cousins normally means, right?” My tone came out harsh and Tony bumped me with her hip to remind me to play nice. The guy rolled his eyes in annoyance, causing me to raise an eyebrow. “If you don’t want a sarcastic answer don’t asked a stupid question.” I finished my beer in one big gulp.

“I was just making sure because you don’t seem to be the one who lives a life like Tony’s,” I feel Tony put her arm around my shoulder to try and calm me down, but the smug express the guy had on his face pushed me over the edge.

“Oh? Because how I look really defines my social class, right?”

“Hey, we are going to take a walk.” Tony steps between me and the guy, “Enjoy your night.” she says over her should as tony pulls me from the group.

Tony and I walk toward the coolers so I can get another beer. “can’t beleive that dick head.” I utter under my breath. Tony begins to giggle, she knows there is no point in trying to lecture me, because in the end we both know I was in the right. “Seriously Tony, I’m sorry you have to be around people like that.”

“Yeah kooks are no fun,” I turn to see a blonde guy with a red baseball cap going through coolers to find a beer of his choosing. “But at least they bring good beer.” The blonde is dressed in cargo shorts and a stretched out tank top, not khakis and polo shirts like the guys Tony had just introduced you too. I notice him make his way to our cooler. He pulled out a beer, shut the lid and used it as a seat to look at you and Tony.

“Hey, lets go back to the fire, we can get a beer in a minute.” Tony’s giggling has stopped and now she’s grabbing my arm trying to pull me away.

“Ah come on princess kook, no need to be scared.” The smirk on the guys face sent excitement through me.

“Mae,” Tony started but I cut her off.

“T, you can go back. I’ll get a beer and meet you there.” I try to sound as soft as Tony does when she tries to assure me. Tony looked at the guy then back to me. She nodded and then turned to make her way back to the group of people we were just at.

“You must not be from around here, a tourist?” The blonde pulls a lighter out of his pocket and pops open they beer. “If so, I’m as local as the come and you seem to need a guide.” He then winks and take a takes a swig of the beer. I return a smirk, trying to come off as flirty and make my way towards him.

“How often does that line work for you?”

“Well, normally tourist don’t ask that question.” as I get closer I lean down to be at the same level as him, I notice the blonde look down at my lips.

“Well I dont need a guide but,” I stand up straight and take the bottle from his hand, “for a local you are a very good host, thank you for opening my beer.” I place the bottle against my lips and take a drink.

the blonde shoots up from where he was sitting and takes the bottle back from me. “Dude find your own.”

I give him an innocent smile, “Well you see, that is mine, its from my cooler.” I take the bottle back and turn on my heels, “The name is Mae, hope to see you around blondie.”

“Wished the feeling was mutual!” The blond hollers after me then I hear slight chuckles come from him. I make my way to Tony who is now with a group of girls.

A/N hey so there are probably a handful of mistakes, I was just excited to get this out. Once again, sorry for it being slow in the beginning I was trying to build Mae up so you could know her a little more. the more notes the faster the second part will come out!

UPDATE: I HAVE MOVED THIS FANFIC TO WATTPAD, HERE IS THIS LINK! LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU FOR THE NOTES!

#jj #jj maybank #outer banks #obx #jj x #jj x reader #rudy pankow #north carolina #imagine #jj fanfiction #outer banks netflix #writng #TwoOfAKind

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magical-fan-girl · 4 years

Text

Gotham Runaway Ch.3

Chapter 3

A couple days later, Luka, Kagami, Jagged and Penny all meet up at Marinette’s house to help her pack her things. One box would be for her sketchbooks and art supplies. Another would be for her fabric and any commissions she was working on, she had 2 suitcases for all her clothes/ shoes/ accessories, and finally a backpack with the Miraculous Box, a tablet and charger, and any money she had.

Penny helped her pick out an apartment in a not-so-dangerous area, which Jagged wouldn’t approve of, unless he was allowed to pay for her first month’s rent. Luka and Kagami gave her a silver chain bracelet with a ladybug, dragon, and snake charm as a goodbye gift. They also had matching ones.

“Guys, thank you so much for everything. It really means a lot to me.”

“We’re doing this cuz we love you Mari. You’re really special and well miss you.” Luka happily replies.

“Marihime, were really happy you’re alive. I can’t imagine how life would be without you.” Kagami smiles, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

“Love, just letting you know, I’ll still be paying you for commissions. I don’t think I want to let anyone else besides MDC to design my Rockin outfits.” Jagged says, adding a wink.

“I’ll call you once a week for updates, seeing as me and Jagged are your legal guardians. By the way, why did you change your last name to Fu?” Penny asks as Luka and Kagami share a knowing look.

“Well, Fu was the name of the last Miraculous Guardian- the one who chose me to be his successor. He was like my grandpa, always giving me advice and watching out for me. But as soon as he passed the title on, he lost all memories of anything regarding the Miraculous, including who I was. I chose his name to be able to remember him by.” Marinette says while smiling sadly at the floor. Luka and Kagami both hug her.

“It’s about time I go now right?” Penny made sure the apartment was ready for her last night, and don’t lie and say it’s impossible because- let’s be honest- its Penny.

Kagami and Luka gave her a makeover. Kagami had cut her hair to shoulder length, while Luka gave her one of his favorite hoodies, seeing as Gotham got pretty cold this time of year.

Marinette pulls out the Horse Miraculous and puts it on. Kaalki appears in a ball of light in front of Marinette. “How may I help you, my guardian?”

“I need to get to Gotham and I’m gonna need a portal for that.” Kaalki nods as a portal appears. She and Penny go through, taking Marinette’s stuff with them. Penny helps Marinette get settled in. Marinette would teleport to her room for her furniture tomorrow.

Kaalki opens a portal back to Marinette’s room and they all have one last hug. “Come visit me next month for Christmas, okay?” She says as she waved goodbye.

The portal closes, leaving Marinette alone with the Kwamis. She takes a look around the apartment and sees a balcony. ‘Well I won’t have to worry about sneaking in or out anymore.’

“What do you think Tikki?”

“I think it’s pretty nice. The view is amazing and we can plant some flowers here.” She says brightly.

“Kaalki?” She looks over to the Kwami.

“Hmm.. acceptable.”

“Well I think I should start unpacking, but before that, here are some cookies and sugar cubes.” She says as she pulls out a little baggie. The Kwamis eat as Marinette takes out her things.

“This is going to be exciting.”

•••••

I kind of rushed through this, I’ll edit later.. probably

P.S I cannot draw shoes correctly :,(

First

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic #marinette dupain cheng #damian wayne #daminette december #daminette #maribat #my art

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kirrtash · 4 years

Text

The kikyo au my mind spat out in a moment of weakness

This is a story about Kikyo, and about what could have been.

Maybe Kikyo died when she did. Maybe she died after, during the final battle, maybe she had to fight until the end, or maybe she died earlier, getting to rest and avoiding all the mistakes she was going to do. But still, at some point she wandered the earth as little more than a corpse, and when Kagome passed the well for the last time after the final battle, the well demanded that she was whole, in body and soul, not leaving behind even a little piece of herself.

Of course, the well was strange, it had its on way of working, with or without the shards, only letting Kagome and Inuyasha go, making up its own rules all the time. And it didn’t like Kikyo’s body of clay and ashes, the well, but instead of killing her again, to give back her soul to Kagome, it changed the rules again.

Is mama Higurashi that finds them, at the bottom of the well, Kagome crying, frantically trying to go back while Kikyo sits, still stunned at coming back to life, again, her body of flesh warm and unfamiliar.

Kagome is stuck in the future. She doesn’t speak to her, happily using Kikyo as a dummy to release at least a little bit of her fury. Kikyo doesn’t mind. She wouldn’t know what to say to her anyway, after all they have been through, she already said goodbye to her for the last time. Mama Higurashi and the rest of her family are friendly enough even if they don’t understand who she is, at first.

Kikyo watches them, rapidly realizing how much Inuyasha is part of this family and how much they miss him when they figure out that the well is not working. And also, what they think his relationship with Kagome is. It gives her a new sensation she doesn’t know what to think of. Surely enough the thought that for this people the history between her and Inuyasha doesn’t exist is strange, but not in a completely bad way. Kagome doesn’t mention her connection to him either, and she is relieved. Kagome doesn’t speak much anymore, she realizes, not only to her, but also to her family.

It’s not simple at first. This world is strange and foreign, the people bad-mannered and disrespectful, and she can't understand why she needs a piece of paper to tell who she is. But they manage, in some way, to create a life for her, tiptoeing around Kagome’s rage and desperation, higher and higher every day the well continues to refuse her passage. They (Grandpa and Sota) clean her the unused storage room at the first floor, on the third day, while mama Higurashi soothes a crying Kagome. They find her some clothes, other than her Miko outfit, and when Kagome sees her in her own dress she smiles, for a second, the first smile since they arrived. Then she starts to cry again. Kikyo doesn’t ask why.

At first, she likes mama’s dresses the best, looking for comfort and coverage, but soon enough she starts to like Kagome’s too. When they offer her a job at the temple as a Miko (and even that is different in this time, but she picks up quickly at least) and she has her own money to buy things she starts experimenting.

She walks in the city, trying to not draw attention to herself while she learns the ways of this place, drinking in all that she doesn’t know, tasting every foreign food, going to the cinema (with Sota, the first time, to see an anime, but after that alone) and the museums. She catches the train one day, alone even if she has never taken it before, and almost manages to get lost. She buys stupid gadgets and books upon books, clothes and art supplies, objects for the kitchen for which she doesn’t know the purpose and in one memorable occasion a whole climbing station for Buyo. The cat doesn’t even look at it, doesn’t even move from his afternoon sleeping spot.

When she tries her way with make up, some months later, Kagome takes pity and teaches her how to do it. And also, how to use the oven, and how to open a bank account, how to use the computer, and how to understand what she reads in the internet, even if Kagome herself has never had many occasions to use it. Once she has started it doesn’t look like Kagome is going to stop. She teaches her the basis to understand science and mathematics too, while she studies for her high school tests and exams, and what has happened in the last 500 years and even before, which rights women obtained, which ones are in place for all the people and granted by the states. What states are.

Kikyo likes geography. The idea that so many places, so different from each other could exist never even crossed her mind. It makes her dizzy to think of all the different people that live around the world. A small part of her reminds her how simpler it is for human life to thrive without demons. The world is infinite and open in front of her, she can explore it at her heart’s content, chatting with Grandpa over the old traditions and new ones, listening to Sota’s excited explanations over the new technologies, relaxing and reflecting with mama Higurashi, when the new information is too much.

She watches Kagome, as the girl withers away with her own grief, never going too far away from the shadow of the well house.

Her friends come to visit her sometimes after school. The Higurashi family presented her as a cousin, the resemblance keeping the lie credible, but after that first encounter, she avoids the girls. They seem nice, but the way Kagome watched her when they were talking reminds her of their past. Kikyo can’t bear her angry stare anymore. She doesn’t want to ruin the tentative companionship they have built, in the evenings spent to teach her about the future, so she keeps to herself and avoids them at all costs. It’s easier to look for mama Higurashi in the kitchen and chat in front of a cup of tea anyway.

There is still so much to do and see in this world, without demons and jewels and priestess with strange powers and a body that is still her own despite her death, but not a corpse anymore. She is free.

She misses Inuyasha sometimes, when the future world is too weird and incomprehensible, she misses him as well as her village and Kaede, the rice fields and the sunset from the hill behind the sacred tree. She misses the simple life they could have had. A happy life, once they had been freed from their burdens by each other. She sees Kagome’s grief and her desolation, and she knows that she doesn’t miss him in the same way.

Kagome’s life has stopped. She doesn’t know much of the world still, but even to her is clear that Kagome is not planning for her future, is not going on, is not living. Kikyo understands now, how Kagome would have battled Naraku for her whole life, if it meant spending it with Inuyasha.

They are just back from her first true travel, she and Sota. She knows that the boy didn’t really need her, but mama Higurashi insisted and even if in the end it was Sota that did all the work, keeping the tickets and documents and making sure they got on the plane, she is glad she went. She cried when they left the earth, Sota watching her, trying to understand if he had to call for help or not, but she didn’t care. She just sat there, the earth disappearing behind the clouds as she promised herself that she was going to fly again.

They are just back from the airport and Kagome isn’t there anymore.

Sota receives the news as the man he isn’t, a child already familiar with loss, already acquainted over the years with the sad figure of his sister, the widow of the well. Kagome has not been more than a ghost of herself, ever since they arrived to the future.

She tiptoes around them, respecting their grief, not sure if she is allowed to stay. She still has Kagome’s documents, the ones they gave to her for the travel. Nobody would suspect anything, she and Kagome too similar to arise any doubt. She could run away, but she doesn’t want.

Mama Higurashi makes her tea that evening. She asks her to stay. It’s easy to say yes.

But this is a kinder world, a kinder story, and the well gives Kagome back to her family, at some point or another, gives her the permission to visit. Kikyo watches mama Higurashi cry in joy and Kagome reuniting her families, Grandpa fussing around and Sota tackling Inuyasha. Inuyasha, he looks older, content. He doesn’t move at the impact, he can’t, he brings something too precious to let his guard down, Kikyo sees it in his posture, in how he curls around the small body in his arms, barely visible, half hidden as it is in his fire rat vest. A minuscule ear, not different from the half demon’s ones pokes out. She doesn’t want to meet them.

She calls one of her friends, someone from the library, or the coffee shop she works in now, or the history club, someone who is free right now. She knows that Inuyasha has probably caught her scent and she doesn’t particularly care. She runs down the steps of the temple, in the direction of the bus stop, the wind in her hair, all her life in front of her.

I have never ever ever written anything in my life (my university work was brought to life with immense suffering, and also not in english) so, if anyone happens to read and enjoys this little au, I’m happy for you, otherwise, I am just going to keep this on my blog as a reminder that if I am sleepy at 8 p.m. I should just go to sleep. Period. (I finished writing this at 1 a.m., well done @me)

#inuyasha #inuyasha au #kikyo #kikyo au #for real tho #did my lazy ass just write something?#it's true #the quarantine changes you #anyway kikyo becomes a flight hostess at some point #maybe she marries #but surely she has three cats #or ten #and she is happy #inuyasha fanfiction #wow #kagome&kikyo #they are not friends #but they could have been

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misssunflowersandsangria · 4 years

Text

My True Love Gave to Me

Author’s Note: Merry Christmas! It's still Christmas in my part of the world! I just made it! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday or even just a great day! This chapter got longer than I wanted it to so feel free to read through it all or just for your favorite couple. Read the title breaks just to preface that portion. Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Traditions (InoShikaCho)

Ino (Christmas Eve- Modern AU)

Ino looked gorgeous as she sauntered down the stairs in a deep purple dress molded tightly to her body.

“Mommy! You look like a princess.” Ino scooped her child up to place an affectionate kiss on his head.

“Thank you, baby. You look very handsome as well.” Her son looked adorable dressed in a deep blue suit complete with a bowtie. Sai grinned as his wife made her way towards him placing a chaste kiss against his lips.

“You’re breathtaking tonight my Love.”

“Thank you Sai, you look quite handsome as well. Not as good as Jin but it was a good attempt.” He just laughed as she teased him before kissing her once more.

“I agree. Let’s go.” As had been their tradition for years on Christmas Eve they always had a romantic dinner. Even after Inojin had been born they continued to include him in their traditions. He seemed to enjoy dressing up and ordering from the adult menu. After dinner, her parents graciously offered to watch Inojin they planned to enjoy some time together looking at the light displays through the city.

The restaurant was warm and inviting filled with couples celebrating the holiday. Inojin was far beyond his years and he was the perfect dinner guest. The family enjoyed their simple dinner together the spirit of the holiday alive and well.

When they returned home they changed Inojin into his festive pajamas before reading him a good night story, his blue eyes fighting to stay open.

“We love you, baby.” Ino told him tucking the sheets around him.

“I love you too Mommy and Daddy.” They both kissed his forehead before shutting the door behind them. They made their way to their room to change into warmer clothing to combat the chill outside.

He held her hand tightly as they gazed at elaborate displays never taking for granted that she’d chosen him. That she loved him in ways that he could never quite comprehend. Their first date had been on Christmas Eve years ago. It was amazing to think about how far they’d come.

Flashback

“Alright, student’s continuing our work on human form we have a live model for you to sketch today. As it is our first time using live models it may be a new experience for many of you but I ask that you do your best.” Sai listened as he prepared his tools. After weeks of drawing bowls of fruit and inanimate objects, a live person would be a welcome change.

That is until she walked in. He was stunned speechless his hands shaking so much that he couldn’t grasp onto his pencils to work.

“Welcome, Ino. Please take a seat in a comfortable position. Students, please get to work.”

“Ino…” His heart continued to beat wildly in his chest as he observed the ethereal creature in front of him. This had to be a dream, someone this beautiful could not actually exist. Her eyes rivaled that of the sky and her hair shined brighter than gold. She seemed to sense his stare and for a brief moment regarded him with a smile before her face returned to its relaxed state.

He continued to stare, daydreams of that smile lingering on him for much longer.

“Alright thank you again Ino, students please leave your work on your easels I’ll collect them after class.” Sai’s eyes widened staring at the blank canvas before him. He’d been so enchanted by her that he failed to draw even a single line. He was going to get a zero on this assignment and yet it was worth it.

His eyes followed her longingly as she exited the class but her gaze shifted for just a second back to him. Before the professor could dismiss the class officially he was out the door following after her.

“Ino!” Surprised he found her just on the other side of the classroom door.

“Take a walk?” He nodded knowing that he’d gladly follow her to the ends of the Earth.

They made their way out towards the quad finding a small bench hidden under a shroud of trees.

“I’m Sai.”

“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Ino.” She smiled brightly at him taking his outstretched hand in hers.

She had taken the “modeling job” as a favor to her professor. It was awkward and uncomfortable but also worth it to have met the handsome artist sitting next to her. The whole time she was sitting there she had to consciously tell herself to focus on anything else besides him.

Thankfully it wasn’t one-sided.

“Ino, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?” Sai held his breath waiting for her response. He didn’t want to let a chance pass him by. Ino was one of those once in a lifetime loves.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.” She thought aloud. It was a pretty romantic holiday.

“I know.” She smiled at how sure he was and nodded.

“I'd like that.”

End Flashback

The next morning they watched as Inojin played with his new toys and art supplies.

She twisted the new ring that Sai had given her the night before. Sapphires were embedded in it and on the inside, their names along with Inojin’s had been inscribed.

Sai settled next to her resting his head on her lap. Inojin came over and cuddled up next to his parents. Their family was happy and complete.

Life at times could be very difficult, but having one another to hold onto through it all made it easier.

Shika (Holidays in Suna)

“Uncle!” Shikadai ran as quickly as his little legs could take him towards his uncles. Kankuro laughed picking him up and swung him around.

“How’s my favorite nephew?” The puppetmaster asked affectionately ruffling his hair.

Before he could respond a cloud of sand pulled him towards the Kazekage.

“Hey!” Kankuro protested while Shikadai giggled falling into his redheaded uncle’s arms.

“How’s my favorite nephew?” He asked with a grin.

“Hello, Uncle Gaara!”

“How was the trip?” He asked the couple who had barely made it inside.

“The train is a Godsend, it’s much faster and easier to travel,” Temari explained while directing where their things should go as Shikamaru greeted his brothers-in-law.

He and Temari had some official business to work on but the holiday season was upon them as well, so this was a perfect opportunity to spend time in Suna. His mother would also be joining them to his relief. She’d have two other sons to nag for a few days. The Village Hidden in the Sand came alive this time of the year as everyone prepared for the holidays and festivals had begun. He was grateful that his family would be there to celebrate.

“Welcome home Lord Shikamaru, Princess Temari.” Temari grinned turning towards the gruff voice.

“Still calling me that?”

“Still the Princess?” Baki replied giving her an affectionate hug.

“Grandpa Baki!” Shikadai ran towards his grandfather and it was amazing to see his normally cool exterior melt in the presence of the small child.

“Kankuro you’ve got Shikadai for the afternoon?” Temari asked wanting to get their work done as soon as possible.

“He’s in good hands. Go be boring adults the kid and I will be fine.” Shikadai clapped excitedly at the prospect. They always had a lot of fun together when he was tasked with watching him.

Shikamaru headed off with Garra to the Kazekage’s office while Temari walked with Baki towards the Cypher office and Shikadai remained with his uncle.

“Alright buddy let’s head to the studio we have to finish decorating for tonight.”

“It’s nice to see you so happy,” Baki remarked over tea. They’d finished translating the documents that Temari needed and decided to take a break before all the evening's festivities began.

“Are you getting soft on me?” She asked with a grin.

He just shrugged not the least embarrassed. “Blame it on old age.”

“It's weird...sometimes it still doesn’t feel like it’s my life...I have Shikamaru and Shikadai, there’s peace, my brothers and homeland are safe. They’re all the things I never imagined I could have.” She looked out towards the village as the lights began to dot the landscape

“I’d imagine that this is the world that your mother would have wanted.” Temari’s eyes misted over thinking about her. She prayed that wherever she was Karura was proud of her and the world they fought so hard to create.

Gaara and Shikamaru toasted Sake over finishing their last official business of the year.

“How are things in Konoha?”

“Good, Naruto sends his greetings. The baby is getting bigger and bigger.” Shikamaru grinned remembering the panic-filled state he’d left his friend. Having to go to Suna was a welcomed reprieve away from the father to be.

“Yes, please send my good wishes as well.”

“Have you and Temari considered another child?” Now that Shikadai was getting older he’d been wondering for a while whether the couple was planning on expanding their family.

Shikamaru couldn’t help but sigh. “Truth is as lazy as I was as a child I’d always imagined I’d have a son and a daughter, but convincing her to have Shikadai took a lot of work. I doubt that a second one is in our future but I'm quite content with what we have now but I think she has a hard time believing that.”

Garra nodded not surprised by his sister’s hesitation. Shikadai was a miracle in himself. “I see, I fear the circumstances of my birth have greatly influenced her feelings on the matter.”

Shikamaru took another drink thinking about his Sand Princess. “I’d come to that same conclusion. Ultimately Temari knows her heart and my own. She’ll decide if one day she’d like another child and no matter what I’ll support her.”

“Shikadai! That looks great bud!” Kankuro complimented his nephew. He’d created an elaborate design of lines that were meant to mimic his father’s shadows and his mother’s wind, he then layered colored sand over it.

“This will go right at the entrance.” Shikadai grinned proudly following after him. His Uncle was an incredible artist and he hoped to learn from him. While his parents worked, he had the important job of helping his uncle fill their home with candles and lights.

They decorated alongside other Shinobi filling the usually dim space with color and candles. His parents appeared and he jumped into their arms.

“Mama, daddy! Do you like it?”

“You did an incredible job my little Fawn.” His eyes glowing in the candlelight.

“How about me?” Kankuro asked with a grin.

Temari just shrugged. “I mean it looks fine.”

“Hey! Thank goodness the kid’s not as bitc-”

“Alright, children get ready for dinner.” Baki interjected before a fight could break out.

“Mari? Do you mind coming here for a second?” They were getting ready for the family dinner a new much-loved tradition.

She placed herself into her husband’s open arms straddling his lap. She loved coming home especially because he had a specific set of Suna clothing he wore when he was there. He looked terribly handsome and distracting in it.

“Garra asked about whether we were going to have another child.” Shikamaru told her bluntly. This had been wearing on his heart for a while and this holiday was all about celebrating new beginnings. It was time to put this issue to rest.

“Oh?” Temari began to feel herself panic which he noticed and so he began to rub her back comfortingly.

“It got me thinking. I just want you to know that I'm happy and content with what we have. Whether we have another one or it is just us three I’m happy for it. I don’t want you to think for a moment that I'd need anything more.”

She was surprised at where this conversation was going. “Shika…”

“You're an incredible wife to me and mother to Shikadai. You’re still the fierce and cruel kunoichi that I fell in love with. I love you and the family we’ve built. But don’t be afraid of your past or the monsters that may haunt them. You’re so much stronger. Don’t ever let that be the reason you don’t have what you want.”

She nestled her head against his chest her tears littering his coat. For as strong and fierce as she was she was still haunted by demons and ghosts of the past. She loved Shikadai and at times longed for another child but still, the memories of her mother and father had a stranglehold on her. She knew that Shikamaru had wanted a daughter. To know that he was happy with their family as it was helped remove some of the anxiety she was holding on to.

“I love you Shika.” She kissed him as the light from tiny candles glowed around them.

He placed an affectionate kiss on the top of her head holding her flush against him. He wished that he could fight those shadows that surrounded her heart but he’d be right there with her as he’d always been in battles. “I love you too Princess.”

That night they celebrated together, a family that could have never existed years ago. Temari looked fondly at those seated around the table her heart full and complete. Shikamaru squeezed her hand with a grin before placing a soft kiss against her knuckles.

“Happy?”

Her teal eyes shimmered brightly. “Yes.”

Cho (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)

For as long as she could remember her dad always dressed up as Santa Claus. He’d be the guest star at family parties delivering gifts to delighted kids. He would listen to her list the hundreds of things that she wanted. That was years ago and she’d learned the truth behind Santa Claus. Yet, he still insisted on dressing up.

ChouChou made her way down the stairs quietly confused by the sight.

She groaned seeing her mother kiss her dad who was dressed up in that horrendous red suit.

She was thankful that he wasn’t in full gear tonight rather he wore a red hoodie with white fur around the trim. Despite her mortification, she couldn’t help but smile hearing her mother laugh as their arms wrapped around each other. With a grin, she walked back upstairs to give them their moment.

She made her way to where her grandparents were staying. She loved when they visited because they would shower her with affection and treats. She’d get away with a ton of things that she wouldn’t have if they weren’t there. They didn’t blink an eye when she crawled in between them.

Chouza and his wife sat there amused as ChouChou made herself comfortable.

“Oba-Chan, Oji-Chan why does daddy still insist on dressing up as Santa.”

Her grandpa got a thoughtful look on his face before responding. “I think because he remembers how happy it made you. Your eyes would light up so bright when he wore that suit that wearing it year after year makes him remember that feeling. Besides, even if Santa isn’t real the spirit of it is. Of being good, kind and giving. It’s a nice reminder of that.

ChouChou could accept that explanation and it was actually quite sweet. During this time her father would volunteer as Santa at the hospital and deliver presents to the kids that couldn’t be home for Christmas. She would help as the cute Christmas Elf and loved seeing the smiles on those kids' faces. Even now at family parties, he’d still dress up sending all the kids into an excited panic. Her mother too, for her typically stern and strict disposition, seemed to light up seeing her husband in such a silly get up.

“He’s a good daddy.” ChouChou whispered sleepily.

Her grandparents nodded thankful for their wonderful family and holiday traditions.

“You look ridiculous,” Karui told her husband but the smile on her face took away some of the bite of her statement.

“You love it.” He replied wrapping his arms around her.

“I love you , that’s two very different things.” Chouji adored the joy in her honey eyes.

“You know ChouChou knows Santa isn’t real right.”

“Yes, but your husband doesn’t know that.” Karui couldn’t help but laugh and smiled at the innocent twinkle in his eye. Her husband could be far too sweet and would be insistent on her experiencing certain things that she should have as a kid.

Her hands went to grip the soft fur trim around his hood to pull him into a kiss as warmth flooded her body. Chouji had been her personal Santa since they’d been together. Doing all he could to ensure that she had everything that she could have wished for.

“I love you, Honey.”

“I love you too sweet girl.”

Chapter 1: Mistletoe (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 2: Snow (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 3: Fire (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 4: Peppermint (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 5: Cookies (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 6: Lights (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 7: Deer (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 8: Presents (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 9: The List (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 10: Matching Sweaters (InoShikaCho)

Chapter 11: Traditions (InoShikaCho)

#shikamaru x temari #shikatema #shikatem #chouji x karui #choujikarui #sai x ino #InoSai #saiino #INOSHIKACHO #team 10 #inojin #shikadai #Chouchou #fanfic #ficlet #holiday fluff

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peeterparkr · 5 years

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Clear|t.h.

Chapter 2: Seashells

pairing: surfer!tom x reader

word count: 4.1k

warnings: cars

summary: Collecting seashells & making new friends

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special thanks to @whatmakesmehappyy for being my amazing editor, love you girl

Hi, thanks for reading this! Seriously thanks, tell me what you think, if you’d like to see something happen, if you like y/n and Tom’s relationship. idk

Drowning is a common fear among people and y/n wasn’t an exception. However, she was the kind to overcome her fears, or just blatantly ignore them. It worked.

She had woken up early to go for a swim. She was hesitant at first, she hadn’t been near the ocean since the incident, not that it actually had to do with anything, but it was a reminder of that summer. However, she knew it would help.

She also picked up her art supplies in hopes of getting some inspiration.

But she didn’t want anybody to know so when her grandpa caught her sneaking out, she was shocked. He understood, so he threw her his old Jeep keys. He was sitting on the kitchen as she was trying to get out, a cup of coffee on his right hand and the morning paper on the left hand.

“Go to your secret place,” he said. “Your sister would see you if you swim right outside, besides, the water is clearer there.”

She didn’t answer, just smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He knew her. He was the only one who seemed to understand.

He understood why she was the way she was. He understood why she had drowned in sorrow, because he had as well. He knew what it was losing someone you loved. For him, it was his wife. For y/n it was Matt... and grandma.

So he understood why she shielded herself.

Y/n was driving, playing music, and singing along to it. She did it when she was alone. Nobody needed to know.

The trees were passing, the sun was coming out and she rolled down the windows to get the freshest air. She smiled.

Y/n knew that most people thought she didn’t smile, she knew people were worried for her. But she didn’t give anything away because she didn’t want to care for anyone. The more she cared, the more it hurt when they left.

Her secret place was a somewhere she discovered when she was younger with her grandma. It was a beach nobody visited and it looked like paradise. With green trees, palms and the bluest of waters, it was calm and quiet. The sand was covered by seashells which only reminded her of the pretty memories when times were simpler. She picked some up, she’d used them later.

She was hesitant, about the water. There was a certain fear, because she knew that she was drowning, not physically, but emotionally.

However, the moment she was stepping into the blue waves, she felt relieved, as if the water was pulling back every negative feeling. It felt nice.

The foam beneath her was tempting, so she decided to step in and instantly felt relaxed. For the first time in a while the world didn’t seem like that bad of a place. This was her place. She didn’t have to worry about her sister looking ashamed or her mother who always looked at her with sorrow.

For a moment she was happy. And she didn’t care about the rest of the world. She stayed there for a while and bathed and washed away all her sorrow.

Her art supplies had come with no results, but she had decided to call it a day. Besides, she needed to go back for lunch before her mother and sister realized she had snuck out.

They made a big deal out of everything. She was tired of that. She had healed. She had changed, of course, but y/n had healed. However, she was constantly fighting against her family because they seemed to be the ones not over it.

She got dry and hopped into the blue Jeep. She drummed her fingers against the wheel and then started the car, it took her a few times but eventually, it started.

There was no issue as she was getting to the road until the car decided to simply stop working. The car slowed down and it felt like the breaks had a mind of their own. The noises it was making scared her. She had barely even left the hidden beach.

Y/n cursed but kept trying to go. She decided to left the car rest for a second and pulled off to the side of the road. She turned it off and left the engine cool. When she went to start the car again nothing happened. The car just stopped completely and smoke started to come out of the front. Y/n cursed again. She hopped out of the Jeep and opened up the bonnet and smoke blew into her face.“This is perfect.”Y/n called her grandfather as she tried to wave the smoke out of her face with her hand, coughing a bit.

“Oh, yes, that happens often,” her grandpa warned.

“Couldn’t have given me a heads up?” Y/n complained.

“I forgot, uh, well, there’s a card in the car, it’s got the mechanic’s number.”

She called them and they would send a car, and told her that her grandpa had called too. She hopped into the car to wait. It was weird. In a way, she felt at home, and in another, she felt like a stranger. She was a stranger, to herself at least. She needed to give herself another opportunity.

She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but she was tired of herself, too. She was open to a new possibility. She knew she needed to get out of that hole she had so carefully dug. Baby steps, baby steps. She didn’t want to date right away, she just wanted to make some friends.

But not from this town, She knew how it would go. The guys there had been so keen on trying to date her and she knew they were assholes. She didn’t need any of that, and besides, it would be such a cliche. She didn’t want to fall into one.

A tow truck arrived and pulled over in front of her. She picked up her stuff and realized her outfit was slightly wet like her hair, she hoped it wouldn’t look too bad.

Her hair was dripping wet as she watched the man hop out and she realized that her bad luck was just getting worse.

The guy from the day before was making his way over to the Jeep, he had a white t-shirt, jeans and, even if y/n didn’t want to admit it, he looked incredibly handsome. Y/n squinted as she hid under her arms, laying on the wheel.

He walked over to the window with some tools and knocked. Y/n took a deep breath as she turned to him and she noticed an amused look on his face. He laughed as he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair.

She opened the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he snickered. “Why, hello y/n.”

“Tim.” Y/n said.

“Close, Tom,” he reminded her as he winked.

“Sorry, the shirt confused me.”

“Looks good? Well, I’m here, at your service.”

“You... you’re... oh god.”

“Yeah, I work there, fix cars, you’re James’ granddaughter?” Tom asked.

“I am.”

“Huh, never would’ve thought, he’s really happy, and then you’re...you,” Tom pointed out. He pointed to her outfit. “Went for a swim?”

“No, I just like to be wet all the time,” she answered sarcastically.

“Kinky,” Tom teased, causing her to open her mouth with indignation and to push him. Tom laughed. “Hey! You played yourself there. I’m kidding.”

“You’re a pig.”

“I’m a man,” Tom gave in. “Now, let’s see, what did you do to the car?”

“I did nothing, smoke just started to come out,” y/n defended herself.

“Hm,” Tom tsked. He walked over to the bonnet and started to check it out.

“Is it that bad?”

“Well, smoke doesn’t mean good,” Tom informed her. She frowned as she crossed her arms watching him.

“Can you fix it?” She asked him.

“Of course, darling,” Tom laughed. “Only if I get a smile,” he grinned at her. She raised her eyebrow. “Maybe not.”

Y/n rolled her eyes. He tinkered around under the bonnet but more smoke started to come out.

“This... looks bad, I need to take it to the shop,” he commented. She cursed under her breath. “Now, cmon I’ll help you out,” Tom said laughing as he hooked the Jeep.

Y/n watched him hop into the truck and she stayed there in the middle of the road.

“Well,” he called her out. “You coming?”

She hesitated, but eventually got her stuff out of the Jeep and into his car. He laughed. Seemed like he didn’t know to do anything but mock her. She carefully hugged her art supplies and the now full bag of seashells.

“So, were you planning to paint the sand?” Tom asked looking over at the supplies. She chuckled.

“It needed a little colour,” she joked.

“Did you paint anything?” He asked.

“Nope.”

“You’re not really a talker, are you?” Tom inquired. She didn’t say anything so he took that as an answer. “So, what are the seashells for? A necklace? Some kind of craft?”

“Throw them at your pretty face.”

“You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?” Tom giggled. “I have some if you’d like them, seashells. Well, and pretty faces too.”

“I’m good.”

“You know, art... uh, art is the way our soul speaks,” Tom tried to make even more conversation. She turned to the window, brushing her hair back. “What does your soul want to say?”

“It wants you to stop trying.”

“Ah, c’mon, you can’t fool me with that act, deep down I know you’re all an act too, if I’m a cliche, you’re a bigger one.”

“Really?” She faked interest.

“I mean, judging from your wet hair, the types of shells you’ve got, you went to the blue valley, you know, the hidden beach, didn’t you?”

“And that makes me a cliche?” She stated with little interest. He did manage to draw a small smile out of her, though.

“Of course, a mysterious girl who’s dying to reveal herself. It’s like an ugly duckling trying to transform into a swan.”

“I’m ugly now, wow,” she chuckled.

“I mean, you technically are, right now, but if I squint my eyes, you’re good looking,” he joked, she flicked him. “I’ll be your Prince Charming.”

“The ugly duckling doesn’t have a Prince Charming,” she pointed out.

“In our story it does,” he winked at her. “And by the way, you shouldn’t be alone in Blue Valley, the waves are bigger there,” he warned her. “Call me up if you need some company.”

“I am perfectly capable of swimming,” she sassed. “Besides, I thought nobody knew about that place, I didn’t even know it had a name.”

“It doesn’t, I named it, and you’re right, nobody knows about it,” Tom conceited. “I mean, just a few people but nobody really likes it because it’s too quiet.”

“I like quiet.”

“Hence why you don’t like me,” Tom laughed.

“Ding, we’ve got a winner,” Y/n laughed.

“D’ya know your sister, Joanne is going out today with my mate Haz?”

Y/n wasn’t surprised her sister was dying to go out. She’d date anyone.

“Blue eyes fella?” Y/n asked.

“Yep,” Tom continued. “How about a double date?”

“I’ll pass.” Y/n looked out the window but then started to explore her collected seashells. Tom turned on some music and he was humming along.

Y/n noticed his music taste wasn’t as different as hers, but she decided not to point it out. The brown-haired boy wasn’t that bad, after all.

They arrived to the shop, and y/n watched him walk up to his coworkers, high fiving some and talking to others. He approached another woman who was older, she smiled at him. Tom explained to her what had happened to her car and then she gave him a pat on the back.

Tom was sweet to the old lady, the arrogant, annoying guy from before was gone. He talked to a man who seemed to be his boss and the old lady thanked them both, and Tom blushed as she gave him a tip. Y/n smiled at that, but she cleared her throat as soon as he approached her again.

“So, okay, from what I could see,” Tom said. “It looks like I can have it fixed by tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, uh, I don’t know how much it’ll cost, however, I can give you a discount if you give me a smile,” Tom joked, y/n crossed her arms. “No discount then, damn, are you drowning in money?”

Y/n rolled her eyes, and a tinge of red invaded her cheeks as a small smile appeared.

“Whoop, there it is, then you’ll have a discount, smart girl,” Tom chuckled. “Now, I need you to fill this form out.”

Y/n did as ordered. “Thanks, well, now I’ll… call my grandpa or-”

“Y/L/N, now I know your last name, mine is Holland, by the way. And before you say you don’t care, you might as well know because I’m the one fixing your car,” Tom suggested as he glanced down over at her name on the form she handed back to him. “I know where your grandpa lives, so I can give you a ride there, or we could go out for lunch, it’s almost my break.”

Y/n turned around, already walking to the exit. “I told you, don’t try to be friends with me.”

“Good thing I’m not trying to be your friend, I asked you out,” Tom pointed out before following her.

“Ugh, don’t you have any other girls to bother? I’m sure one of them is dying to go out with you.” Y/n kept walking. “Go and take off your shirt at the beach, they’ll pop like daisies in spring.”

“But I don’t want a date with them, I want one with you.” Tom insisted. “Look, I know no is no, but hey-”

“Why me?” Y/n stopped. “Give me a reason.”

“Because you’re mysterious, I like that.” Tom shrugged. “Let’s see what we can unveil from here.”

“Oh god, don’t try to pull the card from before, not the whole: oh let’s see how the ugly duckling turns into a swan.”

“Ah, cmon,” Tom placed his hands on his hips. “You’re not a swan.”

“I know, I’m a goose.” Y/n smirked as she continued walking. Tom snickered.

“Why don’t you wanna go out with me? I’m a duck.”

“Because I don’t want to be stuck with someone who follows the stereotype, besides, this is not a movie. If you think that by hanging out with me you’ll make me realize that you’re not that bad after all, it won’t happen, this isn’t a movie, darling.”

“And we’re already starting with the pet names,” Tom clapped his hands.”But this is not a movie, you’re right, I’m not that awful, I’m just not what you expected.”

“No, you’re worse. Please, you have your two guys following you around all the time, you constantly take off your shirt, and you probably have a girlfriend with a hot body.”

“Wrong, she’s not my girlfriend, that’s my ex.”

“Well, I’m sorry, I just… don’t think I’m the right person to date you, that’s it.” Y/N shrugged. “You’re attractive, you’re a surfer, I’m just… nothing that could possibly appeal to you, we’re like night and day, never together.”

“Opposites attract,” Tom continued. “Ah, c'mon please, let’s do it like the movie then.”

“This isn’t a movie,” Y/n was already out the place.

“But it’s our story.”

“Why do you keep trying?” Y/n laughed.

“I don’t know, I don’t wanna see you all alone, you seem like you need a good time.”

“So you’re asking me out out of pity, that’s a great start.”

“Fine then, I won’t ask you out,” Tom said still following her.

“Good.” Y/n smirked but then frowned as she realized he was with her. “Why are you still walking with me?”

“I said I wouldn’t ask you out, I’m going to stick as your friend, and I’ll give you a ride, that’s what friends do.”

Y/n frowned as she watched him get back on his truck, but she felt warm. She smiled, again. Genuinely smiled.

The ride was quiet-ish. Tom kept singing along to the songs on the radio, and y/n was listening to him eagerly. She didn’t want to admit it just yet, but she kind of liked him, in a way which she wouldn’t mind having him around. Of course, that was going to be a secret she’d keep for herself.

“So, you’re a mechanic,” y/n commented. Tom smiled.

“You’re trying to make conversation, that’s nice,” Tom pointed out.

“Might as well if I’ll have you around,” Y/n defended herself.

“Yeah, well, it’s Jared’s dad workshop, and it’s good money. It’s good for a summer job,” Tom said. “Funnily enough, I don’t like cars.”

“I’m hungry,” she said, without really thinking about the consequences.

“Is that an invitation for lunch?” Tom asked, a wide smirk on his face.

“No, it was a comment.” Y/n frowned, glancing over at him. “Don’t read much into it.”

Tom chuckled. “You know, you keep resisting, but you’ll see,” Tom continued, just as he pulled in front of the house. “But if you’re hungry, I know this place.”

“In your dreams,” y/n opened the door and glanced down at him. A loud noise was heard from the inside of the house. Someone had screamed. It was Joanne fighting with her mother. Y/n wrinkled her nose, as she heard them yelling to each other about Joanne complaining about y/n, apparently, their mother wanted Joanne to give up on the date and spend time with her sister. Their yelling wasn’t pretty, so Tom and y/n just stayed there quietly.

“Now that I think about it, lunch sounds like a great idea,” y/n said and Tom nodded quickly, just as eager as her to escape from the yelling. He drove off without either of them knowing that y/n’s grandpa had seen them leave. He gave them a huge grin.

They arrived at a burger place near the beach. It wasn’t a place somebody went if they were on a diet, but it was comfort food and that’s what y/n needed. They walked over to the counter and each ordered a burger.

As they were waiting, Tom nudged her. “Tell me about yourself.”

“I’m quiet,” y/n said and shrugged.

“I’ve noticed that,” Tom frowned.

“Well, then, what do you want to know? I’m not interesting,” she confessed. “You’re a talker, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

“Oh, well, I’m Tom, 22. I surf but you already knew that. I work at a mechanical workshop, uh, well, I don’t know,” Tom shrugged. “I’m a big mystery like you are, just in my own way.”

“Are you, now?” Y/n laughed, as their number was called and they grabbed their food.

Tom threw a chip into his mouth as he winked at her as they sat.

“So, tell me how did you find the Blue Valley?” Tom asked her.

“With my grandma, when I was younger,” y/n said. “Thought I was special for knowing about it.”

“You are,” Tom grinned. “I like it in there, I surf there sometimes.”

“Of course you do,” Y/n chuckled.

They could watch the beach from there, and every now and then both of them would turn to the water.

“What?” He frowned clumsily.

“I don’t know, seems you’re not what I thought,” Y/n shrugged.

The place was simple, it was built with wood and barely painted, the menus were very rustic, and an old ceiling fan was hanging but did nothing to stop the heat from coming in.

“Ah, no, don’t get your hopes up, I could still disappoint you,” Tom winked at her before sipping his drink.

“I’m sure you will,” Y/n commented as she smiled. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, she wasn’t used to smiling that much.

“The seashells, why were you picking them up?” Tom asked. “Not judging, I do it too.”

“They’re pretty,” Y/n chuckled. “I don’t know, I’ve been collecting them since I was little.”

“Ha, that happens to me too, when I was a kid I liked picking them up and seems like the custom never wore off.”

“It’s automatic, right?” She asked as he laughed.

“It really is,” He smiled watching her take a bite. “You like the burger?”

“It’s good,” Y/n shrugged. “Not the best one I’ve had.”

“C’mon, it’s good.”

“I know some better ones,” Y/n chuckled. “Back in London”

“You study in London? I wanted to go there,” Tom answered.

“Where do you study?” She asked.

“Here, local uni, mechanical engineering,” Tom looked down.

“I thought you didn’t like that,” Y/n asked.

“M’life’s complicated, I have four brothers, you know the rest, besides I can stay here and surf,” Tom said, unwilling to continue with the subject.

“You wouldn’t leave, then?” She asked him. He pursed his lips as he shrugged.

“There’s never really been a reason for me to do so,” He slouched. “What ‘bout you?” He said before taking a bite.

“Business.” Y/n’s answer was short, and it was an explanation she didn’t want to give. “I wanted to study art, though.”

“Why didn’t you then?”

“I’m a painter who can’t paint, I lost my inspiration,” Y/n shrugged. Tom nodded, not pushing the conversation. He glanced down as Y/n bit her lip. “Thought the seashells could help.”

“Oh, I’ll give you the ones I have then, maybe they’ll help,” Tom grinned. “Maybe when I come to drop them off we can then go to the carnival?”

“You’re very clever,” y/n laughed, he smirked.

“I mean, your poor sister wants to go out, from what I’ve heard, she won’t go to her date unless you go out too, so why not help her?”

Y/n rolled her eyes. “We’ll see, but it won’t be a date.”

“Absolutely not,” Tom raised his hands. “Promise.”

Before she could continue any kind of conversation, a girl entered the joint. She had her brunette hair pulled up in a perfectly messy bun. She had a skirt and no top on in order to show off her nice pink bikini. Y/n felt self-conscious as she sat up.

“Tommy,” the girl greeted. Tom clenched his jaw and didn’t look up to her.

“Lex.” His voice had turned dry. She leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Y/n took a deep breath as all her confidence suddenly washed away. The girl side-eyed her.

“Hi,” Lex greeted y/n, “I’m Alexa.”

“Y/n,” She answered.

“Oh, so you’re Tommy’s new-right,” Alexa chuckled. Y/n clenched her jaw.

“Lex, don’t you have anywhere else to be?” Tom rolled his eyes.

“Of course, sorry, sorry,” Lex chuckled as her hands were all over Tom’s back and chest. “Just came here to say hello,” she grinned as she placed a kiss on his neck.

Tom squirmed and shrugged her off. “Alexa.”

“Hey, are we doing anything tonight, then?” Alexa asked Tom. “I cleared up my schedule.

“Actually no, y/n and I were planning on going to the carnival,” Tom raised an eyebrow to his ex-girlfriend. “Weren’t you and Marcus going to do anything?” His voice was now venomous.

“To the carnival?” Alexa asked for confirmation.

“Well, we were just talking about it, nothing stipulated,” Y/n added, Tom glanced over.

“I’ll leave you guys alone, then,” The brunette chirped.

Y/n chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “No, don’t worry I was about to leave,” Y/n said, standing up. “I was done with my burger anyway.”

Tom shook his head. “No, please-”

“Ah, that’s great!” Lex was quick to sit down on y/n’s abandoned chair. “Bye, sweetie!”

Tom stood up. “Hey, no, I’ll give you a ride-”

“No worries, I’m not too far from here,” Y/n smiled. “And you can have fun with brunette Barbie here.”

“Wait, uh y/n,” Tom was trying to say something, but he knew there wasn’t much left to say.

Y/n turned around and left, feeling her stomach burning up inside. She knew she had her stuff in Tom’s car but her pride was bigger, she needed to leave right away. Besides, it was nothing really important, just her art supplies and those stupid seashells.

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nancypullen · 5 years

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So Far, So Good

I have no beef with November. She showed up right on time and brought some lovely chilly weather with her. She’s sprinkling her colorful magic all over the trees and generally being delightful. Unfortunately she is also the gateway to holiday food and I’m like a junkie who’s been clean for a year but I’m ready to score a casserole. I eat a very healthy balance for ten months and then *BOOM* the Butterball turkeys show up at Kroger and all bets are off. I wish I could buy willpower. Sadly, I can’t even say that I fight temptation, oh no, I jump in with both feet and create the temptation. On Saturday the mister and I were running errands...Lowe’s, Kroger, Tractor Supply for donkey corn to keep the deer in our yard during hunting season, the usual. I told him that we needed to swing into the library parking lot because I had a couple of books on hold. Were these volumes to entertain or expand my mind? No. They will only expand my thighs.

Come on. You can’t tell me that that doesn’t look like fun! Last week I baked cookies. I hadn’t baked anything in forever because we don’t need it hanging around the house. But I had an excuse. I had swapped cat sitting duties with a neighbor (Willie’s other mom). They were out of town for a few days in September and I dutifully went over and got the mail, fed her cats twice a day, scooped litter, let them out in the morning and back in for dinner, and gave them love. In turn, when we went up to Maine she came over and scooped litter, fed our kitties wet food once a day, brought in the mail, etc. She even took our garbage can to the curb and brought it back in. They left town again just before we returned from our trip but had a relative house sitting. They returned last week. She’d given me a restaurant gift card as a thank you for watching their kitties, so I did the same but also used my gratitude as an excuse to make my favorite fall cookie - gingersnaps! I figured I’d take a batch over with the gift card so they’d have dinner and dessert. Pulling that bottle of molasses out of the top cupboard felt like a homecoming. I uncovered the ol’ KitchenAid mixer and had one of the best afternoons I’d had in ages. Playing music, baking cookies, and watching leaves flutter to the ground through the kitchen window - it just doesn’t get much better than that. Of course I kept a baker’s dozen on a plate for us and they were gone in no time. The floodgates are open. I did it. I sabotaged myself. And I loved every minute of it. Please do not suggest that I could enjoy the same magical experience by whipping up a batch of bran muffins or tofu brownies. That’s just crazy talk. Bustling around the kitchen and filling the house with delicious aromas - it’s such simple comfort. My sister and I have had conversations recently about how, now more than ever, it’s important to keep sweetness and simplicity in our lives. I actively seek out the whimsical side of life - enchanting art, silly poems, looking for clouds shaped like animals, all of it. I’m drawn to fairy tales and their illustrations. I love a happy ending. Remember when I mentioned that I’d picked up a watercolor by Maine artist Marvin Jacobs? I didn’t choose a seascape or a harbor painting. I picked this guy.

It’s so important to keep sweetness in your life, otherwise the daily news will drag you under. Be aware, be informed, work diligently for change, but leave room for lightness. I’m saying all of this so that you’ll know why my heart cracked open and I cried when my sister sent a box full of joy straight to my mailbox. Seems that she caught wind of a woman clearing out some treasures and she picked up a batch of Royal Albert Beatrix Potter figurines for a song! She picked out three for me as a surprise and I can’t tell you how happy my heart is when I look at my kitchen window sill.

Jemima Puddleduck, Mrs. Rabbit & Bunnies, and Old Mr. Brown. Oh, my heart! My sister told me that she knew I needed the Mrs. Bunny figure because she’s cuddling her two babies - like my two babies!

Add to that the reminder that my Grandma Ethel called me Cuddlebunny, sewed bunny patches on my jeans during the summer that I chased her sheep and named all of her chickens, and I’m a puddle. My sister and I love Beatrix Potter’s sweet (there’s that word again) stories and illustrations. When the mister and I went to London I scoured the stalls on Portobello Road to find an old Beatrix Potter illustration to bring home and frame. It hangs in the sweetest room in our house, the grandgirl’s room!

Can you imagine what it meant to me to open that box from my sister? That was a box of love, my friends. Now I need to add to my collection. My sister is a fan of Hunca Munca, the busy little mouse. She kept this figurine and said she identified with it. I think she’s spot on. I’ll have to look for more Hunca Munca for her.

I think we both agree that something about these little statues reminds us of time spent in Weiser. Being at our grandparents little pink house was paradise. My sister stayed at Grandma’s elbow, watching her sew and cook. I stuck to her like glue outside learning about her chickens and flowers. Her gardens were so lush. Once when I was pretending to be outlaw Belle Starr, western rule-breaker and heartbreaker, I used one of her giant snowball bushes for my hideout. It was so big and full that I could crawl under the lowest boughs and sit up inside. It was beautiful and smelled good, just the sort of spot Belle would choose. We were always so carefree in Weiser - my brother and I taught the sheep to play hide ‘n seek (really!). If you’ve never seen a sheep hide behind a tree and peek out at you, you haven’t lived. We named chickens after characters from Robin Hood. My Grandpa Carl thought I was a hoot. He spoiled me and I was his favorite. Turns out that every one of his grandkids could say the same. We were so safe and loved on their patch of Idaho. I tried to put plenty of magic and whimsy into my kids’ childhoods. They probably aren’t even aware that some of their silliest thoughts were planted there early. I’ll bet when they see birds lined up on a wire and their first thought is “bird meeting” they don’t remember the dialogue I’d make up when we saw things like this -

Bird meeting! #1 on the agenda is cat location...new orange tabby moved in on corner of Elm and Oak, so be aware. Worm of the Month award goes to Maurice for the whopper he pulled out of a garden on May 5th. Way to go! Congratulations to Stanley and Mary on hatching 4 eggs last Wednesday. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, so if anyone has extra bugs, slugs, or worms let them know. You get the idea. They were little, Mom was just rambling at a red light, but I’ll bet that BIRD MEETING pops into their heads when they a feathered gathering. Besides, when you anthropomorphize creatures I think kids are less likely to harm them and more likely to empathize. Whimsy with a purpose. Wow. I apologize. This blog post is all over the place and as usual I had no plan. I just sit down at the laptop and empty my brain. It’s therapy for me and a sleep aid for you. Win-win! On that note I will wrap this up and go dance around the kitchen with a broom. I used panko when making last night’s eggplant dinner and based on the crunch I heard under my slippers this morning I didn’t sweep it all up. Your assignment for today is to seek out sweetness. When you find it, hold on to it. Take it like a vitamin every day for a healthy soul. Have a cookie too, can’t hurt might help. XOXO

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robobrainmurdermysterytheatre · 5 years

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I'm honestly fixing to write like a 3-part love letter to Fallout, Fallout 4 particularly - because it was the first one I played, the one I know the most about, and the one closest to my heart.

Like I went downstairs today and my dad was watching a spaghetti western and I went "I should decide which Fallout to play based on what my dad is watching when I go to scavenge food from the kitchen. Spaghetti western? Fallout NV! WWII documentary? Fallout 4!" But it just hits me sometimes a lot of the stuff in the game make me think about my family, especially 4 with it's like weird, wonderful post WWII era slash Revolutionary War mashup aesthetic it makes me think of my dad a lot because he likes that kind of stuff.

And the aesthetic is lit, in all the games. I've been into that kind of post-apocalyptic-trappings-of-modern-life-full-of-cracks-and-covered-in-rust since I was way young. I used to take a lot of photos that fit that aesthetic. Probably because the house I grew up in kind of turned to that aesthetic. My dad was a carpenter - and mechanic and plumber and electrician off the books tho lol- so we always had lumber and tools and supplies and shit just chilling. We had old car tires and broken stuff that we were gonna use to fix other stuff hanging around. We were, imma just say it, fucking poor, so we had tons of things that were far past being "good" but were still useful-but-janky-asf so we kept them around and used them. We had a bunch of military surplus stuff and military stuff of my grandad's. Also because we were fucking poor we didn't have a lot of shit to do as kids. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were going out in the backyard with my brother and rounding up old tires and sawhorses and broken chairs and blue tarps assorted random crap and making forts out of them then hauling the broken computer parts my dad kept around for god knows what reason inside and making super lit command bases (idk what the fuck we were commanding but, eh, we were like 7/8) and YOU GUYS that's just literally playing Fallout 4 lmfao.

Also the music? In all the games? I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music, but I have a special fondness for that era of music. When I was growing up I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s shop and they always had the radio system tuned to this OLD oldies AM radio station that played a lot of those songs. I have super deeply ingrained fond memories of all the time I spent there.

Speaking of my grandparents: I’m 33 so my grandparents were solidly post-WWII-era folks on both sides of my family. Both my grandfathers served in WWII. Some of the setpieces I see in the game just SNAP me back to my childhood - my grandparent’s home decor was still stuck that era, there were things at my grandparents’ house didn’t see anywhere else. Like my grandma had one of those sunburst metal art deco style clocks hanging above her fireplace, and when I saw one in the game I went HOLY CRAP that’s my grandma’s clock lol.

Also one of my grandpas was an atomic veteran, a marine, I posted something about that once. The only thing I ever really knew about his service was that he was in the first group of soldiers on the ground after the bomb in Nagasaki to do cleanup. He never talked about it, I never asked (he passed away when I was 12 so it never occurred to me to ask). I don’t know if he ever talked about it to his family, my aunt said the only thing he ever said to them about it was about how friendly and wonderful the Japanese people were to them. I also know that one of the guys he served with sued the government to recognize and fund treatment of the health effects of fucking around in and cleaning up the wreckage of ground zero for an atomic bomb about a month after it went off. Several years ago for shits and giggles I had Googled my grandpa’s name, and it came up in a book about that guy he served with and atomic vets in general which covers the veterans who did the cleanup at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and were exposed to radioactivity as well as those involved with all of the testing leading up to America’s development of the a-bomb who were exposed. I went through a ton of literature on it - I’m not going to get started on my bullshit right now but you can click this sentence to read about how the American military exposed somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000 of its own people to radiation then didn’t do shit about it until the 1990′s (read the sources too, the Wikipedia article is super generalized the whole situation is bullshit asf). Anyway, for obvious reasons, playing a game set post-nuclear apocalypse makes me wonder what my grandpa went through, what he saw. This is also my grandpa that Nick Valentine reminds me of, lol. My grandpa didn’t exactly have a noir detective vibe, but some of the things Nick says, some of his personality traits, in a lot of ways the human appearance he’s supposed to resemble, all remind me a lot of my grandpa ❤

I got going so I guess we’re past the “fixing to” stage lol I actually wrote most of parts 2 and 3, but I’m going to uhhh stagger part 2 and 3 over a while so you all don’t have to deal with wall after wall of text.

I just really felt like talking how deep this game has wormed its way into my heart, and why it’s special to me and the first and a big part of that is because it gives me serious feels about my family.

#fallout 4 feels hour #sorry it's so long

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lafeae · 5 years

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Prompt: Knife to Throat for @averyoriginalyugiohfangirl

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!

Characters: Seto Kaiba, Joey Wheeler

For: @badthingshappenbingo

Read on AO3

Warnings: Full text has mild dubcon elements. Language.

Excerpt:

Fall was the worst time of year to get a contract. Not that Joey disliked work—money was always a good thing, and always in short supply, but fall was the worst. Crunchy leaves everywhere. Mushy ground. And he could never tell if it was going to be hot or cold when he packed his gear.

Most of the fall months he didn’t work. He let the other, less skilled hunters, take out the small fry. And learn the hard way just how shitty fall hunting was when they were rolling around in the leaves and the mud. This hunt couldn’t be passed up. Too much money was on the line. A cool fifty thousand. Enough to set him up for all of winter, because fuck snow hunting, too.

Fuck vampire hunting in general.

Trekking through an empty hamlet on the outskirts of Domino, Joey sighed. This as where it all started for him. He remembered this cemetery; he remembered fighting back against some weak and slimy, barely human damphyr at almost dusk. It had jumped him and his sister, Serenity, while they were exploring to an old cemetery. Their mother told them not to go—he wasn’t so good a listener then, but now there was a nasty scar on his ribs where he learned the hard way.

After that, he should have known that being a hunter was no walk in the park. It was an old, almost lost profession. A fable that only old coots still believed in because how could there be vampires when there were cell phones? His best friend Yugi told him otherwise. “

“They really are real,” Yugi’d said. “You saw. You felt it, right!”

Felt was a weak word. “Yeah, so what?”

“So what? You know how many fourteen year olds live from that?” Yugi asked. Before Joey could reply, he answered: “None. Just ask grandpa.”

Speaking of old coots who still believed. And still was a hunter willing to train apprentices. It beat a nine to five, especially when money was tight, so Joey let the old man train him.

That was almost ten years ago. Now, everything about the job was second nature. But coming back and prowling the same cemetery that led to a century-old dilapidated cathedral sent chills down his spine.

Something rustled in the distance. Leaves, snapped branches. There was something wandering in the wooded path behind Joey. He stopped and reached back for his crossbow. Oldie but a goodie, so Grandpa Mutou had taught him. Loaded with silver bolts and ready to go.

Lightning jolted through Joey from head to toe. Careful steps were taken forward, easing to the mouth of the forest. He did a quick 360 in, taking in every angle around him; as much as dim moonbeams, seeping through tree branches, would allow him. He learned early on that a beaming flashlight made him exceptional target practice.

He stilled his breath and raised the crossbow to the shadows between the trees. “Somethin’ evil this way goes....” he half-muttered, half-hummed. An old hunter’s song to try and ease tension. He jumped and turned the opposite direction, his muscles taut in anticipation. Sweat beaded his brow. Ten years of experience never made this any easier. The harder the mark, the more fear he had to swallow. It never worked. He continued anyway: “With pointy teeth an’ a crooked nose. But if ya...if ya track it close to day...”

“Maybe you won’t become its prey,” a gravely voice in the distance finished. Joey jumped and poised the crossbow towards the annoying, familiar voice. “Still singing children’s songs?”

Joey swallowed a shuddered breath. “What the hell are ya doin’ here, Kaiba?”

Even in the dim moonlight, or maybe because of it, he could make out Kaiba’s pale face and gossamer smile. He never looked happy. More like a wolf approaching its newest meal. The way he stared down the bolt of the crossbow tempted Joey to step back. Just a step. But he wouldn’t let himself. This asshole, however creepy and asshole-y he was regardless of their encounters, wasn’t a actual threat. They were, with great annoyance, on the same side.

“Praying that you aren’t going after the same mark I am. Because you are woefully outmatched,” he said. He pushed the crossbow from his face. “Look at you, still using outdated machinery. If it can be called that.”

“It ain’t outdated if it works.”

“Tch, hardly.” Kaiba pulled back the folds of his coat to reveal the small-caliber pistols holstered on his shoulders. That was the least of his equipment. An entire utility-belt of sci-fi meets fantasy hung off his hips, cocked just enough that he could see some of the wires that fed up his coat. Kaiba was more man than machine; hunts were a display, not an art. “Face it, you’re just a blood hound. And a mixed breed at that. Go home and let the big dogs take care of things.

“Fuck off, an’ go back to your fancy pants land. This is my mark, so stay out.”

“I don’t think so,” Kaiba said. “This is my city, Wheeler, in case you forgot.”

“The fuck’s that s’pose to mean?”

Kaiba took several steps closer, his smile wide and leering. The kind of vicious smile that he, unfortunately, found curiously exciting. The way vampires sometimes licked their lips at him. But instead, Kaiba grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into a tree so hard tears welled in his eyes. He dropped the crossbow.

“It means I’m bigger than you, I’m faster than you, and I’m stronger than you. You weren’t born and bred for this, Wheeler. You’re a nobody, a chump, and you’ll end up someone’s dinner one of these nights,” Kaiba said. The cool edge of a silver knife pressed perpendicular to his jugular. He hadn’t even seen Kaiba draw the knife.

Joey flattened against the tree. He needed to give himself room. Kaiba was far too damn close—he was sure he felt Kaiba’s knee brushing against his thigh—but he also needed room to breath. “Man, stop that. I had a shave this mornin’,” he said, pressing his hands to Kaiba’s breast. Kaiba doubled down and pushed closer. “What, are ya tryin’ to kill me or is this your way a tellin’ me you’re happy t’ see me?”

Kaiba backed away. “Grow up, Wheeler.”

“‘Eh, I ain’t the one tryin’ t’,” Joey bit back a laugh and snorted, “I ain’t the one tryin’ t’ make out with a knife between us.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Joey picked up his crossbow, his giggle fit was intermittent as they staggered towards the cathedral. He didn’t know why it was so damned funny. Kaiba was about as sexually appealing as an eggplant. And the eggplant had more colour, maybe even personality. Though his consideration of Kaiba’s sexuality at all was...well, he didn’t want to go there. That was enough of that.

“Oh my God, are you finished, you moron?” Kaiba asked. “Try and be professional.”

“I am a professional. See?” Joey unsheathed and brandished a silver knife. “Got my own knife and everythin’ jus’ like you.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “Your ponytail says otherwise.”

Joey touched the small pony-tail. Not even a pony-tail. More like a bunny-tail. “‘Ey, you’re one to talk, Mr. Fashion-Disaster. Neo called; he wants his trenchcoat back.” He’d take this silly conversation over looking at the headstones they walked through to the door.

“You would be the kind of person who likes the Matrix,” Kaiba said.

“An’ you’d be the sort of person t’ diss it. Ya even know what fun is? Lay back Kaib’. Live a little.”

“You wouldn’t know fun if it—“

Joey’s pointer finger flung to his lips. “Shh. I hear somethin’.”

—

Continue on AO3

#ygo #yugioh #seto kaiba #joey wheeler #jounouchi katsuya #fanfic #whump #badthingshappenbingo #knife to throat #challenge response #tw: dubcon

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ladysaraholt · 6 years

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Request for Aid

Hello, mutuals, followers, and my various RP families. Sara’s mun here.

The past several weeks have been incredibly emotional, so if you guys aren’t interested, I’ll add in a break for those who would prefer to scroll past. For those that stay, even a reblog to help share this would be incredibly appreciated...

A few weeks ago, my mother called me to inform me that my grandfather had a heart attack, and that he was staying at the hospital because of built-up fluid in his lungs. Over the course of 48 hours, the doctors ran a myriad selection of tests, which led them to discover that he has End Stage Metastatic cancer in his lungs. After finding it there, they ran more tests to see if it was elsewhere. It was confirmed positive in his lymph nodes, adrenal glands, and bones, with a test pending to confirm whether it was also in his brain. They gave him approximately 6 months to live.

A few days later, my mother called me again, anxious and in tears because he was being so combative with the doctors that his heart rhythm was highly erratic, and exacerbating the fluid that kept building up in his lungs. At this point in time, they were also still waiting on the brain tests for confirmation of cancer presence. Everyone was sitting on pins and needles, hoping he would cooperate long enough to get his first round of chemo-therapy (which the doctors told them would ONLY be for quality of life improvement, not for added longevity).

Three days later, another phone call from my mom in hysterics saying that he had gone home the night before only to take a turn for the worst and get rushed back to the hospital. The particulars were not given to me (though the cancer had been confirmed to also be in parts of his brain), but it was bad enough that she put my dad on a plane from where they live in GA to MI where his parents live.

He ended up staying with my grandparents for six days. By the time he went back home, grandpa was stable and cooperative enough to go back home (for the second time). His first round of chemo was scheduled soon, and everyone was looking optimistic that he would remain with us through his time left in relative comfort.

For four long days, I heard nothing from my parents. I hoped no news was good news, and even managed to keep busy enough at work for the days to go by relatively quickly. Then on Thursday, I received a tearful call from my mom. My grandpa was back in the hospital - his cancer had now spread to his liver. The doctors had - by this point - tentatively shortened his time left to the end of January, and (according to my mom) that was being generous.

After a lot of back and forth conversation, I determined that I wanted to try to have my nuclear family (myself, my husband, and our 8-year-old son) travel to Michigan for Thanksgiving this year to ensure my son would get to spend one more holiday with his great grandfather (which we had done once a year up until this year [we went to Easter family get-together with that side of the family every year until this year - we weren’t able to make it this year]). I agreed to do everything in my power to ensure I’d be able to take time off work to make this trip happen for us, and for my parents, and for my grandparents.

But the fun of that day wasn’t quite over - about an hour after my initial phone call with my mom, she called me back to inform me that the doctors were now giving my grandfather approximately two weeks, give or take a little, to live. The acceleration of his cancer, it seems, had been incredibly aggressive, and they did not expect it to slow down at all. With that in mind, they now planned on stopping all treatment once my grandfather was stable, sending him home, and getting him set up with hospice care to make him as comfortable as possible.

On Sunday, my mom called me to let me know that they got him home and set up, with everything in place. He seemed to be comfortable and stable, for now. The one thing the doctors have reveled at in all of this is that my grandfather’s pain levels have been minimal throughout this ordeal. That alone still gives us hope that he will remain stubborn enough for us all to see one another at Thanksgiving in Michigan.

And this brings us to yesterday. Somehow along all of this, my mother had not been made clear that my intentions were to go to Michigan. Once she heard that was my hopeful plan, she went to see about plane tickets. Thanks to her long-standing good reputation with Delta, she managed to get a quote for the tickets for the three of us: $1100. My mother’s initial offer (knowing that money has been tight for us) was to cover two of the three plane tickets so that we would only need to pay for one. In order to lift some stress from my mother’s shoulders (despite not having a plan in place for it), I offered for us to pay half of the total instead of just for one ticket. While this helped my mother relax, the two hours I spent frantically trying to figure out where to come up with $550 dollars was quickly wearing my nerves away (all while I was at work, too).

On my lunch break, I had to run to Target to pick up a few cleaning supplies for work when my mom called me again. She was getting the plane tickets booked in my ear, while my husband was trying to find a way out of fronting $550 we don’t have in the other ear. I was incredibly hesitant, and vocalized it, only for my mom to stop me. She then informed me that my grandmother - who was infinitely grateful that we were trying to plan to come visit for Thanksgiving - had told my mom to buy the tickets and that the cost was covered. It was more than my heart could take. I broke down in tears, in the middle of the day in a damned Target, trying to think of something to do to pay my grandmother back. She’s been through more than everyone, and yet she was sweeping in to the rescue anyway.

That being said. I am opening emergency commissions for sketchy headshots, jewelry concept art, and handmade scarves. My goal would, ideally, be to make the full $1100 to pay back my grandmother. Regardless of whether my grandfather makes it to Turkey day or not, we will be making the trip to Michigan, and that’s not something I get to do very often (a con to my job, which typically blacks out the months of November and December from any and all holiday travel because it’s the busiest time of the year for us).

If any of the below interests you, please send me a message and we’ll get the particulars figured out. Here’s what I have to offer:

$5-$20 : Jewelry Concept Sketch (traditional artwork)

For those who might have an idea for a canon item their character may or may not carry with them, I can help give your trinket dimension. The more details / complexity, the more this would cost. Can add digital color for an additional $3. Seen below are a mix of requested designs for tumblr and concept art drawn by me at work.

$15-$45 : Character Bust Headshots

While I usually need a faceclaim or inspiration in order to create these, if you have a general idea (or give me creative license based on the info you give me), I can likely create it with little trouble. Line art only takes the least amount of time. Shading is midline. If you want color, I need screenshots / references, and it would be the most expensive. Armor is not something I’m strong at, but I would absolutely try to include some if it is wanted.

$25-$55 : Handmade Scarves

I have a self-taught talent for creating scarves of various sizes and styles. The ruffly scarves are good spring / autumn scarves - lightweight and fashionable - but still provide a light amount of heat retention; they can come in pretty much any color of the rainbow (availability would have to be confirmed, but I do have a bunch here at home already). The thick fluffy scarves (middle image and bottom left image) are a combination of 2-4 yarns interwoven together to create a very warm winter scarf that can either be traditional or infinity-style and provide heavy heat retention; they too can come in myriad colors (subject to availability), but it should be noted that multiple colors are more expensive. I also will put a disclaimer here that I will only provide a scarf to those who confirm they are not sensitive to wool products, as all of these are wool-based.

All payments will be taken via PayPal (which we will discuss via dms), so please be respectful of this.

Thank you for taking the time to read through everything. It means a great deal to me. Any and all small donations are incredibly appreciated (I’ll be trying to put something together for those as well). If you cannot purchase or donate, please help me out by reblogging this to share it. I’ll be reposting a shorter Commission post later this week for proper reblogging, after work is done for the week.

I love and appreciate you all for your time, and hope there is something I can offer to each of you.

(( to my various RP families: @blackbay-wra @holtandthornetradingco @householt @the-wyrmrest-sanctuary ))

#ooc #Sara #emotional stuff #commissions #any help is appreciated

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iwroteinapastlife · 5 years

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Family Time

Newest chapter of my Chlonath Fake Dating AU, Honey I’m Home~

“Oh! Okay, I got it. He’s the son of Mr. Important Businessman and was raised to be cold and lifeless so he could take over the company someday. She’s the owner of Tiny Family Toy Shop, which his father is going to shut down—along with a bunch of other small businesses—so that they can set up their new location. She however is waayyyy more feisty than he expects and not only rallies the people to fight back, but also steals his heart and inspires him to change his father’s business for the better.”

From where they sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, they could hear the actual Hallmark movie playing on the TV over their shoulder, but neither of them were interested in actually watching it; their guessing game was far more entertaining.

“Alright alright,” Nathaniel nodded in agreement. He sat right behind her, arms and legs parted around her form so she could sit with her back to his chest and her front to the fire, getting absolutely as much warmth as possible. Usually, sitting so close to the fire for so long would have him sweating like hell, but Chloé’s natural cold seemed to keep him in perfect balance. He held each of her frigid hands in his, mindlessly playing with them as he spoke. “So who are the side characters?”

“Well first you’ve got cold business dad of course,” she began. “Then there’s Toy Shop Gal’s male childhood best friend who ‘knows what it’s like’—,” she air quoted, “for the white upper middle class ‘common folk,’ unlike Business Son. He’s been in love with her the whole time and acts like a jealous bitch when she starts getting close to Business Son.”

“Oh, let me guess,” Nathaniel chimed in, “he does something petty to make Business Son look bad, creating The Big Drama.”

“Of course, because the only conflict you can ever have around Christmas is based purely upon misunderstandings.”

“Of course, of course,” he nodded. “Okay, who else?”

“Okay, there’s Toy Shop Gal’s mom and pop who are a thinly veiled representation of Santa and Mrs. Claus, Business Son’s shallow ex-girlfriend who’s trying to convince him to keep to his own kind and just be the heartless business man he was raised to be, and the one—1—,” she held up a single finger to emphasize, “—person of color is Toy Shop Gal’s best friend who really only exists for a couple of conversations in which she teases Toy Shop Gal about her budding affections for Business Son.”

Nathaniel opened his mouth to continue, but before he could, Aunt Edith walked in, followed by her wife, Margaret, and son, Ryan. “Using French to gossip behind our backs again?” she asked as she took a seat on the couch across the room. Margaret sat down next to her while Ryan elected to sit on the floor near their feet.

“Oh, sorry,” Chloé said, switching back to English. She turned to face them and Nathaniel repositioned himself so he could keep cuddling her keep up with his appointed heater duties. “I guess we just naturally slip back into French when we’re alone.”

“Well stop,” Aunt Georgia said as she bustled in from the kitchen carrying two mugs of hot chocolate buried under mountains of marshmallows. “It’s English-speaking family time.” Isabella, Marianne, and Jasmine came in right behind her, each holding platters of various snack foods and their own mugs of hot chocolate. They each sat down on the floor around the coffee table.

“Chloé, share this with Nathaniel,” Aunt Georgia ordered as she handed over one of the hot chocolates. She gave the other one to Ryan.

Chloé plucked a single marshmallow off the top and fed it to him. “That’s all you get.” He laughed while she practically inhaled half the mountain of marshmallows.

Aunt Georgia looked around the living room as she took a seat in her rocking chair. “Where are mom, dad, and Audrey?”

“Right here!” Grandma Renee sauntered into the living room from the hall holding Grandpa Nick’s hand, Audrey following close behind. Audrey sat at the end of the couch next to Margaret, leaving the loveseat next to the tree for her parents. “Gift time?”

“Gift time,” Aunt Georgia confirmed.

Nathaniel leaned forward to steal another marshmallow. “You open gifts on Christmas Eve?”

“Mhmm,” Chloé hummed through her sip of hot chocolate. She offered him the mug, apparently deeming him worthy of such a privilege. “Just one. The rest are for tomorrow morning.”

“Alright Dad,” Edith said. “Start us off.”

“I get Renee!” he immediately said, leaning over and plucking a small wrapped gift from under the tree.

Chloé leaned back to whisper, “Grandpa claims Grandma’s first present every year.” Nathaniel smiled. Once again, Chloé’s grandparents were proving themselves to be the cutest old couple he’d ever heard of.

“And I get Audrey,” Grandma Renee continued. “Ryan, can you grab that terribly wrapped green one over there and give it to Aunt Audrey?” The boy nodded and took up his new station on the floor next to the tree.

“Okay,” Audrey replied, “then I’ll take Georgia.” She pointed for Ryan as he delivered her gift. “That red bag with the sparkly tissue paper.”

“I want Edith,” Aunt Georgia went on. She elected to get up and go find the gift herself instead of making her nephew work for her.

“I’ve got Ryan,” Aunt Edith continued. “You can grab that heavy one you’ve been eyeing all week.”

He nodded and grabbed another gift, holding it out to his cousin. “Marianne.”

“Then I’ll take Margaret,” she said, shuffling over to the tree to find it.

“Hmm,” Margaret thought a moment, “Jasmine. That lumpy blue one.”

“Okay! Love, can you find Chloé’s for me?” Marianne gave her a thumbs up.

Chloé tapped Nathaniel’s arm. “Go grab Izzy and Grandpa’s presents.”

He got up to follow orders, confused. “You’re taking two?”

“Of course, we have to.”

He had just handed Grandpa Nick his present and was about to ask why Chloé was taking two people when a gift suddenly appeared in front of his face. He looked up to see Isabella smiling at him, eyes practically sparkling. “You didn’t honestly think we were going to leave you out, did you?”

He blinked in surprise and tried to process what was happening while his hands automatically accepted the gift. “I-I— Well— Um— Th-thank you.” A fervent blush was rapidly taking to his cheeks, he could feel it. Because no, he most certainly did not expect her family to get him gifts.

Her grin widened as he handed over her gift. “Open it! I want to know if my guess was right.”

Nathaniel did as he was told as soon as he retook his place sitting behind Chloé. Her free hand naturally settled over his arm as he reached around her to tear open the gift wrap.

He blinked in surprise at the set of pastel acrylic paints in his hands.

“H-How…?” he looked at Chloé but she seemed just as confused as he was.

When the two of them had arrived two days ago, the hoard of gifts under the tree had already been complete—Chloé having sent hers ahead of time. He was absolutely positive that no gifts had been bought and added since then.

He was also absolutely positive that Chloé hadn’t told her family a single thing about him save his name before then.

And yet, somehow, not only had Isabella known to get him art supplies, she’d even gotten him the exact art supplies he had recently depleted.

“So I was right?” she asked giddily.

“Y-Yeah,” he stuttered out, looking up at her. “I just ran out of a lot of my pastel shades. How did you…?”

“We had Ryan internet stalk you.” The boy made a peace sign in confirmation. “After scrolling through your Instagram for a while, I noticed that you seemed to be going through some sort of pastel phase lately and thought you might be needing more.” She sat back against the couch holding her chin high in pride.

“Wow.” He blinked, absolutely bewildered by the lengths this family went to just to get him Christmas gifts. And a little bit scared. “I— Um… Thank you.”

“That reminds me,” Aunt Georgia spoke up, “why aren’t you two in a relationship on any of your social media?”

Nathaniel felt Chloé mildly tense up in his arms, but he didn’t miss a beat. “Publicity.” He absentmindedly stroked his thumb over her shoulder in a soothing gesture.

“Oh yeah, I suppose you’re still the mayor’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“Oh yes!” Grandma Renee chimed, “How is André?”

It was almost imperceptible, but he didn’t miss Chloé’s tiny beat of hesitation before smiling. “He’s good, Grandma. Really good.”

“And the hotel? Business is going well?” Grandpa Nick asked. Nathaniel spared a glance toward Audrey to see her even more disengaged than usual, bored eyes set on the television. Without thinking about it, he hugged Chloé the slightest bit closer.

“Yeah, it is,” she replied.

“Especially since she took over management,” he added with a smile. Her grandparents reflected it.

“Yeah?”

“Well, not to brag,” she said, completely bragging, “but employee and guest satisfaction has hit an all-time high since I stepped in.”

And as if on cue, the second Chloé was beginning to glow, Audrey decided to speak.

“Yes, well, shall we get to gifts?”

Chloé handled herself with grace as the conversation moved on. But Nathaniel didn’t miss the change in her breathing, or the way she took another drink to hide her expression.

He pulled her just a little bit closer—not enough to catch anyone’s attention, but maybe just enough to make sure she knew she was loved.

#chlonath #fake dating au #honey i'm home #miraculous ladybug

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ethereal-pluto-blog · 6 years

Text

North x Markus parenting hc's

(I got bored, so take some domestic/parenting headcanons)

Markus is always going to be the one cooking for their adopted human children. Like he takes pride in making them really good food.

Karen at the PTA will -N e v e r- be able to compete with him.

Markus is also extremely organized, as they plan to adopt children close in age and at the same time, he is able to keep up with all the hectic schedules.

Markus is also the more reserved wise dad.

North is the "I'm tough as shit but if my child even looks at me a bit sad I'll crack."

Honestly she thought she was going to be a bad parent.

That's why Markus had to be the one to ease her into the idea of having a family of their own.

She was honestly awkward at first.

She didn't know how to deal with children. And she wasn't used to them being so fucking tiNY.

Though once their first child gave her a sweet smile and snuggled up against her with a yawn she was fucking swooned.

After that she wanted like 50 kids.

Markus actually had to be the one to stop her from just going to every adoption facility and being like "Yeah I'll take all of them."

So they settled around 3-5.

North may not be the best at verbally telling the kids that she loves them, but she figures out more comfortable ways for her to do it.

North reinforces self love and self respect at a young age. She doesn't want them to sell themselves short or make themselves believe that they are worth less than others. She's been through it, and is still going through bouts of it from time to time, but she never wants her sweet babies to deal with that.

Markus teaches the kids to have firmly held beliefs, and to not fold when all seems lost.

Markus also makes sure that they develop a good work ethic, making them do light chores, which also helps them have something to do to stay out of trouble. (The Red Ice crisis is still around so they're both are incredibly weary, especially Markus after the whole Leo incident.)

North would love it if her kids participated in sports.

Markus would love if his kids had a knack for the arts.

Markus would have cutesy bonding moments with the kids that were more artistically inclined, giving them free lessons, and going out with their grandpa Carl for museum visits.

I can see North being an avid sports gal, particularly archery.

She has a trusty bow and she takes her sporty kids out to shoot some targets. She says that it'll help with their precision. Though she'll definitely be with Markus and the rest of the family cheering for her babies if they play school sports too.

Holidays are crowded as fuck.

And Christmas is expensive.

Since Carl's house is so big, Markus always invites his close friends over for the holidays. Which that includes Luther, Kara, Alice, Lucy, Simon, Josh, Connor, Hank, Blue + Brown haired Traci, and Leo. It's a full house. Thank goodness the kids, Hank, and Carl are the only ones that need food.

I feel like Josh and Simon being babysitters would work out perfectly tbh. They're so chill that even if Markus and North's kids were rowdy they'd be relaxed around those two.

Though I feel like with Markus and North being parents that their kids would be on the mature side. Some would be goofy no doubt but they're going to definitely have a strong work ethic and excell at school.

I also feel like Markus and North would share the responsibility of being disciplinarians.

They don't want to make it seem like good cop, bad cop situation.

If their kid did something wrong, they'd hear it from both Markus and North, not just one of them.

Also when Markus hears his children call him "Daddy" for the first time he sobbed.

Same with North.

Though North was wrecked for like a week and spoiled the shit out of the children.

Markus just kinda engulfed them in hugs.

Their family also goes on outings a lot.

Markus is very adventurous, so you'll probably see them just go in the car and head out wherever Markus feels like there's going to be an adventure.

North is more of a homebody but sight seeing is something she enjoys. Especially when she can photograph her family being out together and having fun. She has a whole album dedicated to each child and that album has probably over 500+ photos by the time they're 18.

YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT THEY TAKE FAMILY PHOTOS AND THEY'RE ALL WEARING MATCHING SWEATERS SMH

Markus is also fiercely protective over his babies.

Moreso than North.

Surprising, I know.

Markus sees his kids as something that can be easily taken away and it bothers him, so he can be kinda clingy. Within reason of course.

North is more worried about what could happen to them being human, since they're less sturdy and more soft and squishy.

Markus literally freaks the fuck out if his children get any sort of injury.

God help this man if one of his kids breaks a bone.

hoLy sHiT

North has had to stop Markus from wrapping his children in bubble wrap to prevent injuries.

North deals with injuries much better than Markus, she shrugs it off and gives them a bandaid. She doesn't like to panic in case that makes the kid more rattled and upset.

Honestly this family is so wholesome.

Markus tries to incorporate Leo into the family as an uncle figure once he's clean, he doesn't want to exclude him from his technical family.

North is skeptical but trusts Markus' judgment.

North takes them shopping all the time too. She'll make sure that they have all their supplies for school and that they always have clothes for every season.

I also headcanon that she likes shopping so if her children like shopping too she'll probably make a day out of it, taking them to lunch and everything afterwards at the mall.

North also likes to support her kids no matter what their dreams are. She's their constant cheerleader.

Markus will always be their emotional rock.

Markus was also concerned about giving them the talk but North's like "I got this" and she was able to fully explain sex and everything within an hour being direct and straight to the point, Markus was almost mortified at how blunt and tact it was but the kids took it well and they didn't care. So Markus decided since that day that anything in the awkward question department be forwarded to North.

Everyone in this family is just so happy together, it makes my heart burst.

I love them. They're so pure.

#headcanons #north #north x markus #markus #markus x north #dbh markus #dbh north #dbh headcanons #otp #Detroit become human #I'm soft for them #marth #feel the love #dbh fanfic #domestic headcanons #my babies

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sunflowersupremes · 6 years

Text

Happy Father's Day, Thanks for not Eating Me

Peter makes a gift for Yondu on Father’s Day.

Groot doesn’t know what Father’s Day is, but if Peter doesn’t help him make something for Rocket he’s going to cry.

Relationships: Peter Quill & Yondu Udonta, Groot & Rocket Raccoon

Characters: Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Peter Quill (Star-Lord), Yondu Udonta, Laura Barton, Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Lila Barton, Aleta Ogord (Starhawk I), Stakar Ogord (Starhawk II)

Read on AO3

“I am Groot?”

“Shhh!” Peter hissed, struggling to balance the Flora Colossus on his shoulder. “Be quiet!” Sneaking through a house filled to the brim with people with superpowers and enhanced senses was hard enough when there wasn’t a small, chattery tree on his shoulder. He hadn’t meant to bring Groot along on his outing, it had just happened. One of the hazards of having a teammate who insisted on using someone as a bed was that whenever that someone (it varied day to day) decided to get up they had a follower.

“I am Groot.”

“Yeah, yeah, just keep it down.”

The sooner he got this over with the better. He was still close to chickening out and running for it rather than actually giving the card to Yondu. If Yondu ran him through with his arrow for this, he was blaming Lila (but not actually because he liked the girl too much to blame her). Clint’s daughter had been following Peter for the last week, begging for his help making a father’s day card for Clint - “ask your mom,” he said, but Lila had insisted alien cards were better so he’d given in - and she had been horrified when she realized he didn’t have a present for Yondu.

“But he’s your daddy!” she’d argued, staring up at him with wide, almost horrified eyes. She wasn't wrong, Peter had thought, Yondu was decidedly not his father, but he might just be his dad. In fact, she’d looked so pitiful - and if Peter made her cry, he had no doubt Clint would end their vacation there and now - that he’d given in almost immediately.

“Alright,” he’d grumbled, sitting across from her at the too-small children’s table, his legs not even fitting under it properly. “Let's get this over with.”

She’d offered him glitter, sparkles, and feathers and it had taken all of his self-control not to absolutely drench the thing in art supplies. But Peter had insisted he was “all grown up” (even though he wasn't) so they’d kept the glitter to a minimum (it was mostly because Laura had told Peter plainly that if he made a mess he had to clean it up).

He’d also kept the sentiment off the card, writing in blocky print across the front “Happy Father’s Day, Yondu” with a crude drawing of his arrow instructing him to open it. Across the inside he’d written, “Thanks for not eating me, I guess.”

An abnormal card for an abnormal relationship.

He had briefly considered making one for Ego - it would have to say “go fuck yourself, not anyone else this father’s day” and of course it would include a condom - and then they could theraputically destroy it. But Clint didn’t like when Rocket blew things up for ‘no apparent reason’ and Peter had to admit, he had a point. Besides, he was fairly certain that if Laura even suspected he’d let Lila see such vulgarity they’d been throw out.

So he settled on a card only for Yondu and decided to sneak it into his room before the other woke up.

The door creaked slightly as he opened it, letting Groot peek in first to see what was on the otherside. Even though Clint insisted his farm was “perfectly safe until you lot showed up with bombs” Peter wouldn’t put it past Yondu to booby trap his room. Once Groot nodded the all clear, Peter slipped inside and set the card on the table by Yondu’s bed, then tiptoed back out the door, grinning to Groot once they were in the hall.

“I am Groot?”

“What do you mean, what are we doing for Rocket?” Peter hissed back, shaking his head at the small tree. “It’s five in the morning on Father’s Day! You’re a bit late!”

“I am Groot….”

He sighed, unable to deny Groot anything when the other looked so pitiful. “Alright, alright,” he grumbled, scratching the bark on Groot’s head. “I know where the art stuff is.”

Together the two slipped down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone, and Peter dug around in the living room until he found the art supplies where he’d stashed them. He left the glitter, feathers, and anything else that could make too big of a mess out of reach and passed Groot the markers and construction paper.

“I am Groot.”

“Okay, I’ll write it for you.” Peter sat on the ground beside the children’s table, giving up on cramming his legs into the too small chairs, and took the bright green marker Groot held out to him. He folded it in half like a card, then wrote “I am Groot” on both the outside and inside and passed it back to the plant. “There you are,” he teased. “Now color it.”

“I am Groot?”

“He’ll understand what it means, you dumb tree,” Peter laughed, poking Groot with the marker. “Now hurry up before everyone wakes up.”

By the time the others filed downstairs for breakfast, Peter and Groot were passed out asleep on the couch. Laura snapped a picture of them that Peter was sure was one day going to be used for blackmail before waking them up with a laugh.

Aleta plopped herself down beside Peter, a grin on her face that could only spell trouble. "You give Stakar a card?" she asked.

He looked at her blankly, trying to decide if he should have given the man that he called both 'space grandpa' and 'space rocky' a card. Was Aleta going to murder him if he hadn't? The dynamics of his newly discovered family was too much. "Uh. No?"

She laughed, punching the air in celebration. "I told him it was from Yondu!" It was only later that Peter found out someone had slipped a very messy, unsigned card under Stakar's door that just read, "you aren't awful." Peter was just offended that they'd thought his handwriting was that terrible.

Rocket pretended to be disappointed that his card wasn’t secretly a bomb (‘how can you be my son if you don’t blow things up?’ he asked), but then tacked it proudly on the wall of his room in the Milano.

Yondu never mentioned his card per se (and he would never, ever admit to making one for Stakar, even under questioning from Aleta), but he did grin at Peter over the table and remark, “Guess I’m glad I didn’t eat cha.”

Clint had thrown up his hands and given up. “Not at the table!” he’d yelled.

Author’s Note:

Did Yondu give Stakar the card? He’s not telling if he did. (He did)

Here's the card Peter made.

#yondu #peter quill #groot #marvel cinematic universe #the avengers #hawkeye #aleta ogord #stakar ogord #rocket raccoon #laura barton #lila barton #marvel #my writing #fan fic #fanfic #series: Clints Home for Vacationing and Retired Superheroes

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