#i just realized it was his character’s 2 year birthday a bit ago

[valcaine]

pee

#technoblade fanart #technofanart #technoblade #dsmp fanart #dsmp techno #i miss technoblade #still #technoblade never dies #he’s just so cool #hmm #what else should I tag #bacon #i just realized it was his character’s 2 year birthday a bit ago #haha nice #art more like fart

[girlinwaytoomanyfandoms]

Could you perhaps do a FNAF request, where it's Gabriel x Evan, but it's a wholesome cute situation(nothing weird), where Gabriel awkwardly gives Evan makeshift flowers.

Hey, this is my first work on Tumblr so please be patient with me. I was a little unsure what to do so I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted. What is canon about Fnaf is so very little and so it was kind of difficult for me to try write this. Gabriel and Evan are not characters I typically write in stories. Let alone a story solely about them. This is my first story I have ever written with Gabriel and possibly my second with Evan (if Evan was in one he was a background character.) This was such a cute request that I knew I just had to write it! I know this might not be entirely what you asked for. This story kind of took a mind of it’s own which is something that has not happened to me before. I hope you enjoy what I came up with. If you don’t like it, let me know and I will try again. Thank you so much Anon for the request and without further ado…. Makeovers and Makeshift Flowers

Makeovers and Makeshift Flowers

Makeovers & Makeshift Flowers

Word Count: 1427

Rating: General Audience/G

Fluff With Maybe a Tiny Bit of Angst

Can be Read Platonically or Romantically (They are Children)

Gabriel was used to life now. Play around with the night guard from 12 A.M to 6 A.M, learn new choreography from 6 A.M till 10 A.M, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza opens at 10 in the morning and he has to preform from open till 12 P.M. At 12 P.M he does meet and greets, from 2 until 4 he/Freddy has to sing and do birthday celebrations, 4 until 6 he does some more meet and greets or hangs out with birthday kids, at 6 he preforms with the band, and finally at 10 the place closes and Gabriel is left to do what he would like until it all restarts at 6 again.

It went like that for a while, until Gabriel met Evan.

Gabriel was messing with the night guard like normal and he stumbled across an old room. It was run down and quite gross. The paint was chipping off the walls, there were spiderwebs in every corner, there were boxes filled with random things that were old, rusting, and should have been thrown away years ago. There was trash and mold almost all over and where there wasn't mold there was fungus. Overall it was a mess.

It was so messy that Gabriel almost missed the dark purple colored bear. As Gabriel turned he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned back to face it and walked forward. As he walked, he heard whispering however he couldn't make out what was being said. Once he reached the source of the movement and sound, he realized it was a dark purple bear. He didn't recognize it from anywhere.

"Hello?" Gabriel said to the machine, cautiously.

The machine looked up at him and he saw its eyes. He realized that the robot was like him. Stuck. He was stuck here in this pizzeria and he noticed that the machine in front of him was too.

Gabriel (against his better judgement) got out of the suit leaving it where he once stood and knelt down. He tried again to talk to the animatronic he now knew to be possessed. "My name is Gabriel. I'm a ghost too. What's your name?"

Gabriel didn't hear anything for a while and he was about to give up until he heard a small voice whisper "Evan....my name is Evan."

Gabriel would have missed it if he wasn't used to having to strain his ears to hear young shy children. "Hello, Evan, what are you doing back here by yourself? Are you always alone?" Gabriel asked.

"I-....I wa-was-wasn't by my-myself. Ca-Cass-idy was here wi-with me. Sh-she l-left to go t-talk to th-the night g-guard. I-I'm no-not al-ways a-a-alone. Ju-just some-sometimes. Li-like when Ca-Cassidy isn't he-here," Evan said.

Gabriel noticed that Evan had some difficulty talking, but unlike everyone else in Evan's life, Gabriel didn't make fun of him. Gabriel didn't tease Evan or make fun of him and Evan liked that. He liked that Gabriel didn't make fun of him.

Gabriel and Evan talked for a while. They both were having fun laughing and cracking jokes. Gabriel and Evan both couldn't remember a time that they had had that much fun.

After that day, Gabriel started to go to that old room that Evan was in. Gabriel felt bad for Evan that the room that he (Evan) had to live in looked like that.

One day while Evan and Gabriel were talking, Gabriel found out that Evan loved the outdoors. Evan missed being outside and looked around at nature.

Evan saying that started something and after Gabriel left to go learn a new song they would preform that day, Gabriel thought of the perfect solution.

Gabriel hated that Evan was stuck in that old, musty, moldy, fungus-filled, disgusting room and finally Gabriel had found the perfect way to fix it.

Gabriel was now searching for the two people that could help him with his plan. Cassidy and Susie.

Susie wasn't as hard to track down considering Gabriel was with her and the rest of the gang all the time. Cassidy however was tricky.

However luck seemed to be on his side because he had managed to find Cassidy and Susie in the same room, at the same time.

The room was empty besides Gabriel, Susie, Cassidy, and a couple tables and chairs.

"Do you two have a minute? I need some help with something," Gabriel asked the girls.

They both turned to him and asked him to continue.

"I-...," he began although stopped himself to sigh, took a breath, and then continued by saying, "Evan is in that messy, gross, disgusting room all by himself. He hates it in there, but he doesn't complain. I need your help because I want to fix it up for him, but I need help doing it so could you both please help me?"

Susie answered almost immediately by saying, "Of course I'll help!"

Cassidy however took a little bit before she finally decided on an answer. "Fine, but what do you want us to do?" Cassidy asked.

"I want you to distract him while me and Susie set up the room," Gabriel answered.

They all agreed. Cassidy walked off to find Evan and once she did she spent the day entertaining him and keeping him from seeing the room. Meanwhile Susie and Gabriel cleaned up the room.

"So, what do you plan on putting in here once it's clean?" Susie asked.

"Well, Evan loves nature and outdoorsy things so I was thinking I would decorate it with something to do with that," Gabriel said.

"Hmmm, I think I have an idea," Susie said.

~TIME SKIP~

The room that was so gross, moldy, disgusting, vile, and overall unpleasant to be in was now transformed into what looked like a beautiful outdoor, woodsy type place. The walls were painted green and had trees painted carefully on it. The floor was now wooden and had a nice grassy-green rug. There were chairs and a table to color at. There were picture books stacked nicely on a shelf with an empty photo album to put pictures in. There was a new light put in that was in the shape of a tree as well as led lights strung around the room in the shape of Freddy's characters. There were a couple pictures on the walls. And finally there were makeshift flowers all over.

Gabriel was nervous. He was worried Evan would think it was stupid, awful, or just straight up hate it. In fact he was so worried that he started pacing.

That was until he heard the door open. When it opened he immediately turned so his back was to the wall behind him and his front was towards the door and his hands behind his back.

"Wh-what ha-happ-happened to m-my roo-m?" Evan asked.

"Umm..m-me and Sus-Susie- um, cl-cleaned it up and d-decorated it. I-I'm sorry. D-do you hate it? If you do I-I can fix it. I'm sorry I should have asked I-" Gabriel said sheepishly till the end where he was in a panic before being cut off.

"I-I d-don't hate it. I lo-love it! Tha-thank you," Evan said as he ran and gave Gabriel a huge hug.

Gabriel hugged him back, but was only able to for a couple of seconds until Evan let go and asked, "What's that?"

Gabriel looked for what Evan was talking about until he realized that Evan was taking about the makeshift Flowers and daisy chains in his hands.

Gabriel stepped a couple steps back away from Evan. "O-oh, um, this is, um- I-I know you like flowers and stuff s-so I made some...for you...um, here," Gabriel said while handing Evan the makeshift flowers and daisychains

Evan looked at the flowers for a couple seconds before taking them and giving Gabriel a big hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Evan said.

"It wasn't all me. It was Susie's idea. I just made the-" Gabriel said before being cut off by a kiss on his cheek.

Evan smiled at Gabriel and they both new that what happened to both of them wasn't ideal, but had it not, they wouldn't be where they are now and not Evan nor Gabriel would change it for the world.

Writer’s Note: Evan kissing Gabriel’s cheek can be read romantically however I wrote it as a way of Evan saying he is thankful without using words because in my mind after the bite Evan has trouble talking, communicating, and sometimes even remembering words.

#fnaf #gabriel fnaf #evan afton #chris afton #crying child #fnaf missing children #fnaf missing kids #requested #fnaf susie #fnaf cassidy

[thatfoxdog]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY OCS!!

ik it's like- april fools day, the entire boop thing is going on, but I wanna just acknowledge the fact that four of my characters are officially a year old now

I haven't been on tumblr very long, and my characters (especially these ones) really don't have much of a presence since I rarely acknowledge them (thats a lie. two on the right i acknowledge quite a bit), but let me share my children with the world!!!

I wanna go through all of their old designs and stuff and compare it with newer artwork, so let's go!!

(slight gore warning) First up is 001 (far left in image above)! His first design was made for an animatic I did about a year ago using the "Don't You Want To Be A Cult Leader?" audio. I believe this was supposed to be in the past, meaning he looks a little younger and different than he does up above. I really don't like the art for this one. I'll have to redo that animatic later. (Bonus: guy on left is 004)

Most recent art of him is from a couple months ago I believe? His colors are (again) a little off for the sake of artistic liberty, and I was definitely- definitely not obsessed with "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo while drawing this. I think his design definitely has improved. The stupidly large jaw scale things on his face in the above one were sized down significantly and reshaped for two reasons: 1. I just didn't like the old ones. They looked weird. 2. lore reasons!! I definitely understand his character more now than I did a year ago.

Ah, 004 (second to the left in first image)! My old man! How you've changed! I never gave him a proper ref originally, and I, evidently, did not know how to draw hands (and still barely know how!). I cleverly had hidden them away from the world. His design- just- ew. Mainly his hair was an issue for me. I think I originally really didn't like his face shape either? And honestly, old 004's design's face shape still kinda bother me. At least, on him. I could totally steal that face shape now for another character, since its changed. Oh yeah, his weird cheek-beard-mustache-thing was also an issue of mine then. Now, it's kinda part of his character. If he lacks a cheek-beard-mustache-thing, is he really 004?

More recent 004 art! I have two pieces for him since his most recent one was him in a different outfit (that being a suit), but I wanna have it here since it is the most recent art of him. Ignore the guy in the purple vest. He's not there, I assure you. My, how he's changed, gosh. I didn't even realize it until now. His face is nearly entirely different, his little cheek-beard-mustache-thing is more defined, his hair is more spiky and pointy. What a man! I don't really have all that much more to say on him without spoiling stuff for his character in my fanfic with @brynthatalien (Fangs and Diamonds on ao3), but look at the man go!! I can say, however, that his character and lore have definitely improved since his original creation :]

Lastly, I'll be grouping them together since I don't have any individual art of them: 013 and 024 (right in first image)! Fun fact: These characters were originally never meant to be together! 013 (tan hair lady) was purposefully made when I originally created these four, while 024 (pink vest guy) was actually a complete throwaway character who ended up being one of my personal favorite side characters. If you've read Fangs and Diamonds, you probably know these guys by now. Anyway, starting with 013, I really don't like her clothes in this. They were supposed to resemble Vorta clothing. The nick in her ear is not very obvious, and her nose just... looks odd. 024, on the other hand, I really don't have much to say. His hair shape looks kinda like ketchup that's just been put out of the bottle. his expression's weird in his, and his hand makes no sense. Actually, both their hands suck, but we all start somewhere.

(gore warning again!!) Unfortunately, this is the most recent art i have of them, and its from a few months ago (I swear I can draw side angles now... sort of) (anatomy has barely improved) (hair texturing has significantly improved!). I really should begin drawing them more. Their designs still need updating!! Especially 013's clothes! Holy crap, her clothes have been updated several times and still don't meet my standards 😭 However, their lore has definitely been more developed from what they originally were! Particularly 013, not so much 024. 024 still needs some help in that aspect. I don't think really that much has changed about their design aside from making 024 shorter (originally was 5'2" I think, but he's now 4'11") and 013 taller (originally 5'7", now 5'11"). I have a weird relationship with... well, their relationship, but I digress.

Man, I genuinely cannot believe its been a year. These four have changed so much since when I originally created them. Happy first birthday to my idiots <33333

#i cant believe they're a year old #it feels like yesterday I made them #happy birthday to my ocs #oc #oc art #star trek oc #art #my art #my ocs #my characters #its their birthday

[seleneacyoflove]

Sweet Love (1)

Heyyy! This was supposed to be a birthday gift to, one of my most favorite writers on Tumblr @alpacaparkaseok​ , that I had to write more than a year ago. Yes, I have no shame. Here I am anyway, and I am hoping that she’d like it 👉👈. So, here goes nothing.

Excuse the title and the editing (there's something wrong with my app)

Tumblr isn't letting me post this as a whole so...

part 1, part 2, part 3.

From one and only: Flower anon 🌼 Thank you for being who you are ❣ Be happy~

There are three things you must do if you want to surprise your girlfriend on her birthday with a cake:

Take the day off or at least don't schedule anything important.

Know how to bake or at least decide on a recipe beforehand.

Remember her freaking birthday.

Remember her freaking birthday.

Kim Seokjin had not done any of that and that is exactly why he had his head in his flour-covered hands and cake batter all over the counter, not to mention the growing pile of dirty dishes glaring at him from the sink. 'You can do this, Seokjin-ah', he looked up gathering all his losing courage for the umpteenth time this evening, but as soon as his eyes met the kitchen mirror and saw the mess his hair was, a strangled sigh escaped his lips. If he couldn't prepare the cake he should at least greet you like a human. “There’s still about an hour left, I can still make it if I am fast enough.” The thing was he wasn't fast enough, and when you rang the house bell he was running out of his room after finally getting all the batter and flour out of his hair, but at least he looked presentable. He opened the door, taking you in, you looked warm, warmer, and prettier than you usually would, you had obviously dressed up a bit, flashing that dazzling smile of yours that would normally give him heart eyes but right now it just made his stomach heavy with guilt. You must be expecting something for your first birthday together and he…he didn't do anything. He smiled back, although strained, wrapping his arms around your frame, as you both walked in, settling on the living room sofa. Chatter followed soon, the way it always did between you and him. You looked radiant as you rambled on about your day, your hand resting beneath his own and his hand absentmindedly scratching your back. His heart grew heavy at your sight, you pulled his heart to you with every tug of your lips. He couldn’t help but think he didn’t deserve you.

He glanced at the bookshelf in the corner of his living room, which he had filled with books he thought you might like or ones he heard you talking about. A smile formed on his lips thinking about you gushing over the main character of the latest book you read while he pretended to be angry at how a fictional character had more attention than him, but in fact, he never wanted you to stop, it gave him the perfect opportunity to look into those sparkly eyes of your that got extra sparkly when you rambled on, or your cute lips that would take all kinds of shapes and the only thought in his head would be to feel them on his own, it must be like fireworks and butterflies… he never did though, thinking if he was taking it too fast, or if you'd be comfortable with it. He already had his sleepless nights thinking about all the good reasons you should not be next to him and thanking God that you still were, but it was about time you realized that this life isn't for your free soul. You deserve more, way more than hushed and rushed dates packed into his tight schedule.

>next

#B's birthday gift #sweet love #Sweet love part 1

[foxymoxynoona]

HI FOOOOOXY, OK FIRST OF ALL I NEED TO SAY I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN! I'VE READ ALL YOUR WORK MORE THAN TWICE, I started with Little Been bc a friend recommended it to me and then I saw all your work and you are a great writer! sorry for my broken english, spanish is my first language and sometimes I get to excited and don't say the right things. I'll say this in several questions sorry for the spam (1)

(2) I just want to say that even though I don't know about your life or your professional career, the way you write about trauma and abusive parents and parters is the way I've experienced it and to be able to read it has heal me so much in my personal process (with my therapist and psichiatris also) and I really wanted to thank you for that! (3) I ALSO WANTED TO ASK IF YOU KNOW ABOUT ASTROLOGY BC THE WAY you write about certain characters in your fics makes me thing you do and I've been meaning to ask you this two years I've been reading you! (4) Lastly, I want to ask for long fics recommendation from you, I've read several but I haven't been able to find stories as goos as you! THANK YOU LOVELY FOOXY I LOVE YOUR MIND AND I'M DYING TO BE YOUR FRIEND! With love, Val

----------------------

You are so sweet!! Thank you for reaching out and with so much praise, I'm really honored that you've enjoyed my work so much!! I'll use your numbers to answer your questions :)

2. I definitely have my own experiences that are woven through some of my stories, as well as experiences I have supported family members/partners/close friends through. It really truly means a lot that youd' share that with me, thank you for letting my stories be part of your personal process and I'm so glad you have additional support as well. I am by no means an expert or a professional therapist or anything in this space, but learing and researching and writing and communicating with so many individuals who have personal experiences with various things I touch on has always been very healing and educational and heartwarming to me too.

3. I know basically nothing about astrology except that I will admit, when I am thinking of my characters I get a feeling for what month their birthday is in. You aren't the first person to ask me this question!! Which makes me curious about if I've actually learneda bit without realizing it and if we did any astrology studies of my characters, it would turn out that my "feelings" about their birthdays actually align with what their astrology suggests. I don't know! 😂

4. I have a tumblr @foxyficrecs where I post things as I find them, but I have not gotten to do much reading recently 😭 @readyplayerhobi has a ton of stuff I keep up with and really diverse content. A lot of the stuff I had been enjoying a while ago got abandoned I think :( But check out my other tumblr, maybe there's some stuff there!

Thank you again for writing in, it was lovely to hear from you and I hope you continue to enjoy my work!

#asks #personal

[maochira]

As mentioned in my last post, for Barou's birthday (even tough it's still the 26th where I live) here's just me talking about how much and why I love Barou

Warning: I get a little bit corny and a bit personal

I think the first thing to start is obviously my big brother complex. And funfact, Barou was the character that made me realize I have one in the first place. I knew I had a father complex, but it took Barou to make me realize I have a big brother complex as well. I don't remember if I realized that after or before finding out he has two younger sisters but yeah.

I see Barou as a big brother figure to myself, I absolutely love writing big brother!Barou stuff and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

I don't know what made me start liking him so much, but I quickly fell into having Barou as one of my favourite characters and while my taste in my favs has always changed, Barou is the only one who has stayed this high for this long (Ego would be right behind that, I think.)

I don't relate to much of Barou's personality. We're very very different as the type of person we are. But one thing that is just incredibly comforting to me are his urges to perfection and the compulsions that com along. I used to struggle with compulsions A LOT and one of them was having to open the window to let air in. I had a ritual in which I repeated 2 or 3 things (sometimes over and over) and one of those things was opening the window. That one scene where Baroutells Isagi and Nagi to let air into the room? Just a little scene, a little moment, but to me it holds a lot of comfort. I haven't struggled with any compulsions in a while, and I think Barou might have subconsciously helped me to deal with that because of the comfort this part of him gives me.

I know those things don't necessarily have to be interpreted as Barou having compulsions, but I interpret them that way.

Also, his perfectionism. I'm not a perfectionist anymore, but I use to be one to a point where I was upset with myself for "not perfect" grades. Probably a thing Barou helped/helps me with as well but not like as a conscious thing.

Barou is just my go-to comfort character for basically everything. I remember about 2 months ago, it was the day my ex and I would have had our 3 year anniversary if we hadn't broken up last summer. And I don't miss them anymore, but the thoughts and a bit of the pain just returned so,,, I wrote a oneshot of how Barou helps his sibling through a breakup. A few things in that oneshot resembled what happened to me irl but I changed a bunch so it's not accurate to my ex and me.

Whenever I write Barou as a big brother, I write him as the type of brother who's very soft for his younger sibling(s) and extremely protective, but he stays rational and thinks a lot about how his overprotectiveness could harm his sibling(s) so he won't accidentally hurt them. And if he does end up saying or doing something that hurts them, he ha a hard time apologizing but he always manages to do it in his own ways. But you've seen all of that in my big brother!Barou writings.

Barou resembles one of my old comfort characters who can no longer be my comfort character. It's mainly in looks, I genuinely can't think of a thing they have in common about their personality. That also doesn't make Barou a "replacement" for that comfort character I lost, but he certainly filled that hole that was left behind when I lost the other comfort character.

I love Barou's character development and he's one of the most interesting characters to me, even outside of headcanons and the stuff I write about him. In the manga and anime, he's super interesting to see and his dvelopment in second selection,,,, hnngg loves that so much. Alo his rivalry with Isagi is my favourite of all of Isagi rivals (yeah sure, Rin and Kaiser are cool. Bu tthe mutual respect Isagi and Barou have makes it more interesting imo)

All in all, I love Barou and I have a deep personal connection with him. Love him very very much and hhjsnnnnf the thing I'd do to have him be real or to have a friend who's like him. I think about Barou a lot every day and I do a lot of rps with him on c.ai (usually just "rewrites" of the same scenario over and over, things I've already written on here or just things that are way too specific or personal as self-inserts for me to write on this blog)

Anyways, that's it. I will give my Barou plushie a little kiss now.

#💟 maochira talks

[valerie]

TWITL - week 9 - easy smiles

TUESDAY - 27 February This month is surely flying by. It's always my busiest month and this year it's compounded by the addition of expulsions. Alas. https://flic.kr/p/2pAtELv We had Chinese food for dinner last night and that was in my fortune cookie. "Adversity is the prosperity of the great." Interesting! I finished reading a Harlequin Presents romance novel last night. I love those easy reads. It was a decent story but I've realized a few things: - I like when the characters are a bit older. I suppose in the Harlequin Presents stories, the characters have to be relatively young but if at all possible, it's nice when the characters are at least in their late 20s. I'm just not too interested nowadays in reading about female characters in their early 20s with male characters in their 30s. I find it a bit cringey. - I like when the female character is just as established in her career as the male characters, which seems hardly the case in certain types of romance novel lines. I'm sure I just need to venture out of my comfort zone when it comes to the romance novels but perhaps I'm just lazy. - I like when the characters are nearly the same age and even if, , the main male character is a tiny bit younger than the female character. I think that if there must be an age difference, five years is a good amount of time. https://flic.kr/p/2pAtCVn SATURDAY - 2 March If I had a picture with my old high school classmate, I would post it today because it's his birthday today! We also worked together at the movie theatre and I remember when we threw taco sauce packets at each other. All in good fun. I have his high school football picture in one of my albums, which is in storage somewhere. Oh, EARTHQUAKES! We had one on Wednesday night and then another on Thursday night! I was sitting on the couch for both of the them. The one on Wednesday was a JOLTER! Yowsa! The house shook, then I heard a rumble, then the house shook again. It was WILD. SUNDAY - 3 March On Thursday, I received a DM saying that I won a goodies basket from our local wine bar! Neat-oh! One of our local realtors had posted on IG a week or so ago about the goodies basket and I thought, "Why not?" I ended up winning! Go me! He brought over the basket on Friday and it's got some good stuff in it. Can't wait to get into it. https://flic.kr/p/2pB9oZd the goodies basket https://flic.kr/p/2pBstWY Yesterday afternoon I attended a bridal sprinkle party. Such a lovely time for an amazing lady. She has really brought so much heart to my workplace and I'm so glad she's my boss and a friend. The party was an activity! We started with a blank canvas then a cut-out of Frida Kahlo to put on the canvas. We could paint on it, add flowers, and other sparkle. Even though we all started with that same blank canvas and the same cut-out of Frida Kahlo, none of our creations were the same. It was so much fun! Our instructor was amazing and her place was fantastic. I want to do something like that again. https://flic.kr/p/2pBo1yL https://flic.kr/p/2pBsu4g https://flic.kr/p/2pBspWU https://flic.kr/p/2pBsph7 MOVIES Dune: Part Two - Watched the first show in the IMAX auditorium today. I'm glad I watched it on the biggest screen. It was beautiful (of course) and loud (yowsa!) and so striking. It's been awhile since I've read the books so in the back of mind, I was comparing what was happening on screen to what I remembered from the books. The movie is good but it feels like a piece of a whole that is yet incomplete. I hope we're getting a third movie! (I bet we get a third movie.) https://flic.kr/p/2pBu1N8 I went to the showing alone and actually had someone sit next to me. I was hoping that the seat next to me would stay unoccupied but alas, no. He was a tall, thin fella and when the movie got loud, he actually covered his ears a little. It was interesting. He seemed to enjoy the movie well enough though. It's weird sitting next to stranger. The weather turned to a bit cold and a lot rainy the past few days. I don't mind so much. I like wearing my coats and sweaters. It'll end too soon, as far I'm concerned. https://flic.kr/p/2pBhUYm Just twelve working days until vacation. Need to start booking some tours soon! Read the full article

#friends #movies

[acacia-may]

Secrets and Sugar Mice (A Secret Garden Future Fic): Chapter 1

Story Summary: After many bumps in the road, the newly-licensed Dr. Colin Craven is finally fulfilling his long-time goal of running his own cottage hospital in Thwaite thanks to guidance, assistance, and generosity of the most competent doctor he had ever known, the Grand Doctor from London, Dr. Louis Cartwright. Even the generally pessimistic Colin can admit that the future looks bright, but there are still a couple of matters that have thrown a wrench into his plans--a certain medical supply cabinet, in particular, and Dr. Cartwright's daughter, a nurse with whom Colin did not get off on the right foot.

After a particularly frustrating day, Colin turns to his one of his oldest friends for help and advice. Perhaps Dickon is right and all it takes is the magic of friendship to turn this whole situation around...

Fandom: The Secret Garden

Genre: Friendship, Slice of Life, Developing Friendship, Post-Canon, Future Fic

Relationships (in order of appearance/mention): Colin Craven & Dickon Sowerby, Colin Craven & Dickon Sowerby & Mary Lennox, Colin Craven & The Grand Doctor from London, Colin Craven & Original Characters (Julia Cartwright), Colin Craven & Martha Sowerby, and Colin Craven & Mary Lennox (A little bit of Mary & Martha friendship at the end). Colin & Julia (OC) Centric.

Characters (in order of appearance/mention): Colin Craven (POV Character), Dickon Sowerby, Mary Lennox, The Grand Doctor from London (Dr. Louis Cartwright), Original Character (Dr. Cartwright's Daughter, Julia), Martha Sowerby, and Mrs. Susan Sowerby

Rating: G

Warnings: Colin being Colin (I guess?) but honestly this is just friendship fluff and slice of life.

Word Count: 3465 [Out of 11,636 Total]

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

Chapter 1 of 4. Link to next chapter (Chapter 2).

Story Below the Cut! Thank you so much for reading!

CHAPTER 1: Conservatory Conversations

The conservatory door flew open with a violent swing. It was a much more dramatic entrance than Colin would have liked, and it seemed to startle Dickon who peeked around one of the orange trees with an almost inquisitive tilt of his head. Colin nearly forgot about being cross as his cheeks began to flush in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders.

“Good afternoon, Dickon.” He paused—twisting his mouth to one side. “Do you mind if I join you?”

A smile spread between Dickon’s cheeks, and he laughed. “Nowt o’ the sort.” He paused and laughed again. “But ‘tis tha’s conservatory. Tha don’ have to ask me.”

Colin shrugged and picked up a pair of pruning shears. He supposed this was true—though technically the conservatory had been a bit of a birthday present for Mary from Colin and his father a few years ago. She adored it and spent most of the winter in it tending to the collection of citrus trees and other greenhouse plants with Dickon. Their childhood friend had been an “official” Misselthwaite gardener for several years now, and though they had several gardeners on staff at the manor, Mary and Dickon practically ran the whole operation these days—or so Colin thought, anyway. When he was actually home, which was becoming a less and less frequent occurrence, he often found them working in the gardens or the conservatory for what he presumed were hours at a time. He almost envied them as he often found himself so busy he could scarcely find time to care for even his small collection of medicinal plants, and though he would be last to admit it, it did sadden him a bit to realize he couldn’t quite remember the last time the three of them had done any sort of gardening together what with his long hours at the hospital leaving Dickon and Mary to carry on without him. They did carry on quite well, Colin had to admit, and these days one scarcely saw them without each other. Colin tilted his head slightly at the thought.

“Say, Dickon,” he began. “Where is Mary?”

“She went t’ York with Mr. Craven.”

“That would explain why things were so quiet when I came home,” Colin replied as his mouth turned up in the corners, and Dickon tried to stifle a laugh. It’s just as well, Colin added thinking to himself. Mary would have teased him mercilessly for storming into the conservatory so dramatically. Thankfully, Dickon, who had always been far nicer than Mary, hadn’t mentioned it at all.

Colin huffed suddenly remembering why he had stormed into the conservatory in the first place, but he promptly pushed the thought away again squelching the exasperation before it spilled out of him in an undignified frenzy. He, instead, rolled up his sleeves—which he supposed wasn’t very dignified either, even though it was incredibly hot in the conservatory and particularly dirty—and he set about pruning the orange trees. Gardening, he found, was a very relaxing and almost cathartic activity for him, and on days, such as today, when he was particularly vexed, doing a bit of pruning or planting or even weeding was a nice way to calm down. And he certainly needed to calm down—even he could admit that. He had always been rather tightly wound by temperament—constantly anxious or agitated about one thing or another. In this particular case, however, it was not his own personal high-strung disposition that was the problem but rather a collection of external factors: situations and people and—Colin sighed—one in particular.

He huffed and returned to his pruning with a particular intensity that must have concerned Dickon because he asked, “Does tha want t’ talk ‘bout it?”

Colin wrinkled his nose. He had always envied Dickon’s ability to read people. Whereas Colin found other people and their emotions extremely perplexing, Dickon seemed to have the uncanny ability to look at someone and know exactly how they were feeling or if something was bothering them.

“No,” huffed Colin. “I mean, yes. I mean…” He paused and sighed. “Was it that obvious?” he asked though he already knew the answer. Despite his best efforts, he could never quite master the art of being subtle.

Dickon smiled sympathetically—probably too polite to say anything, and Colin sighed again admitting, “It’s not really anything…” He twisted his mouth and shuffled his feet. “I got in a bit of an argument at the hospital earlier…about a supply cabinet…” It was a stupid thing to argue about, but Colin would never admit that.

“With the grand doctor from London?”

“Oh no. Not at all. Dr. Cartwright is…” He paused trying to think of the right word. “too good to be true.” Colin supposed that sounded a bit dramatic, but he meant it genuinely. Months before when he had graduated from Cambridge with his medical degree, he had become so despondent. He had begun medical school so confident and resolved in his ambition to combat the gross negligence and harmful ineptitude of a medical profession filled with doctors more concerned with their own status than with actually helping anyone. While he had excelled in school, by the time of his graduation, he had been forced to accept the reality that, despite his best efforts, his mostly theoretical instruction by stuffy, pompous doctors had left him ill-equipped to be a truly competent physician.

He had wallowed a bit, he could admit, but Mary, in her stubborn way, had snapped him right out it—suggesting that he find the most competent doctor that either one of them knew of—Dr. Louis Cartwright, the grand doctor from London who had been the lone voice of reason in Colin’s entire childhood and had insisted, despite violent protests to the contrary, that Colin would be perfectly healthy if he would only take off that back brace and get some fresh air. The plan had been to first apologize and beg his forgiveness for how poorly Colin, the Misselthwaite staff, and Colin’s cousin Nigel, the original Dr. Craven, had treated him, and then, if rapport had been reestablished, explain the situation and ask the good doctor, without sounding too desperate, if he would be willing to let Colin observe him or study under him in London.

Colin would have never imagined that not only would Dr. Cartwright be such a forgiving and kind man who was willing to take him as an apprentice, but also that he would offer to move to Yorkshire and help him achieve his long-time goal of running his own cottage hospital in Thwaite. Colin had protested—it would be such an upheaval, but Dr. Cartwright insisted. He explained that for most of the several years that had passed since he and Colin had first met, he had moved from London to Lancashire and worked as a country doctor at a cottage hospital founded by an earl he had met while serving in the medical corps during the First Boer War. A few years past, the earl had died, and his son had closed the hospital. Dr. Cartwright had been forced to move back to London, and he missed the countryside and would appreciate the peace and slower pace of a country hospital. Colin knew he would never be able to repay Dr. Cartwright’s kindness and generosity, but he was positively thrilled to have the good doctor working at his hospital. However, not everyone was particularly happy about the move.

Colin huffed at the thought. “There’s a nurse…I fought with a nurse…”

“Tha has nurses at tha’s hospital?” asked Dickon curiously.

Colin sighed. “Just one…Dr. Cartwright’s daughter.”

“I didn’t know he had a daughter.”

“Believe me, neither did I…” Colin sighed. He supposed it would be more accurate to say he hadn’t known Dr. Cartwright’s daughter was so old. Once when they were taking a walk through London, Dr. Cartwright had mentioned his daughter and her love of caramel candies, and somehow Colin had mistakenly pictured a little girl. He could barely keep his mouth from flying open in astonishment when they were properly introduced and she was a tall and slender young woman, scarcely younger than he was, with curly, caramel hair and inquisitive hazel eyes that seemed to snap at him. Colin blushed. He hadn’t known at all what to say, and he could have melted into the floor when Dr. Cartwright mentioned the caramel candies he had brought for her. A polite gift for a little girl to go with the fine wine he had brought for her father was particularly rude and almost presumptuous given the actual circumstances of her being a grown woman, and Colin was positively mortified. To make matters worse, she was particularly blunt about its forwardness, and Colin was sure she must have thought him brazen and perhaps even rather rakish. They had never quite recovered from their awkward meeting and things had only gotten worse from there.

“And tha fought, today?” Dickon repeated pulling Colin from his thoughts.

“Always,” he sighed. It wasn’t an exaggeration. “We disagree on everything. She thinks I’m inflexible, and my ideas aren’t practical.” Colin huffed, and the words started to tumble out in an exasperated jumble, “There’s this supply cabinet at the hospital, and every day when I come in she has it completely rearranged, and I can never find where anything is. When I have time, I try to reorganize it so the supplies are in alphabetical order so everyone can easily find everything, but the next thing I know she has messed it all up and put things who knows where!” Colin huffed in exasperation. “So today, I tried to politely suggest to her that she should carry her supplies around in a bucket and organize them however she likes while leaving the cabinet in a sensible order for the rest of us, but she didn’t much like that idea at all. She’s so stubborn.” Colin threw up his hands fuming. “Incredibly obstinate. Infuriating!”

“Tell me what tha really thinks o’ her,” chuckled Dickon, and Colin’s face flushed.

“I suppose she’s not all that bad,” he conceded guiltily. “She is highly intelligent—extremely well-educated—brilliant really. She has read almost as many books as I have, and she has lots of opinions and ideas. She’s very strong and very practical, but she’s kind. She loves her father and cares about the patients. She is a wonderful nurse—very competent and the patients love her…” Colin stopped. “But she’s very stubborn. All we ever do is argue with each other…which I suppose is somewhat fun, but it does get tiring after awhile.”

“Arguing is fun?” asked Dickon with a bit of a perplexed laugh.

“Well, I suppose…in a way…” Colin stammered. The truth was he really did enjoy arguing with her—it was almost exhilarating in a way, but he seemed to have exhausted the energy required for their near constant disagreements—or at least near constant disagreements whenever they spoke to each other which, with the exception of the pressing work matters, was rather infrequently. Colin wondered if were they to stop arguing, would they even talk to each other at all?

Colin sighed and added, “But I’d much rather her just concede the cabinet to me than to continue with all this arguing. What do you think I should do?”

Dickon tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment then gave Colin a half-smile. “Is tha askin’ me as tha’s gardener or as tha’s friend?”

“As a friend, of course,” Colin reassured. “Please be blunt.”

Dickon sighed and smiled slightly. “If tha likes her, tha should try to talk to her—make friends with her. Then, if the cabinet still bothers thee, tha could talk to her about it an’ she might be more willing to listen now that tha were friends.”

Colin’s cheeks felt strangely warm, and he grew a little indignant. “You think I want to make friends with her?”

Dickon shrugged. “Does tha?”

Colin pursued his lips together, but despite his best efforts to be cross, he sighed. “Maybe…I don’t know. I have thought about it.” It was true. He had thought about it especially when he saw her reading at her father’s desk or when he stumbled upon her curled in a corner with a book in her hand.  He sometimes thought of asking her about the books she was reading, but she read mostly poetry which Colin knew very little about—and, of course, there was the matter of her loathing him. Colin sighed again. “Even if I did, it doesn’t matter. She hates me.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t…” Dickon began, but Colin cut him off.

“No, she hates me. She thinks I’m snobbish and egotistical…and stubborn.” Colin rolled his eyes with a hearty shake of his head, but he conceded, “And I suppose I am stubborn, but I’m not that snobbish and egotistical.”

“No,” agreed Dickon shaking his head.

“Thank you,” said Colin. He appreciated the gesture though he genuinely wondered if Dickon would think even the most pompous person alive was that snobbish or egotistical. If he did, Colin conceded to himself, he would be far too nice to admit it.

Dickon picked one of the oranges off of the tree he was pruning and put it into a nearby basket that was already half-full. Colin vaguely remembered Mary mentioning picking some oranges to make marmalade a couple of days ago. He was seriously considering changing the conversation to marmalade when Dickon looked over at him reassuringly and kindly suggested, “Show her.”

Colin’s brow furrowed as his attention turned back to the conversation. “What?”

“Show her tha’s not snobbish an’ egotistical,” Dickon explained. Colin stopped himself from rolling his eyes. How in the world was he supposed to do that? He didn’t think he was giving her the impression that he was snobbish and egotistical now, and he wouldn’t have the slightest idea what to change about his demeanour to somehow appear less pretentious—not that he was really sure anything he did would make a difference. If he and Miss Cartwright were indeed cut from the same cloth as he had often suspected, nothing he did would convince her to change her opinion now she had made up her mind about him.

As if somehow sensing Colin’s doubt at the idea, Dickon smiled at him reassuringly and added, “When she gets t’ know thee, she’ll like thee.”

Colin huffed. “Easy for you to say. Everybody likes you.”

“I’m sure that’s not…” Dickon began, but Colin interrupted.

“Don’t even start.” He glared at him half-jokingly. Dickon tilted his head with a slight shrug of his shoulders, but he smiled taking the jest in stride. Though Dickon wasn’t usually one for teasing banter himself, Colin presumed, or at least hoped, that after spending so many years with him and Mary who both had the terrible habit of teasing their friends—and each other—Dickon had learned to recognize it as a sign of friendship and amiable affection.

Dickon’s smile softened, and he reassured Colin kindly, “People like thee too.”

“People tolerate me or pretend to like me. There are very few people who actually do. Most days, I don’t even like me.”

He chuckled lightly, self-deprecatingly, but Dickon just smiled. “I like thee.”

“With all due respect, Dickon, you like everyone,” countered Colin though his mouth turned up at the corners.  

Dickon tilted his head, but he smiled chuckling to himself. ”Miss Mary likes thee.”

 “Mary is my cousin,” Colin sighed with a slight, dismissive shake of his head. “She has to like me—or at least pretend to.”

“I don’t think Miss Mary would pretend t’ like thee if she didn’,” said Dickon, and Colin sighed conceding.

“I suppose. Though she doesn’t seem too fond of me these days…or ever…”

“She cares about thee more than she lets on,” answered Dickon his tone soft but serious. “Misses thee.”

Colin shifted almost guiltily. “I suppose, I haven’t been around all that much lately.” He sighed, but his tone grew snarky. “If I didn’t have to waste time rearranging supply cabinets maybe I’d have more time to spend at home.” Colin chuckled lightly to himself as Dickon tried to stifle a smile. “You really think making friends with her will fix that?” he asked though the question did not come out nearly as sarcastically as he meant it to.

Dickon shrugged. “I don’ know, but tis worth a try. If tha made friends, maybe she’d be more agreeable t’ compromising on th’ cabinet.”

Colin laughed though it came out more as a snort. “You really think the magic of friendship will miraculously solve the disagreement we’ve been having for months?”

Dickon’s brow furrowed as if he was trying to choose his words very carefully. Tilting his head sheepishly, he shrugged. “I think…maybe it won’t matter as much anymore.”

His earnestness caught Colin off guard though he shouldn’t have expected anything less from Dickon. He shifted almost uncomfortably. Even though a part of him had suspected such a thing himself, to hear it said aloud in such simple terms… Colin sighed. He wasn’t about to admit that, so he changed the subject. “You wouldn’t even be in this argument, would you?” he asked, but he didn’t need to wait for an answer. “But if you were…what would you do?”

Dickon paused and looked up at the ceiling of the conservatory. The sky through the glass was dreary and dark—a swarm of clouds having formed in the time they had been working. “I would try t’ forget about th’ cabinet for a while.”

“You think I should concede?” Colin interrupted forcefully before he could stop himself.

Dickon shrugged. “Maybe just for a little—for long enough t’ show her tha doesn’t only mean t’ argue with her.”

“And in the meantime, what? Waste time rummaging around in a disorganized supply cabinet?” Colin huffed. “My way is far superior—much better for everyone.”

“Maybe,” agreed Dickon with a tilt of his head. “But what’s more important: being right or being her friend?”

Colin cheeks flushed, but he quipped, “Can I think about it—take a moment to weigh my options?” His resolve faltered, however, and he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck staring at the ground almost sheepishly. “I’m joking,” he began though he was sure Dickon already knew. He sighed and shook his head. “You’re right. You’re right. It’s really unfair how right you are.” Despite Colin’s joking glare and a pointed tilt of his head in his general direction, Dickon merely smiled and chuckled lightly. Colin sighed again, conceding,  “Alright. What do I do?”

“Be nice to her,” Dickon answered as if it was the most natural and easiest thing in the world. “An’ try not to argue with her for awhile…”  

“In all honesty, Dickon. I don’t think that will make any difference. She seems very set on disliking me, and she is nearly as stubborn as I am so I doubt she will change her mind.”

Dickon smiled. “Maybe she will when she gets t’ know thee. I think tha could be good friends, an’…” He paused as if he was thinking very carefully about whether or not to finish his thought. Finally, he tilted his head and sighed, “An’ I think that’s what tha really wants—t’ be her friend, I mean.”

Something inside Colin twisted, and he stared intently at his feet shuffling on the tile. He swallowed hard. Was he really so obvious—so easy to read? Or maybe it was just because Dickon had a knack for reading people—was somehow as in tune with other people’s emotions as he was with nature and growing things. He hoped it was the later because there would be no way he could have any sort of conversation with Miss Cartwright knowing she would be able to see through him so easily. And he did want to have a conversation—not just some witty banter or an argument about a supply cabinet that he kept resorting to when he couldn’t think of anything else to say, but a real discussion about ideas or books or…anything. Just to talk to her.

The thought brought him both pause and excitement. There were many emotions inside of him that he didn’t fully understand and wasn’t ready to explore, but one was stronger than the rest, a curiosity, an intrigue, a desire to get to know her and to understand how she saw the world—a wish to be friends.

“Very well,” conceded Colin trying his best to sound facetious while a blush still filled his pale cheeks. “I will try my best, Dickon. But no promises.”

#the secret garden #colin craven #dickon sowerby #mary lennox #secret garden #frances hodgson burnett #secret garden fanfiction #part 1 of 4

[soulmate-game]

part 2 (of that new bio!dad fic)

Dick whipped his head over to Bruce, who could feel the heavy gazes of all his children as if they were physical. If they had had heat vision like Clark, he would have already been reduced to a puddle of mush. Bruce shifted, the only sign of his discomfort, but he recognized that the middle of a gala was no place for this discussion. There were too many busybodies trying to listen in for the latest gossip. So he plastered on a smile that he couldn’t quite feel, and held a hand out to Marinette. He was careful to keep a good distance though, and left the choice for contant purely up to her.

The young woman looked down at his hand, then back to his face. Damian had been shocked silent by what she had to say, and perhaps even more by the all too telling way that Bruce hadn’t so much as implied that she was lying, and the look he was giving her was making her a little uncomfortable. Yes, she hadn’t planned on interacting with her father more than just the years-overdue confrontation she had just done, at least not while at the gala… but her plans always left room for improvisation. She could make this work.

With a soft sigh, Marinette extended her own hand— half the size of Bruce’s, he noted almost immediately with a rush of illogical fondness— and grasped his lightly. She couldn’t help but notice the way his impossibly blue eyes brightened, no different than her own when she was particularly happy, or the way his mouth twitched with a barely suppressed beam. Instead, he controlled himself enough so that the only smile he gave would look professional and entirely in character to the nosy socialites still spying on them, and led them out onto the dance floor.

What everyone else saw was the unfairly charming Bruce Wayne giving his young guest of honor a simple dance. Just a basic swirl around the floor that every other social elite had learned when they were five. Clearly he was taking it easy on the self-made girl, who probably didn’t have experience with such dances. Humoring the accomplished young woman with his approval for a moment before he would slink back to his family or patrol the crowds and make the necessary greetings and meaningless chatter.

What his family saw was Bruce taking time to slow his steps, not for Marinette to keep up but rather to prolong the event. What they saw was the grace in Marinette’s steps as she never once faltered, and that Bruce was careful to take his cues from her instead of the other way around. He only led the dance in technicality, Marinette had all the real control.

What they saw was a father’s first dance with his daughter.

“Eighteen,” Dick whispered, eyebrows drawn low. “She said she’s almost eighteen.”

“Well, that lines up doesn’t it?” Jason asked gruffly, his own gaze never leaving the dancing duo. “We were planning on doubling up your big thirtieth birthday party as your eighteenth adoption anniversary,” he reminded his brother, who just made a slightly distressed noise in the back of his throat. Whether it was at the reinforcement of his adoption coming only months after Marinette being put up for adoption, or the fact that he was turning thirty, nobody could really tell.

“Hurt,” Cassandra spoke up from behind them, looking incredibly concerned as she watched the dance. “Uncertain.”

Stephany rolled her eyes, fidgeting from her quickly building energy. Anger was making her restless. “Of course she’s hurt. Bruce replaced her, with a boy he knew virtually nothing about, not even that long after she was born. How do you think that made her feel, when she found out?” Stephany let out a little growl, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing server and downing it in one gulp. She ignored Dick protesting that she wasn’t of age yet, which made her wrinkle her nose. “Only one more year, Dickhead. Get over it, I need the buzz.”

“Well,” Barbara sighed and maneuvered her wheelchair around the group so that everyone could see her. “Nothing we can do right now but be supportive and watch Bruce like a hawk so he doesn’t make this worse,” she stated easily, not looking even the least bit ruffled by the news despite the disturbed glitter in her eyes.

“... Guys,” Tim spoke up, not looking at any of them. “Who wants to volunteer for Damian duty?” At first glance, it might seem like Tim was thinking about his own first disastrous meeting with the younger boy. Once everyone paid attention though, they could see that the truth was that Damian had snuck away and Tim was pointedly looking at a slightly hidden-away staircase to the second floor.

“Shit,” Dick muttered, but before he could say another word Jason shoved him back and started towards the stairs.

“No, not this time Dicky. I’ll talk to the brat.”

Back on the dancefloor, Bruce and Marinette broke away without any fanfare at the end of the song. If Bruce tried to hold her eyes for a moment too long, nobody noticed besides his observant children, and two of Marinette’s protective friends.

Then, just to make sure that nobody caught on with the help of hindsight, Bruce said something vaguely polite and praising, which Marinette accepted with flawless, distant poise. And they went back to their own groups, Bruce quickly noting that two of his sons were missing. He raised an eyebrow, about to ask why when a presence behind him caught his attention. Unlike Marinette and Chloe, this newcomer was not at all trying to hide their approach or be sneaky about it, even though Bruce couldn’t hear any footsteps that were close enough to belong to the mysterious entity. Closing his mouth, Bruce turned around only to be greeted by yet another vaguely familiar face. Bright green eyes bore into his, unreadable.

“Mister Wayne,” the newcomer greeted, voice warm but stiff. If the Waynes hadn’t all had years of recognizing when a person was only pretending to be cordial, they never would have suspected that the boy was anything but pure-heartedly happy to be there. But they did have that experience, and thus they instantly honed in on the very well-hidden fact that he had a bone to pick with them. Or, more probably, with Bruce.

He cut an impressive figure, for all that he was lithe muscle instead of bulk. Hair that was lighter than Chloe’s, less like cloth-of-gold and more like sunlight glinting off of wheatfields. It somehow hung in gravity-defying tufts, yet perfectly arranged to evoke a calming aesthetic. Like the fluff of a long-haired cat, almost, and it looked just as fluffy and hypnotizing. It contrasted with his emerald eyes, impossibly vibrant in their gleam. And the suit he wore was decidedly top-notch, much like the other two they had met from his class. He was daring, in a dark silver suit that slightly shifted in the light, green accents that matched his eyes standing out strikingly against the collars and trim, and coiling in tantalizing swirls at the cuffs. The lining of the suit jacket was done in a dark green that could almost pass for black in the right lighting, adding a layer of both drama and mystery as it peeked out at the back of his collar, the insides of his sleeves if he moved just the right way, at the bottom hem of the jacket when he turned or bent just so. And with his notoriety in the modeling world? He always knew exactly how to move or place himself to get the reactions he wanted. And he was clearly showing off the craftsmanship of his suit just then as he faked adjusting his cufflinks and lifted his head just the right amount to both look challenging and let the dark green on the back of his collar flash in the light in such a way that Bruce and those nearest him wouldn’t be able to miss the brief reveal of color.

“Adrien Agreste,” Bruce greeted back, eyebrows pulling down in slight confusion. Normally the topic of clothing was far from his genuine interest, but in this particular case it was an intriguing, and possibly even concerning, observation. So he said next; “That suit is not of your father’s usual style of design.”

Adrien scoffed, straightening out his suit’s jacket and making the obsidian buttons glint. “Of course not. I’ve started my rebellious phase— or, well, I finally started being blatant enough about it that my father noticed anyway,” the way his lips curled was decidedly not very attractive, but painted a vivid picture of a son who despised the way he was treated. Adrien quickly wiped the distasteful expression away and replaced it with a camera-ready smile. “I’m wearing one of Marinette’s designs, much to his chagrin. She insisted on making this for me as soon as she heard that my father was planning on sending me in a white suit.”

Bruce quickly caught on, and sighed. How long would the gala go on for, again? He didn’t remember what time it was anymore. “Your friend Chloe already got a pretty clear warning in. I suppose you know as well?”

Adrien’s grin darkened with mischief, and he nodded all too happily. “Of course! Marinette told me almost as soon as she found out, a few years ago. You see, we had to put down a very solid rule about secrets between the two of us. She has a bad habit of trying to shoulder the entire world’s problems and not tell anyone about it, if you don’t pay close enough attention,” his voice was deceptively light but his eyes were hard, warning. “And let’s just say, I have a lot of experience with bad father figures. I can recognize them a mile away by now. The signs of neglect, of apathy,” his eyes suddenly lightened when he saw how Bruce’s throat visibly caught, how the man didn’t seem to realize he had stopped breathing. Maybe he was being a little to mean, Adrien thought. So he let the dark slip out of his eyes, and his smile turned more genuine. “You don’t have those signs. You looked at Marinette like you were both the happiest and most miserable man in the world at the same time. But you can’t change what you did to her, Mister Wayne. If you want some advice from Marinette’s oldest friend?” Adrien held out a closed fist.

Bruce took a second to realize what was happening, too busy trying to recover from his situational whiplash and wave of relief. Once he caught back up to the present, however, he held out his open palm and let Adrien drop something into his hand.

To his shock, it was a pen, engraved with the name he recognized as Marinette’s biological mother. He also recognized it as a popular model of pen-knife. He raised his eyes to Adrien, who winked.

“Marinette doesn’t know I had this made. And she has a lot of tricks that might surprise you, but what she wants more than anything is stability. If you try to give her that, show that you care and you want her safe— and then prove that you’re gonna stay— then maybe you can repair the damage you’ve done. It won’t be easy though, Mari is the single most stubborn person I’ve ever met. And I grew up with Chloe.”

Bruce closed his hand around the pen, swallowing a lump in his throat. He couldn’t quite figure out why, but Adrien’s faith in him and his help… somehow felt significant. He nodded to the young model.

“Not to worry, I have experience with stubborn,” he glanced back at his other kids with a small smirk. None of them were the least bit repentant. “And I do want to stay. Thank you for the advice.”

Adrien shrugged. “Don’t thank me. If you hurt her again, you’ll never see my revenge coming. It can be rather… catastrophic,” with that ominous threat, Adrien bowed dramatically and turned to leave and do some rounds charming the elites. Bruce tucked the pen in one of his hidden pockets, but stayed silent after that. He had a lot to mull over.

—*—*—*—*—*

Damian leaned on the railing of the balcony, looking out over the gardens behind the gala’s venue. He was glaring at nothing, and his hands trembled from where they gripped the rail. It was five minutes, a little longer than he had expected but not that odd considering everyone’s distraction over Marinette, before he heard the glass doors behind him creak open.

“Yo,” Jason greeted, knowing it was better not to catch the boy off guard. None of them were good with surprises anymore, for good reason. It was always best to announce their presence before they made someone react violently on accident. Damian’s shoulders relaxed a little— not a lot, but enough for Jason to notice. The older man sighed, walking up and leaning on the rail next to his little brother. “What’s on your mind, kid?”

“That could have been me,” he almost instantly blurted. It was still hard talking about his feelings, but certain things were easier with Todd. This was, apparently, one of them. “If Mother hadn’t kept me a secret.”

“I don’t think so,” Jason disagreed, shrugging. “There are several big differences here. For one, Marinette was born three years before you were. By the time you were born, he already had Dick and he would have only been a year, max, away from taking me in. Which means he already had built up his problem with taking in kids, and nothing would have gotten him to give up a chance at raising you. With or without Batman getting in the way.”

“But then why—” Damian growled. “Why did he give her up?”

“Because he’s an idiot,” Jason remarked bluntly. “You know how he is. He didn’t have a kid at the time. Hell, Bruce would have only been twenty-two back then. He only adopted Dick on impulse because Dick reminded him of himself, but before all of that shit? He probably made a million excuses about not being able to raise a baby and be Batman at the same time. About his life being too dangerous for a kid. Which, yes it is, but that clearly didn’t stop him later.”

“She’s older,” Damian muttered, this time softer.

“Yup.”

“Her mother wasn’t an assassin, probably. She designs. I hate to admit it, and you are never to repeat it to anybody, but her work that we’ve seen so far is impressive. She can clearly charm even the most stuck-up of gotham’s upper crust.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed neutrally, his eyes never leaving Damian.

“Father won’t need me. He already doesn’t have much patience—” Damian was cut off by a flick to the nose. “Hey!”

“Not my fault you’re being stupid,” Jason defended himself. “Look, B’s actually been real patient with you these past few years. I mean, when was the last time he yelled at you? Or told you that stupid ‘justice not vengeance’ line?”

Damian opened his mouth, then closed it. After another moment, he replied; “Almost two years.”

Jason nodded. “It might take him way too long, but he can still learn new tricks. Especially after that mess with Heretic, he’s been trying really hard to be better to you. He still screws up, because I think we all know by now that he’s a bigger mess than any of the rest of us and that’s an accomplishment, but he’s trying. He doesn’t keep you around because he needs you. He’s got plenty of us around if all he wanted was soldiers— though none of us would stick around if we thought that’s all he wanted.”

Damian flexed his jaw. He was still the most violent of the kids, besides Jason. He saw Bruce rubbing his forehead or pinching his nose far too often at some of his decisions or comments. He was stubborn, impatient, reckless.

But hadn’t Bruce himself told him on several occasions that he wasn’t trying to make him a perfect soldier? Hadn’t Bruce himself said that he just wanted Damian to grow into himself?

It was just really hard to swat away those stupid voices in Damian’s head. Voices of the past, mostly, old dialogue he had never actually forgotten. That he merely pretended had never affected him. The “you’re too violent”s, the “that’s not how we behave, Damian”s. All the old lectures, the old fights. They echoed like stupid little gremlins of doubt.

“...Marinette has his eyes.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over something like that,” Jason’s voice was soft, but gruff at the same time as he cuffed Damian over the head. “You didn’t choose to be born, idiot. And despite being a little demon, none of us would reverse it, You’ve saved all our skins at least once. And besides,” he nudged Damian a little with a grin. “You’re not half bad, nowadays.”

Damian chuckled. “That makes one of us.”

“Hey!”

@peterxwade24 @mizzy-pop @maskedpainter @ladybug-182 @khneltea @itsmeevie01 @fusser90 @woe-is-me0 @lolieg @moonlightstar64 @jayjayspixiepop

#maribat #platonic jasonette #platonic daminette #platonic brucinette #ml x dc #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #dc x miraculous #maribat fic

[aphroditepeter]

Pity Party - Starker

First post I guess <3

I suddenly remember reading this one fanfiction called 'Pity Party' a few years ago where the main character has Peter Pan Syndrome and he was throwing his birthday party but no one came and I immediately thought of Starker.

Please bear with me, I wrote this at 2 a.m. instead of sleeping so I am sorry if there are any mistakes.

Tags: Mentions of bullying, Feminine!Peter, Older!Tony, Dark!Tony, Underage, Whump, Age differences, Implied non-con, etc.

So feminine Peter has Peter Pan Syndrome and he is super excited to have his 16th birthday party.

A few days ago before his birthday, he already gave almost everyone he knows at school the invitation cards to his party, including his bullies, Quentin Beck, and his asshole friends who keep on harassing him mentally and physically. But, Peter being the sweetheart he is, doesn’t mind the bullying and instead has a crush on Quentin.

He knew that it is the wrong thing to do to invite them but then again, he thought that maybe they will not bully him anymore once they have come to his house and saw how amazing his birthday party is. Plus, naïve Peter thought that maybe, just maybe, Quentin will realize that Peter is not that bad after all despite him being different and he might fall in love with Peter just like the way Peter did.

Due to his excitement, Peter planned the most perfect birthday party he has ever done throughout his whole life.

He already picked all the birthday balloons, chosen a strawberry-flavored birthday cake (his favorite), and put on pink banners everywhere. Literally, everything you need for a birthday party.

He even picked his own birthday outfit, consisting of a pink sweater with a white mini pleated skirt and white knee-high socks that just scream cuteness.

Aunt May did help him to put a little bit of makeup on his face, making him look even prettier than he usually does that even Peter himself keeps on blushing when thinking of what Quentin will think of him later when he and the others arrive.

Since Aunt May has to go to work until late at night, she can’t join him and only wished him a happy birthday before she goes to work. Nonetheless, Peter is still in a happy mood as he waits for his guests to appear so that Peter can celebrate his birthday for the very first time with other people besides his aunt.

He waits and waits and waits. An hour begins to pass. Then two hours, before three to four hours pass and Peter falls asleep due to being tired of waiting.

When Peter wakes up, he realizes that it is almost night and not a single person has made an appearance outside his house or even knock on the door to surprise him.

Feeling sad, Peter cries so hard that he starts hitting himself repeatedly. He blames himself for thinking so gullible that people will come to his birthday party when he should have noticed the look on their faces when he gave them their invitation cards. Nothing but shame and disgust were shown on their faces.

He should also blame himself for thinking that Quentin will arrive here and spend time with him when he knows that Quentin and his friends might be having fun somewhere else while laughing at Peter’s naiveness and stupidity.

Peter thinks that he is at fault. Maybe it is because of his childish behaviors that are different and unlike any normal teenager at his school. And maybe it is because the way he dresses up is too feminine and how he loves to wear pastel outfits, especially pink ones.

Peter is about to go to his room and forget about everything that has been happening when he suddenly hears a knock on the door. 

Feeling relieved, Peter wipes his tears and runs towards the door. Probably thinking that someone he knows, his aunt, or even Quentin, has finally come to celebrate his birthday.

Surprisingly, when he opens the door, a man who is much older than him is standing in front of his door with a smile on his face. 

He looks like he is in his late 30s or early 40s but Peter admits that he is handsome. But he shouldn’t think of that. He only likes Quentin! 

The man calls himself Tony Stark. He tells Peter that he is one of the people that live in Peter’s neighborhood and he decided to go visit him when he heard Peter is throwing a birthday party.

Peter feels uneasy as he has never seen Tony around the neighborhood as long as he has lived here. He quickly remembers his aunt’s bits of advice of not letting strangers talk to him or letting them enter the house without his aunt’s permission. 

Yet, after Tony convinces him that he is one of the neighbors here and he looks nice (not to mention Peter wants at least one person to hang out with him during his birthday), Peter decides to let Tony inside.

Because someone is willing to spend time with Peter, Peter’s mood has become better. He happily tells Tony about his birthday cake and goes to the kitchen to show Tony where he put his cake so he can have a little taste.

What Peter doesn’t realize is that Tony has locked the door. And he is standing behind Peter with a dark look on his face.

Let’s just say, Tony prefers to taste something or someone that is much sweeter than the birthday cake.

#starker #tony stark/peter parker #starker prompt #ironspider #peter x tony #tony x peter #feminine peter parker #dark tony

[vdlest]

My Works:

2am knock on my door

Posted: May 17, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Anger!Reader

Summary: After Tony's death, Cap's disappearance, and end of Thanos, everybody go on separate ways to continue their lives. You became alone. But one rainy night, you heard a knock on your door, only to find Bucky Barnes soaking wet outside your apartment. You soon realized that you're not the only person who feels that kind of sadness and loneliness. That makes the two of you.

Warning: None

His I Love You

Posted: May 17, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: You and Bucky are in temporary LDR due to his mission and just by hearing those three magical words, you felt okay.

Warning: None

You Saved Me

Posted: May 18, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: You kept him from being insane by loving him for who he was, who he is, and who will he be.

Warning: None

Costumes

Posted: May 18, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You and the avengers are having a Halloween party, and someone came with a familiar costume, making your heart skip a beat.

Warning: None

As Long As We Both Shall Live

Sequel to "2am Knock On My Door"

Posted: May 19, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: Bucky didn't like the idea of you avoiding him. So during the mini-reunion party, he confronted you.

Warning: None

Turning Point

Posted: May 19, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x BestFriend!Reader

Summary: You were out with your girl friends, Nat and Wanda, but when you got home, your boy best friend, Bucky, isn't so happy about you coming home late.

Warning: None

Good Morning, Husband

Posted: May 20, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You woke up and see Bucky Barnes beside you, realizing that it's your first morning as husband and wife.

Warning: None

My Lady

Posted: May 20, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: It is Tony's birthday party and everyone's required to wear their best formal attire, and when you did, you caught the attention of James Buchanan Barnes.

Warning: None

He Won't Allow It

Posted: May 22, 2021

Characters: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Just when Zemo is about to use you as a pawn to your next plan for your mission in Prague, Bucky decided to remind him that he won't allow anyone to use you. An unexpected confession came after.

Warning: Swearing

Dreamcatcher

Posted: May 22, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky continues to have his nightmares night by night. You advised him to follow what his therapist told him to do — to have a friend. It turns out, you also needed one. Will the two of you take this chance to help each other?

Warning: None aside from swearing

You Left Something

Posted: May 23, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x ExAvenger!Reader

Summary: It has been a year since you left the life of being an Avenger. But after a year, someone showed up in your house, telling you that you left something when you left your old life. What could it be?

Warning: Swearing, mention of sex/one-night stand

You Matter

Posted: May 23, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: You and Bucky together with the other Avengers went to Florida for a mission. When your ex-suitor was also in the same area, your boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, is triggered by your ex's words. How can you make him feel better?

Warning: Jealousy, A little bit of smut, Swearing

I'll Come Home To You

Posted: May 24, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: All the men avengers are compromised in a big mission that has to do with an organization trying to revive and continue HYDRA's works. Seeing your fiance, Bucky, leave months before your wedding makes you worried.

Warning: None

His Muse

Posted: May 25, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Tony and Pepper are finally tying the knot. And your date for their wedding is none other than James Buchanan Barnes, your best friend.

Warning: None

Still His

Posted: May 25, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader, Winter Soldier x Reader

Summary: You lost him five years ago, but what happens when the new fist of HYDRA turns out to be the man you thought was a ghost already.

Warning: Swearing, Alternate Universe, Poorly Written

Lost & Found

Posted: May 26, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Nearly three years ago, the Avengers lost in a battle for humanity. They lost because of Thanos. Half of the planet vanished in thin air and only God knows what happened to them. Surprisingly, you received a call from Nat telling you that Tony Stark is safely back in the compound with the help of Captain Marvel. But you get another surprise when Nat tells you that Bucky did not vanish three years ago, he was with Tony this whole time. 

Warning: None

No One, But You

Posted: May 26, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You, Sam, and Bucky went to Prague for a mission that has something to do with what they call the Flash Smashers, but Bucky is not his usual "game on" mode and you found out why. He's still grieving over Steve's disappearance and for not being able to apologize to Tony.

Warning: Swearing

Onto It

Posted: May 27, 2021

Characters: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: Bucky and Sam are both in New York to finish their mission with the power broker, which turns out to be Sharon Carter. The latter is not just the villain in this story, but you once got jealous of her as well when she tried to seduce your man.

Warning: Swearing, Jealousy, Mention of Smut

Nice To Meet You

Posted: May 28, 2021

Characters: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: The restaurant where Bucky always takes Yori to eat with him is where you actually work. You've been watching and staring at him for quite some time now but didn't have the courage to introduce yourself to him. But what happens when Yori asked Bucky to take you out?

Warning: None

No Goodbyes

Posted: May 29, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader, CivilWar!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You fought for team Captain America during the Civil War. You were one of the people who believed that Bucky Barnes can gain his redemption. Fighting alongside Bucky, the two of you did not have a hard time getting along and eventually fell for each other. But after the fight in the airport, he decided to freeze himself again until a solution for his condition comes.

Warning: None

Always Beside You

Posted: May 30, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You and Bucky have been living together for a year now. Ever since you came into his life, he stopped having nightmares, not until Sam gave up the shield and the country have a new Captain America.

Warning: None

It's Her

Posted: May 31, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: It was supposed to be a night of fun with the whole team, but your ex-boyfriend shows up and tries to ruin your night.

Warning: Swearing, AU, Mention of a little SMUT

Scarred & Bruised

Posted: June 1, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Each time you find yourself falling in love, you'd tell them about your dark past, and they'll always end up leaving you. So you tried not to fall in love with anyone since then, and it has been years since you felt love in your life. But then you met Bucky, and it's not hard to fall in love with him so you ran away from him. After a year of hiding and running from the man you thought was just like anyone else, he found you, and no chance that he'll let you go again.

Warning: Swearing, Mention of rape, Violence

You Made Me Live Again

Posted: June 2, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader, Steve Rogers x Avenger!Reader

Summary: You used to date Steve Rogers, but you knew that he has always been in love with Peggy, so you two stopped dating. Two years later, you met Bucky and slowly fell for each other, but you two decided to keep your relationship a secret since both of you doesn't want to shock everyone, especially Steve, who happens to be Bucky's best friend. But until when can both of you hold back?

Warning: Open-ended, Sappy Ending

Midnight Talks

Posted: June 7,2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: After Bucky and Sam's mission in Brooklyn, they came back to the compound and you noticed that something is not right with Bucky. One midnight, you can't sleep and found Bucky in the mini-bar in the compound and you finally found out why he's been acting differently.

Warning: fluff, a little smut, drinking

More than anything

Posted: June 8, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x BestFriend!Reader

Summary: You and Bucky have been best friends since high school. He always asked you for advice whenever he's dating someone, when you say no, he'd say no as well. But one night, you found each other in your room, having sex. Waking up the next day, he's gone. No text, no call, nothing.

Warning: mention of smut

Build a life together

Posted: June 9, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: You and Bucky joined Sam to help him restore their family boat. But a life-changing event took place. An event of a lifetime for you and Bucky.

Warning: none

Of all the things

Posted: June 10, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Stark!Reader

Summary: Even before the civil war took place, you sided with Captain America about his point of view of Bucky Barnes — that he could gain his redemption. Bucky has never shown you anything bad ever since you met him. The next thing you knew, he caught your heart too. You took their side up to the civil war, and you knew your brother, Tony, would be hurt by your decision.

After the civil war, Tony told you about the truth of the death of your parents, the Winter Soldier killed them. You were hurt too, for all along you knew they got into an accident but it turns out, they were murdered.

Seeing how devastated Tony is for feeling betrayed by Steve Rogers and feeling hurt upon learning what really happened to your parents, you decided to go back with him in New York, without even saying goodbye to Bucky, the man you secretly loved.

A year later, you & Tony received a call from Wakanda, you are needed in a war. But little did you know, you're about to cross paths again with the man you've always loved from afar and secretly.

Warning: none

Only yours forever

Posted: June 11, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: You and the rest of the remaining avengers decided to team up with the Eternals, but seems like your boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, isn't a fan of Ikaris and the way he stares at you.

Warning: Jealousy, Fluff, Implied Smut

I'm home in your arms

Posted: June 14, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: Bucky always comes to visit you, but he asked you to come over to his place this time. Upon your arrival at his apartment, you found him sad and emotional.

Warning: Fluff

Definition of heaven

Posted: June 16, 2021

Characters: Boyfriend!Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: You found out you were pregnant with Bucky's baby when the blip took place. You keep the baby and raised him by yourself and with the help of a few friends. You have always believed that Bucky will come back to you and your son, Gabriel. Five years later, the Avengers won, Bucky came home to you and Gabriel.

Warning: Fluff

Sergeant Barnes' last letter

Posted: June 18, 2021

Characters: InfinityWar!Bucky Barnes x Fiance!Reader

Summary: You woke up in your bed without Bucky by your side. The only thing you found on his trace is his letter for you, saying his temporary farewell as he leaves for Wakanda to fight with his pal, Steve against Thanos.

Warning: Fluff

Let me take care of you

Posted: June 21, 2021

Characters: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: Joining forces with John Walker is the last thing you, Sam, and Bucky want to consider, but after seeing the powerful force of the Flag Smashers, the three of you left with no other choice.

Warning: Jealousy, Swearing, Fluff

The Barnes & Rogers talk

Posted: June 23, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: Bucky can't stop talking about you to his best friend, Steve Rogers.

Warning: Fluff

Could we?

Posted: June 26, 2021

Characters: ExBF!Bucky Barnes x ExGF!Reader

Summary: A normal day turns out to be different when you bumped into your ex, Bucky Barnes.

Warning: Fluff

Get her

Posted: July 2, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: When Bucky found out that you were taken by the subgroup of HYDRA called "The Atonement," he will do everything just to bring you back safely.

Warning: Fluff, Expect an open ending, Heartbreak

Convincing Mr. Barnes

Posted: July 5, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x GF!Reader

Summary: Instead of going out of town with you, you convinced Bucky to help Sam in restoring their family boat.

Warning: Fluff, A little bit of SMUT

Just stay

Posted: July 7, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Neighbor!Reader

Summary: Clogged sink, carrying heavy furniture, fixing your broken headboard - these are just some of the times you called your neighbor, Bucky, for help, and he'll be happy to help you without anything in exchange. Until you finally offered something he can't resist, your body.

Warning: Mention of SMUT (18+), Fluff, Bucky being rough and soft at the same time

A little too late

Posted: July 9, 2021

Characters: ExBF!Bucky Barnes x ExGF!Reader

Summary: Bucky broke up with you and left you when he thought you were cheating on him with Steve. He left without any God damn word, and you weren't able to tell him that you never cheated on him, not even a thought of it.

3 years later, Bucky received a letter from Steve, making Bucky feel guilty for what he did to you.

Warning: Angst, Mention of miscarriage, Expect a heartbreak

Love than lose

Posted: July 11, 2021

Characters: TFAWTS!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: The day Bucky confessed to you that he likes you, you told him that you can't be with someone whose life is always in the line of death. So you two decided not to do anything. But when you saw him in the news regarding his mission to end Flag Smashers alongside the new Captain America, Sam, you rushed towards the scene to tell him that you regret your decision.

Warning: Fluff

Each other's home

Posted: July 14, 2021

Characters: Husband!Bucky Barnes x Wife!Reader

Summary: You just got home from your shopping and spa day with Wanda and Nat, and you found your loving husband cooking dinner for both of you. Just a normal sweet night with the love of your life.

Warning: Fluff

Always you

Posted: July 19, 2021

Characters: Bucky Barnes x GF!Reader

Summary: Thea team is out for a celebratory dinner, but it turns out your ex-boyfriend was also in the same restaurant. Your boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, can't help but feel a "little" jealous.

Warning: Fluff, Jealousy, Mention of SMUT

Morning star

Posted: July 23, 2021

Characters: TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: When Zemo asked Bucky to play the role of the Winter Soldier once more for the mission in Madripoor, you can't help but feel anxious about it.

Warning: Fluff

Says who

Posted: July 29, 2021

Characters: TFAWTS!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: You think Bucky hates you because he is too professional when you two are working on a mission, he doesn't do small talks, and he doesn't talk to you about any other thing aside from the mission itself. So when you had enough of his professionalism, you decided to confront him.

Warning: Fluff

Cap's divulgence

Posted: July 31, 2021

Characters: Steve Rogers x GF!Reader

Summary: After six months of putting your relationship with Steve Rogers in much secrecy, the star-spangled man boyfriend of yours finally broke the news to everyone in a celebratory dinner.

Warning: Fluff

For a lifetime

Posted: August 2, 2021

Characters: Husband!Bucky Barnes x Wife!Reader // Groom!Bucky Barnes x Bride!Reader

Summary: You just got married to the man you love, and on the reception, you are asked to give a message to your husband.

Warning: Fluff

The only family he got

Posted: August 7, 2021

Characters: PostEndgame!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Summary: Bucky is still haunted by sadness after his pal, Steve Rogers, decided to live the life he never had with Peggy. He's very afraid that he'll choose the family he only got left, you.

Warning: Fluff

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes masterlist #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n

[tomatograter]

New to the fandom, Could you explain June? 💯 Love and support her. But homestuck 2 doesn't have her and I'm just confused?

June Egbert precedes the concept of homestuck^2! I’ve seen a lot of people be confused about this because they weren’t active on the fandom at the time the epilogues dropped, when reading her as a trans woman got a lot of discussion going and eventually lead to multiple confirmations.

So here’s an attempt at contextualization:

Throughout Homestuck, a few key ideas about Egbert’s identity and motivation to push forward with her hero’s journey are dropped like breadcrumbs. She’s meant to play the default straight-man protagonist. Her defining traits are ridiculously… generic, when compared to how all the other kids present themselves and stick to exaggerated bits. She’s a perfectly normal, regular suburban kid with normal, suburban issues. 

She may not leave her room a whole lot. She may not have a lot of real life friends in the neighborhood. She holds a comical irritation for the concept of birthdays, even though her father is extremely supportive, and is delighted to see his son grow up nice and healthy. There’s no reason for her to be so irrationally upset at cakes and gifts, and that’s what makes the setup funny! June doesn’t even know why she’s annoyed with half of the things that annoy her, what the heck.

But under all that playing around there is a sense that her life is so normal, so blasé, so unexciting and limiting and hollow and fake that she’d give anything to not be herself, even if only for ten minutes. This goes way, way back. It’s why June needs SBURB to happen.

June lives as though her life hasn’t started yet. She’s stuck in the Tutorial stage. I would argue while most kids (and trolls) play SBURB to escape a shitty environment or the end of the world as they know it, June plays for a simpler reason: She needs to escape herself, and she needs to do it before it is too late. 

Being thirteen means crossing the homeric abyss between being a child with no care for the world sporting a generic hand-me-down identity and becoming a Teen (capital T) who needs to figure out how to cope with atrocious bodily changes while building the adult they’re meant to be AND deciding what the fuck they want out of life, and how they’re going to work to get it, forever and ever.

When you’re trans, and you don’t yet know you’re trans (or that this is a thing you’re even ALLOWED to be) the above feels a lot like serving a life sentence for an intangible crime.

You know what you’re supposed to do. You’ve seen it on tv, you’ve heard it from your dad, you know what are the normal trials and tribulations. You know you'll grow a few pimples and stubble and you'll need to learn how to shave, obviously, because it's basically a tradition in your family, and no one is really happy to be a teen. You know at some point you'll find a nice girl and you'll grow a hat out of your skull and then you will have to pay taxes and maybe you will have a baby daughter? You'd like it to be a daughter for no particular reason. And when you get a daughter you're going to name her Casey and she's going to be adorable and this is something you've dedicated a lot of thought to. Maybe its because you thought Nic Cage looked really cool with those long flowing locks in con air, the movie who featured a trans woman as a minor character for a few minutes (and she gets quite a bit of compliments, regardless of how the movie has aged), and he had a really exciting life, but goddamn did he love his daughter. There is no purer love than the bond between a father and his daughter. 

This absolutely has nothing to do with your father and you, or how you hold no excitement for becoming an adult man, or how your father's excitement for you becoming an adult man in your stead feels a little stifling.

But i digress.

June spends her time on SBURB mostly hassling karkat, and readily following the instructions of zany, dangerous, COOL girls that seem to know what they're doing. June lets Terezi lead her to certain death without blinking. June lets Vriska dress her up as soon as opportunity presents itself. June thinks its really funny to trick this troll Who Types Really Oddly into believing she's Rose, and also into believing that she's a very silly girl. You may even say Homestuck employs a few of jokes pertaining to how her name looks like EGG !

June has a ball playing this game until it starts to get shitty. She's never able to mend her relationship with her dad, as he's one of the first causalities. She has to spend a lot of time waiting around with jade on a ship until things get cool and exciting again, but she never stops growing during those three years. Its fine, though, because there's always more things to be done and more people to fight.

Until there aren't, and they make a new earth, and while everyone cheers and claps for the birth of a new planet June realizes all her excuses are over. Her friends begin to grow up. Rose gets married. Jade is living her best life. Dave has a not-boyfriend glued to his hip. Jane has a job. Jake is on TV for some reason. June doesn't want to leave home. June's birthday is around the corner again. Here come all the congratulations for becoming a strong lad for yet another year! Vriska is gone. Terezi is gone. SBURB is over. Wacky hijinks have been swapped for real-ass, boring-ass Regular life. We watch her unsuccessfully chase after the glory of days gone by when Rose presents her the possibility of going back into the game, when things were cool and mattered, or her flimsy decision to settle down with a nice girl she hasn’t really made an effort to know and become a father and be absolutely miserable for four decades as she asserts nothing is real, not anymore, and this is just how it is.

Depersonalization, depression and general apathy towards the world are all pronounced aspects of dysphoria that seem like unrelated incidents for someone who hasn't came out yet. June's trainwreck of a life post-game, specially her feeling of hollowness and chasing after anything that could fill it struck a chord with trans readers who left the epilogues to read HS again and discovered this has always sort of been here. June being a trans woman who doesn't have the proper vocabulary to express she is a trans woman makes a lot of earlier bits from the comic click into place, now in a broader context. We settled in the name "June" because it's what she imagines Vriska is calling her at some point, amid laughs, but even that was discussed for a lengthy period last year. What would she want to be called, what are possible tags for this, etc. But it was mostly for fun and games, because the prospect of the protagonist of a 10 year old beloved cult series being ACTUALLY confirmed as a trans woman just wasn't something that was done.

Until word got around to Andrew Hussie and he was reportedly so pleased with this interpretation of events he’d be making references to it, and some time later, a box of toblerones was left in a cave as a gift for fans to find. The first person to find a toblerone thought it would be funny to dedicate it to June, because now she was an ongoing reference that was fun to make. Instead of it ending there, Hussie logs on twitter for the first time in a long while to say 'Oh yeah, i'll make it happen' and that's when the whole thing exploded. I have a post detailing this made a year ago (with pictures!) so i won't keep you here.

In the year since, June has been vaguely alluded to in Pesterquest (in jade's end card, she's having her nails painted by rose.) Has been widely adopted by the community, those making their own fanventures and continuations, and the team behind Homestuck^2. In every way that matters, she's already thriving within the community that brought her to light a year ago. But her coming out in canon is something that will take time and a proper narrative arc to happen, one that is still being set up. We know it'll come eventually, the only question is “how”.

Not that the wind waits for anyone.

#meta #june egbert #homestuck #homestuck 2

[fanfictiondreamscape]

Alternate Endings (Pt. 2)

Title: Alternate Endings (Pt. 2) 

Genre: more angst, possibly more than the last part. this is your warning. 

Pairing: Victor Nikiforov x GN!Reader

Notes: This is a part 2 to the previous part, and I still used the angst prompt list from the aforementioned previous parts to form this piece.

With that said, I think that this will be the only part following the first unless I can find some way to continue the storyline. I intend to keep the ending somewhat depressing and sad, so I guess proceed with caution due to such. 

If you want something similar to this for any other character, please let me know, though! I may also mention that this went from a drabble, to a scenario, and now borders on an imagine - I can’t help that I got caught up! 

Part 1

Below the cut! 

You practically fell off the face of the Earth as soon as you left. 

Harboring all of the money you saved and deciding upon negotiations to make with your employer, you left Russia. You left Japan. You just...left. 

Travelling became a huge part of your life afterwards, and though many people had tried to regain contact with you, you ignored most of them - save for a few. Only Yuri Plisetsky and Yuuko Nishigori were available to your whims, but they were still advised to stay as quiet as possible regarding your whereabouts. 

You changed your whole appearance, changed your mindset, and even changed something as generally miniscule as your wardrobe. Still, as much as you did change and throw away, you couldn’t rid yourself of the many frivolous gifts that Victor had given you over the years. 

Some things you just can’t give up, but you knew that it would be fine. At the very least, you had something that would never let you forget about him. 

Victor, on the other hand, fell off the deep end. 

He had come across the note you’d slipped under his hotel room door and for the first time in a long time, he cried. A true mess was what Yuuri had come across, and as many times that he was able to help him through unconventional methods, this was nearly impossible. 

Victor didn’t leave Japan, but he did become so reclusive that even Yakov was extremely worried upon finding out about the occurrence from an offhand comment that Yurio made when talking to Yuuko over the phone before practice. 

Everyone around him saw the typically extravagant man become so dulled by misery that it became painful to watch. 

He didn’t even know where to start since he’d already tried to find you - looking everywhere that he knew you loved, everywhere that he knew you were often obligated to be at - but had failed to do so. 

It wasn’t until, when Yurio was free, that he overheard him and Yuuko talking at the front desk of the rink as Yuuri was warming up and he was getting his skates on. 

“Yeah, they’re in America right now. They just got a raise, actually - they were even thinking of dropping in when they get enough saved up,” Yuuko recollected, excitement dripping from her tone. 

“Well, they’d have to come by when Victor isn’t here. That would also mean that I’d be gone, but at least you could update me,” Yurio responded. He seemed more nonchalant about the whole thing, but Victor became hysterical. 

Granted, he did suppress what he could to eavesdrop further. 

“Of course! I am still a little worried about them, though - you remember how Victor had gone crazy trying to find them?” Yurio grunted in response. “Well, what if he decides to do something impulsive again and leave mid-competition?” 

The light-blonde teenager in front of Yuuko flinched at the thought. “That’s a good point...but we’ll never know unless it happens when it does.” 

A solemn chill fell upon the two, but the conversation split onto Yurio’s next routine and Victor left it to them. He stared wide-eyed, in pure disbelief, at the wall of lockers in front of him. 

“So they’re...(Y/n)’s in America....”

Ideas began to run through his head as the room became eerily quiet. Even Yuuri, who was sat in the corner and preferred a calm and quiet atmosphere, was perturbed by the sudden shift. 

“I know what I’ll do! Yuuri, skate if you want - I’m going to be out for a while,” Victor announced, generally resembling the flamboyant figure skating icon that everyone knew. 

He took his skates off and capped the blades, putting them into his bag and reaching for his cell phone and scrolling through listings. Katsuki was left dumbstruck, but he went on about what he was doing and decided to run through his routine a few times. 

Yurio had left by this point, and Yuuko was too far in the back to catch the tall man’s outburst. 

It wasn’t until the next day that he was extremely prepared and anyone who understood his issue was suspicious. Victor had hunted for every listing to America from Japan, and memorized the closest ones. Yuuko was the one person who was going to be there that he had to ask. 

“Yuuko, I must ask you something! Would you mind?” was Victor’s burning introduction, shocking the normally upbeat mother. She was a little taken aback at the bold attention grabber. 

“Mmm, yeah?” She tried to be as ‘typical’ as possible, considering that her suspicions were up now. She knew what was going on, she knew what Victor was burning for. 

“You said that you’ve been in contact with (Y/n), yes?” 

Yuuko deadpanned, eyes blank and dropping the facade that she was going to attempt to maintain. “I knew it. Listen, I know that you’ve been troubled since they left, and that they have been as well, but please - give them some more time.” 

Victor visibly deflated. He didn’t think it would work, really, but it was worth a shot. Maybe, just maybe, though.... “How about a hint? Is it hot? Cold? What is a landmark?” 

“No, Victor. Sorry.”

And he was back to his dejected being by the next hour. 

Victor was willing to annoy both her and Yurio, but gave up once they stood their ground with firm hold. “No. (Y/n) is fine, and they will come when they want.” It was always the answer, no matter who he asked. 

Daily, Yuuri would keep him company and skate to the best of his ability. It seemed to quench his troubles just a little bit before the up and coming competition season. 

Eventually, the Grand Prix rolled around again. Yurio was competing, as well as Yuuri, and Victor was there to maintain support for his ever-promising prodigy. 

Amongst the drama that had ensued, the two of them decided to take a break romantically and focus on the practice rather than devote too much issue to their worryingly stagnant relationship. 

It wasn’t until Yurio had pulled Yuuri aside when Victor was getting changed that he was let in on soem information that, had Victor heard, would send him into a frenzy. 

“(Y/n) wanted to me wish you good luck and let you know that they are here to watch. If you wanna talk, they’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

Yuuri almost faltered and told Victor, but decided against it. Your wishes were still high up, even if you two weren’t amazingly close. 

Sadly, Victor was still shaken and hurried. It was a large competition, and as much as he wanted to focus on the task at hand, you never left his mind. 

Over the year that you had fallen out of reach, he began to realize where he screwed up. Maybe he did like you at one time, but he let his own fears get the best of him and he fell to putting more of an interest to Yuuri. 

He truly loves Yuuri, but he truly loved you (romantically) at one point, and you slipped from his reach before he could manage to comprehend anything. 

So, upon making eye contact with a familiar pair of (e/c) eyes and an eerie copy of a blazer that he had given you as a birthday gift years ago, he was left idle. 

“(Y/n)?”

You sucked in a breath and shrugged, sighing afterwards and shaking your head. “Yep, it’s me. Hello, again, Victor.” 

Tears flooded his eyes as he ran to you, arms open and tight as his hug enveloped your frame. You didn’t reciprocate, not immediately at least. With obvious hesitance, you returned the hug, but pushed him away only a couple seconds later. 

“You’ve got a skater to support. We can talk later, okay?” 

“But, you’ve come back and-” 

“Victor. Go support Yuuri.”

He bit his lip, but nodded nonetheless and embarked to the rink. 

After the free skate, the next day’s events were prepared and everyone was sent out for the day. Yurio had caught up with you before heading to his hotel room, and Yuuri had popped in before he changed out of his costume, but Victor was most eager to meet you.

Upon seeing each other, yet again, in the lobby, the two of you parted ways but decided to meet at a restaurant in town. Yuuri would be dining with Phichit and some other competitors, and Yurio was with Otabek going sightseeing, so this was a prime opportunity. 

Silence loomed over the two of you, slow walking and sounds of nature overwhelming your senses. 

“So, you’re probably curious as to where I’ve been,” you began, breaking the tension as calmly as possible. You could have sworn that your heart was going to burst out of your chest if you let the quiet settle any longer. 

“Yes, (Y/n). I really have been.” Victor, for once in the time that you have known him, was quiet. He was never really afraid to speak to you about anything, but the way he was acting now let some of the more obvious pain show. 

“I’ve also been extremely worried. I never realized that you felt like that.”

You stopped upon the sentence, eyeing a nearby bench. Victor followed suit and looked down at you, eye contact being maintained. His gorgeous blue eyes were glassy and he appeared on the verge of tears. 

“(Y/n), darling, I never realized how much you actually meant to me. I was stupid. I- I really, truly did love you. I always thought that you were too good for me, though, so I tried to make the ideas disappear. It worked, but only for a while. I love you, (Y/n). Honestly, I really do, and...

“I don’t know how much longer I can endure this.” 

Your brows furrowed at his proclamation. The thought had never really crossed your mind, but you had always been drawn to his personality and how driven he was. You knew that he would do this, though, as he could also be notably daft regarding certain things. 

“Victor, I-.... Listen, I loved you at one point, but you found Yuuri. You found your match. You made your decision. Out of respect for you and him, I left. But I also did it to respect myself.

“I know my habits. I know that I can fixate, so I needed to get out of your hair if I wanted to feel better. So I did. I’m engaged now, Victor, and the person that I met is amazing. I thought that could have been you. But it wasn’t, and I’m okay with that now.” 

“You- you’re engaged?”

“Yes, yes I am. We haven’t planned our wedding date quite yet, but it is being discussed. The fact of the matter is simple: I knew what would happen if I were to stay, and as much as I love you, - platonically - staying here wouldn’t do me any good. Life comes, things change, and sometimes we just gotta give up.”

Silence fell on you two yet again, but it was interrupted by the slight sniffling coming from the tall Russian. 

“Victor, I came back not because I wanted to fight for your affection, but because I’ve been worried about you. I just want you to know that...I still do care for you, and I have still supported you and Yuuri. But what you want, what I wanted...that’s not possible anymore.” 

Pausing, you thought over your next words. Nothing was ever going to completely repair what was broken, but at the very least, you could try. 

“How about this? Here’s my new number,” you handed him a small slip of paper with the nine digits printed on it in your handwriting. “Let’s start talking again, and you can meet my fiancee sometime. Sound good?”

His mood nearly took a 180, but his demeanor was still sullen and sad. A weak smile crossed his face, and he responded in kind, “Of course. How about we go back to the group and enjoy dinner, though? You’re here again, and it’s more than I could ask for - but we have a lot of catching up to do.” 

#yuri on ice #yurionice #victornikiforov #victor nikiforov #viktornikiforov #viktor nikiforov #victornikiforovxreader #victor nikiforov x reader #viktornikiforovxreader #viktor nikiforov x reader #yurionicexreader #yuri on ice x reader #yurioniceangst #yuri on ice angst #yurionicevictor #yuri on ice victor #yurioniceviktor #yuri on ice viktor #victorxreader #victor x reader #viktorxreader #viktor x reader #yoivictorxreader #yoi victor x reader #yurioniceimagine #yuri on ice imagine

[440mxs-wife]

Coming Home

(photo courtesy of IMDb)

Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Reader. Other Characters: Captain Jim Kirk, Sulu, Uhura, Spock, Scotty, Nurse Chapel, Joanna McCoy and Jocelyn McCoy

Word Count: 6594

Warnings: A bit of angst as there usually is with exes, medical incident, topped off with fluff and a little implied smut.

Prompt: “Did you ever plan on telling me?”

Summary: Reader left Dr. McCoy and the Enterprise eight years ago for reasons unknown. Captain Kirk has decided to get her to come back, so he offers her a position in the ship’s Botany Department and Lab. How will her ex-boyfriend and CMO Dr. McCoy react to seeing her after all these years?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jim, I just don't think it's a good idea," you told him, shaking your head. Captain James T Kirk was in your apartment, trying to convince you to rejoin him on the USS Enterprise.

"Why not? It's been, what, eight years now? Surely he's forgiven you by now," Kirk replied.

"Even if he has, which I doubt, I haven't forgiven me yet. We haven't even spoken since I left. No, I can't come back, Jim. You need things to run smoothly on that ship of yours. I would only upset the applecart," you affirmed.

"Please? You're the best botanist in Starfleet, and we really need you. Sulu can bring you up to speed on all of his latest findings with the plants we've catalogued in the past few years. Besides, there are others who would be happy to see you return to the ship," Kirk pressed.

You bit your bottom lip in concentration. Jim could tell you were close to cracking under his persuasive argument. You missed your 'girl talk' sessions with Uhura, even though monthly subspace messages have kept you in touch. They just haven't been the same as being together in person. If you came back, you might even start a lively discussion with Spock on Vulcan vs. Human philosophy.

If you went back, you know Jim would make your return as smooth as possible. He was right, that others would be happy to see you again. However, there was at least one crew member that you were fairly certain would not share in everyone's enthusiasm at seeing you back on the Enterprise.

Dr. Leonard. McCoy.

The two of you had been in a relationship for about four years prior to your departure. You shared the same quarters, during which time you were blissfully happy and in love. Leonard was the light of your life, and you saw him in every scenario in your future. Marriage, family, retirement from active duty, maybe eventually a house somewhere.

All of that came crashing down the night of his daughter's birthday party, when Joanna was turning 13. Two weeks after it happened and without explanation, you left Leonard and the Enterprise.

You had no intention of ever returning to the ship. You were content in your teaching position at Starfleet HQ and to stay at home, maintaining your garden. That is, until a blonde-haired, blue-eyed captain came knocking on your door, asking you to come back.

"So?" Kirk asked.

"I'll need to pack a few things, make some arrangements," you sighed.

"Ship leaves here in five days, will that be enough time?" Kirk inquired.

"I suppose it'll have to be, won't it. You're not exactly leaving me with much choice," you retorted. "Don't worry, Jim. I'll be there, ready to assist you however I can," you promised. I just don't know if I'm ready to face him again, not after all these years that have gone by, you thought to yourself.

As if he heard you, Jim nudged your arm. "Maybe this is just the opportunity you two need, you know, to clear the air. Much as you may not think so, the two of you belong together," Jim concluded softly.

"I have a feeling that one way or another, the situation between Len and me will soon be resolved," you replied.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When you re-materialized on the transporter pad, you were surprised to see so many of your friends waiting to welcome you back. Sulu, Chekhov, Scotty, Uhura and even Spock had made the trip down to Transporter Room #3, along with the captain to await your return. The only one absent was Dr. McCoy, but you didn't expect him to show up. Not willingly anyway.

You stepped down from the transporter pad and were immediately engulfed in Uhura's embrace. She rambled on about when the first 'girl talk' night should be while you traded hugs with Sulu and Chekhov.

"Hello, Commander. It is agreeable to see you again," Spock greeted you.

"It's nice to see you, too, Spock," you smiled as you pulled him into a hug before he could stop you. "Mr. Scott, always a delight," you gushed.

"Aye, lassie, it's good to have ye home again," Scotty beamed.

"Thank you. It's good to be--" your greeting was interrupted by the transporter room doors sliding open. The moment of truth had finally arrived, where the next few words spoken would set the tone for the time to come.

"God in Heaven," McCoy whispered. His mouth suddenly went dry at seeing you again after eight years. He could see that the years had been kind to you, because to him, you were even more beautiful than before. His heart did a mini-flip in his chest, but almost immediately afterwards, his brain and his memory re-engaged.

McCoy coughed and cleared his throat in an effort to regain his composure. "Commander," he said gruffly, nodding his head sharply at you. "Jim, a word please?" he asked, then turned and left the transporter room without sparing you a second glance. Tears sprang to your eyes but did not fall.

"Excuse me, everyone," Kirk replied. As he passed by you, he caught your hand and squeezed lightly. "Don't worry, remember what I said about opportunities?" he asked and you nodded. "Don't waste 'em," he said with a wink.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"How could you do this, Jim? How could you allow her back on board after what happened between us? The woman I love broke my heart when she left me--the ship!" McCoy thundered.

"Well, Bones, let's start with the fact that we need someone to head the Botany Department and Lab, and she's the best. Then we'll fill in the middle with how I don't think either one of us knows exactly what happened to make her leave. And we'll end with, oh, because it's my ship, I'm the captain and if I say we need her, then she re-joins the crew," Kirk concluded.

"Fine. If that will be all, Captain?" McCoy replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, Bones, that will be all," Kirk responded. McCoy turned to leave when Kirk briefly called him back. "For what it's worth, you could look at this as an opportunity to clear the air between you. At least you'd know, once and for all why she left, instead of always assuming it's your fault."

McCoy mumbled something under his breath as he walked out of the captain's Ready Room. Kirk shook his head at his CMO's antics when it came to you. He knew the two of you still loved each other, and firmly believed that you belonged together.

Kirk wished he knew what happened all those years ago to make you think your only choice was to leave your family and the man you loved. Something told him that whatever it was, it was bound to come out into the open. Hopefully when it did and the dust settled, everything would return to some semblance of normal.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The first few weeks aboard ship were a bit awkward. You were trying to get used to a working schedule again, and on top of that, trying to avoid the CMO at every turn. It didn't help that you had mutual friends who didn't hesitate to offer their advice on how to resolve things. They all swore they only wanted what was best for you and the good doctor. However, only the two of you could decide what that looked like, and at least for now, that meant avoiding each other.

One day, you were in the lab, cataloguing plant samples gathered during an away mission to Taegus-3. You made sure your team was taking extra safety precautions when handling the samples. "Be careful around these plants, some may have thorns. We also don't know yet if they're poisonous, so for now, use the bio-suits and the thick rubber gloves."

You were walking through Station #2 where a member of your team was performing tests on one of the samples. The young ensign turned away from her station, while you made notes on your clipboard about the plant she was working with.

As you were asking her some questions about her work, you felt something snaking its way around your exposed forearm. By the time you realized what was happening, the plant had started to apply pressure to your now vine-wrapped arm. Sulu heard the commotion and rushed over with a knife, which he then used to cut the vine from your arm. The vine fell away, but left red burn marks in your arm wherever the vine had come into contact with the skin.

"You'd better head down to the MedBay and have someone take a look at that," Sulu advised.

You looked at Sulu like you'd rather have the vine back on your arm, squeezing the life out of it until it snapped off than deal with Dr. McCoy. Eventually you relented and left the lab to get yourself checked out in the MedBay. You only hoped that it was Dr. McCoy's day off, because you didn't think you could deal with him at the moment.

Unfortunately, luck was not to be on your side today. Nurse Chapel called for him as soon as she saw you walk in the door. She had you sit on the biobed and started to check your vital signs. While she was discussing them with Dr. McCoy, a wave of dizziness crashed over you. It was also getting harder to breathe, which was detected by the biobed and it started sending out alarms.

McCoy and Nurse Chapel came racing over to you. "Damn plant must give off some sort of toxin when it wraps around its victims. Hold on, sweetheart, stay with me. We'll get you taken care of, don't you worry," he soothed.

As comforting as his words were, you knew he was in 'doctor mode'. It came naturally to him to use soft terms like 'sweetheart' to put his patients at ease. You knew those words didn't hold any affection towards you anymore like they used to. Whatever feelings may have been implied towards you by his words were likely to be a thing of the past.

"Hold still now, we're going to give you something to counteract the toxin," McCoy explained. He attached a hypospray to your neck and pressed the button to release the medication. Almost immediately, your breathing became easier and the dizziness slowly dissipated. In the meantime, he took the opportunity to bandage the vein-like burns in your forearm.

Once your condition seemed to be stabilized, all you could think of was to get out of the MedBay and back to your quarters. You eased yourself down from the biobed and took a few tentative steps towards the door.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, where do you think you're going?" McCoy demanded.

"Back to my quarters, Dr. McCoy. I thank you and Nurse Chapel for your assistance, but I can take care of myself from here. I hereby relieve you of your obligation to monitor my health any further," you retorted.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, sweetheart," he replied. "You could have a relapse, or develop a complication, or--" he started.

"DON'T. You don't get to call me 'sweetheart', or 'darlin', or anything that would indicate you remotely have any feelings of affection for me anymore," you shot back. Tears began prickling at your eyes, threatening to fall. "Ever since I got here, you've been avoiding me. In the mess hall, the rec area, even the turbolift for goodness' sake," you explained.

"Me?!? As far as I see it, Commander, it's been mutual avoidance. This is as much interaction as I've had with you since the day I saw you in Transporter Room #3. So, don't pin all of this on me," he snapped.

"I'm pretty sure you're not happy that I'm here, so I figured I'd stay out of your way as much as possible. To that end, I'm leaving and going back to my quarters," you informed him calmly.

"Yeah, that's right, I almost forgot. Leaving, that is what you do best, isn't it?" McCoy sneered.

You stopped walking towards the door, overcome by a sob too painful to hold in anymore. After taking a deep breath, you turned your tear-stained face to Dr. McCoy. "I suppose you're right. I've had that coming to me for the last eight years, haven't I?" you asked tearfully. You turned back towards the doors then left the MedBay and headed straight for your quarters.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After you left, McCoy stood there, with his hands on his hips and shaking his head. He wondered how the situation with you ever got to this point. He remembered how much in love the two of you were, sharing quarters, intertwining lives. For him, you were his whole world, the one he saw his future unfolding with. You loved him despite his flaws and the fact that he constantly thought that he didn't deserve you.

Your mutual friends were rooting for you both, and Joanna loved you as well. The two of you got along well, no hint of jealousy from her when it came to spending time with her father. He remembered how flattered you were when Joanna had once asked for your advice on something.

Jocelyn didn't seem to like you, but then again, she didn't love much of anything to do with him, except Joanna. On more than a few occasions, he'd heard Jocelyn throw snide remarks your way. But as was your nature, you took the high road, and Leonard felt you had handled his ex-wife with grace.

Then came Joanna's birthday party. He'd seen you and Jocelyn talking about something, then when you left her, you looked a little shaken up. McCoy didn't think much of it at the time, but you seemed a little distracted after the encounter. He tried to get you to talk to him about it, however, you assured him that you were tired and just needed some rest to feel better.

Two weeks after the party, without any prior discussion, you had left the Enterprise for a teaching position. Just like that, you were gone from his life, but not remotely gone from his heart. He'd met other women over the past eight years, but none of them could ever hold a candle to you. And deep down, Leonard McCoy knew that no one else ever would.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in your quarters, you went straight for the bathroom to splash water on your face as a way to calm down. How dare he! you thought. You had stayed away from him because you thought that's what he wanted. After all it was you who left him. Even though in your mind you knew it was for a good reason, there were still at least two broken hearts at the end of it.

You suddenly remembered what day it was, so you finished drying off your face with a towel. Today was Joanna McCoy's birthday, and she was turning 21, an important milestone. You hoped she was available to take your call, but if not, you would leave a birthday message for her.

Despite no longer being together with her father, you still kept in touch with Joanna over the years. She was a ray of sunshine in Leonard's life, and in yours as well. The last you had heard, she was participating in Starfleet's medical program, thus following in her father's footsteps.

You opened up the comms to send your message request to Joanna. A minute or so later, your video screen lit up with her smiling face and frantic waving at the camera. "Happy Birthday, Joanna!" you grinned.

"Thank you! It's so good to hear from you," she exclaimed.

"I sure wish I could give you a hug for your birthday, sweetie. How's school going for you?" you asked.

She launched into a few tales from her classes, with you nodding and smiling. One of her stories had you busting out in laughter so hard that tears were coming out of your eyes. For the most part, she had achieved the right balance between school and having fun, not an easy task.

"Hey, so Uncle Jim told me you're back on the Enterprise, is that right?" Joanna asked.

"Yes, that's right. Your uncle visited me about six weeks ago and asked me to run the Botany Department and Lab. I wasn't sure about coming back, but he eventually wore me down," you gave a small smile.

"Has he....has Dad seen you? Have you talked to him?" she asked carefully.

You nodded. "I had to go to the MedBay today, due to an unfortunate encounter with a plant from Taegus-3. It wrapped around my arm and wouldn't let go. I had to get a hypo for an allergic reaction, and bandages for my arm. Your dad patched me up just right," you explained.

"Good. Um....I have to ask you something. Do you remember my 13th birthday party?" she inquired.

"Joanna....," you warned.

"Do you remember it?" she tried again. You nodded and she continued. "I know something happened there, because two weeks later, you and Dad weren't together anymore. Why? You two were so happy together, and then you left. What happened?" Joanna demanded.

"Something I can't talk about, Jo, but my leaving was for the best. The best for you and the best for your dad," you replied.

"Best?!? How could it be best for you and Dad to be without each other for this long? Didn't you love him anymore? Was it my mom? Did she say something to you at that party?" Joanna persisted.

At her question, you looked away, and you knew you'd only fueled her curiosity. "Of course I still love him. I told you Joanna, I can't talk about it. Please don't push me on this. Listen, sweetie, I have to go now, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Take care, honey," you said.

"But---" was the last you'd heard of her voice before you terminated the connection. In the reflection of the view screen, you could see tears sliding down your face. You decided that you needed a drink, so you left your quarters and headed for the recreation area.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Captain Kirk said as he saw you sitting at the bar.

You groaned at his presence, only wanting to be left alone. "Oh, god, Jim. What are YOU doing here?" you retorted.

"I heard you got hurt and went to MedBay today. Then I went by your quarters to check on you, only to find out you're not there. Figured I'd get a drink, and here you are," he replied.

"Jim, don't take this pershonally," you slurred. "But I want to be left alone. M'kay? Been a rotten day and I'm jusht done," you remarked as you drained your glass and signaled for a refill.

"What happened today?" he persisted.

"You think that just because you have that perfect hair and those bright blue eyes that I'm just gonna spill my guts?" you asked. A smirk crossed his face as he waited expectantly. "Fine. I'll tell you, you insufferable man. I called Joanna McCoy today, since it's her 21st birthday," you started.

"Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to call her later," Kirk interjected.

"Anyway, the topic of conversation got around to her 13th birthday party. She asked me why her dad and I aren't together anymore," you explained, tears threatening again.

"What did you tell her?" Kirk asked.

"I told her the same thing I'm going to tell you. I can't talk about it, but I did what I thought was best for her and for Leonard," you replied. "Now, drop it, Jim," you warned.

"Sorry, no can do. Bones and I both saw Jocelyn talking to you at the party, then the rest of the night you seemed a little upset. Don't get me wrong, you put on a brave face. You fooled most everyone, but Leonard and I knew that something wasn't right. Look, it's been eight years. Don't you think it's time to spill the beans?" Kirk wondered.

"Jim, no good can come from this. Best just to let sleeping dogs lie," you said as you tried again to shut him down.

"Please, let me in. I can see how much this is hurting you, and I think Len finally deserves to know the truth. Don't you think so?" Kirk pleaded.

A few tears had slipped down your face, and you nodded, your resolve having broken at last. "It started when I was in the kitchen putting candles on Joanna's cake. I thought I would do that to make myself useful, help Jocelyn so it was one less thing she had to worry about. Wrong move, because she read me the riot act about how it's her job to do that and I should just back off," you said.

"Ungrateful b....please go on," he prompted.

"I apologized, but she refused to accept it. Instead, she gave me an ultimatum. I had to stop seeing Leonard or she would refuse to let him see Joanna. At first, I couldn't believe she was serious, but one look in her eyes and I knew she was. That's why I was so distant the rest of the night. I tried to put Leonard off by saying I was just tired, but I don't think he was convinced," you remarked.

"Why didn't you tell Len? Or me? We would've found a way to fight this," Kirk insisted.

"I know you would have, and I love you both for it. She said if I told anyone, her next stop was the courthouse. Don't you see? She held all the cards, and I had nothing," you explained.

"You didn't have 'nothing', you had Len and me," Kirk replied.

"Think about it. If I fought her, then she took Len to court and he lost, it's my fault. If I refused to stop seeing Leonard, she would not let him see his daughter. My fault again. Either way, Jim, Leonard and Joanna lose. I couldn't bear for that to happen, so I left. As much as I loved him, and still do, his relationship with his daughter is and always will be more important," you finished. Tears were now streaming unchecked down your face.

"Whoa. I knew she was a piece of work, but I didn't know exactly how much. Bones would be livid if he found out that Jocelyn is the reason you're not together," Kirk replied.

"And that's exactly why I didn't want to tell you. Jim, please, I'm begging you. Let this go," you implored as you slid off your barstool. Jim turned to you and pulled you into his comforting embrace. "I'm going to go sleep this off, okay? I'll be taking a sick day tomorrow," you added. "Goodnight, Jim."

"Goodnight," he called after you then returned his attention to his drink.

"Poor kid. Hate to see a pretty girl cry. So, knowing you, I'd bet that you have no intention of letting this go, do you, Captain?" Tony, the bartender, asked.

"Nope," he replied, downing the rest of his drink. "I gotta find a way to make this right if it's the last thing I do. Thanks, Tony," he said before leaving to go to his quarters. Once there, he opened a comms channel to send a message to his niece. The video screen popped up with Joanna's picture.

"Uncle Jim!! So great to see you," she gushed.

"Happy Birthday, honey. Listen, I know about a conversation you had earlier, that involved a certain someone and your dad," Kirk remarked. "I finally got her to tell me what happened at your birthday party."

"She told me she couldn't tell me, but she could tell you?" Joanna asked angrily.

"Hold on there, sweetie. In her defense, she'd had a lot to drink by the time I caught up with her," Kirk explained.

"Oh. Well, I asked Mom about it, but she wouldn't tell me either. Please tell me what happened, I want to know," Joanna begged.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Then we're going to brainstorm on how to get the two of them back together," Kirk winked.

"Ooh yay! So, tell me," she persisted.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dr. McCoy trudged into his quarters and sat down on the couch. He grabbed a communication tablet and sent a signal to his daughter, to wish her a happy birthday. Unfortunately, Jocelyn picked up the tablet and answered.

"Joanna's busy right now, Leonard. Call her back later," Jocelyn replied curtly as she moved to disconnect the call.

"Wait, Jocelyn! Will you please let her know that I called to wish her a happy birthday?" McCoy asked.

"Your girlfriend already called earlier and spoke to Joanna. I just assumed you were in the room at the time," Jocelyn remarked.

"What girlfriend? I don't know what you're talking about," McCoy replied. He was starting to get an uneasy feeling the more he talked to his ex-wife.

Jocelyn made a tsking sound of disgust. "The same one that was here on Joanna's 13th--" she broke off and a smug smile crossed her face. "Never mind. I guess she took my advice then."

McCoy's face drained of color. "And just what advice was that? It's been eight years, Jocelyn, you'll have to refresh my memory," he retorted.

"What difference does it make? She must not have been as devoted to you as you were to her. She left you, therefore, you got to keep seeing your daughter," Jocelyn shot back.

The pieces started to come together in McCoy's mind, and it was showing him a pretty ugly picture. "You threatened her. Didn't you?" he seethed. "Why, Jocelyn? What has she ever done to you?" he demanded.

"Joanna called her 'Mom', that's what!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "When Joanna came home from that week-long vacation with the two of you, she was telling me about how much fun she'd had. She slipped and referred to your girlfriend as 'Mom'. I am her mother! I will not be replaced by some flavor-of-the-month!" she shrieked.

"ENOUGH, MOM!" Joanna's voice came through clearly. "Hi, Dad," she greeted McCoy.

"Hiya, pumpkin," he drawled. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he replied softly. "Did you know about this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

"Dad, nobody knew anything about it until she told Uncle Jim tonight. And he said that it was only after a lot of alcohol that she would even tell him. She's kept this horrible secret for all this time, because she wanted you to be happy and able to keep visiting me. She still loves you, Dad, I know she does. Please tell me you still love her," Joanna pleaded.

McCoy turned his face away from the view screen, but not before his daughter caught a glimpse of his watery eyes. "I never stopped loving her, Jo. Not even when she left. I was angry and hurt, but....yes, I still love her," he declared, his voice thick with emotion.

"Then you know what you have to do, Daddy. Go tell her," Joanna whispered the last part. "Consider it my birthday present," she grinned mischievously. "I love you."

"You got it, sweetheart. I'll let you know how it goes. Later, though," McCoy promised with a grin of his own. "I love you," he told her before the call disconnected.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The view screen clicked off, while McCoy digested all of the information he'd just been given. All these years, he mused. The two of you could've been happy together, maybe even engaged or married. Instead, his ex-wife and her jealousy got in the way of that with her threats of denying him visitation rights.

He'd been so wrapped up in his own emotions since you've been back, that he hadn't stopped to consider how you may be feeling. He had been convinced that the reason you left was because you didn't love him anymore. Now he knew that the exact opposite was true. You loved him so much that you sacrificed your own happiness with him so he could continue to see his daughter.

Leonard knew that he had to make things right between you. It couldn't have been easy to come back to work on the Enterprise, knowing at any moment you could run into each other. But, you pushed those feelings and worries aside to help Jim by running the Botany Department and Lab.

He had to admit, it's been awkward since you've been back. He didn't expect the old feelings of love to come rushing back at the first sight of you that day in Transporter Room #3. As much as your leaving had hurt him and the radio silence throughout the years, he still loved you. And now, he grinned to himself, it was time to do something about it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You left the rec area and had gone back to your quarters for the night. When you got back, you changed out of your uniform and put on your pink plaid pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt. You made sure it was short-sleeved because of the bandages on your arm from the Strangling Vine Incident earlier in the day. After grabbing a glass of water and two pain meds, you settled into place on the couch. "Computer, illumination at 30% please," you requested.

What a day. First you were attacked by an alien vine, forcing you to get checked out in the MedBay by your ex-boyfriend and CMO. Later, you couldn't even find peace in the rec area. The CMO's best friend and captain of the ship kept hounding you about something that took place eight years ago. You'd told him to drop it, but he refused until you spilled that horrible secret.

Now Jim knows, but knowing about it didn't change anything. No matter how much you still loved him, Leonard surely didn't love you anymore. He'd made that quite clear today with his parting remark as you left the MedBay. You continued to sip at your water, each tilt of the glass with a shakier hand than before.

Off in the distance you heard your door chime, indicating someone at your door. "Come in," you called. You were shocked to see Dr. McCoy walk in. "Excuse me for asking, Doctor, but what the hell are you doing here?" you demanded, arms crossed over your chest.

His eyes locked with yours and you almost gave in to the softness you thought you saw, but you stood your ground. He cleared his throat before speaking. "I'm here to check your bandages. You left the MedBay so quickly, I wanted to make sure that the wound was still covered," he explained.

You rolled your eyes. "Really, Doctor? Is that the best excuse you could come up with? You didn't even bring your medkit, and I really don't have time for this. Goodnight, Dr. McCoy," you retorted.

"Now wait just a minute. As Chief Medical Officer, I am responsible for the health and safety of all crew members. I can see right now that you look a little flushed, which could mean a fever and possibly an infection. Just a quick exam. It'll be painless, I promise," he pleaded, his hands raised.

You arched an eyebrow in skepticism but finally relented. "Fine. A quick exam, then I'm going to bed and you can see yourself out," you muttered.

He stood in front of you, first looking at the bandaged arm, then sliding his hands up your arms to rest on your shoulders. He peered into your eyes and could see how bloodshot they were, probably from the tears you'd been shedding lately. He checked the lymph nodes on your neck to see if they were swollen, but they were fine.

He patted down his uniform, checking his pockets. "Hmm. I don't have a tricorder with me, so I'll have to check your temp the old fashioned way," he remarked. Before you could utter a word, his lips meshed with your forehead.

The second his soft lips touched your skin, something inside you fluttered. You closed your eyes and gave a sigh of contentment before you could stop yourself. "Doctor....," you whispered.

"Shh. Still checkin' your temp, darlin'. And it's Leonard, by the way. You used to call me that, remember?" he murmured against your skin.

Your eyes flew open and you stepped back. "Wait a minute. Why are you really here?" you asked.

"I already told you, to check your bandages. Besides, I want to apologize for what happened earlier in the MedBay, as you were walking out. I shouldn't have said that," McCoy started.

You backed further away from him as the realization sunk in. "Oh no, no, no, you've been talking to Jim, haven't you?" you replied. "I told him to drop it, that no good can come from dredging up something that happened eight years ago. Dammit, does that man ever listen?" you ranted, pacing the floor.

"Hold on there for a minute, sweetheart. I didn't talk to Jim, I called Joanna to wish her a happy birthday. Jocelyn picked up because Joanna was busy. Jocelyn was the one who admitted what happened, not Jim," McCoy explained.

"Leonard, I'm so sorry about what happened all those years ago. I truly thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. But all I've done is cause tremendous heartache for the people I love," you admitted, breaking down into tears yet again.

McCoy walked over and put his arms around you, holding you close to his chest. His hand came up and stroked the back of your head. "Shh, it’s okay, darlin'. I just wish I had known about it then. You never should've had to shoulder that burden all by yourself. Did you ever plan on telling me?" he asked.

You leaned back just far enough to lock eyes with him. "I couldn't, Len. Jocelyn said if I did, she would take you to court and fix it so you couldn't see Joanna at all. I know that custody hearings can go either way, and there's no way I could take the chance that you might lose. So I thought my only option was to step aside. I'd rather have you hate me but keep visitation rights for your daughter, than to love me and not have her," you said as you broke down again.

"Oh, Sugar, I could never hate you," he replied softly, brushing your cheek with the back of his hand. "When I found out that you left, I was so angry and hurt. Mostly because you'd made a decision alone that affected both of us. But when you came back and I saw you on that transporter pad all those weeks ago, I thought I had a second chance. Probably screwed that up too, though, haven't I?" he chuckled and so did you.

"Nah. You haven't done anything of the sort. I have missed you so much. After enough time had gone by, I thought about reaching out to you. Then I figured that too much time had gone by and you'd be with someone else. Which would've been fine, as long as you were happy, that's all that would matter to me," you remarked.

"Well, I haven't exactly been living like a monk, you know. I've met other women over the years, but none of them compared to you and no one ever will, either. Which is good, because I don't want any pale imitations or substitutions. I only want the real thing," he admitted just before crashing his lips into yours.

You felt the depth of his emotion poured into that first kiss and returned it with equal fervor. The apologies, the regrets, the longing for each other you still had after all these years. And the love you'd been keeping hidden from each other but never fully let show until now.

"Oh, my love," you whispered. "I've missed you so much, Leonard," you replied hoarsely.

"I've missed you too. I love you so much, Sugar. Can we please agree to not ever be separated like that again? I don't think my heart can take another minute without you," he remarked.

"Mine either. No more separations like that, because with you is where I belong. I love you, Len," you declared. You ran your hands up his arms and cradled his neck between them. Your fingers slid through his jet-black hair, smirking as you teased the short hairs at the base of his collar.

"Oh, there's my naughty girl, I wondered where she'd gone," McCoy growled playfully as he tightened his embrace.

"She's been right here, all along. Just waiting for the right time to come home," you replied softly, then tugged him closer for another kiss.

This kiss was different than before. This one was slow, sensuous and held the promise of a new beginning. As your mouths moved against each other, there was just enough of an opening between you for Leonard's tongue to slip through. He took full advantage of the opportunity, and when your tongues met, a moan of pleasure escaped from you.

Leonard's hands roamed up and down your back as he nudged his way to your neck. "Darlin', you're so beautiful," he murmured against your skin. He left a few open-mouthed kisses on your collarbone, nipping as he went and ultimately leaving his mark on you for all to see.

Layers of clothing were shed one by one. Little by little, Leonard nudged you backwards until the back of your knees hit the bed. You climbed up onto the mattress, crawling until you reached the middle where he soon joined you and leaned down to kiss you.

His hands and mouth took their time in worshiping every inch of your exposed skin, as if re-committing it to memory. Your mouth and hands were doing the same, reacquainting yourself with every muscle, every detail of his exquisite bare body.

The silence of your room was punctuated with breathy words of affection and moans of ecstasy from the two of you. Layers of passion were built higher and higher as you both chased your release. Finally, you both tumbled over the edge, one after the other, each whispering declarations of love.

Later, after you both got cleaned up, Leonard came back to bed and settled under the covers with you. He wrapped his arm around you so that your head rested on his chest. You could hear his steady heartbeat, which brought out a sigh of contentment from you.

"Len?" you whispered. He hummed in response, drawing random patterns on your shoulder. "Is this okay? I mean, what just happened, I don't want this to be a one-time thing. I'd like us to try again. I-If that's what you want," you hastily added.

He shifted so that he was propped up on his side, looking down at you. His hand cupped your face, while his thumb caressed your cheek. "Sweetheart, I've wanted that ever since you set foot back on this ship. I may be a little late in sayin' so, but I never stopped lovin' you. If you'll have me, I would love to try being us again," he replied softly.

"I would love that very much," you answered. "I love you, Leonard."

"I love you too, darlin'. Welcome home," he whispered, pulling you in for a long, slow kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking​ @spacedancer1701​ @anna-phora​

#aimees1600wc #leonard mccoy x reader #leonard bones mccoy x reader #bones x reader #bones mccoy x reader #star trek aos

[attemptinghaikyuu]

Sharing Your Jacket With Vollydorks Pt. 2

A/n: I really wanted to do more of these, and this whole blog is basically me writing whatever seems like fun, so have some more babes (characters are still on the smaller side~)

*G/n reader

Yaku Morisuke

Yaku wants to be the bigger person in the relationship which is hard to do for someone that short

So he absolutely refuses any article of clothing you try to share with him

It sucks cause he actually really wants to wear that sweater you offered him, but he doesn’t want you to think he’s weak or useless!

His pride is getting in the way of him enjoying these cute little moments you guys could be having

And it’s bumming you out

I mean if he’s gonna keep forgetting to check the weather, the LEAST he could do is borrow your jacket and look cute😤

Well he still looks cute, even when he’s all pouting and cold

But you don’t want him to get sick and you really want to share clothes with him like he does for you: gloves, scarfs, it doesn’t matter if you’re a giant! Yaku shares!!

You just wanna do the same when he needs it :(

You’re walking to school together and you can tell he’s trying to hold back his shivering as the frosty morning air makes his breath visible

Honestly, the spare jacket in your bag is gonna end up over his head whether he wants it or not

Pulling it out, you prepare yourself to attack your boyfriend with the fuzzy fabric

You’re jump towards him isn’t fast enough though, he moves out of the way and turns to give you a disappointed and somewhat upset glare

“Y/n, I’m not wearing that.”

The feeling of insecurity and worry that’s been building up, is pouring out of you as you try to hold back angry tears that have sprung to your eyes

“Why not? Are you ashamed to wear it, is it really that bad? Is it not good enough for you?” You pause, “...am I not good enough for you?”

There are tears freely flowing down your cheeks at this point and Yaku’s shocked, he didn’t know he was making you feel that way

It’s like a punch to his tiny gut and he can’t believe he made you cry...

Taking a deep breath and wrapping his arms around you, he tries to hold back his own tears as he apologizes

“I wasn’t thinking about how I was making you feel, I’m sorry, it’s just I- I wanted to be enough for you. I didn’t want you to see how small and useless I really was, and now you have and I get it if I ruined everything.. but I really am sorry I made you feel that way.”

Sobbing and clinging on to each other, you’re feeling relief that Yaku was sorry and maybe you shouldn’t but, taking advantage of the moment, you finally pull the hoodie over his head

He doesn’t fight, instead thanking you when you intertwine your hands with his, mumbling that he doesn’t have to worry about not being enough for you

You’re both a lot more communicative and open with your feelings afterward

And the best part? Yaku borrows and looks ADORABLE in your sweaters and hoodies🥺

Kenma Kozume

Now, unlike Yaku, Kenma will not hesitate to take your offered clothing

Maybe he was a little embarrassed about it at first

And Kuroo’s teasing definitely didn’t help ease his flustered state when you began sharing with him, but he doesn’t think twice about it now

In fact, it’s gotten to the point where he will pick up a jacket from the sidelines of the gym after practice and not realize it’s not his...

Like yes, Kenma is very observant, so you’d think he’d notice himself doing this

But the thing is, he’s so comfortable and used to your presence.. and your clothes are kinda an extension of you to him, that he just grabs it thinking he’s had it for awhile

It doesn’t even matter if it’s something he’d never own or wear otherwise

A bright green and pink jacket?? Oh ya, he’s had that one for ages huh😭

He’s super cute in it and you honestly do the same thing, so you’re horrifically matching together <3

An ugly cat ear hoodie he got for his birthday a couple years ago as a gag gift, is something you ended up wearing to a family dinner Kenma invited you too once

You wore it thinking it was yours and ended up telling his parents that you couldn’t remember where you got

It was a bit awkward when his dad brought up how he thought it was Kenma’s

You turn to look at him in surprise over the revelation, and oh!

He’s wearing one of your jackets too

Neither of you realized and are incredibly flustered over the incident

That night ended with his parents taking photos of you both blushing like madmen

Kuroo and the team found out about it and haven’t left you alone since, they bring it up every chance they get

They’re just jealous of your relationship though, so don’t worry too much about it

10/10, unintentionally the cutest couple ever💖

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu yaku #yaku x y/n #yaku x you #yaku x reader #yaku morisuke #haikyuu kenma #kenma x you #kenma x y/n #kenma x reader #haikyuu x gender neutral reader #haikyuu headcanons #fluff #REVERSE JACKET SHARING IS GOOD #the best #hnnngh #angst to fluff #for yaku’s technically

[thisnoodlewritesao3]

Please Don't Say Goodbye | Tsukishima Kei/Reader

Characters: Tsukishima Kei, Reader, Yamaguchi Tadashi

Pairings: Tsukishima Kei/Reader

Warnings: light swearing, crying, implied panic attacks, arguments, yelling, ummm lemme know if I missed anything

Word Count: 2181

A/N: This was meant to be a drabble- okay, in my defence, I've had such writers block and apparently the feels were necessary soooo. This is 1 of 2 fic ideas that were sent to me by @satan-ruler-of-hells for a prompt thing I did (idk if I can find the thing) and the next one is Tendou. So, maybe get ready for more feels of my almost 5 am angst. I also did not proof-read this, sooooo

--------

How had things ended up like this?

Every little thing was like the calm before the storm - the most tense calm that had ever existed; you were walking on eggshells, and maybe so was he, but you couldn’t help it. At least, you thought you couldn’t. Each attempt to try and fix the mess around you only ended up in more heartbreak.

The storm that always seemed to be headed in your direction had tore apart the home you’d meticulously built together. Plates and picture frames shattered to the ground; glass leaving you walking on bleeding feet. The flowers of your love torn apart somewhere in the distance now. Breath stolen from your lungs, but not from those kisses he’d give you back in high school, not from the way he’d dance with you around his bedroom (only to shove you onto the bed when his brother barged in), not from your outrageous laughter at something stupid that had happened. This was a breath stolen from countless nights arguing, screaming, trying to gain the upper hand in a situation where you were both at a standstill. A breath stolen from your heaving words as you scrunch your hands into your roots, pull your legs close to your chest and shove yourself into a corner while he slammed the door and left to God knows where. Breath stolen from the realization that maybe things just weren’t working like they used to, and that it was okay to love him, but to not be in love with him.

Tonight was just another picture perfect example of why you weren’t meant to be together. You’d come home late from work (because of some stupid assignment that you just wanted to finish today). He was sitting on the couch, scrolling through Netflix for something to watch. Honestly, you just wanted to eat something, so you didn’t bother greeting him, but the moment he noticed your presence in the house, he was hot on your tail.

“Where were you?” His voice sharp as daggers, digging under your skin and tearing you apart piece by piece. His arms are crossed over his chest, eyes so judgmental you feel like you’re in court. Nothing you say is the right answer, so you choose to not say anything. Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer either - this you find out when his iron grip settles on your shoulder and forces you to turn around.

“Hey-” you winced, trying to pry his fingers off.

“Where were you?” He repeated, basically growling at you through his gritted teeth.

“I was at work.” You rolled your eyes, turning your attention back towards the fridge, trying to ease the beating of your heart. In, hold, out. You repeat to yourself, barely remembering what all those instagram therapists had told you.

He scoffed, finally releasing his grip in favor of slamming the fridge door shut, “really? Because the last time I checked, your work ended two hours ago. What could you possibly have been doing for two whole hours?” He was in your face now, making you know how pissed he was.

But you already knew. You’d always known. Why did he need to try and make it so blindingly obvious to you?

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Kei, I was working. What part of that is so hard to understand?” You snapped back, moving away from him with a heavy sigh. At this point, you didn’t bother holding back the venom in your words. You knew he had issues (and you knew why) but did that mean he should take it out on you? No. Fuck.

“Two hours! Y/N, I was waiting two hours. I was going to take us to dinner, we were going to have a nice time.” He followed after you, closing every cupboard door you opened, trying to get your attention. “But you didn’t even send me a text. Were you too busy fuck-”

“Oh my God!” You yelled over him, spinning around to face him with your pure unfiltered aggression.

Back and forth you went for what felt like hours. Tears were acid down your cheeks, your spit a very special concoction of venom just for him. And yet, even as you were dry heaving in the kitchen sink, yelling more obscenities at him, you could never seem to stop. Neither could he.

Tsukishima Kei was known for a lot of things, being an asshole was one of them. That you knew too well.

For a while, though, things were good. He loved you. You loved him.

As he sits there, accusing you over and over of cheating on him, even though you hadn’t and you wouldn’t. God.

When had he become so anxious and persistent that things were going wrong? Yes, they were going wrong, but not for the reasons he keeps saying. It’s driving you insane, to the point where you can’t even remember those stupid breathing techniques, or grounding techniques, or anything.

This argument had lost the plot at some point around when he started yelling at you for doing the dishes wrong (you still insisted there wasn’t a wrong way to do them). So you bit back that his clothes were stupid, or that dinosaurs were stupid, something. Something was stupid.

“If you have so many problems with the way I choose to live my life, then get the fuck out.” You screamed, slamming your fists down onto the table and pointing to the door. His expression was scrunched up into something completely unrecognizable - a fine mixture of hatred and anguish. His chest rising and falling so rapidly you’re amazing he’s still standing. His hair is a complete and utter mess, so many times he’d ran his hand through it to try and make sense of the nonsense you were both spouting.

“Fine, I will!” He yelled back, voice hoarse from the past two hours.

You watched him head towards the door without a second thought, grabbing his coat, shoving his shoes on. You didn’t have the energy to call out after him, no matter how much your heart begged you to.

And your heart did beg you to; but it had already accepted that the end had been coming for too long.

You lean back against one of the cupboards, looking up at that one crack in the ceiling that he’d insisted he’d get around to fixing but something had always come up.

If you had to say what was wrong in your relationship, it would just be something. Something was wrong, and neither of you knew what it was, but something would be your downfall. Something filled the air with poison and made you destined to hate each other; something danced around in your words and twisted the meaning; something caressed your cheek as tears fell.

Something was your downfall and you didn’t have the energy to fight it.

So, maybe you’d call in sick the next day, and your boss would believe you because your voice sounded like hell; and maybe you’d spend the entire day lying in bed despite the fact your stomach was beginning for some nutrients; and maybe it would feel good to not have that nagging voice that you shouldn’t sleep in all day.

But today would have felt nicer with him by your side.

If there was one thing Tsukishima Kei was good at (after a lot of practice), it was making you feel just a little bit better with his empty promises and sweet nothings.

So, maybe you’d dressed yourself in his shirt and breath in him; and maybe you’d grab that dinosaur plushie you’d bought him for his birthday so many years ago and pull it to your chest; maybe you’d sleep on his side of the bed even though his pillow wasn’t as fluffy as yours; and maybe, just maybe, you watched his favourite movie on repeat, hoping it would bring him back to you.

Those were all maybe’s. But maybe they did happen, and you wanted nothing more than to be in his arms and tease him for his glasses that he insisted were cool. Or to have him laugh at you for the fact you majored in literature, despite the fact you weren’t good with words.

When your phone rang, you didn’t hesitate in picking it up, almost too excited for his voice, “Kei-”

“Y/N…” Yamaguchi’s voice was soft, understanding. It killed your fire of excitement in an instant.

You listened to him talk, something about how Tsukishima had decided you needed a break and would be staying at his place for a little while. Something about how he still loved you, but he didn’t want to keep hurting you like this.

It wasn’t a surprise that you didn’t manage to keep it together and broke out crying all over again, basically screaming and begging for things to be okay. There was no doubt in your mind, if Tsukishima was in the room with Yamaguchi, then he’d heard your cries.

“I’ll be better…” you whimpered, after far too long, “I’ll be nice. A-and… I won’t make fun of his glasses. Or dinosaurs. Please… please, Yamaguchi, please tell him to come home!” You cried out, unsure if you even managed to breathe.

He was silent on the line. You couldn’t take it. The silence, you wanted the noise. You’d prefer the arguing over this.

“I’m sorry…” Yamaguchi said weakly, and you knew how much it was hurting him to say this.

He hung up the phone and you were left as a shell of yourself.

And yet, your life must go on. So, for two months, you pushed your problems to the side and kept dredging forward in the hope that the answer to your problems was in one of these articles. Hoping that your co-worker would tell you some shitty anecdote that would distract you for just a little while.

Yo couldn’t look at your apartment anymore, not as little pieces of him were still littered everywhere.

Only, one day, you came home and he wasn’t anywhere. You didn’t notice it, not at first, but then you saw his mug from your museum visit in his third year of high school wasn’t next to your matching one. And then neither were his books on the shelf in your living room, or under the coffee table. His clothes gone from the closet. Every inch. Every detail. Every bit of him you had left had disappeared in the span of one work day.

And you were left with nothing.

With as much energy as you could muster, you turned and ran in the general direction of Yamaguchi’s house (which was hopeless, considering you had the directional capability of a broken compass and the stamina of a dead horse). You really were hopeless as you dialed his number, ignoring the way the moon taunted you in the sky.

He answered, for whatever reason, and you let out a breath. “What is it?” His tone was even, but something told you he was barely holding it together.

“Is this it?” Was all you could say. Head dizzy as you looked for Yamaguchi’s house - which you just knew was somewhere around here.

“It’s been it for a long time.” He really sounded robotic, like he was reading from a script.

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Your voice broke as you ran, ignoring the splintering pain in the balls of your feet, “you thought making Yamaguchi say you needed a break, and then disappearing for two months, and then only reappearing to take your things back was the answer?” You cried out.

“You know-” his voice cracked and he stopped speaking. God, it hurt you so much.

“I never wanted this.” Tears were pouring down your cheeks.

“You think I did?”

“No-”

“I tried, Y/N, I tried so hard. But you would never listen to me!”

“I tried too, Kei!” You tried not to yell, and you hoped that it worked.

Some miracle brought you to Yamaguchi’s door, the one you only recognized because of the little frog statue on the windowsill. You pressed the doorbell, hoping for the best.

“I tried because I loved you. And I waited for you, I waited and hoped you’d come back. I-” you ran your hands through your hair once again. “I know we aren’t the best, that something is always wrong, but we can work on this. We can… fuck, I don’t know. You were the smart one…” he let out a low chuckle laced with pain. “But we can work something out, can’t we?”

There was a pause, and Yamaguchi opened the door, shocked to see you. Your breath hitched but neither of you spoke.

“I… I can’t do this anymore…” he admitted, and you felt your heart shatter. “Y/N, this is it…”

You could see Tsukishima pacing in the living room just down the hall, and you know Yamaguchi knows you’ve seen him. His phone pulled away from his face, finger shaking over that familiar red button.

“Please don’t say goodbye…” you called out.

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