#i feel very sick tonigh

[cephalopaints]

i wasnt lying about the gijinka

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #artists on tumblr #splatoon big man #big man #art tag #clownin' around #gijinka #uhhghhe what else do i #write #ijhghhhh #i feel very sick tonigh #t #sep 2022

[therandomfaebean]

AFAB DJ Octavio x Reader smut

gn pronouns but afab cause my tired ass doesnt wanna be gender. Ig its kind of inkling coded

*~loading~*

smut warnings: Size K!nk very very smutty, unprotected

enjoy :)

you were laying on the couch with your bf the DJ watching a documentary about octoling asexual reproduction when you quietly asked DJ a question..... "does that mean we could fuck and not have to worry about babies and crap??"

you felt the DJ's mouth tickle your ear..... "do you want to find out?~"

uggh his voice always made you squirm what else could you do but nod. You felt him lift you up and bury his face in your neck. DJ kisses your neck roughly and whispers "I have waited so so long for this~"

he sets you down on y'alls bed and pins you underneath him. up until now you had never paid attention to y'alls height difference but now you could see it very clearly.

"Mhm~" DJ's bold voice rings in your ears." Gonna make you cry tonigh' don' care bout being nice i'v been itchin' for this for to long.~"

with those words he practically ripped your clothes to shreds

"how tasty you look under all this clothin'"

*he removes his shirt* you think" Holy Calamari since when is all this muscle here?" but you arent given much time to think before DJ's lips crash against yours forcing your mouth open and beating your tongue into submission with his.

you hear him mutter "sick of all this foreplay crap" before he buries his head between your thighs.

He licks at your clit giving is a nip or a suck occasionally. After teasing you like this for a few minutes he begins to suck your clit hard and pushes a finger into you.

remember that height gap earlier? means that one of his fingers almost feels like a full cock. He begins to pump his finger in and out slowly working his way up too 3 fingers.

you feel a rushing sensation and all of a sudden you squirt hard.

"Ohh baby~ the DJ moans " got you cummin so much its comin' outta your pretty little cunt~ I think you're wet enough to take my cock now baby whadda you think'"

You can only moan his name in reply

He flips you upside down leaving your ass sticking up and begins to rub his fat tip against your slit. You havent gotten a good look at his cock but from feel you estimate hes about 11 inches long and hes girthy.

He begins to push in and it feels like your going to split hes so big.

he groans, "Oh baby your lil' pussy is so tight i- uhh~ dont squeeze tha' much sweetheart or im going to explode"

you cant believe how full you are he feels like he is all the way in your stomach and you can see a bulge around your middle or rather feel since he has you pinned down.

He starts to thrust not slow at all but rather rough hard and fast hitting your cervix with every thrust.

"uhhh~ baby ima be cummin' soon" he whimpers~ "your cunt is so tight its milkin' me to much"

its to late though you are already cumming and getting impossibly tight milking him.

He cums and you feel your stomach swell from his load.

He pulls out. You feel stuffed full like a little plush toy. He mutters to you, "Don' worry bout pregnancy" and wraps you in his arms.....

*~end~*

alright y'all want aftercare or something else.

anyway im tired and have brainot and now i have to write the AMAB one

#x reader #dj octavio x reader #splatoon x reader #FaeBeans Writing

[mother-athena]

Miss mama?

My sissy is all-the-time-sick. I love her lots and lots. All summer I taked care of her. Was hard, but maybe being in another city for school is harder.

She’s so so little an I jus wan her be okay.

Think tonigh I drink a apple juice an watch a movie. An play wif doggie! I live wif doggie this year, mama! Her job is emotional support an she’s very good at her job.

-🍊B

Hi flower,

I know that it was hard, but I am so incredibly proud of you for taking care of your sister this summer. You're an amazing big sister and I just know she feels every ounce of love that you have for her.

You deserve all the little time that your heart desires tonight, my love. You took great care of your sister, now its time to let your pup take care of you. 💛

#mother's royal court #🍊B anon #agere caregiver #sfw caregiver #sfw agere caregiver #caregiver positivity #caregiver blog #age regression caregiver #caregiver space #age regression #agere cg

[koizumicchi]

WELCOME SICKS (FT4) English Translation

WELCOME SICKS

FULL THROTTLE4 YUI (CV: Saitou Souma) RIO (CV: Uchida Yuuma) MEGU (CV: Kakihara Tetsuya) DAI (CV: Masuda Toshiki)

Album: FT4 Lyrics: shito & Gom Composer: shito

MV kanji from

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T/N: HAPPY FT4 RELEASE DAY!!!! Keep in mind that Japanese and English aren’t my first language. I never claim my translation (attempts) to be error-free. As always, if you’re going to use or reference my translations, please do not claim it as your own and credit me.

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袖を通して香水を振る 髪を固めてidolのように 細い廊下を光の方へ Micを持って 君を奪いに行くよ

Sode wo toushite kousui wo furu Kami wo katamete idol no youni Hosoi rōka wo hikari no hou he Mic wo motte Kimi wo ubai ni iku yo

Spraying perfume through my sleeves *Styling my hair, like idols do A narrow corridor towards the light Holding the mic We will take you away, here we go

味わったことないfull course 食べれば戻れないsicks 溶けるchocolateみたいに 甘い幸せに溺れて Welcome

Ajiwatta koto nai full course Tabereba modorenai sicks Tokeru chokorēto mitai ni Amai shiawase ni oborete  Welcome

A full course you’ve never tasted SICKS, you can't return once you’ve eaten Like melted chocolate Drowning in sweet happiness Welcome

濡れた空気 息を飲め 快感始めようか？ ほらbeatが走る 踊りだせ 身体寄せ合い

Nureta kūki Iki wo nome Kaikan hajimeyou ka? Hora beat ga hashiru Odoridase Karada yoseai

The damp air Breathe it all in Shall we begin this pleasant sensation? See, the beat runs Start dancing Press your bodies to each other

いつだってlightはdanceを照らす 心臓まで熱くする 何も手つかないほどに 君を細胞まで落とす 愛してほしけりゃ会いに来なきゃ 後悔 no more cry（hey） 君の瞳に映るstory Don’t worry lady（hey） 消えない消せない 刻めtonight（hey） 眠らない音は鳴りやまない 永遠に

Itsudatte light wa dansu wo terasu Shinzō made atsuku suru Nani mo te tsukanai hodo ni Kimi wo saibō made otosu Aishite hoshikerya ai ni konakya Kōkai no more cry (hey) Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru story Don’ t worry lady (hey) Kienai kesenai Kizame tonight (hey) Nemuranai oto wa nari yamanai Towa ni

The light always illuminates the dance Heat it all up, up to the heart To an extent that nothing else is touched *Drop you down to your very cells If you want us to love you, you have to come and see us Regret no more cry (hey) The story reflected in your eyes Don’t worry lady (hey) It won’t disappear, can’t be erased Engrave it tonight (hey) The sound that never sleeps won’t stop ringing For eternity

サングラス捨て 投げるwink 指の先までidolのように 高ぶる感情 火傷すんなよ Speakerは揺れる 君の鼓動とlink

Sangurasu sute nageru wink Yubi no saki made idol no youni Takaburu kanjō yakedo sun na yo Supīkā wa yureru Kimi no kodō to link

Throw the sunglasses away and give a wink Like an idol, to the tips of the fingers Don’t get burned by your excitement The speakers shake and Link with the beat of your heart

吐き出してこうぜ欲求不満 美学なんて捨てて狂乱 覚めるblack coffeeみたいに 苦みまで愛してやるぜ Come on

Hakidashite kō ze yokkyūfuman Bigaku nante sutete kyōran Sameru black kōhī mitai ni Nigami made aishite yaru ze Come on

Let’s spit it out, our frustrations  Cast such aesthetics aside and go unhinge Like waking yourself up with black coffee We will love you through the bitterness Come on

枯れない声 酔いしれろ 快感始めようか？ ほらbeatが走る 騒ごうぜ 身体預けて

Karenai koe Yoishirero Kaikan hajimeyou ka? Hora beat ga hashiru Sawagou ze Karada azukete

A voice that never withers Be intoxicated  Shall we begin this pleasant sensation? See, the beat runs Make some noise  Entrust your body

いつだってhateはdanceで沈む 心臓まで食い尽くす 誰も手届きはしない 喚くantiさえ黙る 血管沸騰？喧嘩は上等 やろうぜ大乱闘（hey） 負ける気がしねえ最強だしね 声出せyeah 毎回神回 刻めtonight（hey） 眠らない音は鳴りやまない 永遠に

Itsudatte hate wa dansu de shizumu Shinzō made kuitsukusu Daremo te todoki wa shinai Wameku anti sae damaru Kekkan futtō? Kenka wa jōtō Yarou ze dai rantō (hey) Makeru ki ga shinē saikyō dashi ne Koe dase yeah Maikai kamikai kizame tonight (hey) Nemuranai oto wa nari yamanai Towa ni

The hate always sinks down with the dance Devour it up to the heart No one can lay their hands on you Even the screaming anti is silenced Is your blood boiling? Fighting’s just fine! Shall we do it? A big brawl (hey) I don’t feel like losing, ‘cause we're second to none Let your voice out, yeah An incredible episode every time, engrave it tonight (hey) The sound that never sleeps won’t stop ringing For eternity

照らしてくれ 生き様見せつけるstage 立ってる時間 生きてる実感 感じる さあ歌おうぜ このanthemは鳴り止まない 立ってる限り 生きてる限り 歌おう

Terashite kure Ikizama misetsukeru stage Tatteru jikan ikiteru jikkan Kanjiru Sā utaou ze Kono anthem wa nari yamanai Tatteru kagiri ikiteru kagiri Utaou

Let it shine A stage that shows your way of life The time to stand, the true feeling of being alive Feel it Come now, sing  This anthem won’t ever stop ringing As long as we are standing, as long as we are breathing We will sing

いつだってlightはdanceを照らす 心臓まで熱くする 何も手つかないほどに 君を細胞まで落とす 愛してほしけりゃ会いに来なきゃ 後悔 no more cry（hey） 君の瞳に映るstory Don’t worry lady（hey） 消えない消せない 刻めtonight（hey） 眠らない���は鳴りやまない 永遠に

Itsudatte light wa dansu wo terasu Shinzō made atsuku suru Nani mo te tsukanai hodo ni Kimi wo saibō made otosu Aishite hoshikerya ai ni konakya Kōkai no more cry (hey) Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru story Don’ t worry lady (hey) Kienai kesenai Kizame tonight (hey) Nemuranai oto wa nari yamanai Towa ni

The light always illuminates the dance Heat it all up, up to the heart To an extent that nothing else is touched Drop you down to your very cells If you want us to love you, you have to come and see us Regret no more cry (hey) The story reflected in your eyes Don’t worry lady (hey) It won’t disappear, can’t be erased Engrave it tonight (hey) The sound that never sleeps won’t stop ringing For eternity

----

Notes:

*髪を固めて - hardening your hair by gel? so i translated it as styling your hair

*君を細胞まで落とす - can also mean we’ll win you over / make you swoon down to your very cells???? not sure about that so i went for literal

#FT4 #full throttle 4 #honeyworks #welcome sicks #haniwa translation #happy FT4 release day!!!! #this is so wonderful please #i hope this is understandable #it's 9pm and i just got off work

[min-yunki-agustd]

Hi can I request a fic, with V being the sickie, and Jimin tje caretaker, probably they have arranged a sleep over in one of their rooms and to watch movies as the soulmates they are, but when the day comes, Taehyung is sick, his stomach has bother him all day, he is nauseous, and gassy, and his stomach too bloated for his own liking.

He cancelled the sleep over and Jimin is left hurt and sad, he doesn't understand why Taehyung seems to be angry with him.

He decides to go and talk with him, and he founds his soulmate in his bed, years rolling silently from his eyes, he is resting on his side curled.

Jimin sits with him and pats his head gentle coaxing him into telling him why he is sad and crying and if something happens.

Tae tells him that he feels sick, his tummy hurts so much, and he is gassy, and so sad for feeling sick.

Jimin then understanding everything relax and goes inside the bed to cuddle his poor bear friend, he makes Tae rest on his back and rubs his bloated tummy, after that v throw ups a little and after getting out a little more of gas his tummy feels better, he falls asleep from the strong stomach pain, Jimin dry his tears and rubs his back and tummy while he sleeps.

Next morning he founds Jimin and Hobi on his bed cuddling him as the sad burrito he is, and Seokjin is already preparing light food so he can digest, Namjoon had already tell manager Tae was sick last night, and Yoongi had went to bought some medicine for his stomach.

Tae suddenly felts so happy and warm even though his stomach hurts still touch to move from bed, or to eat. He spend next three days recovering.

Sickie: Taehyung

Caretaker: Jimin , ot7

TW: mentions of sickness, nausea, and probably V****

Please enjoy and thank you so much for requesting. I get really excited when you folks request!

HERE WE GOOOO!!

________________________________________________________

They had been talking on the phone for hours. Taehyung hadn't been back at the dorm yet so they called while taehyung was heading back. They wanted to plan it out perfectly. They had a list of movies they wanted to catch up on. It would be a fun night and they would finally get to hang out just ad Jimin wanted them to. It had been so long since they've done something fun and exciting like this. being in a boy band that does shows internationally is amazing but with that busy life, you tend to find small events like this exciting.

SO tomorrow night right? Taehyung says over the phone. "Yup! Tomorrow night!" Jimin repeated They were as excited as children going to a birthday party. Ok, then I'll see you then. Jimin sounded so excited.

Time skip-

Taehyung woke up to the sun in his eyes. That's weird he thought to himself. He placed a hand on his stomach. He felt on his stomach. It felt extended and it kind of hurt a little. It felt tight around. He tried to remember what he had eaten that would have done this to his stomach. He rubbed his stomach pressing down on it a little bit. He felt gas being released. It didn't make him feel any better so he turned over to his side and went back to sleep. It took him a while to get back to sleep. lots of tossing and turning. He let out a ton of gas. It still didn't bring any relief to his tight and bubbling stomach. He finally fell asleep still ugging onto his stomach. Keeping pressure kind of helped but not much. Enough to get him to sleep.

He woke up once again, Still very much bloated perhaps even more than before. He also felt nauseous. Did he have too much pressure on his stomach? He started feeling sick. He was in an upright position but laid back down on his side. His stomach felt so painful. He laid there for over an hour just holding on to his aching stomach. he kept releasing gas but found no relief. This was the worse he thought.

His phone buzzed. He picked it up off his bedside table and looked at the message. It was from Jimin. He was letting Taehyung know he was about to go pick up snacks for their sleepover which is tonight.

Taehyung felt a deep cramp in his aching bloated belly. He dropped the phone and curled in on himself. He picked up the phone again and began texting. "I can't make it to the sleepover tonight". He sent the text not bothered to look at the phone and wait for Jimins reply. Tae figured his stomach pain would only go down from here with how nauseous he started to feel. Taehyung just turned over to the side of his bed and curled up again. Placing his phone back on his bedside table. Taehying closed his eyes held his stomach and tried to sleep as he applied light pressure to it.

Jimin saw the message. He felt a teardrop roll down his face. He didn't know what he did wrong. did he say something that upset him.

did he do something to upset him? Jimin was trying to figure it out but he just could understand why he canceled. Jimin had been feeling extremely lonely lately and really needed to spend time with someone else. He was really looking forward to it. he had been a bit down lately and this out the icing on the cake.

He wiped his face and decided to go talk to him. Jimin barged into "taehyung what did I do? What did I do wrong? Tae- " Jimin looked at taehyung he was in a ball on his bed. Taehyung hadn't said a single thing since he had barged in. He hadn't even flinched. Jimin walked inside his room. He sat on taehyungs bed. Jimin put a hand on taehyungs shoulder. Jimin took a closer look at taehyungs face.

A tear rolled from Taehyungs closed eyes. Taehyungs eyes fluttered. Jimin spoke in a much calmer tone. " what's wrong tae..?" Jimin rubbed Taehyungs shoulder and back ad taehyung explained about his stomach and feeling nauseous. " My stomach hurts so bad," taehyung says before he stopped talking.

Jimin feels much better now that he knows taehyung isn't angry. he knew Taehyung felt sad too. Jimin can finally relax. He moves to lay on taehyung's bed in a comfortable position trying not to jostle the bed too much. Taehyung was extremely gassy during their nap. Jimin knew he didn't feel well and decided not to mention it. "Poor bear," Jimin says moving his hand to rub Tae's back. Tae turns over onto his back. He takes his hand off of his belly. he gently grabs Jimin's hand it was nice and warm. He placed Jimin's soft warm hand on his distended stomach. Jimin already knew what to do.

Jimin ended up pressing on Tae's stomach too hard and tae shot up and ran to the bathroom. Jimin sat up and ran behind him. Taehyung body lurched over the toilet. he heaved. he threw up a mouth full of vomit. He kept his hands on his stomach. He didn't throw up any more than that. Taehuyng took a deep breath and evaluated his stomach. It felt less bloated Jimin flushed the toilet for tae.

Teahyung finally found a little relief. His stomach wasn't as bloated before. Jimin ushered Tae up and put him back to bed Jimin hopped in behind him. His stomach felt much better when re-released gas. Jimin didn't complain about it he was happy that he wasn't alone. Plus tae seemed to be feeling a little better after throwing up a little bit. Jimin cried again lying next to a sleeping taehyung. He didn't even know why he dried his eyes. He rubbed Taehyung's back as he slept and Jimin soon fell asleep too. They slept all through the afternoon into the next morning (This next part made me wheeze out loud)

Jimin woke up to the warm sun inviting itself into the room through the blinds. Jimin felt cramped on the bed. what happen to all that room he once had? he thought to himself with his eyes still closed. Was taehyung on top of him? no, he wasn't he thought. His hand is still under taehyung. Well, what the heck was smoothing him. He opened his eyes. J-hope. It was Hoesok. He was the one on top of Jimin right now. j hope sighed in delight "aah", you seemed a little sad Jimine" you alright? " "I'm doing better," Jimin says deciding not to question why jhope was laying all his height on top of him. " we heard Taehyung getting sick last, night " we were gonna help but we were too late cause yall were both snoring by the time we were about to step in." J hope explains to jimin." but don't worry we handled everything else, Namjoon informed the manager last night. Jin is preparing a light breakfast and I'm sure yoongi will be back any minute from the store with meds".

Taehyung had worked up and heard the conversation. There was still a strong ache still in his stomach. He turned over to lay on his back. pushing hoseoks legs off of his body. Jimin and hobi sat up un the bed. Taehyung stayed laying down. as if yoongi had some sort of sope telepathy he walked in with meds. Jin walked in hind him caring a few plates of food. Namjoon walked by hind jin also caring a few plates. They all ate taehyungs food.

Taehyung didn't feel much like eating but tried anyway seen as the boys all collected in his room to eat. Jungkook walked in with a plate pilled with food and sat on the floor and ate with the others.

Taehyung looked around the room he felt warm seeing all the members here together. His stomach still ached badly but his heartfelt content.

#vmin fanfic #vminsickfic #sick bts #bts emeto #btsnausea #tw emeto ment #tw emetophobia #tw nausea #tw vomit #btstaesick #taehyungsickie #jimincaretaking #sickfic ot7 bts #bts ot7 fic #bts sickfic #btsot7 sickfic

[theflashdriver]

Secret Admirer (A Silvaze Oneshot)

Silver the hedgehog did not understand time travel, that was a truth he had long come to accept. While the books he’d read, often fictional in nature, gave their own takes or explanations with regard to changing history, he’d found that the truth was far less consistent. He’d often jump back a century or two to change things, to save his friends or the world from disaster, but those changes often resulted bizarre contradictions. Upon returning to the future he’d find it totally changed by his actions, so what happened to the prior, destroyed, world?

On one occasion the world might’ve been cracked into chunks by a giant monster only to be flooded by an entirely different one upon his next visit, but he seemed to be unaffected by the world’s changes. Well, that’d been the case nine out of ten times. The first time the future had been saved was the exception to the rule. Following the battle with Solaris, his life and all he was had been reset to zero. He’d been reborn and regrown to the point of being able to change the future again, an occurrence that he didn’t understand and that could hypothetically happen again at any point. That happening now would mean losing his memories again, forgetting not only himself and his friends but his closest partner all over again. Regaining those memories once had been so difficult, a second attempt might well prove impossible.

So, if he didn’t understand time travel and it could be so dangerous, why on earth was he daring to do this? Why had he hidden himself in the bushes of the royal gardens, from dusk till the rapidly approaching dawn, staring up at his best friend’s balcony? Why had he turned back the clock a single day to crouch in the hedgerows for what must have been over ten hours? Well, because the oncoming morning had been a rather bizarre day for him.

——

The day had started in a not so peculiar way. He’d awakened as his door was kicked in and a familiar voice bellowed through the entryway, “Rise and shine mate! Your Sheila’s here and I’m hungry!”

Though this happened every third or so day, her words had sent him tumbling from his hammock and he only just managed to catch himself before he could hit the ramshackle floor, “Good morning Marine,” He managed to groan, floating himself upright, “It’s morning already?”

“Morning, afternoon, evening? What does that matter, I’m telling you to get up, get your head on mate,” She beamed up at him, already dressed in her shipwright’s overalls, “I heard about your late night out, but that’s no excuse to leave your lady hanging, let alone leave me without breakfast!”

“Late night out? What are you...?” As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the hedgehog’s brain kicked into gear. Marine only used terms like Sheila when she was talking about one person, “Wait, Blaze is here? I thought she was busy today; we were going to meet up tonight?”

“Well, for obvious reasons, she wants to see you now,” Marine’s grin went from excited to mischievous, “You’d better not keep her waiting.”

Marine had joked about the two of them being more than friends for some time now, so this was nothing new to the hedgehog. Whenever he left for the castle the raccoon would ask if he was going to see his girlfriend. Whenever they went on outings, professional or otherwise, Marine would insist on calling them dates. Blaze still seemed to struggle with it sometimes but, to be honest, he’d learned to let it fly over his head. The words Blaze and girlfriend had practically become synonymous in Silver’s head, even if he knew they weren’t actually the same.

Regardless of Marine’s chosen vernacular, Blaze’s mention was enough to send him into a hurry. Psychic light filled the room, his semi-private space in the bric-a-brac house that Marine had made, and immediately set about preparing him for the day. A set of boots pulled themselves onto his feet, his gloves slipped over his hands and his quills were straightened from frightful bedhead into their usual maple leaf style. There was a time when he wouldn’t have cared to do any of this, when he’d have simply stumbled put there to greet her, but the feline had trained him to be far neater in this second life.

“Alright, let’s go,” He grinned, knocking the door ajar with his powers before stepping around her.

“Hey, don’t get distracted by her, mate. I still want my breakfast!” The shipwright whined, trotting along behind him.

Their hut on the beach was a small place, mostly made of driftwood and iron, so it didn’t take Silver long to perform his usual stumbling dance over Marine’s half-finished inventions and into the kitchen. The combined cooking and eating station was at their home’s entrance, it was the first room any visitors ever saw. He’d made sure to clean the surfaces and put everything away the night before, in an effort to avoid an earful from his feline friend. The sight Silver encountered so heavily contrasted what he’d left last night.

Not only had the raccoon evidently awoken early and started tinkering, laying out all manner of machine on the kitchen table, but his companion looked so very different. For once, the guardian of the Sol emeralds wasn’t wearing her royal robes. Blaze was instead garbed in something far lighter, a long white sundress with a ruffled style. Its straps were thin but made to look thicker by what, even from a distance, the hedgehog could identify as embroidered felt lilies. There she sat, absorbing all of his attention, a simple glass of water placed in front of her. Was she smiling? It looked like she was, but maybe not fully. Well, it wasn’t unlike her to smother such an emotion.

“Good morning, Silver,” The hedgehog felt something strange in his chest as her words distracted him from his staring. Suddenly, it felt hotter than usual. That phenomena had happened a few times, but Blaze had sworn that it wasn’t her power’s doing.

“Good morning, Blaze,” He beamed, ignoring that strange feeling. Marine barged past as he stood somewhat stunned in the doorway, “I thought you were busy today?”

“I am, I’m just,” She went from smiling to fidgeting very quickly, hands set upon get glass, “Stopping in. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Blaze was apparently good at hiding her emotions but, for as long as he could remember, Silver had been able to see through them. Right now though, there was something flickering across her brow that Silver couldn’t place. She looked uncomfortable but Silver had seen her uncomfortable, he’d seen her sleeping on tarmac when they couldn’t reach their beds, this was a very different kind of discomfort. As if to make things even stranger, he couldn’t help but notice the heat lines that were blurring the air around her frame. That was a sight he only ever saw when she was seriously angry or upset, it usually indicated an immanent burning outburst and gave him time to mediate.

Again though, he couldn’t help but notice, despite that hint and her apparent discomfort, was that happiness in her eyes? A strange smell seemed to hang around her. It wasn’t unlike the feline to use strong perfume to mask the scent of flames but beneath the smell of lavender there was something else. Something had undoubtedly caught fire, but he couldn’t place what.

“What, me? Yeah, I’m fine,” He said, stepping fully into the room as he pulled himself from another daydream, “That dress is so nice, it really suits you.”

“Thank you,” She quickly uttered, raising the glass to her lips and absentmindedly casting her gaze to the ramshackle room’s large window

“Geez, you two really aren’t good at this,” The younger girl sounded, jumping up to sit at the table, “The dress is nice, Silver? After everything, that’s the best you could manage?”

“I mean, Blaze always looks pretty so it’s difficult to compliment her,” He quickly and bluntly responded, honest as ever, “But that dress makes her look even more beautiful than normal; it really suits her,” Silver saw an opportunity to enquire and turned back the feline, “Is something happening today?”

“No, not particularly, I just...” As the feline was talking, seemingly without her even noticing, her left shoulder ignited, “Was curious what you thought of it. I bought it a while ago thought I should wear it out for once. I’m glad you like it.”

“M-Mate, you’re-

Before the raccoon could finish, Silver had gently stepped to Blaze’s side. Concern was welling in the hedgehog’s head, not because of the fire itself but what it represented in Blaze’s mind. Casually, as he had done so many times before, he reached out and pressed a psychically shielded hand upon her shoulder. In an instant, like a hood covering a candle, he dispelled the flames with a gentle hiss. In their wake though, Silver felt a tenseness in her body.

He leaned in, getting face to face with her, but the prokinetic’s eyes fled from his, “Blaze, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Silver. Sorry, I just lost focus for a moment,” He’d known her long enough to know when she was lying. Something was going on.

Silver leaned in even further, pushing his forehead against hers, “You feel hotter than usual,” He confirmed aloud, meeting her eyes as he pulled back, “Are you sure? You might be sick...”

“I’m fine, really,” She insisted, “I-I just wanted to see you as soon as I could.”

“See me?” Silver blinked, confused, “But aren’t we meeting tonigh-

Before he could question Blaze any further though, Marine started to yell, “That’s more like it! See Silver, when you try, you can do it. You should sweep her off her feet more often; who knows, she might wear more pretty dresses.”

“Marine,” The guardian frowned, her ears folding, “If you must make such comments could you please keep your voice down.”

“Well I’m sorry I’m getting in the way of you and your boyfriend’s private time,” The youth stuck her tongue out, “But he’s supposed to be making me breakfast!”

“Fine, Marine, I’ll start on breakfast. Just settle down,” The psychic sighed, casting his aura across the room. The cupboards popped open, jam and utensils floated their way down to the worktop as bread jumped up and into the toaster, “So why did you want to see me, Blaze?”

“I just thought I should...” She shook her head, seeming to return to a more stoic demeanour, “I wanted to make sure you two were okay and now I know you both are, I’m glad. That’s all. Thank you for the water, Marine. I should probably get going.”

Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong with his partner. Silver felt his heart beat faster as he called out to her, “Wait, um,” She froze at his exclamation having just left her chair. He had no idea what to say but he knew he didn’t want her to leave, not until he understood, “Do you want some breakfast?”

“I need to hurry back to the castle,” She bit her lip, “But yes, if it’s not too much bother I... suppose, yes.”

The feline slid back into her seat and, instantly, a smug look overcame Marine’s face. Should he have asked that? Did the raccoon know something he didn’t? They seemed to have talked before she woke him up.

“Alright, I can do some toast really quickly, that way you won’t start work on an empty stomach,” Silver suggested, throwing a small smile her way.

The little grin had returned to her face and she had stayed. That was a good sign, right? She really had been hotter than usual though; in fact, she’d gotten even hotter the longer his head pressed against hers. Something was wrong or, at the very least, he didn’t understand what was going on. Regardless, Silver reset the toaster and slid two more slices in.

“So,” Blaze broke the silence again, he tried to stop staring, “Do you two have much planned for today?”

“Oh, the usual, you know. Start work on a couple new ships, go a sail,” Mischief was reborn on the raccoon’s face as she threw her gaze towards him, “Silver?”

“Might do a little bit of gardening or tidy the house a bit. I was honestly just going to wait the day away till I could come see you,” He turned to Blaze and admitted but, still sensing the tension in the air, he felt he had to say more, “So it’s nice to see you now. How about you?”

Almost instantly, Blaze’s gaze broke from him and fell back to her now almost empty glass, “Well, in a manner of speaking, I planned to do the same, until this morning,” Again, that strange half smile had overtaken her face; it was as though she was happy but, simultaneously, grappling with something else. Those heat lines looked even clearer too, Silver swore that he could feel her warmth radiating, “Not to say today’s meetings aren’t important, but I’d be lying if I said they addressed was especially pressing. It’s mostly updates on projects already well under construction, deciding whether and where to assign more funding. I honestly already know which projects need an extra boost and what projects are on the right track.”

“Anything we could help with?” Silver piqued up.

“Oi, don’t speak for me mate,” Marine blustered across as Blaze took a moment to think.

“Well, there was a plan to build a new lighthouse on the island that has rather stalled. The shores aren’t especially dangerous but there has been some call for it,” Blaze responded, ignoring the youngster.

“Wait, a lighthouse? Strewth, that sounds great,” The shipwright claimed, doing a complete one-eighty, “That’ll be easy. With Silver’s help, I could get it done in a weekend.”

“If you want my help then I’m more than happy to give it,” Silver promised, “Will that make your meetings easier?”

“Significantly, thank you-

The popping of the toaster cut the feline off. The psychic cast his hand across the room, but he kept his eyes on his companion, “Jam?”

“Blackcurrant if you still have it,” Blaze ordered, “I think that’s still my favourite of the batch you made.”

The hedgehog felt a wiry smile bend its way over his lips. Silver wasn’t the easiest person to fluster, apparently he was oblivious to most embarrassing things, but that compliment cut to his core. It wasn’t the first time she’d said that, but it still sent heat to his cheeks.

“I want strawberry and peanut butter!” Marine insisted, seeming to struggle with not being the focus for a full second.

“I know Marine, I know,” He managed to mutter, turning his full attention to the task in an attempt to smother his glee.

Quick as a flash, cutlery flew and jars were unscrewed as the hedgehog kited the toast toward completion. One after another, two plates landed on Marine’s ramshackle table. Silver meanwhile simply kept his overly topped toast in his psychic grasp.

Marine immediately set about devouring her plateful but, as ever, Blaze was more courteous. With a quick, “Thank you,” she claimed her first mouthful. Silver took the middle road between the two of them, eating quickly in his own bizarre way, but also knowing how not to make a mess. All the while, he sent the cutlery to clean itself and began to psychically tidy.

The raccoon, her mouth still full, snorted, “Show off. I shouldn’t have to do any chores; you can do them all so easily.”

“It’s important to take responsibility, Marine. Silver won’t always be here to look after you,” Blaze tutted.

“Yeah, so while he is here, I should take advantage of him,” Was her whining response, “If I could do what he can then I’d have made so many more ships by now, you’d practically have a navy!”

“You take advantage of him enough as it is,” The feline insisted, gesturing to the half-formed metal masses on the table, “Look at this mess, it’s all yours but he was planning on cleaning it up. How many times has he done that?”

“Blaze, if you’re going to act like my Mum then can you at least hurry up and marry Dad?” Marine sneered.

Silver had expected another retort, the two could bounce back and forth like this for hours, but instead a silence hung in the air. The time traveller looked to Blaze only for her gaze to quickly flick away from him. She raised her glass to her lips only to find it empty, he hadn’t seen her take the last swig.

Silver felt compelled to break the silence, “Marine, you can’t keep saying these things…”

“Oh, what, now that you’ve actually made a move I can’t joke about you two? No way!” The youngster jeered.

He blinked, “What d-

“I-I need to get going anyway,” Blaze cut him off, “My first meeting is about to start.”

“What, already?” Silver could feel that strange vibe in the air, it was stronger than ever, “But you just got here.”

“It can’t be helped; work may wait for me but I don’t want to delay others. Besides, you’ll see me again tonight, won’t you?” She asked, perhaps rhetorically or perhaps not, “Just come in how you usually do, sneak in through my back window, I might be a little late now that I’ve...” Again, Blaze’s shoulder caught fire but this time the feline noticed and obsessively patted it out. Concern and regret overtook her face before she tore her gaze from him. She rose from her seat and stepped past him, heading toward the door, “I need to go, the meeting will start soon.”

“Blaze, are you sure you’re okay?” He called across, just missing as he reached for her hand but successfully halting her in her tracks, “You’re acting strange today. If you need help with something then I’ll do my best, you know that, right? Just like with the lighthouse.”

“Don’t be so naive,” She’d practically snapped at him but when she looked back at him that strange emotion had filled her eyes, “If you can do this then I can do this.”

He was so confused but he couldn’t get a word in before the door opened. Her smile grew and fused into whatever other emotion had been battling. Silver had seen Blaze set herself alight and charge into battle, he’d seen her conjure a million different flames, but that smile was more blinding than any she could produce. He wanted to etch it into his mind, hold it close and never let it go. He’d seen countless expressions on that pale muzzle of hers, but none of them could compare to this simple yet complete smile.

Her words almost failed to break him from a trance of her own creation, “I’m so glad I managed to see you this morning, but I’m already looking forward to tonight, Silver.”

“S-See you later, Blaze,” What was that? He’d stuttered? Why did his mouth feel dry all of a sudden, what was going on?

Once the door was closed, the grey hedgehog rushed to the window, wanting to watch the guardian depart, only to find she’d frozen a few paces from their porch. She raised a hand to her forehead, seeming to rub her brow, only for her entire upper back to burst into flames again. He watched as she pulled her hand down her face and balled her fists at her side. Though the flames grew brighter for a moment, they were soon snuffed by her own will. Silver watched as she quickly marched away, without another glance back or moment’s hesitation, but his eyes were drawn to her tail. Even while the rest of her had returned to a seemingly serious state, that appendage was flicking back and forth.

“Oh strewth, look mate, she’s left you something!” Silver’s thoughts were again interrupted as he turned to find the raccoon had left her seat.

Atop the chair she’d fled, Blaze had left a small package wrapped in white paper and bound with a cyan ribbon. He approached and Marine, having taken a gander at it herself, passed it his way with a smug grin. Attached to the ribbon was a tag which, in Blaze’s cursive and neat handwriting, read, “To my Secret Admirer. It was my first time making these and I had to rush, but I hope you manage to enjoy them. From your own Secret Admirer.”

“Secret admirer...?” He read aloud, still staring at the small package.

“I mean, come on Silver. You didn’t really think you could trick her, did you?” Marine said, on the verge of laughing, “Who else would leave Blaze flowers? Of course she knew it was you.”

Silver felt the gears in his skull clang and rattle as he struggled to parse through all this. What Marine had just said was clear but the parcel, Blaze’s dress and how uncomfortable she’d looked? It was all compounding, but there was a problem.

“Flowers? What flowers?” Silver asked, still staring at the little parcel.

“Aww come on, mate, don’t play dumb. You’ve been caught. She told me herself, she went out onto her balcony this morning and there was a whole bouquet out there. That’s the way you get into her room, right?” Marine snorted, jumping back onto her chair, “You just fly up there and go through the balcony door, that way no one else knows about you two havin’ your lil’ kissing sessions. Of course she knew it was you, who else could have put the flowers there?”

Did Blaze not receive flowers often? She was the guardian of this dimension after all, not to mention the best person he knew. He supposed them arriving on her balcony did make things different, did perhaps imply they were from him. But they weren’t. Someone else had put them there.

The gift in his hands wasn’t for him, it was for them.

“Who else could have put them there...” Silver parroted, eyes still fixed to the package.

“Mate? Mate, are you still there?” Marine snapped her fingers bur his attention barely wavered from the dozen thoughts fighting in his head. He only just managed to look up at her, “I always knew you had it in you, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon. I was sure you two would pussyfoot around your feelings for another couple of years at least.”

Who could this so-called secret admirer be? There was no way it could be someone from the other dimension, getting here was just too much trouble for them. Was it one of the palace staff? Had a maid or a butler cleaned Blaze’s room and left the flowers there, only for them to be discovered the day after?

The hedgehog’s nose twitched. Whatever he was holding, it was producing the scent that had undercut Blaze’s perfume. The cat had tried her hand at baking or cooking of some sort, by the weight and scent that much was clear, but he couldn’t bring himself to open the parcel. Even though she thought it was, this parcel wasn’t intended for him. This package was intended for her secret admirer, whoever had plucked up the nerve to set flowers on her doorstep. Though he had happily eaten her food before, Blaze always seemed embarrassed about her cooking. She’d never thought highly of what she made.

She must have rushed to make this gift, unwilling to let that show of affection go unreturned for even half a day.

He had to make things right, he had a duty to! And what choice did he have either way, he couldn’t claim responsibility for the bouquet at her back door. No matter how he felt, if it was concern or happiness or... something else. What was this feeling? There was a strange tightness in his chest and a bizarre concoction of emotions swirling in his head, all of which entirely confused him. He kept visualising her where she’d sat when he’d walked in the room, that little smile on her face and how it’d grown as she left.

“Well, go on mate, don’t keep me in suspense. Aren’t you going to open your prezie?” Marine asked, still entirely oblivious.

Thoughts were still streaming through his head, but they’d latched onto a single idea and new thoughts had begun to chorales around it. He had to find out who this admirer was and either tell Blaze or give them her present, he wasn’t sure which. But how could he do that? How could he mend this faux pas?

A sound began to blare in the room, very almost throwing Silver from his feet. The hedgehog’s eyes tracked it to its source, tracing up the wall, only to find the rickety cuckoo clock that Marine had made last month. A painted green bird had poked its head through a pair of doors and began to whistle. It was as he stared at that clock, its hands reading eight in the morning, that a thought fought its way through Silver’s jumbled emotions.

What if he went back in time to scope out Blaze’s actual secret admirer; what if he went back and identified them? Could he do that? Of course he could do it, but should he do it? Was that right? Was that wrong? He felt a headache growing behind his eyes, like an ice-pick wiggling its way into his brain, as all of his confusion returned.

He had to do something, but this was all he could think to do. Having seen that smile on her face, just telling Blaze it wasn’t him didn’t seem right. He’d find out who this secret admirer was and then explain the whole situation tonight, give her the choice whether or not to know who they are and then whether either of them should deliver the present. Something about that still didn’t sit right with him, something he couldn’t place, but he had to do something! He had to make things right; he had to help her!

“I need to go, Marine. I might not be back till tomorrow,” He said, hearing the faintness in his own voice.

“That’a boy! Chase after her, just like Amy does Sonic; bust down the door, interrupt that meeting! Now’s your shot so you’d better not waste it!” Marine yelled, but Silver barely heard her over the racket in his head as he raced out the door and began to channel temporal psychic energy.

—

His position in the bushes was growing more uncomfortable by the microsecond, he’d surely been squatting for hours now. There hadn’t even been a nice night sky to look up at, he’d been staring up at her balcony and its plain white curtains for what felt like days. Traveling back through time to arrive here had been the easy part, the wait was the real killer. He’d sent himself back to just after sunset, knowing that his arrival in the midst of the night might scare off the princess’ potential suitor. It was a far smaller jump through time than he regularly did, the shift backwards hadn’t tired him in the least, but now his eyelids were heavy and the balls of his feet ached. The sun was rising, the world was beginning to awaken, and Silver couldn’t help but feel a little tense. No bouquet had arrived on Blaze’s balcony nor had one been present upon his arrival. No one had so much as entered the royal gardens in the entire time he’d been here.

Silver heard his stomach grumble; it’d been calling out to him for the past three hours, just as time had switched from trickling like molasses to stumbling like a lost snail. Sequestered in the hedge beside him was Blaze’s gift, a parcel not set to exist for what was likely a handful more hours. It was food he wouldn’t dare claim for himself and that had convinced time to tick by even more slowly.

He’d already fantasised about the package’s potential contents, of course he had. Cookies seemed most likely to him, Blaze had made him cookies back when he’d first arrived in her dimension, but perhaps that disqualified them. He’d heard that people made each other chocolate on Valentine’s Day and, with that event being advertised as just a couple of weeks away, he had drawn an association between such a gift and romance. Come to think of it though, he wasn’t especially well educated on what romantic rituals were in this dimension. For all he knew, there could be bread or a croissant in there. He was fairly sure he could rule out fish or some other cooked meat and modestly certain he could limit his assumptions to baked goods, but not entirely.

As his stomach made yet another demand, Silver couldn’t help but sigh. Whoever this supposed romantic was, they were certainly leaving it to the last second. Blaze had a busy day ahead of her, especially since she was set to cook this gift and visit him. There was no way she’d be up any later than seven. The hedgehog had slept over in her room enough times to know that, despite how it clearly annoyed her, the guardian always set an early alarm and insisted on leaving her bedroom by seven. Every day had to be productive in some shape or form. Well, almost every day.

Once or twice, when he’d stayed over, she’d ended up breaking that rule. He’d always blamed himself for those occasions, they’d stay up playing games or reading or simply talking. When they’d lived together in the destroyed future there had been no hard rule on when to wake up, so Blaze always blamed that for her tendency to sleep in around him. Would nights like that still happen after her misplaced assumption was revealed? Could they?

He shook those thoughts from his head, he couldn’t daydream; he had to stay alert! He was on a mission! There was no way she’d sleep in today if she’d found time to bake. By now the chirping of birdsong had begun to breach the airwaves, a sign of the ever-encroaching morning. This was a sound that Silver knew almost too well, on the more common occasions that they hadn’t slept in he’d spent the morning identifying them. Pretty songbirds weren’t uncommon on the island, their chirps and hums punctuated almost every outing, but, for once, Silver couldn’t bring himself to focus on their music. Their presence implied that the moment was approaching, Blaze would awaken soon.

This suitor was really leaving it to the very last moment. If they were leaving it this long then the delivery would surely be quick, but Silver wasn’t even sure how they’d reach her balcony. The overhang was a good ten metres off the ground, Silver could only get up there because he could fly. There were no vines or trellis to climb and the wall was practically smooth. Maybe they’d just throw the bundle of flowers up there? With the right arc it was certainly possible, but a slight miscalculation could ruin them. The longer he’d considered it, the more it made sense that Blaze had assumed he was the source.

By this point he’d, of course, considered this suitor’s nature a hundred times over. He’d gone through countless names and faces, dug his way through a bottomless well of theories and found none that could satisfy him. The closest he’d come was an assumption that only served to raise several additional queries; that this supposed suitor might have been someone that he, and perhaps even Blaze, didn’t know. Those flowers might have been sent her way by some daring admirer, perhaps having gained an admiration for the feline following one of her speeches. The cat seemed to loathe those even more than the meetings that preceded them, but there was no denying that Blaze could keep an audience on their toes.

He’d heard that the feline’s speeches scared some of the populous, the feline herself seemed to think they all did. Blaze could be stern, she could be gruff, but her every word carried a charisma that he couldn’t ignore. Whenever she was on a stage or even just in the room, he could barely take his eyes off of her. It was as if she was magnetic, capable of reeling him in without so much as trying. It wasn’t so unthinkable that someone else would see things as he did. Despite her disagreeing, he’d long assumed that was the norm.

The balcony was still empty. The rustling wind, the groan of his stomach and the chirping of the birds’ morning choir were making his ears ring. He’d be kept in the dark for some time, the sun rose from the castle’s front and set towards its back. This was intentional, so Blaze had told him. When the island had first been settled, this plot had specifically been designated for the palace and designed to grant a sunset view from the royal bedchambers. It was the very first thing decided upon, thought to aid in appeasing the Sol emeralds. Now though, it simply made for an astonishing view. Night was oh so long away, regardless of the path he took to it. He couldn’t dwell on that though, the mere thought made him even sleepier.

Silver dared to cast a quick glance skyward. He found that the clouds had begun to part above him, the deep navy he recalled had shifted more towards an indigo. He’d surely missed the sunrise for a second time by now but, as much as he loved to watch a good sunrise, this was more important. Time kept ticking on and on, its meandering waltz taunting him more and more with each passing second. Though he wholeheartedly believed his task was important and knew he wouldn’t regret this hungry isolation, the hedgehog couldn’t help but grow more aggravated at this secret admirer. What was taking them so long? If they wanted to hide from her then they should have delivered the flowers hours ago, around the one or two in the morning. Sure, they might not have known her schedule, but they had to assume she rose early, right? Thinking otherwise was-

In the blink of an eye, the white curtains were parted. For what couldn’t have been more than a second, Silver saw Blaze in her nightgown before she slipped back and into her room. Morning had arrived, morning had undeniably arrived, yet Blaze’s secret admirer was nowhere to be seen! Attempting to be subtle, trying his hardest to be stealthy, Silver fully poked his head from his bush and took in his greater surroundings. He was still flanked on either side by rose bushes, red lilies still bloomed in their plots before him and the grass looked entirely untrodden. No one had come, no one had even so much as passed though; outside of his presence and that of the flickies, the gardens had gone entirely untouched!

He dared to stretch to his full height, glancing over the hedgerows, only to find a similar scene lay behind him. Though his shift spooked some of the birds, it didn’t reveal any hidden person. No one was here, he was the only one here! If things were regular then Blaze was about to leave and take breakfast; she’d baked instead but that was beside the point, she was going to be out of that room in no more than twenty minutes.

Desperate, feeling sweat mount on his forehead, he half whispered yet half shouted, “Hey! Secret admirer, where are you?”

No reply, not even a movement, came.

As though it was some great feat of psychic might, a realisation made Silver almost faint. Blaze had already opened her curtains; she’d already looked out to the world below. Was she even going to look out her window again? But the events of today had happened, he’d already experienced everything first-hand! Her gift was still in the bush, her secret admirer couldn’t have missed their moment, why would that even happen?

He could feel sweat greasing his palms, he grabbed her gift and held it tight to remind himself that it was real. She had arrived at his home in that cute dress, though awkwardness had limited her, the feline had smiled at him in a way she never had before. It’d all happened, he could remember it clearly, but how many times had he changed the past? Was this his fault? By trying to observe the inciting incident, had he shifted the timeline in such a way that it never occurred? There were sayings about this, that changing the slightest thing could have drastic ramifications for the future. He’d never experienced that in all his travels, he’d always had to really try to change the world, work hard and fight. Little travels tended to make no difference, he’d go back to visit Amy or Sonic and find his future the same, why would that change now?

As his head rattled, Silver couldn’t help but cast his mind back. Blaze’s smile as she’d left the hut, had that just vanished from this reality? The effort she’d gone to this morning, was that gone too? She wouldn’t do it all without cause, she wouldn’t have lied to Marine about the gift; something had to have happened, flowers had to arrive. It was supposed to happen, it had happened! She’d worn that dress for a reason; those flowers must have meant a lot to her, but why?

In all his hours out here, in amongst the roses and the lilies, he’d not even consider it once. What was a bouquet to her when she had this garden filled with flowers?

That simple question spun into another; would she have done what she had for any stranger who delivered her flowers? Given her position, the guardian of the Sol emeralds surely received far more lavish gifts on a regular basis… didn’t she? She did. He knew she’d received flowers, flowers and so much more. Outfits from renown designers, jewellery from around the world, expensive foods and marvellous furnishings. What was a bundle of flowers on her windowsill compared to those gifts? He’d never seen her in that dress or any like it before, so it wasn’t as if her change in garb was tied to receiving just any gift. Was it because she thought it was from him? Had the gift’s form not mattered at all? Was the assumed intent behind it enough to change things or… did it mean more because it had come from him?

Giving gifts wasn’t unlike Silver, despite how difficult it was to pick gifts for Blaze. Usually he’d end up baking her a cake or cook her dinner, that way the effort behind his actions was clear even if it was a bit plain. His jam was a prime example of such a gift, something he’d made for her. Whenever she casually bought him things, utilising her great wealth, he’d end up jumping for joy and beaming. Blaze’s reaction to his gifts were usually more subdued but she always made her thankfulness clear. Though it was rarely as over the top as this morning, she always returned his gestures. Did she do that for anyone else? Surely, if she received so many gifts, being so personal would take up a ridiculous amount of time.

His heart was thumping against his ribcage, beating like their feet against the pavement as they’d fled from Iblis. What was he thinking, how dare he even think this? If was foolish, selfish, naïve! No matter how special their bond was, Blaze surely valued all the gifts she received.

But experience told him that she didn’t. Though Blaze took pride in her position as guardian, she didn’t care for baubles attached to it. She’d complain to him about public appearances and newspaper photos for hours on end, only wear her regular robes despite having a closet filled with different outfits. She didn’t even wear much jewellery, despite having boxes filled with the stuff. It seemed like those gifts, only conjured due to her position as princess, meant litle to the pyrokinetic. But did that mean, no matter how basic, a gift from him meant more? It was all so confusing, what had happened to her secret admirer? Why did they have to put him in such a difficult situation? What were all these feelings?

The clicking of a latch threw Silver from his thoughts and sent him tumbling back into the bush, the flickies immediately fled at one of those two sounds. From an even less comfortable hiding spot, awkwardly lying with her gift atop her chest and rose thorns in his back, the hedgehog watched as Blaze the cat appeared on her balcony. She was dressed, but not in the outfit he’d seen a few hours in the future. Despite her regular robes, the sight of her face as the cracked remnants of thoughts reconstituted in his mind was enough to set his cheeks alight. In a few hours from now, he’d say that Blaze always looked pretty. He’d always considered that to be the truth, but it’d be said out of impulse, as a way to quickly placate Marine. In this moment though, it was undeniable. Even in the shade of her castle, from such a difficult angle and obscured by countless branches, Blaze was beautiful. Her amber eyes could cut the dark so casually as to make the sun jealous.

But her coming out here now was practically a miracle, why had she done it? He wasn’t sure what time it was, but her bout of impromptu gift preparation would undoubtedly take an hour or more. For things to go as they had, she had to start now. Time had run out, the suitor had missed their chance, that smile and her joy was set to be erased from reality. For whatever reason, that person simply hadn’t shown up. Why? What could have happened? Where could they be? He’d been the only one here, it wasn’t as thought they’d got cold feet at the last second. There was no way, he’d stayed up all night, he’d have noticed if someone had come and gone.

It was then that Silver remembered one of the many thoughts he’d cycled through while waiting for the suitor. He didn’t know how time travel really worked, he’d read books and observed a handful of oddities, but he didn’t know the truth about all that. All he knew was that Blaze’s suitor was supposed to leave flowers on her balcony this morning, that Blaze would be leaving her room with no intent on returning any moment now, that he was the only one in range of her balcony and that he was surrounded by flowers. It seemed like the perfect set up for a very specific kind of time paradox that he had never experienced nor observed. A time loop of sorts.

Of course, he immediately dismissed that as a stupid thought born of his tired and hungry state. Having thoughts about their bond or how pretty she looked was entirely pointless now, the suitor was supposed to show up here and secretly drop off a bundle of flowers for the feline so that she’d come to him. That was how things were, that was how things were supposed to be. Besides, the flowers around him were her flowers; surely her supposed secret admirer would bring their own?

His thoughts were cut short as, without the birds chirping to obscure things, Silver was able to hear knocking at Blaze’s bedroom door. Marine had mentioned that the flowers were on her bedroom landing, but perhaps she had been mistaken? Maybe things were somewhere else then he’d have missed-

“It’s Gardon, your majesty! I’ve got news to share,” He managed to only just overhear.

Ah, it was Gardon, perhaps he was the one who delivered this apparent secret suitor’s flowers.

He watched as she turned to look into her bedchamber and spoke, “You may enter.”

“Your highness, I’m afraid a number of today’s meetings have been rescheduled. It’s going to be an earlier start than we anticipated,” Oh, that made things seem even more impossible. What time was it?

“Oh? Has something happened?” She questioned. If Gardon had brought flowers, then he’d have led with them, right? And surely she’d have mentioned them, Blaze was usually very blunt.

“Unfortunately, the manager of the island’s bridge projects has found himself double booked. Apparently, an environmental survey is set to occur for one of the construction sites. He is most apologetic, your highness,” No mention of flowers, nothing; Gardon clearly didn’t have them.

So, if this suitor was going to arrive then this was surely the moment. It had to be here, it had to be now, while she was distracted. They’d run up, throw the flowers, and run away… right?

Silver’s heart began to race once more. He cast his gaze to his surroundings but still no suitor had shown themselves, no individual had arrived to show their affection for Blaze. He was the only one here, he was surrounded by flowers and time was running out. That preposterous, ridiculous, and unfounded concept flagged within his mind again. He’d never known time travel to work as he was imagining. But then, he didn’t know how time travel worked in the first place.

“That’s fine, it can’t be helped, but, Gardon, how many times have I told you not to use that title,” With that complaint, the pieces all aligned, an opportunity had revealed itself.

Without another moment of hesitation, not so much as thinking as he moved, Silver stepped from the bushes and cast his hands to his surroundings. With power of psychokinesis, he clipped roses from the hedge and cut lilies to size. As flower after flower gathered in his psychic grasp he winced, regretting that he hadn’t foreseen this possibility in time enough to take flowers from literally anywhere else. He glanced to his surroundings, making a final check. There was no secret admirer, only him. Explaining himself this evening was going to be oh so awkward, perhaps even more awkward than if a suitor had appeared, but he didn’t have time to dwell on that.

“I-I’m sorry, Blaze,” The koala was stammering, it was almost like destiny! Rushing with his psychic powers, he threw himself into the air with her still to be made gift in one hand and his gift not yet given in the other, “It’s a failing of mine, I know. I must improve.”

He passed behind her and placed the flowers atop her balcony wall. Fortunately, Gardon had assumed a full bow as part of his apology and entirely missed the psychic’s appearance. The hedgehog passed entirely unnoticed.

“Regardless, I’m almost prepared. I’ll be down for breakfast, tell the manager not to worry,” Blaze sighed, turning just in time to miss the psychic as he flipped up and onto the castle’s roof. The very last thing he saw was her ears flickering as she noticed the bouquet.

“V-Very well, thank you,” Gardon’s voice, made almost inaudible by Silver’s new position, was punctuated by the closing of the bedroom door.

Silver didn’t dare look down from his roost, despite how desperately he longed to see the look on her face. Knowing what it led to, it must have been a smile just as beautiful as the one she’d worn before leaving his home. Still, this all didn’t quite sit right with Silver. There was still every chance that her suitor was supposed to show themselves, that he had just abused his power and interrupted someone else. Careful to remain outside Blaze’s potential view, the hedgehog dashed across the palace roof and scanned the grounds as best he could.

He kept to the rooftops, checking all directions in search of some hidden suitor whose plans he might have just ruined. None manifested, no matter how hard he searched, but it took the sight of Blaze leaving the castle, dressed as he’d seen and would go on to see her, for Silver to finally stop. No matter where he looked, no matter how he tried, he could find neither an individual fleeing the grounds nor anyone approaching with flowers. The hedgehog ended up near the front face of the castle, opposite to where he’d been, hiding behind a turret in an attempt to avoid any backward glances from Blaze. Dropping to his backside, his eyes fell upon clouds coloured scarlet and the sun drifting above the horizon. The day was just beginning in the kingdom of Sol; a slightly younger him was out there, still fast asleep.

There was a term for what he’d just created, for the time anomaly he’d just experienced. If everything had gone as he thought it had then Silver had just made a bootstrap paradox, but there was only one way to know for sure. He had to go back, he had to live in what he’d created. No matter how beautiful the sunrise was, it couldn’t compare to her smile, and he didn’t have time to rest.

---

His arrival at his own doorstep was a bumbling one. No less than five minutes after he left, but no more than ten, Silver the hedgehog manifested outside Marine’s shack. The hedgehog immediately did a full three-sixty, taking in his surroundings. As far as he could tell, there were no drastic changes from the morning he had lived through. Their beachside home was still untouched and Blaze was nowhere in sight.

Pressing himself against the building, the hedgehog dared to peer through the kitchen window. He immediately identified Marine, sat at the table and tinkering with a model boat. There was no sign of the feline inside or a time-displaced doppelganger of himself, everything seemed to be how he’d hoped it’d be. How it seemed and how it was weren’t necessarily the same though.

Feeling even more thoroughly exhausted after his jump back through time, he managed to barge his way into the house and locked eyes with the youngster, “Marine, what just happened? Is everything alright?” He practically snapped, stumbling over his feet as he slammed the door shut with his back.

“Silver? What’re you doing back already?” She asked, plainly surprised, but didn’t wait for his answer, “What do you mean what just happened, of course everything’s fine. You ran out there after Blaze… don’t tell me you got cold feet already,” Marine shook her head in disgust, turning back to work.

That was a good sign, but it wasn’t enough for him, “A-And what was she wearing? When she was here as in; was it her normal robes of something different?”

“You should know mate, you complimented her on that dress twice. What’s the matter with you? Why are you back here?” Marine questioned, “Honestly, she went to all that bother, dressing up and coming down here, early in the morning no less, just to see you and drop off a gift. Didn’t she teach you to say thank you for that kind of thing? Honestly mate, if you can’t act now, when will you?”

“Oh, so everything’s fine, just as I left it. Good, a-alright… I need to sit down,” The hedgehog said, going lightheaded with relief as he slid down the door.

He hardly heard Marine’s prattling in response. His eyes flickered to the cuckoo clock in the wall, barely eight minutes had passed since he’d left this building. It wasn’t even ten past eight in the morning, yet he’d endured at least a full day’s worth of stress. As strange as things were, they seemed to have settled down to embrace some kind of consistency.

The concept of a bootstrap paradox was one that didn’t come up in much literature, but there were a handful of tales about individuals traveling back in time to warn themselves of immanent events in bizarre and cyclical manners. He’d once read about a theatre enthusiast traveling back in time to meet a famous playwright only to end up writing all of their plays and living their life, thus inspiring that same fan’s own journey back to meet that same bard. Despite those fictional tales, Silver hadn’t considered that such a paradox was possible.

But, as he now knew better than ever, he didn’t know how time travel worked. He jumped back in time and really just hoped for the best. Perhaps it was all a lot more fluid than he’d imagined, maybe the rules weren’t set in stone so much as written in the sand of some interdimensional beach.

“Mate? What happened in the last five minutes?” Marine was now staring at him quite quizzically, “You look an awful state, are those leaves in your quills? Why are you so muddy?”

“It’s a long and strange and… stupid story, I’m not sure I even understand it myself,” Was all the explanation he could stand to offer, manually pulling himself back to his feet before waddling across the room to slump in his seat.

Immediately, his head was back to buzzing and filled to burst with questions. Who had sent that initial bouquet, who had set all this in motion? Was it better to ask what had set this all into motion or when they’d done it? Silver had no idea, just like the fan turned playwright he’d read about this happening to. They were impossible questions with no answer, at least none he could wrap his head around or ever hope to experience. The universe had made him question his relationship with Blaze, had him deliver her flowers and effectively set up tonight’s rendezvous as a date without any concrete or observable reason.

It took sitting there, half asleep, for a solid few minutes for him to even begin constructing plausible origins for what had occurred. Had a future version of himself, having come to embrace and understand the emotions now bubbling in the present hedgehog’s chest, travelled back in time and set the first bouquet on her windowsill? But then, in doing so, had they overwritten their own timeline and been erased while the events remained, resulting in him going forward and delivering the flowers instead. Would a version of himself really delete themselves from reality just to make himself realise he felt some strange feelings for Blaze a bit earlier? Why would they do that? Perhaps to change the timeline itself, to undo some different calamity.

If there had been an attack and he had lost Blaze again, perhaps that would have prompted the kind of introspection he was still experiencing. He’d lost her once; he didn’t want to even consider losing her again. Maybe a future version of himself had rewritten the timeline through the bouquet, attempting to change things between them in a major way such that the future itself might shift. Maybe he’d given up his life in order to perhaps save Blaze or the world. That seemed like a more traditional reason for him to use time travel, but perhaps the hedgehog was just trying to justify all he’d done and what had happened to himself.

Despite the depth of Silver’s tired contemplation, the pained moaning of his stomach was enough to rupture his thought bubble. The hedgehog’s eyes fell to the white paper parcel in his hand, now a little rough around the edges but still sealed. Hearing his stomach growl again, he finally undid Blaze’s bow and peered inside. A puff of smoke bellowed from the wrapping, forcing him to briefly close his eyes. In the aftermath, Silver found himself staring at six black masses with paper bottoms. Muffins, she had taken the time out of her morning to try and bake him a gift, to return his affection as quickly as possible. Despite their charcoaled exterior, Silver couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the confectionary.

Warmth swelled in his chest as he drew the first one and took a full bite. While it was harder than he’d anticipated, and there was certainly a smoky flavour, he could taste all that she’d tried to do. Blaze had sewn chocolate chips throughout sugary dough of her own making, clearly trying her hardest to make something sweet. Trying his hardest to savour, though urged on by his empty stomach, he quickly made his way through the first and onto a second small cake.

“Are you sure you want to eat those, mate? I could shoot them out a canon instead,” The raccoon cringed, clearly not appreciating the time and effort Blaze had put into her baking.

“I’m sure,” Regardless of what anyone else would think of them; to him, they were perfect.

“Are you still going to see her tonight?” She asked, already refocused on her work, “Gonna be honest, you really do look a state.”

“Yes, I’m still going,” He managed to admit between mouthfuls, “I think I might just nap till then though.”

“And you’ll shower before going too. You’ve set yourself up well, regardless of whatever all this mess is about. I won’t have you spoiling it by showing up filthy,” She insisted before launching into another rant, “Honestly, I don’t know why you decided to roll around in the mud instead of chasing her. Are you that much of a scaredy cat? Come on, there’s still time, she’s probably not running towards the castle; you could just fly out after her, sweep her off her feet, all prince charming like and-

As Marine’s words gradually became white noise, he lost himself in the potent flavour of another muffin and managed to smile. Fate had separated them in the wake of a grandfather paradox only to stitch them back together. For it to still be weaving them together was strange but not ludicrous think. Perhaps that stitch was still tightening, even now. Regardless of how blatant and tailored this supposed intervention had been, no matter how it’d unnerved him, he’d had to act. Not only was such a change in history a threat to his own timeline but the idea that her happiness might be erased was just too much to bear.

Was he going to be able to do this though? Fate had set them down such a strange path and short path; in less than a day their whole relationship had been flipped on its head. In the blink of an eye he’d gone from her companion to her secret admirer, from her best friend to some sort of supposed romantic. That thought warmed his cheeks and made his chest tingle in ways that were becoming frightfully common.

For as crazy as this morning had been, this evening was set to be far more insane. Could he explain this to Blaze? He had to, there was no way he could hide this, she’d know something was bothering him the moment he arrived on her balcony. Still, regardless of time’s whims tossing them about, he’d try to make his care clear. Whether prompted by fate or not, no matter how he struggled to face it, he’d been the one to do it; he was her secret admirer.

New and strange emotions still buzzed in both his head and heart but, as reality itself seemed to have insisted, these feelings were undeniably real, and they weren’t going way. He just had to figure out what they meant. Surely that couldn’t be more difficult than understanding time travel… could it?

#silvaze #Silver the Hedgehog #Blaze the Cat #sonic the hedgehog #fanfiction #valentines #sonic #silverxblaze

[lyssismagical]

sweetheart, you look a little tired

Febufluff Day 19, 20, 21, & 22 – Safe and Sound, Butterflies, First Kiss, & Love at First Sight 

Read on AO3

*

Peter’s eyes are drifting shut, swaying on his own two feet behind the cash register. He’s already been benched from actually making anything, so he’s stuck on taking orders.

“Parker!” one of his coworker’s shout from somewhere behind him. He jerks awake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawns.

“Sorry, man. I’m awake, I’m good,” Peter says quickly, turning his attention to the next customer in line and taking their order. Thankfully, it’s a slow day at the café so he doesn’t feel as bad for not being a model employee.

As soon as the customer is through, another coworker of his, Betty, touches his shoulder and pushes a drink into his hand.

“Who’s this for?” Peter asks, looking over the cup for any name.

“For you, dumbass. A few extra shots of espresso to get you through the shift. On the house.”

Peter stares dumbly down at the coffee for a good few moments, not understanding, before he offers Betty a tired smile. “Thanks.”

She shrugs, turning back to her job. “Finish your shift and get some real sleep before your next one, alright?”

Nodding, Peter turns back to the cash register, sipping at his coffee. He’s never really liked coffee, especially now that all it does is remind him of the people he’s lost. His parents used to drink coffee practically religiously, and he remembers Sunday mornings would always smell like coffee and pancakes with his aunt and uncle. But he supposes now he doesn’t really have a choice but to get over it if he’s going to keep his head on his shoulders.

He’s currently working two part-time jobs. One at the coffee shop he’s at now, and another at a nearby restaurant where he’s a waiter. He also picks up odd jobs as often as he can, the extra cash helping to keep their heads above water.

The amount of work he does is already a lot, he barely has any downtime. Especially since he’s a single dad. His daughter is his pride and joy, the light of his life, but it’s tough, he can’t lie.

She’s three, and she’s everything, but between his two jobs and the odd jobs he has to pick up and singlehandedly taking care of a toddler? It’s taking its toll on his health.

He wouldn’t trade it for the world though. He loves her with everything he’s got, even if it means working eighteen-hour days or if it means staying up all night at her bedside when she swears there’s a monster under her bed.

“Excuse me?”

Peter jerks, eyes flying open as a flush immediately fills his cheeks. He quickly takes a gulp of his coffee and turns to the customer.

“I am so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to, uh… What can I get for you?”

Peter tries his best for a smile as he looks up at the man, and holy fucking shit.

Harley Keener is leaning against the counter nonchalantly, a charming smile adorning his face. He’s holding his wallet, which is surprisingly old and worn, and is looking at Peter with raised eyebrows.

“Your number?” Harley says, smiling a little brighter and dimples show in his tan skin.

Peter, visibly flustered, fumbles for his own coffee cup anxiously, nearly knocking it over. “I, uh, I’m-”

“Kidding, darling, unless you want to.” Harley winks obnoxiously, licking his bottom lip. “I could actually go for a large black coffee. Thanks, love.”

Knowing he must look as red as a tomato, Peter rings up the price. “That’s, uh, three dollars.”

He pops open his wallet and pulls out a bill. “Keep the change, darling.”

And then there’s a one-hundred-dollar bill in Peter’s hand.

“I can’t- I can’t take this. It’s a three-dollar coffee.”

Harley’s smile falls a little bit, and he looks at Peter with confusion sparkling in his brown eyes. “You know who I am, right?”

Nodding, Peter tries to hand back the money. “Yeah, I don’t know anybody who doesn’t know you.”

“So, you have to realize I don’t need the money. I always give generous tips.”

“Generous is like twenty percent, not three thousand percent,” Peter says. He doesn’t mean to be angry, but it feels like a dig at Peter, not as a kind gesture. It makes Peter feel like he’s not working hard enough, like he’s failing his daughter if he needs to get charity from a rich man who throws around his money.

Harley shrugs and doesn’t take back the money. “Split it with your coworkers. I don’t want to carry around change.”

Peter tries his best to look polite despite being exhausted and upset and wanting nothing more than to pick up his daughter from kindergarten and take her home for a movie night.

“Large black coffee,” Peter tells Betty over his shoulder. “Is that all?”

“Yep, that would be wonderful, darling.”

As much as Peter wishes he was angry at the pet names, he can’t be. Harley Keener, son of Tony Stark, one of the most famous billionaires ever, is really hot. Tan with a mess of purposefully wild light brown curls and a wonderful smile that makes little dimples in his cheeks, and the prettiest brown eyes he’s ever seen.

Betty passes Harley the coffee over the counter with a knowing smile.

Harley sees it at the same time Peter does.

He’s too much of a coward so here’s his number.

“You’ve got a nice wingman back there,” Harley says, grinning at Peter. “I’ll call you, beautiful.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Peter doesn’t bother telling him he hasn’t had the money to pay his phone bill in a little over six months.

* “Daddy!” His daughter exclaims, racing across the schoolyard to him. As soon as she reaches him, he scoops her up into his arms, pressing a long kiss to her forehead.

“Hi, baby, I missed you loads,” Peter says, smiling at her. He ignores the tiredness that hangs from his very bones and his aching joints and focuses on the unfiltered joy in his daughter’s eyes.

June Parker was born when Peter was only eighteen. He wasn’t ready to have a child, but MJ and he decided that they could do anything so long as they had each other.

And then there were complications with the birth.

Peter doesn’t remember much from that night, one of the longest nights of his life, all he remembered is the doctors refusing to give him the baby when he was allowed into the nursery. He remembers the worry that almost had his knees giving out. They sat him down in one of the chairs and broke the news. And he sat there, and he cried until he thought his chest would cave.

And then they were tucking his baby into his arms.

“I missed you more!” she exclaims before launching into a detailed explanation of her school day.

He walks them home, a good seven blocks away from the elementary school, but it’s not like he has the spare cash to pay for a car, insurance and gas.

Eventually, they do make it home to their little apartment building, and Peter’s never been happier to peel off his sneakers and fall onto the couch, June immediately curling up against his chest.

“Do you work tonigh’?” June asks, a pout tugging at her mouth.

“Nope, got the night off, honey.” Peter doesn’t tell her that it’s because he looked dead on his feet last night and was forced to take a sick day to get some real sleep. Instead, he grins down at her, and lifts his eyebrows. “You know what that means?”

“Movie night!” she squeals, sliding off the couch and racing for the kitchen and their poorly stocked cupboards.

Peter laughs and drags himself to his feet. “Dinner first, June.”

He scoops her back up, sitting her down on the counter. “What do you want to eat?”

She pretends to think really hard for a few seconds like she hasn’t already made up her mind. “Mac and cheese!”

Shaking his head in amusement, he presses a kiss to her forehead. “Mac and cheese, it is then, baby.”

* He doesn’t sleep well again, instead making some decent money by reviewing and editing essays online and making sure June sleeps soundly despite the noise of the city, louder than ever.

And then he’s up early as ever to walk June to school and then head to the café for his shift.

“Wow, you look like you were hit by a bus,” Betty says. Not in a mean way, she’s one of the only friends he’s got. “You weren’t working last night, were you?”

“Not at the restaurant,” he says. He doesn’t need to say that he was working anyways. He doesn’t like sleeping anyway.

As soon as he takes up his position at the cash register, Harley Keener walks in.

He’s dressed immaculately as always, but there’s a frown on his face as he walks in.

“Black coffee again?” Peter says when he reaches the counter.

Harley falters for a second, eyes losing the spark of anger before it comes back with intensity. “I texted you last night. Like six times. And I called you too. Tony thought I was losing my mind over a guy at a café.”

Peter winces, opening his mouth to apologize, but there’s a bit of shame burning his chest. He doesn’t want to tell the billionaire’s heir that he’s too broke to pay for his phone bill, that’s why he couldn’t text back.

“If you didn’t like me, you could’ve at least been honest,” Harley says, genuine hurt flooding his eyes.

“I don’t even know you,” Peter says instead. But he does know that Harley’s pretty and he has hints of a southern accent from before he got adopted as Tony Stark’s kid. He does know that it’s been three years since MJ, that if he wants to get back in the game, he’s allowed to.

“You could’ve gotten to know me if you had answered your phone,” Harley counters easily, eyebrows lifting. He leans forward, closer to Peter, voice low. “Can I take you out for dinner, darling?”

Peter swallows thickly, mind blanking. All he manages is a slow nod, trying not to stare too blatantly. Harley’s so close to him that Peter can smell the expensive cologne on him.

Harley smiles, leaning back. It’s less of a cocky, arrogant, rich boy smile, and more the most genuine smile Peter’s seen, dimples showing and the corners of his eyes creasing.

“Perfect. I’ll text you?”

This is where Peter should’ve said something. Where he should’ve admitted that he didn’t have a phone plan anymore and that he doesn’t even know where his phone went, probably lost in their apartment somewhere.

Instead, Betty’s sliding a coffee across the counter to Harley who puts down a bunch of coins.

“Three dollars and sixty cents,” Harley says proudly. He’s grinning as he takes his drink. “Your twenty percent like you asked for.”

Before Peter has the time to say anything, Harley’s out the door.

* The rest of Peter’s day is busy enough to keep his mind occupied and away from thoughts of Harley. He works at the café, gets June home from school, helps her with her kindergarten homework, welcomes June’s babysitter, Ned, works at the restaurant, and gets home with just enough time to shower and get an hour or two of sleep before he’s taking June back to school.

He only realizes his mistake when Betty skips over to him. “How was your date?”

“Oh shit,” he says, jaw dropping. He stood up Harley fucking Keener. He runs a hand through his hair and leans back against the counter.

Betty’s expression falls, eyebrows crinkling. “What happened?”

“I just- I was working till three and I just- I forgot.”

As if on cue, Harley walks into the café, nonchalant, uncaring, sunglasses perched on his nose.

“Harley, look, I’m sorry-”

“Large black coffee, thanks,” Harley says, dropping three dollar bills on the table.

There’s a second where all Peter does is stare dumbly, speechless before he gets his head back. “I’m sorry, Harley. I swear I have a good explanation for this. It’s just-”

Harley shrugs. “You know I acted like I was a stupid teenager. I went home and I gushed to Tony about the cute boy at the café who was good at math and who got all flustered when I flirted with you and didn’t trip head over heels just because I’m Tony’s kid. And then yesterday, I went home and I wouldn’t shut up about how I got a date. And then you never picked up your phone. You never answered my calls. You totally stood me up.”

“I couldn’t pay for my phone plan,” Peter blurts, shame rolling in his stomach. “I should’ve told you sooner, I just- I didn’t know how. I wanted to go on that date, but I- I worked all night and I- I don’t have a phone plan anymore, so I couldn’t.”

And like someone flipped a switch, Harley’s smiling in relief, tugging his sunglasses off his face.

“In that case, when does your shift end?”

“You forgive me? Just like that?”

Harley shrugs, grinning brightly. “Course I do, wasn’t your fault. Plus, I really do like you, Peter.”

“I’ve got plans after my shift.”

“Like what?”

Peter tips his head to the side. “Before you really decide that you like me, you should know I have a daughter. I pick her up from school after my shift.”

And instead of confusion or disgust or anger or anything, Harley’s smile widens. “I know it doesn’t sound like a perfect date, but I would love to tag along.”

Peter can’t help the little smile that creeps onto his face. “I mean, yeah, sure, if you really want to. I get off my shift at two.”

“Perfect!” Harley exclaims. He grabs the coffee Betty left him on the counter. He turns away from Peter who expects him to head out, but he sits at the closest table to the counter.

“You do realize there’s still six hours until two, right?” Peter calls out.

“I have wonderful entertainment,” Harley replies, resting his chin in his hand and simply staring at Peter from across the room.

* They walk all the way from the café to the elementary school, joking and flirting and teasing each other, knocking shoulders and playfully pushing each other.

It’s fun. Peter hasn’t had fun in a really long time.

“Daddy!” June exclaims, racing towards them. She stops short when she sees Harley. She squints up at him for a moment before shrugging and lifting her arms for Peter to pick her up.

“How was school, baby?”

“Good! Miss A gave me a sticker for cleaning up!” she says, smiling brightly, little hands curling into Peter’s shirt.

Peter smiles proudly and kisses her forehead. “June, this is Harley, a friend of mine. Harley, this is my daughter June.”

June’s face scrunches up. “Daddy doesn’t have any friends.”

“Oh my god,” Harley says, trying to stifle his laughter. “Well, he does now. It’s nice to meet you, June.”

She giggles, hiding her face shyly in Peter’s chest, wide brown eyes looking Harley over as though she’s the one protecting Peter.

“Back to mine?” Peter offers. “As much as I’d love a regular afternoon hanging out, I’ve got a shift at the restaurant tonight, so I’ve gotta get dinner started early. You’re welcome to hang out.”

“You work two jobs?” Harley asks, tipping his head to the side, curls flopping across his forehead. “And look after your kid?”

It’s not said with any judgement, just curiosity with a splash of worry.

“Yeah. June’s mom passed away during childbirth,” Peter explains quietly, pressing a kiss to June’s forehead. “Just me and her now, so I’m trying my best.”

The grief is still there, but it doesn’t hurt so much anymore. He knew MJ for nearly six years, dated her for two years. He was going to propose after June was born, he didn’t want MJ to think he was only proposing because she was pregnant. He had to sell the ring not long after June was born to pay for diapers and other supplies, so he doesn’t even have it anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Harley murmurs, gently taking Peter’s hand and intertwining their fingers.

Peter offers a smile and points in the direction they have to walk. “You prepared for a seven-block walk?”

“You walk this every day?” Harley’s eyes go wide, jaw dropping. “Carrying her? Oh my god, no wonder you’re so fit!”

June giggles lifting her head to look at Harley. “Daddy’s so strong.”

“He sure is,” he agrees, grinning. “You want me to take her?”

Normally, Peter wouldn’t have agreed to give his kid over to anyone, but Harley’s been incredibly sweet and understanding over the past three days. So, he lets Harley take June and swing her up onto his shoulders, not even wincing when June grabs his curls, giggling brightly.

“Look, Daddy! I’m so tall!” she exclaims, little legs accidentally kicking Harley in the chest, but he just smiles, and holds onto her ankles.

“You sure are, baby, be grateful. This is probably the only time you’ll ever feel tall if you inherited my genes,” Peter laughs.

They walk the seven walks together, Harley never once complaining about June on his shoulders or having to walk so long, chatting about everything and anything. Harley’s more down to earth than Peter would’ve expected for Tony Stark’s son. He talks about his mom and his sister back in Tennessee, about how Tony adopted him when he was eleven so Harley could have the best opportunities he could.

And Peter talks about his own family. His mom and dad, and their plane crash, his aunt and uncle, and their car crash. About how he was living with MJ to finish his high school education when she got pregnant and he lost her too.

Harley’s sympathetic, but not in a pitying way, not in a way that Peter feels judged or uncomfortable. And it’s nice. Peter’s spent the past three years only really talking to a toddler and coworkers.

It’s just nice to have a friend.

June pulls out her colouring books when they get home, immediately racing off to the living room to turn on Paw Patrol and colour.

Harley sits up on the counter in the kitchen as Peter pulls open the fridge, sighing and rubbing his eyes when he realizes it’s pretty much empty.

“You wanna order in?” Harley offers, already pulling out his phone and wallet. “I can pay.”

“I’m not your charity case,” Peter says. He knows Harley’s only being nice, but it stings to think that June could be with someone like Harley, not living off boxed mac and cheese, and cheap snacks.

Harley lifts his hands in surrender. “I’m not saying you are. This is a date, right? I’ll cover dinner this time. You can get the next one.”

Lifting his eyebrows, Peter bites back a smile, butterflies filling his stomach. “Already planning a second date, Keener? A little presumptuous of you, isn’t it?”

Harley reaches out to grab Peter’s waist, pulling him into the spot between his legs, grinning carelessly. “Only if you want to, of course.”

“Let’s get through this one first before we start making new plans, hm?” Peter replies, a smile touching his face.

Sure, there’s a headache growing behind his eyes, one that’s been there for as long as he can remember. Sure, he’s exhausted and his feet hurt and he has another shift at the restaurant that night. Sure, he’s only known Harley for three days. Sure, Peter doesn’t feel good enough to be with someone like Harley.

But Harley’s looking at him like he hung the stars, grinning brightly like he wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here with Peter.

So, Peter leans in and presses a kiss to Harley’s lips. It’s been three years since he’s kissed anybody, but Harley doesn’t seem to mind because his hands lift to cradle Peter’s face, kissing back enthusiastically.

Until, “Daddy! Look!”

Peter pulls away, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face and laughing at the terrible timing.

“Yeah, honey?” Peter calls out, turning to the kitchen door just as June barrels in, coloring book in hand.

“Lookie!” She says, giving him the book. It’s a picture of Sky from Paw Patrol, messily scribbled in with every color in the rainbow.

“It looks great, baby. Way better than anything I could do,” Peter laughs. “You want pizza tonight?”

She lights up, bouncing on her feet. “Yes please! Thank you, Mister Harley!”

Harley grins down at her, ruffling her hair. “Course, kiddo. Anything for you.”

And Peter believes him. In the hour or so that Harley’s known June, he’s been nothing but a picture-perfect guy to both Peter and June.

June shouts a quick thank you and then she races back through to the living room, leaving the two boys alone.

“Thanks for everything,” Peter murmurs, leaning into Harley’s chest. “You’ve been a really nice guy, so thank you for that.”

“You’re thanking me for being a decent human being?” Harley asks. But then he laughs and kisses Peter’s cheek. “Course, darling. I really do like you, I wasn’t lying earlier.”

“I really like you too, not for your money or for the title, but I like you.”

Something about Harley’s demeanor relaxes infinitesimally. “Thanks. Most people hear my name and they just want the minute of fame from knowing me, I guess.”

“Well, most people look at me and see somebody who’s not worth the trouble, so thank you for overlooking the fact that my life is a mess right now.”

Harley smiles, dimples showing in his cheeks, and runs his thumb over Peter’s cheekbone softly. “If you’d let me, could I pay for your phone bill. I wanna be able to text you and call you. This would be for me, not for you, obviously.”

Peter laughs, kissing Harley again. “For you, of course.”

* Peter gets home from the restaurant to find Harley still in his apartment with Ned. Harley had offered to babysit, but was understanding when Peter said he wasn’t sure if he trusted Harley alone with his daughter and Ned was already on his way.

Peter had expected Harley to head home after Peter left, but from the looks of it, Harley had hung out with Ned and June all night.

“Didn’t think you’d stay,” Peter admits, dropping onto the couch beside Harley. “You have a good night?”

“We watched a Barbie movie and ate way too much pizza. June told me all about school and you and everything.”

Ned leans over the back of the couch, yawning. “Gonna head home, Pete. Do you work tomorrow too?”

“Nah, took the weekend off, had some plans. Bye, Ned. Goodnight.”

“Night, Pete. Night, Harley.”

Ned heads out, and Harley immediately turns to Peter with a knowing grin. “Plans?”

“Yeah, you promised me a second date, didn’t you?”

“Me, you, and June should go to a park. Have a cute little picnic, fly some kites.”

Peter can’t help but smile. For their second date, Harley includes June without a second thought. It’s the sweetest thing in the world. Peter can’t help but slide into the space beside Harley, curling into Harley’s warmth, and kiss him sweetly.

“Sounds wonderful.”

“This is probably going to sound insane, and it’s too late for anything I say to be taken seriously, but do you believe in love at first sight?”

Peter thinks carefully, remembering the first time he saw MJ at school and the way his heart almost beat out of his chest, remembering seeing Harley three days prior at the café and the way he thought he was going to die on the spot.

“I think so, yeah,” Peter says, voice quiet. “Do you?”

“Saw you, falling asleep at the counter, and I swear to you, darling, I just knew. I know I was a bit of a jerk to you, but I just- Falling that quickly, never happened to me before, and I panicked a little bit.”

“Don’t wanna drop that word yet,” Peter says, shaking his head.

“Me neither, but I just know I really like you, darling.”

“I really like you too.”

Peter snuggles up closer to Harley, draping his legs over Harley’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Comfy?” Harley asks, pressing a kiss to Peter’s temple.

“Mm, yeah.”

“Good. You’re safe and sound with me, darling.”

#lyss writes #febufluff #parkner #parkner fic #parley #harley keener/peter parker #harley/peter #harley keener #harley x peter #dad peter parker #coffee shop au #peter parker

[crazyforhorror]

Chapter four: Are you kidding me?

— Paul pov—

I sat perplexed on the floor of the laundry room trying to figure out what was wrong with the washing machine. My favorite white pants were covered in blood and i cant get the stains out to save my life! Poor human females, i dont know how they do it honestly. It has been hours of me trying to get it done after successfully luring people her to feed off of. This is how i ended up here....... my swearing must have been loud because Laddie came into the laundry room with a look i could describe only as a teacher who was about to lay a ruler to your hand for talking too much and far too loud in class. “ dad you do realize there is this thing called bleach, right?? You just add that when you do your laundry with stain remover spray and you are good to go! I swear that is is super easy, here let me show you.” He says while putting in the needed liquids and starting the wash. The only problem with that was he was standing on my legs to reach the opening and the dials of the big machine that i was at war with. He was standing on my BARE legs in his COMBAT BOOTS. Now that my legs were all muddy and gross and were going to have shoe prints in bright red....... life with kids i guess though, right? David passed with a chuckle and said, “wow Paul your kid is smarter than you are. That’s sad bro.” I flipped him the bird and continued to listen to Laddie babble, this time about a new show he and Marko had discovered on the TV set tonigh. A ten year old is smarter than me. Are you kidding me??as the munchkin leaves the room I let a growl bubble up in my chest at the thought that David had told me the wrong stuff to remove blood, he told me freaking ketchup and mustard were the stuff you needed to use and when i had done that, i lost a pair of pants to the garbage man. Now i at least had Laddie to help me out but how did he know?

—Star Pov—

I still looked for Laddie even though he had been gone so long. What caused him to run away? were Michael and I hard on him? Did he think we were trying to change him too much? We were walking to the opening of the old cave, having yet to check here for him. Maybe he had gone here, Michael once said to me. I mean this did used to be his home for quite some time. What we saw when we entered the cave shocked us to the core. A cold feeling settled its home in my gut, something was wrong about it. It did NOT look like it was left abandoned by the guys, it looked a bit daare I say, empty.

“Kids found the cave and raided it huh?” Michael asked me with a tone of both disgust and awe.

“No, No one in all my time with the lost boys, we never ONCE had someone raid the cave let alone actually come in. Unless the guys brought them here for their.....dinner. But STILL we NEVER had that problem. This is fishy; something else has happened here. I intend to find out.” My voice wavered a few times, a wobbly tone that told how disturbed to my core I was. This did not feel right at all, almost like something more sinister is deceiving us all. Not something I look forward to learning about honestly. Did Laddie come back to the cave  and get stuff that reminded him of the boys before he ran away? I started looking around for any possible leads to what went down in here. The old boom box paul loved, missing. Dwayne’s skate board collection? Missing. David’s books that were neatly piled up behind his little alcove? Gone! Marko’s pigeons and their cage? Poof! They too were gone.Laddie’s favorit toys and teddy bear and blanket that if he were to lose he would never be the same was all long gone. Even the old Jim Morrison Poster that once draped the wall of the back part of the cave was gone.... Wait if this was all missing, “ It looks like someone took very specific things and in a hurry too, its messy, looks rushed and oddly enough all the missing stuff was things the guys loved more than anything. Something isn’t right here Michael, I think we need to get the Frog brothers again so don’t you dare touch anything. There is definatly something more than we can see scratching the surface of this.” His eyes widened as I let the words shake out of my mouth, I was for sure pale, looked sick and you could feel the mood of the room become fridged with horror, confusion. This was something we needed advice on.

-- Michael Pov--

It was still early morning as Star and I made way to Edgar and Alan’s comic book shop. They looked rather incredulous to our arrival and asking for help. “But they are gone? Has a new coven come in and replaced them that quick?”

Star shook her head, her frizzy curls bouncing around her face. “ No their stuff was missing but only the things that were important to them, and before you say it was Laddie before he ran away, there was too much stuff gone. Paul’s boom box and tapes, David’s books, Marko’s pigeons and their cage, Dwayne’s skateboards AND all of Laddie’s toys and his favorite bear and blanket are all gone. It looked like it was done in a hurry and something just dosen’t add up here. Something sinister is hiding in this situation. and yes we checked the ENTIRE cave, they are not in thier sleeping quarters or any of the old rooms that were still accessable. Nada.” Sam pops out from a shelf area with a comic book limp by his side. “But they all died. Are you positive that the surfers didn’t go and take things they didn’t go and take things they liked before the kid got got his stuff and he ad gotten it later?” I only nodded with a look of grim worry shattering my face. We had to find out what what was going on so we decided to take the kids there to let them look around. The shop got closed up and we all made our way back to the cave at the edge of Hudson’s bluff.

A/N: 

Im sorry this took so long to get this up. My anxiety and depression are pretty rough right now and I don’t have my own computer so updates are a little crazy. I hope you enjoyed this! im going to get caught up on this and then I will also go through the family tree I have made. 

#the lost boys #brooke mccarter #lost boys 1987 #billy wirth #the lost boys movie #alex winter #paul #kiefer sutherland #lost boys #david #dwayne #marko #laddie #star #alan frog #edgar frog #sam emerson #michael emerson #sinister deciet #my writing #fanfic #the lost boys paul #the lost boys dwayne #the lost boys david #the lost boys marko #the lost boys star #the lost boys laddie

[4everinsane]

9 19 20 24!!'

9. For fuck’s sake, just shut up.

the others will be up shortly!

Send me a number from this post and I’ll write a blurb off of it!

You didn’t want to. You didn’t want to go to this stupid dinner but you had no choice. You’re mother had drug you into it. The only bright side was that Harry was going to be at your side, hopefully being enough of a distraction and comfort to help you get through this evening. 

“Can we call my mom and just say I’m sick and can’t come?” You ask your boyfriend as he helps slide into your jacket. 

“Come on, love, time to go.” He presses a kiss to the side of your head and then takes your hand and tugs you out of the house and towards the car. You groan and allow yourself to be lead. “So explain to me again why you don’ wan’ to go to this?” Harry questions as he begins to drive. 

“There’s this girl going to be there…” You start, shaking your head. “She’s just one of those girls that… bug me.” Really you hated her. She was a family friend and the two of you had never gotten along. 

“Why?” Harry continues to question, clearly confused. 

“She just always tries to act perfect and like she lives this spectacular life. She has to one up everything you say that you’ve done and act like she’s better. It just always gets on my nerves.” You explain, giving a sigh. 

“Well jus’ ignore her tonigh’. We can have a chat if she starts to but you.” He suggests, giving you a smile but still keeping his focus on the road. 

“If?” You ask. “You mean when.” He also gives a laugh and reaches over for your hand. 

“It’s gonna be fine, love.” He brings your joined hands up and kisses the back of your hand. 

Midway into dinner, just as you expected, you wanted to stab a fork in your ear just so you didn’t have to listen to this girl drone on and on about some trip she just took with her new super rich boyfriend. 

“I’m gonna kill her.” You mutter, leaning over just so Harry hears. Harry had been trying to be nice and courteous the entire evening, just as Harry always was, but he now very clearly knew what you were talking about and had been dreading. 

“Shh.” He pats your thigh, trying to hide his laugh into your hair as he kisses your temple. You just shake your head and reach for your drink, hoping more alcohol will help you handle this. But ten minutes later, she was still going on and on. You and Harry had tried to tell about your upcoming plans together but she cut you off almost as soon as you had started talking. “For fuck’s sake, just shut up.” Your head shoots up from where you had been rubbing your temples and see that Harry’s hand shot over his mouth. 

“Excuse me?!” The girl screeches but everyone else was trying to contain their amusement at Harry’s outburst as they all had clearly been thinking about saying the same thing. 

“Harry and I are just gonna.. go.” You stand from your chair then, Harry quickly following too. “Bye, mom.” You kiss your moms cheek hastily before taking Harry’s hand. He was still slightly horrified that he had spoken those words out loud but you were full on laughing at that point. 

“I’m so sorry, love, I don-” You cut him off with your lips as soon as the two of you were out of the restaurant. 

“You just spoke what was on everyone’s mind.” You tell him when you pull back. 

“I feel terrible. Maybe I should go apologize. It was rude of me to-” You press your lips back to his, laughing a bit. Finally, once his arms wrap around your hips and he kisses you back, you know he’s done with his thoughts of apologizing. 

“Out of everyone who I thought would put her in her place, never thought it would be you.” You tell him as the two of you start to head for the car. He sighs, shaking his head. 

“She jus’ wouldn’ shut the fuck up.” He groans and together the two of you begin to laugh. 

#harry styles #one direction #solo harry #harry styles imagine #one direction imagine #harry styles preference #one direction preference #harry styles blurb #one direction blurb #hs1 #ot4 #niall horan #liam payne #zayn malik #louis tomlinson #niall horan imaigne #liam payne imaigne #zayn malik imagine #louis tomlinson imagine