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pandorasprongs · 11 months

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JAMIE TARTT | i'd be better armed if you agreed to take it.

PAIRING: jamie tartt x fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 5.0k

SUMMARY: higgins' new assistant happens to be an old friend of the reader's, and their reunion hits jamie with major feelings of jealousy. when the team thinks that the pair of them are going on a date soon, jamie decides enough is enough.

WARNINGS: language

A/N: i actually like this story a lot better especially the dialogue! + jealous!jamie was really fun to write HAHAHA i hope that all of you enjoy this and title is from the song '(you) on my arm' by leith ross :) also i apologize in advance i'm not the best at writing kissing scenes

You loved your job, truly. This was the first time you've had a decent, no, fucking amazing boss that didn't make you want to pull your hair out every time they called you into the office.

But being Rebecca's assistant also meant that you sometimes had to help Higgins out with... well, whatever the Director of Football Operations does. It was fine in the beginning, just scheduling appointments and keeping track of ticket sales, but once Richmond got promoted, it felt like your work doubled.

It only took two weeks before you begged Rebecca to get Higgins an assistant of his own. Luckily, she obliged and asked Higgins to start interviewing possible candidates for the job.

You hoped that whatever extra load you got due to Higgins occupying himself with selecting an assistant would be worth it from how much would be lifted off you when he did. So when you got the message from Rebecca to help delegate your duties to the new assistant, you practically ran to the clubhouse that morning.

You were too excited messaging your boss that you'd be there soon that you ended up bumping into someone near the entrance.

"Shit!" You exclaim as you almost lose your balance, but are steadied by the other person who turned out to be Jamie.

"Ay, watch where you're going, yeah?" Jamie warned casually, as he let go of your arms once you recovered.

"Sorry, Jamie." You straighten up and walk in with him. "I'm just really excited. Higgins finally picked an assistant and they're here today."

"Oh yeah, you were fucking drowning in work a few weeks ago." And by drowning, he meant it literally. The football player recalled seeing you walking past the locker room carrying a stack of papers taller than you were. You refused any help from the team, partly because they had to get to training and mainly because you didn't want them to see how the tear stains on some of the pages.

"Yeah," you chuckle at the memory. "But, after a few days of helping the new kid out, I'll finally be free." You stretch your arms up in the air and cheer. You were too busy celebrating to notice how soft Jamie's expression had become.

He loved seeing you act yourself around him, a big jump from when you used to glare at him around the office. He had denied it for a while, but Jamie started to like you around the time he'd gotten back from Man City.

You knew him before then, when he was a massive prick who stepped over — even literally at times, — his teammates. But after he returned, you felt bad for the guy for how the rest of the team was treating him, no matter if he deserved it. Ted had told you about what they talked about when Jamie approached him about joining the team again, and a part of you felt like he needed at least some kind of welcoming presence in the building.

You started greeting him more often when you ran into each other in the halls and sometimes offered him the candies you keep in your desk drawer whenever he passed your desk, just small things. Jamie would usually just end up hanging out with you during his breaks because he didn’t have anyone else to spend it with. The first few times, he would just sit there in silence while you worked, but one “How’s your day going?” from you, and he was more than willing to chat.

Then, of course, he gradually regained the team’s trust and started hanging out with them, but even then, your little interactions with him didn't stop. He'd invite you whenever the team had a get-together and would sometimes drop bags of candies at your desk to "re-stock" your drawer. You just thought it was his way of returning your kindness. But what you didn't realize was that the star football player was starting to fall for you.

Jamie tried to ignore it, saying to himself that he just felt indebted to you, but then it started to manifest in different ways. How he would try and come up with reasons to approach you the next day, how he'd get distracted whenever you had to visit the pitch during practice, and how your awkward habits became something he looked forward to. It's been a while since he felt like this about anyone and was more anxious about rejection than he's felt about any of his games, so he didn't make any obvious pass at you.

So now, as you asked the receptionist where the Director of Football Operations was, Jamie decided to wait for you to spend as much time with you as possible.

You notice Jamie staying back and relayed the information to him. "Higgins is introducing them to the team, so I guess I'll be going with you to the locker room." You nudge him with your shoulder as you continue to walk through the building. You've always tried your best to ask casual with Jamie, possibly in an effort to make yourself feel normal around him and not constantly blushing every time he looked at you.

As you approach the room, you hear Higgins explaining what the new assistant would be doing for the players. "So if ever you need help with anything I've listed, you can go to Anthony Perez here, instead."

Anthony Perez. No fucking way. You and Jamie enter the locker room and are instantly greeted by the sight of an old friend.

"Anthony, you fucking bastard!" You scream enthusiastically, causing everyone in the room to turn to you, including Anthony. It takes him a second before registering who you were. The moment he does, he raises his arms and you practically leap into him for a hug.

"Oh my god!" Anthony exclaims, as he lets go of you and puts you down.

"I didn't know you were the new assistant!" You lightly smack his arm.

"I didn't know you even worked here!" He defends himself as the two of you turn to find the entire team's eyes on you, including Jamie's.

"Shit, sorry," You laugh as you make some distance between you and Anthony. "Didn't mean to make our reunion so dramatic."

"I assume you two know each other?" Higgins asks and you both nod.

"Anthony and I went to school together," You quickly explain. "From sixth form to uni. Of course, I haven't heard from him in two years." You jokingly glare, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Sorry, I got busy, okay?" He whispers an apology before you both chuckle again.

"Well, I hope your friendship will make it easier to help him get accustomed to the job." You smile at Higgins before the three of you excuse yourself to let the players get ready for training.

You're so engrossed in catching up with Anthony that you didn't even notice the look Jamie was giving him.

"They seem close!" Dani innocently says as he puts his shoes on.

"You don't think something is going on with them, do you?" Colin chimes in.

"Well, she's never even mentioned him before, so I doubt it," Sam argues, but Isaac shakes his head. "Nah bruv, that hug was way too intimate for just friends."

"I've seen her hug Keeley and Rebecca like that, too. That might just be how she greets her friends." Jan offers and the team continues to debate it, but at that point, Jamie has had enough. It was already shit having to watch that interaction, but having your teammates talk about it as you pretend not to care? It could not get any worse.

Jamie pulls out a can of body spray from his locker and slams it closed, before turning to everyone. "Can everyone just stop talking about it and get ready?"

The room goes quiet, as the football player turns around and starts getting changed. The rest of the team exchange looks, before getting ready themselves. Most of them had a hunch that something was going on between the two of you but didn't have any proof, until now. They just hoped they were wrong about you and Anthony, in an attempt to stop Mt. Jamie from erupting.

——

For most players, if something happened right before training that put them in a sour mood, it would mess up their performance on the pitch. Of course, Jamie wasn't like most players. He might be playing even better during that training period. The coaches didn't even have to give him the signal; he was already in 'prick' mode.

Maybe it was the appearance of Anthony or the fact that you had never been that excited to see him even though he thought you guys were becoming close, but he was playing aggressively and was much more focused than he needed to be for a practice game. The coaches started to take notice after he viciously tackled one of the second teams.

"Whistle!" Roy shouts, pausing their game. Ted takes a step forward and shouts, "Hey Jamie! Love the passion, but those are still your teammates. Ya'll have a game next week, so better save that attitude for the real one."

"Okay, coach!" Jamie replies through gritted teeth. He takes a deep breath as they continue to play, trying to calm himself down. Ted was right; there was no point in taking out his anger here. Not when the source of said anger was just inside the building.

Once the morning session was over and they were off for lunch, Jamie headed over to Rebecca's office, expecting to see you waiting at the desk outside like you usually were, but instead, he almost runs into the owner of the football club.

"Jamie!" Rebecca exclaims, backing away from the football player to avoid a collision. "What brings you here?" He only needed to glance at the empty table for her to know what was going on. "Oh, well, if you're looking for her, better head to Mr. Higgins' office. She's helping his new assistant get used to the system."

This causes the player's jaw to clench. Jamie mutters a quick thanks before heading to the Director of Football Operations' office, where he found you hunched over a chair and directing something on the laptop to Anthony.

You had spent the first hour of the day basically catching up with Anthony about what you've been doing the past few years. Once you ran out of stories though, you were forced to actually start teaching him what to do.

You started with the simple things like how to organize the emails, fixing the schedule, and what information to take note of, so you could ask your bosses' about it. Anthony's a quick learner, so you guys were making good progress. Once he practically mastered the routine, the two of you went to the clubhouse cafe to get some early lunch. Most of the food there was pre-packed and they’d usually just microwave it, but over the years, you've developed a fondness for them. You bring back the food to Higgins' office and continue to work on it till you hear someone clearing their throat.

You perk up when you realize who it came from. "Jamie! Hi, what're you doing here?"

Jamie's eyes bounce between the two of you, before settling on your own. "Well, I checked your desk but you weren't there, and Rebecca said you'd probably be here, so I went over here. And now I'm wondering if you wanted to get lunch?"

You move to say yes, but quickly back out when you remember the wrappers on the desk. "Oh, sorry Jamie, Anthony and I just ate something from the cafe cause we wanted to spend the lunchtime working on some emails. Maybe another time?" You try and hide the disappointment in your voice by giving Jamie a small smile.

Jamie's expression falters, but he quickly bounces back. "Sure, no problem. Bye," The football player waves at you — and just you, — before heading back downstairs. He shouldn't be acting like this. Feeling this dejected someone saying she can't have lunch with him?

You weren't fairing that well, either. Your shoulders slump once he disappears from view, then you turn back to Anthony who seems to be holding back a laugh. "What's with you?"

"Nothing, just amused at how even two years later, you still don't know how to talk to the guys you like."

You scoff at his response and hit his shoulder. "What do you mean? I do not like Jamie." You protest, which only causes Anthony to roll his eyes.

"Oh please, it's like you transformed back to a seventeen-year-old the way you got excited when he asked you to get lunch with him." You shake your head, but he continues. "It's clear as day that you have a crush on him."

“That word makes us sound like we're seventeen again," You retort, before redirecting the topic back to the task at hand.

But you knew he was right. Even back in the early days of working here, you couldn't deny that you found Jamie attractive. Anyone with eyes could see it, but he was dating Keeley and was a massive prick, so nothing ever came about from it.

Then, he started spending more time with you, checking up on you and stopping you in the halls just to chat. You realized that he was actually pretty sweet when he was off the pitch and you started to realize that you wanted to spend time with him, not just out of pity like before. Plus, you don't think he's seen anyone in a while, so there really was no reason for you to deny your feelings any longer.

Except, of course, the fear of getting rejected by him and ruining the steady and comfortable relationship you currently have. Which is a good reason, you think. You shake your head and try and continue your work in peace.

After spending your lunch writing up reports, it only took another hour to finish up both your and Anthony's duties, so the two of you update Higgins on your progress and ask if you could observe practice for a bit. He scans through your work, before happily letting the two of you go. The moment you get to the pitch, your eyes instantly look for Jamie who is doing pretty well, to no one's surprise. You join the coaches where they’re standing.

Anthony was already a big football fan, so he was able to recognize almost all of the players on the pitch. In fact, he was even saying things that you weren't aware of, despite your three years of working for the owner of a football club. He bends down to whisper a joke in your ear, but the amusement never hits because soon after, you hear O'Brien groaning in pain. You both look up to see Jamie already helping the goalkeeper up after kicking the ball right into his stomach.

"Whistle! Tartt, stop fucking injuring your teammates!" Roy shouts, to which Jamie quickly apologizes. The practice game continues, but not without you leaning to ask Beard something.

"Coach, is Jamie okay? He seemed fine when I was with him earlier," You turn your head, as Beard continues to watch the practice.

"He's been playing like that all day. Something must've pissed him off." You open your mouth to say something, but Beard reads your mind. "No, we did not give him the signal." You nod before turning back to the game.

You meet Jamie's eyes as he runs across the pitch, and you take the opportunity to give him a smile and a thumbs up, hoping it encourages him somehow. He only nods his head in acknowledgment before continuing, but you can tell in the next few plays that he seems to be calming down. After a while, you and Anthony decide to head back to the office after Rebecca asks you to send some emails on her behalf.

Jamie watched the two of you head back to the building and tried to ignore that growing feeling when Anthony leaned down and rested his arm on your shoulders. He tries and shakes himself right before continuing the game, ignoring all the possibilities of why he’d do that.

The real reason was that Anthony had decided to tease you, whispering close, "Somebody likes you," in a sing-songy voice. "And his name is Jamie Tartt doo-doo-do-doo—"

That exact remark makes you jab his side. "Shut the fuck up, Anthony. He does not." Anthony lets it go as the two of you reach your desk and he leaves you to do your work, though you can't help but feel warm inside at the thought of it being true.

—

Once he gets changed after training, Jamie practically ran upstairs to find you. Usually, he'd offer to drive you home and before Anthony, you'd be too tired to be polite and say no. He stopped himself from sending a message to you once he realized that you had already left. Maybe she's with Anthony, but Jamie shakes his head because fuck that. Jamie Tartt does not get hung over a girl. At least, the old him didn't.

New Jamie had been starting to hope that you stayed in the office longer just so he could see you again, even if you would be busy doing work. He sighs as he decides to leave the building when someone jumps in front to scare him. "Boo!"

"Jesus fucking Christ," he exclaims and steps back before seeing you losing your mind over his reaction. "What'd you do that for?"

"I'm sorry," You apologize in between your laughing fits. "I didn't realize how easily startled you were." After a few more seconds, you finally straighten up and lift two plastic bags.

Jamie gives you a confused look, before you explain, "When we went to watch training, Coach Beard said you've been playing like that the whole day which can only mean one thing; you're in a shit mood. And you don't have to tell me why, but,"

You hand him one of the bags and one whiff tells Jamie it's from that Indian restaurant he loves. "I thought some dinner would cheer you up," Jamie gives you a genuine smile, one you got used to seeing but always love when it shows up. “Because there’s nothing rich people love more than free food.” You add, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Plus, I wanted to make up for not having lunch with you, and celebrate the fact that I now actually have the time to do this again." You continue as the two of you walk over to Jamie's car.

You get in the passenger seat as Jamie turns the car on. The two of you have shared dinner there multiple times before, so you practically had a system for it, and Jamie always "pays you back" by giving you a ride home. You open all the dishes and Jamie quickly starts to devour it.

The two of you enjoy the dinner in silence, — except for the occasional "Pass the pita," or something of the sort — till Jamie decides to ask the burning question that’s been on his mind. "So, how did you and Anthony get so close?" It was an innocent question, but one whose answer could either ease Jamie's thoughts or amplify them ten-fold.

You look up at him, mid-bite, and quickly swallow the food, before replying, "Well, you already know we went to school together, but we were actually seated next to each other for a whole semester, so naturally we became close since we saw each other every day."

Jamie starts to clean up the empty containers but signals you to continue. "To be honest, I kinda liked him back then." Oblivious to how tense Jamie just got, you laugh. "But the crush didn't last long honestly, cause I realized that he wasn't really my type."

Jamie takes the opportunity. "What is your type, then?"

"Oh, hot footballers, naturally." You decide to give a somewhat honest answer, but cloak it in a layer of sarcasm to hopefully throw Jamie off. "Like Richard," You try and convince Jamie with your tone, but you can barely hold in your laughter afterward.

"Oh fuck off," Jamie rolls his eyes, causing you to laugh even harder. "I'm telling him that tomorrow."

"Jamie Tartt, you fucking wouldn't!" You spend the rest of the ride to your flat trying to get him to promise to say nothing, which ends with a pinky promise to secrecy.

—

The next few days are a mix of hanging out with Anthony, eating meals with Jamie, and finishing up work so you can spend the rest of the day chilling at your desk. You almost forgot what it felt like to have free time and actually relax during work breaks.

You arrive at the clubhouse and immediately head to the Coach's office as per Rebecca's instructions to deliver some documents for the season. There, you meet up with Anthony who also had to bring something to Ted.

When you realize the coach hasn't arrived yet, you decide to wait outside the locker room. Anthony turns to you. "Hey, I forgot to tell you yesterday, but Mina's visiting!" Mina was Anthony's girlfriend and also your former classmate, who once again, you haven't seen in two years. You perk up and ask when you’d get the chance to see her.

Anthony pulls out his phone before responding, "I can make a reservation for us somewhere at, 7 pm?" You quickly scan your mental to-do list and once you realize your schedule is free, you nod.

"Yeah, that works! We'll both be done with work, anyway."

The two of you are busy planning out your meeting with Mina that you don't notice Isaac and Colin eavesdropping as they make their way to the locker room. From the snippet that they heard, it sounded like the two of you were planning a night out, confirming their suspicions that there was something going on between the two of you.

They share this with Sam, who tries to reason with them. "Friends can go out to dinner without it meaning anything!"

But as they continue discussing it, the more it becomes harder to deny. I mean, the two of you were always together and not to mention, your shared history. They try and hide this from Jamie, — partly to save themselves from the football player's wrath during training, — but once the morning session was over, they crowd him and quickly explain the situation.

At this moment, Jamie didn't even protest their assumption of his feelings — he had accepted that he wasn’t the best at hiding it from them, — and simply stayed silent, which was incredibly worrying. They decide to leave him be and walk back to their lockers, trying to figure out a game plan. They thought you and Jamie would be great together and a guy from your past was not going to stand in the way of their teammate finding someone, not if they have anything to do with it.

Soon after, Anthony enters the locker room and calls out to Sam. The pair walk away to talk and Anthony starts, "Do you happen to have an open table at Ola's tonight? I'm planning to take someone special there and I know how great the food is."

"Well," Sam considers saying that they're fully booked — which big chance, they are, — and there's nothing he could do, but his guilt at even the thought of lying takes over. "Sure, don't worry." Anthony smiles and thanked the player before heading out, but not before promising that he'd send him the proper details later.

Sam heads back to his two teammates and explains what happened, to which Isaac suggests booking the whole restaurant for the team, crashing their date, and making sure they have no alone time together. Colin adds that they can possibly put something in Anthony's food to force him to go home earlier, which Sam quickly shuts down. They turn to Jamie to get his input, only to find an empty bench instead.

Said teammate was already making his way to your desk to talk. Maybe it was the adrenaline from practice or the fact that he drank three cups of coffee this morning after Roy's training session, but he wasn't going to let you go on that date without saying something.

Jamie makes it up the stairs and finds you typing away at your computer. You meet his eyes for a second, before warning, "Hold on, I'm just finishing this email."

The football player decidedly ignores that statement and exclaims, "Don't go on that date." That gets you to save the email as a draft and look up from your screen. Jamie walks closer to you and you stand up, and steer him to a remote corner. If this was what you thought it was, you’d rather not have the entire office witness it go down.

"I'm sorry, what?" You try and clarify.

"Look, some of the boys told me that you and Anthony are going out tonight and I," Jamie takes a breath, "I couldn't let you go through with it. At least, without admitting that I like you. I have liked you for a while now. I didn’t realize that someone could be so sweet and funny and attractive. It’s fucking insane actually, which is why if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been trying to spend as much time with you as I can. And I know it’s stupid of me to not have admitted it till it’s too late, but if by chance you feel the same, then please do not go on that date and instead, maybe go on one with me?”

You take a step back. The guy who you've secretly been pining over for how many months at this point is now trying to stop you from going on a "date,” and so the only thing you can do is stare at him. You stay like that for a second before regaining your senses and taking his hand into yours and giving him a small smile. "Jamie…"

If there was any right time to admit your feelings, this would be it. You open your mouth to continue, but hear Anthony call out to you. You peek over the corner and when Anthony spots you, he quickly shouts, "Look who stopped by!" and moves to reveal Mina.

"Oh my god, you're here!" You exclaim, but turn back to Jamie who has stopped in his tracks and is still holding your hand. You quickly excuse yourself, "It's so nice to see you, but could you actually give me a minute?"

The couple gives you a curious look before Jamie peeks his head over the corner and Anthony immediately understands. The two of them go back downstairs, and you assume Anthony uses the time to explain to Mina what’s going on.

You turn back to Jamie, hoping that the moment isn't ruined, and find the football player still looking at you intently. You decide to get on with it. "Jamie, I don't know why the team thought we were going on a date, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The girl you just saw is Anthony's girlfriend, Mina, who we also went to school with." Jamie makes an 'o' with his mouth in realization and you lightly chuckle at his expression.

"She's visiting him for the weekend and we're planning to go out to dinner, the three of us, to catch up. I'm basically going to be a third-wheel all night." At this point, Jamie's expression is a cross of embarrassment and anger, likely directed at his gossiping teammates.

Your mind replays Jamie’s confession earlier. "Jamie, did you mean what you said?" Your voice is practically a whisper, but you just have to be sure. "Like right before we got interrupted?"

Instead of giving you a solid answer, Jamie lets go of your hand and cups your face before connecting your lips. It was a soft and gentle kiss as if the football player was still hesitant, but once you reciprocated it, Jamie's confidence came right back. Fuck, and he had every right to be as cocky as he was. He was an amazing kisser.

You're pressed up against the wall, almost getting lost in it, but you break apart to stop it from escalating further when you feel Jamie's hand travel to your thigh.

"Is that enough of an answer for you?" He asks, resting his forehead against yours as you take hold of his forearms. You simply roll your eyes at how easily Jamie returns to his usual self.

You peak down the corridor and thank the universe that no one passed by during this. The two of you separate and decide to head back downstairs — with Jamie never letting go of your hand, — so you could properly greet Mina.

As you walked, you decide to jokingly question, "Were you really that worried about me going on a date that you had to go all rom-com and tell me not to go?"

Jamie protests, "Well, it's more of the boys' fault, isn't it? They're the ones who got in my head." He pauses for a second. "And don't act like you never wanted something like that to happen to you."

You jab his side and Jamie pretends to be in pain, before laughing it off and slinging his arm on your shoulders. You wrap your arm around his torso. "Only if it's 'one in a million' Jamie Tartt doing it."

You finally find Anthony and Mina in the locker room, with the former introducing her to the players there as his girlfriend. Jamie enters to find the three culprits, looking guiltily at the couple. Minutes after Jamie left, Sam had gotten a text from Anthony saying that their reservation was for three and explained that you were coming along for a reunion dinner with his girlfriend.

The moment they see the two of you enter the room though, Colin, Isaac, and Sam can't help but share a satisfied look, only to be ruined by the glare Jamie sends their way. You laugh at the exchange and only remove yourself from Jamie to greet Mina. You give her a tight hug, confirming Jan's observation that you did greet most of your friends like that.

You pull Jamie towards you and introduce him to Mina, who shares the same teasing look as Anthony. The couple waves at the team to leave and get lunch together. They invite you to join them which you accept, but not before grabbing and squeezing Jamie's hand as a goodbye. The three of you walk away, discussing nearby cafes and restaurants. You hear some cheering from the locker room and you can't help but laugh at how easily the boys reconcile.

Once there's enough distance between yourself and the room, Anthony leans down. "Guess you finally figured out how to talk to boys."

"Who knew it would be Jamie fucking Tartt that managed to get you out of your shell?" Mina adds and you roll your eyes at the pair. They really were made for each other.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #ted lasso #jamie tartt fanficition #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tart fic #jamie tartt fluff #ted lasso fanfic #jamie tartt fanfic

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angelltheninth · 1 year

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I'm not sure if you did this before but can I ask for practice kisses with Genshin men and what kind of excuses they would use?

I haven't done this before actually and I haven't seen many of these outside of canon x canon so I will channel my knowledge of those.

Pairing: Kaeya, Diluc, Itto, Thoma, Childe, Tighnari, Cyno, Baizhu, Zhongli x Fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, developing relationship, crush, lots of kissing, grinding, slightly suggestive, mention of boners, friends to lovers

A/N: I'm curious, is this something people actually do? Cause for me this would be super awkward.

Kaeya loves to talk big game and get super flirty with you, all cocky when he jokingly asks you if you want to kiss but once you say yes some of his confidence dwindles. He doesn't need practice obviously! You do, he's doing this for you benefit, so pucker up and be happy that you have someone as skilled as him to help you out with this, otherwise you'd be hopeless.

Diluc a nervous mess when he asks you to practice kissing with him. Good thing he's got gloves on so you can't tell how sweaty his hands are. Really hesitant at first because he's one, your friend, and two, your boss. Very slow to ease into it and pluck up the courage to deepen the kiss but once he does he's not letting you go any time soon.

Itto doesn't just ask, he kind of barks it out really loudly at you and later on has to be tracked down by you due to running off. He cannot believe he just yelled that. You probably don't wanna kiss him now, he was so uncool. You stop his bad train of thoughts before he can get any worse, and in your mind, he doesn't need to practice a lot, just watch out for his fangs a little more.

Thoma sits next to you, hands in his lap and glancing at you then back into the tea cup. You don't have to do this with him if you don't wanna, he just thought that it would be nice to do with someone he trusts so much. That way when he gets a crush, which is totally not you, he won't look like a fool. And again you don't- oh. Your lips are very soft on his, softer then he expected.

Childe can barely hold back his excitement when you say yes to his request. He's all smug as he pushes you against the nearby wall and slots between your legs but the moment your lips touch he goes soft and gentle, cupping your cheek and turning his head, a little sloppy but still gradually deepening the kiss and please don't mind what's happening between his legs right now.

Tighnari tries to stop his ears from signaling her nervousness but they keep flicking back and forth as you scoot up to him. Both of you are nervous, trying to figure out the best position for your hands and your lips. He can almost feel his heart jumping out of his chest. It gets even worse when he feels your nice, soft lips against his own. As the kiss goes on he bites at your lip, making you yelp. How cute.

Cyno cracks many jokes when he asks you, trying to play of the whole thing as just good fun, for the both of you obviously. Kisses you with a big grin on his face, a very quick kiss at first, then you dive in for another, and another, and another until he gets a little flustered about suggesting it. He doesn't want you to see him like this so he starts kissing you again, trying to make you focused on the kissing.

Baizhu is really embaressed about asking for this. He's really sloppy and inexperienced and hesitant at first. When you push him down and get on top of him his whole body gets warm, there's pressure between his legs that he wants to release but even kissing gets him this flustered it will be a while until he can take the next step. Once he gets the courage... you're not getting out of bed without hickies.

Zhongli doesn't need to practice kissing, he's very experienced with it but you on the other hand... Judging from how you reacted last time you could use a little practice. He can take it slow at first, until you get comfortable with his lips against yours, his body against yours, his hands running over your body and pulling you close to him. With his help you'll be a kissing expert in no time.

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lemon-boy-stan · 6 months

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May I request Childe, Kaeya, Diluc, and Thoma with a tsundere s/o who is trying to work up the courage to tell the guy that they love him for the first time?

Tsundere reader telling Genshin men "I love you" for the first time

Tsundere: Tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time. The word is derived from the terms tsun tsun and dere dere.

Genre: fluff! Enemies to lovers. Warnings: none. A/N: anon asked for Thoma, but I haven't met him yet so I'll do my best!! Featuring: Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Thoma. Also, apologies, I didn't realise these would end up being so long. Hope you like it anon!

DILUC

Honestly, you both hated each other. Diluc was not the kind of person who got close to people. He didn't look fondly upon rule-breakers either, and you just seemed to bring trouble with you everywhere. His fondness for you, however, grew over time, in battle, where you'd come running to him for help.

Of course, despite your snarky remarks to him, Diluc never minded saving your butt. "Master Diluc, always such a show-off," you'd tsk loudly, making him grin and roll his eyes. "Of course, I'm only a show-off for you, my dear." Diluc would attempt to kiss your hand. You'd grab his wrist, flinging to the ground.

It didn't help. Diluc was helplessly in love with you. And what Diluc wanted, Diluc got.

You'd been feeling differently towards the man, but you didn't know what it was. He made you laugh, more than you wanted to, he made you extremely shy, he made your cheeks all red. It was only in battle did you realise what you felt.

A surge of panic shot through you as Diluc fell to the ground, sword clattering. You let out an elemental burst, defeating the remaining enemies, running to his side, lifting him up. "Master Diluc, no! You can't die now. You can't. You can't die, I love you." Tears falling onto his face.

Diluc stirred, smiling up at you. "I'm sorry, my love, say that again?" Smirking, making your ears go red. "I will throw you off this cliff if you ever do that again!" You shrieked at him, pulling him close and hugging him. He laughed softly, "I highly doubt you'd ever be able to throw me."

KAEYA

The Cavalry Captain. He was the most annoying, insufferable person you'd ever met. And he seemed to THRIVE when annoying you. He knew you could probably beat him up if you tried hard enough, but that didn't stop him from challenging you to duels and fights (much to your despair, you always lost in sword-fighting).

You thought Kaeya was just naturally competitve. You thought your persistence in trying to do better than him, impress him, was just because of his personality, not because you liked him. Soon, your friendship, or rivalry, turned into a relationship.

Most of the time with your friends when you'd bicker, it was always the two of you joking around. But this time, the argument blew up Angel's Share. "For the love of..." Diluc rolled his eyes, "can one of you just tell me what's going on so you stop causing a scene?"

You puffed your cheeks, eyes watery. Kaeya rolled his eyes too, "she's overreacting, as usual. It's perfectly fine. She thinks something will happen to me, but it won't, I always end up lucky." You crossed your arms, making a loud, defiant noise.

"I don't want him to go!" You shrieked, glaring at Diluc, "it's too dangerous and he'll get himself killed and I -" Diluc cocked his head, amused. "Yes, Traveller?" You bit your lower lip, not daring to look Kaeya in the eye. "And I love him," you whispered. Diluc's eyes widened. There was a loud crash next to you and you jumped. Diluc grinned, covering his mouth to hide his laughter, "I think my brother loves you too."

Kaeya had fallen off the stool, and was lying on the ground.

CHILDE

There was just something about him that made him punchable. Maybe it was his daring personality, his lack of care, his flare for rule-breaking. Or it may just be his face. Anyhow, whenever the two of you were together and whenever he let out a "hey, girlie" from his mouth, you'd put him in a headlock or kick him in his crotch.

This apparently did not stop him from being helplessly in love with you. Often Tartaglia found himself reciting ways to ask you out in the mirror. And, when he enacted on them, often you'd punch him.

And although you would never admit it to yourself or anyone, you'd grown a strong fondness for the boy, a crush even, and you finally had the courage to ask him out.

Pretty soon, your relationship was in full swing.

Childe went out of his way to spoil you, bringing you the best foods, taking you to the most expensive places on dates. It was on one of these dates, where he truly shocked you, presenting you with a gift that was so beautiful you cried.

"Archons, Childe!" You gasped loudly, for once at a loss for words. Tartaglia bit his lip, "why? What's wrong? Do you not like it? I can return it..." But you shook your head, letting out a defiant noise, putting it on. "No! I love it so much. I love you so much, Ajax." And Childe almost fell of his seat as he stuttered out the words, "I love you, too."

THOMA

It was obvious. A little too obvious. Anyone and everyone knew, even you. Thoma was, undeniabally head over heels for you. And you? You despised him. He was just trying too hard!

He was always coming with you on commissions, following you around since the day you met so much that your friends had called him your shadow. It was only when he saved you in battle did you finally feel something for him.

"You're so rash," he murmured, placing bandages on your arm. You giggled softly, feeling a bit drowsy and silly from the medicine. "You're so cute, Thoma!" You giggled, booping his nose. He scrunched his face and you giggled again.

"I love your hair," you sighed dreamily, "mm, love when you look after me all the time. Love when you save me, love... love you... Love Thoma soo much!" You squeaked, slapping your hand over your mouth at the last part. Thoma froze, shell-shocked. You giggled again, pulling him close. "Oops! I um, I didn't mean to say that!" Pressing your lips against his.

He chuckled, "mm, and I'm sure you didn't mean to do that either, honey."

GENSHIN IMPACT MASTERLIST

NAVIGATION

I'M SORRY THESE WERE SO BAD AND CRINGE 😭😭😭

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mokulule · 1 year

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The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached 7

Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason) Warnings: angst/depression and canon typical violence

I had wanted to do some tag appreciation for the previous part before uploading this but well stuff happened and I need to leave for work soon, so priorities and all that, and I bet ya'll rather want the update than my chatter XD But know that I really appreciate the comments and tags you guys leave me <3

Damian sat in a corner of the library, knees drawn up to his chest. The crumbled up piece of paper burned in his left hand. It shouldn’t. He’d had a hunch and he’d followed it. He’d been right! This was pertinent information. He should have informed Father immediately and yet… He breathed slowly out his nose. He turned his hand around palm up so he could glare at the offending ball of paper resting there.

He was right, but then why was he so uncertain? Why was he hesitating? He was Damian Wayne! Son of the Batman! He should not dawdle, that is not how he was trained!

No matter how much his so called siblings would tease him for his height, there were advantages. Like how when Todd had pulled the dazed Ghost to his feet, the short man had never really looked up which meant that Damian who was shorter had seen the way his eyes glowed green, unlike his father. Because a short while later, when he pushed away from Todd his eyes had been blue. Father would assume the ghost’s eyes were blue, because he hadn’t seen the green. Father would have no idea to look into what Damian had, because he’d missed a vital clue. A clue Damian had been withholding. Damian let his head fall down onto the arm holding the paper and sighed. He was withholding far worse than a clue now:

There were traces of Lazarus Water in the blood sample. Damian felt the childish urge to scream, but he would not give in, he hadn’t fallen that far. It always came back to this, always; like a curse on Damian’s family, one thing after another and it always ended up back there - by the sickly green glow of the pits.

Father wasn’t always exactly rational when it came to the Lazarus Pits or the League of Assassins or Todd.

And maybe Damian had gotten a little bit used to Father looking at him like his son. Maybe he just wasn’t all that excited for Father to look at him like Ra’s Al Ghul’s grandson again…

Alfred, the cat, slinked around the door left open a crack, instantly drawing Damian’s eyes. The tuxedo cat padded silently over to him and stopped. He looked expectantly at Damian with the same unimpressed gaze of his namesake. Damian cracked a fragile smile, and uncurled into a crosslegged position.Satisfied Alfred jumped into his lap. He started batting at the paper ball and Damian quickly stuffed it into a pocket and acquiesced to the demand for pets. It was barely a moment before Damian’s effort was rewarded and the purring started. Slowly, Damian relaxed back against the wall and his shoulders gradually came down from their tensed position. Animals were so much easier to understand than people.

The Ghost had purred…

The sound had been just at the edge of his hearing, but it definitely had sounded like purring. Father hadn’t heard it. Damian had asked him if he’d heard the cat, but he’d dismissed him as if he thought Damian had heard a real cat. There was no way he would have done that if he’d actually heard. The sound… it had been something else; there had been this inherent happiness to it.

Damian would admit he’d been startled. He’d never heard a human purr before. Not even Catwoman, his father’s illicit paramour, actually purred, not really. She did something with her voice at times, probably the closest a human could come to a purr, but not like the almost continuous sound of a real cat. Humans just weren’t built for it.

Which pondered the question, what exactly was the Ghost? He had reacted very oddly to Todd (Damian would admit in the privacy of his mind that he’d been alarmed to see the man nuzzle into Todd’s chest as if he was actually an overgrown cat in disguise). There was Lazarus in his blood, so maybe the reaction to Todd wasn’t so strange. He hadn’t reacted in any way special to Damian, but that wasn’t so odd either. Damian knew Todd was different. There was a reason Grandfather feared him. The Pits hadn’t revived him, they may have brought his mind back online and brought some lasting effects, but Todd had crawled out of his grave months before that; Todd was something else.

Maybe Todd and the Ghost were something similar?

Todd had definitely heard the purring. He had been completely unlike himself, there had been a complete lack of the usual hostility from him afterwards. Todd must have also seen the eyes, he had to have made the Lazarus connection. He hadn’t reported anything about it either. But again this was Todd, he wouldn’t share information with Father unless he thought someone’s life depended on it.

Whatever DNA had been in the blood sample was useless for analysis, it had been too damaged, so that didn’t bring them any closer to figuring out what he was.

Then there were the powers, Todd didn’t have those. Invisibility and intangibility… No, the Ghost couldn’t actually be a ghost, could he?

Alfred nudged the hand that had stopped the petting and Damian dutifully started back up again.

Richard often acted like he didn’t have two brain cells to rub together, something that fooled even Damian in the beginning, but he was surprisingly astute if he let you see if. Damian had presumed the Ghost codename had been merely a ploy to annoy Drake and Gordon, but Richard was not beneath hiding a theory as a joke. If he was correct, he would have all the power, if it wasn’t it was after all just a joke - it was a good strategy.

As if summoned, Richard stuck his head into the library and glanced around. He seemed just about leave when he caught sight of Damian’s nook.“There you are Dames-“ he strolled inside, “I wanted to say bye before heading home, so I’m glad I found you.” He crouched down next to him and smiled widely eyes crinkling with it. It was so effortless for him.

Damian frowned.

“Hey, you okay?”

Damian glanced up briefly. It wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, but maybe Richard could answer something else.

“Do you think the Ghost could actually be a ghost?”

And there was that sharpness behind the kindness, that moment of calculation of what might have brought this on, whether Damian knew something, before it was hidden behind a smile again.

“Dami-“ he started and lovingly ruffled Damian’s hair. Damian quickly batted his hands away, before he got the misconception that he liked it; because he didn’t! Blue eyes crinkled further and then he continued, “we’ve seen stranger, haven’t we?”

And that brought Damian to a stop, hands still raised protectively over his head. Alfred looked between the two of them and gave an affronted mrauwp.

“So sorry Alfred, old boy, didn’t mean to disturb you.”

While Richard appeased Alfred, Damian slowly lowered his arms. Richard was right of course, but there was something else too, the assurance in the flippancy. Whatever the Ghost was, it didn’t really matter, they would deal with it, like they did everything; everything had some sort of weakness. And the Ghost hadn’t actually been hostile.

The core of the issue was the Lazarus Water. Lazarus Water didn’t enter people’s blood on their own and Grandfather kept a sharp watch on all the pools. There was a very big risk the Ghost was affiliated with the League. Coerced? Created? Murdered?

Damian narrowed his eyes, it was useless to ponder without more information, but the League at least was something Damian could look into discreetly. If there was increased activity in Gotham he would find it. He didn’t have to tell anyone yet.

“You work out what was bothering you?”“Tt.” He quickly looked away from Richard’s knowing eyes. Unfortunately that left him open for another hair ruffle. Richard laughed and jumped away and back to a standing position in one smooth motion, before Damian could retaliate somehow. Damian glared and only got a soft smile and wave in return.

“See you in some days, baby bat.”

Damian pressed his lips together and waved dismissively. “Go, before I decide revenge is worth removing Alfred.”

Richard’s laughter followed him out the door and down the hall. Damian finally allowed the small smile to form. Whatever happened, whatever Father may think of him keeping secrets, he could at least count on his big brother to stay the same. Oo o oO

Tim had been reviewing the new proposals from R&D when Bruce had stopped by.

The spectral calibrator team had obviously been disappointed to learn they would be reassigned and that the larger project to tune into electromagnetic signals from other dimensions had been put on indefinite hold without the calibrator, but they were a professional bunch and they had quickly come up with some fresh ideas.

Tim really didn’t want to consider what use the thief would have had with the calibrator, but it was kinda his job. It was meant to help hone into the (for lack of better term) frequency of a given dimension and remove the noise from the various other planes of reality - he just really hoped they weren’t dealing with a science portal to Hell scenario. Magical portals were at least usually temporary in nature but most importantly they were the JLD’s problem, not Tim’s.

Maybe the thief just really wanted to listen to some alternate universe rock?

Yeah, fat chance.

Tim had not found signs of the stolen items being resold, which pointed towards the thief having specific buyers or he was building something himself. At least the spectral calibrator was safe in the Cave.

A small beep notified Tim that the decryption program had a match on the passcode for the phone Bruce had dropped off, and he rolled over to have a look. The phone was not a brand Tim recognized, it was from the pre-smartphone era and didn’t even have a camera. It had been easier for Tim to just take it apart and hook it to power to get it up and running - it was then he noticed that someone had modded the receiver and transmitter, it also didn’t have a sim card.

Despite the lack of sim-card, when Tim looked at the now open phone it claimed to have a full signal from the most prominent telecompany in the larger bay area. Tim raised an eyebrow - curious. The text messages were empty, and a root around in the settings found that read messages were automatically deleted after 24 hours - the thief were really keen on keeping his secrets.

In the “phone book” which was a rather quaint old school term for the contact list, Tim finally found something that alluded to a normal life. Something that could maybe give them some information: Dad, Jazz, Mom, Sam, Tuck, Val - pretty sparse contact list. All the numbers had the same area code, which put them somewhere in the Midwest, if Tim was remembering correctly.

Tim considered for a moment then pressed the up button until he reached “Mom” again and pressed enter. Butt calls had been a real problem with this phone type if people forgot to lock them, it wouldn’t be so strange if Tim didn’t say anything. With any luck they’d get confirmation on the name Danny.

There was a single dial tone then a feminine voice announced:

“The number you have called cannot be reached.”

Woohooo yay, I think we're done with "the detectives detective-ing" for now which was the extend of my notes before writing the last two parts (parts 6 and 7 are going to be a single chapter once they go on Ao3). Hope you enjoyed, I got a serious case of Damian feels while rewriting chapter 1 for Ao3 (here's a link if you missed it), so that's the explanation for why Damian decided we needed his pov Next

Masterpost for subscription

#dp x dc #dead on main #Yeah sorry no Jason here this time either #Damian decided he wanted a turn #and well poor Jason isn't doing anything interesting right now #he's just panicking over the gaps in his memory #and not daring to leave his apartment before he has the pits more under control #he's afraid he might kill someone if he's Red Hood right now #maybe I do need to write a small bit of his pov #oh well #detectives doing detective-ing #Jason is catnip to Danny #Missed Connections

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cool-thymus · 5 months

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Rin Week 2023

A drabble and an illustration for the most special girl in Narutoverse.

Day 4 | November 15 Secret

Team Minato; Rin has a secret; Kakashi has a secret; Obito ...is asleep; they are all tipsy; this is supposed to be funny

The shinobi world is a cruel place. If you’re raised a ninja, it often feels like running naked through a nettle field. No matter how fast you are trying to get out, it always stings. Constant pain and misery touch your bare skin, and you slowly get used to it. The shinobi world is greedy too. It takes the people you love and hardly ever returns them. And you are expected to go with it, no questions asked. But as one Red-Hot Habanero shrewdly observed, this world had room for smiles, laughter, and occasional celebration, especially when your loved ones were given back to you.

A team of three young shinobi of the Hidden Leaf was that lucky. But miracles didn’t just happen for them. They had to claw back their teammate from the darkness and then fight day and night for his life. Cry for each other and hold shaking hands; lose sleep and hug tight.

Since then, the hardest and the happiest day of their lives turned into an anniversary that was celebrated as the team’s birthday, their own little festival. Kushina and Kakashi would prepare a feast making sure everybody’s favorite dish was on the menu. Rin was in charge of decorations and flowers. Every year she would make a special arrangement for the table and provide small bouquets for her teammates. The location for the celebration was Minato and Obito’s duty. They liked scouting out picturesque spots, preferably near water. The hike was their small ritual: they traveled alone, mostly in silence. Obito felt special because he was on the same task as the captain, but for Minato it was a pilgrimage to the day when he carried the dying boy back to the village cursing himself for every wrong choice he’d made. Now he let Obito lead the way watching how the 16-year-old jumped left and right like a puppy chasing a butterfly. He followed and silently renewed his vow to always have his back, always protect the kid he’d almost lost.

This year they picked a cabin near a small waterfall. The view was worthy of the occasion, and there were enough rooms to stay overnight. The Namikaze-Uzumaki family had grown a new member who enjoyed the attention and liked making everything about himself. He was three. The baby added the ingenuousness that the team gradually grew out of, and he kept his parents occupied, so that Rin, Obito and Kakashi could have more privacy and party the way they wanted.

However, none of them was a party animal.

***

“Isn’t he adorable?” Rin said quietly tugging at Kakashi’s sleeve. Obito had rested his head in her lap; his eyes were closed, lips parted; soft snuffling noises made it clear - he was fast asleep.

“The word is ‘pathetic’, Rin. We didn’t even drink that much, and he’s already out like a light.” Kakashi took another sip of his beverage (being on good terms with the Sannin had its benefits: their favorite genius was allowed a drink of his choice now and then, in moderation though), “Or… maybe he just really wanted to get to his comfort place as soon as possible.”

“You mean he’s dreaming of something comforting?”

“I mean your lap.”

Rin paused for a moment, startled with the misplaced sarcasm, but then smirked at him and continued stroking Obito’s hair. “Are you trying to be funny or irritating?”

Kakashi’s snarky comments never worked on her; at least they never escalated into a full-scale fight like they did with Obito. Rin was just… smarter. If Kakashi all of a sudden started showing his sassy attitude, it only meant he was uncomfortable. She reached for his face and playfully squeezed his cheek like she would with their captain’s little son.

“Rin, are you trying to be … cheeky right now?” He barely finished the sentence as they both started giggling. Making terrible jokes was their thing, especially when they were tipsy like that.

“What is it, Kakashi? How did he piss you off this time?”

“He didn’t. Everything’s fine.”

“Come on now. You know you’ll feel better if you tell me. Is it because he kept teasing you about that girl?”

Kakashi pulled his mask down and drank some more, then he looked at Rin, the mask still under his chin.

“Bingo,” said the girl with a half-smile. “You know he’s not trying to be insensitive, right? It’s just that you never talk to him about this kind of stuff, and he probably needs it. So he’s simply trying to start a conversation with you.”

Kakashi turned his gaze to the floor in front of him pulling his yukata over his knees.

“I know we’ve been over this, but… why don’t you just tell him?”

“Let’s not do this tonight, Rin.”

“You told me…”

“It was different with you! You had a thing for me, and it wouldn’t be fa…”

Rin quickly pressed her finger to his lips, “Yeah-yeah! Let’s pretend you told me because I’m your best friend and not recollect the moment I made a fool of myself?”

Kakashi took her hand in his, bowed his head and pressed his forehead to the back of Rin’s hand, “I’m still sorry about that by the way.”

“Hatake Kakashi, stop being so suave, or my inappropriate feelings will return again!”

They both started laughing causing Obito to stir in his sleep. Rin pulled Kakashi closer, and he moved to sit next to her, their attention returning to the sleeping teammate.

“Although… he was kind of an ass to you today,” whispered Rin. “Do you want to teach him a lesson?”

“I might wanna teach him a lesson, yes. About the importance of respecting other people’s boundaries,” Kakashi whispered jokingly, but then, to his surprise, Rin carefully lifted Obito’s head, laid it onto Kakashi’s lap, and sprang to her feet.

“What are you doing?”

“Be right back. Don’t wake him up!” she shot back and dashed to the hall.

Obito’s head felt heavy. Without Rin in the room, it was too quiet, and Kakashi could hear his friend’s breathing: in and out, the chest rising and falling, slowly, evenly; no gasping for air. “Good job, buddy. You’re doing a great job, just keep breathing, okay? Just like that.” His own words from a long time ago echoed in his mind, but he suppressed them right away reminding himself that there was no need to monitor Obito’s breathing anymore. He was okay now.

Rin suddenly reappeared next to Kakashi, eyes sparkling with mischief. Noticing that his hands were still hovering near Obito’s temples, she gently nudged Kakashi out of his trance. When his eyes gained focus again she proudly demonstrated a black marker that she'd fished out from Kushina’s bag with the baby stuff.

“Are you actually going to draw on his face? Like a five-year-old?”

“Yep! Can you steady his head a bit, Mr. Boring?”

Kakashi’s hands reluctantly landed on Obito’s cheeks tilting his head in Rin’s direction. She proceeded to draw a funny-looking beard and a mustache.

“You know, he can’t grow a beard anyway, so this is offensive as hell. Keep drawing.”

Rin raised her eyes at Kakashi covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. Then she started to draw a pair of very thick eyebrows.

“Oh, that’s just cruel! He’ll never forgive you for making him look like Gai.”

“Me? Who said I was responsible for this? It’s totally your doing,” she said in a mockingly indignant tone as she traced out ‘Kakashi did this’ on Obito’s cheeks.

“Hey! He’d happily let you off the hook, but me?! I’ll never see the end of it!”

Rin ignored Kakashi’s words, admiring her work.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Having said that, she was carefully watching her friend whose left hand was still resting on Obito’s cheek.

“Yeah… he is.”

“Kakashi, you can tell him. He’ll be okay with it, I promise.”

There was a minute of silence between them.

“But you can’t promise me that, Rin. What if he’s simply weirded out by it? Or feels uncomfortable? What if he stops hanging out with me at all?”

“That’s not gonna ha…”

“I know! I know this is probably not gonna happen, but what if it does? What if I'm not a part of his life anymore? You were there, Rin; it was hell without him. I’m just… I’m not ready. I’m not ready to lose him… again.”

“Kakashi, you idiot! Did you really think I would…” Obito opened his eyes and tried to prop himself up with his elbows, but in an instant a very precise hand hit several chakra points on his neck knocking him unconscious.

“Kakashi! You can’t do that! Why did you hit him?!”

“It was a reflex, okay!” They both leaned over to check on Obito.

“Has he been awake the entire time?” Kakashi was getting worried.

“How should I know? Seriously, Kakashi, I just wanted you to be honest with your best friend, and you go and do this?!”

“I said I didn’t mean to knock him out, okay?! And by the way, maybe you should stop berating me? It’s not like you’re completely honest with him either. Did you have enough courage to tell him about your secret nurse-boyfriend?”

“Rin?! You have a bo…” Obito regained consciousness but only for a few seconds before another hand made him pass out again.

“RIN!”

“I’m sorry!”

@rinweek2023

#rinweek2023 #nohara rin #team minato #mydrawings #mywriting #hatake kakashi #uchiha obito #the tragedy siblings #mai ty for the prompt <3

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neuroprincess · 19 days

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LuLu Goes to Daycare - Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Summary: Melissa doesn't want to do it, Y/N denies being worried and both moms don't know how to deal with their baby's first day at daycare.

Classification: Domestic fluff

Warnings: None

Word count: +3000

Note: I know that the post with Ava won the poll, but I've been in hospital twice this week, had injections in hips and spent days unconscious due to medication, after all that I just wanted to write a bit of family comfort. The next post will be about Ava, as soon as I get better ^^

Unrevised

With a hand to her face to protect against the sun, Melissa lets out a long sigh and looks at the colorful entrance. Parents carrying their little ones pass her by, most of them with big smiles and excited about the start of another school year. She herself is excited, misses her children and work routine, but feeling the opposite at the mere thought of leaving Luca at daycare. The baby's babbling brings her out of trance, his little feet tapping against the seat cushion in agitation, caught up in everything that's happening around him.

"Ready for this, darling?" Y/N asks her wife, working hard at getting the little boy out of the car seat.

She nods, not a sincere answer, there's an unpleasant feeling in the pit of the stomach, the same as when doing something difficult, a challenge or the one that haunts everyone when doing something for the first time. Despite all the insecurities and even a little fear, she wants to pass on some kind of confidence to her little family in this big step.

"LuLu looks so handsome." the younger whispers, straightening his clothes once she has managed to get him out of the equipment, a yellow dungaree and cotton T-shirt have been chosen, shoes have long since been thrown in the air "I think he's a bit hot."

"Fever?" they look at each other in alarm and soon they're both standing over their son checking his temperature with the back of their hand, then with the thermometer just in case "I don't know whether to laugh or cry, we've been working with children for years and now we look like two complete laymen."

"Aren't we looking for excuses?" the reluctance hits Y/N, she's never been separated from him for more than a few hours and now she'll have to spend the whole day without being by her chubby side. The couple stare for a few seconds, reflecting, in the end deciding to cover up how emotionally drained they really are by this "Nah." they say in unison.

"The gate will close soon, let's take our tesoro." the redhead leaves the car, turns around to open the door, stretches out the arms to take Luca on her lap, can't resist showering his rosy cheeks with kisses and getting the cutest giggles out of him, little teeth showing "Time passes so quickly, just yesterday he looked like a plucked chicken and today he's a little prince."

"Did you just compare our son to a plucked chicken?" incredulous, the girl closes the car door and holds back a laugh, stuck in the back of her throat, making her cough dryly.

"And I lied?"

Y/N rolls her eyes, kissing the boy on the forehead, admiring every tiny detail of him, from rust-colored hair to the freckles he seems to have inherited from the Schemmenti, simple but still present on his snub nose and chubby little arms. When he arrived, he was very small, large for a premature baby, gradually taking on his mother's features, personality and appearance. A little human about to begin a new stage.

The path from the entrance to the classroom door is tortuous, not even the photos of children having fun reassure them, the corridor is full of them, playing in the playground, using paints, dressed up, dancing, among other clearly fun activities.

"Excited, bambino?" the eldest asks, lifting him up so that they're face to face, hopefully expecting LuLu to deny it and give a reason to turn around, but he nods in the affirmative with a cheeky smile "Sure?" he nods again, jumping up and down with excitement "Amore mio, I don't think he understands and leaving him here could probably make our baby feel abandoned, cause trauma..."

"But almost all children go to daycare and are fine, LuLu is smart, loves socializing and learns quickly." Y/N says calmly, more to herself than anything else, fingers stroking the thick curls of the boy who is now oblivious to the conversation, concentrating on the movement around "And he's your copy, which means he'll do well. Don't you agree, darling?"

Melissa sighs and fights the impulse to snort at her wife, who knows how to pull all her strings and hit her in the right places. Knowing that she can't resist her charms, she decides to give in, only agreeing in a grumpy whisper. Stubbornness is a family heirloom. Pride too.

"Time to go, big boy." she announces to the baby, who giggles at the two of them, arms waving as if he understands everything that's being said "Okay, keep it up and maybe you'll give Mama Mel some courage." the redhead whispers last, taking the first steps into the nightmare.

Disgusted, she finds the designated room more than quickly, the pair of teachers at the door waiting for their fellow little angels to appear. Melissa shamelessly tries to see more of what's going on behind the doors, where many of the crawling babies are playing on the carpet. She can't hold back a smile realizing that although she isn't a paragon of stature herself, their son is by far one of the biggest babies in the daycare, not least because he already stands out with cute big cheeks and rust-colored hair that's starting to curl at the ends.

Y/N hands the baby bag over to one of the teachers and joins her family, now visibly fearful, all the insecurities she tried to keep to herself and ended up brushing under the carpet come to the surface in a matter of seconds. What if he doesn't adapt? Because he's an only child and relatively spoiled, he ends up fighting with one of his classmates over a toy? Or if they hurt him? If there are other children with their first teeth looking for something soft to bite and why not little Schemmenti's chubby arms?

"...please don't forget to put the yellow blanket over his face when he goes to lie down, Luca can only fall asleep with this one." the younger gives the last instructions from the short list of quirks that come in their son's handbook.

"Right..." the teacher murmurs in disbelief, having learned that she would have two parents who are professionals in the same field, she thought it would make the process much easier, only to discover that it was quite the opposite "Now, if you'll excuse me..." she nods and tries to escape, pretending that someone is calling her, only to be intercepted on the way by the other mother lion and her dozens of extremely specific questions.

After a few minutes and many kisses, the two moms leave the building with empty arms and hearts sunk with the terrible feeling of not being close to their little boy. For eight months carrying him and for another ten they kept him only to themselves, attached by the hips, having never spent more than a prolonged nap equivalent to a romantic dinner away. They stop for a few seconds in front of the car, ideas running through their heads and none of them believing that everything is going to be all right, anxiety hitting hard.

"You know..." they say in unison, thinking of excuses to get rid of each other.

"I need a new laptop charger and we passed a store a block away." Y/N starts, slurring a few words, and points in the opposite direction "You go ahead, I'll take a uber later."

"All right, Barb just texted me to give her a ride." Melissa smiles, as if destiny were helping her "See you in Abbott, take care, cara mia." and approaches, placing a chaste kiss on the lips of her wife, no idea that she has plans of her own.

Half a block away and the car parked on the other street, they both sneak into the daycare, taking advantage of the movement of some late families to sneak in. Melissa gained access to the garden next to the classroom by convincing a member of staff that she had lost her earring in the grass, while Y/N managed to get past everyone to the door without attracting attention.

When the corridor empties, she approaches the glass, eyes instinctively searching for her son and soon finds the boy crawling across the carpet with the others, a dozen toys scattered around them. It doesn't take long for LuLu to find something colorful and eye-catching to put in his mouth, something he's been doing frequently since the first teeth appeared, swallowing all the unknown microscopic germs that cause chills in Y/N, as in Melissa, jaws open in disbelief as no teacher stops the scene.

"No, no, no!" the youngest whispers, wishing that mental begging could intervene.

On the other side, the redhead is in the same state, her face pressed against the window to get a better view and equally shocked. They knew this moment would come and, no matter much planning and preparation, it's still hard to face your firstborn's first day. He's so curious, cheerful, full of life and can inspire anyone nearby, so spirited and brave that he doesn't even seem to mind being away from home and his moms' presence. This brings a genuine smile to Melissa's face, for her everything seems like a dream and she has the impression that she might wake up without everything she has achieved. After a collection of failed relationships, she has found the woman of her life, motherhood, which had been put aside for many years, has come naturally and a son she never imagined she would have before is now cradled in her arms every night, also giving her wet kisses and the most sincere affection in the world. After all the new world her little family has presented her with, the fruit of their love is growing incredibly fast and giving her new challenges. This is another one of them, to leave him for a few hours longer, to trust the precious life of their bambino in the hands of complete strangers.

"What?" her eyes widen as she turns towards the door and finds her wife's unmistakable face stuck in the glass, staring at the whole scene "Amore mio!" she whispers, waiting for the girl to turn around and finally realize that she is there.

Torturously long seconds pass before their gazes meet, the two of them not knowing exactly how to react, as if they had been caught in the act of committing a crime.

"What the hell are you doing there?" she mimes with lips, pointing in her direction.

"Looking after our son!" Y/N tries to defend herself, reading lips and miming too.

"Did they let you in?" she is outraged, because she had to make up a huge excuse just to get into the garden.

"Of course! I pretended to be a teacher..." she begins to explain and gestures pointing to herself, then to the corridor "And they let me stay here. It's dangerous..."

"I know! Anyone can get in."

They start a short conversation through the windows, even though they can't hear each other, they understand well after years of living together, it's easy to know what they're talking. So entertained, they barely notice that the teachers stare at them in surprise and just wait for them to finish their conversation before intervening, which takes a while. The couple begin to explain detail by detail how they got to where they are and then how LuLu can get sick in the very first week.

"Excuse me!" one of them says loudly, close to a shout, and draws both of their attention to herself, faces flushed with embarrassment "Headmistress's office, now!" the teacher points to the door and snorts, disbelieving what she has just witnessed.

Melissa can't help but roll her eyes and laugh at her wife's frightened expression as she heads towards the office, walking at a quick pace to avoid the woman who is walking behind her at a brisk and irritated pace. Back in her school days, when she used to get into so much trouble that at one point her parents didn't even care, she finds herself in front of a headmistress/principal with arms folded and not knowing what to do. It's a more than unusual situation in her years in the profession, there have been worried parents before, the kind who call repeatedly or send special porridge for fear that their babies won't eat properly, but they've never had one, in this case two at once, keeping an eye on what happens in the daycare and so blatantly.

"Mrs. and Mrs. Schemmenti, would you like to explain to us what you were doing?"

"Well..." the redhead mumbles, unsure exactly how to follow and for the first time stutters when explaining something "I... We, my wife and I... We're first-time moms and we really struggled to have our bambino, although we know you have incredible professionals... Well, I guess that's it, first-time mom panic..."

"And a bit overprotective." Y/N adds, swallowing the lump in her throat "Okay, very overprotective."

"Admitting it is always the first step." the headmistress says wryly and clasps hands together on the desk "But you know the rules here, you signed a contract..."

"We swear it's an isolated situation and will never happen again." the eldest intervenes, feeling guilty, she was the one who was the most negative and full of worries about Luca joining the daycare, if it was entirely her choice she would have kept her family at home and safe "We were just very nervous and worried about him adapting, tesoro can be a bit of a difficult baby to deal with..."

"Stubborn..."

"Clever..."

"And he doesn't know when to stop eating."

"That's true! Remember the time he ate half the parmigiana on my plate? I felt so proud..."

"Your face said everything, it was so beautiful to watch. He's inherited your good appetite, that's for sure."

The headmistress coughs falsely, bringing them back to the subject, letting a smile slip.

"It's hard when it's our turn, isn't it?" she asks rhetorically "We hope that we can have your vote of confidence to look after little Luca. I know it's a new phase of adaptation that can be really hard, both for him and for you, but we really need your cooperation."

"If it'll put your minds at ease, we can send a photo... or photos, we usually register all the activities and share them." the teacher suggests, softening a little "And you know that you can pick him up early, right?"

They nod, feeling even more embarrassed, at the same time good about the understanding they are receiving and the alternatives given.

"Thank you for your patience, we swear this won't happen again." the younger promises, smiling shyly "We'll follow the rules perfectly."

"I'll take your word for it. You're free to go, Mrs. Schemmenti!"

With tails between legs, the couple leave, without the courage to look each other in the eye after the scolding. Guilt gnaws at them too, not for sneaking off to watch LuLu, but for lying, something they never do and hate having to do. Melissa sighs as she approaches the car, bringing a hand up to her wife's, interlacing their fingers and carefully pushing her against the door, face to face.

"I'm feeling like a rebellious teenager." she jokes, tone low, playful smirk not reaching her eyes "How are you?"

"You know I was a good student." Y/N retorts, the fun of their relationship is the differences that only improve the dynamic "Darling, are you really okay?"

"Would it be wrong or annoying for me to say that I'm still worried?" the woman bites her lip and looks away, feeling incredibly vulnerable "Now our little boy is being looked after by someone other than us and I don't have a manual for that..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay, none of this is wrong or annoying, you're very attached and being away like this is a big step to take."

The woman smiles weakly and moves closer, letting herself be enveloped in warm comfortable arms, feeling the sweet perfume, soft hands caressing her back and the voice that calms her in the midst of a hurricane of chaos, so she feels confident and safe for the first time all day, maybe all week.

"Thank you for always understanding and loving me."

"It's nothing more than my duty as your wife, darling." Y/N jokes and kisses her forehead, moving down to place a quick kiss on the lips "You know, I was trying to think of positive sides and what do you think of this one? Three extra hours we have after work, just to..."

"But I want to pick him up the second we leave Abbott." the redhead says back and unlocks the door of the vehicle, opening it for the younger to get in.

"I don't think you understand..."

"Yes, I do, amore mio." and practically pushes her into the passenger seat, kissing the flushed cheeks and barely noticing the confused expression on her face "I wonder if there's a store nearby that sells micro cameras? We could put them in his bag."

Mel gets into the driver's seat and begins to ramble off crazy ideas, which seem more like surveillance strategies than mere maternal concerns. While she pours out these plans, Y/N just shakes her head negatively, holding back a laugh. It's not usual to see Melissa Ann Caterina Schemmenti, the tough and fearless one, shed her posture like this, but when it involves her family and, especially, her son, she turns into a ferocious, somewhat irrational and very emotional lioness. It's a side that rarely emerges and, when it does, is compared to a natural event - beautiful to watch and potentially dangerous.

"Am I thinking too much and overreacting again?" she stops rambling and asks, already knowing the answer.

"Just a little. Come on, once we get to work, I'll make you some tea to calm you down."

"Thank you, Principessa."

"And no running off during class to see LuLu."

"Hypocrite!"

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#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #female reader #abbott elementary x reader #schemmenti family #fluff

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babydin · 1 year

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Love in the Middle of a Firefight - PART THREE

The pregnancy is easy, despite the circumstances. The pregnancy was the easy part, Joel was supportive, he helped out, he ran around like a Retriever whenever you asked him to and Ellie asked a million questions every single day. But when the baby arrives Joel doesn't know if he remembers how to love something so fragile. - Joel Miller x f!reader - 18+, minors DNI! - (3/?) - Joel is dad, Joel is Daddy, paternal postnatal depression, pregnancy sex, oral. Not necessarily in this chapter, but for sure in this series!! Trauma references. Domesticated af. Angsty in places! - 1200 words - Comments/likes appreciated. Requests are open! A/N: Warning? for a cheeky finger bang and Joel being silly. Taglist 💜: @this--is--music @starkleila @finnsbubblegum @daddy-din

Joel assures you that nothing bad is going to happen. You’re starting to think Joel is full of shit.

PART ONE - PART TWO

You didn’t hear Joel come home. You were busy rearranging furniture in the spare bedroom that had once been a study and gradually in the 6 months of your pregnancy had become a nursery with the help of the people of Jackson. They came around with clothes, and toys outgrown, nothing like that ever got thrown away here; if it could be fixed, it was fixed, only if it was beyond repair did anything ever get tossed away but there was always someone who was good at fixing something. You hadn’t seen your toes for a while, Ellie assured you they were still there. Your back was starting to hurt, Joel was pretty good at massages. As you shifted things around, you had on the soundtrack from Dirty Dancing. The movie seemed like a distant memory now, in light of everything it felt like it must’ve been a hundred years ago. Time moves differently in Jackson. You swayed to the beat of Eric Carmen singing about Hungry Eyes, hanging a mobile with plush moons and stars above the crib Joel had built, when suddenly the song changed. You heard Joel’s familiar humming over your shoulder and didn’t bother turning around, “Please don’t fuck with my music.” you ask him. “It’s your favorite.” He says, turning up the volume a little. He skipped ahead to Love Is Strange, your brain scrambles a little as he jumps the song forward then moves to hop up on the dresser. “What are you doing?” you ask, giggling softly. “Sylvia?” You don’t answer but Sylvia does ‘Yes, Mickey?’ Joel puts his hands on the edge of the dresser and leans forward a little way, “How do you call your lover boy?” he cups his good ear and waits for you to answer, you just blush and shake your head and let Sylvia take this one too ‘Come here, lover boy!’ Joel flicks his wrists a little in a ‘what gives?’ kind of way, he knows you’ll crack soon; “And if he doesn’t answer?” Your features drop and you smile through your bashful cheeks and play along with him, “Oh lover boy.” you sing-song to the music, your tone a little more sultry than that on the track. “And if he still doesn’t answer?” he beckoned you closer “I simply say… baby,” you let out a playful giggle as Joel plays the air guitar, “oh baby,” you move closer to him, he continues to strum the imaginary guitar to the beat between your words, “my sweet baby. You’re the one.” Joel slides down off the dresser, his hands immediately cradling your stomach at either side as you both sway a little to the music as it fades away. “You’re the sexiest thing I know,” Joel complimented, smiling down at you with that smile he reserved only for you. You scoff and put a hand on top of his. “I feel like a whale. My back hurts. He’s heavy.” “Oh she is, is she?” Joel teased and you swatted his arm. You had been arguing over the sex of your baby for the last two months, but the fact was neither of you cared so long as they were healthy and safe. “Do you wanna go sit down? Go on and sit down, I’ll bring you some water. Take a rest for a little while.” You put your hand on his chest and steal a kiss from his lips, thinking about how lucky you are to get to see this side of him. You cradle your stomach as you make your way across to the bedroom you shared with Joel, you kick off your slippers - although for some weeks now you haven’t been entirely sure of your own feet because you haven’t seen them, but Joel assures you they’re still there - then you meander over to the bed and perch on the edge of it. It’s an immediate relief to not have the weight of yourself bearing down on your ankles and your legs start to burn, you wonder how much longer you have to endure this but the thought of childbirth scares you. The thought of childbirth without a proper hospital scares you even more. Joel assures you that nothing bad is going to happen. You’re starting to think Joel is full of shit. He comes in, as promised, with a glass of water for you and you thank him quietly. Joel sets it down on the bedside table and sits the pillows up so he can sit up against them, his legs spread and his arms open and he makes a grunting sound that, since knowing him, you have learned means ‘come here’. You shuffle back on the bed and nestle between his legs, his arms fall around you like a rugged scarf as you back presses into his chest; one that smells of sawdust, leather and very faint undertones of gasoline. “What have you been doing today?” you ask him, curious about the gasoline smell more than anything. His hands dig into your hips in the most blissful way, his massaging motions making you close your eyes and sink into him, “I spent most of it helping the Goldbergs with their yard. Their lawn wanted mowing so I did that -” you smile, that explained the gasoline “ - then I built somethin’ to help Mrs. Goldberg get up an’ down better when she’s out tendin’ to her begonias.” “Oh begonias,” you chuckle, “that’s a pretty word to be comin’ out of your mouth Mr. Miller.” “B’gonias.” he repeated, his Southern drawl a little thicker. One of your legs lifts and bends slightly to rest on his, parting your thighs a little as he continues to massage your thighs, moving under your rotund belly. “How have you been feeling today?” he asks, his hands move in a little to massage the joint from the inside, his fingers graze over your pubic bone and unintentionally tug at the muscles in your crotch and you start to feel a tingle that has you subconsciously parting your legs a little more. You wonder if he knows what he’s doing or if it’s accidental. “Pregnant.” you answer on a chuckle, letting your head fall back against his shoulder. Joel kissed your temple, his facial hair tickling just slightly, “The last bit will fly by… They’ll be here before we know it.” One of his hands moved between your thighs and brushed lightly over your sex through the fabric of the leggings and panties you were wearing but quickly wished you weren’t. He buried his face into your neck and kissed it slowly, his lips sucked and his tongue followed to soothe where he had marked. Between your legs, that hand followed a similar massaging pattern as it had shown to your hips, his free hand slipped under your shirt - which was actually Joel’s shirt because none of your own felt comfortable anymore - and his hand found your breast and he cupped it with a delicate touch. He had been so gentle with you since you had fallen pregnant, your body was changing, it was more sensitive than it had ever been and he followed your lead at all times. He listened when you said more, he listened when you told him no. You had never felt so safe.

Hushed moans tumble from your parted lips as he warms up your body for more of him, arousal pools in your underwear and your legs spread even more for him. You push back into him as your thumbs hook into the waistband of your lower garments, you make a quick adjustment of your body and push your hips up using Joel as leverage, and push the clothes down as far as you are able then kick them off the rest of the way before resuming your original position. Joel’s hand is quick to return to your core, a hum vibrates against your ear from him when he feels how wet you are for him. Thick fingers slide between your folds with ease in languid forward and back strokes, each backstroke he catches your clit against the pad of his finger and it coaxes a moan out of you. “Tell me what you want, pretty girl.” he whispers in your ear. You know he doesn’t want dirty talk, he wants consent. He wants to know how far he can take it, because he’s been nothing but attentive to your needs throughout. “This.” you breathe out, “I just want you to play with me like this…” “Can I put my fingers inside you, kitten?” The fact he cares enough to ask turns you on even more. Joel’s protective side is lethal. You consider his question as all coherency slowly leaves your body as he continues his ministrations, then you shake your head softly. “Are y’okay with me touchin’ your breasts like this?” You nod your head gently, “Just don’t squeeze.” Joel kisses your jaw tenderly as a silent sign that his line of questioning is over. You hear his fingers moving over your slick labia and your whole body tingles as he knows just how to make you weak. His digits begin to move in circular motions, he’s hitting every nerve ending you have down there and it has your toes curling and your fingers gripping at his thighs. He kisses your neck again in the same way he did before and your head falls away from him like a ragdoll to give him the room to do so. This is the most relaxed you’ve felt in a while. His fingers move up to concentrate on your throbbing clit, pushing through your delicate folds to expose it from its hood with his index and ring finger spreading you apart, and then rubbing it with his middle finger. He started with slow circles, but he kept one eye on your body and his good ear on the sound of your breathing as it picked up the closer you came to your release. The pace he had set had you teetering on the edge, and it was excruciating, your hips pushed and rolled into his hand in a desperate attempt to get more from him and one of your hands reached back to grab at his hair, “Joel!” you cried out, “Joel please. Please, I need to cum! Please… Please…” he heard your first plea and he increased his pace, his two middle fingers rubbing quickly over the bundle of nerves slick with your arousal. Your moans came in short, sharp bursts on every breath. Suddenly you squeezed your eyes shut and the pressure valve was released and your orgasm finally came to you, coursing through your veins and making you see stars behind your eyelids, your muscles clench around the air, and you moan loudly and chant his name as you pull at his hair.

He allows you the space to come down, and you wait until you’re sure it’s completely passed before you let him go and you melt in his arms, unable to move. Joel brings his fingers up to his lips and sucks them clean before wrapping both his arms around you and peppering kisses over the side of your face. “I hope your son doesn’t judge us too much for the things we do while he’s in utero.” You tease, trying to catch your breath. Joel shakes his head and presses his temple to yours, “I don’t think the brain is developed enough to form memories. And he won’t. Because I have no son. It’s a girl.”

#( love in the middle of a firefight: babydin )#( joel miller: babydin )#joel miller x reader #joel miller x pregnant reader #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel miller fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x you

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mxtxfanatic · 4 months

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Gossip Following the First Siege (and Where They Are Directly Debunked)

1st Lie:

“Rejoice, rejoice! Say, which hero dealt the finishing blow to the Yiling Laozu?”

“Who else could it be? His shidi, Chief Jiang Cheng of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan!

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

Debunked:

“But that’s not what I heard. I thought one of his evil tricks backfired and he was shredded to pieces by those ghosts of his. Some say that they bit and tore at him so viciously that by the end of it, his body was no more than a slurry of flesh and bone dust.”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

“Jiang Cheng, Clan Chief Jiang, brought people to encircle and besiege the Burial Mounds. He killed you, sir.”

“I have to clarify this. He didn’t kill me. I died because one of my techniques backfired.”

–Chapt. 43: Beauty I, fanyiyi

2nd Lie:

“Exactly! He thoroughly deserved it! If the Jiang Clan hadn’t taken him in and raised him, that Wei Ying would have spent his whole life as a worthless vagrant. What else is there to say? The old Chief Jiang raised him like his own son, yet he betrayed them and made an enemy of everyone. Not only did he humiliate the Jiang Sect, he killed nearly all of the Jiang Clan! He’s the definition of an ungrateful, treacherous bastard!”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

Debunked:

Wei Wuxian was the son of a servant of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, Wei Changze, and a wandering cultivator, Cangse Sanren. Jiang Fengmian and his wife were both close acquaintances of his mother and father, but Jiang Fengmian had never reminisced about his old friend in front of Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Fengmian’s wife, Yu Ziyuan, had never been interested in having a conversation with him at all. If she didn’t whip him a few times and tell him to get out, kneel at the ancestral shrine, and keep far away from Jiang Cheng, he already considered that pretty good.

–Chapt. 29: Morning Dew II, fanyiyi

Jiang Fengmian nodded, “Well done.”

[Wei Wuxian] was able to kill a four-hundred-year-old beast at the mere age of seventeen. It was much more than a ‘well-done’.

–Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

Jiang FengMian stared into his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out. Only after pausing in the air did he finally touch Jiang Cheng’s head, slowly, “A-Cheng, be well.”

Wei WuXian, “Uncle Jiang, if anything happens to you, he won’t be well.”

Jiang FengMian turned his eyes to him, “A-Ying, A-Cheng... you must look after him.” ... In his heart, Jiang Cheng knew clearly that back in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter at Dusk-Creek Mountain, even if Wei WuXian hadn’t saved Lan WangJi, the Wen Sect would have found some reason to come over sooner or later. But he had always felt that, if the whole thing with Wei WuXian didn’t happen, maybe it wouldn’t have been so soon, maybe there would’ve been some way to turn things around.

—Chapt. 58: Poisons, exr

3rd Lie:

“Not only that, Jiang Cheng tolerated that arrogant, up-jumped servant for ages... Even if you grew up with them and loved them like a brother, you can’t show people like him any mercy. ”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

Debunked:

Chapter 13: Elegance III – Chapter 18: Elegance VIII, fanyiyi (no I will NOT be writing down every instance of storm cloud Jiang Cheng appearing to darken Wei Wuxian’s mood in the Cloud Recesses arc. Too many quotes; you gotta read it yourself)

Gradually, [Wei Wuxian] grew deathly frightened of all manner of dogs, big or small, and had endured no small amount of Jiang Cheng’s mockery for it.

–Chapt. 20: Sunshine II, fanyiyi

Not a single lenient or merciful word left Jiang Cheng’s mouth if he could help it, nor was he ever willing to offer charity and kindness.

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

4th Lie:

“...Don’t you remember when he annihilated more than 3,000 high level cultivators?”

“Wasn’t it 5,000?”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

Debunked: here

5th Lie:

“It just goes to show that cultivators have to stay on the proper path. Taking up demonic cultivation, ‘free spirit,’ pah! Sounds to me like he was arrogant and egomaniacal. Heh, and what was the result?”...

...“But it wasn’t only demonic cultivation that killed him. At the end of the day, it was also his horrible personality and rotten character...”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

Debunked:

“Aye, this Wei Wuxian...back in the day he was a promising cultivator from a good background, and not without high merits. When he was young—what a glorious, free spirit! ...”

–Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

In [Wei Wuxian’s] previous life, because he couldn’t let people chatter on about how he hadn’t been brought up properly, there were certain limits on how far he could take his mischief.

–Chapt. 3: Feral II, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian had always considered himself protective and caring of women, so seeing her state, he moved to create space for her and went to bother the donkey.

–Chapt. 6: Pride I, fanyiyi

Even if the Yiling Laozu’s reputation was bad, people had to admit that prior to Wei Wuxian’s defection from the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, he had been famous far and wide for being a gorgeous man, cultured, sophisticated, and proficient in all the arts of a gentleman. Among the young masters of all the clans of cultivation, his appearance and personality were considered the fourth best, and he was described as “bright, clever, and full of life”...

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

#human reads mdzs: take 2 #don’t know why i never posted this

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esthermika · 8 months

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So as part of a deal with @cheriepleasantries I promised that if she posted about hacking I would post about some advanced Celeste movement tech. She did, so here's that post.

Minor spoilers for Celeste here. Nothing about the story will be discussed but I will go over some more complex movement from chapters 8 (specifically the C Side) and 9 (Farewell) which are technically optional content.

Also I used a screenshot from AverageImposter's amazing Mechanics YOU Need to Speedrun Celeste (Beginner's Guide) video. Check him out if you are serious about speedrunning this game, his videos are some of the best on this subject! Also the Celeste fandom wiki is great resource to check out as well!

Basics of Celeste

Celeste is a precision platformer where you control Madeline over a series of 9 chapters in a journey of self-discovery, anxiety attacks, pink hair and a lot of strawberries.

Madeline is your typical platformer protagonist. She can jump and climb walls, but she also has a special ability to dash in all 8 directions, regardless of whether she's in the air or on the ground.

These are your basic movement options and are the foundational building blocks for more advanced techniques. In this particular post we will take an in-depth look at how exactly dashes work, down to the frames.

The Stuff You Learn Normally

Now let's get into the good stuff. Specifically hypers and wavedashes. You learn about these in chapter 8 The Core's C Side and in chapter 9 Farewell.

Hypers

Hypers (also called hyper dashes) are introduced at the beginning of chapter 9's C-Side and are preformed by dashing down-diagonally while on the ground and pressing jump soon after. This technique gives you the vertical momentum of the jump and the horizontal momentum of the dash at the cost of consuming your dash. On top of all that Madeline gets a 1.25x speed boost when she hypers.

Hypers are super useful for moving horizontal distances quickly and crossing gaps efficiently.

There's also supers (aka super dashes) which are the exact same concept as a hyper (dash + jump) but you instead dash horizontally instead of down-diagonally. This gives you less distance, but earns you more height.

Wavedashes

So remember hypers? You should, you literally just read about them. I'm concerned for you. Well here is a very similar technique. Introducing wavedashes!!!! The game straight up has a pointpoint explaining this so here:

Now you might notice that this very similar to a hyper! It's just done in mid air. Why is that important? Well, it let's you regain your dash. (notice the red hair meaning Madeline can still dash)

THIS IS A MASSIVE DEAL!!!

This essentially gives you 2 dashes and let's go super fast! Crucial technique for speedrunners.

The game also explains why you can't seem to do it. The actual explanation is more complex than this... but we'll get into that later on...

And that's basically it... or rather it would be... if we played by the rules >:3.

Extending On What We've Learned

Now we are getting into the stuff the game doesn't teach you. We've officially entered the world of dark Celeste speed tech. I promise it's not as intimidating as it seems ;p

So you know how hypers/supers don't give Madeline her dash back? Well... what if they did?

Extending hypers and supers

Back when we learned about wavedashes, I said the reason you got your dash back is because the wavedash is preformed midair while hypers/supers are done on the ground. I lied. That's not the real reason why. To understand what is really happening we need to delve deeper into how Madeline's dash really works.

Here's a quote from the developers:

The way it works is pretty straightforward. When you hit the dash button, she flips into a separate ‘dash’ state. A timer is set, her hair turns blue, and she’s given a set velocity in the direction you were holding when you hit the button. The timer then starts counting. For .15 seconds you have no control over Madeline, but then the game gradually gives control back while also decreasing her velocity until you have full control again and her normal state is reinstated. It’s all over in well under a second.

Let's break this down. They mention a timer is set when Madeline dashes. This timer has several functions but the most important one is that it prevents you from regaining your dash if less then 5 frames have passed since it started. 5 frames is about 0.08 seconds since Celeste runs at a constant 60 fps. This is the real reason hypers/supers don't give you your dash back but wavedashes do! We'll comeback to this in a bit.

Next they mention that you don't have control of Madeline for .15 seconds after dashing. This is only half true. You don't have control over her movement, but you can still jump and grab! If you jump mid dash, you perform a hyper/super and Madeline's dash ends immediately. This is also the time period when she's unaffected by gravity. The rest of the information is all correct and unambiguous.

But wait! The only thing preventing us from getting our dash back after a hyper/super is a timer? Can't we just wait it out?

Yes we can!

This is called an extended hyper. It's called "extended" because we have to wait out the 5 frame timer before pressing jump. The same concept also applies to supers, in this case called extended supers!

This is, mechanically speaking, the same exact thing as a wavedash!

Some extra notes on extending hypers/supers:

The jump can be performed at any point after the 5 frame timer expires and before the dash ends (a dash ends around when Madeline starts getting affected by gravity again).

You can use coyote time (a small time frame after Madeline leaves the ground when she can still jump) to extend hypers/supers! Just make sure to still be on the ground for the 5 frames!

An extended hyper/super can also be performed by touching the ground mid dash or even in mid air (like a wavedash!)

Extending hypers/supers let's you chain them together. So you can extended hyper into another extended hyper! Just like with wave dashes!

Again wavedashes are just fancy extended hypers!

Also did you notice the pun in this section's title? :3

Phew! That was a lot! Feel free to take a break because we are about the get into the weird stuff!

Bunny Hop Hypers and Cornerboosts

We are in the final stretch don't worry! I know those words sound scary but it's ok. I'll hold your hand so you don't feel afraid :)

Bunny Hop Hypers

So to explain bunny hop hypers we need to learn to bunny hop first. It's a term you probably heard before from other games, but in Celeste it simply means 'jumping as soon as possible and for as short of a time as possible' usually being a 1-frame jump, where you press the jump button then release it on the next frame.

Why is this useful? So, remember how dashes start out really fast and get slower as the dash comes to an end? Well, jumps preserve some of Madeline's horizontal momentum. Letting us keep top-hyper speeds for longer! This is important because normally when you extended hyper you only get hyper speed after you jump. With a bunny hop hyper, you get hyper speed the entire time!

Now let's finally see a bunny hop hyper in action:

See that wasn't so bad!

All joking aside, if you are having trouble replicating the tricks I discuss, don't worry! This stuff will just get better with practice! A few months ago I couldn't do bunny hop hypers and now I can manage them pretty consistently. It's all about practice and determination!

Before moving on, I wanna say that bunny hop hypers are rare in Celeste speedrunning, at least not as common as extended hypers. They require a lot of specific conditions to be optimal, where as extended hypers can be done just about anywhere! You'll most often see bunny hop hypers in mods rather than normal gameplay.

Now, on to the last trick I wanna show off!

Cornerboosts

This one is a doozy and also the only grab related trick I'll discuss here. Maybe in the future I can talk about overclocking and neutral climb jumps :3

So what's a corner boost? It's a super difficult way to either build up speed or skip entire sections of gameplay of course :D and unlike bunny hop hypers, cornerboosts are used all over speedrunning! So you better get used to them :)

Explaining how exactly they work is difficult and this post is long enough as is, so let's just see how to perform one:

The most important part here is step 1. Madeline needs to be at a very precise position vertically relative to the wall for this trick to work. Try aiming for Madeline's chin to match the top of the wall. Also you might notice the green bar. That's Madeline's stamina (the stuff you consume when climbing). I'm using a mod to demonstrate that doing this trick costs some stamina.

Cornerboosts don't have to be preformed with a horizontal dash, they can also be done with diagonal dashes, but the timing is more strict.

As I said cornerboosts are used all over the speedrun, both to build up a lot of speed in combination with other tech and to skip certain sections. If you wanna see the real power cornerboosts can provide, check out this video of the last checkpoint in chapter 2 and try to count how many cornerboosts are performed. Good luck ;3

Putting All That Into Practice

So. That was a lot. But I have one small challenge for you left. Watch the following clip and try to figure out which strategies where used.

Pause and rewind as many times as needed before reading the next section. Try and play along ok ;p

no cheating >:(

Did you guess: bunny hop hyper into an up-diagonal dash into a cornerboost? If so then you're a massive nerd and I love you!

By the way, this is the (to my knowledge) fastest strat to clear this room in chapter 1.

Hope you had fun reading all that and that you ended up learning something :) If anything is unclear then just read it again cause I don't make mistakes.

If this gets me the attention I so desperately crave I might do another one of these things! No promises tho ;3

Also have strawb for reading all that <3

#mika's thought cabin #celeste #celeste speedrunning #celeste game

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echo-goes-mmm · 8 months

Text

Ambrose and Elliot #4

Masterpost

Warnings: none

Ambrose gathered up the breakfast dishes. There was still some left from last night, but nothing unmanageable. Technically the inn was always open, but he didn’t open the kitchen until the late afternoon. He was nearly to the sink when Elliot suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision. Ambrose very carefully did not jump. Elliot trailed a step behind and to his right like a shadow.

Ambrose decided not to comment. He filled the left side of the sink with hot soapy water and the right with unheated. Elliot watched him turn the taps with rapt attention. He began to scrub the dishes. Without a word, Elliot began to dry the plates and cups after the rinse.

Ambrose gnawed on the inside of his cheek. If Elliot wanted to help, he wouldn't begrudge him that. But was it a desire to be useful, or a fear of what would happen if he weren’t? Elliot just… seemed terrified of Ambrose. He was so pale and jittery.

“You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to.” He blurted, halfway through the chore. Elliot jumped at the sudden sound. But he didn’t look up from the mug he was drying.

“I, um. Would like to. Sir,” Elliot stumbled.

“You don't have to call me Sir,” Ambrose reminded him. “It’s alright, I promise.”

Elliot paused. Ambrose could practically see the gears turning. Elliot looked at him from the corner of his eye. He looked like a rabbit trying to gauge if he should run or not.

“I can’t stop. It just happens and I... I have to.”

“Okay. I won’t push. If you feel the need, that’s alright with me.”

Elliot looked back at the sink, tense. Resignation came off him in waves. Gods, he looked so tired. As if he were a world-worn elder instead of the young 20-something that Ambrose estimated him to be. If Ambrose’s gut was correct (and in his experience it usually was), somebody made Elliot this way. On purpose.

Elliot nodded in relief. He reached for another dish to wipe.

The weather was still hot from summer, but the nights were gradually cooling off. There would be a nip in the air soon enough. Fall meant that every spare moment would be dedicated to chopping wood to prepare for winter. Ambrose already had a sizable pile, made up of leftover wood and summer axework. But now every moment counted. Ambrose hated cold weather. The lack of overnight guests didn’t cut down on Ambrose’s wood usage. He liked having a toasty bedroom too much for that.

Elliot wasn’t strong enough to swing an ax, but he could carry (very small) loads of logs and kindling to the shed. The indoor andirons had already been filled to capacity. It was… nice to work with Elliot. Although, he did have to keep Elliot from pushing too hard. Elliot looked baffled at the notion, but obeyed. It did make Ambrose a little nauseous to see his instant submission, but surely they could work on Elliot’s habits.

Soon enough the growing heat of the day made them stop. Ambrose was rather nervous to keep going in this weather. Elliot’s cloak was thin and ragged, but his refusal to take it off would give him sunsickness. Another issue to tackle later.

“Thank you for helping me with the chores.” Ambrose poured them both some water.

Elliot peered up at him, his blue eyes wide and confused.

“You did a great job,” Ambrose emphasized. “It was a big help.”

Elliot ducked his head and took a sip of water. “Thank you, Sir,” he said, soft as feathers.

The barest hint of a smile appeared on Elliot’s lips.

Ah. Shit. thought Ambrose, I want to keep him.

taglist: @cupcakes-and-pain @secretwhumplair @paintedpigeon1

#whump #my writing #Ambrose and Elliot #slavery whump

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anashins · 1 year

Note

hello mina!!! can i request a taeyong x reader fic where it took a long time (maybe about a year) to say what they feel towards each other? and that's because johnny had enough of them not confessing their feelings!

Pairing: Taeyong x Reader

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: When you find out that your best friend Taeyong has a date, you take matters into your own hands and try to sabotage it.

A/N: Inspired by this TikTok. I hope you like it 💖

“Where is Taeyong?” you asked, looking around in the room. “Is he not coming today?”

Someone inhaled sharply and when your head shifted aside to Mark on the couch, he quickly looked away just like everyone else. You caught Yuta shooting worried glances at Johnny though who suddenly found the wall especially interesting.

“You guys have something to tell me?” You folded your arms in front of your chest. “Johnny? You? Taeyong wouldn’t leave out a day of snacks and playing video games. So where is he? He’s not responding to my messages either.” Now, everyone was staring at Johnny and you slowly grew impatient over their secretive attitude. “John-”

“Okay, okay!” He put his hands flat in the air as though to either defend or protect himself. You were sure you’d find out soon. “I didn’t want to be the one telling you this though.”

You frowned, sensing the air gradually growing thicker. “Tell me what?”

“He’s out on a date today,” Johnny finally admitted. “That’s why he’s not coming.”

“Oh.” You tried to bite down the sinking feeling in the pits of your stomach and flopped down on the couch next to Mark while joking, “Cool. Thought he’d never get one. Maybe he’s not such a loser after all, am I right? Switch on the game, Johnny, we can finally start.”

But nobody dared to move or to even make a single sound until Mark risked it as the first one. “Are you truly okay with it?”

“With what?” Your poor attempts to play it cool didn’t pass by your friends so easily though.

“With him going on a date,” Johnny meddled again. “I mean, after all, you’re in l-”

“I’m no such thing!” you nagged. “We’re only best friends, okay?”

“That’s not what you confessed to us drunkenly one time when Taeyong was not here,” Yuta called you out and mimicked your voice, “What happened to ‘I’ve been in love with him for almost a year already, Johnny! But I don’t want to ruin our friendship since I don’t know what he’s thinking about me’? Only to have us tell you that he-”

“I already told you all to erase your memories from that night,” you hissed. “No such thing happened!”

“Well, okay.” Johnny shrugged. “If you say so, then let’s start playing.”

And you did. At least in the beginning.

When you lost for the nth time that day though, despite you usually being one of the best all while looking at your phone every few seconds in hopes to find a message from your best friend, you couldn’t deny anymore that Taeyong going on a date bothered you very much. More than you wanted to admit to your friends, let alone yourself.

With every passing minute, you wondered what he was currently doing with the girl, when the date would finally end or wished it was so awful that he’d cut it short so that he would come back and spend time with you.

“The café across the mall,” Johnny suddenly said when you were too absent to follow the game again.

“Huh?” You faced him, absolutely confused.

“The café across the mall,” he repeated with a grin. “That’s where they’re going to meet in a few.”

You jumped up from the couch, earning encouraging smiles from all of your friends. “I have to go.” But you quickly corrected it to, “Home, I mean. I forgot I actually had something to do there.”

“Sure you have.”

____

“Don’t go inside, you idiot!”

“Excuse me?”

When the guy who coincidentally had the same hair color and style as your best friend spun around, you took a step back, totally embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else!”

He shook his head and then walked into the cafe, leaving you behind in wonder what the hell you were even doing there in the first place. You hadn’t spotted Taeyong from the outside, but you also didn’t want to enter in case you had no excuse for interrupting them. And now that rationality settled, you suddenly felt like a clown.

“Going around, calling other people idiots. I knew this was you.” A familiar presence had walked up to you that you only noticed now. Taeyong leaned in and looked through the window into the café you were standing in front of. “So, what are we doing here? Who are we spying on?”

You blinked in confusion. “Wait, you weren’t inside this whole time?”

“What was I supposed to do inside there all by myself?” He raised his brows. “Didn’t Johnny tell you that my phone broke and I just went to get it repaired in that shop over there?” Taeyong nodded to a location right next to the café. “That was why I was supposed to come later today. Luckily, they were finished by now.”

“So you didn’t go out on a date with a girl… in this café?” you asked, even more puzzled than prior to his appearance, but before you were able to realize what you had blurted out, you already met your best friend’s questioning expression.

“I didn’t,” he spoke slowly.

The tension that grew in the silence between the two of you made you want to get buried in the grounds right there and then. Damn that Johnny.

“Well,” you began, brushing everything off. “Nice to know. I have to go home now. See you around.”

But before you could run away with a heated head, Taeyong held you back by your elbow. “What did you mean by that?”

You stopped in your tracks, facing him with your back so that he couldn’t see how flustered you were by now. “By… what?” You weren’t prepared for this kind of conversation, at all.

“That I shouldn’t go inside.”

“You must have misheard.”

“I didn’t.”

The pressure that weighed down your shoulders and that you had been carrying around for so many months now had suddenly grown unbearable. You had known all along that this point was about to come sooner or later, and a year had already been pretty generous enough in your book.

Perhaps, there was nothing to salvage anymore except for your heart that didn’t need to suffer any longer, no matter the outcome. Not much longer and it would have gotten entirely crushed anyway, together with every single piece of your soul that was still intact.

You shook Taeyong’s hand off your arm and turned around to him. This was the real you, not pretending anymore. You looked him directly in the eyes, as you said, “I can’t do this anymore.”

“...Do what?”

“Pretend you’re just my friend. I think about you every day, all the time.” And, hoping that this would still be able to have a happy ending for you after all, you asked in the same breath, “And you? Do you even think about me?”

His mien was’t easy for you to read, but his silence spoke more than words anyway. Tears threatened to spill from behind your eyes when you slowly nodded, wanting to say something witty back, but no words came out.

You already motioned away from him, preparing to run as far away as possible, when you suddenly felt his warm palms cupping your cheeks, and as you looked into his eyes, there was an expression you had never encountered before.

A loving smile tugged on the corners of Taeyong’s lips, but you didn’t see it spread entirely anymore as he came with his face close to yours and just whispered,

“All the time,”

before he kissed you.

#taeyong #lee taeyong #taeyong imagines #taeyong scenarios #taeyong x you #taeyong x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct x you #nct x reader #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop x you #kpop x reader #requests

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dualityvn · 1 year

Note

out of spite I will ask for a Tenebris fluff prompt, he deserves it and knowing there isn't one hurts me ~🎶

A Storm (GN!MC x Tenebris)

"There's going to be a storm tonight," you say absent mindedly as you stare at the weather forecast on your phone.

"Uh, for fuck's sake." Tenebris doesn't sound particularly thrilled by the news.

"Did you have plans to go outside?"

"No... I'll just..."

Tenebris' features start to shrink until Keith blinks in surprise at bring thrown into control all of a sudden. You look back at him with the same amount of confusion.

"Did something happen?" he asks.

"I just said there'd be a storm tonight."

"Ah. That's why then. He's not a fan of them. Don't worry, it wasn't anything you said."

With that reassurance from Keith, you spend the rest of the evening with him. But you also take note of this new fact you've learned about Tenebris.

Your nonhuman boyfriend doesn't show up again. You go to sleep with Keith at your side. By then, the thunders can already be heard approaching in the distance. Sleep overtakes you before the rain reaches your window.

Someone shakes you awake. The room is still dark and droplets make loud tapping sounds against the window. Occasionally, thunder roars menacingly. You turn over and look up at the person who woke you up. You can't yet tell which of the two it is.

"What...?" you mumble sleepily.

"Keith won't wake up and switch with me." It's Tenebris' voice.

You rub your eyes, trying to get your half asleep brain to process information. "Why are you trying to switch? It's the middle of the night."

"I don't wanna be here now. At least not alone! Don't go back to sleep."

The urgency in his voice forces away your drowsiness. You've never heard him like this before, his voice cracking and quivering. His grip on your arm is firm, like he's worried you'll run off.

"Are you scared?" you ask.

He doesn't answer.

The thunder is even louder now. You feel Tenebris jump before he quickly presses himself against you. His heart is going a hundred miles per hour. You can feel it beating as his chest presses against your arm.

You take a moment to adjust your position and then pull him closer. "It's okay. I'm here." Your fingers find the side of his face. They carress it for a moment before diving into his locks. "Do you wanna go to the kitchen and make some hot chocolate? Or maybe play a game?"

He shakes his head. "Don't let go."

"I won't. I'll stay with you until it's over."

The air he lets out as he sighs tickles your neck. Lightning strikes and soon after, the thunder follows, louder. He jumps again, his grip tightens.

"I hate this," he mumbles.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've stayed up with you if I knew you were scared."

"Usually, if I switch with Keith, I don't have to deal with it. And... I didn't want you to see me like this either."

You begin to rub circles against his back. His shoulders relax a little. When thunder strikes this time, he tenses up again, but doesn't jump.

"It's okay to not act tough all the time. I won't think less of you if you do."

"Even when it's over something dumb like a storm?"

"Yes."

He nuzzles into you. "You'd better not be lying."

The two of you continue talking. You change the topic to something light-hearted. Tenebris gets caught up in it, as you'd hoped. Gradually, you feel his heartbeat slow down against your chest. He becomes less and less tense. By the time the storm is nearing its end, he's asleep again.

You begin to drift off yourself, still holding him tight against you. But not before you hear him mumble in his sleep. Something that sounds like "Thank you."

#duality game #yandere #dating sim #visual novel #duality tenebris #duality drabble

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turner-strait · 1 year

Text

this accidentally turned into a mini-fic so there's a readmore lol

Alright, peppinises I have something for consideration

Peppino enters the WAR level, fully knowing that it's going to fuck with him. like it's CLEARLY a last resort kind of deal. But he goes in, ready to take things on-- and oh god he has to speed through the whole thing. Okay, face doesn't falter, can't let your enemy show that you're weak; so he hurdles on, saving toppins and busting through walls and shooting through obstacles

He entered it relatively fine. Upon seeing the door, he knew it was supposed to fuck with him. So he decided that it wouldn't fuck with him.

Except it did. As soon as he makes it out of there, toppins and Gerome in hand, he completely breaks down. Not immediately, but gradually. Once it's all over, and everyone is saved (including the treasure), it all crashes down on him. How fucked up this was. How his experience was used against him. Weaponized against him, even. To make him weaker.

He leans against the wall next to the entrance, staring off into space, barely noticing the tears that keep falling. He blinks them away but other than that, doesn't care about it. The toppins huddle up to him like the critters they are, but are surprised that he doesn't react. Even Gerome, who's technically done this with him dozens of times by now, can't seem to get through to him. So he just sits by him, hoping that his presence (as well as the toppins') is at least some sort of distant relief

Later, some bouncy noises are heard, and for a moment Gerome fears for the worst. But it's just Brick, and Gustavo in tow. The two seem unsure for a moment, but then spot Peppino, still in a complete breakdown; Gustavo is quick to go over and plant himself in front of the man.

Gustavo, recognizing what is happening, gently takes one of Peppino's hands in his own. He doesn't pry it away from where Peppino is cowering, but takes it in any case, giving it a gentle squeeze.

At the motion, Peppino jerks and gasps, momentarily terrified of the touch. But even through his traumatized, muddled mind, he recognizes Gustavo. He gasps again for a moment, and then looks around. His mind is spinning; he was just back in the war, why is he in a corridor with his friends??

Gustavo brushes his thumb over his hand, and Peppino jerks and gasps again, shocked by the gesture. But what he sees is just Gustavo, smiling at him, gently squeezing and rubbing his hand.

Peppino is suddenly aware of something by his side, and almost jumps in terror, but recognizes Gerome's (literal) frame next to him. The janitor is looking up at him with concern, which melts away as Peppino pats his head.

Suddenly, bugs are crawling all over him, and he's terrified again. He's about to scream, but a little squeeze from Gustavo has him looking at the shorter man. "It's okay, Pino. It's the toppins. You saved them. You did a fantastic job."

At that, Peppino darts his eyes around, and sure enough, the bugs were in fact the toppins he had so desperately wanted to save. They're all resting on his legs or have climbed on his chest or shoulders, and he sees now that they all look just as concerned as Gerome did. And Gustavo. And Brick, for that matter.

With a choked sob, Peppino practically crushes Gustavo against himself. He holds onto the other man with dear life, fully allowing his formally restrained feelings to burst. Gustavo, shocked at first, accepts the embrace, and returns it with all his heart. Even going so far as to nuzzle Peppino, if it makes him feel better.

Seeing this, Gerome can't help but join in, and sits down by Peppino's side, placing a firm hand on his leg to let him know he's there and that things are alright.

As Peppino cries, the toppins merge again, now brave enough to realize that he knows who they are. So they plant themselves wherever they want to be; it doesn't matter, as long as Peppino is comforted.

And for now, he is.

#pizza tower #peppino spaghetti #gerome pizza tower #gustavo pizza tower #pepstavo #pizza tower toppins #anyway have i mentioned that i have a fuckton of feelings about WAR and all its implications #my fics

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farfromstrange · 9 months

Text

Chaos Theory | Michael Kinsella x Reader

Chapter 19: My Castle’s Crumbling Down

Masterlist ° Chapter List

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Reader (she/her)

Summary: You meet some of Michael's family, and Birdy pries a little too much for your liking.

Warnings: ANGST, nightmare (includes gun violence and death), smoking, drinking

Word Count: ~5k

A/n: I have a few more chapters in store, but I don't want to overwhelm you. The angst is going to continue for quite a while now, but we have some hurt/comfort and a little bit of spice in the next chapter.

Your sleep is restless. You fall asleep in his arms and it goes well for a while, but the dark void soon starts to twist.

Fog clouds your mind. The air thickens. You shift on the mattress, but your mind is somewhere else entirely. The second you slip out of Michael's embrace, your thoughts turn dark and the demons start to use the blank canvas to start their evil plot.

You find yourself in the parking lot of a gym, or what you believe the parking lot of a gym would look like, and the scenery confuses you. You can't think further than what is in front of you. Each step you take echoes in the eerie silence.

A voice calls out your name. You turn around, and there he stands. You pushed all thoughts about him away for years, and now he's right in front of you again.

You conditioned yourself to have nightmares about everything but him. It took a long time, but your mind managed to morph different traumatic events into something else so you could forget his face. Of course, you would always remember it, but you tried not to do it consciously. You kept it all bottled up. Now that you recalled what happened, your subconscious has all the leeway to transform your thoughts into dreams.

His voice sends chills down your spine. “I warned you, didn't I?” he says. “I told you to stay away from her. But you never listen, do you?”

You try to back away, but your legs refuse to move. He's standing right there, and Maya is there, hiding behind him, but she's so much younger. She's just a child and you're an adult, and you wonder what you did wrong to end up here. You have nowhere to go.

Panic rises within you as you realize you're trapped, caught in the clutches of your darkest memories. Your heart pounds in your ears as it races against an invisible clock.

“You thought you could escape me?” he says, his lip curling up into a bitter smile. “I'll make sure you never leave. Just like your mother.”

His threat makes your blood run cold but boil at the same time. You're sweating, yet freezing deep inside. Your head gets dizzy and you want nothing more than to throw up.

Tears well up in your eyes as you fight to maintain composure. He's not supposed to have control over you anymore.

“No,” you whisper. “This is...this is a dream,” you try to tell yourself. Your eyes squeeze shut, but you just won't wake up. “You can't hurt me anymore. I won't let you.”

Nightmares are cruel. Whenever you're asleep and your subconscious draws up a dream, whether it's bad or good, it can change the setting and the plot in a matter of seconds. You're not prepared for what’s to come. The sky darkens, all lights go out and you hear the clicking of a gun. You hold your breath.

Footsteps sound from a distance and come closer, gradually, with every step. You turn toward the sound, your lips parting in a silent scream.

Michael steps out of the dark; you recognize his brown hair and those beautiful eyes you fell in love with the first time you looked into them. You recognize his outfit and the way he carries himself, and the protective nature of his voice fills the air as he tells you to get out of the way. But it's too late.

The sound of gunfire fills the air. You scream again, but no sound comes out. Michael jumps in front of you, even though it looks like slow motion. He's right before you when the shots ring out and the bullets hit him like a stable wall. You scream his name, but he doesn't hear you because the sound just won't come out.

He falls to the ground. You're quick to get on your knees next to him, his fragile body now covered in blood and torn to shreds by the lead your father pumped into him. When you look up, he's gone. It's only you and Michael in that abandoned parking lot, and the lights come back on so you can see just what you caused.

“I’m sorry...I tried to protect ya...but I couldn't,” he chokes out.

The words cut through your soul. You can taste blood on your tongue from where you bit your lip. Your heart is bleeding into your chest. You reach out for him, but he disappears when you touch him.

“No!” you whisper. “Michael, please... Don't leave me.”

But your pleas fall on deaf ears as darkness engulfs you, swallowing Michael from sight. Your heart shatters into a million pieces.

“No!” you cry again, but it's too late.

You wake up in a cold sweat. Your heart pounds in your chest. The room spins for a little while until you’ve grown accustomed to the lack of light and realize you’re no longer in the parking lot you dreamt about. Instead, you’re lying in a soft bed, covered by a blanket and an arm draped over your waist.

Reaching out to your right, you search for Michael. His body is there and he feels warm, not cold.

Carefully, you inspect his body, your hands tracing over his arms and chest. There are no scars or unseen wounds. His chest rises and falls. He's alive.

Your touch and the sudden movement slowly stirs him back to consciousness. His eyes flutter open. He blinks, taking in his surroundings before his confused gaze falls on you.

He rubs his eyes. “Wha's wrong?” he asks. “Everythin' alright?”

Your heart aches. You quickly shake your head, not wanting him to worry. He's not fully awake yet and needs his rest, so if you tell him the truth, he will wake up fully and won't go back to sleep. You don't want that to happen. He has been through enough.

You reach out to brush the hair out of his face. “It's nothing,” you reassure him. “Go back to sleep, darling. I'm alright.”

His sleepy eyes search your face for a moment, and a drowsy smile forms on his lips. The second his head hits the pillow again, he's back asleep. His breathing steadies.

With a kiss on his forehead, you silently slip out of bed. You can’t stay in bed any longer. The tears have started welling up in your eyes, but you can’t cry, not in this room, not with him asleep next to you.

The fear that kept you locked in your nightmare falls off your shoulders, but instead of relief, all you can feel is pain and dread, and your father’s face moves back to the forefront of your mind. You try to tune him out, his evil smile, his empty eyes, and the sound of his voice, but it won't stop. The hole in your heart grows. He keeps stabbing the knife deeper into your already bleeding wounds, repeating the same motion in a way that won’t kill but paralyze you and force you to face him no matter what you do, and you feel the air in your lungs starting to dissipate.

You tear the blankets off your body, get out of bed as quietly as you can, and make your way out of the bedroom. You remember the steps you need to take back downstairs. Michael’s house isn’t big, but you’re not in your right mind and you have to be careful where you walk.

The stairs creak. You make your way downstairs as fast as your feet can carry you. The sliding door to the backyard is closed, but you unlock it with ease. The cold night air hits you right in the face, and the change in sensation snaps you out of whatever panicked state you were in. The breath returns to your lungs in its rawest form of oxygen and it hurts a little, but at least you managed to steer off the panic attack.

Part of the sky is still dark, but it’s starting to lighten up in the east. You haven’t checked the time, so you simply assume that it must be around six in the morning already.

Whenever you have an early shift, you stay at your kitchen window and watch the sunrise, which is how you know when the sun rises in Dublin every month. In summer, it rises pretty early, and then in winter, it rises later in the morning. Most of the time, the sunrise is a simple change in light and the morning is greeted by dark clouds and rain, but it’s not much different for London. You love Ireland; at least here, you’re safe. Or so you thought. You don’t feel so safe anymore, and it makes your heart race in your chest as if it’s about to run a marathon.

You wipe a stray tear. It’s frustrating. You talked to Michael, you told him everything and he told you he would protect you. You know you aren’t alone and yet you feel like you are. You feel so alone, so trapped in your own mind, and it ties a knot around your stomach. You have been alone for so long, accepting help turns out to be harder than you thought it would be, and it doesn’t immediately start getting better. It’s a process, you realize, but you don’t have the mental capacity for this.

You want to scream, but the houses on Michael’s street are pretty close together and you’re surrounded by his family–waking any of them up feels like it would be a death sentence.

Your breath forms a faint cloud of condensation in the air and you watch the wind carry it away. Then, the scent of nicotine meets your nose. You know it all too well. You remember the taste that forms on your tongue. Turning your head to your right, you search for the source of the smoke. It doesn’t take long for you to catch the boy–he can’t be older than sixteen–in the neighboring backyard leaning against the fence, nurturing a cigarette.

When he catches you watching him, he tries to hide what’s in his hands, but he’s already been caught. He turns away, screwing the bottle of liquor you only now catch in his hands shut.

You chuckle softly, taking a step forward. “I’m not gonna snitch on you,” you say. Your voice is still thick from the few tears you shed, but you put on a smile for him.

He looks terrified. Stepping closer, you notice the red in his eyes. You don’t know how many members belong to Michael’s family, who lives where, or who has how many children. You’ve met Amanda, you learned about Jimmy and Birdy and now you know about Jamie, but that’s all. The dynamic seems a bit more complicated than it would seem at first glance, and you didn’t bother studying up on everyone before rushing to Michael’s aid. You love him, not his family.

The boy keeps his back turned to you, contemplating whether or not to go back into the house.

“You have a cigarette to spare?” you ask him.

When he turns around, you’re standing right at the fence. He hesitates, eyeing your outreached hand before handing you the pack together with his lighter.

You pull a cigarette from the pack and place it between your lips, flicking the lighter to ignite the flame. As you take a drag, the smoke fills your lungs. You never did hard drugs before, but nicotine has ways of calming your nerves when you need it most. It's a bad habit and you hate the taste most of the time, but it's familiar, and the brand he smokes reminds you of the one you used to buy as a teenager. With your fake ID and pocket money, it was fairly easy.

The boy glances at you. He watches you take a drag, staring out into the distance as you exhale, the smoke heavier than the condensation of your breath. The second time, it comes out of your nose, and he seems almost amazed.

You chuckle. “What, never seen a lady smoke before?” you joke.

He blushes and looks away, showing you that he probably isn't the type of guy to talk to strangers. He was probably told he shouldn't; given his family name and what happened last night, it doesn't surprise you.

“I used to smoke like a chimney, you know,” you confess then, exhaling another plume of smoke. “Even before school sometimes. And I'd sneak a few drinks–” You point to what you can now tell is a bottle of Whiskey, probably from his dad's collection. “Just to numb everything,” you say. “Thought it would make it all go away.”

His eyes widen, perhaps finding solace in the fact that he's not alone. Many kids smoke and drink, but it's not often those who use it as a coping mechanism for emotional pain show it. Mental health issues are still something many get judged for, especially around his age. Maybe that's also why you chose to engage him. He looks like he's in pain and you can't let a child suffer in silence the same way you were forced to.

His voice comes out in a hesitant whisper. “You did?” he asks.

You nod. “Yeah. I smoked for a very long time. I stopped before I came here, but sometimes I still have a cigarette because, in my mind, it works.”

“And does it?”

“No,” you smile sadly, “Not forever, at least.”

“Oh.”

Silence settles between you. You take another drag from the cigarette.

“Smoking doesn't really help, you know?” you say. “It just masks the pain for a little while. Makes everything feel a bit numb, but it never really goes away. I tried, and I still do. I mean–” You look at the burning white paper in your hands, “I had a shitty night and when I smelled it, I thought it'd help me forget, but it doesn't. And that sucks.” You let the cigarette fall to the ground and stomp it out.

Were you trying to teach him something or yourself? That's a question you can't answer.

The boy breaks the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. “Are ya...are you Michael's girlfriend?” he asks you.

The question catches you off guard, but you find yourself nodding, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips. It's of no use denying it, you think.

“Yeah.” You introduce yourself to him and he tells you his name is Anthony.

Michael never told you about him, but from what he tells you, he's Jimmy and Amanda's son. For a moment, you wonder if he's the result of yet another night between his mother and Michael, but he would have told you if that was the case, so Anthony must be Jimmy's boy.

It hits you. Jamie was Anthony's brother. He's grieving, that's why he's drinking and smoking so early in the morning. You should have figured as much.

“He's an amazing man, you know,” you try to lighten the mood. “Michael, I mean. And he cares so much about you and your family. It's remarkable...what you have. Family is important.”

A mix of emotions flickers across Anthony's face. He studies you for a moment, his gaze lingering on your face before he nods.

“You're cool,” he finally says.

The silence stretches again, but this time, it's more comforting.

As Anthony glances back toward his house, a hint of worry crosses his features, and you place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I lost my sister too,” you tell him. You know it won't do much, but you don't want him to feel like he's stranded with no one to understand what he's going through. “I'm so sorry for your loss, Anthony. I know it hurts, but it's okay to let it hurt. Just...don't get drunk before school,” you say. “That sucks, too.”

His gaze meets yours, and you can see the gratitude in his brown eyes. He nods, acknowledging your advice, and answers, “Thanks.”

With that, Anthony turns away, slipping back into the house, leaving you standing in the quiet backyard. You watch him disappear, knowing you tried to help him, at least. You did a good thing. He's just a boy. He's innocent the same way Jamie was. You never met Jamie, but if he was anything like his brother, he was more than a good kid.

Taking a moment to collect yourself, you let out a deep breath, releasing the pent-up emotions that have threatened to consume you, and some of the smoke left over in your lungs.

Another tear slides down your cheek. You wipe it away. Your chest tightens. You don't want to cry. You can't. It hurts, it's what you told Anthony not just a moment ago, and it's okay to allow yourself to hurt, but it hurts to allow yourself to grieve. You're not ready for it.

You straighten up, catching a glimpse of the rising sun, before making your way back inside. You need coffee.

Once inside, you think you can finally find some peace. You find Michael’s coffee maker and some instant coffee powder, which isn’t ideal, but you can work with it.

Just as you’re about to start your morning in a way that will somehow calm the storm that is raging inside of you, there is a knock on the door. You peek out of the window of the kitchen, seeing a brunette woman standing at the front door.

You’re not ready for another confrontation. Meeting Amanda was enough, and talking to Anthony put some things into perspective. Having to face someone else from Michael’s family sounds like something you don’t want to do, and you could just pretend you didn’t hear it and join Michael in bed, or make coffee and then disappear into the backyard again. Either way, you have options.

But you’re not that type of person. You can’t turn whoever it is away because what if they’re worried about Michael and shutting them out would make them worry even more? His family lost someone dear to them and it would be only natural for people to come knocking on his door, wanting to talk.

Whoever this woman is though, you’re hesitant. Michael wouldn’t want you opening the door to a stranger, and his family essentially consists of strangers to you.

What if the woman is one of the bad guys that shot Jamie? You’re panicking now, you’re well aware of that, but your mind is all over the place, your father’s voice keeps echoing in your mind, and you don’t know what choice to make.

The woman knocks again. This time, you follow your gut.

“I was just trying to have coffee,” you mutter.

You clasp the handle, hesitating only once more before opening the door and facing reality.

The woman doesn’t look surprised to see you. Her brown eyes trail over your frame curiously, then come to rest on your face. She’s a little older, and she’s smiling at you. In her hands, she’s carrying a tray of two coffee cups and a brown paper bag with what you suspect might be breakfast.

“Good mornin’, dear,” she says, not even allowing you to take the first step. “Ya must be the girl Michael told me about. It was about time we finally met.”

She knows your name. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think she also knows who you are. Your grip tightens around the door handle. It’s too late to pull out now.

“I’m Birdy,” she introduces herself.

You relax. The alarms in your head calm down and you let out a breath of relief. “Oh, so you’re Birdy,” you say. “Michael’s told me about you.”

She chuckles. “All good things, I hope.”

“Oh, only the best.”

“Well, he’s talked about you too, and he sounded very happy. Made ya sound like an angel on earth.”

The blood rushes to your cheeks. “I wouldn’t know about that,” you murmur.

Has he really praised you this highly or is she just trying to make conversation?

She lifts the coffee tray. “I thought I’d bring ya some breakfast. I know that boy doesn’t keep ‘round much food. I figured it’d be a good excuse for me to check in on him,” Birdy says, her lips parting in a sad sigh. “Mikey’s been through so much, but he never asks for help from anyone. May I come in? I won’t be long.”

Her smile seems genuine and she sounds so nice, you can’t deny you feel comfortable around her. Against your better judgment, you step aside and invite her in.

She takes a quick look around, placing the coffee on the table. She doesn’t waste time jumping into the conversation. “I actually saw you two at the Garda station last night. I was there to pick up Mikey, but then I saw you two huggin’ and I didn’t wanna intervene. Figured he must have called ya,” she says. “So I thought I’d at least check in on him now.”

You nod slowly. “He just needed someone to be there for him,” you answer.

“I know. Michael doesn’t like talkin’ about his feelings, but with you, he seems different.”

“I’m just trying to be there for him.”

“And I appreciate that. Especially now…You know, with Jamie gone, we’re all a little shaken up. Surely, he told ya all about that.” Birdy eyes you again.

“I heard,” you say. “And I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, dear,” she answers. “It’s been a rough night, indeed. We’ll have t’support each other now. The whole family, I mean, including Michael. Grief is never easy, and losin’ a child…it does things to a mother. So I feel for Amanda, and I think Michael understands well enough what we’re all goin’ through. We’ve encountered our fair share of losses, but losin’ someone so young and innocent like Jamie…I feel sick.”

Your eyebrows furrow. For someone Michael claimed was so understanding, she doesn’t seem capable of seeing the bigger picture.

“He lost someone close to him too,” you try to tell her as kindly as possible. “And from what he told me, he’s lost a lot in the past. But he also never got to properly heal, so he has to grieve. You all have to grieve, but Michael was there when it happened, so he might need some more time. I don’t think he’s in a state where he can take care of anyone, not even himself. That’s why he called me. He’s not doing so well and while family is important, so is his mental health.”

Birdy looks a bit taken aback. Your words hold power, but your voice is calm. You have a small smile playing on your lips. Your intentions aren’t to enrage her, you simply told her the facts as you see them, and she’s surprised at how well you execute frustration and anger without bubbling over. You’re reserved, something she didn’t expect you to be, mostly because of the kind of women Michael brought home in the past. She’s surprised at how calm you are.

You can see it in her brown eyes that she didn’t see your reaction coming, maybe she’s even a little impressed, but you continue to stand your ground.

“Anyway,” you say. “He’s resting now. We talked most of last night and he’s still sleeping, so you can either stick around or come back later, but we went to bed pretty late, so I won’t wake him up for you. No offense, of course.”

You want her to leave, but this is not your house and Birdy has known Michael for far longer than you have. You just want to do right by him, focus on what he would want, and he seems to hold her dear to his heart.

You can’t blame him; she seems like the kind of woman that would easily substitute for the lack of a mother, which reminds you that you don't know that much about his childhood and you should have asked that instead of asking about his wife, but you were both worked up. You got the most important issues out of the way. Or at least you talked about it. It can’t ever be fully out of the way because these are your lives.

Birdy nods understandingly. “Well, I appreciate ya lookin’ out for him,” she says, her voice holding what you would consider honesty. “It's been a difficult time for all of us, but you’re right, he needs someone by his side right now. I’m glad he called ya and didn’t choose to suffer in silence.”

“I’m glad he called me, too.”

“After Allison...he's never been the same. But ya seem t'be the right person to give him hope. He needs hope.”

You take back any suspicions you might have had. She genuinely cares about him. From what you heard, his family is unpredictable, and she’s still a Kinsella, but she cares about him, which is something you have in common. Michael’s well-being is your priority, and Birdy seems to think the same way.

You swallow thickly. “I love him,” you say. “And when you love someone, you’re willing to fight for them.”

Birdy steps closer and cradles your face. She doesn’t ask, she simply places her hands on your cheeks and smiles at you. “Yer a good girl,” she says.

You stiffen. “Thank you.”

Birdy's touch is surprisingly warm, her presence comforting in a way you hadn't expected. There's a tenderness in her gaze as if she understands the weight you carry on your shoulders. It's a fleeting moment of connection, a passing of unspoken understanding.

“You take good care of him, ya hear?” Birdy says. “Michael has had his fair share of hardships, and he deserves happiness. If you're the one who can bring it to him, then I'm glad to have ya by his side.”

She lowers her hands again while you still stand there, dumbfounded. Her attention shifts back to the food and drinks she brought in.

“That reminds me,” she turns the bag enough for you to see the logo, “I heard you got him a job so he could get his daughter back. Is that true?”

You would recognize the blue butterfly anywhere. You freeze. The words ‘Butterfly Effect’ adorn the white circle that surrounds the insect your workplace has taken on as the unofficial mascot thanks to the name of the café. You know this logo because you face it every day.

“I didn’t realize you liked going to the Butterfly Effect,” you say, ignoring everything else she said. Your eyes are colder now, more calculated.

Birdy chuckles. “This?” she asks. “Oh no, this was my first time. I thought I’d check it out, see where Mikey works now. You work there too, right?”

Your voice is barely above a whisper when you answer, “It’s where we met, actually.”

“Right. Well, I heard you had good coffee.”

“We do.”

“How long have ya been workin’ there, dear? I hear your accent, I know yer not from ‘round here. London, is it?”

Our eyes remain glued to the bag. “Yeah, I’m from London,” you say, trying not to give away too much. “Came here four years ago, got the job, have been working there ever since.”

Surely the time you’ve lived in Dublin doesn’t mean much to her. This has to be some sort of trick, one you are not a fan of.

“Four years?” she repeats back to you. “Impressive. Of course, it’d be easy for ya to get him a job then. Yer familiar with everyone at work and you know the owner, I imagine.”

“He worked for it,” you correct her. “He asserted himself and that’s how Michael got the job, not because of me. I may know the people I’m working with and I know the owner of the franchise, but they’re work relations and Michael had to go through the same application process as everyone else. We have to give him that one; he’s trying. For Anna.”

Birdy lifts her arms in surrender. “Of course. For Anna,” she says. “There’s nothin’ he wouldn’t do for her, and he hasn’t seen her in eight years.”

“He’s a good man, Birdy, but he needs to hear it more often.”

“You sure are right about that one, dear.” She sighs. “I always try to show him I care, but the rest of the family…they’ve never been particularly warm.”

You decide to be bold and tell her, “That’s not good for him.”

“I know Mikey doubts himself,” says Birdy, “but he has you now.”

He shouldn’t have to rely on his girlfriend to give him the love his family lacked to give him, but you sure as hell are determined to keep trying until he believes himself to be worthy. His family seems to fail time and time again, and from what Birdy just told you, hoping for a change is a losing game. Perhaps they’re all a little damaged.

“Well,” she says then, “I have some matters I need to attend to this mornin’. Last night has left quite a gapin’ hole and I need to sort out some things. But I would love to have a chat with ya sometime. Only if you have the time, that is.”

You don’t like this. You don’t like this at all. “Okay,” you answer, and you curse yourself for being so stupid. But you don’t know how to say no.

“Grand.” She cups your cheeks one last time before heading for the door. “Tell Michael I said hello and tha he should give me and his brother a call.”

You blink wildly, focusing back on where she stands. “Sure.”

Birdy offers you a gentle smile. “Take care of yourself,” she tells you, and before you know it, she’s gone again.

You’re left with this weird feeling of not being able to classify the nature of her questions; you can’t tell what she wanted or if she had a hidden agenda, you only know that it made you feel exposed. She dug, maybe not deep, but she was ready to, and the goosebumps the realization leaves spread over your entire body.

What have you gotten yourself into?

Tagging: (let me know if you want to be tagged, too!) @bellaxgiornata @mattmurdocksscars @ms-murdockswift @your-not-invisible-to-me @shouldbestudying41 @glowstick-lesbian @acharliecoxedfan @roseallisonparker @norestfortheshelbywicked @1988-fiend @loveroftoomanyfandoms @mattkinsella @schneeflocky @harperdoodle @ravenclaw617 @lunaticgurly

#michael kinsella x reader #michael kinsella x you #michael kinsella angst #michael kinsella fluff #kin amc #reader insert #charlie cox #chaos theory #in honor of speak now (Taylor’s version)

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