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wintaswan · 9 months

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⟣┄─ ˑ 𝐈𝐈𝐈. ✧ ──ㅤ THE LOSERS CLUB.

୨୧ 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖼𝗅𝗎𝖻： 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗎.

୨ pairings: (the losers club minus mike x fem!reader)

୨ summary: how they acted, felt and looked the first time they saw you.

୨ warnings: blood, injuries, homophobia, slut-shaming.

୨ disclaimer: i use (name) instead of ‘y/n’.

୨ content: (preference, romance, fluff)

— 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗆 𝖽𝖾𝗇𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁.

bill first laid his eyes on you in the school cafeteria as you walked past him with a friend. he only saw the back of your head as you walked away, yet that was enough to keep him looking. as you turned around, your beauty took him aback. he quickly flashed his eyebrows, and began to feel overwhelmed. he looked away and stared down at the table where he was sat, mouth agape, eyes wide, cheeks pink. “oh.. oh my god..” he’d think to himself.

bill was snapped out of his daze when richie noticed his peculiar state. “the fuck’s got your knickers in a twist, bill?” he’d laugh.

bill, still half deep in his daze, makes eye contact with richie. he tries unusually hard to form a response, but can’t seem to choke out any words or sounds. the losers share looks of confusion before bill squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, releasing a deep sigh. “bill, are you okay?” stanley would question bill’s sudden breakdown with concern filling his voice. bill would nod as he relaxed his face and body, sneaking what was supposed to be a glance at you, but turned into a stare. suspicious, stanley followed bill’s gaze and eventually figured it out.

“richie, the line”, eddie would gently nudge richie’s shoulder. “what? what line?” “the lunch line, dipshit! everyone’s gone, hurry up” eddie irritatedly explained, standing up to walk over with richie who followed close behind. “are you staring at a girl?” stanley began his interrogation, a smirk tugging at his lips. bill stuttered frantically, seeking denial, but surrendering. “y-yes” he admitted sheepishly, beginning to fidget with his jean pocket. “no, it’s not a bad thing. who is she?” “i d-don’t know. i-i’ve-i’ve never seen her be-before” he said, breaking his stare at you to look at stan. before stan could respond, eddie and richie sat back down, defeated looks on both of their faces. “i-i take it they-they’re out of jolly r-ranchers” bill released a small laugh, amused at their expressions. “yeah and it’s all eddie’s fault - he made me wait until the line was smaller when we could’ve easily gotten to them if we went in line!” richie complained particularly loudly. this sparked a small argument between eddie and richie.

using their distracted friends to their advantage, bill discreetly pointed you out to stanley, and he smirked as he gave bill a small nod in approval as he checked you out for himself. stan observed your mannerisms and behaviours to decipher the sort of person you are, and with his summary, he decided on a personalised plan to help bill.

bill found it hard to tear his eyes away from you, he couldn’t believe his own eyes. he believed ‘pretty’ was an insulting understatement for your kind of beauty. bill’s stomach was filled with butterflies, and his hands fiddled with each other as he took quick glances at you every few seconds, being careful not to stare out of concern of you noticing. although, part of him longed for the moment your eyes would lock with his.

— 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗌.

stanley saw you for the first time in an art class. your name was called for attendance by the teacher, and the name was unfamiliar to him - you were a new student. as he heard you confirm of your presence, his heart skipped a beat at the lovely sound that was your voice. his eyes searched for you around the classroom, and when he finally saw you, he could not pull his eyes away from you. he was so lost in you that he didn’t hear his name get called by the teacher. bill nudged him out of his daze.

he shook away his thoughts and apologised before awkwardly muttering something, confirming of his presence. he smiled and looked down, before quickly glancing at you again. he felt butterflies go crazy in his stomach as his mind was racing at the thought of you. he felt eager to introduce himself.

when art class started, he went to retrieve an apron, when he saw you struggling to tie your apron up on the small of your back. he laughed quietly at your attempt to tie a knot without looking, and blushed. he thought you looked adorable. something came over him, and he decided to go in for it.

“need some help?” he spoke softly as he gestured to your apron. “m-maybe..” you sheepishly replied, attempting to avoid eye contact with him. stanley simply laughed as he walked behind you and began tying your apron up, trying desperately to ignore his shaking hands. a blush crept onto both of your cheeks. “thank you” you quietly muttered as you began to fidget with your fingers. “it’s okay. i-it was funny though, watching you trying to t-tie it up” his voice was soft as he laughed, and his hands lingered for a few seconds more than they should’ve. his smile widened at the sound of your laugh, his heart racing in his chest.

you felt his hands withdraw from your lower back, so you turned around to face him. as you looked up at him, you both realised how close your bodies both were to each other. “th-thank you, again” you whispered as your stomach did flips. “your- your welcome” stanley replied, attempting to ignore the feeling of his face and body burning up. you looked back across the room for your canvas, and made eye contact with him one last time before smiling awkwardly and walking back to it. he smiled to himself as he observed your every move. stanley was aware that he was about to get himself into a feeling of deep obsession, and he wasn’t objecting it.

— richard tozier.

richie first saw you in the hallway at school. you were a new student and you weren’t expecting the hallway to become anywhere near as crowded as it became after class. you were walking through the crowd by yourself with your head down, a beautiful small rose wedged above your ear.

he saw you when you were all the way at the opposite end of the hallway, and when he first laid his eyes on you, his eyebrows raised. richie’s jaw slightly dropped and he quickly reached his hand up to fix his glasses. as he saw you up close, he sharply exhaled through his mouth as the blood in his body rushed to his cheeks. if only you would have looked up to meet his eyes, and maybe you would have seen the pure adoration present in his gaze. however, you didn’t look up. which is likely why you walked into him.

your bodies quickly collided, however it wasn’t forceful enough to push you over. you looked up at him and saw his mouth agape, and his cheeks pink. you couldn’t decipher whether he was trying to form any words or whether his mouth was just hung open for.. whatever reason. you quickly mumbled an apology as you began walking up the hallway again. richie immediately turned around and watched as you walked away, his heart fluttering as he recalled the small interaction you both so recently shared.

“she dropped her flower” stanley pointed out as he bent down to pick it up. richie took the flower from stanley and began chasing after you - he thought it was a perfect excuse to see and interact with you again. finally, right outside of the door, he caught up to you. he gently tapped you on the shoulder, and you turned around to face him. richie presented you with the flower. “you- uh- y-you dropped this” richie’s voice was shaky with nerves, and he cursed himself for sounding so nervous. “oh, thank you..” you’d smile sheepishly to yourself, gently taking the rose from his hand. your hand slightly brushed against his, and his breath hitched in his throat. he looked at his hand, then back at you. his hand was still extended the way it was when he held the rose.

richie snapped out of it before forming a response. “oh, i-it’s okay …. w-what’s your name?” he attempted to keep talking with you, dreading the end of this moment. “(name)” you quietly responded as you tucked the rose behind your ear again. richie took a moment to respond, your voice giving him butterflies. “um, cool. i-i’m richie” the boy stuttered out, fixing his glasses. you smiled and nodded at him, wanting to continue the conversation but far too nervous to form words. “i- i’m gonna- i’ll see you around” he gestures towards the door before turning around and rushing back into the building.

the losers walked quickly back up the hallway when they saw richie. “r-r-richie, where-where’d you go?” bill questioned as he looked at the direction richie came from. “u-uh.. let’s go” richie rushed back up the opposite end of the hallway, and the losers shared the same bewildered expression. the losers caught up to him outside, and richie turned to face them, wide-eyed. “dude, i just saw the prettiest fuckin’ girl i’ve ever seen in my entire fuckin’ life”

— 𝖾𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗄𝖺𝗌𝗉𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗄.

eddie winced at the large cut on his arm as it stung him, almost bringing tears to his eyes. he swiftly made his way to the school infirmary. the stinging pain mixed with the worrisome thoughts of infections taking over his mind greatly overwhelmed him. finally, he arrived, and checked himself in. the school nurse escorted him to the resting room, where a girl his age was sat on one of the chairs. he froze in his tracks and his eyes widened, and suddenly he found himself experiencing trouble breathing. a peculiar feeling crept into eddie’s body, and he frowned at the unfamiliar sensation. “i’ll be right back, i just need to retrieve some supplies, darling” the nurse spoke frantically to eddie as she rushed out of the room.

eddie stood frozen for a few seconds before finally breaking eye contact and taking a seat across from you. he pretended to examine the room, sneaking a few glances at you in the process, his leg starting to bounce the more he registered your appearance. he couldn’t believe how pretty you were, and it only made him feel more nervous. he frantically unzipped his fanny pack and took a puff from his inhaler. it was then, he noticed your red, teary eyes and suddenly he felt a lump in his throat. it felt as if his thoughts were itching at him to ask the reason or cause of your situation, but that question was quickly answered when he noticed the red outline and bruising visible on your neck when you removed the ice you were holding up to your neck. he quickly frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but felt too shy to draw your attention towards him. eddie’s inner thoughts cursed whoever would do such a thing, especially to someone as cute as you.

the nurse rushed back in to the room, more ice in one hand with quite the amount of bandages and disinfectant alcohol in the other. she offered a small smile as she quickly handed the ice to you, before kneeling down to attend to eddie’s bleeding arm. “now, tell me, sweetheart. how did this happen?” the nurse questioned worriedly as she began to disinfect his cut. “u-um, i- some boys in my class- they- uh- were messing around with some knives in home ec. and one quickly turned around a-and uh.. slashed me” he explained frantically as he harshly shut his eyes in attempt to bear with the increased pain from the disinfectant. “ugh. what is it with boys today? first choking, and now cutting children with knives! keep some pressure on it, nice and firm. yes, like that,” the nurse scoffed as she wrapped the bandage around his arm. “yes, choking. i know, unbelievable. (name) just in front of you was choked by one of the older boys, patrick hockstetter, i believe, as she was on the way to class. revolting, i tell you. i wonder why kids do such things”

the moment your eyes met, eddie internally freaked out. he was glad, though, since the nurse mentioned you, he now had good reason for looking at you. eddie’s face heated up as you gave a little, embarrassed sort of smile at him. he returned a small smile, his blush becoming more apparent as his eyes darted around the room before looking down at his shoes. eddie felt beyond nervous, he was extremely restless, making small movements every few seconds - touching his nose, itching his head, adjusting his posture.. the only thing he could think about was the girl in front of him. at some point he considered that he had actually died and gone to heaven, and was presented with an angel. or, the amount of pain he felt was making him hallucinate to distract him from his injury - creating an illusion of beauty he considered impossible.

his smile had yet to falter as he looked back up at you. simply being in your presence made him feel as if he was floating. “(name), are you ready to go back to class?” the nurse asked, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. you nodded before standing up and putting your backpack on, looking at eddie as he looked a little disappointed. he dreaded your absence. you walked out of the room, taking one last look at eddie, smiling bashfully to yourself as your eyes met. eddie watched as you walked out, looking down at the floor again. “that was your girlfriend, i’m guessing?” the nurse had a mischevious, playful tone in her voice despite the fact that she was serious. “uhh, what- no, no, i don’t- know her” eddie frantically responded, his face turning a darker shade of pink. “well, let’s hope you get to know her. you looked mesmerised, sweetheart”

— 𝖻𝖾𝗇𝗃𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗌𝖼𝗈𝗆.

ben spent his first few days in derry all alone in the library, beginning heavy research about the small town he had so recently moved to. he couldn’t deny that he felt slightly embarrassed, embarrassed that he had yet to see anyone anywhere near his age in the library yet. he had only seen people of an older age, and it made him feel quite outcasted that he was the only teenager that would pay visits to the library in their free time. that was until he laid his eyes on the first teenager he had seen in derry, and most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire lifetime. ben was sat down, scanning the library for anyone approximately younger than fifty, and his eyes almost missed you. ben did a double take and froze, staring directly at you for a good minute, mouth agape. he felt particularly excited that he had finally seen someone his age, and slightly intimidated that you were so beautiful. he began thinking of a good excuse to talk to you, or should he just introduce himself? you suddenly looked away from your book, and began looking around the room, clearly bored. you made eye contact with ben, and he shared a soft smile. you returned it, and shyly looked away. you and ben kept sharing quick glances at each other and repeatedly making eye contact and smiling, in which built an innocent, playful sort of tension.

the librarian suddenly dropped a book onto ben’s desk, causing his eyes to quickly dart up to her. “here’s the book you were looking for” she spoke quietly. ben muttered a quick thank you before returning to his book, only for the librarian to speak again. “you know, i think if you spoke to her, you’d get along rather well” she bent down as she whispered in ben’s ear, before she gave a mischevious expression. “wha- how did you-” ben’s utterly confused expression amused her. “i always notice when people eye each other in the library, darling. i may be old, but my eyesight isn’t failing yet” the librarian joked, giving him a light nudge on the shoulder before walking away.

as ben glanced back up at you, you stood up and walked into the section of the library where the books were - walking past him with an adorable little smile on your face. he watched closely and decided to go there as well. ben watched as you went exactly where he was going to go, and smiled to himself at how perfect it was, and how perfect you were. he suddenly felt nervous and went into an aisle in front of where you were. you read the titles of most the books before taking your pick, ‘History of Derry, 1889-1934’. as you pulled the book from the shelf, you met ben’s gaze through the bookshelf. you both shared an embarrassed smile before quietly laughing and looking away, before ben spoke.

“that book, it’s a pretty good one” he motioned towards the book, his smile almost audible. “you’ve read it?” you quietly asked, your eyebrows slightly raising in surprise. “yeah, i just read it, actually. now i’ve started reading the new one, ‘History of Derry, 1935-1988’” ben explained, a hand reaching up to scratch his head. “could- could i maybe borrow it after you’ve read it?” you asked, tilting your head to the side as you tucked some of your hair behind your ears. “yeah, of course! if- if you want you could come and read it with me now?” ben was hesitant, nervous about your response - afraid of rejection. even if it wasn’t a bold offer, he was still about to break out in a sweat “really?” “yeah, of course”

there was a comfortable silence as you sat next to ben, who you had no idea was internally freaking out. he was ecstatic that you took up his offer, and he kept taking discreet glances at you. his heart was beating abnormally fast - and he’d been blushing ever since he first laid his eyes on you. it certainly was not any help that your bodies were in such close proximity that your legs were brushing together, it made him force himself to hide the smile that was so forcefully tugging at his lips. eventually, conversations were started about the peculiar things you had both noticed about derry, and you bonded over your interest in research about it - even though you were only studying it for a school project. ben assisted you with your history assignment, and for once, you enjoyed doing school work.

— 𝖻𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗌𝗁.

as class ended, you rushed into the bathroom in attempt to arrive and lock yourself in a stall before gretta could find you. however, to your misfortune, she had beaten you to it. as you walked in to the bathroom, you froze in your tracks as your eyes laid on greta - leaning against one of the cubicle doors. “were you gonna hide from me (name)? are you scared of me? aww..” gretta teased with a fake sympathetic expression plastered on her face. you sighed. it wasn’t her you were scared of, you just didn’t want any new injuries. gretta’s constant expression of hatred towards you was only annoying, it was far from scary. if anything, you felt rather apologetic towards her that she would feel the need to inflict pain on others in order to make up for her own.

your eyes rolled back for a moment before you turned around to leave, before one of gretta’s friends blocked the doorway, her arms either side of the doorframe. “going somewhere?” she spoke mischeviously as she walked closer to you, causing you to walk backwards. you bumped in to gretta, who took harsh hold of you by your hair. she slammed you into what she would have preferred as a closed cubicle door, but to both of your surprise - it had been unlocked, causing you to fall into the cubicle and on to someone behind you. the person behind you quickly locked the cubicle door, leaving you both together in a particularly tight, small space. you turned around and were met with one of the most beautiful faces you have ever seen.

internally, beverly was extremely astonished by how beautiful you were - externally, her eyes widening for a moment. a smile tugged at her lips as she moved in front of you, both of you now facing each other, the only sound being the echo of both of your heavy breathing. beverly was feeling a little giddy, and she couldn’t do anything to hide her wide smile, or the blush on her cheeks without making it obvious that she was hiding the fact that she was in fact, blushing. “gross, i bet they’re making out right now. beaverly’s such a slut, it makes sense that she’d even try it with a girl” gretta teased, causing her small group of girl-friends to laugh. you squinted your eyes in pure disgust at gretta’s cruel remark, and beverly decided to respond. “and what if we are? why would you be so upset if it weren’t jealousy?” beverly smirked, amusement evident in her voice. “jealousy? you’re out of your mind. obviously, you’re done fucking guys, so you’re going after the girls next” gretta scoffed, harshly kicking the door with her foot. “do you enjoy living in a fantasy world, gretta? if you think i’ve slept with anyone at all, maybe you should take some of the medication at your daddy’s pharmacy to bring you back to reality” beverly snapped, suddenly feeling a little aggressive. “you and i both know that’s a lie-” “greta! leave them alone. go home” a mature female voice ordered, obviously a teacher. gretta quickly muttered something before footsteps were heard growing further and further away, before there was silence in the girl’s bathroom.

“th-thank you. for- unlocking the door..” you broke the silence, quietly thanking her. beverly was instantly snapped out of whatever anger she felt towards gretta, and her attention was completely dedicated to you. “oh- it’s- it’s okay” she blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she averted her gaze from you. there was a moment of silence before beverly spoke up again. “i’m beverly marsh” she offered a smile, hoping for it to be returned. “i’m (name) (last name)” your smile only summoned butterflies in her stomach, as did your melodic voice. “nice to meet you. you have a- nice name” beverly immediately regretted the compliment after the remembered it was possible you could misunderstand her intentions due to gretta’s (secretly, true) accusation of beverly wishing to be with a girl. beverly noticed as you were quick to present a bashful smile at the compliment, a blush creeping onto your cheeks. “thank you, you do as-as w-well” your voice was breathy due to how shy she’d made you feel, your breathing pattern becoming irregular. “well, i have to go. i-i’ll see you around, (name)” beverly smirked as she put out her cigarette, unlocked the door, and left you alone - blushing and smiling to yourself back in the bathroom.

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luimagines · 6 months

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Soulmates from the Start Part 6

Another commission!

It's extra long this time. :D And guess who couldn't finish the story in one go like I thought I would?

Masterlist

First Chapter/ Previous Chapter/ Next Chapter

Content under the cut!

Twilight was too busy being stuck in his own head to fully take into account what was happening around him.

You had mentioned bokoblins.

Bokoblins.

You had never mentioned them before. At least not in the way that told him they were near you. You had once told him, years ago when you both were fantasizing about meeting each other, that you were far away from Hyrule. You said that you didn’t have bokoblins where you were from.

You said ‘Bokoblins suck. I didn’t think they were as big as they actually were. Did you know they smell? I feel like I’m going to pass out.’

Twilight wasn’t sure he was processing that right. It would have to have been the first time you had seen a bokoblin in person for you to say that. Bokoblins were only in Hyrule.

YOU WERE IN HYRULE.

The knowledge of being so close to you had frozen him in place. Twilight could only vaguely recognize that The Champion, with all his loyalty, was sitting next to him. He noted that the stances were eerily similar to what has happened many times before.

However this time the roles were versed.

Wild had sat him down against a tree while he kept his guard up. Twilight would be thankful later, when he was done trying to make everything make sense in his own head. The Rancher knew he was in no position to even remotely defend himself at this moment.

What else had you said? What else could he decipher if he tried hard enough?

No idea. I heard a horn and then an arrow shot by my foot. I just took off running.

Twilight wants to bite off his own tongue. Everything stopped once he heard you were in danger again. He was too focused on trying to not panic and make it worse for you. He was such a useless soulmate. Everything in his body was telling him to find you, to protect you, to hold you close and tend to every cut and cruise that would have been inflicted on you should he have been even a hair too late.

He heard a horn too but it was Hyrule, Warrior and Time that had gone to investigate the nearby monsters. It would be foolish to think that it was in any way related.

Twilight shook his head, feeling things calm down in his head to think clearly again. It was incredible luck for you to be in Hyrule as it was. Anything more would be asking for too much. But he could work with this. He was a hunter to some degree. He was a wolf for a reason whether he liked it or not.

He was going to find you.

He was going to meet you and hug you and follow through every promise he had ever made to you since he fell in love with you.

There are a lot of them. He has to make up for lost time.

***

You all but screamed.

How is this possible? How are you here? How is he here? Wait-! You DO recognize him! You’ve seen him before!

Fully aware that you’ve been staring at the poor boy as if he had grown a second head, you give him your hand to shake. It was slow and robotic. Your limbs didn’t want to cooperate just yet.

The boy laughs under his breath as you shake hands. “I don’t bite.”

“...Right…” You force a smile on your face. It’s awkward and tight. You remember him now, even though you’re not entirely sure from what game he belongs to. His clothes and appearance are too unassuming. There’s nothing to tell him apart from all the other Links you’ve seen in your life. However, he travels with Link. Your Link. Your Link should be somewhere nearby.

Your muscles tense with the idea of getting to see him after so many years of pining. You introduce yourself to the person in front of you first and dust yourself off. Everything hurts and you’re tired. But instead your brian is now going a thousand miles a minute.

Link is here. Link is close. You’re in Hyrule. You’re in Hyrule.

The Link who is not your Link tilts his head as you speak. “That’s an unusual name. You’re not from around here, are you?”

You shake your head with a weak grin. “What gave it away? My ears?”

You tease by exposing the ears that would have no doubt made you stick out like a sore thumb in this type of world. As it stands, you figure you might as well get it out of the way as it is. You’re not entirely sure how it’ll blow over but the only person who’s even remotely connected to people with round ears is your Link. You’re hoping beyond hope that this little thing will lead him closer to you, if only so they don’t send you away immediately now that you’re saved.

“Hyrule? Find anything interesting? Where’s the person that screamed?” Another voice calls out. It’s deeper. Far more deeper than you would have anticipated, and yet, you know it too. Although far more intimately that you would have realized at first.

Within moments, a man steps into the little space you’ve found yourself in and looks you up and down. A vague sting reminds you of your current injuries but you’re struck dumb at the look of him. So familiar, yet so different. He’s younger. He’s alive.

“Hero’s Shade…” You whisper under your breath. Do you make eye contact? Is that rude? Would that be a threat? Oh my god- he’s the Hero of Time! Isn’t he related to your Link? Wouldn’t he be related to you too? Maybe? By marriage? God- you hoped so. At least in your future. It would mean that Link would have forgiven you for pushing him away and for what you still have to confess now that you’re here in person. It would be awful to do so in front of all these other people but they deserve to know.

Guilt sinks deep into your gut and you feel your face get warm at the very thought of it.

What would they think of you when you tell them?

“Do you require immediate medical assistance?” He asks you instead, unaware of the turmoil going on in your head.

You shake your head and pull your arms close to your body. He nods once and gestures for you to follow. “Come. We’ll tend to you first before we move on.”

“O-oh…” They’re taking you with them anyway? At least for now it looks like. Your feet feel like lead but you follow them.

“All clear!” A third voice calls out when you step back onto the path. He looks straight out of a model magazine if you ignore his clothing. But even with his clothing, there’s a sort of cutting edge to him that would have certainly held your attention if you didn’t instantly start comparing him to your Link.

It felt really good to say that. Your Link. You doubted you would ever get tired of saying it like that.

However, your eyes instantly narrowed in on the scarf that he had slung around his shoulders. You don’t remember it being that big- but it takes every fiber of your being so turn your eyes away from him. Knowing him and all that he’s been through- was probably the worst one you’ve investigated. He was the one you hoped to meet the least. Should he learn, no, when he learns about the things you’ve done, he would most likely take it the hardest.

Unfortunately, you can see the moment he pinpoints your unease and tucks it into the back of his mind. You flinch. The others see that too.

“You know…” He says slowly, taking his time to walk over to you. “There aren’t a lot of people with ears like yours.”

“I’ve gathered that.” You say softly. You want to own up to what you’ve done and what you know. You want to be the adult you are and take accountability… but not yet. You have to see him first. You have to see that your soulmate is safe and real in the flesh.

The Hero of Warriors bites his lip awkwardly. You’re not sure what he’s thinking but you have the slight suspicion that none of you are on the same page. He scratches the back of his head. “I haven’t met a lot of people like you but we know a guy who grew up with cropped ears. Come form a group of them. They live in Ordon Village. Heard of it?”

You can’t help it. You perk up and your heart starts beating faster. There’s no denying your recognition, or the way your face lights up. “Yes! I do!”

This could be your ticket straight to your soulmate! And you didn’t even have to say anything yet!

“He might be a bit out of it though.” This ‘Hyrule’ Link mentions quietly. “Is this really a good idea after everything he’s going through right now?”

You bite your tongue. If this ‘he’ is who you think it is, then you have to be patient. You’ve waited years to meet him. You can wait a little bit longer.

“You know him?” The Hero of Warriors looks back to you instead of answering his friend. “He knows about everybody from his village. Name’s Link.”

You have to force yourself to nod normally and calmly. “I… should.” This is a make or break moment. Now or never. You have to be brave and face the consequences no matter what happens. “...I’d know for sure once I see his face though.”

“Very well.” The Hero of Time, albeit older and more scarred. You’re not sure why he has the Fierce Deity marking on only half of his face or why he has a scar over his eye already. “Maybe a familiar face would do him some good for a time. He needs someone other than us to talk to.”

You don’t comment, too focused on appearing normal as they begin to lead you back to where they were as a group. You faintly notice that ‘Hyrule’ (you have to figure out where he’s from or quickly before you accidentally spill any secrets he may be trying to keep) has glowing hands as you walk. Your injuries and the pain begin to fade.

So this one does magic? Which Link can heal?

You try to keep the conversation light and away from true thoughts and feelings as you nervously follow them through the forest. You didn’t think you would be so shaken by all of this. You didn’t think you would find yourself this anxiety ridden. Oh you hope that he’s here, that he will forgive you! You have to apologize for everything you never said.

***

Twilight finally managed to get a grip on himself and on reality after what felt like an eternity later.

“Hey. You ok?” Wild reaches over and pats him on the back, trying to be as soothing as possible. “Are they ok?”

“Y-yeah… I think so.” Twilight takes in a turbulent breath. “They feel… calmer. I’ve never been able to simply feel them before. They must have stopped shutting me out so much…”

“That’s great, Rancher!” Wild cries, punching him on the shoulder. It’s such a brotherly move that Twilight can’t help but smile, albeit weakly. “You’ve just hit a rough patch. It’ll all be ok in the end. You’ll see.”

Twilight coughs and nods along. “It’s something… I just hate that they were so scared for so long… I couldn’t… I can’t do anything…” He shudders. “But I think… I think they’re here. I think they’re close.”

Wild freezes in a similar fashion that Twilight had earlier. “...Are you serious?”

Now that he’s said it out loud, it feels weightier. Hearty. Real. He nods fervently as the smile on his face turns into a grin. “I am. I think they’re here, Cub. …I need to find them.”

“Then we’ll help you.” The Champion replies without hesitation. “After all of this, this is the least we can do. We’ll find them first. Everything else can wait.”

Warmth and adoration bloom in Twilight’s chest as he brings the younger hero in for a bone crushing hug. There are no words that he can say that would properly convey what he’s feeling but he’s going to fight to keep it.

There’s rustling to the side of their makeshift camp. Everyone turns to the sound with expectant eyes. Time brushes some of the brambles out of the way as Warrior comes through, stretching his arms as he goes. “Hey Rancher. We got someone we thought you’d like to meet. You up for it?”

Twilight raises an eyebrow and stands. “Depends on the per-”

The words die on his tongue. You walk in, roughed up and dirty. But beautiful. So, so beautiful.

You seem nervous as you look around. Hyrule walks around you and everyone is watching for anything to explode. You see him and suck in a breath.

You stare at each other.

Twilight thinks his heart has stopped entirely. Surely this was too easy. He had only come to the conclusion that you were in his grasp. Now you’re just here? Like that? All but plopped onto his lap to love and adore and spend the rest of his life with?

The weight of the situation seems to finally settle on everyone’s shoulders. Wild shoves Twilight forward and he stumbles from the action. He can’t even be mad. He can’t bring himself to glare at his friend. It would mean he would have to take his eyes off of you. And he refuses to do that.

“...It’s you…” The words leave him breathlessly. You’re perfect. Better than anything he could have imagined. Those visions did not do you justice. “...It’s really you…”

Suddenly you tear up and the hazy dream of it all shatters. Twilight feels like a bucket of ice water has been dumped over his head. “What is it? What’s wro-”

“LINK!” You run and jump on him, holding onto him like he’s a life line. It’s enough to knock him over and knock the wind out of him, but he’s used to a little rough and tumble. He catches you with ease, spinning to disperse the remaining momentum and holds you just as tightly as you descend into heart wrenching sobs.

It breaks his heart.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Twilight says quietly. He starts crying too.

Everyone else is aware that this should have been a private moment but they’re too invested in this to look away now.

You pull away and cradle his face. Your fingertips are gentle but shaking. You’re drinking him in just as much as he’s drinking you in. He feels you trace the markings on his face, lip wobbling with unspoken words as fat tears continue to roll down your cheeks.

He wipes them away gently.

You sniffle, caressing him in a similar manner, no doubt wiping away his own tears he’s been set on ignoring. “I could kiss you.”

That’s all the permission he needed.

***

Link kisses you.

He’s sweet and tender and although you’ve never kissed another person before it was everything you thought it would be. You’re not sure why. It was clumsy and awkward but you were too caught up with finally being in his arms to care about it at all. It was as it should be.

You let yourself have this. You kiss him back. You hold on tightly. You run your hands through his hair and try to map him out as fast as you can before you inevitably have to explain everything.

You know this because you cried out his name.

It was a spur of the moment thing. You hadn’t intended to. Since you had never shared each other’s name, he would no doubt start to ask questions once the high dies down. It would ruin everything for you, kill you off before you had a chance to fully live through this, but you wouldn’t lie to him. You’ve done enough damage without him knowing.

So you’ll take what he gives you while he’s still willing to give it. And you’ll hold the memory close for all your future years to come when you inevitably separate.

You finally allow yourself to pull back and gulp down the air that you’ve been missing.

You’re messy and tired and you’re sure that this is going to end poorly but for the hell of it, you kiss him one more time before relaxing slightly.

Link for his part, was absolutely stunning. He was warm and solid. The arms around you spoke of pure power. His strength was no laughing matter and you knew that. You were completely caged with his grasp but instead of feeling threatened or concerned, you were at home. Every cylinder in your brain was firing off that this was where you belonged.

You have to force yourself to pull your hands away.

You sniffle, looking away from his enchantingly blue eyes. Have they always been that shade? Were they always so bright? You could have sworn they were different. You fix up his fur pelt and the collar around his tunic, trying to bring yourself back into some working order.

You feel his hands gently, almost hesitantly card through your hair and around your ears and neck- toying with the idea of feeling your skin. It fires off goosebumps over the rest of your body.

You gulp and force yourself to speak. “...I didn’t think I would ever see you in person.” Your voice gets thick with emotion. You can feel your heart betray you further, nearly sending you into another sobbing fit before you can reign it back in. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

He nods and laughs wetly as he gives in to his compulsion to play with your hair between his fingertips. “Neither did I… I was so scared I lost you.”

You shudder at the raw and thick feeling that shoots through your bond. You can feel him. It’s warm and sturdy. You think you can feel the brush of fur along your heart- a calling to the beast he holds within. It shakes you. Was this how your bond was supposed to eb from the start if you weren’t separated from realities? You take in another deep breath, the tears fall anew regardless. “I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head and holds you impossibly tighter. “Never say that to me again. You have nothing to apologize for.”

You’re stunned. After everything? He was obviously frightened. And at the same time, you know that your time is up. You have to explain yourself.

“That’s not true, Link.” You sniffle, hoping that by ripping off the bandaid it would make it easier for you to heal later on. You can’t bring yourself to hide it any longer. “I have so much to apologize for.

His face crumbles as he rubs his thumb over your cheek. A deep, dark growl emanates from him as he bares his teeth. You’re not entirely sure he knew that he did that. “You’re hurt.”

It’s startling how otherly he looks in that moment- but you’re not afraid. Guilt is replaced by intrigue.

There’s so much you’d love to learn about him. But you can’t keep up this charade. It might as well be that everyone is still watching your very downfall before you could truly begin.

***

Twilight could feel himself growl before he could stop himself. You tensed up but didn’t pull away.

Good. He was worried that the effects of the magic in his life would have turned you away the second you saw it in person. He forces himself to relax. Putting aside the driving need to tear apart the very things that harmed and threatened you into shreds, he gently bonks his forehead to yours. “I forgive you.” He tells you, because it’s true. Whatever you want to apologize for- if it’s for scarring him, for blocking him out, for dropping out of your bond for those terrifying 7 hours- he forgives you. You’re here. He won’t lose you so easily now that he has you. “I don’t care about what’s happened. I’m glad I finally get to see you after so many years.”

He’s dreamed of this moment for as long as he knew you were meant to be his. He never would have imagined that it would have been under these circumstances but he can feel you. He feels you. There’s no more door in his way. There’s no more tampering the connection or even remotely trying to hold back what you’re both thinking and feeling.

You’re bright and fluttering and sharp. Like a rose if he had to pinpoint both your intricacy and your ability to put him in his place whenever he would need it. It’s almost delicate but intimidating. You could cut him in a heartbeat- but he could crush you without meaning to. The thought is exhilarating. He hadn’t imagined that the bond would have been this intimate or vulnerable.

You’re feeling guilty. So, so guilty. It’s enough to catch his heart in a vice grip and mangle it beyond its bruised exterior. He wants to wipe the sinister feeling from your heart and mind. Twilight wants to soothe all your worries and troubles with a single swipe of his hand.

He kisses your forehead. “I don’t believe you. This mess wasn’t your fault. You’re not a malicious person. I would know. We’ve been in each other’s head since we were old enough to toddle.”

The guilt gets worse and he’s questioning how he could feel everything about you but not your thoughts. Maybe he misunderstood the manner of your bond and this new strange and wild feeling.

You hang your head, hitting his chest gently as you sink into him. The feeling is good and drives itself deep into his bones. He sighs, closing his eyes to block out his unfortunate audience. You hug him and begin to shake slightly. “You don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what horrible thing I‘ve been keeping from you… But you have to promise me, let me explain it all first! I just-... I didn’t know at first how bad it would have been. I didn’t think it would have gone this far.”

Twilight feels his heart start pounding. He doesn’t understand. What kind of trouble did you find yourself in? “What are you talking about?” He pushes you away with his hands on your shoulders, looking deep into your eyes. “Are you in danger? Did it bring the shadow to you?”

“Shadow?” You echo weakly. You seem to get what he’s saying and shake your head. He sighs of relief but then you tense up again and wince. “Actually- maybe? I wouldn’t know. I don’t think it would work like that but I can’t be certain.”

He grits his jaw and squeezes your shoulder a little tighter- keeping a conscious decision to still be gentle with you. “Are you working against us?”

He has to ask you point blank. He has to know you got caught up with the enemy. He had thought that you were in danger before. You would have had to spill secrets to save your own life. He wouldn’t be happy with it- but he doesn’t think he would hold it against you in the long run. You had a lot of secrets to give, that he knew. You were a perfect target with zero training and zero experience. He shudders at the thought.

He wouldn’t blame you. You’re clearly beating yourself up over something and it’s tearing you apart on the inside. He can forgive you- even if it would complicate a few things.

To his surprise though- you jump, looking like you’re about to smack him for the very thought to your honor. “What? No! I would never! I would never put you in danger. I would rather pitch myself off a cliff before I ever come close to anyone wanting to hurt you.”

The spark of indignation overshadows the guilt for one bright moment and Twilight finds it himself to smile. “I know. But I had to ask.”

You huff and pout. It’s cute, Twilight thinks to himself, being careful to not send the thought your way. He chuckles and twirls your hair around his finger. It’s so soft. Softer than he would have ever imagined it to be. Would you let him brush it for you?

“I just…” You start again. Twilight sees you hype yourself up to say the words but you hang your head again, guilt creeping over the bond you share like shards of ice. “I’ve done a not good thing, Link. I… know things I shouldn’t. About you. About your friends.” You flinch violently as if you’ve finally remembered that everyone else is watching you. “I owe them an apology. I owe them all an apology. I’m worse than Cia.”

The familiar name sets a good portion of the group on edge. Twilight sees Warrior stand up straighter as a dark look comes over his eyes. Before Twilight can so much as warn the other man to back off from his soulmate, the Captain strides forward and speaks lowly. “How do you know that name?”

You start to shake again. When you speak, your voice is weak and quiet but Twilight hears it all the same. “Can we sit down?”

“Of course, darlin’. Come on.” Twilight guides you to one of the logs around the cooking fire and sits you down. He’s quick to put himself between you and Warrior just in case he tries to get any closer.

Warrior gets the memo and doesn’t try to approach either of you any more but he crosses his arms. “There are only a very select few outside of my Hyrule that know that name.”

You flinch and bring your hands to your lap, fidgeting with your hand nervously. “I know, Link. But there are places outside of Hyrule that know that name and it’s quite common among those who know the Hero of Courage.”

Twilight feels like something is off with that sentence. Then something clicks. “I never told you my name. I was never able to, no matter how much I wanted to or how much I tried..”

You wipe your eyes and your nose with your sleeve. A long beat of silence passes. “I know… I learned it… As soon as I heard you say Midna… I managed to search for you…” You turn to him. There’s so much unspeakable emotion in your eyes. Your heart feels light but turnt in a way that’s painful for you both. “I found you, Link.”

Twilight sucks in a breath. “...what do you mean?”

“I found you.” You say again. “I found Ordon. I found Hyrule. I found the Twilight Realm. I found your story.”

He suddenly feels sick. It’s as if he’s been punched in the gut. “...What?”

You take a second to swallow your spit. You take a moment to reach for him but decide against it. Twilight reaches out for your hand anyway before you could fully take it back. He’s made his choice. He won’t let you push him away again. But he needs to process the implications of this.

There’s an even longer pause. Slowly, you squeeze his hand. He squeezes your hand back. You lick your lips and keep your head down, focusing on the way your hands are laced together. “I found your story. I found out everything. I knew how it was going to end before you even knew what it would lead up to. I …knew Midna would leave. I’m sorry, Link.”

Your hand squeezes his tighter and shakes. “I wanted to tell you. But I was scared. I was so scared. I found that no matter what I saw, what I knew, I couldn’t spoil it for you. I was worried it would hurt you in the long run. All I could do was point you in the correct direction so you wouldn’t get hurt worse.”

Twilight can feel the memories coming back to him in an avalanche of recognition. “All those puzzles…” He finds himself saying. “...I was always impressed that you could figure them out so quickly.”

“I was cheating.” You try to joke. It falls flat. “I found a walkthrough and it told me the solution. Of course I had to tell you.”

Twilight chuckles but it’s not quite where it should be. It’s not fully fake, not fully bitter, but it’s certainly toeing the line between the two of those. “...I can’t even be mad. You saved me so much time and effort.”

You whine and try to pull your hand away. He doesn’t let you. “I wish you would be. I wish you would be mad. Even if it was a little bit. I deserve it, Link. I know so much. I saw so much. You don’t even know my name yet I know your darkest secrets!”

Twilight takes a deep breath and tries to put away the sting of betrayal. It feels stupid to get upset over this. After all, you had truly helped him. Through the worst of it, you were still protecting him. “You’re my soulmate. Our bond shares thoughts and visions. You would have my secrets even if you didn’t find my story. It would be silly to be mad at you when you helped me with everything. You were my rock. My safe space. I trust you with my secrets.”

You shake your head again and choke on another sob. Twilight still doesn't understand what’s the problem. You finally look up to the rest of the group and whisper.

“I know all your secrets too.”

#linked universe #linked universe x reader #linkeduniverse #lu x reader #lu twilight #soulmate au #soulmates from the start

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sopiao · 10 months

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konig that secretly sucks on sweets or lollipops under his mask XP

since his mask is always covering his face he can always just be secretly sucking on a lolli without anyone knowing.

König never takes off his sniper hood.

Never.

It makes it very hard to understand his facial expressions or how he’s truly feeling. Only having to depend on his words. He could be hiding anything under that t-shirt mask, a wide scar across his nose, a sarcastic expression, a secret lip piercing, or maybe a regrettable face tattoo.

But he’s for sure always snacking on a sweet. The Austrian is comfortable enough to talk and converse to others, but he’s not the most talkative. So, he’d be quite and listening most of the time, just observing and watching the other’s he’s with, which makes it easier to hide the fact that he’s occupying his tongue with sugary sweets.

He doesn’t know why he treated it as a secret, it just felt nice to have a little something that no one else knew about, even when he was doing it right in front of them.

Always have a couple sticks with the sweet sugar on the end of it on in his pockets. Even during missions he’d have a pop in his mouth, grinding in the paper stick as he waits for the enemy to pop their head out of their hiding spot to snip them to the ground.

When he triumphantly stands over his enemy, with a freshly twisted, dislocated, neck, he’d spit the empty stick on their cold dead body. A little warning to show that it was him that ended their journey.

At first he had it to satisfy his cravings for something sweet. But soon it just became and oral fixation, always needing something to chew on, or something to fidget with his tongue with. Chewing on the stick, even when it’s contents has been melted away already, just to gnaw his sharp teeth against it.

His favorite lollipops are the Blow Ups (the cherry ones more specifically, very simple), their always flavorful and have the gummy center for him to chew one. He likes Dum Dums too, but their too small for him, and he finishes them too fast for his liking.

He has hard candies occasionally, his favorite being Jolly Ranchers. He likes the pretty, crystal, clear color. Cherry and blue raspberry being his favorite, cherry because of the flavor, blue raspberry because he likes it when his candies color his tongue.

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cawthorntales · 1 month

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The second of my What If Brock and Logan photoshoot series.

What if Logan had never been corrupted and met Brock?

The rancher never saw himself settling down without anyone. He had become perfectly content bounce from one night stand to one night stand. Accepting he could be a bit of a diva and would never find someone who could handle him.

The shy city boy never felt love would be in the cards for himself. He didn't think too highly of himself and he preferred to blend into the background. He'd long accepted he'd be alone.

When these two met it was like they had each found the missing piece of their heart. Brock reminds Logan that he is perfect just the way that he is and that he is enough. Logan reminds Brock that it is ok to be yourself and the right person will love you.

Brock is by @theosconfessions

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avid-avian-lives · 6 months

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1800

couldnt help myself, im really proud of this one :> rancher omens au no cut today for a short scene with the long-awaited rancher content!!

Jimmy watched proudly as a signpost was put up commemorating the founding of “Solidarity Tavern.” He had thought a lot before settling on the design, which pulled pieces from the barely awakening American West to create a new-fashioned yet traditional tavern.

Inside, he was sorting out tables and chairs and the like when he heard the door open. Without turning, he announced that the tavern wouldn’t be opening for the rest of the week, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice that he hadn’t heard in a while.

“Joel?”

“Tim!” said Joel, wearing that signature fake smile. “What’s with the building? It looks ugly. And it makes you look short. Anyway, I’ve got good news.”

“Oh?” Jimmy said, still not quite on edge. “How’s that?”

“You’re going back to Heaven!”

Jimmy’s smile faded. Back to Heaven? He hadn’t wanted to go back to Heaven in a while; certainly not since he got closer to Tango. That was hardly a situation he could explain to Joel, though, so he merely did his best to show disinterest without being rude.

“Can’t see why anyone would want to stay here, anyway,” Joel said. “Bloomin’ awful, it is. We’re promoting you, Tim! Heaven knows you don’t deserve it, but, someone had to take up this new job.”

Jimmy’s awkward smile nearly faltered as he spotted Tango in the doorway of the tavern. Joel hadn’t seen him, thankfully, but it would come close if Tango didn’t leave.

“But who else would be qualified to foil the plans of the demon Tango?” Jimmy said, panicking. From the doorway, Tango mouthed “chocolates” and pointed to the box he had been carrying.

“Literally anyone else,” said Joel.

“He’s clever!” Jimmy said. “And he’s been on Earth just as long as I have. I know how to deal with him, but another angel without my experience may let him get away with… schemes. Besides, who would replace me?”

“BigB,” Joel said, “obviously.”

“BigB?!” Tango whisper-shouted from behind Joel. “BigB is shady as Hell, and I mean that!”

“You can’t mean that,” Jimmy said pointedly. Tango just rolled his eyes.

However, Joel soon found himself in the tavern’s storage room, waiting while Jimmy packed up his boxes. There was a small window above his head, and the wall was thin enough that he could hear the remnants of a conversation outside.

“Drat!” said a voice. “How is it that all my demonic plans of evilness are so effortlessly thwarted? Heaven must have some kind of demon-thwarting hero in their ranks who just… thwarts me all the time.”

Joel stood on one of Jimmy’s stools to see out the window. He could just barely make out who he knew to be the demon Tango and another hooded figure. Joel ducked below the window to continue listening unseen.

“If there is one person to blame for these continuous setbacks, Master Tango,” said another voice, “it is the angel Jimmy.”

“Ugh! Do not mention that name in my presence!” said Tango. “He is a devious and cunning angel. I haven’t had a wile left unthwarted in years! Decades! As long as he remains on Earth, my plans must remain merely mischievous where they could be downright vile! No one knows how to thwart me as well as him.”

“I bear news, Master Tango,” said the second voice, which was merely Tango having far too much fun with the deep, demonic voice he developed for his dungeon. “We hear that Heaven plans to send Jimmy back to their ranks and replace him with another angel.”

“That is delightfully good news for the evildoers of Hell!” said Tango in a (mostly) normal voice. “No matter who they send down, they would never be as good as Jimmy at thwarting the wily ways of this Earth-dwelling serpent. Indeed, today is a day for evil to rejoice, for Heaven has faltered! Let us celebrate Heaven’s foolishness by burning a city or amassing an army. I daresay we could storm the gates of Heaven! No one could stop us the way Jimmy could. Heaven will rue the day they were fooled into taking my greatest obstacle away from the Earth!”

This tale was recounted to Jimmy amid a series of devious laughs. Joel had, unsurprisingly, found himself “receiving word from Heaven” that Jimmy’s promotional position had been filled and that he would have to remain on Earth. Maybe it was just Tango’s overactive imagination that made it seem like Jimmy’s wine-reddened cheeks darkened at all the compliments that "the demon Tango" and his "hellish compatriot" were giving him.

“It’s true, though!” Tango said. “I had this truly devious plan to drink this whole bottle of wine all by myself. Thankfully, there was an angel around to stop me. Devious, yes. I’m very devious.”

“Certainly,” Jimmy said, staring into his wine glass.

#trafficblr #team rancher #rancher duo #avid avian says #rancher omens au by avi #rancher omens written

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clarepreed · 8 months

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First Date

Story Content and Summary - 5,563 words. After recovering from the events in Stressed to Death, Ginnie and Holly are on their first official date. Despite their obvious chemistry, a freak accident threatens to tear them apart forever. Commotio cordis, on-site resuscitation.🏳️‍🌈

Ginnie waited on a bench outside the restaurant, repeatedly wiping her damp hands on her sundress. She wasn’t sure she’d worn the right thing; she liked this dress, and she thought she looked pretty in it, but now she was worried she was too dressed up. Or not dressed up enough. Ginnie tapped her fingers on her thighs, rocking slightly on the bench.

I’m too early. I’m just going to sit here and nervously sweat, she thought. Holly will worry if I seem nervous.

Then: When do I NOT seem nervous?!

Ginnie huffed at herself and stood, automatically smoothing her dress down in the back and patting the skirt to make sure she hadn’t dropped her wallet or her phone.

“Hey, Ginnie! Are you okay? Am I late?” Holly’s husky voice interrupted Ginnie’s spiraling train of thought.

Ginnie whirled around, her face blushing hot. Holly stopped a few steps away on the sidewalk, looking cute in slim fit brown pants and a boat necked shirt. Ginnie squeaked out: “Hi! No, you’re early! Um… I’m just nervous.”

Before Holly could reply, Ginnie blurted: “Just a normal amount of nervous. Not ‘die on the sidewalk’ nervous.”

Ginnie was looking at Holly’s nose, but she still took in the strange expression that passed over the other woman’s face.

I’m making her uncomfortable.

Ginnie opened her mouth to apologize, but Holly interrupted her, her mouth breaking into a wide smile. “I want to laugh, but I don’t know if I should.”

“Oh, please do,” Gennie said, her hands twisting in her skirt. “That’s why I said it. I joke a lot when I’m nervous.”

Holly took a step closer, her hands plunging into her pockets and then pulling them straight back out. Her eyes skimmed over Ginnie, setting off a warm tingly feeling in Ginnie’s belly. “Hey, um, you look really pretty. That’s a nice dress.”

“It has pockets!” Ginnie exclaimed, demonstrating by slipping her hand in one.

“That’s great. Uh… may I give you a hug?”

Instead of responding verbally, Ginnie lurched forward and threaded her arms around Holly’s ribs. She squeezed the taller woman tight.

“Yes,” she murmured, her lips brushing Holly’s collarbone. Holly’s arms folded around her and they stood for several seconds in silence. Finally, Ginnie said: “You smell good. Spicy?”

“You smell sweet. Like candy.”

“That’s because I ate a bunch of Jolly Ranchers on the bus.”

Holly chuckled. They were embracing for much longer than normal, or so Ginnie assumed. Not that she minded. She could hear Holly’s heart beating fast and strong beneath her ear. The other woman’s embrace was warm and firm. Tears suddenly pricked Ginnie’s eyes, and she murmured: “Thank you.”

Holly leaned back, though she didn’t release her grip on Ginnie. “Are you okay? What are you thanking me for?”

“It’s just that we haven’t seen each other since I got out of the hospital. Texting isn’t the same. Thank you for saving my life. I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable.”

“Not at all, Ginnie. I’m really glad you’re back in the city.” Holly laughed. “I was afraid you’d decide to stay with your parents. I mean, if you did, I was going to ask you out anyway. But it’s nice to have you here.”

“I’ve never dated a woman who hasn’t had at least one super long-distance relationship.”

“God, that’s so true.” Holly squeezed her and then released the hug. “Ready to eat?”

“Yes! This is my favorite restaurant!” Ginnie gushed, gesturing for Holly to follow her. “The owners are from Seoul and Atlanta. The menu is small but really varied and even my parents were happy with the food! They have the best starters… The acoustics are good inside, too. It’s never too loud. This place is my comfort restaurant. I hope you like it!”

Holly stepped up to the door and pulled it open. “After you. I looked up the menu when you suggested this place and it sounds great. Of course… I just really like food.”

There was a small line at the host stand, so they joined at the end. Ginnie pointed up at the vaulted ceiling. “They have art up there! Little sculptures of birds.”

Holly stepped close and looked up. Ginnie felt something at her side and glanced down, spotting Holly’s hand held out to her, palm up. She reached down and took it, a blush running up her chest to her face. Holly bumped her arm against Ginnie’s. “Was that smooth?”

Ginnie snorted and clapped her free hand over her mouth.

“I made you snort,” Holly said, looking over at Ginnie. Holly pulled her pretty lips into yet another big smile. “And blush.”

Dropping her hand down to fidget with her skirt, Ginnie said: “I like you.”

Holly squeezed her hand. “I like you, too.”

“I don’t feel as shy as I thought I would,” Ginnie murmured. They were getting close to the host stand now.

“Good. Only good vibes tonight.”

“How many?” the host asked. “Two?”

“Yes,” Ginnie and Holly spoke simultaneously.

“As soon as Tom gets over… Here he is. Enjoy your meal, ladies.”

They followed the server, walking through the dining room, still holding hands. Ginnie registered small sounds; the clink of silverware on plates, the murmur of voices, soft instrumental music. A snapping sound, followed by a sharp zzzzzzzzzt!

Something small and dark flew at them, too fast to avoid, and she heard a soft thump followed by a short huff of air from Holly.

Holly dropped like a stone, so suddenly that Ginnie had little time to do more than clench the abruptly limp hand in her own. The weight on her arm jerked her down to one knee. Holly sprawled face down on the floor, making no effort to break her own fall.

“What the fuck was that?” she heard someone say, their voice loud in the quiet room.

“Holly?” Ginnie heard her own voice, high-pitched and wobbling with surprise and worry. She released Holly’s hand and turned to put both of her knees on the floor, her hands resting on Holly’s back. Her date lay still and silent, unresponsive to her touch or her voice. “Holly! What happened?”

Ginnie shook her, then looked up. The room fell silent; a few seconds later she heard someone tentatively call out: “Hey, is she okay?”

Crawling around to Holly’s other side, Ginnie leaned close to her face. To her shock, Holly’s big warm eyes were open, staring, seeming to look through her. Her lips were slack, a glistening line of drool stretching from the corner of her mouth down to the floor.

“HOLLY! HOLLY!” Shouting in her panic, Ginnie dimly registered that she was kneeling on some kind of cord or rope, and she reached down to touch it. “What…”

“Is she breathing?” Tom the server asked.

Ginnie closed her eyes so she could concentrate and leaned closer, lifting the back of her hand next to Holly’s lips. She waited, her other hand coming up to stop her ear, using the closest one to listen to any sounds that might come from Holly. Eventually, however, she opened her eyes and stared up at the red-faced server. “N-no…”

“I’ll… I’ll get the manager,” Tom said, staring at them for several more seconds before scurrying away.

“Fuck the manager!” someone said. “Call 9-1-1!”

Ginnie rocked back and forth for a few seconds before she shook her head violently and reached for Holly.

I need to put on her back, right? Ginnie pushed on Holly’s shoulder and hip, rolling her clumsily onto her side and then tipping her onto her back. Holly flopped as though her bones had dissolved. Ginnie gasped, spotting a dark stain soaking into her pants. She peed herself? That can’t be good.

“That!” a woman’s voice. The dining room was growing loud now, as people shouted and pushed back their chairs. “That thing on the floor! That’s what hit her!”

It should be me, Ginnie thought wildly, desperately trying to filter out the sounds in the room. Holly’s the one who knows what to do!

“Someone call 9-1-1, dammit!” a man shouted. A glass smashed to the floor and someone ran by in clicky-clacky high heels.

“I did! I did, I’m on the phone—”

“Miss!” A woman’s voice cut through the din. “I’m Melissa, the manager. What happened?”

Melissa crouched at Holly’s other side, then reached out to tip her head back, opening up the line of her neck. She leaned close, her ear by the unconscious woman’s slack mouth. Holly’s tan skin was growing ashen by the second, and Ginnie realized with a sick feeling that her lips were turning blue. “She’s not breathing!” the manager snapped, and then she leaned over Holly, her fingers moving along the lifeless woman’s ribcage.

Ginnie watched as the manager pressed the heels of her hands between Holly’s breasts and then pushed down hard. Holly let out another huff of air, and Melissa called out: “One!”

Numb with shock, Ginnie stared as the woman’s clasped hands pumped Holly’s chest, making her stomach pop up against the waistband of her pants. She could see the shadow of her ribcage bobbing up and down in time with the shrug of her shoulders.

“…six, seven, eight, nine, ten—Miss? Are you comfortable giving her breaths?”

A few seconds passed, and Ginnie stammered: “Wh-what? Breaths? Yes, I…”

“Tip her head back to keep her airway open! Twenty-three, twenty-four…”

Ginnie’s hands shook as she rested one hand on Holly’s forehead, then the other on her chin. She vaguely remembered doing this years ago in her college health class. Of course, that had been a mannequin. Not happy, sexy, kind Holly.

Help her, help her, help her…

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Pinch her nose, NOW!”

Ginnie pinched Holly’s nose and then bent over her, hesitating only a second before drawing a deep breath and sealing her mouth over Holly’s. She heard a rush of air between them as she exhaled forcefully.

“Faster!” the manager ordered, and Ginnie gave Holly a second quick breath. Holly’s mouth was soft and damp, her skin still warm with the life that had flowed through her moments before.

Then the manager continued chest compressions. Ginnie remained hunched over Holly, her fingers pinching her nose and her other hand on Holly’s chin. She could feel her head wobbling from side to side as Melissa worked on her. Her gaze fell unbidden on Holly’s dark eyes, staring up at the ceiling.

“Holly, Holly, Holly, Holly…” she muttered under her breath. Her own heart pounded a panicked rhythm.

“…ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…”

“There’s an ambulance on the way,” a man said from somewhere above her. “But my friend went looking across the road for an AED!”

“…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Ginnie was faster this time, her mouth closing over Holly’s and delivering an efficient breath that made her date’s chest rise before she broke the seal. It rose again quickly with the second breath. Holly’s forced exhale blew into Ginnie’s face as the manager resumed chest compressions.

“One, two, three, four, five, six…”

She felt herself rocking over Holly’s motionless form and made herself stop, swallowing hard. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, though Ginnie couldn’t identify what she was feeling other than panic.

“—flagged one down at the intersection! They’re coming!”

“…eighteen, nineteen, twenty…”

“An ambulance?”

“Are we in danger from the other—”

“—cops coming, too? ‘Cause—”

“Twenty-eight,” Ginnie muttered in time with the manager before dragging in a breath for Holly. She covered her lips, hoping they weren’t cooling off, that she was just imagining things. Two breaths, two lifesaving kisses.

I wanted to kiss her for real, she thought, and then blurted out: “Is she dead?”

No one answered her.

“…nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen…”

Ginnie released Holly’s nose and patted her cheek. Her voice came out quiet and broken. “Holly, Holly, Holly… No…”

“…nineteen, twenty, twenty-one…” Chest compressions looked painful, though Ginnie knew Holly couldn’t feel them now. She thought she could hear the occasional crackle when the manager’s hands forced Holly’s chest down to beat her heart.

They hurt later. They hurt a lot later. They’ll hurt her later if she—

“…thirty!”

Ginnie pinched Holly’s nose and pushed two breaths into her lungs. A tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto Holly’s chalky face. Ginnie wiped it off with the back of her hand.

“Everyone out of the way, let the medics in!” boomed the same man looming above her.

Everything seemed to speed up. Two people in dark blue uniforms pushed through the crowd, wheeling a gurney as they hurried across the room. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and said something she didn’t understand, though when they grasped her elbow she got the idea. She found herself sitting in a chair close by as the medics relieved the manager and one of them pressed gloved fingers into Holly’s neck.

“I’m going to close service,” she heard the manager say. “Quickly. No bills, no to-go boxes. Just politely get everyone out of here. I have to call Gray and tell him…”

“What happened?” the other medic asked, though Ginnie wasn’t sure who he was talking to. He’d opened a duffel beside him and was holding a plastic piece next to Holly’s face.

“Something hit her in the chest,” Ginnie said. Her voice came out too quiet, and she cleared her throat as he slipped the plastic piece between Holly’s teeth and turned it. “Something hit her in the chest and she just… fell…”

The first medic had already started chest compressions, and his hands looked huge against Holly’s chest. She could see Holly’s chest sink and her stomach bulge up each time he rolled his shoulders down.

“That’s it!” the man with the loud voice said. A man with a bald head and broad shoulders leaned into Ginnie’s line of sight and pointed at a silver-colored hunk of metal laying on the floor. An eyelet protruded from the top with a piece of frayed rope threaded through it. Several feet away were the scattered remains of a sculpted bird. “Those fucking birds, man…”

“Strike to the chest,” the second paramedic said. He finished assembling some kind of mask with a large bulb on one end and a line of tubing that lead to what Ginnie recognized was an oxygen canister. As the first medic paused compressions, the second pressed the mask to Holly’s face, lapping his fingers over her chin. His other hand squeezed the bulb twice.

“Get her on the monitor,” the first paramedic said. “One, two, three, four, five…”

“Cops are here,” the loud man said. “Uh, wife wants me to get out of your hair; I see her waving from the door.”

“Thank you, sir,” the second medic said. He’d pulled what looked like a duffel with an old school computer monitor in the front close to Holly and then drew a pair of shears out from another bag. He snipped the neckline of Holly’s shirt without preamble, then quickly cut through to the bottom when his colleague lifted his hands. He snipped Holly’s lightweight bra down the middle and across the straps, and then compressions resumed.

Ginnie blushed as Holly’s chest and stomach came into view. The other medic cut off the rest of Holly’s shirt while the first thrust his hands rhythmically into her sternum. Holly had moderately-sized, round breasts with large aureola, which wobbled in time with each chest compression.

“Miss?”

Ginnie blinked and looked away from Holly, toward the source of the voice.

Tom, the server, stood next to her, trying not to look at Holly. His face was pale aside from two ruddy spots on his cheeks. “Um, we are closed. I am sorry, but we need you to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Ginnie gasped, incredulous. Anger made her face go hot and a few more tears squeeze out of her eyes. “That’s my… that’s my… that’s Holly, and—”

“Not her, Tom! Jesus, go back to the front.” Melissa, the manager, stepped between Tom and Ginnie. “That’s her girlfriend!”

Ginnie looked back at Holly. The man with the mask was giving her breaths, and as soon as he laid the mask down, he reached for a large packet. He cut the top open with the shears and dumped out a set of what Ginnie recognized as defibrillator pads and leads. As the first medic continued rocking his weight into Holly’s sternum, the second tore the backing off the first pad and smoothed it onto the skin above Holly’s right breast.

Holly’s head tipped to the side. Her eyes were still open, wide and startled-looking. Her chin nodded with each compression.

“Miss? Miss?” A hand gripped Ginnie’s shoulder, and she flinched, pulling herself out of the manager’s grip. “I’m sorry, jeez, I… What’s your name?”

The second pad went on Holly’s side, below her left breast. Shortly after, an angry-sounding alarm filled the air

“What?” Ginnie asked. The compressions looked scarier now that Holly was half-naked. She had an athletic body, but Ginnie thought her collarbones and fingers looked delicate, and the extended line of her neck appeared fragile as the medic turned her face back upright, pressing the mask over her nose and mouth. Ginnie gripped the seat of her chair, swaying side to side.

“Your name, sweetie.”

“Ginnie.”

“Pause for analysis,” one man said.

“There’s our backup,” the second said. Two more paramedics walked quickly through the restaurant, carrying their own set of bags.

“V-fib. Charging to three-sixty.”

Ginnie’s eyes darted from the newcomers to Holly, sprawled on her back with a medic pushing hard and fast on her chest. The medic suddenly raised his hands, and the other said: “All clear. Administering shock.”

“Ginnie, how—”

Holly’s torso jerked, and her limbs flinched. The second her body stilled, the original pair of medics switched places. Another pair of gloved hands found Holly’s chest and started forcing her sternum down toward the young woman’s heart. Steady beeping sounds emitted from the cardiac monitor.

“What have we got?” one of the new paramedics said. “I’m James, this is Sandra.”

“Chris and Scott. Witnesses say our patient, Holly, was struck in the chest by that counterweight. She was in ventricular fibrillation when we analyzed and I’ve given her one shock. James and Sandra, I need her intubated and her blood pressure.” Chris handed over Holly’s mask. “I’m going to prep a push dose of epi.”

“What?” Ginnie remembered that the manager was trying to talk to her. “What was that? I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, sweetie. Do you have a ride to the hospital when it’s time?”

“A ride?” Ginnie briefly squeezed her eyes closed. “A ride to the hospital?”

“I can take you. If you came here in an Uber or something… let me drive you.”

“I rode the bus…” Ginnie pressed both of her hands to her face. She could hear one of the medics quietly counting out chest compressions.

“Okay,” Melissa said. “Why don’t you let me drive you? I’ll pull my car up behind the ambulance and we can follow them.”

“Okay,” Ginnie said. “That’s fine. That’s fine. That’s… fine.”

“Do you know how to get hold of her family?” Melissa asked.

Ginnie dropped her hands into her lap and opened her eyes.

The view was even more frightening now. Four paramedics working on Holly. One of them injected something into Holly’s outstretched arm. Another continued to perform deep and rapid chest compressions, making Holly’s body rock and her stomach pop. A third pumped up a blood pressure cuff. The fourth, a woman, had Holly’s mouth open and a metal device wedged between her teeth. The woman held a tube in her other hand.

“Pause compressions,” she said. She was lying on her stomach, her face close to Holly’s.

Her name is Sandra.

The medic pumping Holly’s chest stopped. She saw Chris pluck a stethoscope from around his neck and plug the earpieces into his ears. Sandra quickly but carefully fed the tube down the metal device and into Holly’s throat.

Holly’s family.

“I have her mom’s number,” Ginnie said, her hands slowly reaching for her dress pocket. Chris had the bell of the stethoscope to Holly’s chest. “I… I can text her.”

“You’re in,” Chris said. “Continue chest compressions!”

Sandra unhooked the bag and used white tape to secure the tube in place, taping one end to Holly’s cheek, winding the tape around the tube and then tearing it off and pressing the end on Holly’s other cheek. She did this with a second piece of tape and then reconnected the bag. Ginnie watched her squeeze the bag between every ten or so compressions.

Ginnie slipped her phone from her pocket, unlocking the screen automatically.

“Will you be taking her to South or Harper?” she heard the manager ask.

“Harper,” Chris said. “Pause to analyze in five, four, three, two, one… Come on, now… Still in v-fib. Charging to three-sixty.”

“While you’re texting her mother, Ginnie…” the manager paused until Ginnie looked over at her. “While you’re texting her mother, I’m going to move my car, okay?”

“Oh… k-kay.” Tears ran down her cheeks again, this time at the thought of telling Holly’s mom what had happened.

“Everyone off? Clear…. Administering shock.”

Holly bowed up and relaxed. James slid in and took over chest compressions. Ginnie noticed he had black gloves instead of blue like everyone else.

Holly’s face was more visible now that she’d been intubated. Staring eyes. Full lips parted around the tube protruding between her teeth. There was a quiet whooshing sound every time Sandra squeezed the bag. Scott leaned in with the shears and cut from the waistband of Holly’s pants down to her knee. Then he pressed his fingers into her thigh crease.

Ginnie cradled her phone in her hands, opening the messaging app. She didn’t want to contact Holly’s mom. Not while they were resuscitating her. Not while a stranger shoved his hands between her breasts. Not while a tube ran down her throat. Not while a man connected her to an IV bag. Not while her pulse points were exposed and pressed.

Not with her ashen skin and bruised chest, her staring eyes.

What the fuck do I say? ‘Hello, Mrs. Diaz Aguilar. It’s Ginnie. We spoke that one time. Um, I have bad news. There was an accident with a bird in the restaurant. I don’t know what happened, but something hit Holly in the chest and now she’s dead.’

Ginnie swayed side to side, trying not to break out into sobs as she typed out: This is Ginnie Courier. Holly had an accident. They are going to take her to Harper General.

“Administering amio,” she heard Chris say.

The paramedic’s hands on Holly’s chest made noises with each chest compression. His gloves squeaked against each other and her soft-looking skin. His weight thumped into her unresponsive body. Ginnie wondered if she would still hear puffs of air escaping her if she were closer.

Her mind trailed back to her own time in the hospital, before her parents had made it up to see her. She’d wake up and Holly was always there, holding her hand. Dozing sometimes, but waking up as soon as she stirred. She was tender, even though they were essentially strangers to each other. Strangers with crushes and a strong, if newly formed, connection. Even in her hospital bed, her chest burning with pain, Ginnie felt her body respond to Holly’s touch. Holly’s smile. Holly’s voice.

I should have tried to kiss her then, she thought. But I was afraid it was too soon.

“Analysis in thirty seconds,” Chris said. He finished cutting off Holly’s pants, leaving her in a simple pair of hip-hugging underwear. Ginnie watched him run his hands and eyes over her legs; she assumed he was looking for injuries. As soon as he released them, Holly’s legs rocked in time with the relentless thrusts to her chest. He hadn’t removed her shoes, and Ginnie realized with a pang that they were both wearing a pair of high top Converse shoes, just in different colors.

“Pause compressions for analysis…” Chris had his fingers to the crease of Holly’s thigh again, and his eyes were on the monitor. “Still in v-fib. Resume compressions while I charge to three-sixty, then I want Sandra to sub in on the next round.”

Ginnie’s thumb hovered indecisively over the “send” symbol, the digital paper airplane that would send Holly’s mother down a spiral of anguish. Her own parents hadn’t learned of what happened to her until she was already stable. It had to hit differently. Even so, her parents had been acting strange ever since. Mom was over-solicitous. Dad kept giving her money.

Holly’s body rocked under another ten chest compressions and then the paramedics all leaned back, raising their hands.

“Everyone clear? Administering shock now.”

Holly flinched, her back coming up slightly off the floor, her breasts shaking, limbs jerking. She’d barely stilled, alarms screaming, before Sandra slid into place, her hands slotting between Holly’s breasts. The cycle of compressions and breaths continued.

Ginnie sent the text, shaking with sadness and trepidation.

“One, two, three, four…”

Holly remained limp. Scott squeezed the bag, sending oxygen into the tube running down Holly’s throat. Chris gave her another injection. Sandra rolled her shoulders over her hands, palms pumping Holly’s sternum. Holly’s stomach bulged, and her legs rocked.

Ginnie’s phone vibrated in her hand. She looked down and saw that Holly’s mother was calling her. Instantly, she felt as though her throat had closed up.

I can’t…

“…nine, ten! One, two, three…”

“Hold compressions! Rhythm and pulse check!”

The medics pressed their fingers to Holly’s neck, wrist, and groin. That’s when Ginnie noticed her eyes were closed.

“Holly?” she whispered.

“Sinus rhythm!” Chris said, sounding excited under his professional facade. “Pulse confirmed. We’ve got her!”

What’s wrong?!!!!! Holly’s mother texted. What happened?

Holly is aliv, Ginnie texted back, her fingers clumsy. call n a minute

Then she clutched her phone to her chest, rocking as she broke down into sobs.

Days later

Ginnie paced back and forth across the waiting room, her hands busy with a plastic tangle fidget. She had the vague feeling she was bothering people, but she felt like she had to keep moving or she might explode. She kept her path as far away from other people as she could. She had a single earbud in, her favorite playlist cranked a little too loud for hearing safety. She was trying to drown out her own thoughts, though she didn’t want to put in both earbuds and miss someone calling for her.

Ginnie’s mind kept filling with terrible images: Holly staring up at her with dead eyes, Holly intubated, Holly’s bruised body sprawled out under a paramedic’s thrusting hands.

Holly is okay. Her mom said she’d let me know if anything changes. I’m going to see her in just a bit and she will be okay.

“Okay, okay, okay…” she muttered, her voice muffled underneath her mask.

“Ginnie?” A familiar woman’s voice interrupted her anxious train of thought. Ginnie looked up and spotted Holly’s mother, Gena. The older woman looked tired but happy, her gray-streaked hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and her generous lips drawn into a big, encouraging smile. A surgical mask dangled from her left ear. “Hey. Are you ready to come see our Holly?”

“Yes!” Ginnie blurted, quickly putting her earbud back in its case and dropping it into her bag. After a moment’s hesitation, she dropped the tangle inside as well. “Is she okay? Is she awake?”

“Yes, she’s awake. And she is doing much better.” Gena held her arms out to Ginnie. “May I have a hug?”

Ginnie nodded, her voice disappearing somewhere deep inside of her. She let Gena embrace her, her own arms sliding around the other woman’s back. Gena squeezed her tight.

“I know you said you didn’t do much, but my understanding is that when EMS arrived, you and the restaurant manager were p-performing…” There was a long pause, and when Gena continued, her voice was husky. “You were helping her. Every second was important. Thank you, Ginnie.”

Ginnie felt her face burn hot as she squeezed the other woman back. After a moment, Gena released her and leaned back to look her in the face.

“I’m not stressing you out too much, am I? Holly, bless her, was worried about stressing you out. I suppose I don’t blame her after what happened to both of you.” Gena pulled her mask back over her nose and mouth and gestured at Ginnie, apparently not noticing that Ginnie was looking everywhere but Gena’s eyes. “Come on, Holly will wonder what I’ve done with you.”

Ginnie followed Holly’s mother down the hall, her fingers worrying the strap of her crossbody bag. Eventually, they arrived at a room with Holly’s name written on the marker board next to her door.

“I’m going to go get some coffee,” Gena said. “Holly doesn’t have a roommate as of this morning, so the two of you will have a little privacy. Can I get you anything from the cafeteria?”

“No, but thank you,” Ginnie said, though her attention was already pulling her into Holly’s room. She didn’t hear Gena’s reply.

When she stepped inside, she spotted Holly instantly. Looking smaller than her true height, leaning back against pillows with her hair tied back. Her eyes were closed, full lips slightly parted. Ginnie hurried to the foot of Holly’s bed and then froze, her fingers tapping against the thumb of each hand. Holly opened her eyes and yawned.

“I’m sorry,” Ginnie blurted.

“What for?” Holly asked, yawning again.

“You’re tired. And they wouldn’t let anyone but your mom come see you in the ICU…” Ginnie felt her throat grow tight and her eyes water. “But I am really happy to see you, Holly.”

“You can take your mask off in here, Ginnie.” Holly rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up higher on the pillows, wincing. “If you want to.”

“Oh! Can I help you with something?” Ginnie asked, hurrying to Holly’s side. Then she snatched the mask off her face and crammed it in her bag.

“No, I’m okay. But thank you for asking.” Holly reached out for Ginnie’s hand, tugging her closer. “You look pretty. But tired.”

“I’m fine.” Ginnie wrapped both of her hands around Holly’s. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore and tired,” Holly said. “But otherwise I’m really good. I have one more test and then I get out of here. It’s looking like I’m going to be fine. I guess sometimes people have to have an implanted defibrillator after something like this, but my heart is okay.”

She tipped her head at the monitor at her bedside, then gestured at the leads snaking their way out of her hospital gown. “All this stuff tickles.”

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” Ginnie whispered. A tear trailed down her cheek. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Oh, hun, please don’t cry.” Holly squeezed her hand. “I’m okay. Thank you for helping me.”

“I didn’t know what to do! If the manager hadn’t stepped in… Holly?”

“Yeah?”

“When you feel better, will you teach me what to do? I took CPR in college but I didn’t really remember…”

Holly fell silent and her cheeks flushed pink. She reached up with her free hand and tried to ruffle her hair, only to remember that it was still tied back.

“Oh, I shouldn’t have asked!” Ginnie blurted. “I wasn’t thinking…”

“No!” Holly protested, letting out a nervous laugh. “I want to teach you. When I’m not so sore, and I’m out of here. We can… practice.”

“Thank you.” Ginnie sighed. “I don’t want to feel helpless like that again.”

“Hey,” Holly said. Her face was still pink, and she gave Ginnie a sly look. “I can think of something else we can do while I’m in here.”

“Yeah?” Ginnie asked.

“Kiss me,” Holly said, her voice husky and deep. “Please?”

“Before one of us dies?” Ginnie asked. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt the tiniest bit lightheaded.

“Sure,” Holly said, chuckling. “Whatever, I just want to kiss you. Please.”

Ginne released Holly’s hand and stepped closer to the bed. She knew her fingers were cold, but she touched Holly anyway, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, then tracing her jaw with her fingertips. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to Holly’s.

Holly’s lips were soft and warm, and Ginnie felt her hands come up, cupping the back of Ginnie’s neck, threading lightly through her loose hair.

Instantly, Ginnie wanted nothing more than to climb into Holly’s hospital bed and stretch out alongside her. Their lips parted simultaneously, and the kiss deepened, tongues plunging and hands clutching. Holly took an audible breath through her nose, her chest heaving.

Ginnie broke the kiss, worried by the panting sounds coming from Holly.. She kissed around her soft mouth and murmured: “I’m sorry, I’m smothering you.”

“I’m okay!” Holly protested breathlessly. “I’m not dying, that was just really good! I think we’re on to something!”

“I promise we’ll do that again when you’re out of the hospital!” Ginnie kissed the tip of Holly’s nose.

“Can we do it again now?”

-- Ginnie and Holly return in Practice.

#resus writing #cpr resus #female resus #wlw love

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mushroomwoods · 6 months

Text

never say goodbye

The sailor finally learned of a secret that roamed among the group and he wasn't happy about it, after all, who, if not him, would even dare to get so close to you? He would make sure it wasn't that wolf.

character — Wind, platonic.

cw — platonic yandere, wind is a warning in itself, feral little gremlin has too many traumas to take care of.

as always, @wayfayrr big brain ideas makes me spiral into madness and this is the latest result of it. and my opinion stands strong, platonic yanderes are fucking scary, they could ruin your fucking life if it meant you would never look away from them <3

kinda noticing how I'm turning mostly into a dark content blog too, oh dear, that wasn't the intention.

The sailor wasn't stupid like some liked to paint him as. It was only natural for him to discover what was the nature of Wolfie's existence when the rancher was always so secretive about it.

The man had come clean to him when he noticed the boy was too near the truth, after all, he trusted him like a younger sibling, he knew he wouldn't do anything to use it against him.

But maybe it was a mistake.

He must have underrated the sailor possible bolts of jealousy when he said something like that to him.

At first it was okay, but he started acting gloomier by the day when you didn't pay him any mind in order to play with the group's wolf. When it came to that, Twilight unfortunately knew it was only a matter of time until the bubble of rose tinted lens burst.

And for the first time, anyone in the group had ever seen Wind cry.

Not that he wasn't easy to read, he was more open than most in the group and always relied into some of the others when in need of help, it was endearing how he acted like the younger sibling when he noticed it would alleviate the tension, even when it was apparent how much he hated acting like it.

But he was strong.

There was no doubt about it, some could even argue that the boy would stand among the heroes with the most mental fortitude, as there was hardly anything that could set him off, even in the middle of battle.

But the scene unfolding right now was nothing short of a surprise.

The boy clung to your clothes as he muttered something incoherent, tears streaming down his face as his grip around one of your writs turned bruising. You winced and Twilight turned frantic.

“Wait, Wind, [Name] is in pain.” The ordonian tries to approach, but the glare he receives from the boy is enough to make him stop.

“Don't you fucking dare!” Wind snarled, showing his teeth and any reproach Wars had about his language, died when he noticed just how shaken up he was.

“Hey sailor, what got into you suddenly.” Four didn't move from his spot near the clearing, but the youngest head whipped to him so harshly you feared he would hurt himself.

“Like you're one to talk, smith. I bet someone like you was into like the rest of you all.” His voice was firm, but the tears just continued to cascade relentlessly. “I bet you all would just leave me out of it and try to take away all the things I love, like they always do.”

A sob broke from his throat and finally his facade crumbled, as his eyes ran back to you, filled with so much desperation you couldn't help but hug the boy, who sniffled into your chest.

“[Name], please, don't leave, please... I'll be good, I promise.” You shushed him quietly, running your hand over his hair as the other patted his back.

“Hey now... why would I leave?” His eyes lifted to meet you, wet lashes brushing and peeking through his bangs. “I won't leave you, don't worry.” You smiled reassuringly and he nodded softly, his hand around your wrist finally letting go as he hugged you again, now nuzzling into you.

You looked in confusion to the rest of the group, but there was no answer from their part. Twilight eyes avoided yours and Time sighed, impatient, but not words were uttered to calm your nerves.

It was a strange night, and you could notice how ever since that day the youngest was more and more protective over you, turning especially harsh when Wolfie tried to approach you, but no one said a thing to dimiss his paranoia, as you could only follow along his whims, since anything you said to go against his wishes would make the usually so energetic boy tremble and cry in fear you would abandon him.

At some point you understood that what you said to him as only a mean to calm him down, was now a promise binding the two of you together.

#lu wind #wind linked universe #linked universe #fungi's delicacies #I'm not all that proud of it but damn will i extend on this topic later

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theminecraftbee · 2 years

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pls can you write a cute fluffy thing for the jolly ranchers thank u

Morning slowly filters through the window. Jimmy is already awake; he's always been an early riser. He can go ahead and make them a meal as the sun slowly rises.

He supposes he should be frightened. He only has one life left. Last time that happened - every last time that happened - it hadn't gone particularly well. He's never been good at bloodlust. He knows that's what he ought to be feeling. Anger, despair, desperate loneliness, something. He supposes, if he wants to win, that's how he should be feeling.

But Tango has enough anger for both of them.

Jimmy looks over to their bed. Tango is still asleep. His legs are splayed awkwardly. He's sort of hugging the pillow he's lying on, which can't be comfortable; his arm's probably fallen asleep. He's drooling and snoring loudly.

Jimmy snorts.

Yeah, when Tango's awake he'll have enough anger and righteous red life rage for both of them. For now though. For now - if the red life was supposed to amplify emotions that made killing easier, Jimmy supposes he knows which one is amplified for him.

He goes to properly cook some eggs from the chickens. Contentment is a strange reason to kill, but to kill for someone else - wars have been fought over that.

If this is how he goes out, he thinks he's not afraid.

The sun grows brighter outside as he turns up the fire and he smiles. It is going to be a good day.

#answered #prompt ficlets #a bee fic #jimmy solidarity #tangotek #double life smp #i just think that them

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masonika · 7 months

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♢𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 | 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲.♢

Day 2 of me posting my SMG4 artwork!

March 2023 - Hal Monitor (Humanized) and SMG3 on a Unicycle

I was honestly surprised on never seeing one of my favorite characters have a human design, so I did one myself and would like to imagine that he has somewhat of a cherry brunette look to him. Oh and uh for what he is wearing it's an actual monitor, or you could call it a visor. I based that off of Future!Tom from the Eddsworld movie/special). In the other artwork, it was a request from James himself on Twitter that he wanted SMG3 on a unicycle. Fans provided and someone I know has been recognized which I am proud of them for. But yeah, I made this for the funny and I mean, who else can help the purple man besides Eggdog?

June 2023 - Life is But A Dream and Gothic Hunter SMG3

So I added horror elements to the TV and I wanted to add a creepy scenario of it. I think if I recall, this was before or after the events on when the TV showed up during the Wild West special. But I forgot since it's been awhile. This piece I went all out with my shading and wanted to experiment dramatic effect. Which was nice. Now for the Gothic Demon Hunter, SMG3? This is an AU that I still have yet to make. The AU is called "The Last Moon", it's about a hunter that hunts down demons but in space. So practically, the Meme Guardians that take place in here are not Meme Guardians, but they do have an interesting past. I won't reveal much but more shall come once the story releases. (If I ever have the motivation...)

May 2023 - SMG4's Birthday x Slime Rancher 2 Crossover

Final piece of the day is something that I planned months for and worked about 2-3 weeks in advance. This was an art piece that I've made special for Luke. It was a painting as well as appreciation and gratitude for all the things that he has done during my childhood. He brought me laughs, joy, and something to smile for. And even if I didn't personally know the guy, his content as well as his team meant a lot to me. I was there during his first video and seeing how much his channel grew, left a soft spot in my heart. It taught me so many things. He also inspired me to keep going as a fellow artist and fan and that is something that I will truly cherish. I have so much to thank him for. It may have been unfortunate that he wasn't able to see my artwork on Twitter, but it didn't bother me in the end. I know that he can be a busy guy and there are other amazing people out there doing the same for him and the team. Personally, what really matters is that I least made many fans smile with what I create and that itself is good enough for me. ❤️

~Masonika

#smg4 #smg4fanart #fanart #krita #kritaprogram #smg4 fanart #smg3 fanart #smg3 #thelastmoonau #smg4au #thelastmoon #halmonitor #halmonitorsmg4 #smg4 hal #smg4 hal monitor #crossover #slime rancher #slime rancher 2

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luimagines · 5 days

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Two in a Bush

Another commission!

They asked for Reader getting separated in a dungeon and Wild panics to find them. :D

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Wild wasn’t sure what to expect of a place like this.

He didn’t have anything like this in his world. He had the Divine Beasts that he had to figure out but those were giant mechanical weapons. Not some fortress that had a hidden secret at the end.

Comparing the two- he supposes they aren’t all that different. From the monsters, to the puzzles, to even the multiple floors for a few of them, Wild could confidently say that he still had no idea what he was doing. Luckily, many of the others seemed to have more than enough practice and experience to go around. Wild was more than happy to leave the spearheading to them.

It gave him an excuse to look after you instead.

You were a special circumstance amongst this group of heroes. It caught Wild’s attention in more ways than one.

It was just unfortunate that you had zero fighting experience like the rest of them. Not that he personally considered it a fault of yours, don’t misunderstand him, but the idea of being with a group that does nothing but fight without being able to fight didn’t sit right with him. Granted, he was happy and delighted by the idea that you came from a place where you could live normally. It made him jealous in a good way. He wanted that for himself as well- but you would have had it from the beginning and that’s something that he knew he would never achieve.

However this also meant that they would have to be on the lookout for you specifically. Without any knowledge of how to properly defend yourself, it meant that they would have to pick up the slack.

Not that they would ever phrase it that way and much less to your face. Wild had thought that he could take the opportunities to look cooler and more heroic in an attempt to catch your attention but even he knew that it was a fool’s dream to picture it that way… That didn’t stop him from day dreaming though.

Regardless, he stuck by your side as the group explored the dungeon, sword at the ready and willing to defend you if needed.

You seemed content to explore the dungeon just like the rest of them, keeping pace and looking around with childlike wonder on your face. It made Wild smile.

Suddenly, the group was attacked.

Everyone sprang into action, Wild included to take down the threats in the new room. While there was usually only a handful per section, this room had an unusually high amount of monsters. It took all hands on deck to diminish the threat and clear the area before they could continue exploring.

Wild was lucky enough to stay behind the larger hoard of monsters, shooting at the threats to help his brother before they broke the line. He switched to his sword and charged ahead, slashing the threats along with the others until there weren’t any left. Tired, but relieved, Wild turned back to you with a smile on your face.

But you were nowhere to be seen.

His heart dropped and so did his sword from his hand. The metal clang echoed in the room. “Guys?”

Many turned their heads to him.

Wild looked back to the group asking for where you were, prompting them to look around the room as well. Wild didn’t like the looks on their faces as they came to the same conclusion they did.

“Where did they go?” Wind scratched the top of their head.

“Were they pushed out of the room?” Twilight stood straighter, jogging to the entrance for a better look.

Hyrule followed the Rancher without missing a beat. “If they didn’t, then we have a bigger problem on our hands than any puzzle we can find in this dungeon.”

Wild could feel his anxiety rise within him. You were right there. How could he lose you? There’s still more monsters to go through. You can’t fight them. You can’t. He needs to find you. He needs to find you now.

“Oh hello.” Legend whistles, calling the attention of the others. “Champion, were you over here at first?”

Wild turns around and nods. “Yeah, I tried to keep them here so they wouldn’t be cornered so easily if they had to run.”

He doesn’t like the look on Legend’s face. There’s a panel on the wall but Wild didn’t think much of it at first.

Legend points to it. “Who wants to bet they’re on the other side?”

“What?” Warrior furrows his eyebrows. “What does a weird wall with a human shape have to do with-”

Legend grins and places himself in the human imprint. The wall spins suddenly with a quiet whirr and returns to its original position. Without Legend in it.

Wild doesn’t want to waste any time. He runs to the panel despite the cries of the other boys, too in shock over Legend’s disappearance to stop him from doing the same. He places his back to the metal and gasps as it spins just as it did for the Veteran.

He comes face to face with another room entirely and takes a step away. The wall stays the same.

Legend dusts himself as he takes in the new room. He’s looking at the map they collected earlier, trying to figure out where they go and where this would lead. He’s scratching the side of his head, pushing his hat to a dangerous edge where it could fall off with one movement. He looks perplexed. He doesn’t seem to like what he’s seeing. Wild doesn’t want to think about going into uncharted waters and what that could mean for you.

Wild scans the room as well. There’s some more monster hidden in the shadows to his left and there’s a deadend to his right. In front of him, there is a hallway just beyond the room but there’s another exit just ahead of the monsters.

The monsters notice him and begin to make their way closer to the duo. The wall behind them spins again, signaling the arrival of a third member but Wild pays no attention to it.

He still can’t find you so he takes off running, picking a random exit in hopes that it leads him to where you could be. How far could you get in such a short time? Surely he could catch up in time before something happens, right?

He hears the Four call after him but he pays no mind to it. Footsteps begin to echo behind him along with the muffled cries of the monsters as they were shot on sight.

Wild takes a deep breath and looks around. He finds a new spot but there’s still no sign of you, even as he desperately begins to call for your name. There’s more monsters in this new room and he’s quick to deal with them. His building panic and frustration adds fuel to the fire as he channels it into a quiet rage to kill the offending beasts.

Once the room is empty, it remains empty. Not wanting to waste any more time, Wild turns on his heels and runs out as fast as his feet can carry him.

He’s already lost. He doesn’t know where he is. He doesn’t know where the others are, nor does he hear them anymore. His breath is the only sound to surround him. It comes out haggard and stunted. He coughs- feeling a drop of saliva attempt to go down the wrong pipe.

Wild whips his head up, not bothering to continue catching his breath. He starts running again, finding a new path into a new room. There’s more monsters and he deals with them as quickly as the prior ones.

Panic has fully set into his bones as each turn produces more and more failure.

Tears well up in eyes and in his frustration, Wild punches the wall. He hurts his hands more than he hurts the wall.

As in response, he hears a sound. It’s muffled and faint, but he can hear the familiar cry of rage and determination just beyond the bricks and mortar. It’s a battle cry.

It sounds like you.

Spurred on by the sound, Wild goes on the attack. He beats the wall with everything he has before the ground beneath him gives way. He tumbles and instinctually tucks himself into a ball. Wild wraps his arms around his head and uses his legs to try and gain control of his graceless descent. He eventually comes to a grinding halt and he unfurls himself from the positions he’s put himself in.

He is only inches away from the edge of what appears to be a cliff. His heart jumps at the sight as he rolls away.

Wild, remembering why he had tried to get through the wall to begin with, pushes himself to his feet.

A monster cries before it dies, quickly followed by more and more sounds of pain and anger. Another battle cry rings out, this time much more clear than what Wild had heard previously.

It is most definitely you.

Wild looks over the edge hesitantly. It would be great if he had finally found you… But it would be a hit to his psyche if he were to see you in battle. He’s afraid of what he might see. Are you hurt? Are you terrified?

He looks over anyway.

Instead of terror, he’s pleasantly surprised to see that same determined look on your face that he’s seen on so many other faces. Your eyebrows are closely knit together and there’s a glint in your eyes that he’s never seen before.

They’re hardened and sharp. There’s an ax in your hand that you no doubt stole from one of the monsters you must have come across. You look angry and there’s multiple splatters of blood over your clothes and exposed skin. The fabric that covers sticks to your body from the sweat you’ve produced from the intensity you’ve put into defending yourself.

Wild finds himself glued to your figure. You fight ferociously even though your lack of training is evident. He watches you with his jaw agape and his hand on the handle of the sheikah slate. He’s entranced. This is hot.

The sheikah makes the familiar sound of a picture being taken before he reaches for his bow. From above, he aims for the monsters that come against you. His attacks throw the monsters into confusion as they search for the second hidden threat. The distraction gives you the perfect opportunity to strike them back and finish them off.

Once the last of the monsters has fallen, its body fallen beside the others, you take the last remaining part of your sleeve and wipe your forehead. You smear the blood splotches over your cheek in the process. Wild takes another picture. You look up, using your hand to try and block out any competing light and see him.

Wild snaps one more picture, hoping that it catches the way you instantly relax and smile up at him. He hopes he catches the way your eyes light up at the sight of him and the way you’ve held the weapon high in the air in greeting, making it look more like a victory stance over your enemies. He waves back enthusiastically. He’s never felt more proud in his life. “You did it!”

“Link!” You cry back and drop the weapon. You run close to the cliff, craning your neck to your sight on him. “You found me!”

Maybe you didn’t hear him.

Wild shakes his head affectionately and takes a few steps back. He doesn’t see your eyebrows furrow again or the confused tilt to your head. Instead, Wild takes a running leap and jumps off of the cliff. He opens up the paraglider and uses it to glide down safely to where you stand.

You run to him before he hits the ground, nearly tackling him as he lands. Wild wraps his arms around you instinctually, calming his pounding heart now that you’ve returned safely to his arms. You take in a shuddering breath and tuck your face into the crook of his neck. You feel inclined to repeat yourself. “You found me.”

“I wouldn’t stop searching until I did.” Wild whispers. He pulls back and wipes the remaining blood off of your face. “What happened? How did you end up here?”

You smile sheepishly and scratch the back of your neck. “During that first fight, I got pushed back far enough into the wall. It spun around and next thing I knew, I was in another room. I saw the monsters on the far end and figured that it would be better to not be spotted. I snuck out and only ran into more monsters so I kept going. Next thing I know I ended up down here and couldn’t not fight back.”

“Where did you even get the ax?”

“I stole it.”

Wild snickers and finally lets you go. His hands rest on your shoulders, rubbing them affectionately. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

You grin in return, putting on a smirk. “I just pretended they were customers on Black Friday. I’ve always wanted to fend them off with a stick.”

He has no idea what that means. “Ok- but you had an ax and they were monsters.”

“...High stakes Black Friday shoppers.”

Wild hangs his head in defeat. He tries his hardest to not laugh at your facial expression. It seems as if you know what you’re talking about at least, so it’s a small comfort. “Alright. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“Are the others waiting for us?” You take his hand, stepping in time with him as he takes a good look around this new area. For the better part, it looks like a ditch with no way in or out- except for above.

“Sooomething like that.” Wild chews on his lip, switching to his climbing gear. He picks you up with zero hesitation, throwing you onto his back and he begins to scale the wall. You yelp and shriek, hitting his back as he climbs.

“Hey! A warning would have been great!”

“Hang on. I got this.”

“...Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

You snort. He’s ignoring your tone on purpose. Slowly, you adjust yourself on his back so you don’t fall off and wait until he’s reached the top. Once he lets you down, you smack the back of his head.

He blocks it effortlessly, leaning in instead to kiss your cheek. There’s laughter on his breath as he checks you out once more. “I hope you're ready for a lot of walking. I’ll have you know that we are very lost.”

“Are we?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Oh.” You think for a moment and look back at Wild. You end up chewing on your lip as well. “Are we in trouble?”

“You? No. Me? Most definitely.”

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #lu x reader #lu wild #the title was a placeholder #and it stuck #it has nothing to do with the story ^.^*

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slcwshow · 30 days

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the gentle warmth of the rising sun. love in the form of a home-cooked meal. meeting people where they are. motes of dust in a beam of light. the comforting presence of an animal companion. deep-set laughter lines. taking your time. the smell of fresh hay. the velvet hide of a newborn calf. offering someone a taste of whatever you’re cooking. keeping the door open and leaving the light on. coming when you’re called. the unshakeable belief that people will always deserve another chance.

statistics.

full name: joshua alain bennett nickname(s)/alias(es): josh, jay name meaning: god is deliverance age: thirty-six date of birth: october 16th star sign: libra place of birth: pelican town, stardew valley current location: pelican town, stardew valley gender: cis-male pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: bisexual occupation: rancher family: thomas bennett (father), dominique bennett (mother, née alain), lisette alain (maternal grandmother), katherine ‘katie’ bennett (wife, deceased) education level: high school graduate living arrangements: lives by himself at sweet pea ranch loved gifts: hashbrowns, apples, honey hated gifts: rabbit foot, parsnips, ginger

biography. (death of a spouse tw)

Joshua was born in Stardew Valley, and had no intention of ever leaving it.

He’s a farm boy through and through - Sweet Pea Ranch is his family home, and he’s worked there since he was old enough to toddle around on his own. One of his earliest memories is of a calf being born.

Even as his childhood friends grew up and moved away, Joshua was content to keep treading water, going through the motions of small town life as naturally as breathing.

Things changed when he met Katie. She blew into town for the Stardew Valley Fair, and he was smitten with her right away.

Katie was only supposed to stay in town for a week, but a week quickly became a month, and months became a year, until it was as if she’d always been there.

After three years of dating, Joshua finally asked Katie to marry him. The ceremony was held in the Pelican Town Square, and you couldn’t’ve asked for a happier couple.

A year after Joshua and Katie got married, the couple relocated to the suburbs of Zuzu City, to be closer to Katie’s parents.

For five years, everything seemed certain. Life wasn’t easy, but it didn’t matter because they were happy - they were together. And then, with one telephone call, everything fell apart. Katie had been hit by a car as she cycled into the office she worked at, and died of her injuries en route to the hospital. Joshua didn’t get to say goodbye to her.

After Katie died, Joshua went home to his family in the Valley. He didn’t recognise himself, couldn’t make sense of his life in the city without his wife, and he couldn’t think of anything to do except go back to what he knew.

It took a long time to get back to himself, but Joshua threw himself into his work at the ranch, and as the hurt grew less, made increasing efforts to engage with the community that had always taken such good care of him.

Four years ago, Joshua’s parents left the Valley and moved south to care for his grandmother, Lisette, in her old age. He runs Sweet Pea Ranch by himself now, and he is happy… but sometimes the old farm house feels a little big for just him and his dog.

other things.

Joshua only stopped wearing his wedding ring in the last year.

He’s a big gridball guy, and proudly supports the Zuzu City Tunnellers. He was there with his dad when they won the league a few years back.

Never let this man think you’re going hungry - he will turn up on your doorstep with a bag of groceries and half a dozen foil-covered dishes, no questions asked.

All of Joshua’s cows have southern belle names (Adelaide, Beatrice, Clementine, Delia…), and his bull is called Bruce.

Work permitting, Joshua tries to speak on the phone with his family at least once a week. He also writes them frequently, and mails photos of how things are going at the ranch.

He rescued his dog, Cricket, three years ago. She’s the ranch’s only other full time employee.

#joshua: about #death tw #death of a spouse tw #dew.intro

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simple-seranade · 1 year

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so i wrote more of that shapeshifter!jimmy concept- team rancher fans (/p or /r) come get y’all’s content

(part one here! shoutout to @pixiemage for the inspo to add some team rancher, apologies for the tag if it is unwanted-)

TW: body horror, panic attack, lots of anxiety

Tango is a being of emotion.

Whether the fires of passion and rage that consumed him in the Life games, to the ice cold loneliness he felt after the fact when he realized his soulmate was gone, the man has had plenty of practice in letting his feelings flow through him, empower him, become the fuel that kept him going.

So when he receives Jimmy’s message in the world chat, every single alarm bell in his head sounding that something was wrong, Jimmy is in trouble, go help him, go find your rancher…

Well, Tango felt his feet hit the sand before he even had the conscious thought of going to find the sheriff.

He can’t help the feeling of worry that pools in his gut as he nears the town, ignoring the gritting sensation of the wind-tossed sand flying in his face, his clothes, his hair. His mind is frantic and flickering as the possibilities flare to life, all the groundless worst case scenarios painting a baseless picture of ash and ruin.

The smell of singed sand rises in the air, causing Tango to pause, looking back at the course he was taking. A series of smoking footprints trail behind him, some flames still burning in his wake despite the fact the only fuel was the sand and the hot desert sun. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempts to steady his breathing.

He has no reason to be getting this upset, no valid explanation for the uncanny fear that’s taken residence in his chest. He shouldn’t even be worried, for void’s sake. After all, Jimmy was talking after a few days of radio silence, and nothing he had said was wrong, or bad, or even troublesome, but for some reason the ice blue flames on Tango’s head were roaring like a bonfire three times their size.

Maybe if he just… reads the message again, he’ll calm down. He can rationalize, go check in Jimmy without the threat of accidentally burning the town to the ground, and just catch up with the sheriff. It had been a while since they’ve gotten the chance to chat, Tango getting caught up in helping FWhip with his Empire and Jimmy’s never-ending feud with Joel.

Tango hums absentmindedly as he walks, pulling up the world chat on his communicator.

Jimmy: Renovations in Tumble Town. For safety purposes, visitors are banned until further notice.

See? Nothing to worry about. He was fine, there was nothing wrong with Jimmy. Tumble Town was just changing, so he was probably busy. Everything was fine.

Someone should notify Tango’s emotions of that message, because the pit of worry in his gut only grows. Whoever said anxiety was a rainy emotion must not have known what they were talking about, because the smoke pillaring into the sky from the icy blue flames in his hair seemed to perfectly match the hot sparks of panic in Tango’s chest.

He really needs to find Jimmy before he sets the entire desert ablaze over paranoia.

Because that’s all it could be. Paranoia. He was getting worried over nothing. He can’t feel Jimmy’s pain anymore, he has no reason, no way of knowing the sheriff is hurting or in any kind of danger. Then again, it also meant he isn’t sure Jimmy isn’t, either.

He had never missed the soulbond more.

The wave of relief that crashes over him when the familiar walls of Tumble Town rise in the distance is hardly enough to quell the burning emotion inside of him, but it does dim the glow to a more reasonable proportion. Nothing is on fire- well, aside from Tango himself- and no screams are to be heard. In fact, it's a typical quiet desert day.

Nothing like Tango would expect from a place undergoing heavy renovations.

He tries to keep himself in check as he nears Tumble Town, doing his level best to not let his growing unease affect him. Everything is normal, any traces of the claimed construction nowhere to be seen. The only out of the ordinary occurrence is the fact that, despite the sun barely even beginning to dip past its midday point in the sky, the lights in the sheriff office are completely off. Jimmy usually keeps the lights on to let people know they could come in and receive help from the sheriff if they needed it.

Tango’s traitorous brain considers truly for the first time that something is actually wrong. That he isn’t imagining things. That Jimmy…

He needs to find his rancher.

The blaze hybrid takes a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “Jimmy? Where are you?”

Silence.

A fiery man’s sinking heart.

Then, so soft it was nearly imperceptible, a sniffle.

Tango swings his head around, attempting to pinpoint the origin of the sound. His blue eyes land on the dark sheriff’s office, and his heart sinks as a small, pitiful whine comes from inside. He isn't sure he’s ever moved faster than he does in that moment, the door opened and shut before he even processed the fact that his feet were moving, creaking against the wooden planks. “Jimmy? Jimmy, are you ok? What’s-“

“Tango, you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.” A hoarse whisper sounds from the back corner of the room, shrouded in shadows from the lack of lights. Tango fights back a cringe at the sound of the voice he knew so well, which was oddly lifeless and wooden.

The blaze hybrid takes a step towards where the sheriff is, brightening the room slightly as the icy blue fire that partially made him fought back the dark.The figure of his past soulmate is huddled against the wall, features still too dim to make out. He is also, worryingly, very, very small, the size of a stuffed animal instead of a man. He takes another step. “I was worried. It’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I just wanted to see-“

“STOP!” The pure fear in the sheriff’s voice causes Tango to freeze. “Don’t come any closer, leave, you need to leave-“ Jimmy’s voice hitches, his breath becoming more shallow and frantic.

Ice cold panic shoots through Tango’s veins. Jimmy- Jimmy is scared. His rancher is terrified, on the verge of a panic attack, he has to help. He takes a shuddering breath, steadying himself and doing his best to keep his flames under control as he sits in front of the sheriff.

“Jimmy, I need you to breathe with me, ok? Just listen to my breathing, do your best to copy it.” He inhales loudly, counting to four in his head before holding it. Then, slowly, he exhales, fighting to keep it at a reasonable pace when he was panicking as well.

Jimmy sucks in a breath, but it catches in his throat as he chokes back a sob. Tango ignores the pang in his heart at the sound, continuing the breathing pattern.

It takes an agonizing fifteen minutes for the sheriff to be able to breath, and another five before either of the men are able to break the silence.

“Jimmy…”

“I’m fine.” The sheriff interrupts. Tango can see the small lawmaker rub furiously at his eyes with the heels of his hands before freezing, lowering them again. “You can go now.”

“You were just having a panic attack, Jimmy. I’ll give you some space if you want me to, but… I just want to know you’re ok. Just-“ He sighs, wringing his hands nervously. “You’re my rancher, and I know I haven’t been around much, but I still care.”

He keeps his gaze on his hands, fully expecting Jimmy to implore him to leave. What right did he have to still be here? Yeah, he and Jimmy were close, but Jimmy was clearly trying to be alone, to distance himself from him and the others on the server.

He ignores how that thought makes him even less inclined to leave the sheriff alone.

Just as he’s about to stand up, apologize, leave, do something, he feels a small tug on his cloak. He looks down, and right there is Jimmy.

It has to be Jimmy, and that’s what makes Tango’s heart break.

It breaks because instead of just a small version of the man he’s fought by, lived by, died by, he was… wrong.

That was the only way Tango can describe it. The only way he can possibly put into words the way his stomach twists as he takes in the sight of glassy lifeless eyes, of stitches pulled tightly into plush skin, of the long ring-tipped string sprouting from a back where there had once been beautiful golden wings before those had disappeared. The soft golden hair had given way to obnoxiously yellow string, just barely escaping from under the sheriff hat atop his head.

Dazed, the blaze hybrid reaches out, gently cradling the man’s the toy’s Jimmy’s face with his fingers. Instead of slightly stubbled skin, his fingers are met with the sensation of fabric. He can feel the stuffing underneath, even though he’s barely applying any pressure.

“Tango-“

“Who did this to you?” Tango growls, unable to stop his fire from brightening and raging, so much so he had to lean forward to make sure he didn’t set the wall ablaze. His vision is tinged with a vibrant sky blue, his thoughts racing as furyprotectivenessragecare surges through him, because someone’s turned Jimmy into the very thing he had been protesting this entire time, and when he finds them Tango is going to make sure they feel the burning of a thousand suns-

“Tango, calm!”

The familiar voice snaps reality back into place with the faint memory of sunny farms and peaceful farm animals. The blaze hybrid blinks away the remnants of blue clouding his vision, gaze settling on the small sheriff in front of him. Small plush hands were on his shoulders, and those glassy eyes stared up at Tango with a slightly pained look that was no doubt only a small part of what he was really feeling.

“Tango, I know this is upsetting, but there’s no use in raging. It won’t change anything.” The pure resignation in Jimmy’s voice nearly breaks Tango’s heart all over again

The blaze hybrid shudders, trying to rein in his emotions. “Sorry. I- I just- how did this happen?”

Jimmy laughs, a hollow and humorless sound. “No idea. I changed a few days ago, finally regained enough control over my limbs to message the world chat today. Turns out typing and using a communicator without bones is hard. Who knew?”

Tango’s eyes only widen in horror as the sheriff talks. “Oh, Jimmy…”

“And I probably should have seen this coming, if the Life games were anything to go by, I apparently don’t get to control these things because the universe hates me, but- but it hurt, it hurt so bad-“ He blinks furiously, eyes dry. “And I can’t even- I can’t even cry, Tango, and you know more than anyone how much of that I did the first time.”

The memories of tear soaked sheets mingling with the blood and feathers strewn about surface in Tango’s mind, along with the haunting sobs as the wings tore their way through Jimmy’s back.

Those were just wings. The entirety of Jimmy’s body had gone through that level of change. Alone.

Oh void.

“But yeah, that’s- that’s the story. The Toy Story, one could say. I’m sorry you had to see me like this, I-“

Jimmy is cut off as he’s pulled haphazardly into a hug, suddenly surrounded by warmth and comfort and Tango.

“I am so sorry.”

The sheriff grips tightly onto the arms around him with what little strength his plush arms and hands have to offer. “Why on earth are you apologizing? You’ve done nothing to apologize for.”

“I left you alone, Jimmy. I got so caught up in my work at FWhips and I haven’t gotten to talk to you and you went through so much hurt, my rancher, and I’m so sorry.”

How does someone respond to that? How does someone tell a person, a friend, a companion who was crying their eyes out, that their absence was understandable, even if their presence would have been the most beloved thing in the world? How does one break the news that the universe was trying to break him piece by piece, and it was no use shedding tears over his inevitable fall?

Jimmy doesn’t know how to do that, so instead he hugs the man tighter, trying to fit all the unspeakable words and pain and grief and resignation and acceptance into the grasp of his hands.

“I forgive you.” Jimmy murmurs, feeling Tango’s breath hitch against him.

“You will never have to go through that alone again. You wont have to do any of this alone.”

The sheriff’s breath stutters, and phantom tears he knows he can no longer shed gather in his eyes. “I- I- Tango, you can’t. You have more important things to do-“ more important people to spend time with “-and- and as much as I hate it, you… you have to head back to Hermitcraft eventually.” The thought that Scar would be leaving him, Tango would be leaving him, everyone he had on his side, it’s been enough to drive Jimmy mad. Still, he doesn’t have any plans yet to keep them there, any plans to convince them to stay, please, please don’t leave him all alone again, don’t make him fight the world alone, he can’t bear it.

“You’re hurting. I’ve seen how they’ve treated you with the whole toy thing, I’m not leaving you to face that alone. Besides, I don’t think I’ve gotten to officially stay in that house you’ve built me, which is a shame because it’s lovely.”

“But Hermitcraft! You have things there you can’t just abandon, Tango! You shouldn’t pick me over what you guys have been trying to get back to all this time.”

Tango slips his fingers under Jimmy’s chin, guiding his gaze up to him. “Jimmy. Do you want me to stay with you?”

More than anything. I would let you set the world ablaze if it meant I could have someone in my corner, someone who respects me, just please, don’t leave me.

“I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“But do you want to?”

Yes, almost more than I wish to be human again.

The sheriff looks down, filled with shame, because he can’t keep Tango here, he can’t, but he also can’t get his mouth to form the one word he needs it to to let Tango go on his way.

The silence is answer enough, and Jimmy can feel the arms around him tighten, and it should be uncomfortable by this point, but all he can think is warmcomfysafehere.

“Well then, I guess you can let the rest of the Empires know you have another deputy now.” The sheriff’s hat is lifted off his head, and a hand runs carefully through his knotted yarn hair.

“Tango-“

“Nope, no trying to convince me otherwise. The decision has been made.”

Tango expects more resistance, given his past soulmate’s infamous stubbornness, but instead he just hears a hushed, hopeful response.

“… You’ll really stay?”

“As long as you’ll have me.”

As Jimmy looks up, meeting the blaze hybrid’s eyes, he’s in shock of just how much genuine care is shining in them. He… he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand why Tango is treating him like this, when all he’s done is been horribly, horribly selfish, keeping him from all he cares about, wanting him to stay here with him because he’s horrible and a joke and no one respects him-

But- but Tango doesn’t… Tango doesn’t think he’s horrible, or laughable, or the antithesis to all things serious. Or, if he does… he’s still willing to stand by Jimmy, even as Jimmy becomes even more of a mockery of respect with every passing day.

Jimmy’s heart grew warm at the thought.

Maybe things would be ok after all. Together… together they can figure this out.

If Jimmy will have him.

“Always.”

———————

ok that was my first time writing tango so apologies if he was horrendously OOC-

but yeah i just love team rancher and this au and just. empires x hermitcraft brainrotting is STRONG

definitely gonna write more of this, so like. idk if y’all want a taglist but if you want to be added to one just lemme know, through an ask, reblog, comment, whatever floats your boat.

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