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cordeliawhohung · 5 months

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Liquid Smooth [3]

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bodyguard!Gaz x fem!model!Reader

it wasn't a waste

warnings: not a whole lot! mentions of blood, a little less bodyguard and a bit more husband material, somewhat mutual pining, some fluff and soft moments with gaz, reader is mad lonely

wc: 4.6k

As it turns out, sleeping with your head resting on the armrest of a couch was not the most comfortable thing in the world, and the kink in your neck reminded you of your unfortunate miscalculation. You woke with a groan as you stiffly lifted your body from the couch. Eyes still blurred with sleep, you glanced around Kyle’s living room as the events of the previous night flooded your memory.

The break in. How he hugged you. Laying in his bed. Wandering out into the living room. Falling asleep listening to him talk.

You groaned again as you rubbed the back of your neck, attempting to melt away the knot that formed there overnight. Kyle was nowhere to be found in the living room, but you could hear some sort of rustling coming from the hallway.

Adjusting your nightshirt, you stood from the couch and began to shuffle down the hallway where you found Kyle in the kitchen. It was a quaint room with a simple oven and limited counter space, but it was completely spotless. He stood with his back turned to you as he rummaged through the pantry, but he must have heard you coming as he quickly turned to face you with a smile.

“Mornin’ love. Sleep well?” he asked.

You gave him a tired smile before self consciously trying to pat your hair down. Normally, you were a very put together person, always needing to look good for the cameras. But at that moment, you were certain you looked like the world’s hottest mess.

“Yeah, thanks,” you said awkwardly.

There was something so exposing about your situation. Perhaps you hadn’t minded it too much the night before due to the adrenaline, but standing in someone else’s home with nothing but the clothes on your back felt odd. Like you now owed a debt just for existing in someone’s space.

“Figured I’d cook something up for you,” Kyle said as he continued his search throughout his kitchen. “Eggs, toast, that sorta thing.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do all that,” you assured him.

“I know,” he responded as he tossed a bagged loaf of bread on the counter, “but I’m not sending you home with an empty stomach. I imagine you’ll already have enough to deal with today, after everything that happened last night.”

You sighed in defeat, both from realizing Kyle was giving you more than he should, and at the thought of having to sort through the logistics of your home.

“God, I don’t even want to think about that,” you groaned. “We’ll have to check cameras, and I’m sure the police will want a more detailed report. Then I’ve gotta find someone to replace the window. And I’ve already got…”

You trailed off as you felt an odd tightening in your chest. With wide eyes, you quickly glanced around the room, scanning the walls for something.

“What time is it?” you asked.

Pausing, Kyle brought his wrist up where he looked at his watch. It was thick, but sat perfectly on the inside of his wrist.

“Around seven forty,” he said.

A choked laugh left you as you rubbed at your eyes. A sour feeling started to rise in your throat, and Kyle paused in his pursuit of breakfast to watch you with careful eyes.

“That a no on breakfast, then?” he quipped half jokingly.

“I’m supposed to be at a shoot in twenty minutes,” you sighed. “It’s downtown. Fuck I’m gonna be so late…”

“Brunch it is, then,” Kyle hummed as he tossed the bread back into the pantry. “Come on, I’ll drive you.”

Panicked, you looked down at yourself. The nightshirt and shorts you wore were comfortable last night, but you certainly couldn’t go out looking like that. You had forgotten all about your shoot for that day, so you didn’t even bother to pack an overnight bag, or set your alarm for that matter.

“I hate to ask this of you, but…”

“Of course,” Kyle butted in, as if reading your mind.

He slipped across the hallway and into his bedroom where he quickly sorted through his dresser. In no time he had a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt in your arms. A seed of guilt began to eat away at your stomach for taking up more of Kyle’s time, but you pushed that feeling down as much as you could as you slipped into the bathroom to change.

Kyle Garrick had some long fucking legs, and as you slipped his sweats on, you nearly tripped on all the extra fabric at your feet. His torso wasn’t much better either, and in order to control the cloth, you ended up shoving it into the waistband of the sweats.

Sighing, you exited the bathroom where you found Kyle shuffling around in the living room. He appeared to be trying to change and gather items at the same time, as the zipper and belt of his pants were wide open while he picked up his wallet off of the coffee table and stuffed it into his pocket. He caught sight of you out of the corner of his eye and turned his attention to where you stood in the entryway with a grin.

“There is no reason for anyone to be as tall as you are,” you quipped before he could say anything.

His chuckling drowned out the zipping of his pants and the clinking of his belt as he walked towards you. Once his clothing was fully secure, he knelt in front of you where he began to mess with the hem of the sweatpants. His fingers brushed against the skin of your ankle as he neatly rolled up the extra fabric, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake.

You felt the heat rise in your cheeks before you were able to do anything to stop it. Why did things feel so different with Kyle? There were countless times where you had to be in close proximity to rather attractive people. God, you didn’t even want to know how many times you had to be nearly naked next to a man for a photoshoot. For you, it was just work, and nothing awkward.

Wasn’t this work, too? Kyle was only taking care of you, just like you paid him to do.

“There. All tripping hazards avoided,” Kyle said. He gave the pants a firm tug just to ensure that everything was secure before he looked back up at you. The smile on his face faltered slightly, and his eyebrows raised. “Doin’ alright, love?”

You swallowed. “Yeah, just worried about being late.”

Kyle nodded before he pushed himself back on his feet. For a split second, he was so close to you. Close enough that a hint of his cologne sent your mind spinning. That terrible, alluring scent you remembered from the previous night when you hugged him. But then he took a step back before leaning down at grabbing his car keys off the coffee table, and that feeling began to dissipate.

“Let’s head out, then.”

Two hours later and you were in full dress and makeup for your photoshoot. Liquid gold hung from your body in silky sheets and your eyelids were painted in the same metallic color. You looked like a goddess, some heavenly creature that had come down to grace everyone with your presence alone. However, you certainly didn’t feel like one. Not with the way your stomach growled so violently it was nearly louder than the industrial fans blowing your direction.

But your photographer, being the amazing man that he was, told you to take a quick break when he noticed you were more off balance than usual while posing. Stumbling off the set, you took a seat in one of the chairs resting against the wall while everyone on set reviewed pictures and adjusted lighting and backdrops as needed.

“Twenty minutes?” a disappointed voice spoke up. “You kept everyone waiting twenty minutes?”

You could recognize that voice from anywhere. Anna Lynn used to model when she was younger under the name A.Lynn. With the period, and capital L, as she would constantly remind people. It had become her identity at that point, and you were too afraid to question her too much on it. She came back into the industry just as you were rising to fame, and she offered to be your manager. And when the A.Lynn offers to be your manager, you don’t say no.

A.Lynn was insanely smart, and knew everything there was to know about modeling, however, there were times where she could be somewhat neurotic. The look in her eyes was all you needed to know that you were in for a long chastising. She had her hands on her hips as she stood in front of you like a mother ready to discipline her child.

“Do you realize how unprofessional that is? This photoshoot is going to put you on the cover of Vogue, sweetie. I mean, seriously, what has gotten into you?” she demanded.

“I know, I know,” you sighed. If you hadn’t had a full face of caked on makeup, you would have been rubbing at your eyes. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I just, had a rough night last night and I forgot to set my alarm and-”

“Wait, what happened last night?” For as uptight and worrisome as A.Lynn could be, there was a strong motherly side to her as well. One that was rare to find in that industry and have it be sincere.

“Someone broke into my house last night,” you spoke, voice quivering. “Shattered one of my windows on the ground floor. Could hardly sleep because of it and I just forgot about everything, and I’m sorry.”

Tears were already falling before you could stop them, and you did your best to pat away the moisture without ruining your makeup. You weren’t sure what had gotten into you. There was some sort of guilty feeling eating away at you, and your brain felt fuzzy. You didn’t even cry the night that crazed protester ripped your dress, nearly exposing you. Maybe something really had gotten into you.

“Sweetie,” A.Lynn said, voice softening as her hands fell from her hips, “why didn’t you say anything?”

“I felt like if I did, I was just making excuses,” you sniffled.

You weren’t sure if it was the tone in your voice, or something else, but A.Lynn’s posture completely changed. She let out a soft sigh and shook her head before taking a step away from you.

“That’s all I needed to hear. I’m calling the shoot off.”

Your mouth opened in protest, and for a moment your tears stopped due to the utter shock you felt. A.Lynn had been one of the world's most popular models before moving to the management side of things. Even someone who didn’t know her name could tell she held a certain grace and poise about her just from her movements alone. It was easy to forget just how powerful she really was.

“Seriously? No, I promise I’m fine, I can do it,” you insisted.

“I saw what you were like up there. You’re clearly not in the right headspace for this, and you looked like you were going to faint. Did you even eat this morning?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.

Teeth sinking into your bottom lip, all you could do was stare up at her as you folded your hands in your lap. “But you said it yourself, this is going on Vogue, I can’t just-”

“Honey, you are one of, if not the, most popular model in the industry. You could ask for a pink pony and someone would find a way to give one to you. We can reschedule a damn photoshoot,” A.Lynn said. “Now go wash up and take the day off. Won’t do you any good to work yourself to death.”

What a mess. But it wasn’t going to do you any good arguing with her, and you were certain everyone on earth knew that by that point. With a sigh, you wiped at your eyes, no longer caring about the makeup the artists had delicately painted your skin with. You vanished into one of the changing rooms where you shedded your elegant dress and washed your face. Even the best makeup remover in the world couldn’t remove the shiny metallic of your eyeshadow, but your brain was too fried to even care.

Once you got dressed again, you stood in the mirror for a moment just to look at yourself. It was Kyle’s clothes that you wore. They were too big for you, but in a way that almost felt right, like it belonged. Maybe you were a little scared about how nice it felt.

Shaking your head as if that would get it to clear, you gathered your things before slipping back into the studio. Most everyone had cleared out of the space once the shoot was called off, but there were a few stragglers putting away items into storage. A.Lynn was still there, and you were surprised to see that she was speaking with Kyle. He towered over her, yet looked non-threatening with a small bag in his hand.

After he had dropped you off, you had insisted that he go home to spend his day doing something he enjoyed since he spent the night having to care for you. And it took some convincing to get this man to leave. So why did he come back? Had A.Lynn called him?

Kyle’s eyes caught sight of you the instant you re-entered the room, and he must have said something to A.Lynn because she turned to get a quick look at you too. She waved you down, and you followed her gesture, joining their little group in the back of the studio.

“Mr. Garrick, being the gentleman that he is, brought you breakfast,” A.Lynn explained. “He also said he would take you home, if you need the ride.”

For another time that day, you felt the heat rise in your face, but you tried your best to ignore it as you pulled at your - Kyle’s - shirt. It had been awhile since you had felt like a child, and the events of the last twenty-four hours certainly didn’t help.

“Eat up, and get some rest,” was her final parting words to you before she patted your shoulder and vanished, probably to go talk to some representative about rescheduling.

You looked up at Kyle with slight apprehension and a little bit of guilt. As always, his expression to you was warm, and a slight smile appeared on his face as he held out the small paper bag for you to take.

“Brunch,” he explained simply.

“Kyle,” you chuckled as you took the bag from him, “you didn’t have to go through all this. Did A.Lynn make you do this?”

“Well, since I couldn’t cook for you this morning, I was planning on dropping by with food anyway,” he explained. “And for the record, I was the one that recommended giving you a ride home. Figured it would be best to check things over at the house before leaving you alone again.”

His words shouldn’t have made your heart flutter as much as it did, and still your body seemed to have a mind of its own. When you had hired the former SAS soldier, you had expected someone older, gruff, and maybe a bit rude. Slightly scary, for sure. You never thought you were hiring someone who’d let you hug them after a break in, and give you their clothes when you had none for the day.

“You take your job very seriously, Mr. Garrick,” you teased.

“Well, whether it’s terrorists or home invaders, I always like to do my job well, ma’am,” he teased back.

Fuck, this man was going to be the death of you.

The car ride back to your house was full of the delicious croissant sandwiches Kyle bought, and small talk over the quiet volume of the radio. He was easy to talk to, and incredibly sarcastic in a blunt, funny way. You were certain you would never run out of things to talk about with him, and you enjoyed the fact that he avoided asking questions about your job, so you did the same for him. In that moment, you weren’t a model, and he wasn’t your bodyguard, you two were just… well, something.

When you arrived home, Kyle entered the house with you. A few cops had taped a large tarp over the gaping hole that the shattered window left the night before, but the glass still created a treacherous path all throughout your living room. The plastic rustled in the soft breeze and it echoed dully off of your mostly bare walls. There was too much space for you to try and cover. Even with a whole house to yourself you were afraid to take up too much space.

“Want me to do a sweep of the house?” Kyle offered.

You chuckled at the absurdity of his question. “Proper military style?”

“As opposed to improper?”

“Just, do whatever you think is best.”

Kyle shot you a grin before you let him run loose throughout your house. Most people probably would have felt uneasy about letting someone essentially snoop through their home, but honestly, you didn’t have much, if anything, to hide. A majority of your rooms were empty, save for your bedroom. You kept a few guest bedrooms just to make the place feel less empty, and there was a room that you had attempted to turn into an office, yet you hardly used it except when taking pictures to post on your Instagram.

While he was busy doing… whatever it was he was doing, you got to work on trying to tidy up your home. The shards of glass was the biggest issue, so logically you started there armed with a broom and a dustpan. You grabbed two trash bags and put one inside of the other in order to make a double barrier against any holes that would be created and began sweeping up pan-fuls of shattered glass.

You wondered where the person who broke into your home had run off to when the alarm had been tripped. Had they needed the money that bad? Honestly, you probably would have given the money to them had they asked for it. You had more than you knew what to do with, anyway.

“You’ve got a mini cinema in this place?” Kyle spoke up as he walked back into the living room.

Pausing, you straightened yourself up with a dustpan full of glass shards in your hand. A sheepish smile crossed your lips before you unceremoniously dumped the glass into the bag with the rest.

“Yeah. Came with the home when I bought it. Haven’t really used it though,” you admitted with a shrug.

“Seriously? That feels like a crime,” Kyle said, almost with a whine.

“It’s not as cool when you’re watching stuff by yourself,” you admitted.

And it wasn’t a lie. Your theatre was impressive, with complete surround sound that had bass that shook you to your core, and a screen that wasn’t quite as large as an actual cinema, but was larger than any TV you had ever seen before. You could watch any movie or show with stunning sound and images. But there were no words that you could string together to explain the heart shattering silence that followed when it was over.

You were getting tired of hearing your own breathing.

“But if you’re interested, there’s a port where you can hook up things like consoles and whatnot. Just in case you’d like to get your ass kicked in Siege on the big screen,” you offered with a grin.

Kyle opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out; only a simple scoff as he nodded his head in defeat. “Yeah. Suppose I asked for that one.”

Chuckling, you continued to sweep up the floor. In the time that it took Kyle to search through the house for any unwanted visitors, animal or human, you had hardly made a dent in the mess your midnight visitor left.

“Got another broom?” Kyle asked.

You bent down in order to hold the dustpan more stable before attempting to sweep yet another pile of glass up. An industrial sized push broom would have made things go much faster, but you were stuck with your small house broom instead.

“Kyle, please. You’ve already done so much for me with everything that happened last night. I can clean up a bit of a mess,” you insisted.

It was as if the universe was trying to prove you wrong, because while you were attempting to sweep into the pan, you felt a sharp sting. A shard of glass had flicked up and sliced the soft flesh that laid between your thumb and forefinger. You hissed at the sting and retracted your hand away from the dustpan. A steady river of blood already flowed from the cut, despite it not appearing to be all that deep.

“You were saying?” Kyle prompted.

“Christ, I can’t seem to catch a break,” you sighed. You said it with a bit of a chuckle, but only because you were convinced that you’d break down if you didn’t.

“Hey, c’mon,” Kyle said softly. He braved the stray shards of glass that laid between the two of you and took the broom from your hand before leaning it against the wall. You stood up and held your hand, trying to catch the flow of blood from dripping on the floor. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

Nodding, you turned your head towards the stairs. “Yeah, I’ve got one in the bathroom next to my room.”

“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” he insisted, hand coming to rest against the small of your back as he gently urged you forward.

In an attempt to ignore the warmth of his hand, you focused instead on the crimson pooling in the palm of your hand. It was so thick, and you could feel it coagulating already.

Just like the rest of your house, your bathroom was impressive. A large, whirlpool tub sat in the far corner, but it was more akin to a hot tub than anything else. There was a regular shower, which you had remodeled to be more similar to a classic shower because you found that the overhead raindrop system got your shampoo into your eyes. Then, of course, a large and extravagant vanity with lighting that was similar to what you’d find in the makeup room of a theatre.

“Bottom drawer on the left,” you directed.

While Kyle shuffled through the drawer, you held your hand over the sink where the blood splattered into the bowl. Avoiding getting blood elsewhere, you turned the water on and washed the coagulated mess down the drain.

“Luckily for you, I completed first aid training while I was in basic,” Kyle said as he set the small kit on the counter next to you. “So there will be no bleeding out on my watch.”

“I’d sure hope not,” you chuckled.

Kyle grabbed a small pack of gauze before ripping the packaging open. He held his other hand out and made a slight grabbing motion, asking for your hand. Turning the water off, you quickly held your hand for him to take, and he instantly pressed the gauze against your cut to soak up the blood.

You tried not to look at him. You were certain you would combust if you did. There was no way in the world you would be able to survive looking at him while he held your hand as delicately as he did. Carefully wiping away any blood, but not using so much pressure as to aggravate the cut. He was too kind to you.

“A simple band aid might not cut it since it’s in such an odd spot, so I’ll try wrapping it instead,” Kyle explained.

He pulled the gauze away from your hand and checked the amount of blood that was on it. It was already starting to slow, but you could see just how deep and jagged the cut was, like it tore through your flesh more than it sliced through it. Tossing it to the side, Kyle opened up a fresh set of gauze before pressing it against your hand again. Then, he fumbled with a few other items until he found some wrapping material.

His hands were so large compared to yours, and the way his fingers gently traced the palm of your hand as he smoothed out the wrap made your stomach flutter. Even being around Kyle was electrifying in a way that almost hurt. There was something deep inside of you that ached for him. Something that you needed to ignore.

“There we go. All better,” he finished.

Smiling, you turned your hand over to inspect his work. The gauze was held securely in place, and the wrapping was significantly better than anything you would have been able to accomplish by yourself. You looked up to find that he was already looking at you. And it shouldn’t have meant anything. It didn’t mean anything. But you wanted it to. Fuck, you wanted it to so bad.

“Thank you. For everything,” you said, voice growing soft. “I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you. I’m sorry I cut into your personal time.”

“Don’t worry about it, it was my pleasure,” Kyle said as a slight grin began to pull at his lips. “Besides, you make decent company.”

You giggled at that comment, but only so you could bite back the words that threatened to spill from your lips. He was just so… everything. So kind and funny and sweet it was almost infuriating. Some sort of longing built up inside of you so furiously that it almost felt like aggression. It was like having something just beyond reach. Like waking up from a dream.

“Well, I appreciate it, but I should let you get home. You’ve wasted enough time on me as is,” you said with a bashful smile.

Avoiding his gaze, you instead turned your attention to the bloody gauze on the counter and picked it up before carefully walking to the small trashcan next to the toilet. You had hardly thrown the item away before Kyle spoke up again.

“It wasn’t a waste.”

Your attention snapped to Kyle, and he suddenly seemed almost unsure of himself. He ran a careful hand over his hair as he looked down at his feet. Whatever uneasiness he expressed quickly vanished as he hooked a thumb into one his pockets.

“If you need anything else, just call, yeah?” he said, looking back up at you.

You nodded. “Yeah, of course. And thanks again.”

Kyle smiled, and you swore you almost broke then and there. Those thoughts swimming around in your mind were dangerous and needed to be smothered, but a part of you enjoyed entertaining them too much. But as you walked him out of your house, you knew that it couldn’t last forever. This little crush of yours. Sure, it felt fun and exciting, but it was fleeting. It was something that would stretch its wings and fly off without you in an instant.

But for now, you could pretend. If it made that house feel a little smaller; if it made the nights less quiet; you could pretend. At least for a little while.

#kyle gaz garrick x reader #gaz x reader #kyle garrick x reader #bodyguard!gaz #f!reader

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magicalrocketships · 4 months

Note

please please please some baby max 🙏

Have a little (sort of) seasonally appropriate baby Max! It's jumping a little out of order.

To recap where we are: Daniel turned down a seat this year, Max is still running away when he's back to being grown up, and Daniel isn't dealing very well with the whole missing-Max-both-as-an-adult-and-a-child kind of a thing. This is just an excuse for writing a specific moment.

(this link shows the stuff I’ve already posted in chronological order if the tag isn't working.)

Daniel's woken by his phone after a fairly useless single hour's sleep. He considers, for a second, ignoring it. But it's Christian, so he doesn't.

"Max has Gone Small," Christian says without bothering with anything nice like hello or how was your 18 hour flight the week between Christmas and New Year or how are you coping without a race seat for next year for the second year in a row. "How soon can you get here?"

Daniel presses his face into the hotel room pillow. "Where are you?"

"HQ," Christian says. "Tell me your hotel and I'll send a car to pick you up."

Daniel can't remember where he's staying. 'London' probably isn't good enough. He fumbles for the room service menu on the desk, and reads out the hotel name.

"I'll call you back with an ETA," Christian says. He's not been as nice to Daniel after Daniel turned down both Max's temporary seat cover and the AT seat for next year. He doesn't understand. "Max wants you."

"Yeah," Daniel says. He stands, barefoot and just in his underwear, and looks at himself in the mirror. He's hollow eyed from lack of sleep. And, probably, a selection of prolonged bad choices. His heart pounds. "Tell Max I'm coming for him, okay? See if you can get him some tomato soup in a cup and something to colour. He likes both those things."

"On it," Christian says, and hangs up.

Daniel — exhausted, underweight, jet lagged — gets in the shower with his phone ringer turned up high and the water temperature turned down low. He emerges, shivering, more awake and vaguely cleaner but not much else. He packs his stuff back into his suitcase, unplugs his charger, and checks for a message. There's a car on its way. Daniel gathers up his stuff, wheels his case back towards the lift and checks out of his hotel. He's barely been there two hours.

He doesn't sleep in the car up to Milton Keynes. His knee bounces, and he taps out a rhythm on his thigh with his fingertips. He hasn't seen grown up Max in weeks, and little Max for longer than that.

Daniel hasn't been right since the first time Max got big and left him. There's a hole in the middle of his chest where his heart should be. He's tried to fill it with all the normal things but nothing's worked. He's just sad. It's hard work to hide it. It's harder when he's tired. They were going to see each other this week, with Daniel fulfilling some of his puppet PR duties at the Red Bull New Year's Eve party alongside Max, but that might not be on the table anymore because Max has Gone Small again.

His little boy. He's going to see him again. God.

If he gets there before Max goes big again.

HQ is mostly deserted. There are barely any cars in the car park. Christian's waiting for him at the main entrance, along with an assistant, who Daniel barely says hello to as she promises to get all of Daniel's bags out of the car.

"Max is very unhappy," Christian warns him, as they go inside and towards the stairs. "Turned up this morning and was only here an hour before we all blinked and then he's fucking seven again. Just wants you."

Daniel speeds up. He doesn't even know where he's going, where Max is waiting for him. "Did he eat anything?"

"Refuses," Christian says.

They go through a locked door Christian has to wave a pass at to get through. Somewhere, far away, Daniel can hear a familiar little voice, raised. Upset.

"Maxy-Max," he calls, hand cupped around his mouth. There is, for a moment, abrupt silence. There's a flight of stairs. Daniel takes them two at a time, but he's not fast enough because Max fucking barrels his way out of a room at the top of them and barely manages to stop himself falling headlong over a large fern in a plant pot and toppling down the stairs.

"Daniel!" Max says, tearful and upset. "Daniel, my Daniel." He launches himself at Daniel, and Daniel catches him in a hug. Daniel drops to his knees and Max hugs him all wriggly and tight and het up and crying. He's in grown up Max's t-shirt, way too big, and grown up Max's socks, falling off his feet and making him slip-slide all over the place. Someone, somehow, has got him into a pair of Go Small shorts, but the fabric is itchy even to Daniel's hand, so Max must be hating it.

"Hello, baby," Daniel says, kissing Max's cheek, his ear. He thumbs away a tear from Max's pink, flushed cheek. Another one. "I've missed you so much."

Max just holds on tighter. "Can we go home now," he whispers, but Daniel can't take him home. All the Guardianship papers are in Monaco. All their Red Bull responsibilities are here, and even if Max doesn't have to put food on the table, Daniel's career is on indefinite hiatus and the money he's making now will have to last him. And Max doesn't stay like this. He doesn't stay with Daniel.

"Not just yet," Daniel tells him. He hugs Max tighter, lifting him off the ground. Max tucks his face into Daniel's neck, wrapping his arms all around Daniel's neck. He gets to his feet, Max wrapping his legs around Daniel's waist and staying as close as possible. "Are you hungry, Maxy-Max?"

Max nods, his nose dragging over Daniel's neck. He doesn't feel warm either, and Daniel wants to find something to get him changed in to and get him something to eat.

"Let's get you—" he says, but then he has to close his eyes really tightly.

Max wriggles, and shifts, and when Daniel opens his eyes again, the Max in his arms is his toddler Max, his baby Max, his best little boy. He's gone smaller.

"Hey," Daniel says softly. "Hey, baby."

Max rears back in Daniel's arms. He's pink and tearstained and very serious. He pats both his hands to Daniel's cheeks. Holds Daniel still.

Daniel waits. He can be patient where Max is concerned. Can let him have whatever time he needs to do whatever it is he needs to do.

"Daddy," Max says, and—

And.

Daniel's world is different now. It will be forever different. A before, and an after.

"Hey," Daniel says, in the end, and Max looks at him and beams.

Carries on here.

#my fic #de-aged maxiel #baby max #fic that i wrote

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leathfaic · 7 months

Text

Soap and Ghost have been a thing for a while, spending their leaves together whenever possible, holed up at Soap's place for the most part, only ever in Manchester when Ghost wants to visit his families graves and they don't want to drive back up that day.

When the call comes that there's been damage to his flat Soap has to leave alone, Simon is out on one of the solo missions they love to send him on. So all Johnny can really do is leave a scribbled note on his bed that he's home sorting trouble with the flat.

A few days later Ghost returns, a bit miffed when he doesn't find Johnny waiting for him on the tarmac or in his barracks. Price brings him up to speed though and the letter explains the rest.

Soap is surprised when he opens the door to Simon in his civilian clothes, hadn't even gotten a text saying he's back, "What are ye doing here ye bampot? Dinnae get ma note that the whole flat is a mouldy mess?"

"Though' you'd appreciate some help." Simon just shrugs looking a little forlorn on the doorstep, suddenly not sure if showing up uninvited was the right move.

Soap grabs his man and pulls him into the flat before the huge fucker can decide to bugger off with his feelings all hurt.

"Ah'd love yer help, juist didnae expect ye to want to spend yer time in ma mouldy paradise after juist returning from a mission. Dinnae exactly haeve amenities exactly, yeah?"

He really doesn't. The flat is a fucking disaster, the one above had a pipe burst while the inhabitants were on vacation, water leaking unchecked for days, it's a bloody miracle that the building is still statically sound. But all the moisture seeped in to the flat below. And when anyone thought of informing him for possible damages it was too late. There's barely a room left untouched. Soap's been sleeping in a nearby hotel, going through his belongings saving what can be saved before calling in professionals to clean out the mold.

There's no way he'll give up the flat, they both know that, it was his grandmother's before, getting passed on to him when she moved to a retirement home. It's where Johnny grew up, his nan taking him in when his parents gave up on him.

So Ghost helps Soap sort out the mess, save what they can save, which luckily includes a lot of priced memories, but they know that pretty much all furniture is a loss. Floors, walls and ceilings will have to be redone too. Be that as it may they spend the rest of the day to also takeling care of the other reasons Soap can't just let a crew of cleaners walk in too. All traces of him being anything but a normal soldier carefully erased, packed up, hidden.

When they crash at the hotel late at night Johnny is still restless, the way he gets when some bug mission is about to start.

"Didn't know furniture shopping for your fla' would get you tha' riled up, sweetheart."

It's meant as harmless teasing, of making Johnny focus his energy on him and getting it out.

Instead the other man seems to dial it up, is not just squirming but also biting his lips now.

Fuck, he hasn't seen him like that unless whatever is about to go off is deadly serious.

So when Soap turns to him Simon stills, waits for the catastrophe that clearly is about to happen. For everything to come crumbling down around them, because that's how his life tends to go.

Instead, with the smallest voice he's ever heard on the man, Johnny makes his world fall into place like it never has before.

"What if we were nae getting stuff for ma place but rather, ye ken our place?

Our place.

It's rare that anything manages to make Ghost freeze anymore. But this? This does it.

He only shakes himself out of it when he sees panic and regret well up in Soap's eyes, can't have that after all. Mouth still not willing to obey his command he drags the other man into a crushing embrace, burying his face in the shower-damn mohawk.

"I think I'd like tha'." he mumbles eventually, his voice all weird and off, gruff from fighting the all the emotion but soft from the love that punches itself clean through all his defenses.

In his arms Soap drains of all tension. Mission accomplished no reason to be nervous now.

He falls asleep in Simons arms like that, deep breaths softly caressing his chest.

Ghost lies awake, his heart pounding a steady rhythm of excitement now.

He's going to go shopping with Soap tomorrow.

For their place. For their home.

Wild joy mixes with perfidious apprehension, parts of his brain refusing that this will really happen, convinced that Soap will wake up, having thought better of it.

That home is a concept lost to him. He is the Ghost for a reason after all.

He doesn't get a wink of sleep. His mocking of Soaps nerves ringing hollow in his ears.

Instead he braces himself, ready to meet the rejection head on, not let it show on his face, makes himself cold as ice.

"Ye look like we're heading to war not to keek at stuff for our home, love."

The armor of ice built meticulously over sleepless hours melts all at once.

"You really sure you want to share a 'ome with me Johnny?"

"Yeah Simon Riley, ye big daftie, think Ah'd nearly piss ma pants and ask ye, just to pull a fast one?"

For the second time in as many days Ghost shrugs helplessly, no defense of his a match for the things Soap makes him feel.

The man knows him too bloody well too, drags him out of the hotel room and gets them going. Let's actions speak over words. A language that works far better for Simon.

Who finds himself in store after store full of furniture, wallpapers and stuff where he comes to find that maybe he is not equipped to handle this.

Part 2

#Part 1 of probably 2 #Check back in for fully trained sas soldiers getting emotionally lost in ikea #ghostsoap #soapghost #simon ghost riley #cod mwii #john soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #cod mw2 #cod #ghoap #cod hc

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skyahri · 28 days

Text

I'm Ready Now |Sasuke X Reader| HC

Pairing: Sasuke Uchiha X Reeader

Summary: Modern AU. You and Sasuke are long-term friends. He's finally decided he's ready to be with you, but you had no idea what had been motivating him all along.

Warnings: Modern AU. Club scene. SFW.

- - - - -

You've known Sasuke since high school.

You've stuck by him through everything- when his brother was arrested, when he hated everyone and everything, when he rebelled and became a sort of man whore junior year, and even now into adulthood after he simmered down.

But now he was acting odd, and you aren't the only one who's noticed.

Each of your mutual friends had come to you about Sasuke's subtle change in behavior over the past six or so months.

Sakura was the first to ask you about it, wondering if you had picked up on the shift in his demeanor. Then Ino, Sai, Kankuro, and so on.

The biggest change was his newfound confidence.

Not that he wasn't confident before, but this new wave was more... earned. He used to be so entitled and full of himself, so the maturity brought on by this change was refreshing.

You were going to ask Sasuke about it, but you couldn't find the right time.

He had recently taken over the family business, and it was taking up a lot of his time and energy.

When he was young, after his brother had killed their parents, the company was temporarily taken over by a team of advisors until Sasuke was deemed fit to run it.

After receiving his bachelor's in business management and going through several summers of internships, he was given control and promoted to CEO.

That was right around the time he had started to act out of the ordinary.

That's what brings us to today.

It's Saturday, aka the day the whole gang hangs out. Despite how busy Sasuke had become, he always made sure to prioritize it.

He claims it's because Naruto would throw a tantrum, which is true, but you all know he actually enjoys the time together even if he complains.

He'd come to pick you up, a normal occurrence since he had a car, and you did not.

Tonight, you were all meeting up at a club downtown.

The place is packed, but Kiba was able to reserve a table for everyone to sit at.

It was a bit crowded, but that's to be expected from forcing seventeen people into a twelve person booth.

You're a bit too close to Sasuke, but you don't mind. He's cool and comfortable, unlike some of the other men at the table, so it's not awkward.

He slides his arm along the back of the booth to give you a bit more room.

You notice his cologne, the same one he's worn for the past several years. You've always liked it and encouraged him early on to wear it more often.

Once sat, Naruto immediately ordered a round of shots for the table.

And then another.

And another.

With a little liquid courage, the girls had managed to drag their boyfriends to the dance floor.

It wasn't really your scene, so you opted to hang back with the more introverted members of the group: Shikamaru, Gaara, Shino, and Sasuke.

Hinata would've gladly stayed too, if not for Naruto literally dragging her along.

You were happily chatting with the guys before you were forced asked by Ino and Sakura to retrieve more drinks.

Sasuke offered to go with you since there was no way you could carry so many glasses.

The bartender was busy, so you two hung off to the side for a moment while the wave passed.

You decided now was the time to confront him about his change in behavior.

"You've been different lately."

"Different? How so?"

You narrowed your eyes at him. He was playing dumb, something he did often when trying to politely avoid a subject.

"I'm worried about you, you know. You're not the same Sasuke anymore."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Ah, so he was plenty aware of it.

"Not necessarily. I just want to know whats going on with you. You can talk to me."

Sasuke thought for a moment. He was nervous, well as nervous as he could manage to be.

"I've inherited my family's company."

You looked at him confused.

"I have a degree, I own my apartment, I have a stable career. I have even cleared my family's name in the eyes of the public."

You just continued to look at him, more lost than you were a second ago. What was he getting at? Why would this be bothering him?

"I am finally a man worthy of even asking you for a chance."

Oh?

Oh.

Was he..? Did he really..?

"What?" It's all you can manage to get out.

"You deserve a good man who can provide you with a good life. I've worked hard these past few years to be that man, so I can ask for your hand."

You didn't know what to say. How could you after such a bold proclamation?

So you didn't say anything.

You just tilted your head up to kiss him.

It was perfect- your hands on his chest, one of his on your face, and the other sliding into your hair. The smell of his cologne and fabric of his black button-up.

His lips were surprisingly soft. He's a good kisser, but that's less surprising considering how often he'd gotten around in his youth.

You broke away, and your hands slid down so they could interlock with his.

"Sasuke," you'd stare at him softly, "You've always been a worthy man. Money and status don't change anything."

After that night, he stayed the same new Sasuke, but there was a more relaxed air to him.

You'd hoped to keep things under wraps for longer, but Naruto had apparently seen you guys kiss at the club, and news spread pretty fast after that.

Not that Sasuke minded, no. He liked being able to give you passing touches and brief kisses. He liked being able to look at you without suspicion.

Things were good now.

#sasuke uchiha #sasuke #naruto #naruto headcanons #naruto x reader #naruto shippuden #anime headcanons #anime #sasuke x reader #sasuke uchiha x reader #sasuke uchiha x you #reader insert #fanfiction #fanfic #sasuke fluff #sasuke uchiha fluff

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bree-cheesy · 1 year

Text

Sticky Club

Older Eddie Munson x fem!reader

A/N: Look at me pumping out two fics within like a day and a half. Be proud of me. I decided to try out the Older Eddie hype since I've seen these fics everywhere lately. I hope I did the whole trend justice. It's a little short, but I didn't want to write a huge fic and just wanted to get straight into the shit y'all wanna read anyway.

Side Note: I deleted this cause I wasn't super proud of it at first, but I'm reposting this because I feel like it definitely could've done better than it did. Not to be cocky or anything.

Credit to @patrick-stewart for the gif!

Warnings: SMUT 18+!! MINORS FUCK OFF! Porn with a little bit of plot. Not much plot in this. (kissing, dirty talk, sort of rough eddie, fingering, nipple play, public sex (club bathroom), dirty club dancing, unprotected p in v sex, doggy style rough fucking, loud reader, giving of hickeys.) Older Eddie Munson (early 30's), Younger reader (mid 20's), language. No use of Y/N. Strange guy tried to grind up against reader on the dance floor. I think that's it. As always, let me me know and I'll fix it!

Word Count: 1873

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You were kind of a hermit. You didn’t like to go out much and parties just weren’t your scene. You obviously went out occasionally, but it was probably once a month if that. It’s not that you hated people, you were just focused on your college work and trying to keep up good grades. Your best friends Robin, Nancy, and Steve were avid party goers. They always tried to get you to go out with them, but being the youngest of the group and the only one still in school, there just wasn’t much free time to go out with them. Tonight was different though. It was the end of the semester and all grades were final so you could finally let loose a little. Your friends were taking you out to a concert. It was for a band you hadn’t heard of before, but they said it was an old friend they all had from high school.

“Girl, you look great, don’t even.” Nancy looked at you and smiled. You were wearing an outfit you usually didn’t. Most of your outfits consisted of jeans and sweatshirts, not short tight skirts and tank tops like this. You frowned and looked at yourself in the mirror again.

“You sure?” You pulled the skirt down a little. “Seems a little… skimpy.”

“Trust me, you will be getting laid tonight wearing that. Trust me.” Robin announced, barging in the room uninvited. She looked you up and down and gave you a thumbs up. “You ready? Steve and I are ready to leave.” Nancy nodded and pulled her shoes on before walking out. You sighed and followed the two girls out.

You got to the club the band was performing at and noticed it was packed. There were huge groups of people everywhere. Girls wearing tight band tees and skirts that pretty much showed their whole ass. It smelled like sweat and vodka. Kinda made you gag a little, but you toughed through it. Nancy led you over to the bar to order drinks for everyone while Steve and Robin claimed a booth. You two walked back with the drinks and you slid in the booth next to Robin. You were all talking when a tall man with long brown curly hair, a guitar strapped across her shoulder, and had a t-shirt of the band on it.

“Eddie!” Nancy stood up and hugged him tight. Steve fist bumped him and Robin gave him a high five. Steve introduced you to Eddie and you noticed he stared a little longer than normal. You blushed softly and nervously sipped your fruity drink when he complimented you. “We’re super excited you’re finally performing here! We missed being able to see you.” Nancy scooted over so Eddie could slide in next to her.

“Yeah, missed seeing you guys! This will be good, I promise.” Eddie chuckled and stole a sip from Steve’s drink. Steve scowled and snatched the drink back.

Eddie soon left and the rest of you got up to get close to the performance. You were so nervous. The spark you felt with Eddie was such a huge shock, now you were scared to be so up close to him. The performance started and you didn’t notice how hard you were biting your lip while staring at Eddie until you tasted blood. He glanced at you and smirked while playing the guitar when he saw the blood on your bottom lip. You blushed and looked down. When he started singing you were dancing with Robin while Steve was dancing with Nancy. Eddie’s eyes were on you like a hawk. God, he couldn’t look away. That tight skirt you were wearing was riding up while you swayed your hips. He could almost see the bottom of your black lacy panties.

At the end of the performance, you were still dancing with Robin. You felt someone come up behind you and the strange hands held you tight against the body behind you. You turned your head and saw a weird man practically drooling at you and grinding up against your ass. You pushed him off and Robin stepped between the two of you. He put up a fight with Steve until suddenly he was thrown on the ground. Eddie pushed him to the ground and got security to kick him out.

“You okay?” Steve looked at you and put his hands on your shoulders. You nodded and smiled.

“Yeah. He didn’t do anything serious.” He nodded and let go of you.

The group, with Eddie, sat back down at your booth and Eddie slid in next to you, pushing up close to you so Robin could fit in next to you two. Your breath caught in your throat. He smelled like sweat and faded cologne. It was a scent you could get addicted to. It was dangerous. You learned Eddie was 32. He was a little older than the rest of the group, but that just made him all that much hotter.

“How’d you meet these idiots?” Eddie asked, looking at you with a smile and a tenderness in his eyes.

“Oh, I met Robin when she was graduating and the rest of them kind of just took me in.” You looked down at your drink and sipped it. Eddie put an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him, squeezing you slightly.

“Well, any friend of these people is my friend.” You chuckled nervously and glanced up at him.

Steve was talking about something that happened at his job when you felt Eddie’s hand on your thigh. You gulped nervously and felt him run his fingers in soft circles on your inner thigh. You bit the inside of your lip when he leaned a little closer into you. He squeezed your thigh and raised his hand higher. You put your hand on his, stopping him from going further. He cleared his throat and kept his hand on your knee.

The group had all gotten up to dance and Eddie took your hand, pulling you with him. You gasped softly when he pulled your back into his chest and held onto your hips, swaying the both of you to the music. You bit your lip and shut your eyes, leaning your head back on his shoulder. He ran his hand up your thigh and over your belly, lightly rubbing your breasts over your shirt.

“Eddie…” You moaned softly and he leaned his head down, kissing the side of your neck. You reached a hand back and tangled it in his hair. He tucked his fingers into the top of your skirt and squeezed your ass with the other one. He kissed up your neck and pressed his lips against your ear.

“Feel good, sweetheart? Everyone’s looking at us. Some of the girls look like they wanna kill you.” He flipped you around and you gasped, wrapping your arms around his neck. He grinned and grabbed your ass with both hands, pressing your hips more up against him. “Such a pretty girl…”

You moaned softly and he pressed his forehead against yours, grinding harder against you to the music. “Eddie… please…”

He grinned and grabbed your hand, pulling you to the bathroom. He locked the door and pressed you up against the sink. His lips crashed down on yours and you groaned into his mouth, kissing him back almost immediately. You hitched your leg up around his waist and he lifted you up onto the counter. Your hands went to the buttons on his black dress shirt and started undoing them, running your fingers over every expanse of skin you exposed. He kissed down your neck and sucked a few marks into it. You smiled and moaned, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He pulled your tank top off and dropped it on the floor. He kissed you again and squeezed your breasts over your lacy bra.

“Eddie, fuck… that feels so good…!” You moaned into his mouth and he grinned, reaching back to take the bra off, throwing it off somewhere in the sticky club bathroom.

“Yeah? Feel s’good when I touch you, baby? Wanna feel my mouth?” He pulled back and wrapped your legs around his waist. You nodded and moaned, digging the heels of your heels into the back of his thighs. He grinned and his lips instantly attached to your nipple, sucking and biting it. You cried out and threw your head back, tangling your fingers in his hair.

His hands went down and hiked your skirt up so he could slip his hand in your panties. “Fuck… So goddamn wet already…!” He groaned and swirled the tip of his tongue against your nipple. He rubbed your clit in time with his tongue and you panted heavily, grinding up against his hand. “Such a good fucking girl…” He grabbed your thighs and pulled your panties down your legs, shoving them in his back pocket. He slipped two fingers inside you in time with his thumb rubbing your clit. You instantly clenched down around his fingers and moaned, grabbing onto his shoulders.

“E-Eddie, your fingers a-are so big…!” You whined and bucked up harder against his hand. “I need… I need more… Please, Eddie…”

“Please what, honey? Use your words.” He mockingly pouted and fingered you faster.

“F-Fuck me! Please fuck me!” You cried out and sobbed in pleasure, pulling at your nipples.

He pulled you off the counter and bent you over it. He pulled his aching cock out and spit on his hand, stroking it a little before slowly pushing in. You groaned in unison, creating a song of pleasure between the two of you. He didn’t hold back at all. He growled like an animal and fucked you hard, the slapping of skin loud and could be heard over the muffled music behind the bathroom door. You sobbed, your eyes filling with tears of pure pleasure, moaning and gripping the counter hard.

“Goddamn, baby… So fucking tight around me… Gonna fucking milk me dry, huh? Want my cum deep inside you, honey?” You nodded and moaned louder.

“Y-Yes…! Please cum so deep inside me! I want it so bad…!” Your mouth hung open and he went faster.

“Cum for me first, baby. I’ll give you anything you want if you cum all over my cock.” He groaned and rubbed your clit in time with thrusts.

You cried out, finally given permission and came harder around his cock, squeezing hard around him and moaning loudly. Eddie grunted and groaned, grabbing your chin and pulling you up to kiss you hard, still pounding into you from behind. You begged and pleaded with him to cum and he finally granted you your wish, cumming deep inside you and moaning into your ear. You both caught your breath and your eyes shut as you slumped against the counter. You heard him grab some paper towels and get them wet, wiping your sensitive cunt clean before helping you fix your clothes. You both walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later and your group all gave you knowing looks. Eddie grinned and kissed your cheek while you blushed and buried your face deep in his chest in embarrassment.

#eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #stranger things #older eddie munson #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn smut #stranger things smut

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lostbookreader · 1 year

Text

Drunk Kisses and Jealousy

Authors Note: Hey guys so this is another long one with Colby but I couldn't stop thinking about it all day so I just sat down and wrote. I think I may write part two so if you're interested let me know! Otherwise please enjoy another long one from me.

Summary: You and the group have been friends for years and there may be feelings between you and Colby but you haven't really acted on them. Until tonight that is, Colby can’t help but let the jealousy take over when Nate and other guys can’t seem to leave you alone.

You were just getting into your car after your long shift when you realized how many texts you got from your friends. Most of it was the group chat talking about the party that Sam and Colby were throwing tonight and the rest from Colby or Kat. You click Colby’s first to see what he said which was the normal checking on you throughout the day and one he sent five minutes ago.

Hey gorgeous are you off? Wanted to check and see if you were still up to coming, if not I will sneak away and we can watch movies, get food and maybe cuddle at yours if you don’t feel up for it.

You couldn’t help but smile as you text your response Lol hey handsome I just got in my car and headed to my place now to get ready. As great as that sounds I already promised Sam I was bringing alcohol and Kat would kill me if I skipped again so it looks like we are getting drunk tonight.

Shaking your head at your response to him you quickly go to Kat’s to tell her you were headed home so she could come and get ready with you for the party. Which got you a smiley face sent back and Colby’s text popped on top of your screen which you clicked.

Nah she would have to get through me before I would even let her touch you. Don’t force yourself bubs if you aren’t up to it.

Don’t worry about me, Colbs. If anything after the day I had, I need whiskey in my system to forget and relax lol. I’m driving home though I’ll text you when Kat and I are headed to you guys.

Kat was in your room talking to you while also getting an outfit sorted out for you as you were showering. Mostly just random stuff and her interjecting every so often with “do you even own a pair of heels?” or you respond with “just let me wear leggings or sweats please.” Which normally you just got a laugh out of her and not a normal response. Finally getting through drying and amping up your curls you were able to start your base makeup before you would let Kat take over and finish. You were decent with makeup but Kat was ten times better than you so you let her do yours most nights.

So with that you walked out into your room in your towel to see what Kat chose for you to wear. She smiled at you as she finished adjusting her outfit before turning to you.

“What do you think?” She asked with a little twirl.

“You look hot dude. Sam is not going to be able to take his hands off of you. Promise me now that you guys won’t give the whole party a show again. Last time I had to hide from second hand embarrassment of it all.”

“Haha, very funny. If anything I’m going to be the one hiding from having to watch all the boys drool over you showing off your rockin 'body with the outfit I chose.”

She held up the main outfit which was a really cute black savagexfenty lace bodysuit that was sent to you as PR and a simple black mini skirt with fishnets and your favorite pair of converse. You smile and nod complimenting her on her choice and decide to get dressed before she does your make up. As you guys finish getting ready, you decide to pregame a little bit from some of the alcohol you were bringing before you headed to the boys house. Not forgetting to send your text to Colby like you promised.

When you pull up the house is already packed and music blaring that makes some nerves shoot down to your stomach as you guys walk in. Sam greets you guys at the door with an excited shot and compliments the both of you on how you look before he helps lug the alcohol to the kitchen to restock. While setting up Sam keeps glancing at you before looking away when you catch him watching.

“Alright Sam, what’s up? Why do you keep looking at me?”

“Just checking on you. Colby said you had a rough day and may not want to be here.”

“I’m fine Sam. Just a long day. I just want to party with my friends and relax while enjoying my next few days off,”

“Okay okay okay. I just wanted to make sure. You do look really good though. Colby’s gonna freak.”

You didn’t really think much on the last part since Colby was normally pretty protective of you but you still thank him and say Kat dressed you. After you and Kat make yourself drinks, you make a new one for Colby just in case, Sam leads you to the rest of the group in the backyard. Everyone is hanging out by the pool in a circle and you spot Colby first whose back is turned towards you and then Nate who spots you instantly and smiles.

“Y/N!” He yells excitedly and you quickly pass your drinks off to Sam who chuckles before you get tackled into a hug by Nate, “I didn’t think you were coming tonight! You didn’t say anything in the group chat all day.”

“Haha, I know I know I’m the worst responder in the whole world but I have a good excuse this time. I was at work all day so I was too tired to respond when I got off.” You say with a laugh before you realize that you and him were still hugging and pull away, “It’s good to see you though!”

“It’s good to see you too,” He says and looks right at your lips, “You're actually wearing lipstick! Where's the y/n that I know and where did you put them?”

You both laugh and you punch his arm, “How many drinks have you had? You're pulling out mr funny guy tonight.”

Before Nate could respond, you feel another pair of arms wrapping around you and Colby’s cologne surrounding you. You look up but realize Colby is glaring at Nate who doesn’t notice and is already back in the group. Smiling you press a quick kiss to his cheek to get his attention on you

“Hi, I didn’t know if you needed a drink or not so I made you one.” You say as you reach out and grab the drinks that Sam left on one of the ledges and hand Colby one.

Which causes him to smile, “Thank you I definitely needed one. What did you get us to start with?”

“Jack Daniels as usual. I brought Jameson as well which I figured we’d get to later probably.”

“Perfect. Nate is right though by the way. You look amazing. I like the top and rings.”

You smile and look down to hopefully hide your blush but before you could respond Corey yells out to Colby to stop hogging you and let everyone else get a turn. Which makes Colby blush this time and you both go and join the group.

You're definitely drunk at this point and so is the rest of the group who has dispersed throughout the house now. Colby is off catching up with some other influencers and you are with Nate on the make shift dance floor just having fun dancing and catching up.

“How long are you in LA for?”

“I’ll be here for a week I think before I fly home! Then I’m meeting the guys in Virginia to film a couple of videos with them.”

“Looks like you’ll be stuck with me some more then. Sam invited me to go as well and do some other places with them.”

“I wouldn’t say I would be stuck with you honestly, it just means I won’t have to be a third wheel and I can protect you from the ghosts.”

“I think I’d be there to protect you!” You both laugh and keep joking before you feel like you're being watched so you start looking around to see why. Which is when you catch Colby with a girl that he’s not paying attention to while she's talking his ear off, “Who's that girl Colby’s talking to?”

“Some girl that's been going after him for a while now. I think she's another youtuber!”

“Weird. She’s really pretty! He hasn’t hooked up with her yet?”

“Nah! Sam was saying something earlier about how Colby is crushing hard on someone right now so he hasn’t really been doing the random hook up thing recently”

“Oh really? Do you know who?” You ask even though you don’t honestly want to know the answer to. You're not too surprised he hasn’t told you since he normally does not involve you in that part of his life but there's a weird feeling growing in your stomach.

“No I don’t. I thought he would have told you!” Nate says but he won’t meet your eye which raises your suspicion even more. You don’t get the opportunity to ask more when another random girl comes up and asks if she can have a turn dancing with Nate. Which you say yes to and tell Nate you're going to get another drink and go outside for a bit.

Colby was trying his hardest to pay the girl in front of him an ounce of kindness by listening to her, but he was getting bored and wanted to get back to you. She was going on about something that she was doing with her channel and maybe trying to do a collab with him and Sam which he knew would never happen. As she kept going with her idea, he glanced back at the dance floor to see if you and Nate were still grinding on each other or not. The idea made his blood boil. He was still a little pissed at Nate from hugging you early and just being touchy all night when Nate knew about his crush on you. Colby had let it slide since you looked to be enjoying yourself but not without glaring at Nate whenever you weren’t looking.

He did a double take though when he noticed the girl Nate was making out with instead of dancing wasn’t you and he panicked. He looked around trying to find you but he knew pretty quickly you weren’t over there anymore. Excusing himself, he went to Sam and Kat asking if they saw you recently but they both said no. Which started his hunt for you. Once he couldn’t find you in the house, he figured you were outside in your usual spot where you normally went when you needed a break from the crowd. He made drinks for the both of you before heading to the backyard where he found you instantly.

He instantly frowned when he saw you were playing with one of your rings, which he knew was one of your anxious ticks. Causing him to look and see a random male influencer that Colby couldn’t remember the name of right now talking to you. The burning sensation that's been bothering him all night came back and Colby headed straight for you.

This guy was not getting the hint that you wanted to be left alone and you were starting to get anxious. He had kept trying to reach for your arm to draw you to him but you thankfully were able to keep your distance. He also wouldn’t shut up about himself and what he did with his influencing career. Your eyes start to wonder to see who you could maybe get to help when a pair of arms wrapped around you from behind.

“There you are, I was wondering where you ran off to.”

Colby. You thanked God in your head very quickly before responding, “Hey sorry, me and f/m/i were just talking about what he does for a living.”

“Oh sick. Thanks man for keeping my girl company while I made my rounds thanking people for coming.” He sticks his hand out to the other male with a smirk on his face, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Colby.”

It took a lot for you to not laugh at the influencers face and honestly just Colby and his bad acting, but you kept it together. You grab one of the drinks Colby had and start drinking and honestly you zoned out not listening to the boys talk. Until you heard the random influencer say “prove it” and the next thing you know Colby’s mouth is on yours.

Not expecting it you hesitate for a moment before you kiss Colby back and pull him closer by placing your hand on his neck. You’re not even sure when the other guy walks away because your focus is on Colby and the fact that you guys are kissing. It’s not the first time but every time before this has been for a prank or a truth or dare with the boys and never outside of the video space. You don’t want it to end though and you don’t think Colby does either.

He slowly brushes his tongue against your lip before you let him in and your tongues start to brush against each other. A low groan escapes from Colby and he slowly pulls away before kissing you slowly one more time before you guys pull apart. It takes you a second before you compose yourself and open your eyes to be met with the gorgeous blues of Colby.

“Sorry. I am so sorry. I let my jealously get ahead of me and being drunk definitely didnt help but I didn’t want our first kiss to be like that. I had this whole plan in my head but that guy just wouldn’t shut up and I kissed you. I am so fucking stupid,” Colby rambles and you can see the panic forming behind his eyes before he looks down.

“Colbs, hey look at me.” You say gently, grabbing his face and having him look at you, “You’re okay. If anything, thank you because that guy was making my anxiety grow worse and I was trying to find a scapegoat anyway. So thank you.”

He looks at you for a second before saying, “Why was your anxiety already bad? I told you to come find me if you were getting to that point.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” you whisper, “You were talking to the really pretty influencer girl and Nate said you haven’t hooked up with anyone recently so I didn’t want to stop you. Plus he mentioned something about you having a crush so it kept getting worse, so I came out here to get air. Then the guy cornered me before I could calm down.”

“Okay for one, he shouldn’t have told you any of that. And two you are always allowed to come get me no matter what.” He says while rubbing your hip, “I am also very drunk right now and I think you are too so I’m not going to say what I want, but just know my crush is no worry to you okay?”

Your brain was honestly working in overdrive with the alcohol and adrenaline pumping through you so you just nod accepting it. Looking at Colby you let out a small laugh which caused him to smile. “You have lipstick all over your mouth,”

You get a majority of it off which he thanks you for before he asks if you're ready to leave. Nodding you both decide to walk to your place, which probably wasn’t the smartest but you and Colby drunk work as a great team, and you make it safely. Both of you shower separately, you set some of Colby’s spare clothes he keeps here on the counter as you climb into bed and wait for him. You send Kat and Sam a quick text saying you and Colby left and came to your place, and let them know you’d be back in the morning to help clean up. Not long after Colby comes and gets in bed with you and not long after you both drift into sleep.

Neither of you forgetting about the kiss and that you would have to have a better not drunk conversation in the morning….

A/N I definitely think there is going to be a part two so look out for that! But I hope you guys enjoyed :)

#sam and colby #Colby brock #sam golbach #colby brock imagine #colby brock x reader #colby brock fic #colby

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soopersara · 5 months

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Jewel

Zutara Week 2023: Day 4

Read it on AO3 | @zutaraweek

While searching the palace for bandages after the Agni Kai, Katara finds an old souvenir hidden away in Zuko's belongings.

The palace isn’t what she expects.

It’s enormous and lavish, of course. Gilded trims and flourishes adorn almost every surface, and the cavernous rooms seem to stretch on forever. The empty darkness, the copious ornamentation in red and gold, all of that suits her idea of his family perfectly.

But Zuko’s room, despite the opulence, is almost bare. After Katara helps him to his bed, she sets to work digging for something, anything, that she can use to bandage the wound in the middle of his chest. Still, though she opens one drawer after another and pokes her head into every cabinet she can find, there is nothing but more empty wooden shelves.

“Isn’t there anything I can use for bandages in this place?” she calls back to him. Even a clean tunic will do, but aside from the blankets on his bed and the curtains catching the gentle evening breeze, there doesn’t appear to be any usable fabric anywhere in his whole extravagant bedroom.

His face is pale and his breathing faint and reedy, but there is a strange sort of steadiness in his eyes when he looks her way. “Towels, maybe? In there.” With one arm still wrapped tight around his middle, he gestures vaguely in the direction of a second, slightly less ornate door.

A small, dim washroom greets her on the other side of the door, and though she is relieved to find that the gilded taps still produce twin streams of clear water, every shelf in the room is bare. Katara lets out a sharp breath. They’ve seen burned-out husks of houses less barren than this.

“Nothing,” she says, returning to his side just in time to steady him when he sways. He probably shouldn’t be sitting upright in his condition, but a not-inconsiderable part of her worries that if Zuko lies down before she can bandage his chest, he might not be able to sit up again.

“Hmm. Guess Father burned everything I left behind.” Though the words are somewhat indistinct, his tone still carries an unusual calm. Like this is normal. Like it’s expected for a father to burn all his son’s possessions in a fit of rage.

Katara squeezes his shoulder softly. “If you left anything important, I’m sure we can find it. He couldn’t have burned everything.”

“He could. But—” Zuko’s forehead creases, and it takes a few moments for him to resume. “I don’t think I left anything that matters.”

She hopes not. After all that they’ve been through, losing an important keepsake is the last thing she wants to think about.

“I’ll find something,” she says, half to reassure herself. “As soon as I get you bandaged up, you can get some rest.”

With unsteady hands, she tips out the contents of their packs and sifts through the jumble of clothes, washed and unwashed, until at last she comes across a fresh towel folded up at the bottom of his pack. Finally. There is a soft clattering sound when she shakes the creases out of the fabric, and although Zuko seems interested by the sound, she can’t bring herself to care. Until he is bandaged and comfortable enough to rest, nothing else matters.

Zuko, however, is either much more or much less focused than she is. As she sets to work tearing the cloth into strips and winding them snugly around his chest, he strains from one side to the other. “I heard something. Katara, what was that noise?”

“Something fell out of your pack. Hold still, would you? I don’t need you hurting yourself by squirming around.”

If he hears that, he pretends not to. “I need to see what it is.”

“Hey.” She flicks his forehead to get his attention. “I’ll find out what it was in a minute. Just let me finish this, would you?”

It takes some time, but eventually Katara finishes binding his wound and gets him settled back against his pillows. His cheeks are pale, his forehead glistening with sweat, and yet he grabs hold of her hand and squeezes with a surprising amount of force.

“Is it still there?” He cranes his head to the side as though he might be able to see his possessions spilled across the floor from the bed. “Katara, I need to see—”

With an exasperated sigh, she pushes him back again. “You’re impossible. Have I told you that before?” Then, before he can try to squirm past her and out of bed, she crouches to make a quick search of the floor.

It’s probably nothing, she tells herself. A hard sliver of soap, or a wooden spoon packed into the wrong bag. Zuko is probably just disoriented by pain and fever and too confused to realize that they’re alone here, that the Fire Sages are guarding the palace, and at least for now, they’re as safe as they can hope to be.

But when she searches the floor, nothing stands out to her at first. There are clothes spilled absolutely everywhere, but at first glance, there’s nothing hard enough to explain the clattering sound. Nothing, that is, until a strange distortion in the shadows catches her eye, and her fingers close around a translucent piece of stone roughly the size of her thumb.

Brows creased in bemusement, she perches back on the side of the bed and holds the stone up for him to see. “Have you been carrying rocks around in your pack for fun, or is Toph sneaking them in there?”

To her surprise, Zuko seems relieved, and he reaches weakly in its direction. “I thought I lost that.”

“You didn’t.” She presses the stone into his hand before smoothing a few strands of hair away from his eyes. “So—why have you been carrying a rock around?”

He is quiet for a few seconds, but when he speaks again, his words feel more considered, more deliberate than before. “Remember the crystal catacombs?”

Katara nods. Of course she does. She tries not to think about it too often, but forgetting would be all but impossible.

“I kept a crystal,” he rasps. “It still glows a little when it’s dark outside.”

In the fading evening light, it’s difficult to tell, but she thinks she can almost see it. Despite its milky translucence, the crystal casts almost no shadow at all, and where the shadow should be, there is a faint, blue-green cast instead.

“When I decided to leave, I had to take it with me. The crystal was there the first time we talked. I had to have it with me or I would never find you again.” He falls silent for a few moments, then frowns and shakes his head. “Maybe I’m delirious. That sounds silly now.”

Slowly, Katara shakes her head. “You might be delirious, but it isn’t that silly.”

Zuko rolls his head just far enough to the side to give her a skeptical look.

“I mean it. We’re both still here.” She closes both her hands softly around his. “And as long as you stay here with me, I don’t care if it’s because of the crystal or not. I can believe anything as long as you get better.”

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #zutara week #zutaraweek #zutara week 2023 #zutaraweek2023 #Jewel #soopersara's scribbles

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legend-of-thyme · 6 months

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It's Breanna's birthday today, and she's requested as much Ravioli as possible. Happy birthday @breannasfluff! I hope it's been everything you hoped for and that you enjoy this little bit of fluff. <3

~~~

"Mr. Hero," Ravio whispers quietly, pulling Legend from sleep. "Mr. Hero, wake up. I have something to show you".

Legend grumbles and closes his eyes more tightly. His partner doesn't sound upset so maybe he can get away with pretending to sleep a while longer. He must have slept more deeply than he has in years because it feels like only moments ago he'd crawled into bed relishing the feeling of being in his own room, in his own house, with his own husband at his side.

He rolls over to bury his face in Ravio's side and wonders with a sleepy sort of distance why the normally late riser is up at all.

A thin, frigid finger pokes him insistantly in the cheek and Legend jolts the rest of the way to wakefulness with a yelp. Ravio yelps too as he overbalances and tumbles over on top of Legend. They barely miss knocking their heads together but Ravio still laughs and kisses his cheek before pulling back just far enough to grin at him through the dark.

Wait. Why is it dark?

"What time is it?" He yawns and blinks trying to clear the fog from his mind.

Ravios grin only grows as he sits back upright pulls Legend with him. "Midnight," he says, far too brightly. "Happy birthday, bun!"

"Ravio" he say slowly. "Why am I awake at midnight?"

"Well I had to make sure I was the first person to wish you happy birthday, didn't I?" Ravio asks propping his hands on his hips and feigning indignation. It fails immediately as he disolves into laughter.

Adoration sweeps over Legend like a wave so strongly it would have knocked him off his feet if he were standing. Any residual disgruntlement at being woken in the middle of the night washes away in its wake. Ravio hides his face in his hands to muffle a snort and Legend hopes he can start every birthday this way for the rest of his life.

He pulls Ravio's hands away from his face and kisses him softly. "Thank you, Ravi. What was it you wanted to show me?"

Ravio brightens at the reminder and, distressingly, pulls his hands out of Legend’s own and moves to get up.

"Where are you going? It’s cold".

"I'll be right back," he calls over his shoulder. "Don't fall asleep!"

Legend grumbles but sits up straigher inching over towards Ravio's empty spot to chase his lost warmth.

Ravio doesn't keep him waiting long. He practically skips back into the room managing to avoid every creaky floorboard despite the plates in his hands.

The smell hits him all at once, warm and nostalgic. "Is that apple crumble?"

"Yes! It’s birthday tradition after all," Ravio hands him the plates and gently nudges him back over to his own side of the bed.

"You know Wild's going to be making a real cake later, right?"

"Of course, but you heard them all planning over dinner last night. Between Fable and your brothers today's going to be packed". Ravio hums contentedly as he digs into his crumble. "I wanted to have some for just the two of us," he finishes through a large mouthful.

Legend stops spoon half way to his mouth. "Do you not want to go out today? I can tell them all to free up this afternoon. They'd understand".

He hopes they would understand. Planning his birthday had turned into a bit of an ordeal as each of his brothers wanted him to experience their own birthday traditions. Hyrule turned out to be a goddessend, gently mediating and reminding them all that Legend would be happiest if they avoided surprises and let him take an active role in organizing the day.

His heart sinks wondering why Ravio hadn't said anything earlier. "If you want we can ditch the whole thing. You know I'd be just as happy to read by the pond with you all day".

"What? No!" Ravio shakes his head furiously seeming genuinely surprised. "I know we usually do quiet celebrations, but I couldn't be happier to spend the whole day with your family". He bites his lip in a way Legend knows means he's thinking carefully about what to say next.

"Link," he meets his eyes soft and sure and sincere. "I wanted time for us and time with everyone else, not instead of time with everyone else". His smile is as sweet as apples and as warm as cinnamon. "You are so loved by so many people, my heart. Let us celebrate you the way you deserve".

#linked universe #lu legend #lu ravio #ravioli #my fic #you're such a lovely person bre #and i hope your day has been as sweet as you are

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mj-iza-writer · 7 months

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"Wake up", Whumper nudged them with their foot, "we're going to the beach today."

Whumpee groaned as they looked up at them, outings like this normally meant some sort of sedative was going to be crammed down there throat. They would be rag dolled around all day.

"My friend invited us to their secluded beach section, so I don't have to worry about you yelling for help", Whumper grinned.

"Does that- does that mean I don't have to be sedated?", Whumpee sat up, "please."

"Sorry, you still have to be sedated, there are still neighbors", Whumper helped them up from the floor, "I've got it already to go, this time I've even remembered breakfast, you got sick on me last time, I'm not doing that again."

"Please I promise I won't run", Whumpee begged.

"No", Whumper stated in annoyance, "I'm going to be swimming and enjoying myself, not worrying about you."

Whumpee winced at his anger, "I'm sorry, sir."

"Now I have your suit and cover set out in my room. Go get ready, and find me after", Whumper smiled.

Whumpee looked over the bikini/speedo that had been picked out, "of course, they picked the one that accentuates the abuse. They can look at those all they want if we are in seclusion."

Whumpee put on the suite with a sigh, then threw on the cover outfit. "Today is going to suck, I hate being their puppet."

"Hurry up", Whumper yelled at them, "you still need to eat and take the medication."

"I'm coming", Whumpee took a final look in the mirror and groaned.

Whumpee quickly ate, then eyed the sedative.

"Can I ask one more time, please no sedation", they whined.

"You can either take it with water like a good slave, or I'll take a straw and shoot it down your throat, your choice," Whumper spoke through gritted teeth and a menacing grin.

"Ok ok, can I take it with my juice though please", Whumpee bargained.

"Yes that's fine", Whumper smiled knowing they gave in a little, but happy for the compliance nonetheless.

Whumper placed the pill in Whumpee's mouth and watched them gulp it down. They made Whumpee open their mouth to insure it definitely went down.

"Good Whumpee, that normally takes 45 minutes to kick in, so plenty of time to get there, the car is packed already", Whumper did a happy dance, "I can't wait for a beach day."

Whumpee frowned.

"Cheer up, I've packed you snacks, drinks, a water proof blanket, plus they've got a lounge chair and umbrella, so you can unwind", Whumper grinned.

"Did you remember sunblock?", Whumpee looked at a bag that was not packed in the car yet.

"That I did", Whumper grinned, "let's get going."

Whumpee stood up, but instantly sat back down, "I'm already getting groggy."

"I'll get this stuff packed up and come back for you", Whumper grabbed a few things and went out. When he came back, Whumpee's head was starting to bob, "that was a different brand, I guess they start faster than the other", Whumper lifted them from the chair, and out to the car.

Whumper placed Whumpee in the passenger seat and tightened their seat belt. Their body was already limp. "There we go, hopefully that keeps you from falling over."

"I don't feel good Whumper, what did you give me", Whumpee winced, they slowly raised their hand to their head. Everything felt slow, they felt like they were floating.

"Don't throw up on me", Whumper listened to them whine, "it was a different brand sedative, but the same dosage."

"It's not that type of feeling", Whumpee breathed heavily, "I feel like I'm floating and falling at the same time, I feel like taking a nap."

'Well, go ahead and fall asleep, maybe when we get there, some of it will wear off", Whumper cupped Whumpee's cheek, "I'm going to make sure everything is locked then we'll go."

Whumper climbed into the driver side of the car. They noticed Whumpee was out, "well I guess I won't have them complaining the whole ride there."

Whumpee woke up to Whumper applying sunblock to them, they where sat reclined in a beach chair, the umbrella already up.

"Hrmmp", the grumbled groggigly, "we're here already."

"Yes, we just got here", Whumper started to apply sunblock to themself, "I've had enough time to apply your sunblock, are you ok?"

"Im not floating anymore, I still feel extremely slow though" they tried to move.

"Are you comfortable, I'm about to go swim", Whumper stood up, "do you want any snacks, drinks?"

"I think I'll be sick if I ate anything, can I have my sunglasses and a water please", Whumpee tried shaking their head to get rid of some of the groginess, "this sun is not working with me."

Whumper placed the sunglasses on Whumpee and sat the water bottle beside them, "I'm going swimming."

Whumpee nodded, "thankyou sir."

"The normal rules and relationship standards I've set restarts tomorrow", Whumper stated, "don't get used to me being nice, this is a mini vacation."

"Yes sir, I understand", Whumpee sighed, wondering how this was considered a vacation for them, when all they could do was watch."

Whumper ran into the water, Whumpee watched, this is so fun they mocked quietly. So fun.

#whump community #whump writing #whump stuff #whump ideas #whumpee #whump scenario #whumper #whump #beach whump

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nerdthatsiriuslylovesteaxx · 1 month

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Helpless part 35

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I- if you look now it's going to make you want to do it more, also you don't need anything more on your mind." Nico shut his eyes as Will started to unwrap the bandages, cleaning them before stitching them up. He tried to not think about what he was doing but he couldn't, he needed to see what he'd done, and why it wasn't enough. He wasn't worth all this effort, he wasn't worth keeping alive. Any hope he'd had died years ago, it died that day when he was nine. "Take a deep breath Neeks." Will whispered in his ear when he saw his expression, how tense he was. He placed a hand on the Ghost king's one and intertwined the fingers with his own. Then he softly started to sing the hymn, it hadn't worked since he healed Nico's rib but he sang it more for the calming effect it could have if he focused. He watched as his faced relaxed, and the tension in his body faded. The familiar warmth of the magic coursed through his veins, his skin started to glow as he ran a hand over Nico's arm, watching as the harsh cuts were replaced with scars and subsequently a stinging pain appeared in his own. By this point Nico's eyes were open, Will placed a hand on his chest, letting those cuts heal. Fuck, he would need more painkillers, the amount of injuries that had piled up in the last few weeks he'd practically been high on them. The lack of sleep had started to catch up to him, he'd gotten one half proper night of sleep in the last eleven-ish days but he couldn't let that stop him, people needed his help. "You okay?"

"Yeah... hey Will, what does it feel like after you heal someone? Like how much does it effect you?"

"It feels like a sort of warmness running through your veins, and then after you feel bit tired but it doesn't actually drain you that much, don't start getting out of breath until it's five different injuries, we'll for me now. When I started I would fait after each patient for a few minutes." He left out the part about feelings everyone elses injuries until they would have healed normally, there was no point in him knowing anyways. "Nico, try to get some sleep, your body needs rest." Nico muttered an okay under his breath before getting out of the chair and walking to the bed half dragging himself before quickly falling asleep. Will paced the infirmary, he wasn't sure what to do. The son of Hades hadn't been difficult but he wasn't sure how to get him to actually improve, running someone through a set of actions is easy, making sure they listen, that's almost impossible. Even if they want to get better so many people can't because of how much it had happened, he wanted to get him to talk to someone but he knew Nico didn't like opening up in that way to strangers, and the whole demigod thing would be a nightmare to work around with most professionals. Will quickly packed up everything he'd brought with him to the room remembering he wasn't allowed to keep any sort of mildly sharp object or medication in there. The room didn't have much in it, it had a bookshelf, bed and a wooden desk with a blue chair as well as a set of drawers and another table for anything people needed to bring in. Most people never came, only one person had come asking for help, the rest were concerned friends that wanted to keep someone safe from themselves. The one person who'd come willing was Annabeth, after that night on the bridge, it was only for a week and a half but he'd hoped it had helped. No one else knew about that, Annabeth has a tendency of disappearing for weeks on end so this was nothing. The son of Apollo took two painkillers and swallowed them with a glass of water, hoping they would kick in soon enough. Will walked out the infirmary and took out a pack from his short pocket, hiding behind a wall around the back of the infirmary where he knew no one would find him. He lit one a breathed in letting the smoke fill his lungs, he thought about what would have happened if he lost Nico. He thought back to everyone he'd lost, the children that died on their way to camp that he couldn't help, children whose names hadn't even been known when they were announced dead at the infirmary. Everyone he'd failed to heal, he let the rush of nicotine absorbe him, at least he tried with those ones. It was worse when he was left with a dead body and a note, seeing how he couldn't help because he never noticed. He burnt it out on the side of his leg before walking back inside, acting like nothing had ever happened.

***

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metalmonki · 3 months

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The Dating Odyssey: Eddie

Eddie Munson/Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Jim Hopper/Jonathan Byers x fem!reader

3.5k word count

fluff, idiot reader, reader who can't say no, choose your own adventure-ish

Part 1 / Steve's Ending / Jim's Ending

That night you had a fitful sleep. You couldn’t stop thinking about who you would choose and how you were supposed to let the other guys know you weren’t interested. You gave up trying to get any decent sort of sleep at 4am. You instead choose to hop up and get ready for work. You showered, dressed, had breakfast and your morning coffee and waited for the time to roll around for you to go to work. When they time finally rolled around you collected all the essays Carol left you to mark and packed them into your bag. A smile playing on your face. You couldn't wait to see her reaction when all her students got A's it was also a great distraction to the current situation. You grinned as you made the quick walk from your apartment to your car. The whole drive to Hawkins High you kept glancing over your bag. If Eddies plan worked and this landed Carol in hot water you would have to find a way to thank him. When you reached the school you quickly grabbed your bag and hurried through the doors. You had not taken 5 steps inside when you were stopped by a voice behind you.

“Ah Miss y/l/n just who I wanted to see”

“Of Principle Higgins sir how can I help you?” You turned around facing him

“I need you to cover Miss Perkins English classes today she has come down sick and can't make it”

“Oh I would be delighted to sir” You smiled a little too excited

“Okay well her classes rotate with yours so you should be fine let me know if you need any help” Principle Higgins walked off towards his office

Taking Carols classes meant you weren't going to be leaving early today like a normal Monday but at least you could pull off Eddies plan without Carol knowing until it was way, way too late to change anything. You were so going to have to track him down after school let out to tell him though, he was going to freak out. You headed off to your classroom to begin setting up for the day. You knew you were going to need to use your time this morning as well as recces and some of lunch to make sure all the classes went smoothly. The bell rang at 8:30 and most of the students filled into your room. Actually it was almost all of the students except of course the usual suspects Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Will and Max. About 5 minutes into your lesson the classroom door slammed open and all 5 of them came crashing into the class tripping over each other, yelling and screaming.

“Oh hay y/n, uh sorry we're late we all kinda slept in” Dustin spoke up

“You all slept in? I find that hard to believe” You crossed your arms trying to be serious but at the same time wanted to laugh at them

“Yeah, we were playing DnD at Eddies trailer like all day yesterday and it got super late so Eddie let us stay because his a really nice guy like that and anyway as I said he let us stay overnight and we all really slept in and it's like extremely difficult to wake Eddie up cause he sleeps almost completely naked and none of us really wanted to go wake him so we had to flip a coin and Mike lost but he was way to much of a wuss to go into Eddies room so...”

“Dustin, Dustin, ssh just take a seat and see me after class, way to much information dude geez” it took all your strength not to laugh and the image of an almost naked Eddie wasn't helping either.

The party apologised and took their seats while you resumed the lesson. Today's lesson was a practical lesson. After you re-explained the instruction everyone broke off into their lab groups to do the experiment. Many of the other students where whispering amongst each other about Dustin using your first name and the casualness between the group and you. The obvious concern was if their all friends with the teacher does that mean the teacher will give them an easy pass. But just because they were your students and you guessed your friends doesn't mean they were going to get an easy pass. Senior science passed quickly but before you could move on to Eddies plan you needed to speak with Dustin and the others. The group remained seated and waited for all the other students to file out of the classroom before saying anything.

“Hay we're really sorry for being late to class it wont' happen again” Mike spoke up when the last student left the class

“I don't care about that” You said “Just try not to make me almost burst out laughing in front of my class again”

“We can do that” Lucas smiled

“Great whose class do you have next?”

“Carols english class” Dustin rolled his eyes

“Oh sweet so I'm teaching her class today so I won't have to write you guys a note, I just have one quick guestion”

“Sweet best teacher her” Max cheered

“Whats your question?” Mike asked

“Where does Eddie live?”

“He has the trailer across from Max out at the trailer park” Will spoke up

“We're headed out to Max's after school if you want us to show you?” Dustin offered

“Yeah sure I'll drive yous but uh someone may need to sit on the floor or the back seat will be very crowded”

“Oh Eddies going to pick us up so we can split between the cars” Dustin said

“I am so going with y/n I am not getting in the back of Eddies van again” Max said

The kids slung their bags over there shoulders and you all began walking in one large group to the next class room. Once they were seated you retrieved the large pile of essays from your bag. As you called the roll you had them come up and collect their essays. Whispers broke out all over the classroom as students started to realise they all got As. You had a small giggle at their excitement before calming them down and explain the class for the day. It was simple read the next few chapters in the book they had been reading and answer a simple question for homework or they could do it during class if they had time. When the recces bell range you were super excited about the rest of the day and how the rest of the students would react to their As. Recces was spent preparing for your next science lesson and picking chapters and questions for the next 2 English classes. The science lesson went by in a blur due to your excitement to get to the next English lesson. You may have been more excited and moved faster then your students when the bell rang to signal the end of class. Normally this is the point of the day where you would be headed to the staff room to finalize your paperwork for the day so you could leave at lunch time. But instead you had 3 more English classes all of which you decided to keep simple. Read the chapters answer the question. Most of Carols students wouldn't be taking home homework tonight if they worked fast enough. You took a seat at the teachers desk called for silence and began calling names and handing out essays. Just like before the As were met with excited whispers. Rinse and repeat until the last bell of the day sounded. A smirk broke out on your face as you raced to pack your bag and get out of there for the day. When you entered the hallway you were met with a commotion.

“Excuse me! Coming through! Move people move!” Dustin's voice rang out down the hall

Soon the group of misfit teens stood before you Dustin in the lead.

“You lot ready to go” You laughed

“Been ready to leave since I walked in this morning” Dustin threw him arms around in over exaggerated movements

“Great I just need to drop some stuff in the office and we'll be good to go if someone wants to go let Eddie know the plans” You looked between the kids

“I'll go” Dustin said running off

You shook your head at the boy and started towards the office with the others trailing behind you. They all apparently wanted to go in your car because they didn't trust Eddies driving, not to mention his van didn't have any seats in the back. You made your way quickly to the office, dropped all your paperwork on your desk and left before anyone could pull you up. You quickly made your way to the school parking lot the group still chatting away behind you. They always seemed to have something to chat about. You'd even noticed them passing letters in class but you never pulled them up on it because the always done there work and it didn't really seem like much of a distraction. You opened the doors to the parking lot to find Eddie conveniently parked next to your car. Dustin had already climbed into Eddies van and was impatiently yelling at you all out the window. You and the kids basically jogged over to your car. You opened up the car from them before quickly turning to Eddie who was standing patiently beside his van.

“Hay Munson” You smiled

“Hay y/l/n did the plan work?” Eddie had an evil smirk

“Thats for me to know and you to find out, now get in that death trap and lead the way” You laughed climbing into your car.

Eddie quickled climbed into his van and roared the engine to life. He speed out of the parking lot, leaving you to curse and try to speed to keep up with him. The last thing you needed was a speeding ticket or worse to be pulled over by the sheriff. But you made it to the trailer park without incident. Eddie brought his van to a stop outside what you guessed to be his trailer. You pulled up alongside the van. The teens immediately started falling over each other to get out of the car. Once out they ran screaming at each other to a trailer almost directly across from the one you were park outside of.

“I'm guessing that's Max's place?” You said to Eddie

“It sure is, and this is my castle” Eddie stretched his arms out while looking at his trailer “So sweetheart is there a reason you wanted to know where I lived?” Eddie smirked at you

“Oh well I wanted to come tell you how your plan worked out”

Eddie motioned to the front door of the trailer. He went first holding open the front door like a gentleman. Someone had really raised this man right. You stepped into Eddie trailer and couldn't help but look around. You found yourself stood in Eddies open lounge and kitchen area. The walls where decorated with mugs and caps. His uncle Wayne's he told you when he noticed you look. He guided you down the hallway that stood just off the kitchen. The hallway was small and had only two other doors in it. One lead to a tiny bathroom and the other was Eddie's room. And it was exactly what you thought Eddies room would look like. The guitar he played the other night hung on the wall next to a mirror that was almost covered in everything heavy metal. He had heavy metal band posters on the walls and a recorder player with a large pile of records and cassettes next to it. The room was a messy, the bed unmade. It truly matched the man that lived in it.

“I thought you said your Uncle lived here too?” You said

“Oh he sleeps on the couch, his never really home anyway his always working” Eddie shrugged “Now how did our plan go?”

You gave Eddie a big grin before jumping at him. Eddie despite being taken by surprise was able to react fast enough to catch you wrapped his arms under you butt to hold you up. You wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist.

“It worked perfectly Eds!” You giggled “And guess what Carol wasn't even there today so she had no idea what's just happened”

“Yeah Henderson wouldn't shut up about his A” Eddie chuckled

You stopped giggling and moved back from Eddie. He placed you gently on the floor but kept you in his arms. One of his hands came up to move a stray hair away from your face. Before you could react his lips where on yours. The kiss was full of love and passion. You found your hands moving back around Eddies neck and coming to a rest in his wild curly hair. His arms where wrapped around you waist holding you firmly against him. You never wanted that kiss to end. There was something in that kiss, something that seemed to make your decision for you. Your heart wanted Eddie but your brain was screaming at you that you couldn't go into a relationship with Eddie built on lies. You needed to tell him about the other dates. Steve was right they all deserved to know. You broke the kiss. You pulled back and looked up at Eddie.

“I'm sorry I couldn't help myself” Eddie blushed

“No Eddie I'm sorry” You sighed looking down to the carpet not wanting to face the man in front of you. The man whose heart you were probably about to shatter.

“You've done nothing wrong” Eddie placed a finger under your chin forcing you to look up at him.

“I lied to you Eddie” Your eyes started to fill with tears.

“Lied? About what?” Eddie tried to chuckle

“I did go on a date with Jonathan” You said “And with Steve”

“Shit, shit, shit” Eddie put his hands on his head and turned away from you

“I'm sorry Eds, I also went on a date with Billy and Hop over the weekend too” Might as well give him the whole picture you thought

“4 other dates, Jesus Christ!” Eddie was trying to keep his voice down but he was now pacing his room “I...I need time to think”

Eddie took off out of his trailer leaving you alone. You heard his van roar to life. The sound tear your heart to shreds. You fought back the tears that were about to fall and left Eddies trailer. You walked across the road to Max's trailer. You could see the teens peeking out a window clearly interested in what was happening between you and Eddie. But when they seen him speed off and you come walking out on your own they quickly ducked away from the window clearly not wanting to get caught. You knocked on the door of Max's trailer and she was super quick to answer.

“Oh y/n your still here” Max tried to act like she hadn't just seen you walk across the road from Eddies

“Yeah, uh, I'm actually about to head off and just wanted to see if anyone here needed a lift home” You said trying to sound happy

“No we're good here, Steve and Nancy where going to give us all lifts home” Dustin called out

“No problems, see you at school tomorrow” You called back

You waved to Max and made your way back to your car. You made the drive back to your apartment slow. So slow in fact that you got pulled over by none other then the sheriff himself. You cursed silently to yourself and wiped at the tears that had stained your face. You pulled the car over safety, Hop pulling in close behind you. Hopped climbed out of his car and walked towards your face head down not paying attention writing something in a note book. He only looked up when he got to your car.

“You do realise you were driving way below the speed limit right?” He said looking up “y/n what are you doing all the way out here?”

“Breaking hearts apparently” You sniffled

“Oh hay honey what's the matter?” Hop opened your car door and kneeled down beside you

“I just told Eddie Munson that I went on dates with not only him but you and 3 other guys this weekend” You spilled out before you could stop your self.

“Oh well that's impressive” Hop chuckled

“Your not mad”

“Oh I'm fricken' furious” Hop stood up “But ain't much I can do about it, just try to go the speed limit” Hop slammed your door a little too hard before walking back to his patrol car.

You sat in silence for a few minutes gathering your thoughts before starting on your way back home. Just as you pulled into your parking spot out the front of your building it started to pour down. Just what you needed you thought. The weather was just as miserable as you. You sat in your car and watched the rain run down the windscreen. You left your umbrella inside and you really didn't feel like getting wet. The plan was to wait for a break in the rain then make a run for it. You sat in your car for almost an hour with no signs of the rain stopping. It was then that you spotted a familiar mop of curly hair. Except the usually wild bouncy curl's where now soaked and flat clinging to the face of their owner. Eddie Munson was running through the rain and right to your door. He didn't see you sitting in the car. Instead he ran straight past and under the small amount of cover the front awning of your building provided. He rang the buzzer for your apartment and waited. You sat in shock, your brain racing to process what your eyes were seeing. Eddie pressed your buzzer a few more times but when there came no answer he dropped his shoulders and walked back out into the rain. You couldn't let him leave, you needed to apologise for everything, you needed to try to make things right. In one swift movement you were out of the car and standing on the side walk. Eddie had his back to you, walking slowly away.

“Eddie!” You shouted

Eddie spun on his heels. He jogged back over to you while you stood frozen in the rain. It was like a scene from a sappy romantic movie.

“You didn't answer the door” Eddie said coming to a stop in front of you

“I was sitting in my car” You said pointing to your car

“Look y/n I'm so sorry for everything” Eddie grabbed your hands “I love you, you drive me crazy in all the best ways, I want to be with you, I want to be yours and only yours forever, I spoke to Steve, Jonathan and Billy, I told them what you did and I told them I wouldn't force you to pick and they shouldn't either. It should be up to you. I don't know why you choose to go on so many dates, I don't know if you even liked any of us to begin with, I don't know if you love me as much as I love you, or if you want to be with me or if you've chosen someone else. All I do know is I couldn't let you go without tell you exactly how I feel”

You didn't know how to responded to Eddies speech. You didn't think there was any words good enough to say to something like that, so you did the one thing you knew would get across what you were feeling. You wrapped your arms around Eddie neck and pulled him into a kiss. Something Eddie accepted without delay. He wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you flush against him. Your lips moved perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle. You were both completely soaked by this point but neither of your cared. Anyone walking past would think you were trying to completely every romantic cliché ever invented. You eventually pulled apart trying to fill your lungs with much needed air. Eddie smiled down at you still holding you in his arms. This all felt so right. You knew you found the one for you.

“Do you want to come inside and have a hot shower?” You asked

“That would be wonderful it's freezing out here” Eddie laughed as you ran to the front door of youe apartment.

#jim hopper #eddie munson x reader #jim hopper x reader #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #jonathan byers #jonathan byers x reader #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #stranger things

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animeomegas · 1 year

Text

24 Hours - Epilogue

[Alpha!Reader x Multiple Naruto Characters]

Summary: You had spent the best part of a week married to each of your possible future suitors. You had enjoyed yourself immensely, but now was the hard part; you had to sort your life out and figure out which path you were going to pick... GN!Alpha!Reader x Multiple

Warnings: Pregnancy stuff, swearing, vague descriptions of injuries, some n-sfw discussions.

(And here we are!! The epilogue is complete!!! This project has been a ride, but it’s all worth it to give to @omeganronpa!! I hope everyone else has enjoyed also though, and I hope you enjoy the ending, even if it’s not the one you hoped for :D Merry Christmas!!!!!! 💞💞💞)

Word count: 9.4k

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Epilogue

When you opened your eyes, you expected to see the purple-on-purple design of the fortune telling shop through clouds of incense, with the mysterious fortune teller hovering over you and smiling in that infuriating way that made you want to answer the question of whether to thank her or punch her with the answer ‘both’.

But no, you woke up in your shinobi, standard issue flat, in your boring, plain bedroom that never had time to be interesting or messy because you were never there. Your whole body ached from the mission you had almost forgotten you’d just done, but you pushed yourself into a sitting position regardless.

You were still wearing your mission clothes and you clearly hadn’t showered. It was almost too normal to find yourself in such a situation.

Had it all been a dream? No, you decided, definitely not. That was too much for a dream and what would anyone have had to gain from such a genjutsu. No, you really had lived an extra week in the future, and doubting the authenticity of it wouldn’t be helpful. But did that mean the fortune teller had carried you to your room? You felt strange that she’d seen you in such a vulnerable state and then gained access to your home, apparently bypassing all your traps, only to leave you lying on your bed. She had done you a great service, but that didn’t mean you trusted her enough to feel comfortable with that.

Ignoring the fact that you looked and probably smelt like shit, you jumped out of bed and ran through your house, barely remembering to grab the keys from your mission pack on the way and stormed down the stairs to the ground floor. You needed to see the fortune teller. She needed to explain herself to you.

You squinted against the bright light of the sun as you exited out onto the quiet street, but when you swivelled towards the fortune telling shop, you found it as empty as it had always been. The windows were unobstructed by purple curtains and the only thing you could see inside was small amounts of debris and an abandoned counter. Baffled, you walked to the door, noticing the fortune telling signs replaced by the old for sale price with an abysmally low price, and tried to push it open. Locked.

It was exactly as it had been when you went on your mission. Empty, abandoned, lifeless and containing zero fortune tellers or purple décor.

Completely bemused, you had no other choice but to return to your flat. It felt so cold after all the homes you’d spent the last six nights in. You had believed house and home to be synonyms previously, but the last week had shown you how wrong you were.

Regardless, you couldn’t believe the whole shop was just… gone!

You decided to get out of your clothes and hop in the shower; you’d be able to think and rid yourself of the dried blood and mud at the same time. You turned on the hot water, silently mourning the superior shower and bath at the Nara compound as you did and stepped under the water.

You stayed standing there for a few minutes, watching the brown water flow down the drain as you pretended that you hadn’t just had your entire world view turned on its head by a possibly-not-real fortune teller.

How were you going to pick? You ran through everyone you’d spent a day with as you squirted shampoo into your palm. No, it was more than that. It wasn’t just about picking a mate; it was about picking a whole life. You had so much you needed to do before you’d be in a position to take any mate and give them the version of you they deserved.

You needed to sort yourself out before you tried to court one of them.

Your number one priority was to figure out how you could be in the village more often. The schedule you were operating on now was unsustainable, with or without a future mate, but you also couldn’t be a good alpha is you were never present for your omega. Unfortunately, you’d also be a pretty bad mate if you were completely broke and unemployed because you decided to stop taking missions. You had to find a middle ground.

It would be a slow process, and although it hurt your heart to think about going back to your lonely life there was no other choice; you wouldn’t be able to stop missions right away. But you could start working on something else, something that would allow you to switch to taking missions part time eventually. Or should you go for an in-village job?

No, you quickly dismissed that idea. You would miss the thrill and the travel that came with taking missions, so your first plan was better. So, what could you do part time while taking missions for the other half of your time? What were you good at? What experience did you have outside of the usual shinobi skills? What would be a good fulltime venture in the event that you were too injured to continue missions or for after retirement? You had to consider it all.

You took a moment to just appreciate the hot spray of the water once more. It was soothing to think in the shower, all the best ideas were born there in your experience.

As you pondered the question, you started thinking about what other ninjas had done and you found yourself considering Ino’s dad’s flower shop. A shop could be perfect. You were great at business; you had been thinking about that only yesterday when future Naruto was telling you about the business fairs Konoha was hoping to start.

The more you turned it over in your mind, the more you were convinced that it was a great plan. You started to feel enthused just thinking about it. You’d have normal hours to work around whatever family you had, you could easily hire someone to run it while you were on missions because running a shop didn’t require specialist skills and barring the most extreme injuries, you’d be able to do it fulltime if you were forced into retirement early.

Yes, you liked this plan. It felt right. It had you feeling hopeful for the future, something you desperately needed. What kind of shop though? And how could you afford it?

The image of the now empty shop under your flat came to mind immediately, mainly because of how cheap it was. It was a rundown commercial building in a residential area, it wasn’t like people were clamouring to buy it, but if that kind of property was all you could afford, you’d need a business that could survive in such a location.

What kind of shop wouldn’t need much foot traffic to survive? Perhaps a shop that people didn’t visit every day and were therefore more willing to travel out of the centre of Konoha for. What kind of shop could you run where the remote location was a selling point?

Hmm, you would have to think about it more, but buying the shop downstairs wasn’t a bad idea if you could figure out a business that would work.

The water was getting cold, so you stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, drying yourself off and trying to avoid aggravating any injuries.

Getting this business set up would be step one. Dropping to part time missions would be step two. Getting closer to all your friends and helping them out with your future knowledge would be step three. Then and only then would you think about a mate.

…

Despite your energy for change, your life continued much in the same way for another year or so, and while it hurt at first, you’d fallen into the familiar pattern pretty easily. The goal you had made it easier to preserve though; knowing you didn’t have to do this forever was energising.

You put away as much money as you could from every mission, trying to save up for that shop, but before you had enough and before you had a chance to deepen and create all these friendships you wanted to make, war broke out.

The war put things on hold for obvious reasons, and in the darkest days, you wondered how the futures you had seen could ever be possible, because it felt like no one and nowhere would be spared from the brutal destruction.

You had fought as hard as you could, for those perfect futures and for your present loved ones. But eventually, it was over, and you had won. Sasuke came back and you focused on rebuilding your village and your home. You had a lot of time to think about your shop as you cleared rubble and organised relief efforts. Haku turned up to Konoha not long after it was up and running again, and you knew it was time to start chasing that future once more.

You opened your shop exactly two years after the war had ended. It wasn’t under your old flat, because the whole building had been destroyed, but you went for a similar place. You needed somewhere a little more private, a little more hidden, for your store.

You created a shop for heat and rut supplies, but you specifically aimed it towards shinobi by, among other things, allowing multiple exits to and from the building, operating on weird opening hours a few times a week for shinobi who were on missions during usual opening times, and including specialist seals for protection and scent control that shinobi could use to feel safer during their vulnerable times.

You stocked everything you could think of. Toys, lube, informational books and porn, nesting materials, high calorie ration bars, seals, nest décor, water bottles, low effort recipe books, first aid kits, cleaning supplies designed to be odourless so they don’t interfere with the heat/rut, and so much more.

It was a slow start, many people not aware of your shop for the first few months, but shinobi were awful gossips, so every one of them that came to your shop spread the word and soon business was booming and the money followed not long afterwards. You hired some brilliant staff to cover your days off and missions, and everything went as smoothly as you could have hoped.

The war was over, the shop had been set up, missions were dropped to part time, and you had money rolling in. It was time for the final step: choosing a mate.

You had become closer with all the omegas you’d spent those futures with, after the war.

You had asked Shikamaru to teach you to play shogi, and now you played together every week, allowing him a break to indulge in his hobbies with you. He beat you every time, but you were getting better, and he seemed to like watching you grow and change as a player. He had never once let you win though even when you had begged for a the shallow ego boost.

You, Naruto and Sasuke were closer than ever. You helped Sasuke fit back into the village and looked after him when the trauma got too much. You were there for Naruto to talk through his feelings about the war and to cry on each other’s shoulders as you thought about the people you had lost. You started to nudge them both together too, because whether you chose to join them or not, you wanted them to be happy.

When Haku had come to Konoha, you had helped him find a place to live, conveniently retracing your steps from memory to the place you had lived with him in the future. He had loved it and after you’d given a few suggestions on the interior from your memory, Haku had called on you for interior design advice every time he needed it. You were pretty sure his love of your designs based on what you saw of his choices in the future was definitely some kind of paradox, but that wasn’t going to stop you.

You had reached out to Shino in order to get to know him better and you’d had many ‘friend outings’ with him alone and also with his team. You listened to him and were delighted to find he already had that strange sense of humour that cracked you up more than anything else.

It was through Shino that you got closer to Kiba as well. And when Kiba had been sick on his birthday, all his friends on missions or unable to risk getting sick from him, you had been the one to spend the day with him, nursing him and trying to cheer him up. He had returned the favour when you had inevitably caught the sickness a few days later and you’d been lose ever since.

You had supported Neji leaving his clan as best as you could, offering him free reign over your shop for nesting supplies after hours, so he could shop privately for the supplies to build his first nest. You had even started stocking specific medication after hearing about how hard it had been for him to find pain meds that didn’t mess with the ones he already took to manage his heats after years of suppressant abuse. It had been difficult to get your hands on the medication, but for him, you did it.

You had also prioritised the other relationships in your life. Sakura, Sai, Ino, Chouji, Hinata, Lee, Tenten… all of them.

So, now, at your birthday party, the table was full of all these people. Your relationships with your friends were the most precious thing you had, and to see them all together here, to celebrate your birthday, it brought a tear to your eye.

It had taken serious planning to get a night where everyone would be there, but you had done it and it was more than worth it.

Neji caught your eye and nodded at you with a small smile; you had slipped him some free heat meds when you had arrived.

Kiba was grinning at you and poking your leg with his toe at varying intervals.

Shikamaru was watching you and when you caught his eye he mouthed ‘happy birthday’ before turning back to his drink.

Shino was sat right next to you and was telling you a story about his latest mission.

Haku was sat on your other side, between you and Naruto because you’d been worried about him feeling out of place, but he simply looked serenely around the table. When he got to you, he grabbed your face in his hands and pressed a kiss to each of your cheeks. A birthday greeting from Kiri, he explained.

Naruto was frantically searching through his bag for your gift that he was swearing must be there somewhere, while Sasuke stood at his shoulder, rolling his eyes.

These were the people that could be your future. And you knew who you were going to pick.

…

After agonising over the perfect courting gift, the right place for a first date and the right things to say, it was surprisingly easy to start a relationship with who you had picked. It was so easy that you kind of regretted over analysing every second of your memories of that cycle to find clues as to what you should say or do.

But in the end, you didn’t even give the courting gift or get through the planned words before your courting offer was eagerly accepted.

Things moved quickly. You were glad that you had worked on yourself first; you would have been unable to handle being a good partner back then, but now you could do everything a good mate should do and more.

Technically, you were on a courting date now, but you were far past the awkward restaurant dates and daytime walks around the village. No, this was relaxed, the eating takeaway in your living room and binging bad movies together kind of relaxed.

…

“What kind of decision was that?” you exclaimed, watching the protagonist choose to run upstairs rather than out the front door while she was being chased by a serial killer. “Like, I’m not here to victim blame, but…”

“That sounds exactly like victim blaming to me,” Kiba laughed, knocking his shoulder into yours.

“No, I said I wasn’t victim blaming!”

“Uh huh, like you said you weren’t going to eat all the mac and cheese,” he said, eyeing the empty pot that said mac and cheese had once been in.

“Shut up, I hate you,” you grumbled, snuggling into his shoulder and pulling the blankets around yourself. The protagonist was getting brutally murdered on screen, but you weren’t paying much attention. It wasn’t like these civilian horror films ever got anything right about actual murders anyway.

“Yeah, you hate me?” he leant down and whispered directly in your ear. Shivers ran down your spine. “I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it, dog boy,” you said without any heat.

“You sound like you’ve been spending too much time with Naruto,” Kiba smirked, pushing himself somehow closer to you. “Should I be jealous?”

“Never,” you said firmly, dropping the joking tone immediately. “My attention is yours; I’ll never look away, I promise.”

Kiba grinned, his lips now hovering close to yours.

“I love it when you say stuff like that,” he said, voice lined with a growl. He kissed you before you could formulate a reply.

With Kiba, you’d quickly learnt that every kiss was like the first time. Not because he kissed slowly or hesitantly or sweetly every time, but because the first time had been intense, hot and heavy and so was every kiss that followed.

You hummed into Kiba’s mouth, satisfied by the way he was using his tongue. You had become so comfortable with Kiba so quickly, but you’d yet to go all the way. Kiba seemed eager to take that step as soon as possible, but you wanted to court him for a little more first; you really didn’t want him to think that you were only there for sex.

You kissed until the credits of the film started to roll and only then did you realise how late it had become.

“Damn,” you said, pulling away, panting a little. “It’s already almost 1 AM, you don’t have a mission tomorrow, do you?”

“Nope,” Kiba replied, snatching one of the last slices of pizza from the table and shoving it in his mouth. “I’m still on leave from the last one.”

“Nice… Do you, uh, well,” you stumbled over your words. It was annoying considering how much you have practiced being casual about it in the mirror. “Do you want to stay the night?”

Kiba looked at you for a moment, a little bit of pizza sauce on his cheek, but before long he was grinning again.

“Hell yeah, I do!” he said, excitedly. “But I don’t have any pyjamas or stuff with me.”

“I have a spare toothbrush,” you said quickly, deciding not to mention that you’d bought an extra just for him. “And you can borrow some of my clothes to sleep in.”

You weren’t sure if it was just your imagination, but Kiba’s eyes seemed to darken at your words.

“Sounds good,” he said after a long pause. His voice was as heavy as his gaze.

…

You had offered to take the sofa and let Kiba take the bed, but the look of offence he had given you had had the offer dying on your lips.

You and Kiba were laying together in your bed now. You pointedly ignored the instinctual rush of having the omega you wanted to mate in your bed.

Kiba was draped over you, seemingly feeling no awkwardness at sharing a bed with you for the first time. He really wasn’t going to change much, at least personality wise, if the future version of him that you met had been accurate.

You sighed happily, rubbing circles on Kiba’s back. The mixing of his scent and your scent was making you pleased and sleepy. It was so nice to have Kiba here with you, and you couldn’t wait to see how your relationship was going to grow and change.

“Just so you know,” Kiba said sleepily. “Inuzuka don’t get married, so if you’re waiting until marriage to fuck me, you’re going to be waiting a long time.”

You snorted at the unexpected statement, having to stifle your laughs with your free hand.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I was just letting you know.”

“You don’t have to worry, anyway,” you said, still chuckling. “I’m not waiting for marriage, I just… want you to know that I like you for you, not for sex, y’know.”

“I already know that, dummy,” Kiba said, flicking you on the side. You could almost hear him rolling his eyes. “You don’t need to wait for that.”

“Seeing as we’re on the topic though,” you said, resuming your rubbing of his back. “Why don’t Inuzuka get married?”

“There’s no point of marriage if you already carry each other’s bite marks,” Kiba said bluntly. “Nothing is more important than that.”

You turned the thought over in your mind. You had kinda assumed that future Kiba and you had been married, but apparently not. It made sense though, now that you were thinking about it, and not being married wouldn’t change anything in your relationship.

“I get that,” you said. “It fits your clan, not going to lie.”

Kiba snorted but didn’t deny it.

You laid together in silence for a while. You were starting to think Kiba had fallen asleep, but he’d obviously been thinking about things, because he spoke up again, sounding a little hesitant for the first time since you’d known him.

“Do you, uh, want any pups?” Kiba asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

You just started to laugh as soon as you registered the words. You couldn’t help it.

“Wha- hey! Why are you laughing?”

“I’m sorry, I just-“ you couldn’t get the words out between laughs, but Kiba’s frowny face eventually calmed you down. “I would love to have pups in the future. How many do you want?”

“A few, I guess-“

You burst out laughing again, unable to keep it in with the thoughts of Kiba only having a few pups. This time Kiba hit you with a pillow.

“Why are you laughing?!”

You responded by picking up your own pillow and hitting him with it, devolving your quiet cuddling into a wild pillow fight.

You had a sneaking suspicion that despite you taking these early days slowly, it wouldn’t be long until Minoru popped into existence. And maybe it was a weird thing to think, but you were really excited to see him again.

…

It turned out that Minoru did come pretty soon, only two years after that first time you’d slept in a bed together with Kiba.

And just over a year later, Ichika joined the family, and you were now a family of four.

Kiba had proclaimed multiple times how you were on the same wavelength with names because he always loved your first suggestion. You kept where the inspiration came from to yourself as it was technically cheating.

Now, Minoru was three years old, Ichika was two and it had been four years since Kiba had gone on a mission. He still worked around the compound when he had the chance but being pregnant was too much of a risk on the field and he was still breastfeeding so he couldn’t be gone for more than a day or two.

He wasn’t technically retired, simply on leave, but you had a sneaking suspicion that he was pregnant again (with twins), going by the timeline you’d seen from the future, so he wouldn’t be returning to being an active shinobi anytime soon.

(You remembered when Kiba had been worried about him and Akamaru getting bored without missions, but the pups had kept both of them more than busy.)

You were still taking missions, but you had stopped taking long ones altogether and pulled back the number of short missions as much as you could. You spent almost all of your day in the shop instead, so you could be home for dinner and the bedtime routine almost every night. Kiba and your pups deserved a present mate and appa.

Unfortunately, even though you were only taking a short mission every fortnight, that didn’t mean being a shinobi wasn’t dangerous.

The last thing you remembered was accidentally triggering a trap and having your foot mangled and a paralytic fired into your neck.

The paralytic had worn off on its own, but your foot had required pretty intensive surgery in the hospital back in Konoha. You honestly couldn’t remember much about the journey back or initial treatment, but you had eventually been released home with strict instructions not to put any weight on your foot unless absolutely necessary.

You felt guilty for burdening Kiba with your care on top of your two toddlers, but he had been rather aggressive when you tried to apologise.

“It’s my job to take care of you,” he had said. “I don’t want to hear any apologising bullshit.”

At least you were capable of staying alert all day, even if you were stuck in bed. You could work on the paperwork for your shop which stopped you from feeling entirely useless.

You sighed, leaning back against the headboard of your bed. You still had another week before your final surgery and then another week of recovery before you could try to walk again. You amused yourself briefly by imagining putting a bounty on the head of whoever set that trap, but your daydreams were interrupted by the door opening.

In toddled Minoru, tightly clutching at a glass of water, using his entire focus to keep from spilling it. Kiba, holding a sniffling Ichika, came in behind him.

“Hey everyone, what’s up?” you said, smiling as Minoru successfully placed the glass of water on your nightstand without dropping it. “Good job with the glass, baby, thank you.”

Minoru smiled, but it was sad and lacklustre. He looked more worried than anything else.

“We’ve come to check on you and bring you some water,” Kiba said. He sounded stressed but was obviously trying to keep it together. You weren’t surprised; you had heard Ichika crying all morning.

“How are you feeling, appy?” Minoru asked, nervously fisting at his shirt.

“My foot’s a bit poorly still, darling, but I’m okay,” you smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “Do you want a cuddle? You won’t hurt me, I promise.”

He nodded, and with your help and a frankly over the top amount of caution to avoid your foot, Minoru settled down and curled up on the left side of your chest. For being only three, Minoru was already such a worrywart. You were thankful that your arms were uninjured so you could snuggle him and pepper his head in kisses with no constraints.

Minoru purred under your attention.

Ichika was less content though. Despite Kiba rocking her and attending to her needs as best as he could, she was still crying. You could see him talking to her in low tones, although you couldn’t hear what he was saying.

You suddenly remembered the day you’d spent in the future, something that was still weird to recall now that you had got on with your life. You remembered Ichika’s issues with her Inuzuka senses being too strong and overwhelming her. It would make sense that those issues had started young.

“Babe, pass her to me,” you said softly, holding the arm you weren’t using to support Minoru up. “I have an idea to stop the crying.”

Kiba didn’t look like he had much hope, but he didn’t argue, simply passing her into your free arm with no complaints. Ichika struggled and increased her cries as she realised she was being put down, but calmed a little when she realised you were now holding her.

You manoeuvred her head so that one ear was pressed against your chest, and you covered the other one with your hand.

“Try covering her eyes with your hand,” you said to Kiba, seeing as your other hand was holding Minoru. Kiba looked sceptical, but he’d obviously been worn down with the crying because he followed your instruction with no complaint, shuffling onto the bed on your right and using a hand to cover Ichika’s eyes.

The sniffling and quiet cries continued for a while, but Minoru seemed content to snuggle, and you’d mouthed ‘wait’ at Kiba enough that he did. Eventually, the sniffles died down and Ichika’s breathing evened out. When you and Kiba withdrew your hands, she was asleep.

“How did you do that?” Kiba whispered, looking like he wasn’t sure whether to thank you or accuse you of witchcraft. “I’ve been trying to get her to take her nap for three hours.”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” you explained in an equally soft voice. “And I think she’s been having trouble with her senses getting too much for her. That’s why when we muffled her hearing and sight, she was able to relax enough to fall asleep.”

Kiba’s mouth pressed into a firm line and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. He looked very worried.

“That’s not good,” he said, stroking her hair gently. “We’ll need to go to a medic and see if it can be fixed because if not, she-“

“Hey, stop spiralling,” you chastised softly. “She’ll be fine. Even if she needs more support or she decides against being a ninja, she’s still healthy and we can manage the symptoms and make her happy. That’s what matters.”

“Is Ich’ka poorly too?” Minoru asked suddenly. You and Kiba both looked to him, having forgotten that he was still awake. His bottom lip was trembling, and the poor thing looked incredibly upset at the idea that both his sister and appa were unwell.

“No, baby, Ichika is fine,” Kiba rushed to reassure him verbally while you pressed a kiss onto his little forehead. “We just think that sometimes things get too loud for her, so we’re working out how to fix it for her.”

Minoru blinked at you a few times but seemed to believe you because he nodded and laid his head back down on your chest, yawning.

“Okay, ommy,” he muttered before sticking his thumb in his mouth.

“They both ended up missing nap time because Ichika was crying,” Kiba explained, gently climbing off the bed and leaving your two pups snuggled up on you.

The pain in your foot was overshadowed by the burning affection that threatened to overwhelm you as your two babies snuggled into your chest.

“I’m going to change your bandages while they’re sleeping,” Kiba said, slipping into the bathroom and coming out a few moments later with everything needed to tend to your foot. It was common for him to change them while the pups napped because neither of you wanted them to see any of the gore in case it scared them. Especially Minoru, who had been inconsolable when you’d come back injured from your mission.

“Ouch,” you grumbled as he wiped at your foot with cleaning alcohol.

“Oh dear, poor baby, are the wipes too much for you?” Kiba teased, picking up the bandages and beginning to wrap them around your foot. “Do you want me to kiss it better after it’s all bandaged?”

“Yes,” you said earnestly, ignoring the teasing aspect of his question.

Kiba snorted, but obliged, pecking the bandaged foot while trying not to laugh. You hoped you could make him laugh more often; he had been so serious and stressed recently, torn between your injury, Ichika’s constant crying and Minoru’s refusal to leave the house in case you got worse while he left. And all of that was on top of the normal caring duties for two toddlers.

You felt guilty for getting injured and making his life so hard, but you knew he wouldn’t appreciate the insinuation that you were a burden on him. You were pack and as far as Kiba was concerned, pack looked after each other no matter what.

“Are you okay with them in here with you? I need to go and try and clean the house, it’s in an absolute state,” Kiba asked, packing away the medical supplies.

You didn’t want him to work and work and work until he dropped.

“You should lay down with us, babe,” you said, still keeping your voice low so that you didn’t disturb Minoru and Ichika. “You look like you need it, no offence.”

“None taken,” he snorted. “But I still need to clean and Ichika has been refusing to be put down, so now’s the only time I can do it.”

“Let’s just, hire some poor genin team to clean the house or something,” you suggested. “We have enough savings and I’d class this as an emergency.”

Kiba hesitated, but in the end, you managed to coax him into climbing in on Ichika’s other side and having a nap with the rest of the family.

Once you were better, you couldn’t say that you weren’t glad, but you still treasured the little nice moments that you had managed to find in between the hardships.

…

A month after your foot had mostly recovered, it turned out that you had been right about Kiba being pregnant, and before you knew it, your family was now six people as Akemi and Kaito made their appearance.

With four under four, you and Kiba tried your hardest to put the hundreds of condoms you’d received as gag gifts to use. Of course, you knew from your trip to the future that it wouldn’t last forever, but you made it five whole years without Kiba being pregnant even once. When people teased you for having the largest family of your generation, you just laughed, knowing that it was going to get bigger one day.

You had been right in your assumption that picking Kiba would mean that you were never lonely again, and although you sometimes longed for moments where no sticky hands were trying to climb you, you thrived in the large family atmosphere.

You also carved out time to spend with your friends, refusing to let the relationships you had forged die from something as mundane as not having time to hang out.

The garden you had wistfully imagined hosting BBQs in while you were in the future was now frequently filled with those once imaginary BBQs. Naruto and Sasuke always came, Naruto excited to play with your pups and pine over the pups he and Sasuke were eventually planning on adopting together. Sai and Sakura came too, Sai always bringing some bizarre side dish with him. Hinata and her two children seemed a little intimidated by most of your feral goblins, but Ichika got on with them like a house on fire and you were happy to provide her with some calmer company. Shino had adopted a distant relative from his clan and was raising him as a single oma, although when they came along, little Kazue (and oh goodness did it pull on old heartstrings when you saw him for the first time) normally tucked himself up on Shino’s lap and refused to play with the other children.

It was chaos when you all got together, but the kind of chaos that lit a fire in your very soul. It made all those earlier lonely days seem like hallucinations.

After those five years, Kiba was pregnant again, with the baby that you’d almost seen born during your future excursion.

You were incredibly thankful when the birth passed without any fainting incidents. You had even managed to intercept Minoru’s anxiety by explaining to him about clan pregnancy before his lessons on childbirth at the academy and so instead of the tears and worries over Kiba dying, he’d instead proudly explained to all his classmates that his clan and oma were simply ‘built different’.

The actual birth had also gone much smoother. You were his actual mate this time, able to easily provide the comfort and intimacy that Kiba needed while also having the know-how from the previous three births to support him and the pup properly. It wasn’t your first rodeo this time. It was rodeo number four, which you considered an ‘out of the danger zone’ number of rodeos.

And with that, you had Hibiki, your fifth child and third son.

When you had been in the future, you had assumed that the mystery fifth child would be the last one, but you knew better once you’d actually been mated with Kiba for years.

Yua, your sixth child and third daughter was born a few years later.

And when, a few years after that, Kiba got pregnant again, you immediately booked an appointment to get sterilised so that you could continue to indulge his breeding kink without making any more mouths to feed. You were doubly glad about that decision when the final pregnancy was revealed to be twins.

…

“You’re doing so well, babe, so well,” you were naked and pressed up against an equally naked Kiba, holding him from behind as he worked through a contraction.

“It feels strange that this is the last time I’m going to do this,” Kiba said between gritted teeth. “I kind of don’t want this labour to end, is that weird?”

“Yes,” you said bluntly, vaguely concerned but not surprised.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” he acquiesced, relaxing slightly now that the contraction had passed. “You sure you don’t want one more?”

“You know you’re not allowed to make decisions when you’re in labour, horny or feral.”

“I guess that’s also fair,” he sighed, stretching out his legs.

You rubbed on his stomach to try and ease the discomfort as best as you could. This was your sixth rodeo now though and it was almost funny to recall the panic from your trip to the future and at Minoru’s birth. You could probably deliver an Inuzuka baby in your sleep at this point.

“Drink some water,” you prompted, holding a water bottle to Kiba’ lips. He drank obediently, emptying the bottle in one go.

“I reckon these twins will be out pretty soon now,” Kiba said, reaching over to grab a ration bar and tearing it open with his teeth.

“I’m not surprised, it’s probably like a slip n’ slide in there by now.”

Kiba laughed at your joke and almost choked on his ration bar in the process.

“You’re the one who’s been in there the most, so you would know.”

“Pfft- Shut up,” you smacked him gently on the shoulder.

“You should know by now that that won’t happen,” he smirked, pressing his lips against yours.

A muffled smashing sound from the main part of the house had you both startling apart.

“Want to take guesses on which chaos gremlin was the cause of that?” Kiba said mildly, unperturbed by the sounds of destruction after so many years.

“Hmm, I bet it was either Akemi and one of her experiments gone wrong, or it was Hibiki attempting to eat his dinner from a dog bowl on top of the counter again.”

“Not a bad bet, but personally I think that was the sound of Minoru snapping and frisbeeing something fragile at the wall.”

“May the best person win,” you said, shaking his hand. He played along with a grin, but he soon tightened his grip and bent over in pain.

“Fuck, maybe I don’t want this to last forever,” he grunted, still squeezing your hand. “It hurts like a bitch.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, holding him tightly. “I wish I could take some of the pain for you.”

“I think it’s time,” he panted, ignoring your statement, not that you blamed him.

“Alright, I’ve got you, let’s get you sorted.”

That evening, twins Kaede and Natsu, a girl and boy respectively, finished off your family.

…

As a family of eight, the days felt long but the years flew by.

It was with a mix of relief and sadness that you faced your youngest, Natsu, moving out of your house. You had done it. You had successfully raised eight pups into functioning adults and sent them out into the real world.

It wasn’t like all of them didn’t pop over for dinner three times a week and crash here after missions, but still, it felt strange that you wouldn’t be caring full time for your army of pups anymore.

Some of them were already mated and you already had two grandpups. Most lived in the compound, some were ninja, some were not. But they were all exceptional people that were exceptionally loved.

You and Kiba were holding each other on the couch as you mourned the final pup leaving the nest. Kiba had hugged Natsu so fiercely that you were worried it would hurt him.

“I can’t believe they’re all gone,” Kiba said, sounding unsure about how to feel.

“They’ll be around, I wouldn’t be surprised if Natsu was back here tomorrow asking how he’s supposed to cook pasta, when what he really wants is for you to cook it for him.”

Kiba laughed, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it. You pulled him closer and let him grieve this stage of his life.

You had never regretted your choice to choose this family for your future, not even once.

You thought about all of your precious pups, the highs and the lows of raising them, of seeing them grow. Each of them were so different but so precious. And funny, all of them had immense comedic value and you had so many funny memories from raising them.

Like Minoru, your oldest and most responsible. He’d decided to become a medic, something you could easily tell from the near permanent expression of exasperation on his face. You remembered the day his old genin teammate had come back from a mission injured but had refused to go to the hospital. Minoru had dragged her back to your house.

…

“If you won’t go to the hospital, then you’re going to let me heal you, no arguments!”

That was the first thing you heard after the front door went and it was enough to pull you from the washing up.

“Minoru, please, I don’t want to intrude-“

“You’ve already bled all over the carpet, so you can get over issues of ‘intrusion’,” it was Minoru’s voice and the voice of who you believed to be one of his genin teammates.

He came into view moments later, dragging said old genin teammate. He muttered a ‘hi, appa’ but then promptly ignored you in favour of dumping his bleeding friend on the sofa.

“Um, you should probably go to the hospital,” you said tentatively, walking over to the two teens. “Our house is like, covered in mud and dog hair at the moment, that can’t be sanitary.”

“You’re right! She should be in the hospital!” Minoru shouted. “But she’s such a- such a-“

He struggled to find the words to match his fury for a moment.

“Such a… rat bastard! And she won’t go to the hospital even though she’s bleeding out!”

You snorted but quickly disguised it with a cough. You should probably discourage that kind of language but it was hilarious, so you decided to let it slide.

“Look, give healing them your best shot, but if anything gets worse or she passes out, let me know and we can take her to the hospital, okay?” you said, putting your reassuring appa voice on.

“Fine,” Minoru grumbled, kneeling at the side of the couch, hands hovering over her stomach. “I don’t care if this hurts, by the way.”

You didn’t manage to disguise your laughter quite as well this time.

…

Ichika came to mind next. She had worried you and Kiba a lot when she was younger, with her senses heightened so far above the normal Inuzuka level to the point of pain. But in the end, she had turned out perfectly able to take over the clan leadership when it became clear that Hana wasn’t going to have any of her own pups and Kiba and Minoru were uninterested in such a role.

What made her so perfect was her ability to make herself, and by extension the clan, seem perfectly normal and well-functioning. She was the only non-gremlin child you had, and the clan was using that to their advantage in negotiations and political bullshit.

Sometimes she fooled people too well though. You distinctly remembered the first time she had brought her boyfriend to a family dinner to introduce him to you, Kiba and the rest of your family. Ichika had tricked him with her normalness and the poor man had no idea what he was getting into.

…

Ichika had called a family meeting about an hour before her new boyfriend was supposed to show up, and so all of you were crowded in the living room because no one wanted to piss off an already stressed Ichika. Even the terror twins were managing to sit somewhat still.

“Listen up!” she shouted, slamming her hands on the coffee table. “I really like this man, so I will have no one scaring him off, is that clear?”

A couple of your pups chortled, but Ichika’s glare cut them off.

“I mean it,” she said. “That means no asking if they have any ‘interesting’ diseases (she pointed at Minoru), no setting a trap on his chair or in any other part of the house (she pointed at the terror twins), no eating from receptacles designed for dogs (Hibiki was pointed at next), no trying to bite him (Yua) and well…”

Kaede and Natsu blinked up at her innocently, only two years old, each sitting on one of yours and Kiba’s laps.

“I guess you two get a pass,” she said reluctantly. “For now.”

“Pass!” Natsu giggled happily.

“What about us?” you asked, gesturing to yourself and Kiba, trying to hide your grin. “Do we have rules too?”

She squinted her eyes at you as she considered it.

“You are allowed to threaten him once each. Once only,” she stressed. “And they have to be normal threats that normal parents make, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kiba snorted, bouncing a happy Natsu. “So, when’s Kairo getting here then?”

Ichika’s eye twitched at the deliberate incorrect name.

This evening was going to be fun.

…

Your terror twins, Akemi and Kaito, came to mind next. And that was Terror Twins (affectionate) of course. They had both taken to shinobi life a little too well, specialising in tracking as any good Inuzuka did, but also traps and demolition, to the surprise of no one. And of course, they loved to practice those skills in your house.

Their Inuzuka dog companions were just as bad as they were, but their killer puppy dog eyes always got them out of trouble.

They both had genin teams at the moment. Rival genin teams. Although the rivalry seemed to just be between your twins, because the genin seemed to become close through commiserating over their ridiculous jonin instructors.

You still remembered the first chunin exams that they had been entered in. As green genin, none were promoted, but seeing as it was hosted by Konoha, Akemi and Kaito had begged the whole family to attend to watch their genin beat the other’s genin.

…

“Kick his ass, Sakurako!” Akemi shouted from the stands. “Yank that pretty boy hair!”

“You got this, Akihito!” Kaito shouted, not wanting to be outdone. “Don’t be afraid to bite her if you have to!”

You put your head in your hands, hoping that no one figured out that you were technically responsible for both the crazy jonin. You regretted saying yes to attending.

…

Next you thought about Hibiki, the boy you almost saw born twice, which was a cool fact that you’d never be able to tell him.

Hibiki loved dogs more than people. Yes, that wasn’t uncommon for Inuzuka, but Hibiki took it to the extreme. He had demanded to eat from dog bowls rather than plates for five years, and maybe other parents would have put their foot down and said no, you and Kiba had just decided to indulge the little weirdo.

Hibiki liked walking dogs, playing with dogs, learning about dogs, barking at people and a whole myriad of other similar things. He spent every day shadowing his aunt Hana in the vet clinic and resisted going to the academy because there weren’t dogs there. It was not surprising at all when Hibiki started to work at the clinic full time.

You still remembered the first time Hibiki had asked Akamaru to join him in the bath, as all of his older siblings had asked before him. It was the first time that Kiba’s normal hose threat hadn’t worked.

…

“I want Akamaru to come!” Hibiki sulked, stomping his feet.

“Akamaru gets hosed down in the garden, so unless you want to do that, it’s time to get in the bath without Akamaru,” Kiba said back, the threat of the hose well practiced.

“Okay!” Hibiki said, face lighting up. “I want to get hosed in the garden with Akamaru!”

You could almost see the wind getting taken out of Kiba’s sails.

“I- what? You want to get hosed down with cold water in the garden?” Kiba questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Yes! Thank you oma! You’re the best!” Hibiki cheered, running from the bathroom to the back door.

You and Kiba made significant eye contact, but in the end you both just shrugged.

“Alright then.”

…

Yua was next. She and her dog were inseparable and impossible to trick. She had gone down the traditional Inuzuka route of tracking, and Yua’s wicked smarts were perfect for it. She started leading tracking teams when she was only 15 years old, and you were more and more proud of her every day.

She did have a mean streak though. She wasn’t a bully or anything, you wouldn’t have allowed that, but she became easily frustrated with those around her. Like the time you and Kiba had been called into the academy because Yua had been in an altercation with some of her classmates.

…

“You have to apologise, Yua,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady and firm.

“But why should I have to apologise if what I said is true!?” she exclaimed, obviously frustrated. “I didn’t lie!”

“It doesn’t matter if you think something is true or not,” you explained, taking a breath to keep your patience. “Telling someone that they could ‘have an intelligent thought bite them on the nose and still not know what it was’ is very rude and mean.”

Yua huffed, obviously not understanding the situation. You were very aware of the academy teacher watching you fail to get through to your daughter.

“Fine,” you said, giving up on the explanation. “No training at home until you apologise.”

“What? Appa! No!”

…

Finally, you had Kaede and Natsu, the babies of the family. That title was something that Kaede resented wholeheartedly and something that Natsu embraced with enthusiasm.

Kaede’s favourite phrase growing up was “I can do it by myself, appa!”, while Natsu had favoured the “Can you help me appy, please?”.

Kaede had always been determined, someone who knew themselves entirely. You remembered when they had told you to switch their pronouns to they/them at age 12, they had done it with the confidence of someone so much older.

They had become a paperwork ninja, deciding it was their destined role and that no on would stop them and no one would talk down about the job. They were a force to be reckoned with, behind that desk. Just because they were the first Inuzuka paper nin didn’t mean they were well adjusted or normal. In fact, her companion dog had been trained to bite ninjas who gave late reports or who didn’t take enough time to make their writing legible.

While Kaede had been determined and self-reflective, Natsu only knew one thing: he loved cuddles. For years, he had been happy doing anything as long as it included getting cuddles or praise from one of his family members. Even his Inuzuka dog was the snuggliest dog you had in the family. He did have a penchant for teasing people though, but in a charming, if a little feral, way.

He had decided that the ninja life wasn’t for him, to the surprise of no one, and instead he helped out in your shop full time. Your customers loved him and his pup, who stayed curled up by the counter, was just as big of a hit.

You were still sometimes in awe of how different they were.

…

A breaded chicken fillet was on the menu for most of the pups tonight. You sat around your massive dining room table in the house you had to buy a few years back when it became clear that the number of pups was vastly outnumbering the number of bedrooms, passing round the plates.

You automatically turned to Kaede and picked up her knife and fork in order to cut the fillet up for her.

“No, appa! I can do it myself!” she said, pulling her plate away from you. “I’m not little anymore!”

“Alright, alright,” you said holding up your hands, having passed her cutlery back. “Let me know if you need any help, okay?”

“I won’t,” she said fiercely, immediately attempting to cut the fillet up herself. She was butchering it a little bit, but it would all taste the same, so you let her get on with it.

“Appy?”

You turned to see Natsu with his full-on puppy dog eyes staring at you. He was holding up his knife and fork for you.

“Can you cut my chicken for me, please?”

You softened as you looked at him. Apart from Ichika, he was the only one of your pups to have fully grasped the concept of manners.

“Of course, I can, darling,” you smiled, walking around the table to cut up his fillet into little chunks. “Do you want ketchup as well?”

He nodded, so you took the ketchup bottle and squirted a little smiley face with the sauce.

“See? It’s a smiley face because it’s happy to see you!”

Natsu grinned, looking up at you like you hung the stars in the sky.

“Thank you appy, I love him!”

“You’re welcome, baby. Would you like some, Kaede?”

She nodded too but held out her hand to take the bottle from you, clearly wanting to pour the ketchup herself.

It was quite amusing that the two were twins; they couldn’t be more different.

…

They were all your pups and you loved them so much that you couldn’t articulate it. You would cherish them forever and from your perspective now, it was strange that you had ever considered choosing a different life with someone else.

You had thanked the fortune teller in your mind many, many times since that fateful week, but you also had to give yourself some credit for putting in the work to make this life happen. You built your shop up from the ground, you helped your friends, you wooed Kiba into being your mate, you built your family with him, you raised all these amazing human beings and somehow kept your sanity amongst the chaos.

You had earnt this life, fully and completely.

“We did good,” was the only thing you could say to Kiba as you held each other on the couch. “We did so good.”

“We did,” he agreed. “And we have so much more good to do.”

And you did, but you felt like you had it under control now. You knew what you were doing, no longer were you that hesitant teenager with desires for a life so much more than they had.

No, you could handle whatever was thrown at you now.

So, imagine your surprise when Natsu burst into your shop only a week later to tell you that he’d met a mysterious fortune teller in the night and spent a week in the future, mated to seven different friends.

The end.

#24 hours series #omegaverse #a/b/o #n-sfw #alpha!reader #naruto #x reader #reader insert #omega!character

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