#cat wasn’t here I am just fine on my own and they seem like more effort than they’re worth kind of I mean she is causing hell and I am being

[madigoround]

🙃

#I can’t remember if I’ve talked about it publicly on here but spark notes version and then we’re going to move on because it is relevant to #the issue at hand: when I was a kid not only did my parents abuse me and my sister but they also abused animals and mostly it was just that #they were neglected and starved to death but there was also a lot of my dad kicking the animals and my mom throwing the ones that she could #pick up across the room in anger and sometimes they would hit things and like generally stuff like that and I always knew it was wrong #it always scared me right? but I didn’t understand how wrong at the time because I kind of just thought everyone’s parents must beat the #shit out of animals just like I kind of thought everyone’s parents abused them a little bit #and then when I became an adult and got away and lived with other people with pets I realized how much people care about their pets and like #to the extent that they will buy all this extra stuff for them just because and treat them to all kinds of shit like doggy daycare #and more than anything I was just confused and I still am pretty much because it wasn’t right but I was taught that animals don’t matter and #my example of how to treat them was more like objects than living beings and I don’t agree with that I know that’s not kind and I’ve read a #ton of books on the right way to treat animals because I don’t want to be like my parents so like I’m trying right? like I’m genuinely #trying to be better I promise you but here’s the part that’s really bothering me that I’m not sure I can tell people in real life because I #don’t think someone who didn’t grow up like me would understand? and like I’m glad most people didn’t grow up like me but im just talking to #myself here and maybe someone will see this that understands: I think there’s something broken in my brain #and I can’t feel that like thing everyone seems to have about their pets I’ve been talking to people all week about how it’s a trial run and #im not sure im going to keep her and everyone has been emphatically telling me that their lives are so much better because of their pets and #they tell me about all this hardship they’ve gone through to give their pets nice things and whatnot or to clean up after them when they #destroy their belongings but you know it’s SO WORTH IT and I feel like something is broken in me because I don’t feel that way about any #animal like I enjoy petting animals and I enjoy giving them love but and here’s a part I feel really bad about I would be just fine if this #cat wasn’t here I am just fine on my own and they seem like more effort than they’re worth kind of I mean she is causing hell and I am being #patient I am cleaning up after her diligently I am reading the articles on how to make her separation anxiety better I am trying to be a #good pet parent and I just don’t feel it like she’s a lovely cat she’s so sweet even if she’s a menace and a problem causer but I don’t feel #what everyone else seems to feel and I’m confused and hurt and I feel broken #I don’t understand what else I could do to be better

[theemporium]

🧸could you do a Max one where you and him introduces you newborn to Jimmy and Sassy and they become attached to the baby

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

“You have to be good.”

“Max.”

“I mean it. Best behaviour from the both of you.”

“Max.”

“If either of you even hiss or think about—”

“Max,” you said in a louder voice, finally catching your husband’s attention as he whirled around to look at you, his face a mix of concern and intrigue. “They are cats. They don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Max puffed his chest out. “They might.”

You snorted. “They don’t. And it’s fine. They will get used to him, slowly but surely.”

However, Max frowned at the phrase.

It had been a concern of his since you told him you were pregnant on whether or not his cats would get along with the newborn. The internet seemed to be full of mixed signals, with some people sharing happy stories and others sharing absolute nightmare situations. And as much as he should have put the baby first, the last thing Max wanted to do was get rid of Sassy and Jimmy.

They were as much his children as little Casper Verstappen was, and he didn’t think he had the heart to get rid of them if they didn’t get along with his son. Maybe that made him a bad father or a bad pet owner, he wasn’t too sure. But these were three beings he loved more than he could explain. He didn’t want to part with any of them.

And now the day had come for them to meet, with Casper and yourself having just been dismissed from the hospital earlier that day. And every part of Max felt on edge.

“Be nice,” he said to the two unbothered cats one last time before he took the car seat from you, the one where little baby Casper slept peacefully in, before he lowered it to the floor. 

Jimmy was the first to approach the car seat, sniffing and cautiously circling it before he stared at the baby lying inside. He leaned forwards, sniffing the baby’s foot before he let out a soft purr. Sassy was a little more hesitant, keeping her distance until she watched Jimmy nudge his foot affectionately. And only then did she make her way over.

In Max’s best case scenario, they would be unbothered by the baby’s presence and be happy to co-exist with him.

The last thing he expected was for his cats to love his baby more than they loved him.

“Really? Again?” Max muttered as he wandered into the room, the sun barely breaking through the horizon as he wandered into the nursery. He found both cats curled in the cot with little Casper, both curling around him in a way that almost seemed protective. “How do you both keep getting in here anyways? I swear I lock the door.”

Both cats just stared up at him blankly.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t forget who feeds you,” Max muttered as he watched Casper reach for Jimmy instead of reaching up for his father like he usually did in the mornings. “And that goes for all three of you. I am being ostracised by my own family.”

Sassy only meowed in response. 

“Yeah, love you too, Sass.”

.

#cece's slumblurb party #max verstappen #formula one #f1 #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen x you #max verstappen x y/n #max verstappen fic #max verstappen one shot #formula one x reader #formula one x you #formula one x y/n #formula one fic #formula one one shot #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 x y/n #f1 fic #f1 one shot

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

Russetfrond scarfed down his morning meal and went over his responsibilities in his head. Sparrowpaw and the others were due for an assessment in their hunting and survival skills that he needed to design with Goldenstar and Yarrowshade. Patrols were mostly in order except for Mystique. He still didn’t like putting her into his schedule but Goldenstar had been clear that she needed daily exercise. At least she had agreed not to send the kittypet on any kind of Border Patrol, at his request.

It took him a while to balance out the patrols to accommodate her, shuffling duties around here and there, but eventually he had a solid plan. He stood, stretched, and sighed. Deciding to get the most unpleasant task out of the way first, he turned towards the elders’ den where a sleepy Ospreymask was sitting watch. If he hurried and took Mystique out now, they would hopefully get back before the dawn patrol returned. 

He stepped up to the den and flicked his ear in Ospreymask’s direction, saying, “I’ll take over.” 

“Thanks,” she yawned and slinked off towards the warriors’ den. 

Mystique stirred inside the den. Curled up in the back corner, she lifted her head and pursed her lips. She seemed to have been awake for some time although she still seemed tired and hollow eyed. Her thick fur was starting to tangle as her winter shed came out poorly. He wondered absently if she even knew how to properly groom herself or if she let her twolegs do everything for her. 

“Hey,” she said, “What’s up?” 

“We’re going out,” he said. “I want to get your exercise out of the way before it gets too late.”

“Oh, alright,” she stood, ears brushing the top of the den, and slipped up beside him with a soft jingle. He stepped out of the way and let her arch her back and stretch her legs.

“I figured we’d go to the river and you could swim for a bit or something.”

“Wait, really?” she brightened. 

“Yes,” he scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Just as long as you agree to come back when I say we’re done.”

“Yeah, of course,” she nodded. 

“Good.” He set off out of camp, confident that she would follow. The morning was still young. The sun had just started to banish the chill of night from the air and birds were singing to each other from the distant trees. He and Mystique walked in silence for a while, simply basking in the beauty of morning. 

Mystique eventually ruined it by speaking. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something.” 

“Oh?” He raised his brows skeptically. Hopefully it wasn’t another rendition of her ‘why does everyone hate me’ act. He’d heard from Branchbark all about her little incident during the Gathering and he wasn’t happy about it. 

“Yeah, um,” Mystique said, looking at the ground, “I’ve been thinking - About my brother and everything - and… I want to try and help you guys.”

“Pardon?” he nearly laughed. 

“I want to help,” she said, a little bolder. “Scorch is right, I’ve been way too passive. I may not fully understand what’s going on yet, but clearly you cats have a lot to lose and I want to help you. I was thinking maybe I could teach some combat drills or something? Y’know, help you hold your own.” 

This time Russetfrond really did laugh. “Yeah, right! We don’t need fighting tips from a kittypet.” The idea was completely absurd! Insulting, even!

Mystique frowned. “I’ll have you know, I’m better than most cats back in the city!”

“That’s not saying much,” he shook his head at the comedy of the situation. 

“I’m almost as good as Razor!” she insisted. “I bet I’m better than you! Hell, I know I am.” His shoulders tightened in offense. 

“Is that so?” he growled, puffing up his fur a bit. 

“Yeah,” she smirked and leaned down a bit to be more evenly on his level. “Try me and see.” 

“Fine,” he said, slowing to a stop. “Show me what you’ve got and I’ll see if your offer is worth anything.” They had stopped in the dip between two hills where pooling snowmelt had caused the grass to grow in thick and towering. It swayed above their heads gently, blocking out the rest of the world and nearly obscuring them from each other in its density. 

Russetfrond took a defensive stance. Mystique wiggled down into a crouch, tail tip twitching with eagerness. Russetfrond could already tell that she wasn’t taking this seriously - her smile was too bright, her gaze too scattered. This would be over quickly.

She moved in, tested his guard with a few swipes, and he danced easily to the side. He swiped at her ears with claws sheathed. Mystique ducked under the blow with surprising grace for her size and slipped into the opening he had given her. Her paws wrapped around his torso and her weight carried him off his feet and into the grass. 

They rolled for a beat, Russetfrond hissing and Mystique purring, and landed with him on his back looking up at her. He kicked out with his hind legs and she took the blow without a flinch, then whacked him sharply on the head causing his vision to swim. She snapped at one of his paws as he tried to swat her, twisted so the other swipe struck the back of her head, and rolled onto her side to avoid another strike of his hind paws. 

He rolled with her, onto his paws, and swatted her face twice, confident that, had this been a real fight, she would have been struggling to see through the blood. Mystiquer let out a mrrp of enjoyment and lunged. Her forepaws hooked around his neck and pulled his face into her chest before he knew what was happening. He struggled in the suffocating volume of her fur, unable to stop her as she rolled and flipped him over her body onto his side. Her hindpaws slammed into him, rabbit kicking over and over into his side. He hissed furiously and tucked his head to slam it up into her chin. She reeled, let him go, and he tumbled away. If this were real, he would be bleeding profusely from his flank, but for now he was simply panting heavily, struggling for breath. 

“That was-” he didn’t get to finish. Somehow she was on her paws again and barreling into him. His surprise let her take him to the ground again and she quickly pressed his face into the dirt with one paw. Tail bristling, he tried to rise but suddenly her teeth were in his scruff, causing his legs to seize instinctively. His cheeks flushed hotly at the predicament. 

“Alright!” he hissed quickly, “You win!” He needed her to let him go. 

“Told you I was better than you.” He could feel the shape of her grin against his fur. He forced his body to move and tried to wiggle out from under her but she shifted to put a hindpaw on his haunches, pressing him flat into the ground. His stomach fluttered, only serving to make him even more embarrassed. 

“You proved your point,” he growled, “let me up.” They were both breathing hard, her fur brushing his back every time she inhaled. 

“Say please,” she ordered smugly between breaths. 

“No,” he growled, his skin buzzing uncomfortably with some kind of energy. He felt dizzy. 

“Aww, come on,” she said, her teeth thankfully letting go of his scruff. He summoned his strength and rolled onto his back, paws ready to swipe at her if she tried anything else, but she just smiled at him and tilted her head, one paw raised as if they were playing a game. He found it hard to swallow. 

“You put up a pretty good fight,” she panted, flopping down next to him. 

“You too,” Russetfrond admitted begrudgingly, letting his arms go slack. The grass swayed above and around them, a world of lush green with a small glimpse of cloudless, blue sky. It muted the birdsong and the sound of the wind, leaving them alone with only their slowing breaths to listen to. 

“I won!” she purred, “I’d say I was more than pretty good.” He didn’t want to say it but he was inclined to agree. Neither of them spoke again until they had mostly regained control of their breathing. Russetfrond still felt dizzy though, dizzy and warm and hungry for something he couldn’t explain. 

“Wanna go again?” she whispered, like it was a secret. He knew he needed to say no. He knew that he was standing on the precipice of something very big and very exciting and very dangerous and that if he didn’t leave now he wouldn’t be able to fight the hold it had on him. 

“Alright,” he breathed, the edge of a smile daring to pull at his lips. He swallowed hard again. Mystique grinned wider than he’d ever seen, looking like she was hungry too. 

“Hell yeah,” she said. “Maybe you can try and pin me this time.” Russetfrond thought he would like that very much. 

“Don’t go easy on me,” he said, getting back to his paws. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she chuckled, swishing her silky tail around herself as she huddled into an eager crouch. 

“Good,” said Russetfrond. He jumped.

#clan gen #clangen #warrior cats #warriors #warrior cats oc #warriors oc #clangen oc #clan gen oc #clangenrising #Mystique #Russetfrond #Newleaf

[harlowcomehome]

Request: The girls are asleep, reader and Jack are in bed ready to fall asleep, and even though jack and reader both have to sleep they’re staying up to spend time with each other🥹

“But, I miss you.”

Things had been extra hectic lately. You and Jack had not been able to spend a lot of time together due to his busy schedule. 

When Jade was born, he took an extended amount of time off to spend time with family but now that he was back to work, it was full force, and you didn’t want to seem needy or make him feel guilty, but you really did miss him a lot.

His demanding job was some thing that you were usually used to, but it didn’t mean you missed him any less.

You had just gotten both girls to bed, and the two of you were crawling into your own, you wanted to express your feelings but you were nervous.

“I’m exhausted” Jack yawned and you softly smiled at him.

“I know my love, come here” you motioned for him to scoot closer to you and he did just that.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked you sleepily, even if he was tired he still knew you inside and out.

“I just miss you” you sighed, trying not to tear up. You played with his stray curls like you always did.

“I know, I miss you too” he wrapped his arms around you, kissing your forehead softly. “Things have been so crazy with work and getting back into the routine of things, sometimes I just forget to leave work at work and put back on husband and dad mode” he said half jokingly but you knew the guilt he felt from time to time.

“Don’t do that” you looked up at him, your face previously buried into his chest. “You don’t have to feel guilty for taking care of your career” you reminded.

“I just don’t want you and the girls to feel secondary” he sighed and you nudged him with your chin, making him look at you.

“I know what I signed up for” you reminded “me missing my husband is not me telling you I feel neglected. I just want you to know your presence is missed is all” you scooted yourself up to kiss his lips.

He reciprocated the kiss before sitting up in bed. His actions catching you by surprise.

“Let’s watch a movie” he rubbed his eyes before turning on the television in your room.

“We really don’t have to handsome” you replied sympathetically “I know you’re tired.”

“I am and I know you are too, but I want to spend quality time with you and the girls are finally asleep” he reminded. “I’ll be fine, promise” he held out a pinky to you and you smiled as you reciprocated the promise.

“Do you want me to get some snacks from the kitchen?” You asked and Jack nodded.

“Wait! What kind of movie?” He asked as you started to leave the room.

“A horror movie! I want to cuddle” you giggled knowing all to well that he got more anxious about those movies than you did.

“Nah, it’s late. We can cuddle to a comedy” he replied and you knew he wasn’t joking.

“You’re such a chicken” you whispered to him as you walked away to the kitchen.

You came back into the room and he was already holding back a laugh.

“What?” You asked inquisitively.

“Cluck cluck” he hardly got the two words out without laughing.

“The dad jokes are either super real tonight or you’re deliriously tired” you laughed.

“Like a chicken? Get it? You said I was a chicken!” He started laughing again at his own joke.

“No, I got it. If I would’ve said scaredy cat you would’ve meowed?” You teased as you sat beside him with the snacks in your lap.

“You know me so well” he pulled you closer. “Gummy worms!” He said excitedly as he grabbed the bag and you couldn’t help but laugh at his eagerness.

You watched as he popped his retainer out of his mouth and put it on the nightstand.

“Sexy huh?” He laughed, and you shrugged as you were used to it.

“I really love you” you watched him with adoration as he made himself comfortable beside you.

“I love you too” he mumbled back with a mouth full of gummy worms.

#Jack Harlow #Jack Harlow x reader #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow fluff #Jack harlow concepts #Jack harlow imagines

[madisonshoneybun]

Animagus

Warnings - None (besides bad writing)

Pairing - Newt Scamander x Reader

Summary - Your an animagus. Your looking for food when Newt finds you. You seem hurt so he decides he wants to take care of you. How long will it take before he realizes your actually a witch?

A/N - I am seriously BEGGING for ideas. I’m so bad at coming up with ideas on my own but I want to write so bad. So if you have an idea please let me know. I’m also wanting to write about Theseus cause he is also the best. 

Words - 1907

_____________________________________________________

My parents always wanted me to be an animagus. I wanted to too. I thought it would be really fun to see what animal or creature I would be. When I was little it was more of a fun dream but the older I got the more my parents pushed. They wanted me to be something powerful. They were rooting for a magical beast but said as a last resort they’d be happy with some sort of strong animal. Like a big cat. It’s almost like they cursed me because I ended up being just that... a cat. A literal fucking house cat. They were furious. They refused to let me out of the house and told me that 

“If you were cursed to be something so weak, then stay that way!”

I was “forced” to live as a cat. I say “forced” because it wasn’t like they told me I had to be a cat to stay, they would just beat me if they ever saw me as who I actually was. So I thought the better of two evils was to just stay as a cat. There was no where I could go. It was fine for a while. They didn’t treat me the best as a cat either but it was better than the beatings. But one day everything changed.

I was out an about in the neighborhood trying to find food. I was rummaging through trash cans trying to just find anything. Even crumbs would be enough. The night before I got the bright idea to try to take a normal shower, seeing as neither of my parents were home. I cleaned myself really well cause I genuinely had no idea when I would be able to do this again but as soon as I walked out of the bathroom, my father was standing there, belt in hand. I’m sure you could guess what happened next. 

Now I was hurt, dirty from the rain, and just so fucking hungry. And I was having no luck with finding any food.

I wonder what I should do?

I continued to look through trash cans, limping along as I went. But still nothing. I finally decided to give up when I heard someone behind me making clicking sounds with their mouth. I turned around, standing my ground. My fur was standing up and I was trying my best to look around and find a way to escape. 

The man before me had brown curly hair and bright green eyes. They felt like home... but I was too scared to trust it. This man thought I was a cat, he had no idea I was actually a witch. And I had no idea if he was a wizard. 

He crotched down and held out a can of tuna. I glanced at him and then at the tuna. He followed my eyes and slowly pushed it towards me. It was in the middle of us and he took a couple steps back to give me room. I didn’t want to put myself in danger but I was just so anger. I made small steps towards the food. 

“It’s alright love, I wont hurt you...” He sounded so genuine that I just had to believe. I took the final step and went to the food, chowing it down as fast as I could. I wanted to eat it and get out of there. 

I was so focused on eating that I hadn’t noticed him inching towards me until I felt his hand on top of my head. I jumped, backing away and hissed loudly. He looked somewhat shocked by my reaction. “I’m sorry!” He moved back a bit more. No one had ever tried to make me feel this safe before. If I was being honest with myself, I’d pretend to be a cat for the rest of my life if it meant I could be loved. And for a second, it seemed like he wanted to help me, so I gave in.

I slowly walked closer to him. Smelling the food as I walked passed it but deciding I wanted to see what he wanted. If he was only here to hurt me I could just turn back into a witch and scare the life out of him. No one would believe him otherwise. Once I got closer he sat down completely and I rubbed against his sleep. “Hello darling. Do you forgive me for earlier?”

I meowed in response and rubbed myself against his back before crawling into his lap. He slowly brought his hand down and began to pet me. It was soothing. But even slightly touch made my cuts and bruises hurt. He noticed me flinching. “Are you hurt?”

I rubbed into him more while he tried to look me over. “Why don’t I get you patched up? You don’t seem to have a collar... are you a stray?” I just kept purring. Since he had no idea I was a living person, he gently picked me up. I thought he was going to take me back to his house but instead he opened up a suit case. For a second, I thought he was going to smother me inside it or something but sitting in his arms looking down I could actually see a whole other world inside his case. He’s a wizard.

He held me close as he went down the ladder. He was so gentle with me, so gentle in fact that I almost felt like I was going to fall asleep. Once inside his case he used his free hand to grab a pillow then laid me down onto of it. His fingers were so light to the touch that I could hardly even feel them while he checked what was wrong.

“Looks like someone didn’t like you going through their trash? They beat you pretty bad but nothing seems to be broken. You have few cuts that I can put some cream on. What am I going to do with you?” He was mostly mumbling to himself as he looked around for the cream he mentioned. Once he found it he made sure to hold me down as the cream began to burn. I hissed and jumped from his grasp, making a break for the only door I could see. He followed straight behind. 

Outside the door were dozens of different creatures. It was like a giant zoo. I didn’t even bother running around, too scared one of them might have an appetite for cats.

“You not a magical creature so I don’t know if you’ll have much fun here.” He said walking towards me. He took my into his arms and pet me like I was his own. 

After that Newt look me to London and let me stay in his home. He told me I wasn’t allowed downstairs because it was dangerous, so I listened. I bet he thought I was just a really obedient cat. I could tell straight away that he knew more about magical creatures rather than boring plain animals. But that wasn’t to say he’d neglect a non-magical creature. It just meant that he didn’t really know much about them which I think helped in not being figured out.

Sometimes Newt would even invite friends over. Two sisters and one of their husbands. I tried my best to stay away from them, especially when Jacob said he thought I acted weird for a cat. But one day his brother came over. 

I was laying on the couch when he arrived, completely unannounced mind you. He just walked in the front door. His eyes instantly locked with mine for a moment causing me to stand up on all four. I hissed and ran to hide under a chair. I could see that he was just standing front of the closed door. I peeked and he was again, looking straight at me. I felt a chill run down my spin. Did he know? Why was he staring at me like that if he didn’t?

Eventually he broke eye contact and made his way to the basement. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to leave, he knew I wasn’t a real cat. What was Newt going to when he found out some random witch had been living under his roof for almost 3 months? I hadn’t met any witches or wizards in so long that I completely forgot how they might react. Before I could make a break for the door, Newt and his brother were making there way into the room. 

Again, his brother’s eyes met mine. “Newt, why do you have a cat?” 

Newt’s glanced over and me and chuckled. “She was hurt and hungry so I took her in. She’s not good with strangers.”

His brother grabbed Newt by the arm and dragged him into a separate room. 

fuck, fuck fuck!

I was too scared to move a muscle. Maybe if I just played dumb Newt wouldn’t believe him. I jumped once the two brothers came back into the room. They rushed in like the place was on fire. The oldest holding his wand towards where I was and the youngest slowly making his way over to me, not a wand in sight.

“Come out please. I just want to check something.”

I began to growl and hiss the closer he got. I’m gonna fucking die. This is the end. “Newt stay back.” He didn’t listen.

“She’s harmless and if she’s what you think she it, I’m sure we could just talk it out. Right?”

He was on all fours, bent down, looking under the chair and directly into my eyes. The gentleness I’d always seen in him was there. And again, it made me trust him.

I crawled out from under the chair, moving towards the couch.

In an instant I was sitting on the couch, fully back to who I really was. Newt hardly reacted, while his brother kept his wand drawn. I felt myself begin to shake as I tried to sink into myself and try to come off as small as possible. “I’m sorry...” I whispered, glancing up to meet Newt’s eyes.

“I had nowhere to do and I was hungry... At first I thought you were going to feed me and leave or patch me up and send me on my way but you were so nice that I couldn’t tell you the truth. I thought about telling you everyday but I didn’t know how...” The oldest put down his wand and made his way into the kitchen, while Newt sat beside me.

“You could’ve told me. I could’ve help you.” I nodded my head, feeling guilty.

“Your a good man...” He chuckled a bit. “I should’ve known. It always felt like you were really listening to what I was saying. And you always did what you were told.” A giggle escaped your lips.

“You are the man of the house after all.”

He put his hand on mine, making me flinch and quickly look up at him. “I’ll help you and you can get back on your feet.” I never thought I would meet someone like him. He was so kind and gentle, so down to earth and honest. It made my heart flutter. I was so happy to have met him but... in a way, I was sad that one day we might part. I hoped, that even after he’s given me all the help me can give, that we can stay friends. He truly saved my life.

- Masterlist -

#newt scamander #newt scamander x reader #newt scamander x you #newt scamander x y/n #fantastic beasts and where to find them #fantastic beasts crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beasts secrets of dumbledore #fbawtft #animingus #theseus scamander

[sirianasims]

Samuel stopped visiting us. I spoke to Kailani, but we agreed to let them figure it out themselves. Still, it was hard to watch. Freya wasn’t at all her usual, fiery self.

She had always had quite the temper. I stubbornly claimed that she must have gotten it from Katherine, but I knew that my own temper had been terrible as well, at least before I learned to control it.

It wasn’t too bad when she was younger, but the older she got, the worse her tantrums had become. Like Katherine, she could be glorious in her fury if she felt that something was unfair. But after losing her friendship with Samuel, she became despondent.

Normally, I’d be happy that my teenage daughter was this easy to get along with, but Freya’s lack of snarky comebacks was worrying. She never argued with me, but she also never laughed.

She barely even smiled, except when spending time with either Grace, our boxer, Daisy, or the new cat, Turtle.

The house had felt too empty with just old Mimi left, so we had gotten them to replace Cooper and Zoe.

I knew from experience how helpful pets could be when everything seemed hard to deal with, so I was glad that Freya had bonded so quickly with Daisy, but I was still starting to get worried. Maybe she had inherited my tendency towards depressive episodes? Something needed to change.

“I’m going to bed, goodnight.”

“Freya, I know that you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine, dad. Just leave me alone.”

“OK, fine, I get that you don’t want to talk to me, but do you want to talk to your mother, then? Maybe go visit her for a while?”

She turned on me, her voice suddenly dripping with bitterness.

“Oh, so you can once again get rid of me when I’m too much trouble? Like mom did so she could be alone while fucking Conrad? Or like you did when I was little so you could fuck, well, everyone?”

For a moment, I was speechless. Shock, anger and shame were all fighting to take the lead.

“Freya, what the…”

She wiped her eyes and started turning away.

Anger won.

“FREYA! YOU WILL STAY THE FUCK HERE UNTIL I’M DONE TALKING TO YOU!”

She froze, her eyes wide. I had never yelled at her like that before.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Then I spoke through gritted teeth.

“Talk to me. Now.“

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Freya glared at a spot on the floor, blinking away tears.

I took another deep breath. I felt the connection to my daughter floating in the air like a faint line, thin as a hair.

One wrong move from either of us and it could snap.

My anger dissipated.

“Freya, honey, that was out of line. And so was I. I’m sorry for yelling. You need to tell me what is going on, because I am trying to help you. Why would you think I could ever want to get rid of you?”

And then, finally, she started talking. About how I had never wanted her in the first place, that she was an accident. How she had ruined my life and how no one could ever love her.

Everyone just kept leaving her – me, her mother, Samuel.

I was devastated. I tried to sort through all the half-truths and misunderstandings, to explain to her how loved she was. I explained that I had to let her go when she was little because I was being a terrible father, and how happy I had been when she moved back in four years ago.

I wanted to be completely honest with her. I told her how much I was struggling during the first seven years of her life. With depression, with alcohol. How I had been trying to run away, not from her but from myself, from the guilt of feeling inadequate as her father.

She was quiet through it all, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

“Freya. I love you and Gracie more than anything. You girls are my life. And you were there first. I’m sorry that I wasn’t ready when you arrived, but that was not your fault. Your mother and I made a lot of mistakes, but you are the one thing we ever got right. I’ve done my best to catch up, to be the dad you deserve -“

I stopped, my voice breaking.

Freya stepped closer and clung to me like she was drowning. I held her tight.

“I love you, monkey. Forever and always.”

“I love you too, dad.”

beginning / previous / next

#duchellilegacy #duchellichapters #duchelligen3 #eric duchelli #freya duchelli

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

WELCOME BACK!!! That’s right fellow humans, it’s the second episode of

Bedtime Stories With PCE

And man did I enjoy writing this one, my sweet boys, Stan with the broken ribs and struggling with being hurt for the first time since running dry, his super awesome sponsor, Kyle w the solutions, Moose being the best lil cat ever, just!!!!! And this one is really important to me, because it is SMACK DAB in the middle of Broken Bottles From Apartment 2 after our beloved vet tech Stan gets kicked by a scared horse at work, setting the ball rolling for the rest of that story. Essentially I wanted to address more of his mentality following that incident, and to have y’all meet his AA sponsor! Iconic. Here’s

•coconut yogurt•

“Jesus, dude, that looks bad.”

“I’m-“ Stan cut off with a sharp *schh* as Kyle helped him the rest of the way out of his scrub shirt. “Fuck, I’m okay.”

Breathing fucking hurt. More than that, he was seriously bummed that not only was he on bed rest for two weeks (something that his partner would no doubt enforce with an iron fist), but he was gonna be stuck to paperwork once he could finally go back to work. And it wasn’t like he could quell the boredom by slipping away to the clinic for a few hours while Kyle was at his own job, because Wendy ran the front office and would not hesitate to rat him out.

“Baby, they’re only a little cracked.”

Kyle rolled his eyes and carefully helped him ease to a more comfortable laying position on the couch, gently resting one of the big ice packs they always kept on hand over his side. “Where’s your discharge shit?”

“Front pocket,” he muttered.

Kyle grabbed the papers and scanned them quickly. “Hairline fractures… bone bruising, sweetheart, how on earth are you breathing?”

“Carefully?” His partner didn’t seem to like that response. “Ky, I’m okay. You know how much worse it could’ve been?”

“YES! Yes, I do, Stan! Don’t fucking-“ his face softened. “Don’t smile like that about broken ribs, dude.”

“I’m not smiling about that; I’m smiling about you.”

“You’re hopeless,” Kyle laughed. “The hell am I supposed to do with your hopeless romantic ass when you say sappy bullshit?”

Stan might’ve been a little foggy from the pain. Maybe. “Aww, babe, C’mere,” he struggled to open his arms, which was annoying, yeah, but he wanted to hold Kyle.

“Dude, I am SO not laying on you.”

“Just a little?”

“No.”

Kyle went to read the paperwork again, fully ignoring Stan’s efforts to get cuddled. “Babe…”

“Your prescription should be ready, dude.” Kyle knelt down to kiss him. “Gonna be good if I’m gone for a few?”

Stan pouted, knowing damn well he was being dramatic, but not caring. “I don’t want it.”

“We went over this, sweetheart. You had a problem with alcohol, not pills. Is it just because you don’t like taking stuff anyway?”

“…yeah.”

“Okay.” Kyle kissed him again. “You’re sure?”

Honestly, he wasn’t. There were a lot of feelings coming up right now. Kyle noticed, because of course he did. “Stan, I know that face.”

Against his will, tears started trailing from the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, dude, I know.” Kyle took Stan’s face in his hands. “Look, I really don’t want you to hurt, okay? I know you’re emotional right now. I’ll give you your meds when you need them, and you don’t need to think about it. I can ask the pharmacy about the info too. Hon, we’re gonna know exactly what you’re taking, and you’ll be just fine.”

“I- I always heal fast.”

“You do,” Kyle assured him. “And there’s nothing wrong with needing a little help, okay?”

“Uh huh.” Yeah, he would call his sponsor. He needed to talk this out, with someone who got it. Kyle understood for the most part; he literally had a degree in psychology and had been firsthand through an eating disorder, which was its own form of addiction, but, well, specifics. “I’m- *hic*- gonna text Mark, maybe zoom into tonight’s meeting.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kyle rose and ran his hand through Stan’s hair. “Ten minutes, hopefully.” He glanced at the corner and laughed. “Oh, poor thing doesn’t know what to do! It’s okay, Moose, c’mere, keep your dad company.”

Their cat slowly crept up to the couch, perching on the arm like a sentinel and making a cute little “mrrmm”.

“Good boy.” Kyle spun his keys once around his finger, and put on a serious face, staring down at Stan with one eyebrow raised. “Now, don’t you move.”

“Just stay where I can see you douse the lights.”

Kyle laughed. “You’re incredibly lame. I’ll be right back.”

That laughter seriously helped so much. “Okay, dude, you know where to find me.”

Moose had started purring, asleep next to him by the time Stan worked up the motivation to get his phone and send Mark a “yo I got the fuck kicked out of me by a horse I won’t be there tonight”. The old man immediately called him.

“Hey,” Stan answered, trying not to laugh at how fast that call was, because he knew that would feel awful.

“The hell do you mean, “hey”, Superman? How’d you get kicked by a damn horse?”

“Oh, you know.” Just hearing his sponsor’s voice helped. Some of the older crowd at AA had taken to calling him “Superman” too, which was objectively funny, and also comforting to hear, especially right now, when he was feeling vulnerable. “Went to give him an antibiotic shot, he got scared and bucked around, broke my ribs.”

“Christ.” He could practically hear Mark rolling his eyes through the phone. “Leave it to you. How ya doin’ with all of that? Gonna be able to come chair tomorrow?”

Judging by how much he was hurting, definitely not, even if Kyle would let him leave the apartment. “I was thinking I’d Zoom in. Will you, uh, do you think that’d work?”

Mark chuckled. “Well, I don’t know much about the video callin’ you young folks do, but I’ll figure it out. Might need ta get Laura to help me. She’s good with technology.”

Laura was a woman even older than Mark, who was not good with technology. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun.

“Seriously though, kid, are you okay?”

Stan sighed. “It’s- I’m nervous,” he admitted. “About the feelings this is gonna bring up. We’ve talked about my coping mechanisms before, like how I like to move, when I start feeling down, instead of drinking? But I…”

“You can’t go for a hike or work out with busted ribs,” Mark finished. “I know being injured, havin’ to stay put, that’s a trigger for you. Like the bender you told me about in high school, after you broke your arm.”

“Yeah…” Not even Kyle knew how bad he had spiraled that time. He knew it had been bad, but not to the extent that it had gotten to. Getting hurt because of something he loved, combined with the timing and completely changing his career path senior year, all of that had led to a full depressive episode, complete with binge drinking and attempting to cut his cast off with bolt cutters. “I still could’ve been scouted in the spring,” he muttered dejectedly.

“But you chose to quit football,” Mark reminded him. “You’ve said you don’t regret that. You remember why you don’t regret it?”

Reaching up to pet his cat, the little creature who had been the driving force to him actually applying his degree, Stan was reminded that he really did like how his life was turning out.

“Yeah. I’m where I’m supposed to be, right?”

“Not for me to say, Superman,” Mark said. “You’re a damn good vet, and gettin’ hurt because of your job happens.” The smile was clear in his voice. “You’re more worried about the horse, ain’t ya?”

Stan once again had to force himself not to laugh. “Dude, he was scared. I was literally coming at him with a needle.”

“And what would you do if you were in his horseshoes?”

“Mark, dude, please don’t make jokes, laughing hurts like a bitch.” He checked the time. Kyle would be back home any minute. “Same thing, though. Ky’s gonna be on my ass about painkillers. That’s… uh, kinda why I needed to talk.”

“Hmm. I gotcha. You’re worried about the addiction potential? Combined with being home alone until you go back to work?”

Hit the nail on the head. Stan nodded, then remembered that Mark couldn’t see him. “Pretty much. I’m just… I haven’t been hurt this bad, since running dry. I’m not sure what to do to distract myself, honestly.”

“Alright.” Mark could be pretty straightforward, when it came to a course of action, a lot like Kyle. “You like them video games, right? And reading your fantasy books? Bet you got one downloaded on your phone right now.”

As a matter of fact, he did. “Uh, yeah, Atherton, I think”

“I don’t know what the hell that is, but you catch my drift?”

Moose had moved down to drape over him like a scarf, warm and little and soft. Sweet little guy; he always took care of his dads. And Stan had a support system. He’d be okay. “I’m picking up what you’re putting down, dude,” he said into the phone. “Distractions that aren’t physical, but keep me engaged, right?”

“And bingo was his name-o,” Mark confirmed. “Good to think of some that you can do when you’re my age, anyway. You ain’t gonna be Superman forever, right?”

“Dude-“ Stan heard the security door open, finally. Kyle.

Mark interrupted. “I know you got that whole thing about age, kid, sorry. I know you’re strugglin’ so how’s about we just focus on today. That boyfriend of yours taking care of ya?”

“Mhm. I’m pretty sure he just got home.” Yeah, definitely, because Stan could hear the voice of Sheila Broflovski through the door, and Kyle probably didn’t even have her on speaker. “Yeah, he’s home, and on the phone with his mom.”

“Uh oh,” Mark laughed. He had heard many a tale. “She’s gonna give you an earful. I’ll let ya go, then. You can call me anytime, okay? It works if you work it.”

“It works if you work it,” Stan repeated. “Thanks, dude. I’ll probably skip tonight, but I’ll call into the meeting tomorrow, okay?”

“Gotcha. Tell Kyle and y’all’s critter I say hi.”

“Will do.”

Right as he ended the call, Kyle burst in, arms full of Walgreens bags and his phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder, looking hilariously frazzled. “Oh my GOD, Ma, look okay, he is literally right here just- OKAY, Jesus, yes I’m putting him on-“ he gave Stan an expression that clearly was asking if he was up for this. Stan nodded and grabbed the phone so Kyle could get everything set down.

“I’m here.”

“STANLEY!!! Are you okay?! Oh my GOODNESS I can absolutely drive up- do you need anything?! Have you told Sharon?”

Kyle mouthed “don’t blame me”. Stan shifted a little. He’d been talking a lot for the past half hour and he was actually starting to have trouble catching his breath. “No ma’am, I- wait, how did you find out?”

“Your friend Bebe’s gossip list! She posted to Facebook and said “a certain vet got kicked by a horse” and I just KNEW IT WAS YOU! Kyle said he was picking up your medication?”

“Fuckin-“ Kyle took the phone back. “Ma, okay, I’ve got him. I’m going to take care of him and- Ma. I’m not putting Stan back on the phone. It hurts him to talk. Yes, I’ll tell his mom. No, he’s on bed rest. Do you seriously think I’m letting him out of my- okay, okay, sorry, no- oh my God, I’m not making chicken noodle soup, he’s been vegetarian for twenty years, Ma. Alright. We love you too. Christ, yes, I’m eating. Please don’t start right now. Alright. Yes. We got it. Okay. I’ll keep you updated. Yeah, love you. Bye.”

Kyle slumped over the kitchen island, groaning. “If you say anything about me being exactly like my mother, I’m gonna be super annoying and not run interference next time she calls.”

“Pretty sure you’re not beating the Sheila allegations, baby.”

“Ughhhhh.”

Stan reached his hand backwards, eyes closed, waiting for his partner to take it. “Talked to Mark.”

Kyle took his hand, kneeling by the couch and kissing his forehead. “Good, sweetheart. Do you think you’re okay to get some medicine in you? I know it hurts.”

He was always so thoughtful, so gentle with him, and not in a condescending way, either. No wonder Kyle was so good at his job. He could handle a grown ass man emotional over broken bones; angsty preteens were probably a cakewalk to him.

Stan bypassed the cat across his chest, lifting the ice pack from his lower torso. “How’s it looking?”

“Oh, honey.” Kyle sounded genuinely distressed, and Stan opened his eyes to see his partner actually genuinely distressed. “Stan, I can see the hoof print!”

“…damn.”

“Jesus, dude, you poor thing. ” He stood back up and grabbed the prescription bag from the counter, along with a snack sized yogurt from one of the bags. “Solution time.”

“I’m listening.” He’d take just about any idea. It hurt.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. I got a few things of that coconut yogurt you like. I checked with the pharmacist and she said we can crush up your painkillers into it if you want, if you’re not feeling the swallowing pills. I can keep up with your dosage schedule so you don’t need to think about it.” He tilted Stan’s face up to make sure they were seeing eye to eye. “But if you want to take them less often and stick to ice and over the counters, that’s okay. I’ll handle the thinking about shit, and you handle the taking it easy.”

Stan eyed the bottle. “Are they gonna make me sleepy?” The thought scared him.

“Oh, dude.” Kyle could strategize incredibly, though. “We can start with half, okay? It isn’t likely that they’ll knock you out, sweetheart. You’re not a small guy, and I asked. Dosage isn’t high. And you say the word; we work something else out. First priority is keeping you comfortable so you can heal, okay? Does that help?”

“I’m gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, you are,” Kyle assured him. “I’m right here, you know how to deal with this, and you’ll be better before you know it. Now, some meds and I’ll help you upstairs? We can take a nap? I’ll be right there, dude. Keep you from moving around too much.”

He knew damn well Kyle wouldn’t be sleeping a wink. But he nodded. “You’re for real gonna feed me my painkillers in yogurt like I’m a puppy?”

Kyle grinned. “Whatever works.” He reached over to pet Moose. “Whatcha think, young nastyman? Do I have good plans or what?”

Stan slowly sat up, an arm around his midsection and definitely not comfortable, but that was alright. Pretty soon he’d be able to breathe a little better. “What would I do without you, Ky?”

#them #south park #style #Bedtime Stories With PCE #my shit #OrangeJuiceVerse #BBFA2 #fanfiction on tumblr #idk how to tag this #injury #broken ribs #whump #idk #fanfiction #snippet

[fatalattention]

Too Far From Home For Comfort.

I promised a fanfic and I am here to deliver!! Wolfwood will make his appearance in later chapters I promise, for now you guys get all of the Vash content you could possibly want.

It was a long fucking day for you. Working unholy hours of the morning- to be exact you had to wake up at six to open your flower shop. On Top of that, you closed up as well. It’s not that your employees couldn’t but they all were students, working part time with some cash to do lord knows what with. It was none of your business anyways. Closing up the shop wasn’t exactly your favorite part of the day, but it was great to leave. You had a strict routine that you needed to follow to lock up, sweeping, dusting, locking every door and window, and then finally leaving. You’ll admit you’ve contemplated skipping out on these duties, but ultimately decided against it in the long run. It makes your job in the morning a bit easier. The upside of owning your shop was that it wasn’t far from your apartment at all, your commute being done on foot. Despite how great that may sound, walking home in the rain or snow is a lot less fun. Approaching your apartment building, the tension and stress from the day slowly began to fade away, your head being filled with more pleasant thoughts. Eating some cheap takeout, kicking back and relaxing that new show you’re really into right now. Pushing the elevator button you sigh, letting your head thunk against the wall of the elevator. It felt like home was impossibly far away, though realistically it was only a mere few feet from you. You dig around in your bag, fumbling around with whatever you had in there. You hadn’t cleaned it out and frankly, you were afraid too. Who knows what you would find in there.. Pushing the key into the keyhole, you jiggle the handle, trying to open the door. You hear this odd, scurrying sound coming from inside your apartment. You lived alone, with the exception of your cat. She does get pissy when you get home later than expected, only because you “abandoned” her all day and she is hungry goddamnit. You sigh it off, knowing it was her probably knocking something expensive over or scratching up the couches again, and you push the door open. Looking around, everything seems fine, nothing broken or scratched to shit, and you sigh. Shutting the door behind you, you slip your work shoes off and flick on the lights, revealing your mostly clean apartment. From the corner of your very tired eyes, you see your bedroom light on. It wasn’t an uncommon thing for you to accidentally leave your room light on in your tired, half-asleep state. It’s raising the bills, you remind yourself, forcing yourself to move forward to shut the light off. Keeping your eyes trained on the floor to make sure you don’t accidentally squish your fluffy and very mouthy companion, you trudge forward reluctantly. Briefly, you consider leaving it on, you would be in there for a few moments anyways, but decided to be a mature adult for once. You look up from the floor to find the switch, and are met eye-to-eye with a guy. He seemed just as startled as you were when you screamed, throwing your hands over your mouth in complete shock. He mimics the action and covers his mouth, though he hadn’t squealed like you did. He seemed familiar, like you had seen him before. It felt like you knew him inside and out, knowing everything about him by just looking at him. There was an odd sense of deja vu that fell over you, making you squint suspiciously at the man as you thoroughly studied him. His dirty and tattered red coat, the blonde messy hair that seemed to stick up in every direction, this cannot be fucking real. Before you can stop the words from spilling you, you utter one word, maybe the most important word you have ever spoken.

“Vash?”Obviously startled, the man cocked his head to the side and removed his hands from his face. “How did you know my name?” No way. No fucking way. This was just some fucked up hallucination from overworking yourself and being really stressed, right? Right?? “.. How did you get in here?” You ask, taking a cautious step backwards. The man sighs, and runs a hand down his face. “I don't know! I woke up here, I was on this bed.” Part of you wants to believe it, the door was locked, nothing was out of place, but it seemed too convenient for your favorite character to become real, that’s something straight out of a fanfiction. You eye him, taking in the state of the room. Nothing was moved, besides the bedsheets. It’s your turn to sigh, crossing your arms protectively over your chest. “There’s no way you woke up here, that’s impossible.” As impossible as it seemed, it seemed pretty possible now. “I know! Trust me, I know. I went to bed in a hotel room, and I swear on my life I woke up here.” He seemed just as troubled and confused as you were, making you feel a bit more at ease knowing maybe he didn’t break in.

“Okay.. Okay.” You pause, looking around awkwardly. “Why- Why don’t you come into the kitchen?” It was an awkward offer, one that didn’t even seem to be an offer, rather a skeptical request. He didn’t reply, only offering you a curt nod and you led the way to the kitchen, only having to take a few steps.

You sit down at the kitchen island, pulling out a seat for him weakly. He took the offer, seemingly collapsing in the chair. There were no words spoken as both of you seemed to just stare off. You decided to break the silence first, it was suffocating. “Your name is Vash, isn’t it?” Another nod. “Okay. And-..” You pause, trying to find the words for this situation. “You really don’t remember getting here??” 

“I don’t. I fell asleep in a hotel room, I remember that. When I woke up, I was here.” He explains, hands clenching at the fabric of his pants. “Okay, I believe you.” You said, which was partly sincere. You were still skeptical, but nothing seemed impossible anymore. He smiles weakly in response to your reassurance. “Do you know where you are??” You ask, knowing in his universe, Earth wasn’t habitable anymore. No humans lived on Earth there, so how would you explain to him that this is Earth?? Suddenly people started to live here again? All of the damage that was done was suddenly reversed?? “Not a clue.” He awkwardly laughs, and you sigh in response. “Okay.. Well, I don’t know how to put this. This is.. Earth.” You see his eyes widen in some sort of confused shock. “Yeah.. So, on this planet, there’s this show.” You begin, fully set on explaining how you knew his name.

“There’s this show about an outlaw who’s wanted for being a “criminal”, I guess. Sixty billion double dollars on his head.” I look up, offering a weak smile. “And- And his name is Vash the Stampede.” His jaw drops, eyeing you up and down, seemingly waiting for you to lie, say you were just kidding, anything. “That’s how I knew your name.” “That’s..” He swallows. “That’s not true, is it?” You laugh weakly in response, leaning your arms on the counter. “You think I could make something like that up?”

He shrugs, mimicking your motions and leaning on the counter too.

“I know a lot about you. That you like donuts a lot, your metal arm..” My head lolls to the side and I sigh. “I know that you’re a plant who calms other plants down.”

You can hear Vash choke from beside you, sputtering to get any words out at all. You smile at the sight, before continuing. “I know about Wolfwood, and Meryl. And, I know about how you’re really good with your gun.”

Vash is shocked; not only is this person a total stranger to him, they know everything about him.

“You’re not lying, are you?” You laugh, shaking your head. “I wouldn’t gain anything from lying about this, especially not to someone who’s in my house with me who I barely know.” I give him a weak smile, sighing. “Well- You know me! You know a lot about me..” Vash retorts, the tone of his voice still gentle, but firmer.

“I guess you’re right about that. Hey, are you hungry? I’m hungry.” Vash doesn’t have time to answer as you stand up, walking into the kitchen. You were really set on making your ramen and still relaxing, and Vash wouldn’t be getting in your way- hopefully.

“Wait, actually.” You mumble out, rummaging through your pantry. You had donuts, you obviously had donuts. It was such an easy breakfast when you woke up.

Pulling out the donut box, you slide it in front of Vash. “I have donuts, if you want them.” Vash lights up, taking the donuts into his hands and opening the box. You turn back to the kitchen as you hear Vash’s chewing and his breathing. You made yourself one of the microwavable cups of ramen, not feeling like making the one on the stovetop. With your cup ramen in hand, you sit beside Vash.

“Thank you.” He whispers, making you jump a little and turn to face him. You wave him off and shake your head. “Don’t thank me, I saw you eyeing my ramen.” I chuckle lightly, earning a soft laugh from him as well.

“Anyways. You obviously don’t have a place to stay, and kicking you out feels wrong.” I laugh. “You can stay. It’s pretty lonely around here anyways.” Vash looks up form his donuts with an extremely grateful look, his eyes glossing over as he smiles weakly.

“Is that really alright? I don’t want to intrude on your space.” You wave him off again, removing the top from your ramen. “You need a place to stay, and I have a feeling no one will take in someone who’s considered ‘homeless’.”

Vash nods, swallowing his chunk of donut before speaking up again. “I guess I am homeless on this planet..” He gives you a thankful smile. “So, thank you. That means a lot to me. I think it would be really awful being homeless on this planet.” You nod, understanding his logic. “Yeah, it really would.” You slurp your ramen with your chopsticks before asking. “How much do you know about Earth anyways?” 

He lets out a small chuckle, closing the donut box. “I know about flowers, and trees.. And that’s about it.” He says cheerfully, though you can tell he was embarrassed about his lack of knowledge.

“Well, that’s alright. There’s nothing wrong with that, though I think I should teach you about Earth, rather than leaving you clueless.” You glance at the clock, gasping. “Jeez, it’s late. I’ll teach you about it tomorrow.” You dispose of the cup in the trash. Stretching your back out, it pops satisfyingly and you sigh in relief. Vash looks at you, and you can see confusion written all over his face.

“Oh. Sleeping arrangements, right.” You say. “Uhm.. Jeez.” Sighing, you run a hand down your face. “You can.. Take the couch.” I wince, knowing that the couch was rather uncomfortable, a lot less comfortable than the bed. Vash nods, and seems to understand.

“I can do that. Do you have any blankets or pillows?” I nod, opening the closet door. I grab a few comfortable pillows, along with a spare pillow. I hand them to him, and he takes them gratefully. He bids me goodnight, and tucks himself into bed on the couch. As you trudge into your bedroom, locking the door behind you. It’s not that you didn’t trust Vash, but you still needed time to adjust to his presence in your house. Settling down into bed, you sigh and close your eyes. Sleep came easily to you, though you found yourself thinking of Vash, how much you adored him in the show.. You were embarrassed to admit, but you had a crush on Vash, and now he was here. Drifting off, you realized that you wished Vash was cuddled up with you.

#trigun stampede #trigun x reader #vash the stampede #vash the stampede x reader #vash x reader #reader insert

[alexanderlightweight]

for Wednesday’s writing prompts, can I have something based on the song Little Boy in the Grass by AURORA?

i'd never heard this song and it was so lovely and melancholy and bittersweet and so i hope you enjoyed this, i quite enjoyed listening and writing.

-

Magnus lets them get away with six hours of putting him off — six hours too long — before he ignores them all and portals in.

He’s not supposed to be there, Cat is there with a team specializing in healing and his magic could have affected whatever drug had been unleashed, but Magnus doesn’t care anymore.

If there is one thing his magic won’t do, its bring more harm to Alexander and so Magnus refuses to just sit around any long.

“Where’s your Commander?” He asks the first stable nephilim he sees and they look at him and shrug, all of them do when he asks.

He gets to Cat in a fury and he’s seething. “Did you know he was missing?”

“What? Who is missing?”

Alexander!” Magnus snarls and Cat stops what she’s doing, using a spell to stabilize and ignoring that her patient only has one working lung. 

This is more important. 

“Magnus, his siblings told me he was fine. I haven’t seen him once.”

Magnus murmurs an apology that Cat nods at, understanding how frustrating it can be to be told to wait only to find out you’ve lost something while waiting. 

Izzy and Jace seem confused, almost amused by his worry and assure him that Alec is probably just working. That they’d seen him and he’s seemed fine. The poison elevated fear, anxiety, and paranoia. Alec hadn’t been showing any symptoms. 

“Since when does your brother let the weight he bears fall on the shoulders of others, especially you too?” Magnus asks harshly and he feels his heart beat triplicate with anger. 

Izzy and Jace wince and start to speak but he holds up a finger and they stop. 

“I’ll find him myself,” Magnus says and turns in a storm of his coat whirling around him.

He finds the signature of Alexander’s soul, the connection echoing his own and portals to him. Magnus has to take a quick breath and use his reflexes to steady himself. He’s up high, in the beams of the Institute’s greenhouse ceilings. Where it’s dark and cool despite that it should be warm. 

He spots a form, huddled and curled on a small wooden loft, the structure overflowing with grass, moves and vines and Alexander tucked tightly away. Hidden from view from the covering of plants.

“My love,” Magnus murmurs, “what do you need?”

“I didn’t think I’d have to feel this way again.” Alexander whispers hoarsely, “I thought it was done. That I’d never have to remember so vividly.t Sometimes I just wanted to run Magnus, but I couldn’t. Because I had to protect Izzy, my parents were counting on me and then Jace needed someone so very badly. But I wanted to flee, to run and never look from the hands that reached out. It wasn’t the training, it was the inbetween. When I was supposed to be safe, because I was never safe.

“Not here, not where there was only disappointment and pain and bearing the weight of a sin I didn’t commit. Why Magnus? Why do I have to remember this? I thought it was over. I thought I was over it.”

“Oh, Alexander.” Magnus breathes out and he moves over and slowly brings Alexander into his arms. “My sweet, precious darling. You need to heal to be able to move on from something like that. And you’ve never truly had the chance to.”

“Then when will that happen for me? Because I thought it had, Magnus. I thought I was doing better, feeling better. But now it’s not, like I’m right back there in the middle trying to protect everyone else when I’m breaking and I don’t know how to stop. When am I supposed to heal?”

“Right now, darling.” Magnus promises and he extends his magic, purging the poison from Alec’s system in a way that his magic would never work with another. He lets his magic dim the greenhouse and lights it with little fireflies of magic that float and buzz around them instead as the door locks.

Alexander is calmer now, breathing easier but his voice is wet and he gives a hoarse chuckle at the sight. 

“Just us beloved, now tell me. Of all your wishes that you locked away, when it became too much, when it was bearable. I will listen to you and keep you safe.  This is where you ran, wasn’t it?” 

“No one thinks to look up, but it was the first lesson I learned as an archer.” Alexander smiles, lopsided and raw. “So I used my training for myself, it was the first time I ever had.”

Magnus mourns in his heart and hides the pain he feels, because it is his choice to bear this burden, in order to help Alexander carry his because his hurt is born from Alexander’s pain.

#shadowhunters #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #lumine writes #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters au #my fics #my fanfics #my ficlets

[springfieldwater]

All Mine | part 2 |

Bakugo x reader (quirkless au!)

Third POV over Bakugo

He slammed his door open not wanting to be bothered. He sat down on his couch, petting his gray cat. (he seems like a gray cat or orange owner tbh). He got up and went to get his cat and himself something to eat. He sat down on his leather couch. Then his phone started to ring. It was his mom. “What” “What do you mean ‘what’. I am your mother and I can call you whenever I want to,” she scrolled him. Bakugou just sat there with an angry face. “Anyways, how are you?” He was about to give her an asshole response and then she said “Do you have a girlfriend yet?” “WHY DO YOU CARE!!!!” “ Well, if you don’t find someone at your age you’ll die lonely. You will end up being an old cat lady,” she laughed at him. “You know what I am actually seeing someone if you really wanted to know you really wanted to know,” he said cockily, knowing damn well that he wasn’t seeing someone. “Really, I want to meet her. Isn’t your winter break coming? You should bring her along to the house.” “Fine,” he said, “I will.” He hung up. “Fuck,” he thought, “What the fuck did I just do.” His phone pinned.

Y/n

Hey bakugo

You wanna play minecraft

Bakugo :(

no

Y/n

(ಥ﹏ಥ)

Then he thought “nah that won’t work… just ask her you idiot… she'll think I’m a fucken creep”

Bakugo :(

Can I ask for something?

Y/n

Only if you play minecraft with me

♪~ ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

Bakugo :(

Fine

Y/n

ok

What do you what

Bakugo :(

I need you to come with me to my parents house during winter break

Y/n

?

What for

Bakugo :(

My mom asked me to bring a friend.

Y/n

⚆ _ ⚆

And you chose me

little miss me

Bakugo :(

You are not that special

Y/n

Yet you choose me

so you wanna play minecraft

Cuz if you do i can start a new server

Bakugo :(

Just give the name of your server 😈

Y/n

No you will just blow up my precious house

Bakugo :(

fine

just make the server

Y/n

ok

here

Server name: Bakugousucks

Bakugo :(

I WILL FUCKEN SHOW YOU THAT I AM THE BEST

Y/n

ok

Just join

Bakugo’s POV:

We were playing all night. I didn't really care about the time, since I don’t have any classes tomorrow, or should I say today. “You're not tired?” I asked her since we were on a call. “nope,” she said, but you could obviously tell she was falling asleep. “Just go to sleep, dumbass. I can literally tell that you are falling asleep.” “No, we have to beat the ender dragon.” “We don't even have ender pearls, so how are we going to beat it?” “ We need more gold.” “For?” “To go to the nether and trade with the piglens, duh (🙄).”

We ended up mining. Surprisingly, we found almost six stacks of gold, plus the gold we already had, we for sure would get more than 12.

She went through the portal first and we started trading with the piglens.

“MAN, WHAT THE FUCK!” I yelled. “I KNOW RIGHT! LIKE HOW THE FUCK ARE THESE MF’s GOING TO SCAM US LIKE THIS!!” The piglens only gave us 5 ender pearls, and we already gave them over ⅔ of the gold we had. “They don't deserve to live,” she sounded so sinisterly. We ended up killing them.

We went back through the portal.

“Should we go to the end???” she asks. “I don't know. You wanna go.” “Yeah, but I'm kinda tired to be honest” “Well no shit, it's literally about to be 4” “I know, I know… um i'll talk to you later so we can continue, ok” “Yeah, I'm cool with that” “Ok good night Katsuki” “Night” i scoffed at her good night since it was about to be the time that i usually wake up. “Fuck it's late”

Before I crashed into my bed, I went to feed my cat.

~

I woke up to my cat sitting on my chest, demanding for some food.

“Shit” I said as I saw the time on my nightstand. It was nearly 1 pm. I got up to feed my dumbass cat,again. I grabbed my phone to see 6 missed calls from my mom. “Oh Fuck me”

I called her back to see what she wanted.

“FOR FUCKS SAKE KATSUKI I THOUGHT YOU WERE DIED” “ JUST BECAUSE I DONT ANSWER YOU DOESNT MEAN I DIED” “DONT YOU YELL AT YOUR OWN MOTHER and are you barely waking up?” “Don't worry about it” “Are you sick? This isn't like you to be waking up at this time. Do you want me to come over? I'll make you something to eat.” “I'm not sick. Don't even think about coming over. I just didn't want to get up. Plus I have plans either way.” “Anyways I wanted to remind you about your winter break and about how you are still bringing your girlfriend, right?” “Yeah, I know already you don't have to remind me every five seconds.” “Well you never know, Katsuki. Things happen and you might just forget. Well, I’ll let you go since you have plans.” “K bye.”

Finally, she hunged up the phone.

I got up and changed into a black tank top, gray [collage name] sweatshirt, and some dark brown cargo pants with black Nike air max.

I made some toast with avocado and an egg for breakfast. And some coffee. Washed the dishes and went to brush my teeth and grabbed my wallet and keys and then I headed out towards my car.

I arrived at my local grocery store. “Fuck, I'm never staying up that late playing fucken minecraft.”

I go inside and grab all the stuff I need to make my meal prep for the week and other stuff.

Shitty Hair

YO!!!!!!!!!

BAKUBRO

Bakugo

what

Shitty Hair

you want to come over

we are having a like a sleepover 😸

@7

Bakugo

tf

who is we

Shitty Hair

me mina denki and y/n

we r prolly going to watch some movies

so….you wanna go 😁

Bakugo

k

Shitty Hair

really bro 🥹

Bakugo

stfu or else i won't go

Shitty Hair

ok bro 😭

There goes my plan for dinner. I went home and started to cook my weekly meal prep.

🤘😛

#katsuki bakugo mha #mha fanfics #mha fanfiction #mha x reader #bakugou x you #bakusquad #bakugou x reader #college au #alternative universe #quirkless au #gaming #minecraft

[everybody-loves-purdy]

My thoughts on Thunder / ASC so far!

- This is my favorite arc, hands down. TPB was great too, but I wasn’t ever a big fan of Tigerclaw/star as the main villain, as I found him rather generic. Splashtail, Curlfeather, and Berryheart, on the other hand… fantastic characters, I adore how they’re written.

- Frostpaw gets spayed? Hell yeah!! Interesting plot point, and at least we now know that the Erins can no longer pull a Violetshine with her and make her into another boring stereotypical background mother after her arc is over.

- I really like the writing of Sparkpelt, Finchlight, Bayshine, and Myrtlebloom here. I’m glad Sparkpelt and Finchlight aren’t getting demonized anymore

- I’m fine with EITHER Squirrelstar *or* Ivystar. I think it’s safe to say that Squilf didn’t get all nine of her lives - it’s quite likely that Bramblestar only has a few left, so maybe she only got one or two of them? Something is fishy abt that, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we get Ivystar by the end of the arc. If Squilf stays leader, though, I’m cool with that too!

- Finally some acknowledgement of Sparrowtail and Hollowspring! Hollowspring has been a fave background cat of mine for a while, so him getting more development is great

- The way Sunbeam handled Cherryfall’s disrespect was very mature. I really appreciate that, after how immaturely we saw Nightheart handling his own conflicts in ThunderClan back in Sky. Very stark contrast

- The park cats! I was kind of hoping to see WarriorClan initially, but I’m glad we got them instead. I really liked Rook and Bee, was kinda hoping that one of them would be coming back with them - Wasp is a bit of an odd choice, but I digress

- I loved the tasks that Ivypool gave Sunbeam. They make sense, and are completely reasonable - and I believe that it’s leading up to Sunbeam mentoring one of Spotfur’s kits, eventually! That would be sweet

- I kinda hope that Duskfur is morally ambiguous. Perhaps in on the murders of Mistystar and Reedwhisker, but not involved in the dogs attacking Curlfeather: I believe that she genuinely seems to care for her family, and for Frostpaw, and am hoping that she gets a chance to prove herself a better cat by the end of the arc

- SO GLAD the arc’s main villain wasn’t Mapleshade. Don’t get me wrong, I really like her, I just feel that she’s already had her time to shine and that she really shouldn’t become relevant again - it could ruin her character too

- The development for all three protags has been fantastic. Nightheart has matured a lot, and I’m very glad for that - I like him, but I’m not sure how much more Sky-esque angst and whining that I would’ve been able to take.

- VOTE TIGERHEART OUT. I assumed Berryheart was going to be exiled for something atrocious, but instead it was rather for questioning his leadership? What a terrible guy.

- Fingers crossed for Tawnystar. If Tigerheart gets voted out, I’m really hoping that she steps up to fill that role - she deserves it *far* more than he ever did to begin with

- I love Whistlepaw, Her interactions with Frostpaw are adorable, and I definitely ship them!

- Glad to see Smoky, Corriander, and Little Daisy again! Wasn’t expecting that, but hearing that they’re friends of Whitlepaw’s was nice

- I’m loving this arc too! It’s been so good so far and they don’t seem to be losing momentum!

- this whole Frostpaw situation is extremely interesting, I’m just hoping the Erins don’t botch the handling of it. But I am curious as to what role it will play and why.

- I just loved seeing Sunbeam make those friends. And how at the end Finchlight says she’s like kin? I love it.

- I personally think that worse case scenario she only got 8 lives. I just feel that such a deception would just be too big and risky to try and pull off if she didn’t get many or any lives.

- Yeah I’m interested to see where this is going to go with Hollowspring and Sparrowtail. I was starting to think they had forgotten about them like they have Pouncestep but I’m glad to see they’re including them!

- Sunbeam confronting Cherryfall is one of my favourite moments of the book!

- I’m still kind of sad we didn’t see WarriorClan, maybe in a few more years perhaps. I have a suspicion Bee could end up as RiverClan’s next true medicine cat that can have visions. I feel like his vision of seeing cats across and iced river is telling him to take the risk and go and join them.

- I really love how Ivypool’s tasks were all focused on teamwork and co operation, especially since that’s what mainly sets TC and ShC apart, a really interesting detail I love they included in this book actually.

- Yeah I do think Duskfur definitely has an idea about something even if she isn’t in on the full picture, I’ve still got my eye on her.

- Yeah I’m glad it isn’t Mapleshade too, I’m glad we’ve gotten at least one new female villain in her place. Mapleshade is great but given how last arc was all about using old villains, I do like how we’re getting some flesh blood here.

- The development of the protagonists has all been fantastic this book and I actually respect Nightheart a lot now? Wild times we live in

- Yeah I thought Berryheart was going to cause someone to die but instead she just gets told she has to leave because she disagrees with her leader. I can’t help but feel like ShadowClan May heading towards civil war now. Berryheart has allies with her and vocal allies in the clan, we have no idea how many more silent allies she may have.

- Given the end of Tawnypelt’s novella I doubt we’re ever going to see Tawnystar apparently, but it’s a nice dream to have. Hopefully her son is out of power by the end of the arc at least.

- Protip: everyone get yourself someone like Whistlepaw in your life: she’s just such an incredible friend

- yeah it was a nice surprise to see them again! Mainly the kits lol

#malachaiiii #asc spoilers #thunder spoilers #warrior cats spoilers

[nervousladytraveler]

Late

Note: this is meant to be another "sweet Romelza snippet" that @veryflowerobservation asked for last week. But I think it is the sequel to something I haven't yet written. Be warned there's a bit in the middle that I redacted so I wouldn't be giving anything too specific away.

Really it's just a conversation about the weather punctuated by tea.

----------

“Ross? I’m home,” Demelza called. Thud…thud, thud…thump. 

Ross put down his book and listened. He could hear her belongings--bag, boots, even her coat--being dropped on the hallway floor. Then the jingle of her keys; those she hung up. It was only one minute later that she was at the bedroom door.

“I’m home,” she repeated and this time he heard the note of relief in her voice. Unruly curls formed a halo around her flushed face. Her eyes shone but she looked tired and a bit breathless from having taken the stairs two at a time.

He smiled at the sight of her. Whenever she worked late, the same sensations of excitement, peace of mind, and love, washed over him as soon as she returned. He didn't think those feelings would ever get old. 

Farquahar, their three year old spaniel, seemed to share the sentiment. It mattered little how long his mistress had been gone, as soon as she walked through the door, his devotion was demonstrated with a series of exuberant bum wiggles and high pitched whines that made him seem like a puppy again.

“Okay, okay, Farkles, my dear boy,” Demelza said and perched on the edge of the bed to scratch the belly he submissively presented. “I know, I know. It’s been a long ten hours, hasn’t it?” It was a voice Demelza used only for the dog and sometimes for the cats, though she tended to have more rational conversations with them. “Of course he can’t be arsed to meet me at the door,” she laughed.

She meant the dog but Ross supposed she could just as easily be referring to him.

“Maybe he just wanted to lure you into bed without further delay?” he offered.

“Oh, is that it?”

“Did you…?” Ross asked out of habit. But he knew it wasn’t something to genuinely fret about. Demelza, never one to skip meals, packed her own dinner whenever she stayed at work past seven. 

“Yes…no, not really, but I’m fine.” She turned and flashed him a smile so he’d believe her, then began to remove a few layers including a sodden jumper and wet socks.

“You look cold.” Ross patted the warm bed next to him.

“I am, the temperature must have dropped 5 degrees since mornin’. I forget how that happens in October.” She felt her t-shirt to see if it too was damp, then she gave it a sniff, wrinkling her nose in disgust. In one quick motion she pulled it over her head and tossed it across the room, putting as much distance between it and her as possible. “Or maybe the rain just makes it seem that much colder?” 

“How bad is it?” He asked about the weather but sensed there was something she wanted to tell him. It wasn’t in the words she had used but how they were delivered. And her energy was off.  She seemed unusually slow and heavy footed.

“Any rain is bad when you're out in it, any rain is cosy when you're tucked in bed,” she laughed looking at him under the warm pile of bedclothes. She reached for another t-shirt, one Ross had worn earlier in the day and that he’d left folded neatly on the chair. “Yes, it's beastly. Each drop is heavy, sharp and almost…metallic feelin’, if that makes any sense. Instinctively you just know to get inside fast.”

“My love, you must have a hundred ways of describing the rain,” he smiled and opened his arms to her. She crawled across the bed and settled against him with a sigh. Her hair felt damp on his cheek.

“Maybe if we lived elsewhere I wouldn’t be so well acquainted with the rain,” she said. She sounded serious but he knew she was teasing. She loved Cornwall in all its seasons. “Though it's not just the rain here that varies so much,” she added.

“Yes, it’s also the sunlight and the sea and the wind…” he said and kissed her temple.

“Well the wind does sound worse tonight than it really is. I mean it's blowin’ some leaves around but the trees are still safe and sound. Not like those late spring storms. They come out of nowhere and are more destructive than you'd expect.”

“Yes.” He knew.

It had been late spring when such a storm--albeit an emotional one--had destroyed their relationship years ago. During Easter, at least that's what he remembered, though she’d have said the final blow wasn't until May. But neither of them talked about that anymore, not with accusatory barbs, anyway.

“Speakin’ of trees, have you noticed the two oaks nearest the roads are in ghastly shape? Not just fallen boughs but crumblin’ through their trunks. Like they’re dissolvin’ almost.”

“Little wonder--they were already old when my father took this place on. I meant to have them pulled down, before they fall down on someone,” he said. “Oh don’t fret, we’ll plant new ones this spring.” 

“Yes, I know,” she sighed but he knew she would mourn them all the same. “How old do you have to be to climb a tree?” she asked.

“You mean how old ought one be or how old was I?” he laughed.

“You know I don’t think I ever climbed a tree until I came to Nampara,” she mused. “I mean I climbed other things, but not a proper tree.”

“I seem to recall you fell out of them more than once.” He kissed her and pulled her tighter, as if he could retroactively protect her from past harms. As she leaned against him he could feel both her weariness and her restlessness.

“Do you want me to run you a hot bath?” he asked. That was one of their evening routines. She’d soak away some of the stress of the day then he’d come in to scrub her back and chat her up.

“No. I don’t want to keep you awake much longer. I know, I'm rather late tonight.” She placed her cold hand on his arm that was across her heart and glanced at his watch. “Work was...well it's over so never mind.”

“You want to tell me about it?” he said gently. Was that what she was trying to tell him?

[several paragraphs redacted here so that nothing too plotsy is revealed]

Now she laughed. He liked the way that felt when she was lying against him.

“Demelza, I have long since resolved to trust your judgement when it comes to such matters.” He knew she’d bring home whatever and whoever needed help. And he loved her for that, as inconvenient as it might sometimes feel.

“Though at a certain point, it isn't right for the others you already have livin’ with you,” she went on. “For their quality of life.” She stopped, seemingly lost in the thought.

“Oh?” he asked again.

“I mean you can’t take on too many cats before they start to feel unhappy and fight and show their love for you less.”

“You’ve only brought us two cats,” he reassured her. “And one lives in the barn and the other never leaves that chair in the study so there’s no quarrelling between them. In fact we’ve room for a dozen more if you must, considering how much land we have…”

“‘Course it's also a question of safety. You can't bring home any wild animals if you've small children.”

“Have you any recently?” he laughed.

“Wild animals?” 

“I meant small children?” he laughed again. 

She was silent and he could feel she hadn't let out the breath she’d inhaled. Then the penny dropped.

“Demelza?” His heart suddenly racing in his chest. No doubt she could hear it.

“Yes, Ross.” She finally exhaled. 

“My love, do you think you’re…?” he asked, trying to stay calm, trying to keep his words, and his hands, as gentle as he could.

“I mean I don’t know. I might be. Could very well be,” she said softly. “‘Course feelin’ tired, lightheaded, and nauseous could mean anythin’ really. I’m gonna wee on a stick in the mornin’.”

“In the morning?” he asked. “It’s not that late--I can get to Tesco in seventeen minutes if you need me to run out.” He started to sit up.

“I still have a few tests.”

“Okay, so you want to wait to find out?”

“Yes,” she said and he knew she’d explain. “See, now I can hope that it’s positive and that’s a lovely thought, a sweet thought, and with that hope, I’ll be able to fall asleep. And I’m exhausted, so that's what I need right at this moment. But If I take the test now, and it’s negative, then the disappointment--that will be crushin’ and I’d be up all night. I’d just be so…”

“I know,” he said and pulled her up closer so her head was level with his. That was one way they were so complementary. She could live on hope, even if the odds were long, and he searched out factual certainty, even if all looked grim. He kissed her lips softly and then put her hand to his cheek.

The past six months of deliberately trying to conceive--after years of deliberately trying not to--had been hard on them both, but harder on Demelza, he knew. Every time she got her period, she felt as though somehow she’d failed. Ross didn't see it that way, but while he was merely disappointed, she was growing sad.

“Okay, take your time and do it in the morning. There’s no rush then,” Ross said, although he knew the suspense and anxiety would keep him up all night. But his feelings mattered little to him now. “Remember Dr. Mather said our best bet was to stay relaxed and patient. And there’s no reason that…”

“Yes, I know, but it doesn't mean I can’t worry,” she said. “And can you, Ross? Stay relaxed and patient?”

“Yes, I can, Demelza,” he said, kissing her finger tips. 

“Gives us more time to plant a new climbin’ tree,” she said, trying to be practical.

“We have plenty of other trees for a little friend if we need them sooner.”

“Yes, yes,” she said and raised her head just a little. “Well, it may be too late for a bath but I’m going to have a shower.”

“Excellent  idea,” he said and gave her a gentle push to help her sit up.  

Ross knew she wouldn't be long and hurried downstairs to make her a cup of tea. That was another of their nightly rituals. She'd wait too long for it to cool then only drink a few sips before abandoning it on the bedside table. But it was a gesture of care that she seemed to appreciate. Tonight he considered pouring himself a whisky but doubted it would do anything to steady his heightened state. 

He returned only a few minutes later and smiled at the trail of discarded clothes she’d left on the floor. He put the steaming mug down on the bedside table and began to fold her things, one at a time.

It was when the taps were shut off that he heard it: a beeping alarm coming from her mobile left on the dresser. She’d set a timer.

For three minutes.

“Demelza?” he called and, as usual, his worried voice sounded darker than he’d meant. He hoped she hadn’t relented and taken a test just for his sake. “Demelz…”

She came out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel and switched off the alarm without making any eye contact. He felt his stomach drop and fought to contain a heavy sigh. It would be a long night for both of them now.

“I made you some chamomile tea,” he said. A piss poor consolation and he knew it.

“Thank you, Ross,” she said, then she turned and gave him a smile--her biggest and brightest smile, that lit the whole room. “Good choice…since I’ll need to be cuttin’ back on caffeine for a while.” She raised her brows playfully and gave a little hop.

“Demelza…” he began but she was already in front of him, her arms around his neck. It took him a second to catch up, then his own arms met across her back pulling her close. “Really? Are you sure?” 

“Yes, no doubtin’ it. I can show you the wand if you don’t believe me,” she laughed.

“Oh my love,” he whispered. His cheeks were wet but whether that was from her hair or his eyes, he couldn't say. He felt her body vibrate with laughter and with joy as he held her close.

“I was wrong, Ross,” she said. “Even with this good news, I don't think I’m goin’ to be able to sleep tonight.”

“No,” he laughed. “I don't suppose you will.”

#poldark #poldark fanfic #lucretiassister #ross poldark #demelza carne #poldark modern au #pregnancy #fluff and romance

[silentmoths]

Strange Arcade - wait, you're HOW old!?

@dustofthedailylife is the third soul to wish upon the machine, the strange moth flutters around their hand as they turn the crank and make their wish. Floating down to collect their gacha ball from the machine as soon as it clunks into the chute. What did they get??

Prompts: Wait, you're HOW old!? + Novel + (self chosen) Highschool AU

Zhongli x AFAB Reader for the Strange arcade event

SFW, 700+ words, Not proofread

Your new job had been going pretty well if you did say so yourself! Six months in and you’re confident in your teaching style, you’d found any straggling kids in your classes and had been working with them, helping them understand their newest assignment had been interesting.

It was simple: read the assigned book, write an essay. 

While most students had been fine with The Hobbit, there had been a couple of students that you’d been made aware of that were below the usual reading grade, and so you’d offered to let them pick their own book to read. This of course meant that you would also have to read their chosen book so you knew if their essay was accurate or not. 

One of the students approaches you at your next lesson with their chosen novel.

“Warriors huh? What’s it about?” you ask.

“It’s uh…about cats…” they shrug, clearly looking a little embarrassed, but hey, if this is what they were comfortable with, then so be it. Looks like you’d be reading Warriors: into the wild, in your spare time.

But first, you’d need to secure yourself a copy. 

So during the third period when you had no class to teach, you take yourself off to the library. You hold your breath as you pass by the history classes; this always seemed to be the one area of the school you ran into trouble, and it wasn’t even by a student-

“You there, where’s your hall pass?” a familiar voice calls from behind you. God dammit.

Turning, you come face-to-face with the one bane of your work life here; head of the history department; Professor Zhongli.

He stands a good foot taller than you, sharp and immaculate as always, in any other world you’d be falling all over him; he was exactly your type of man. 

But in this world? 

“You again? This is the fourth time I’ve caught you out of class, young lady.” He scolds, crossing his arms and fixing you with a disappointed, frustrated glare, you roll your eyes at him.

No matter how many times you told him, he did not believe you worked here, and refused to see any sort of proof, and honestly at this point you’re considering going to the principal because it was getting ridiculous, being ridiculed like a child.

“I’m going to have to write you up this time, you’ve received your three warnings from me, and I have been more than lenient with you-” He continues his scolding when you remember, for once you actually had it in your damn pocket.

As Zhongli reaches for his pen, you reach into yours, shoving your employee ID card, attached to school issued lanyard, your name and ID photo clear as day, right into his face. 

“Now you listen to me, Sir.” you hiss at him “This is the last time I am going to tell you this; I am a teacher. I work here, same as you! So get off my ass!” 

Oh the look on his face was something you would treasure for the rest of your days. 

You let him take the ID, watching as he flips it over in his hand, as if checking to make sure it wasn't fake.

“I….” for once, the history teacher you’d heard so much about seems lost for words, no scolding, no lecturing, just plain, pure shock. Good. “I see…Forgive me miss (l/n) I…I truly had been mistaking you for a student.”

“Well, I’m 28, so can you please, for the love of all that is holy, stop?”  

He nods, handing you back your ID, looking much like a kicked puppy as he silently shoves his notepad and pen back into his pocket. 

“I…I do hope you’ll forgive my rudeness to you this past six months…if there is anything I can do…please don’t hesitate to let me know..” 

You just huff and nod, feeling a little better now as you bid him farewell and continue on to the library to borrow a copy of your student’s chosen book.

—

“Hey, what on earth happened yesterday?” Lisa, your office roommate and fellow English teacher asks as you shuffle in the next morning, coffee in hand. 

“What do you mean?” You ask, taking a moment to sign your timesheet and place your bag up on its usual shelf.

“Zhongli came by yesterday after you’d left, he seemed all jittery and asked if I knew what chocolate you liked and uh…well…you missed him by about two minutes.” She explains, stepping away so you can witness your desk.

Oh sweet lord, that was a lot of chocolate.

Thanks for wishing on the strange arcade machine~ <3

Taglist: @stygianoir @meimeimeirin @ainescribe @rjssierjrie Want to be added to the list? shoot me an ask~

#silentmothwrites #moths strange arcade machine #zhongli x reader #zhongli genshin #moth is not silent

[cafecourage]

Dragon Au Part 2

I am saying these here, Thank you @luimagines to help describe Hyrule. My brain was dead on that stream thank you for being my brain cell.

Hc under here:

Sky:

Sky as a dragon is very lizard like, think Nightfury from Httyd, his scales are typically black but if you shine light on them they sparkle as if stars were encased in them.Sky has a bit of light magic but because of the amount of knight training his lighting magic is the strongest. It gets to the point where he could control the storms itself. Sky is second for fastest flier in the group.

His scent gland is on his back between the wings, this man goes full cat mode sometimes when claiming things as his. It's actually kinda cute in a way.

Since you are human, Sky would go around courting a human as well. Trying to keep things at your pace. See if you like him back or not. He doesn’t want to overwhelm you but just asks straight out.

Like most of the Link’s it happens by accident but Sky did know what he was doing when letting you ‘steal’ his sailcloth.

It was hard to steal things from dragons, mostly because to them its an immediate sign of threat. Traveling around with nine of them has been an eye opener for you, with how they kept things secret from you. It was until the roose was up that they actually told you. Which was fine it didn’t explain anything about their behavor from you. But you assumed your were just apart of their horde or whatever. From what you understood however was that Sky was very relax about giving you his sailcloth. To the point wear you just steal it off of him to wear around or sleep with. The others seem to give you a look when you do wear it willingly. Other then that they let you do what you want with it.

Sky promises to himself that he will explain to you why soon enough. For now he just wants to enjoy his time with you and court you properly as a human.

Stated before Sky wants to follow human traditions with dating and such. It gets to the point where he probably won't tell you about being a dragon to begin with even with their trust.

Frustrations might ride high if another dragon tries to flirt with you even though you’re claimed. But he can keep his head. It’s Sky after all, he is quick to hold on to you.

Now this was talked about. If you somehow. Some way. Mark yourself. By accident. He will instantly turn into a house-husband of sorts. It’s a strange incident.

Legend:

While having the biggest horde of the group Legend is probably the smallest dragon. His body takes the form of a small rabbit with the horns and wings. While most of his body is fur, his horns, wings and tail have pinky opalescent scales. 

Like Time, Legend is a jack of all trades master of none when it comes to his magic. Legend because the amount of things can use each element in the basic forms. But his element is earth, specifically crystals, each gem he can bring out the magic they hold with in. Ruby houses fire, Sapphire houses water etc etc.

Legend hates the smell of his own claim, making things smell like a rainy day, that he tends to do physical claims. His scent gland is on his elbow. He is still going to elbow someone in the gut.

The chain may or may not have something connecting them back to the Vet. Its definitely not a familial claim. Nope. Not at all. 

The claim set by Legend was almost as soon as you got yeeted into hyrule. He looked at you and went “this one.” Not literally. He more or less recognized you as the person that watched over him and instantly gave you a power ring. He wants you to be safe. It's not a claim claim. At least… it wasn’t supposed to be.

Something changed, or it could have been his dragon instincts told him that the claim should be something more. More it became. Little to your knowledge that small ring you wear was telling the world that you're his and only his. What does the group think about this? They are all cackling behind both of your backs.

Legend will tell you soon enough. Don’t worry. It will probably be when he shows you the horde underneath his house. It’s one of the biggest out of the group. 

Since what is his is yours so to say your aloud to actually use some of his stuff. Just… not the fire rod. You're banned from all fire magic items.

There are going to be many times the chain would catch you cuddling a small bunny dragon during an afternoon nap.

Hyrule: 

Hyrule is the most fantastical dragon of the group, with stained glass dragonfly wings. The top of his body is covered in green scales while his belly is orange. Hyurle has a man, while it has the appearence of hair, his ancles, wrists, tail and around his neck are lined with feelers. Small thin feather like antenna that used to feel signals and chemicals in the air. They are incredibly sensitive as a result and tend to move and ungelate as if they were underwater. He has three orange horns on his head, one in the middle of his head like a unicorn and two pointed backwards. (Thank Pinky for helping to write that explanation.)

With his ties to the fae Hyrules magic element is nature but is strongly connected to the fae, as he can use the same magic as they could. Examples being, glamor, healing, he can also upgrade weapons and armor for a limited amount of time. There is a way to permanently upgrade the item but for hyrule it has to be small or else he uses too much magic.

His scent glands are on the inner part of his forearm, his scent is a mix of pine, cinnamon and vanilla. 

While he is aware of his body, his tail seems to have a mind of its own and tends to hit into things alot. This mainly happens in two scenarios, one is when he is angry and his tail is swishing to mimic his mood. Second is when he is very happy and content, he will purr as his tail swishes.

There wasn’t much to Hyrules claim as he didn’t want to scent you. Since that was going to be an issue for you when you get to his Era. But at least he tells you about his feelings and explains that a Dragon’s claim is how they court. He wants to make you something physical and that will last for a while. So with Wild’s and Legends help Hyrule crafts and enchants a bracelets. It ends up to being a flower bracelet that he has woven. While he made a design Legend and Wild helped refined it and help gather the materials he needed for the enchantment. Not only will it protect you, only you can take it off. Just so no other dragons try to take away the claim.

Hyrule would be more likely out of all the links to be protective over his hoard. During his adventuer he easly took the hoards of many other dragons. He is self aware enough to know that can happen to him at any time.

He is also touch starved. So while he doesn’t want his scent on you, its more likely your gonna have it on him anyway.

#Twilight (Not LU) speaks #linkeduniverse x reader #linked universe x reader #dragon fruit sorbet #spice cake #fairy bread #gingerbread loaf

[uptoolateart]

A Monumental Disaster - Ch 4

PREVIEW:

With everyone distracted, she stood, rummaging through the food supply and retrieving every cake and donut she could find, then reclaiming her spot on the floor, systematically eating her way through the sugar offerings.

Because Cat Noir was a – a –

‘A SENTIMONSTER!’

Too late, she realised she’d just said that out loud. Screamed it, more like. The music had stopped.

How loud had she been? Had Cat heard it?

…what was she thinking? Probably everyone in Britain had heard it…if there were any people left alive.

Argos leaned over the counter, his vivid magenta eyes…well, vivid. ‘You okay, there?’

She looked up at him, half a donut hanging out of her mouth, the chocolate icing dripping down her chin. ‘I’m fine,’ she mumbled, slamming the rest of the donut in and chewing hastily, almost choking as it went down in large chocolatey lumps. ‘Why wouldn’t I be okay?’

‘It just seems that you might be having a sentimonster problem.’

‘Who, me? Nope! No sentimonster problems here! I am perfectly fine with sentimonsters. After all – I’m talking to you, aren’t I?’ She let out a high-pitched laugh that sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

He frowned down at her. ‘So why are you hiding there with ten thousand calories’ worth of cake?’

‘Um.’ She looked down at her arms. Okay, this was embarrassing. She dropped everything on the floor, already regretting the loss – then hopped to her feet, adopting what she hoped looked like a power stance. You know…if she couldn’t feel the chocolate all over her face. ‘I was just…recharging! And now I’m going to…go find my…my partner!’

He raised an eyebrow at her, unconvinced.

She climbed indelicately over the counter, almost slipping on donuts and landing hard on the steel flooring. Someone lifted her up – a woman with a harp, staring at her with large, concerned eyes.

All those worried expressions…it was humiliating. She didn’t feel like a superhero at all. She was just a girl who’d learned that her partner was…was….

Oh god, she wasn’t okay. She covered her face with her hands as tears fell from her eyes.

An arm went around her – probably the harpist. ‘It’s okay to cry.’ Her voice was as lilting as her instrument.

‘I’m just – I’m so confused!’ Ladybug sobbed.

‘Because you’re on a walking tower of scaffolding, amid Armageddon?’

‘…that, too!’ This really wasn’t her best day.

Keep reading at Ao3

#eiffel gets akumatised #ml eiffel #eiffel tower #crack treated seriously #ml fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #miraculous fanworks #ml cat noir #ml chat noir #ml ladybug #miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml fandom #ml argos

[kilesplaysthings]

A Day in the Life of a House Husband

Here we go! I said I would write it, and here it is. Domestic!Rio is such a cute idea so I had fun with this. I went way too overboard with this tbh what with my obsession with pre-modern domestic work. I'm currently intrigued with it, reading a book at how cooking and cleaning evolved through history lol so sorry if this seems to drag, but I'm quite pleased with it haha As always, I hope people enjoy this and thanks for reading!

7:00 am

The morning dawned bright and shining for the young newlywed couple. It was Monday, the start of a new week. While they would easily have chosen to stay cuddled in bed together, they knew full well that money didn’t earn itself. Like every other day before they were married, they would have to get up and get to work.

“I’m heading to the bookstore, Rio!” Emma said as she slipped on her shoes by the front door.

Rio turned her way as he finished drying their breakfast dishes. Emma’s lacy apron covered his shirt and trousers so the soapy water wouldn’t soak them.

“Have a nice day, darling!” He called out in response.

Surprisingly, she trotted back over to him. “Will I see you for lunch?” She asked.

He grinned, his sky-blue eyes shining. “Of course! I’ll pack the most delicious food for us!” He assured her as he bent down closer to her.

Emma giggled, knowing exactly what he wanted. With a grin of her own, she leaned up to plant a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Good bye till then!” She said.

“Yes, I’ll see you later.”

And with that, Emma left for a day’s work at the bookstore. Even though they were married now, Rio made it perfectly clear that there was no reason she had to give up her job she loved so much. They had decided that there would be days that he would go to work with her and there would be days that he stayed home to look after the house. Between the two of them, he was the better cook and after serving as an attendant it was obvious he also was a meticulous cleaner – both things bookwork Emma didn’t exactly excel at. Not only that, but there was really only one worker needed at the bookstore for most of the time, the owner had told them. Emma, with her vast knowledge of book learning and quick thinking with numbers usually was more than capable of managing the store’s book keeping and stock by herself. As such, the owner didn’t mind if Rio only worked parttime and their little system worked just fine even now that they were married.

With Emma gone and the dishes now dried and put away, it was time to start the day with cleaning the house. Even though this wasn’t exactly a paying job, Rio would be quite busy, which he liked.

“Right then!” He exclaimed with his hands on his hips. He glanced over to see their cat Ginger sitting in the nearby windowsill by their small dining table. The orange tabby’s golden eyes stared sleepily back at him as he basked in the warm sunlight.

“Time to get to work!” He told the cat. He emptied the dirty dishwater into a slop bucket and carted it outside to dispose of onto the lawn. Heading back inside, he took off the apron, hung it on a hook in the kitchen closet and began the chores of the day.

Their house wasn’t very big but Monday was the busiest day of the week; he liked to get a lot of chores done earlier in the week rather than later. He would tidy up the house, scrub a lot of the iron ware, do the washing and go to the grocers. There was also the routinely dusting and sweeping that he liked to do every day. He decided to start with their bedroom.

The bedding didn’t need to be cleaned this week. He had changed the sheets and mattress cover already the week before. All he had to do was ensure they were tucked into the mattress and smoothed out neatly. He fluffed the pillows (making Emma’s extra fluffy) and placed them neatly back in their place. Discarded clothes and night garments were picked up and placed in a basket to add to the rest of the washing that would be done later. Then, with extra precision, he ensured that Emma’s brush and toiletries were placed neatly on her vanity table – a nice wedding present from one of the princes that wasn’t too lavish or useless.

He opened the window to air the room out and noticed Ginger getting comfortable on the bed.

“Thank you for waiting until after I was done for once,” he said to the cat who merely yawned in response. Seeing the cat falling asleep gave Rio hope that he wouldn’t bug him too much while he was cleaning.

Once he swept and dusted the bedroom, the small sitting room at the front of the house was next. He again opened the windows to air the room out. He would be dusting here as well, so it was important to have the windows open so the room wouldn’t get too stuffy. A dust feather in hand and a kerchief tied around his lower face, he got to work dusting the mantlepiece and the wooden bookshelf that were the focal pieces of the little room (once again, another wedding gift, from Chevalier of all people). It always astonished him how much dust could gather even in a small space with only a few items spread about.

Next came the fireplace. Using a coal scooper, he scraped the fireplace clean so he could polish the grates. The soot and ashes were placed in a separate basket to recycle along with the other rubbish around the house. As he finished, who would appear but little Ginger, brushing against him in a greeting.

“Hey you. Are you done sleeping already?”

The cat responded with a meow.

“Know what I’m doing? I’m getting ready to polish the grates with this!” He brandished a small bowl of black stuff and three scrub brushes.

“Blacking polish! Mix some graphite powder with lampblack and water, and here we are! It’ll make our fireplace shine!”

The cat sniffed it and walked away, not caring for the smell.

Humming an airy tune, Rio began scrubbing. First, he used a roughly bristled brush to get the iron clean from any excess soot and ash. Next, he used a smoother brush to apply the blacking polish, and finally he used the finest brush of the three to get the iron shining.

8:00

Rio continued his humming as he took some dried tea leaves and sprinkled them on the rug in the sitting room. It would help the rugs smell nice before he swept. Going into the kitchen, he placed his blacking polish on a counter and removed his kerchief. The kitchen didn’t really need dusting but he opened the windows to keep the room airy for his later cooking. Hanging above the sink were many dried flowers and herbs, which he liked to grind into a sweet-smelling powder. He would place them in small bags and spread them around the house to keep it smelling lovely. Emma quite liked the smells they gave off so he was happy to keep applying them daily.

Taking a wiry broom from the kitchen closet, he did his sweeping. Both front and kitchen doors were opened so he could sweep the dust and dirt away outside. Ginger trotted outside once the kitchen door was open so he could go play in the garden and chase squirrels. Once the floors were swept satisfactorily, he grabbed the mats and beat them outside with a wooden paddle so as to get all of the dirt and dust off of them.

All the while, he kept humming and singing to himself. He would hear lots of different songs when he would go to the main square of town to shop or socialize and one in particular kept popping up in his head:

Oh she is my dear, my darlin one

Her eyes are sparklin, full of fun

No other, no other

Can match the likes of her.

She is my dear, my darlin one,

My smiling and beguiling one.

I love the ground she walks upon,

My darling country girl.

The song made him think of Emma and he couldn’t help smiling. Putting the paddle and brush away, he decided to give the stove a good polish before moving onto the biggest chore of the day: the washing.

He pumped a good amount of water into a metal tub and placed it on the stove which he would heat up. As he waited for the water to boil, he used a pocket knife to slice some soap into chips to add to the water. He had made the soap himself, getting advice from one of the local housewives on how to mix ash and fat, setting it in salt to use instead of spending a good amount of money for store-bought soap.

The water was soon hot enough and he set the tub, along with a separate tub of water for rinsing, outside to be ready to wash their clothes. Since there was only the two of them, the laundry never piled up too much, but the cleaning process was still rigorous. He had to make sure their clothes were spotless, after all.

8:30

Emma’s clothes were a particular chore in and of themselves when it came to the laundry. Since some of her clothing had lace, he had to pick apart the seams so as not to damage the materials. He would sew them back together later once dried. Once they were ready, he began the washing.

First went the soap chips, worked into the water to make a good amount of suds. Then in went the clothing. He took a larger paddle and stirred them around, soaking them into the soapy water. The paddle was forked so he could lift the clothes up and dump them into the rinsing tub. A wash board was then used so he could give their clothes a good scrub. This process was repeated a good couple of times. It was back breaking work, something he was glad to do with his strength in Emma’s place.

9:30

The washing was finally done an hour later. Rio was relieved that it was a sunny day, as he could spread the clothes out to dry on the clotheslines. It wasn’t long before all of the weekly laundry was pinned on the lines and hanging out to dry.

But his list of chores wasn’t done yet. Next came his favorite part, the gardening. Yes, he and Emma had grown a small garden behind their house and he always enjoyed caring for it. Most of the garden was herbs and flowers, but he did grow a couple of vegetables. He had been inspired by, again, neighboring housewives who introduced him to the art of canning vegetables. It saved time and money, both very necessary, especially in the winter months.

“Oh look! The primroses are blooming nicely!” He said to Ginger, who was lounging in the tree they had in their garden.

“Hmm..” He studied the other flowers. “Might need to work on the chrysanthemums..”

Trowel and shears in hand, he spent the next hour or so making sure their garden stayed fresh and blooming. He filled a small watering can to keep the plants healthy and made sure to weed out anything intrusive to their plants.

“Tomatoes are getting nice and red,” he remarked under his breath. “Strawberries are looking good too. Perhaps I’ll pick some for our lunch!”

10:45

“All right, let me do this and then I’ll get lunch ready,” he told himself. He washed his face and hands free of the dirt. A bundle of flowers sat on the counter and he used scissors to trim the stems.

“Emma will love these!” He said happily. Soon he had two or three vases filled with water and bouquets of primroses, chrysanthemums, daisies, and, of course, roses were placed about the house for her to see when she came home.

With that pleasant chore done, he was ready to prepare the lunch. He thought some sandwiches and a salad would be fitting. That meant baking bread and fetching some vegetables and salted meat from the cellar. Preserving food could be difficult, so he had taken it upon himself to dig a root cellar behind their house. The cellar was dug deep into the ground where the earth stayed cooler and was a great way to keep food from spoiling. There was an ice man who sold ice in town, but that could get expensive and Rio only set money aside for ice once in a while.

First came the bread, since baking it would take a while. Like a good home maker, he kept all his ingredients stored neatly in jars tucked away in the small kitchen closet. Bowls and other cooking utensils were placed on easy-to-reach shelves or hung from hooks. Their kitchen wasn’t anything grand like in the palace, but Rio kept it neat and uncluttered the best he could.

He soon had the dough made and placed on a wooden tray. He just had to wait for it to rise and then into the stove it would go. He stoked the fire with a pair of tongs to make sure he would get a good blaze going for the bread. With that ready to go, he went out to the root cellar to get the rest of the food needed for sandwiches.

“The pork’s about finished. I’ll use up that for the sandwiches and get more when I go shopping,” he decided as he descended into the cellar. Rio kept the little room relatively dark to ensure the room kept an even, chill temperature.

The stored meat was placed on stone slabs, wrapped in paper packaging and coated with salt. The vegetable and fruit jars were on wooden shelves. Various other foodstuffs were stored in crates that had ice packed in the bottom. There was also ceramic jars of butter and milk stored here.

Gathering everything he needed (including some strawberries which he picked from the garden), he headed back into the house and began chopping up vegetables for a salad. It was crucial to eat greens as much, if not more so, as it was to eat meat. He had to make sure his Emma stayed healthy.

He gave a little poke to the squishy dough and decided it was time to put it into the stove oven. He slid the wooden tray in and shut the iron door.

11:30

The salad now finished, he packed it with the strawberries and placed both into a large basket. It would serve a double purpose since he would store his purchases from the grocers in there once he and Emma were done eating lunch together. The aroma drifting around the kitchen told him the bread was just about ready too. Out it came, a little black around the edges, but nice and fluffy-white inside.

The bread gave a satisfying crunching sound when he sliced it for the sandwiches. A slice of meat and cheese, with a leaf of lettuce, and he had four little sandwiches ready to be packed. What with the smell of the bread and the sight of the meat and cheese, Rio’s mouth was beginning to water.

“Add my delicious dressing for the salad and we’re all set!” He proclaimed. He held a small jar of brown liquid that was a homemade dressing he had learned to make not too long ago. It was an oil and vinegar concoction with spices added to give it more taste.

“I hope Emma’s hungry! I know I am!” He told Ginger, who had come back inside at this point. He hauled the basket up over one arm and went to the front door to slip his shoes on.

“See you later, Ginger! Watch the house for me,” he told the cat. The orange tabby trilled at him before sitting down in one of their chairs.

Rio closed the door behind him and made his way to the town center square. He took one last glance behind him to make sure the laundry was still hanging on the lines. They were firmly clipped in place. With that worry put to ease, he was ready to go meet Emma for lunch.

“Good morning Rio!” One of the nearby ladies greeted him. She was in her front yard trimming some rose bushes.

“Good morning Mrs. Rosseau! Your roses are looking marvelous!” He complimented her brightly. A gentle breeze stirred his golden hair as he walked.

“Why thank you. I think they’re quite a lovely color myself. Are you going out to meet Emma?”

He beamed. “I certainly am! I packed a lunch for us!” He held up the basket to illustrate.

“How thoughtful you are,” She simpered, placing a hand on her cheek. “Oh, I know! How about a rose to give to her? I’ll let you pick one!”

His eyes shone even more. “Will you? Truly?”

She giggled, older housewife though she was. “Of course! Tell me which one you like.”

Rio looked at the several blooming flowers. They varied from pale pinks to deeper shades that rivaled the loveliest peony.

“How about that one?” He pointed to a rose that was quite the vibrant pink. It reminded him of Emma’s rosy cheeks when she blushed for him.

“I had a feeling you would choose that.” The lady smiled and with a snip of her scissors, the rose was his.

“Thank you, Madame.”

“It’s my pleasure, Rio. Drop by sometime with Emma. We’ll fix a nice dinner for you two.”

“I will be happy to! I’m sure Emma will also! Have a good day!”

And so, his walk continued. Rio was quite the favorite with the neighboring housewives. They invited him to all sorts of gatherings, from teas to walks in the nearby park. He didn’t mind it. Older folk always had words of wisdom to give and the ladies gave him insight on how to run a house and also on how to be a good husband to Emma.

Speaking of which…

“Oh, hello Rio!” Another lady called as he walked down the lane. She was in her lawn as well, but was standing over what looked to be a broken wheelbarrow.

“Mrs. Moreau! Good morning! What are you up to?” He asked.

“Oh this old thing is giving me trouble again. This time the wheel’s come off.”

He frowned. “Is there something I could do to help?” He wondered.

“Depends. Are you good with tools?”

He smiled a little. “I think so. I can at least lend a hand.”

The older lady nodded and gestured for him to come over. “I can use all the help I can get. I really should invest in a new one. This old thing is getting rusty too.”

“We’ll see what we can do. If your husband owns a wrench, that would help.” He set the basket down on the front steps of the house before following her to a shed in the back.

12:05

“Thank you so much, young man. It looks almost good as new!” Mrs. Moreau patted Rio on the back while they stared proudly at the now erect wheelbarrow.

“We just need to get rid of that rust and it will be!” He told her.

“Quite right. You know what to do?” She asked.

He decisively nodded. They went into her kitchen.

“Take a cup of vinegar, a fourth cup of lime juice, and a half cup of salt; then mix it all together and there you have it! Rust remover!” Rio exclaimed as he handed the lady the bowl of their concoction.

“Just so! You’re getting the hang of this ‘house wife’ business.” She winked at him.

“I do my best!” He said proudly.

“And as a reward, here.” She took a round dish off of her windowsill. “I just baked this elderberry pie. Share it with Emma.”

“Why thank you, Mrs. Moreau! Are you sure - ”

“I will take no arguments. You’ve earned it by always helping us ladies out.”

He smiled. “Thank you, Madame. Have a good rest of your day, all right?”

“You too, dearie. Be on your way now!”

Rio didn’t need to be told twice. He carefully placed the pie in the basket and resumed his walk. He had a feeling he was running late so he tried to walk a little faster.

“Rio! Rio!”

Another barrier now stood in his way. Two children came running up to him as he got nearer to the town square. A boy and a girl, they approached him with wide, pleading eyes.

“Hello Marie, Jean. What are you two up to?”

“Can you help us?” The boy named Jean pleaded. “We were flying a kite and it’s caught in a tree!” He pointed to one of the trees that were planted along the road leading to town. A red paper kite was stuck on some of the higher branches.

He tried his best not to heave an audible sigh in front of the children. After all, he couldn’t just leave them after they came to him for help.

“Very well. I’ll have it down in no time!” He again set the basket down and clambered up the tree. The kite was stuck on a rather high branch, so it took him a couple of minutes to reach it.

“Almost… Got it!” He exclaimed as he tugged it free of the branches. He looked down to see the two hopeful faces of the kids below him. “Here! Catch!” He told them as he tossed the kite down.

The two children caught it together and gave him some of the biggest smiles he’d ever seen.

“Thank you Rio!”

“You’re the best, Rio!”

“Aw, no problem guys.” He hopped down from the tree and brushed some leaves out of his hair. “Be more careful with that next time.” He advised.

“We will!” “Bye!”

Seeing how thankful the two of them were and how happy they were to have their kite back made Rio smile. But only for a moment when he realized...

“I’m gonna be late!” He exclaimed. He snatched up the basket and now made a dash for the center of town. Emma was most definitely waiting for him by now. He hoped she hadn’t been waiting for long, hungry and wasting her lunch hour.

There she was, sitting on the ledge of the big fountain that was located in the very middle of the town square. She sat with her legs crossed and a book in her lap, reading away.

Well, at least she hasn’t been bored, Rio thought.

“Emma!” He called to her. The young woman’s head shot up and she beamed a great smile at him when she saw him approaching.

“There you are! I was getting worried!” Though she didn’t look too worried at all.

“I’m so sorry I’m running late. I was making good time before...”

Emma set the book aside and propped her elbows up on her knees. She set her chin in her hands as she tenderly watched him.

“Let me guess. Some of the ladies stopped you on your way and asked for your help in one thing or another.”

The young man sheepishly smiled. “Guilty as charged. I hope you haven’t been waiting very long.”

She shook her head. “Not so much. I am hungry though!” She eyed the basket.

“Say no more!” Rio eagerly set the basket down on the fountain between the two of them. He began opening it when he spotting the rose lying on top of the wrapped food.

“Oh yes, and as a reward for waiting so patiently...” He held the rose out to her. “For you, my love.”

Emma’s eyes widened and little and a small smile came over her face. “Rio...” She took the flower and held it up to her nose. A lovely blush spread over her cheeks, matching the rose’s color.

“Thank you, it’s lovely.”

“You’re most welcome.”

The two shared a smile before the sound of both of their stomachs rumbling brought them back to the present. They couldn’t help but laugh.

“Right! Food! Let’s eat!” He said and quickly brought their meal out of the basket. Napkins were spread out onto their laps and they started with the sandwiches, followed with the strawberries and salad, and ending with the pie.

“If you being a little late from helping our neighbors means we get such delicious desserts, I don’t mind you being late every day!” Emma joked as she took another bite of pie. She hummed happily as she chewed. The pie was still warm and melted in their mouths.

“It does make a good incentive!” He agreed while munching on strawberries.

1:05

The two of them had enjoyed a pleasant lunch, eating and sharing how their mornings went. All too soon, though, Emma had to go back to work. Rio offered to walk her back to the store, wanting to be with her for just a little longer. Hand in hand, they made their way to the little book shop around the corner.

“Want to share the pie with the owner?” Rio asked before Emma went back inside.

“Oh certainly! He’ll appreciate that and it will make a good afternoon snack,” she said.

He handed the rest of the dessert to her and sighed. “Well, I’ll be back this evening to walk you home.”

She smiled. “I appreciate that. Are you sure it’s not too much trouble..?”

“Of course not,” he assured her.

She frowned a little, looking down at the ground. “Well, if you say so… I know it’s a lot to ask of you, especially since you also do a lot of the house work…”

Now he was the one to frown. He stepped a little closer and gently grasped her chin to make her look back up at him. “Emma, it’s never any trouble for me. Neither is staying home to look after the house. This life with you is far greater than anything I could ever ask for. I don’t care if we live in a small house and have to do everything ourselves. I am happy; happier than before we were married and when we had to live in the palace. I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”

That mad her smile again and she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

“Thank you Rio,” she whispered before giving him a sweet kiss. He was more than happy to kiss her back, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Of course. Now you’d better get back to work. I’ll be back this evening and we’ll get supper going. All right?”

She nodded and kissed his cheek once more before heading back inside. Rio let out a lovelorn sigh and shook his head. His Emma was all too sweet. He couldn’t wait for her work to be over so he could take her home.

The rest of his time in town was spent in the market place, where he picked some fresh produce and meat for supper. They had discussed what they should eat for dinner over their lunch and the consensus had been on mutton; they were able to splurge a little.

The grocers and butchers were always very friendly with Rio, as he helped them with various odd jobs occasionally. There was still the usual haggling of prices, but he was always treated fairly and made sure to always be honest with them in return. Once he was finished with his purchases, he loaded his basket up and headed back home.

2:00

Up until the time he went to get Emma, Rio would finish his chores by placing the rubbish baskets out by the front door for the rubbish men to pick up later that evening. He would then collect the now-dried laundry to fold and put away. The more perishable groceries were kept in the root cellar until he and Emma were ready to cook together.

Once everything was finished, he would take some time to relax in the sitting room and catch up on the reading he and Emma were doing together while Ginger more often than not slept on his lap. A favorite past time of theirs was to choose books to read and recommend them to each other if they enjoyed them. It made for some fun conversations in the evenings during and after supper.

Once the little clock on the mantlepiece struck five, he would shut his book and head back out to go get his wife. Their walks home were always nice, holding hands and enjoying the evening air together. He was looking forward to having her back home, cooking supper and cleaning up afterwards together.

“It’ll be a good evening, and when we’re ready, I think I’ll show her just how much I appreciate her tonight,” he said to himself with a satisfied smile.

Yes sir, he would be quite the devoted husband tonight, in every sense of the meaning.

#house husband rio is lovely #their little married life would be the cutest #ikepri #ikemen prince #ikepri rio #ikepri fanfic #writings