Tooth Rotting Fluff - Tumblr Posts

First Day of School

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

A/N: Reader inserts are minimal in this one. Reader stayed home with Baby Charlotte (aka Charlie) so Willy and Ben/Bean could have some 1:1 time before his first day of school.

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"Are you excited about your first day of school, Bean?" Willy asked as he walked through the park with his son. He took the day off to spend some quality time with the boy before he started kindergarten the next day.

Ben was slow to respond and fell behind Willy's pace. He stopped and looked back at the small boy. "Bean?"

Ben looked up at Willy, worry clearly etched in his features. He knelt down and rubbed Ben's arm in reassurance. Willy had anticipated some reticence since Ben had never spent a full day away from you or him.

"Papa," he said in a small voice. "Were you nervous on your first day of school?" The boy's lip trembled.

Willy carded a hand through Ben's curly hair, then rested it on his cheek. "Well, Bean, I didn't get to go to school. But, I have had other firsts. And yes, I was nervous every time."

"Like when?" Ben implored as if he could not imagine his papa being scared of anything.

Willy stood and paused to think. "Like my first day as a sailor. I lived on a boat as a child, sure, but that was on a calm river, not the open ocean. I remember standing on the dock staring up at the huge ship, knowing my life was about to change. I hadn't even climbed on board and I was already seasick just thinking about it." They started slowly ambling down the path again. "But, I did it anyway. After some time, I became a tip-top sailor, like I had been doing it all of my life, and got to see places that most people only dream of."

By that point, the pair had wandered to the base of their favorite hill in the park. Willy could see that Ben was still lost in thought. He needed to lighten the mood somehow.

"Hey, Bean?" he asked to get the boy's attention. Ben looked up solemnly. "Race ya!" Willy shouted gleefully and took off running up the hill. Temporarily stunned, Ben stared at him with wide eyes before chasing after him in a fit of giggles.

Winded, they lay in the grass at the summit to catch their breath and watch the clouds lazily drift by. The two took turns pointing out shapes of animals. After a bit, Willy continued his earlier lecture.

"It's perfectly normal to feel those nervous butterflies in your tummy on the eve of change."

"But I don't want anything to change," Ben lamented. "I won't get to play with Mamma and Charlie. I won't get to help you make new chocolate or candies."

"I know it will be different, but you can still come to the factory or shop after school or on the weekends. Your mother and Charlie will still be eager to play with you when you get home. I bet you'll even make new friends to play with at school. You'll find a new normal. Besides, life would be boring if nothing ever changed."

They turned their heads to look at each other. Willy booped him on the nose with his index finger and smiled. "You probably wouldn't be here if I hadn't gotten on that boat."

"Huh?"

"Well, seafaring allowed me to gather lots of exotic ingredients to make magical concoctions that set my chocolate apart from the rest. Without my shop, I wouldn't have met your mother, and we wouldn't have you, my little cocoa bean. And I'll let you in on a little secret," Willy lowered his voice to a whisper at the end. "I was nervous when I found out about you."

"You were?" Ben pushed himself up on his elbows to look down at Willy's face.

"Mmhmm. You made me a papa, Bean. I had never been a father, nor did I have one growing up. I'm learning how to be one every day. It's been my grandest adventure yet."

Ben smiled, then fell onto his back once more to watch the clouds float by.

"Papa?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you did it anyway. Got on the boat, I mean, even though you were scared."

"Me, too, Bean. Me, too." Willy sighed contentedly.

A few beats passed.

"Papa?"

"Can we go get ice cream?"

Willy chuckled. "Ice cream sounds like the best idea ever."

☆☆☆☆☆

-next day-

You, Charlotte, and Willy walked Ben to school. Ben was bouncy and talkative, asking questions about your memories of your own first day of classes. The boy grew quieter, though, as the building came into view. He shrank behind Willy's leg as more parents and children gathered at the fence, waiting for the school to open.

Willy offered him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, then dropped to one knee to make eye contact. "Don't be shy. It's alright if you feel a little trepidation."

"But do it anyway," Ben parroted from the conversation the day before.

Willy smiled and wrapped the boy in a hug, "That's right, Bean. Do it anyway."

Ben then gave you and Charlotte hugs and kisses, gathered his bag, and started toward the door. He stopped at the bottom step to turn back and wave at you all. Willy blew a kiss and waved as you grabbed Charlotte's chubby little hand to help her wave back. Tears came to your eyes when you saw Ben turn back to the door, pull his shoulders back and head up with confidence, and walk inside.

Still so small, yet so big, so fast, you thought to yourself. You looked to Willy as he wiped fat tears from his cheeks with his silk scarf. He barely maintained his composure until Ben was out of sight.

"I'm going to miss having him around during the day," Willy said with a sniffle.

"As will I, love. As will I," you replied softly.

Charlotte broke the melancholy with a coo. Willy chuckled and reached out to pluck her from her perch on your hip. "You, missy, aren't allowed to grow up that fast, understood?"

::raspberry::

"I'm glad we're in agreement."

☆☆☆☆☆

Masterlist

Wish

This is my first one-shot featuring an actor rather than one of their characters. Timothée reminds me a lot of my first love and high-school sweetheart. We grew apart later in life, but I still look back fondly at moments we had like this.

Summary: You are heading off to college across the country. Your boyfriend, Timothée, surprises you with a sweet gesture on your last night together.

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"Come on," Timothée whisper-yelled as he looked down at you from his perch on your shared apartment building's fire escape.

You peered up at him nervously. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see if you ever get up here," he playfully mocked and then disappeared over the roof ledge.

Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, you chanted to yourself as you pulled yourself up the ladder one rung at a time. "Doesn't he know I'm scared of heights?" you grumbled.

Your irritation melted when you finally made it to the top. Timothée stood by a telescope and a palette of blankets and pillows.

"I want to look at the stars with you," he said sheepishly as he gestured to the setup.

Your heart melted. You had no clue when he could have snuck away to set this up. The two of you had spent nearly every moment of the day together, trying to make the most of the remaining hours. The next day, you and your parents would be driving across the country to move you into your dorm room.

Timothée had the telescope trained on the moon. You both took turns looking through the apparatus, then laid down on the blankets with your pinkies linked to stare up at the sky. You looked over to take in his profile, the sharp angles of his jaw and nose, his curly head of hair.

"Thank you for this."

He squeezed your hand. "I find comfort in the fact that we will still be able to look up at the same moon, at the same stars, even though we're thousands of miles apart. When you look up, know that I am thinking about you." He rolled to his side to face you. "That I love you."

Your breath hitched, "You do?"

"At the risk of sounding super corny, to the moon and back," he replied with a big grin.

"I love you, too, Timmy." Your trembling lips met his as you tried to stifle your tears. "I'm going to miss you so much." Your voice broke and betrayed you.

He reached over and held your cheek. "Hey, shh, none of that. There will be plenty of time for tears tomorrow."

You saw his eyes move to something above you. He leaned up on his elbow and pointed to the sky. "Oh, look! Look! It's a shooting star!"

You sat up to look where he was pointing. "Timmy, that's just an airplane."

"I know, but we can pretend. Annnnnnd it distracted you from crying." He winked. "Make a wish."

You closed your eyes and smiled, complying with his silly instructions. You felt him staring at you.

"What did you wish for?" he asked softly.

"Well, if I tell you, it won't come true," you pushed playfully at his shoulder. His small smirk fell from his face as quickly as it began. He gently lowered himself back down to the blanket once more.

"I'll tell you mine because I don't want it to come true."

You gave him a puzzled look.

He looked up into your eyes and took your hand in his. "I wished you could stay. I'm saying it out loud because it would be selfish of me to genuinely want it to come true. You got a full ride to the school of your dreams! This is an amazing opportunity for you, and I'll be damned if I'll be the one to hold you back."

"Oh, Timmy." You laid down and snuggled into his side. The two of you stayed like that for hours in relative silence before he walked you back to your family's apartment.

<><><><><>

Timothée helped you and your parents load up the last of your belongings the next morning. He shook your dad's hand and gave your mom a hug before they stepped up into the truck, leaving the two of you alone for one last lingering moment.

He pulled a small, flat box from his pocket. "Open this on the way," he said as he handed it to you.

You looked down at the box and ran your thumb over the ribbon. Fat tears fell from your eyes as you looked up into his. Timothée pulled you into a hug, and you sobbed against his chest. You felt him plant a kiss against your hair.

"I am going to miss you so much, [Y/N]. But that has nothing on just how proud I am of you for pursuing your dreams. You are going to do amazing things." His voice cracked at the end.

"I love you, Timmy."

"I love you more."

He lifted your chin and drew you into one last kiss. Your tears mixed as your lips moved together. You pushed yourself away and wiped your face before hurriedly climbing into the back seat of the truck. You knew if you made eye contact that you might not have the strength to leave.

Timothée shut the door behind you. Now that you were buckled in and committed to the journey, you risked looking up at him. He looked as pitiful as you felt. His greenish blue eyes were red and puffy. His hands were stuffed in his pockets like he wasn't quite sure what to do next. As the truck moved forward, he loosened one to wave. You placed your hand on the window, wishing you could touch his one more time. You stared and waved until he was out of sight.

Your attention then fell to the gift in your lap. You gently tugged at the bow and opened the box to find a bracelet with delicate moon and star charms. Underneath, there was a small, handwritten note:

Don't forget to look up.

Love, T

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Masterlist

Paper

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

Summary: Reader and Willy discover that Ben/Bean is an aspiring artist. Age: 3 & 17

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You were outside hanging clothes on the line to dry when you heard the back door slam and little feet running toward you. Before your brain could register what was happening, you were nearly bowled over by the force of Ben running into your leg.

You looked down to find that Ben had buried his face and balled up his fists in your skirt. "Pa ell a mm," you heard his garbled speech muffled by the fabric. You knelt down and pried his fingers loose so you could look at his red, tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry, Benny. I couldn't understand you when your mouth was covered. Take a deep breath." You inhaled deeply through your nose and out through your mouth a couple of times, motioning for him to copy you. "Good. Now, try again. What's all this about?"

"P-papa lelled at m-meeee." The boy started sobbing again.

"Oh dear. What happened?"

"I..." he sucked in a breath. "I wanted to dwaw him a picture. I saw paper on Papa's desk..."

"Ah, I see. Did that paper already have words on it?"

"Only on fwont. I dwew on back."

"Oh, Benny. We talked about asking before you touch anything in the study. Papa has very important papers in there for the shop and factory."

"I'm sowwy." He looked up at you with big puppy-dog eyes. You cupped his round cheeks in your hands.

"I know you are. But I'm not the one you need to apologize, too. Why don't you go inside to your room and play while I go check on Papa. After that, you can tell him you're sorry." Ben nodded, then shuffled through the back door to his room with his head hung low.

It was out of character for Willy to snap at anyone. The man typically had the patience of a saint, so you knew Ben must have drawn on something important. You quietly stepped into the study and spied Willy slumped in the armchair, one hand supporting his forehead and one foot kicked out. It looked as if he had collapsed dramatically into it.

"I made him cry," Willy said morosely without looking up. "I didn't- I didn't mean to. I shouted his name. I was just trying to get his attention and stop him before he did more damage. I...I startled him, and he ran off to you."

"Full name or nickname?" you asked as you sat on the sofa next to him.

"Full name," he groaned.

You grimaced. Ouch, you thought. Willy hardly ever referred to the boy as anything but Bean and almost never as Benjamin unless introducing him to others. It's on par with your mother using your middle name when you were in trouble. You shuddered slightly. That probably wounded Ben worse than the volume. "What did he draw on?"

Willy held up the face page of a contract with the hand not supporting his head. He had yet to look up at you.

"Oh dear."

"I'll ask Beth to type up a new one tomorrow before the meeting. It wasn't worth raising my voice at him. I...I just had a long day and...of course, that doesn't excuse anything. Is he okay?"

"He'll be alright," you said soothingly as you placed your hand on Willy's arm. "He's calming down in his room. Like you said, he was startled. You are usually the fun one, not the disciplinarian."

"I should go to him," Willy said as he stood from the chair. You returned to your previous task of hanging out the laundry so they could have some time alone to make amends.

Willy walked to Ben's room and gently knocked before pushing the door open. Ben looked up at him from his desk with big sad eyes.

"Hey there," Willy said softly.

"I dwew you another picture. I'm sowwy, Papa," Ben said pitifully as he handed Willy a piece of paper.

"Oh, Bean. Is this the factory?" Ben nodded excitedly. "Wow, such great detail! Is this what you wanted to draw earlier?" Ben nodded again, with less exuberance this time. Willy's heart broke as he saw his son's face fall.

"Hey, buddy. I'm sorry for raising my voice and scaring you. That was a very important paper you were drawing on, and I needed you to stop."

"I know, Mamma told me I need to ask first," he responded dejectedly. "I just had a picture in my head that I wanted to dwaw when I was by your desk."

"Ah, that I understand. Sometimes my ideas don't come to me at convenient times, either. Tell you what. How about I set up a drawer with paper that's safe to draw or write on whenever an idea strikes. You never have to ask for permission as long as it's from that drawer. Deal?"

Ben's face lit up again, and he stuck his tiny right hand to shake. "Deal!"

Willy shook his son's hand with his right and looked down again at the picture in his left. It was incredibly well done for Ben's age.

"Can I take this to the factory with me? I want to frame and hang it. If you draw more, I'll have a whole gallery wall of Benjamin Wonka works."

Ben giggled, "Okay, Papa!"

<><><><><>

Over time, Ben's art skills matured to charcoals, watercolors, canvases, and paints. Willy spotted the talent early and took great pleasure in encouraging it, supplying it. Fourteen years later, he had indeed collected enough of Ben's work to fill multiple walls.

"People need to see this."

Willy decided to surprise Ben by converting one of his shops into a limited time art gallery for his 17th birthday. He somehow managed to promote what ended up being the town's social event of the season while also keeping it a secret from his boy.

It was finally the night of the big reveal. "Papa, why are we going to the shop so late? I thought we were going to meet Mamma and Charlie for dinner?" Ben walked shoulder to shoulder with Willy. They were nearly the same height now.

Willy was vibrating with excitement. "I just need to pick up something I left there," he bent the truth slightly. "Your birthday present."

When they arrived, Willy unlocked the doors to reveal a magenta velvet curtain blocking the entry. He took the gold pull cord in his hand and handed it to Ben.

Ben looked at the tassel in his hand, bewildered. "What is this?"

"Your gift! Pull it and find out." As Ben pulled the cord, the curtain drew back to reveal...

"Surprise!!"

Ben stood there with his mouth ajar as he looked around at you, Charlotte, Noodle, his friends and girlfriend. Everyone rushed him for a celebratory hug. He gave you a kiss on the cheek. Then, the background details caught his eye. The crowd separated as Ben made his way to look at the walls that were now decorated with his paintings rather than shelves of candies and chocolates.

He browsed in awe until he stopped at the penciled sketch of the Wonka factory, gently tracing the golden frame with his fingers. He felt Willy step up beside him and gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Bean."

Ben looked over his shoulder to reveal misty eyes. "Thanks for always being my biggest fan, Papa," he said reverently.

"I'm glad I could be right here beside you when your talent is shared with the world."

<><><><><>

A/N: I think it's safe to say that Willy would be his kids' biggest cheerleaders.

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Masterlist

WIP Wednesday

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

Untitled - Accidental puppy acquisition

Untitled - Ben auditions for the school play

Timothée one-shots

Untitled - TC gets both good and bad news after a call from the hospital (reader insert, hurt fic)

Masterlist

Brownie

"My Little Cocoa Bean" series

Summary: A stray pup finds his fur-ever home with the Wonka family. Ben/Bean is 7, and Charlotte/Charlie is 3.

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If the weekend weather was favorable, the Wonka family could be found in the park. Today was no exception. The four of you were walking down a gravel pathway, Willy walking backward so he could talk to you, Ben, and Charlotte about his latest invention. Ever the animated talker, he was using his hands and jumping around until a shrill yelp startled him as he stepped down near a bush.

"Did that bush just...yelp?" you asked curiously and held the children back from investigating. Willy got down on all fours to peer under the limbs. There, he spied a little brown furball cowering by the trunk.

"Well, hello there, little fella. Did I accidentally step on your tail? I'm sorry," he cooed. Willy reached into the bush and pulled a trembling puppy to his chest. He sat back on his feet so the family could see and was instantly crowded by Ben and Charlotte, who wanted a better look at the tiny animal.

"A puppy!" Charlotte cheered. You chided her to lower her voice so as to not frighten him further.

"Can we keep him?" Ben pleaded as he scratched under the pup's chin.

Willy didn't say anything, but he looked up at you with the same doe eyes and pouty lip as your children. Real helpful, dear, you thought.

"We really ought to make sure he doesn't belong to someone else first. But we can keep him safe in the meantime," you replied. "When we get back to town, we'll put up a notice in the square for a week. If nobody comes for him, then he can stay with us for good."

Willy stood and handed the pup to you, and of course you fell in love immediately, especially when he snuggled up to your chest. While you had to put up a responsible front, you secretly hoped that nobody would claim him. He was adorable, with one flopped ear and patches of white on his chest and feet. He looked like he had been dipped in chocolate - a perfect fit for your family.

You all took turns holding the puppy on your route home, first making a detour by the bulletin board in the downtown square. He scurried under the sofa when you first arrived at the house but quickly warmed up to Ben and Charlotte. He even licked the girl's face when she hung down from the couch to peer underneath. Her giggles eventually drew him out to play. The kids took great delight in watching him explore the house.

"I think we should name him..." Ben started to say. You quickly interrupted.

"No, no names until he's officially ours. Otherwise, you'll get attached." Too late, you thought to yourself. You knelt down to make eye contact with both of your children. "Now, I need you to understand that taking care of an animal is a big responsibility. He's more than just a toy to play with. He will be completely dependent on us for food, water, and clean bedding. The two of you will have to pick up after him, even if he's only with us for a little while."

"Charlie and I can handle it!" Ben piped up.

"Yeah!" Charlotte agreed.

"Great. I'm going to hold you to that. Now, let's see what we can find for him to eat." You stood and walked to the kitchen. You looked through the cabinets and refrigerator before deciding to mash up last night's leftovers and soften it up with some milk. The pup scarfed it down like he hadn't eaten in days. This brought on a new burst of energy, so the children took him outside to run off his zoomies (and theirs).

Willy made lunch while you kept an eye on the trio and joined in on their game of chase. He called you all in once the food was ready. The pup quickly learned that Charlotte was the one most likely to drop crumbs, both intentionally and unintentionally, so he settled beneath her chair. You were amazed when there was nothing to sweep up after the meal was done.

The kids took the puppy to the playroom while you and Willy cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. You heard giggling, talking, and sounds of toys clanking for a little bit, but then everything grew quiet. You looked over at Willy who had picked up on it, too. It wasn't unusual for Ben to be quiet. But Charlotte? Both of you were wary. Willy smirked. "Go check it out. I'll finish up here," he said.

You dried your hands and made your way to the playroom. You put your ear to the door but still heard nothing. You quietly opened it and drew on all your strength not to squeal over the cuteness.

Ben was leaning against the wall asleep, head lolled to the side. Charlotte looked like she passed out on the rug mid-play. The puppy was laying on his belly between the two of them, eyes closed and all four legs stretched out in a sploot. It was a precious sight.

Willy came up behind you, set a hand on your hip and his chin on your head. He took in the scene and quietly chuckled. "They sat still too long," he whispered. The pup's ears twitched at his voice, but sensing no threat, he quickly dozed back off. You gently pulled the door to so they could continue to nap in peace.

Ben awoke before Charlotte about half an hour later and snuck out of the playroom with the puppy. He found you and Willy in the study.

"Hey, Bean. Sleep well?" Willy looked up from his newspaper and teased. Ben narrowed his eyes at his father in jest before turning his focus back to the puppy in his arms. He had declared years earlier that he was too old for naps now.

"Can you take the pup outside so he can stretch and take care of business?" you asked. He nodded and made his way to the back door. With the fenced-in back yard, you were comfortable letting your son learn responsibility and take care of this task on his own.

Then you heard Charlotte cry. Willy was up and out of the room before you could even react. His long legs made quicker work of getting across the house anyway.

Willy opened the playroom door to find Charlotte sitting up on the rug. She looked disoriented, looking around wildly with her tangled hair and tear-streaked face. Willy sat down beside the girl and scooped her up into his lap.

"Shhh, baby girl. I've got you. What's wrong?" he asked while rocking her.

Sobs wracked her tiny body. "The puppy is gone! Someone t-took h-him h-home!"

"Oh, no, Charlie. He's just outside with your brother. He woke up before you."

"Pwomise?"

"I pinky promise. And that's the most solemn vow there is!" He held up his pinky for Charlotte to link with hers, then kissed her on the head. "Come on, I'll take you outside to show you."

Willy reappeared briefly in the study with Charlotte on his hip. She laid her forehead in the crook of his neck and occasionally took shuddered breath as she calmed down. "I'm going to take her outside to see the puppy."

Ah, she must have been upset about the dog. She will be devastated if someone does claim him. But doing what is right isn't always easy, you reminded yourself. Soon, you heard the girl's cheerful laughter ringing throughout the yard. All was right in her world again.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. You started dinner and called your family inside when the food was ready. The dog took up his previous station under Charlotte's chair, but this time you also provided him with his own bowls of food and water on the floor.

"I'll stop by the store on my way home tomorrow for some supplies and food for him," Willy offered. "I'll also ask around if anyone is missing a pup." Ben and Charlotte both pouted. You and Willy exchanged knowing looks.

The family finished up dinner in relative silence and set about their nightly routines to get ready for bed.

"Where will he sleep tonight?" Ben asked as he rubbed the pup's belly.

"We'll set up a box for him in the kitchen with a warm blanket," you replied.

"The kitchen?" Willy asked.

"Well, yes. That way if he makes a mess it's easier to clean up. Why?"

"No, that makes sense. I...I just think he may get a little lonely is all."

"I think some separation will be good so we don't get too attached. Not yet," you replied, mainly for your own benefit.

Willy kissed you on the forehead. "Always the voice of reason. Alright kids, time to brush teeth and go to bed. Bean, you get to pick the story tonight." His voice faded as he herded the children down the hallway.

You dug out a wooden crate out of the storage room and placed a cozy blanket inside. You picked up the pup, gave him a snuggle and a good scratch behind the ears, and laid him in the crate. You gently pet him on the head until his eyes closed, then off you went to bed.

A couple of hours later, you were awakened by pitiful whimpering. You laid in bed for a few moments in hopes that the puppy would settle on his own, but you had no such luck. You grumbled as you sat up. *Just like taking care of a baby again.*

You put on your robe and tiptoed to the kitchen so as to not wake the others. Upon turning on the light, you saw the pup looking up at you, wagging his tail and whining.

"Hey there. What's all this about, hmm?" Gently you picked him up and he licked your face in return. You suspected he was just lonesome, but you went through a mental list of all his other potential needs as well. First was a trip outside in case he needed to potty. He romped around and barked, bowing at you to get you to play.

You tsked at him. "Shh, no, this is not time for play. Go take care of your business." The pup conceded, though he got distracted a few times by sniffing around the yard. You brought him back inside and set him up with a little more soft food and water in the crate. After a few reassuring pets, you stood to exit the kitchen and go back to bed.

He instantly took up whimpering again.

"Now, now, shhh. Let's not wake the family." You sat back down by the crate and encouraged him to lay down, fluffing up the blanket around him. You got back up once you thought he was settled again, just to be rewarded with more whimpering. So you sat down again with a huff.

<about three hours later>

Willy shuffled into the kitchen in his pajamas when he discovered you were no longer in bed. He stifled a laugh when he found you in a similar state to your son earlier in the playroom.

You had fallen asleep sitting up against the kitchen cabinet beside the crate with your head lolled to the side. The puppy was asleep, too...

...in your lap.

"Separation, huh?" he playfully mocked. "She's going to be sore in the morning if she stays like that," he muttered to himself. He knelt down and gently shook your shoulder.

"Hey, my sweet. Wake up."

You blinked and squinted in response to the kitchen light you had left on. You looked around then down in your lap at the sleeping furball. You realized you caved and coddled him out of desperation.

"He finally fell asleep. The poor dear was whimpering pitifully. I gave him food and water, even let him outside, but he would whine anytime I stood to leave. You were right. He got lonely."

"He might just be sad that dogs can't have chocolate," Willy said with a deadpan face and serious tone. You cut your eyes at him and tried to act surly, as this was no time to joke, but you couldn't help but laugh softly. He broke out into a childish grin.

"I've never slept well on the first night in a new place," he continued. "Especially if it was too quiet. There was always background noise on the ship." You could tell an idea struck him when his face lit up. "I'll be right back!"

Willy scurried out of the room and returned just as quickly with a wind-up clock in hand. "I read about this once," he said with hushed excitement as he sat down in front of you and the crate. "You place it near their bed at night to comfort them. The rhythm reminds them of...of their mother's heartbeat." His excitement dimmed as he looked down at the pup, though you knew his thoughts were elsewhere. You leaned forward to squeeze his hand.

"Do you think we should bring his crate to our room?" you asked hesitantly after a few moments.

Willy nodded fervently. "He is just a baby, after all. We kept our other babies close at first."

"Willy. He's not a *human* baby. And he's not ours. Not yet."

"Maybe not. But will it hurt to treat him like family while he's here?" he asked with a pout.

"It may hurt us later if he has to leave."

"True, but we will cross that bridge if it gets here. Make the most of now. Besides, you risk closing yourself off from the world entirely if you avoid attachments to anyone or anything that may leave."

"So wise at two in the morning," you chuckled and shook your head.

"I have my moments." He smiled as he carefully picked the puppy up from your lap and offered his hand to help you up. You picked up the crate and clock and returned to your room. You sank into your bed with a sigh as Willy got the pup settled in the crate on his side. Ever the doting father, you thought happily. Soon, everyone was asleep again.

The days went by and you only received one inquiry about the pup. Sadly for them, the description of their missing dog didn't match, but it was difficult to keep the joy out of your voice. He quickly became embedded in your daily routine, as if he had been part of the family all along. He was Charlotte's shadow by day and Ben's in the evening when he returned home. Once the children went to bed, he would lay his head on your lap as you and Willy cozied up by the fire. You counted down the days until you could claim the pup. It would break your heart to see him go now, especially now that he was letting you sleep through the night again.

<one week after the walk in the park>

You and Willy called the children to the study. "Alright, kids. The puppy is officially ours! Now we can name him," you announced excitedly. Ben and Charlotte jumped up and down while the pup bounced around and barked.

"Anything but Tiddles, please," Willy supplied.

"Well, I think he looks like he's dipped in chocolate, but Fondue just doesn't sound right," you replied. "Maybe Biscuit, like the storybooks?"

"What about Brownie?" Ben asked and looked around at everyone. The puppy barked. "I think he likes it!"

"Bwowneeeeeee!" Charlotte squealed.

"That has a nice ring to it," Willy agreed as he pulled a collar out of his pocket and placed it around the puppy's neck. "Welcome to the family, Brownie!"

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Masterlist

Lily

"My Little Cocoa Bean" series

Summary: Ben/Bean (age 15) experiences his first major crush.

A/N: Mom/reader is mentioned but not part of the dialog in this one.

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Ben sat across the desk from his father in the factory office. This was typical for a weekday during the school year. He would often work on homework while Willy finished up the day's paperwork before they walked home together. But today, Ben was unusually distracted. He was looking at his paper, but Willy could tell his thoughts were far off elsewhere, especially when he heard the boy sigh.

"What's up, Bean?"

"Huh?" Ben blinked and looked up at his father, shaken from his thoughts. "Oh, uh, nothing," he replied quickly. Willy nodded, though skeptical, and they both turned their attention back to their papers.

Only a handful of minutes passed before Ben sighed once more.

"A double sigh. That's not nothing," Willy quipped.

"Well...I-" Ben rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and blushed as he made eye contact with his father. "There's this girl."

Willy set down his pen and rested his chin on his palm, trying to hide a smile with his fingers. He had wondered when this would happen. "Do tell. Is she pretty?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Ben rolled his eyes and blushed again. "Yes. She sits in front of me in math class."

"Does she like you, too?" Willy inquired.

"That's the trouble. I don't know and I'm afraid she'll say no if I ask," Ben lamented.

"Ah, I see. But what if she says yes?"

"Well," Ben paused. "That makes me nervous, too."

Willy chuckled. "Quite the conundrum, son."

Ben scoffed and dropped his head into his hands. "I know, I know. What do I do, Papa?"

"Hmm. Well, you either ask and live with whatever her answer may be, or you agonize over what could have been. That is up to you; though, just a little life tip, the latter tends to lead to more regrets."

Ben bit his lip in thought.

"You know, chocolate is a good conversation starter. I could whip up something special, if you'd like?" Willy asked, to which Ben nodded fervently. "Alright!" Willy rubbed his hands together. "Tell me, what is it you like most about...?"

"Lillian, Lily for short. Well...she's sweet. And very smart. She helps me with some of the harder homework problems before class. She has really pretty blue eyes." Ben sighed again. He was certainly under her spell.

Willy put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, yes, I can work with that. I'll have something ready for you tomorrow afternoon when you come by after school."

"Thank you, Papa!"

"Just know, these will be special in that they will be one of a kind, but they won't have any special properties to sway her decision. If she returns your affections, it has to be her choice. And if she says no, you need to respect that."

"I understand, Papa."

"Good lad. Now let's go home to your mother and sister. Your mother probably has better advice about this sort of thing than me, anyway."

"Please, please, PLEASE, just don't tell Charlie yet. She'll just pester me."

Willy mimed zipping his lips, laughing about the dynamic between his children. He clapped Ben on the shoulder. "Maybe wait until after Miss Lily says yes."

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As promised, Willy crafted a beautiful batch of milk chocolates for his son to gift his crush the next day. He painstakingly piped a tiny bouquet of white lilies and a blue bow made of icing onto each candy and wrapped them in a white box, which he also secured with a blue organza bow. He finished up just before Ben was due to swing by after school.

Willy heard the side door open. Assuming it was Ben, he announced, "Special chocolates for a special girl, coming right u-" He stopped when he spun and saw the bewildered look on his son's face. "What's wrong, Bean?"

"She asked me."

"What?"

"Lily asked me if I'm keen on her. She likes me, too. She likes me!" Ben shouted excitedly.

"Aaha! That's great, my boy! Well, then these are ready for you to take to your girlfriend." Willy handed him the wrapped box of chocolates. "But it looks like you won't be needing this for a boost of confidence, then." In his other hand, he held a small sleeve of giraffe milk macaroons.

"Actually, I could really use those for my math test tomorrow. I've had a terrible time paying attention," Ben said through a grin.

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Masterlist

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Tag List: @croatianprincess

Hey peeps, I need your help deciding what to write for the "My Little Cocoa Bean" series. What Wonka family fluff do you want to see next? I'll also entertain ideas for slight angst but with a happy ending. I am very protective of this family!

If you have no clue what I am talking about, check out my masterlist. Please reblog to encourage others to vote!

Still Here (+2)

Summary: 100% tooth-rotting fluff. Madison sees fireflies for the first time when Timothée takes the two of you to the lake again.

A/N: There are scenes I had in mind for my Still Here series that just didn't quite fit cleanly into any of the chapters, so I decided to add some "deleted scenes." Catch up on the main storyline here.

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"What was that?" Madison squeaked, pointing toward the woods.

"What was what?" Timothée asked. He stood and looked around protectively, but didn't see anything different or out of sorts. The three of you had been at the lake for hours, and dusk was creeping up on you.

"There it is again! A little flash of light!" Madison shouted.

You saw Timothée's shoulders relax. "Those are fireflies," you replied.

"Fireflies?"

"Some people call them lightning bugs," Timothée added. "Let's see if we can catch one."

"Won't it burn you?" Madison asked, skeptical of his proposal.

Timothée chuckled. "No, kiddo. But they do taste nasty, so don't try to eat one!"

She twisted her mouth to make a sour face. "Have YOU eaten one?" she asked incredulously.

That earned a fully belly laugh from both of you. "No," he replied, "but I read that frogs will spit them right back out if they eat one. They produce a chemical that makes them taste bitter."

"Oh, there's one!" you shouted.

Timothée slowly stalked the tiny bug before suddenly reaching out and clasping his hands together. "I got it! Want to come see?" he asked Madison.

The girl was not a huge fan of bugs, but her curiosity outweighed her normal disgust. She walked over to Timothée, who was now crouched and sitting on his feet. He parted his thumbs to make a small hole.

"Look in here," he said. Not even a second later, the bug flashed, and Madison gasped in wonder.

"Can I catch one?" she turned to ask you.

"Have at it. Just make sure you cup your hands so you don't squish it," you replied. She ran after the next one she spotted. Timothée stood, let his firefly go, and walked to the boat to rummage through the storage bin under his seat. He came back with a glass jar and proceeded to poke holes in the lid with his pocket knife.

"Timothée, I got one! I got one!" Madison shrieked.

"Good job, kiddo! Bring it over here."

"It tickles!" she said through a laugh.

"Here, let's see if we can get it in the jar. You drop it in, and I'll close the lid real quick." The cycle continued until they had 4-5 fireflies contained. "Go show your mom."

"Look, Mom!" Madison ran over to show you the jar up close, with Timothée following shortly behind.

"These are so pretty," you said in awe. "It's been a long time since I've seen fireflies. Timothée and I used to come out to the lake and sit on the tailgate to watch them float around.

"Well, we did more than-"

You cleared your throat and darted your eyes at your daughter.

Timothée blushed. "I mean, we did that many times," he corrected himself. He winked and snuck a kiss when Madison turned away.

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Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

@jindongdongie

@groovy-lady

https://www.tumblr.com/queerbrujas/647102106485014528/send-me-a-number-and-ill-write-a-micro-story

Nap from this prompt list for Timothee

Micro Story Prompt

Nap

"Lunch is - boys?" You turned and looked around the kitchen but could not find Timothée or your 4-year-old son, Caleb. They were typically seated at the counter and anxiously waiting anytime they smelled food.

You made your way through the house, listening for signs of your boys. You followed the sound of the TV to the living room and wished you had your phone or camera with you.

Both were asleep, curly heads lolled to the side and mouths agape in nearly twin-like fashion. Like father, like son. Caleb was comfortably cuddled between Timothée's side and the arm rest of the recliner.

Your barely contained chuckle made Timothée stir. He blinked and looked up at you slightly confused.

"Enjoy your nap?" You flashed a big grin.

He looked down at Caleb, then back up at you. "I guess we played hard this morning."

"Well, I hope you played hard enough to work up an appetite because lunch is ready."

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Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

@jindongdongie

@groovy-lady

@pmak2002

I love Anakin, and I love pumpkin spice season! Too adorably fluffy not to share.

going with ani to the cafè for pumpkin spice latte only for him to be super nervous since we are so cool and he's some random engineering nerd ☝️🤓

‘Fall In Love With Me’

main masterlist Word count: little over 3k

pairing: modern!Anakin skywalker x fem!reader

a/n: you sending this request in as soon as i mentioned wanting to write fall fics is iconic of you and i love you for it 💋

“come on y/n, this is the only good thing about college! skipping without any repercussions” Honey continued to beg as you walked across campus.

“that’s easy to say when you're skipping a language class you’re already fluent in” you protest as she clings to your arm, pleading like a child.

“you don’t even care about French class, you just wanna ogle your little crush” she retorts before tugging on your arm as she comes to a stop forcing you to stop with her.

“okay that’s only half true, i like French class” you hardly believe your own lie as it tumbles out of your mouth. judging by Honey’s deadpanned expression she doesn’t believe it either.

“you were complaining just yesterday how the Teacher refuses to speak in any other language than French and you had no clue what was going on.” if only you didn’t vent to her about everything maybe then she wouldn’t be able to call you out on your bullshit.

“you’re gonna make me late” you sigh, slumping forward solemnly. she rolls her eyes not buying the act for a second.

“good, if you’re going to be late then it just makes even more sense for you to skip with me.” you let out a groan, gently pulling your arm out of her hold before starting to walk again. “you could at least talk to the guy if you’re gonna keep going just to look at him.”

“he’s too smart for me, i mean he’s a mechanical engineering major for gods sake” did he tell you that himself? no, you and Honey just did a little snooping through instagram after you got his full name and found out for yourselves.

“i have a friend who dated an engineering major and she told me they are not as smart as they think they are.” right but he was, he had all A’s it was a known fact around campus. Anakin Skywalker the college’s golden boy.

academic wise anyway, he didn’t socialize with anyone. you had guessed it was because he was much too focused on keeping his grades as good as they were, he had to if he wanted to keep his full ride scholarship… was it considered stalking if you got this information on a public platform?

“yea well Anakin’s different Honey” you can feel the look she’s giving you and you hate it. she jogs up in front of you now, forcing you to look her in the eyes.

“fine don’t skip but you have to talk to him, you’ve got the confidence and social skills to charm a snake y/n stop selling yourself short” you both stare at each other, a silent challenge that you always lose.

“alright!” you huff defeated and she cheers, throwing her arms up in victory before doing a celebratory dance.

“have fun talking to the boy of your dreams” she teases before spinning on her heel to walk in the opposite direction as you.

“have fun skipping spanish” you snort and she shouts back a quick ‘i will’ as you continue walking towards the building.

your professor was the type of teacher to close the door as soon as class began. ’if you want to waste my time by being late, don't bother coming at all’ was the first thing she’d said at the beginning of the semester, it was the only sentence she’d said in english.

which is exactly why you speed walk past her right as she’s starting to head to the door, keeping your head low when you see the annoyed look on her face as you do. internally counting your lucky stars that you somehow managed to make it before she’d closed it.

Anakin was always one of the first people to arrive in class so it was no surprise he was already there when you get to take a proper look at your surroundings. he was sitting in his usual spot; last row, second to last seat from the aisle.

you take a deep breath mustering all the courage you have as you walk down the aisle past your usual spot and straight to one of the empty seats next to him. he stiffens, hands freezing mid type on his laptop before he forces himself to relax and continue like normal.

you spare a glance at his laptop screen, wondering if it was related to the class. maybe you had missed an entrance ticket or something. you’re met with a shit ton of equations that makes you want to do a double take, unable to even process what you’d just seen.

the sound of your professor starting the lesson pulls your attention before you can. not that you could even understand what she said, all of it going in one ear and out the other. still you pretend to listen, wanting to give it a little time before you possibly ruin this man’s whole mood.

you pretty much dissociate, resting your hand on your palm without a thought in your mind. it’s about thirty minutes later when everyone who didn’t already have their laptops open are pulling them out of their bags that you snap out of it, following their lead you take yours out before turning to Anakin.

kind of a perfect way to start a conversation if you think about it. “sorry, but do you know what we’re supposed to be doing?” you tilt your head slightly watching as it takes a second for it to click in his mind that you’re speaking to him.

“we have to go onto canvas and answer the newest discussion post and then we have to comment on two other people’s answers all in French” he says after clearing his throat, his voice a soft rumble that makes your heart flutter.

you smile warmly at him, a whispered “thank you“ rolling off of your tongue before you turn back to your laptop. you’re about to copy and paste the question into google translate when you realize you could use this as another excuse to talk to him. “don’t suppose you’ve got any clue what this is asking us?”

his attention is on you again, eyes flicker over your face with uncertainty before he looks at your screen “comment prépares-tu la journée?” he reads it out loud in an accent that rivals the professors “it’s basically a formal way of asking how you prepare for the day”

you nod thinking of your answer only to remember a second later you’d have to respond in French. you bite your lip fighting back the urge to ask another question, afraid that you may start to annoy him. you tap on the table lightly locked in an internal debate, and right when you’re about to cave and go back to your trusty friend google Anakin speaks up again.

“do you need help forming your answer in French?” you can’t help but laugh as you turn to him, a shy smile growing on your face.

“is it that obvious i’m struggling?” you joke at your own misery and he rubs the back of his neck, nervously chuckling.

”no, no i wouldn’t say that…” he trails off before finishing with “well maybe a little bit” which makes you snort and cover your mouth to make sure you don’t laugh too loudly.

“help would be much appreciated, thank you” he smiles, wiping his palms on his jeans before clearing his throat again.

“it’s no problem i already finished my work anyway, i was working on homework for another class” he says while closing his laptop “i’m Anakin by the way” he extends his hand and you're quick to shake it. his palms are clammy, his grip gentle yet firm.

he was definitely nervous, even more than you were which somehow helped fuel you with more confidence. “y/n, it’s nice to meet you” you greet back, releasing his hand and turning your laptop screen more towards him.

“it’s.. uh nice to meet you too” it’s almost funny how awkward he is, you’d expected the college golden boy to be more.. well suave. it was endearing though, and you wish you’d made the effort to talk to him sooner.

you tell Anakin your normal routine before leaving for the day and he translates it for you, at first you were the one typing it but when he saw you failing to spell out the words correctly he offered to just do that as well.

of course you agreed, sliding your laptop more towards him. he reaches forward immediately retyping what he’d told you, and you get a front row seat to watch his mind work. so casual and effortlessly translating each thing you told him onto the discussion post. you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t attractive.

thanks to Anakin’s help you’re able to get the discussion post done and comment on two other people’s posts in under 10 minutes, leaving you with nothing to do as the professor waits for everyone to finish before continuing the lesson.

“so do you usually finish all your work early and work on homework for other classes?” you ask wanting to spark conversation again before he gets the chance to reopen his laptop.

“yeah, French is kind of my first language- my mom had me speak both French and english growing up” he answers, shifting in his chair nervously. uncomfortable from the attention you were giving him. “so this is sort of.. my easy pass class, i just took it for the credits”

“i wanted this to be my easy class, and then the first day she spoke almost purely in French and i knew i was fucked- it’s a miracle i’m passing” that miracle was your usual seatmate who would always give you the answers.

“not to be rude but uh.. how are you passing?” you can tell he didn’t want to come off too blunt but there wasn’t really another way to put it that wasn’t beating around the bush.

“lots of google translate and help from peers” he laughs at how proudly you say that, and you can’t help but smile enjoying the sound of it.

“right, that makes a lot of sense” you raise your brow at that unable to resist the urge to mess with him.

“a lot of sense is crazy wording” you act offended and he instantly starts to panic, backtracking his statement while attempting to apologize. you can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of you making him freeze when he realizes you weren’t actually upset.

he doesn’t respond even as you apologize, simply shaking his head with a faint smile. he relaxes in his seat, a look on his face like he wanted to tease back but was still unsure.

once you’ve calmed down and chosen to ignore the looks you were getting from the people around you there’s a brief silence until your professor speaks up, calling everyone’s attention. all of the discussion posts must have been turned in as she now continues the lesson.

it’s not until the end of class that you and Anakin speak again, you turning to him as he packs his stuff away. “hey, we should hang out sometime” you suggest, rather bold for someone who was afraid to talk to him a little over an hour ago.

he whips his head towards you, completely caught off guard. “i- i…” he stutters, his brain trying desperately to catch up with the situation.

you wince worried you misread him, maybe you had actually offended him with your joke or perhaps he had no intentions or desire to talk with you after today.

when he sees you physically pull back he forces an answer out of himself in an almost panic. “no! well i mean yeah- i’d like that..” he squeezes his eyes shut cringing inwardly.

“you’re cute” you giggle, and he reddens. eyes snapping open as he tries to catch his breath, you’re too much for him. like taking a sip of coffee that has way too much sugar and cream in it.

“cute?” he repeats practically breathless, he swallows hard. looking down to his bag for a distraction, busying himself with zipping it closed.

“there’s a cafe i like to go to with my friend that we could go to together?” you offer while pulling your phone out of your pocket. readying it for him to put his number in as you sling your bag over your shoulder.

he hesitates for a moment before taking your phone; typing in his name and number, eyes flicking up to you every once in a while like he expected you to change your mind and tell him to stop.

“i’d love too” he finally responds, handing your phone back with his number officially saved into your contacts. you have to hold in a giddy squeal, doing your best to play it cool.

“great it’s a date!” you cheer singsongy, putting your phone back in your pocket. Anakin looks like he may pass out, every time he thinks you can’t surprise him more you do. “i’ll text you the details later tonight”

his mouth opens and closes, every possible response dying on his tongue. you give him the time he needs, brows knitted together in understanding.

he fakes a cough, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “okay, i look forward to it” he says voice cracking slightly which he tries to play off with another fake cough, turning away from you and heading out of the classroom in a hurry.

as soon as he’s out of sight you let out the squeal you’d been holding in, jumping up and down before excitedly running out of the classroom to go find and tell Honey about what happened.

you wait just outside of campus. rocking on your feet as the cold autumn breeze rushes past you making your nose cold, honestly you were far too happy to care.

i’d been two days since your interaction with Anakin and today was the day you’d both agreed to meet up after classes finished. the wait was agonizing but worth it, especially when you see Anakin heading towards you.

he had on a flannel overtop a gray shirt, hair tussled from the wind. palms sweaty which he tried to keep under control, alternating between wiping them on his jeans and trying to fix his hair.

he hasn’t noticed you yet, mumbling something to himself as he walked. you contemplate whether or not to say something, afraid you may startle him if you do but thankfully he finally looks up from the pavement eyes locking with yours. he stiffens mouth snapping shut before standing tall as he tries to look relaxed.

“y/n hey..” it was awkward for sure and you had to bite back a giggle not wanting to make him second guess himself.

“hey, you ready to go? it’s not too far a walk from here” you point behind you in the opposite direction from which he came. he nods, robotically coming to your side as you begin walking.

there’s a awkward silence between you both, Anakin wanting to talk to you but unsure where to start. “sooo…you like coffee?”

you laugh, unable to hold it back this time with how strained his question came out. “i do, it’s a college student's saving grace don’t you think” you half joke, after all there have been many times coffee has actually saved you from passing out and turning in a late assignment.

he smiles, relaxing with your easy going nature. “oh yeah, coffee the holy grail for all college students” he jokes back for the first time and you beam. “you said you go to this cafe with your friend?”

“yep, me and Honey go all the time. they’ve got the best coffee and baked goods. it’s also the perfect environment to do homework or study” you both round the corner of the sidewalk, walking a little ways down to the crosswalk.

“oh that reminds me i’ve been meaning to ask, what’s your major?” well if he was asking that then he had yet to see your instagram account since it was in your bio. good because you’re pretty sure there’s a photo of you from middle school still up on your page.

“i’m an art history major” his brows raise slightly at that, making you tilt your head curiously. “what’d you think i majored in?” he shrugs unsure what to say.

“i don’t know… maybe psychology” this time your brows raise and he laughs. “you seem like the type” your nose wrinkles unsure how to take that but you ultimately decide to brush it off when it was clear he didn’t mean it in a bad way. “why art history?”

“i wanna become an art teacher, i need a bachelors degree for that to happen and art history seemed like the most interesting.” you both slow to a stop as you arrive at the cafe; Anakin steps in front of you, opening the door and holding it for you.

”thanks” you smile, walking in and heading to the usual table in front of the big storefront window that you and Honey sit at, placing your backpack onto the back of the chair. Anakin follows your lead doing the same with his bag before you both get into line.

thankfully it was short, most students preferred the other cafe directly across the street from campus. “ooo they finally have the fall flavors on the menu” you chirp excitedly upon seeing the newly chalked on pumpkin spice latte on the menu.

“are they any good?” your jaw drops dramatically, turning your head slowly towards him in full theatrics.

“you’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte before!?” he smiles, laughing awkwardly while shaking his head no. “oh we’re gonna fix that right now” you don’t even let him respond before stepping in front of him once the person in front of you leaves the line, ordering two pumpkin spice lattes and apple cider donuts for the both of you.

you don’t let him pay either, brushing him off with a “if i’m the one indoctrinating you into fall culture then it’s only right i pay” he only relents when you add “you can pay next time” a content smile on his face at the prospect there was even going to be a next time.

the cashier hands you a bag with the Donuts as well as two disposable cups with your lattes which you take to the table you saved. animatedly sliding the cup over to him as you pull out the donuts placing them on napkins in front of you both. “come on try it, i bet you’re gonna love it”

“a lot of confidence for someone who doesn’t even know if i like sweets” your face falls not having even thought about that, he laughs instantly making you flush when you realize he was messing with you.

still you smile back, it was about time he got you back. really you were just happy he was even comfortable enough to do it. “alright enough teasing, chop chop Frenchie”

“what am i a dog” he snorts, brows creasing together when he laughs this time. it was hardy and from his chest and gods did it make you warm to have been able to pull that out of him. “okay, okay i’m doing it” he says after you nudge him under the table with your foot.

you wait with anticipation as he brings the cup to his mouth, taking a sip of the warm nutty pumpkin flavored drink. you lean in as he takes his time, one hundred percent keeping a straight face on purpose. “..well?”

he pulls the cup away making a show of smacking his lips together to ‘savor’ the flavor. “Anakin!” you groan and he chuckles, holding his hands up in defense before grabbing the cup again.

“you’re right, it’s delicious” you cheer at the success, and he just watches with a smile. taking another sip of his drink before taking a big bite out of the donut you'd given him. his eyes widening as he tries it. “oh this is a dangerous combination”

“addicting isn’t it?” he nods enthusiastically, practically wolfing down the donut in a few seconds and almost completely chugging the latte. “oh my gosh” you laugh, before taking a sip of your own. “it’s not going anywhere”

“not technically true, you said it yourself these are seasonal items” he says and then chugs the rest of his drink. you may have actually just sent this man on a path of addiction.

“well we’ll just have to make it a tradition to come here every fall then. just for the coffee and donuts” he smiles brightly, more than satisfied with your words.

“is the rest of their menu this good year round?” you nod and he leans back in his chair, fiddling with the napkin his donut had been on. he licks the bottom of his lip in thought, bitting the inside of his cheek to hide his nerves before he finally speaks. “well maybe we should make it a year round tradition”

you lean on your palm, absolutely crushing harder on him with each passing second. “year round dates? kind of sounds like you're asking me out” he practically falls out of his chair, choking on whatever sugar the apple cider donuts had left at the back of his throat.

“i-i…i mean..” he stammers and you start to worry you may accidentally be the death of him. “i’d like that a lot.. you know only if you’re into it too-“ he cuts himself off mumbling a ‘she brought it up of course she is’ to himself which makes you giggle.

“why don’t you ask me?” you wait for his answer, not even trying to give him a break. he’s still barely recovered from your initial tease, cheeks a bright red that he’s trying desperately to push down.

it takes him a moment, before he finally works up the courage to speak again. “would you wanna go out with me?” he’s quiet and you briefly contemplate dragging it out more, just to watch him squirm but the poor boy looked tormented enough so you finally grant him reprieve.

“i’d love to” he smiles, relaxing before laughing at himself and you join in. the two of you lost in a fit of giggles, that’s how it is the rest of the date. the two of you getting to know each other better and tossing jokes around.

the more comfortable Anakin becomes, the less awkward and shy he seems to act. no longer as nervous as he was when you first spoke to him.

the cold weather outside is the perfect contrast to the warm cozy bubble around you both that the cafe helped provide. the beginning of many moments to come.

a/n: hope this okay!! im so used to writing Anakin as the more confident and collected one so this is a little different for me but it was so fun to write 😋😋

also how do we feel about Honey becoming a reoccurring character in my fics and oneshots? would you guys prefer me putting ‘y/f/n’ instead?

anyway hope you all enjoyed reading 🫶🏼🫶🏼 have a great day huns!! Xx<3

Feeling nostalgic and wishing to have teenage puppy love like this again 🥹

Wish

This is my first one-shot featuring an actor rather than one of their characters. Timothée reminds me a lot of my first love and high-school sweetheart. We grew apart later in life, but I still look back fondly at moments we had like this.

Summary: You are heading off to college across the country. Your boyfriend, Timothée, surprises you with a sweet gesture on your last night together.

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"Come on," Timothée whisper-yelled as he looked down at you from his perch on your shared apartment building's fire escape.

You peered up at him nervously. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see if you ever get up here," he playfully mocked and then disappeared over the roof ledge.

Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, you chanted to yourself as you pulled yourself up the ladder one rung at a time. "Doesn't he know I'm scared of heights?" you grumbled.

Your irritation melted when you finally made it to the top. Timothée stood by a telescope and a palette of blankets and pillows.

"I want to look at the stars with you," he said sheepishly as he gestured to the setup.

Your heart melted. You had no clue when he could have snuck away to set this up. The two of you had spent nearly every moment of the day together, trying to make the most of the remaining hours. The next day, you and your parents would be driving across the country to move you into your dorm room.

Timothée had the telescope trained on the moon. You both took turns looking through the apparatus, then laid down on the blankets with your pinkies linked to stare up at the sky. You looked over to take in his profile, the sharp angles of his jaw and nose, his curly head of hair.

"Thank you for this."

He squeezed your hand. "I find comfort in the fact that we will still be able to look up at the same moon, at the same stars, even though we're thousands of miles apart. When you look up, know that I am thinking about you." He rolled to his side to face you. "That I love you."

Your breath hitched, "You do?"

"At the risk of sounding super corny, to the moon and back," he replied with a big grin.

"I love you, too, Timmy." Your trembling lips met his as you tried to stifle your tears. "I'm going to miss you so much." Your voice broke and betrayed you.

He reached over and held your cheek. "Hey, shh, none of that. There will be plenty of time for tears tomorrow."

You saw his eyes move to something above you. He leaned up on his elbow and pointed to the sky. "Oh, look! Look! It's a shooting star!"

You sat up to look where he was pointing. "Timmy, that's just an airplane."

"I know, but we can pretend. Annnnnnd it distracted you from crying." He winked. "Make a wish."

You closed your eyes and smiled, complying with his silly instructions. You felt him staring at you.

"What did you wish for?" he asked softly.

"Well, if I tell you, it won't come true," you pushed playfully at his shoulder. His small smirk fell from his face as quickly as it began. He gently lowered himself back down to the blanket once more.

"I'll tell you mine because I don't want it to come true."

You gave him a puzzled look.

He looked up into your eyes and took your hand in his. "I wished you could stay. I'm saying it out loud because it would be selfish of me to genuinely want it to come true. You got a full ride to the school of your dreams! This is an amazing opportunity for you, and I'll be damned if I'll be the one to hold you back."

"Oh, Timmy." You laid down and snuggled into his side. The two of you stayed like that for hours in relative silence before he walked you back to your family's apartment.

<><><><><>

Timothée helped you and your parents load up the last of your belongings the next morning. He shook your dad's hand and gave your mom a hug before they stepped up into the truck, leaving the two of you alone for one last lingering moment.

He pulled a small, flat box from his pocket. "Open this on the way," he said as he handed it to you.

You looked down at the box and ran your thumb over the ribbon. Fat tears fell from your eyes as you looked up into his. Timothée pulled you into a hug, and you sobbed against his chest. You felt him plant a kiss against your hair.

"I am going to miss you so much, [Y/N]. But that has nothing on just how proud I am of you for pursuing your dreams. You are going to do amazing things." His voice cracked at the end.

"I love you, Timmy."

"I love you more."

He lifted your chin and drew you into one last kiss. Your tears mixed as your lips moved together. You pushed yourself away and wiped your face before hurriedly climbing into the back seat of the truck. You knew if you made eye contact that you might not have the strength to leave.

Timothée shut the door behind you. Now that you were buckled in and committed to the journey, you risked looking up at him. He looked as pitiful as you felt. His greenish blue eyes were red and puffy. His hands were stuffed in his pockets like he wasn't quite sure what to do next. As the truck moved forward, he loosened one to wave. You placed your hand on the window, wishing you could touch his one more time. You stared and waved until he was out of sight.

Your attention then fell to the gift in your lap. You gently tugged at the bow and opened the box to find a bracelet with delicate moon and star charms. Underneath, there was a small, handwritten note:

Don't forget to look up.

Love, T

<><><><><>

Masterlist

change of plans (lhs)

w.c ⟢ 900+

prompt ⟢ putting on fake tattoos on various parts of your partner (w/ quality time & physical touch)

the girls day out you planned a couple days before had you practically backflipping out of yours and heeseung’s bed this morning. seven in the morning — heeseung decides to get up as well, getting his morning started.

he assumes you were in the bathroom getting ready, so he sat on the side of the bed looking out of the apartment windows. around his waist, a familiar hand crawls around him and hugs him from behind.

he knew it was you by the perfume you wore. heeseung places his hand on top of your arm and caresses it softly. “you smell good” he sighs, wishing to be selfish and keep you all to himself.

you chuckle under your breath as you steal his warmth from the embrace. “thank you,” you place a small kiss on his temple and head straight back into the bathroom.

of course, heeseung would have to enter the room to get ready as well and everytime he did .. he didn’t stop giving you kisses. each time they grew longer. he is a love bug for sure but you craved to see your friends whom you last saw on your previous birthday.

“heeseung, i’m heading out now” you announce to your boyfriend, who is currently shaving.

by the sound of water splashing violently, you knew he was speeding up his task to say his goodbye. heeseung rushes over to you and gives you a tight hug, even picking you up a bit. you grin your hardest.

“have fun, okay?”

“i will” you nod, admiring your boyfriend up close.
heeseung’s smirk grows. waves exchanged as you slide through the front door.

“wait, you forgot something!” heeseung says just then.
you look at him, wide eyes, wondering what you could have forgotten.

he doesn’t say anything because a deep laugh is taking over his ability to speak.

“you look so cute y/n,” he wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead. enjoying your sweet perfume once again as he whispers closely “i was just saying that so you’d stay a second longer”

you rub his arm up and down with a deep sigh. “I’ll be home before you can start to miss me” and another kiss you place on his cheek.

you’re on your way out with your bag and everything. - stands in the walk space with his hands in his pants pockets.

you look at him with a soft smile. “I’ll see you soon my love”

“you sure you don’t need a chauffeur?”

both of you laugh softly at each other.

“i love you.”

“i love you my pretty girl” “be safe”

you wave your hand until the door is finally shut.


alone, he stands in the apartment. wondering what he will do until you return back.

heeseung thought maybe he could start a new show or make himself something to eat but not a second later, he ends up with you back in his arms. after your plans were canceled a few steps headed to the elevator. you weakly cry, just devastated, into heeseung’s chest.

“they canceled it?”

“all of it!” you scoff.

he felt bad about all of your planning gone to waste and he thought he would be a complete jerk if he disregarded it and rushed to make new plans with you.

no, he just holds you in his arms on the couch you both traveled to. he’d wait until you had energy or your mood was happy again.

“thank you, my love” is all you need to say to make him feel special.

he kisses your right temple that was in his reach.


you played with the material of his shirt as you mumbled under your breath, “do you want to hang out with me?”

a little celebration went off in his head for a moment before he responded with a soft “i do”

and this is where you found yourselves on the bathroom floor; applying childish temporary tattoos onto each other's skin.

“oh, yeah~” you laughed to yourself as a peppa pig sticker transferred nicely on his skin by his adam’s apple.

“it tickled as you put it on” he smiled, looking at you with a few butterflies on your cheeks.

“good to know..” you teased.

it felt good spending time with your boyfriend in situations that would typically seem boring or odd to you. you would have never guessed you had more fun doing this than going out with your girls. (but it never left your mind)

a few more you placed on his arms and he liked everytime you cheered if it turned out good. heeseung moved strands of hair that fell in the front of your face and tucked it behind your ear. he goes crazy when you get all pink.

“i know what you’re thinking” you smirk, picking out another sticker to avoid looking at him.

he rested his back on the bottom cabinet with his arms crossed. a smug smirk adorned his lips. “what am I thinking?”

you grin.

“that you want to kiss me..” your finger gazed at the tile on the floor, now suddenly shy after saying those words. you raise your head - heeseung said nothing for a few seconds.

your eyes looked into his.

“no,”

you felt embarrassed for some reason. you’re taken back. before you could say anything about it, heeseung took your jaw and held you close to him. your noses touched as he seemingly wasn’t finished.

“I need to kiss you.”

your lips touch — interlock. you’ve kissed this man more times than you could count but this is a kiss you’ll never forget. you finally accept that this was how your day was supposed to be spent.

𓉸ྀི ©vampirehoon

May I please request for a will byers x male! reader where the reader is having a panic attack? How does will react? And what does he do in that kind of situation? :0

Thank you!

THE PLEASE AND THANK YOU OMFG👏👏

I liked writing this one so much too. My brain was literally flooded with ideas as soon as you asked for this!!!!

Anyways please enjoy

Warning this one has four categories to it lmao

I’ve actually got categories and stuff for this one. So many scenarios popped in my head I just have to include them.

WHILE IN PUBLIC (IN A PUBLIC AREA):

When in public Will would probably notice signs of an oncoming panic attack pretty quick.

When a panic attack starts he would immediately get you somewhere as fast as possible. Those places being either:

Isolated

Somewhere you can sit down

Out of the building your in

He would stay with you the entire time

If his friends are around he immediately orders them to find you water and or a snack

He’s not big on PDA but he would still put his hands on yours and rub his thumbs over them

———————————————————————

As you walked through the mall with your friends your brain started feeling fuzzy. The background noise became oddly quiet while peoples words was too loud.

“Love, are you alright?” Will said to you quietly, his eyes filled with concern.

You didn’t turn your head to him immediately and when you did your eyes were wide and watery. Your shoulders moved up and down quickly and your hands were shaking.

Will recognized what was happening and immediately escorted you to the nearest bench to sit down. When one of your friends came over to check on you, Will sent them off to find you food and drink.

He, after getting your consent, grabbed your hands and used his thumbs to smooth over your knuckles in a repetitive pattern. He guided you through simple breathing exercises. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Over and over and over again until you calmed down.

He smiled softly at you when you finally came back to him. “Hey baby are you alright? Do you want to leave? We can, I don’t mind I promise.”

———————————————————————

He won’t make you talk if you don’t want to

He will literally leave any event if you need him to

WHILE WITH FRIENDS (AT SOMEONES HOUSE FT. THE PARTY):

He is less likely to notice as fast when at a friends house

When he does notice he doesn’t make a scene, trying not to overwhelm you

Most of Will and your friends (as well as your friends parents) are used to Will’s panic attacks so they all spring into action when they see you.

———————————————————————

“Hey baby are you alright?” Will asks but he sounds distant. You feel tears slide down your cheeks but you aren’t even aware of them enough to wipe them away or blink.

When the others hear Wills words and look towards you they recognize what’s happening.

Mike goes off to find one of his parents as Will sits to your side trying to calm you down, using the all to familiar breathing exercises. His arm goes around your back to rub your shoulder and his other hand if holding yours.

He whispered soft encouragements into your ears along the lines of “hey calm down I’m right here” and “it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

When you finally do calm down Dustin hands you the bag of chips he was snacking on and you accept with a grateful smile. When Mike returns with his mom Will calmly explains to her what happened and she offers you a ride home.

———————————————————————

Will would sit close to you, making sure no one else got super close

If it was really bad he would take you home immediately, even volunteering to go get your bike the next day so that you don’t have to ride by yourself

AT THE BYERS HOUSEHOLD (FT. JOYCE AND JOHNATHAN):

If your in the Byers household Joyce would notice first (the woman cares for you so much change my mind)

Will would notice after his mom stared at you for an uncomfortable amount of time

Joyce being the mom she was would grab your hand while Will leaves to find you water.

When Will gets back Johnathan would also be in tow. Probably carrying some type of music track, hoping it’ll calm you down. He tries.

———————————————————————

“Hey honey are you ready to come back to us?” You hear Joyce Byers say softly as your mind clears up. “There he is.” She would say before stepping to the side so Will could kneel in front of you.

In the background you could hear music playing curtesy of Jonathan.

After you’d had a little while to recover, Will offers you his hand gently and asks you “do you want to dance with me?”

You giggle and give him your hand as he pulls you up. His favorite song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” just so happens to play. Also, you assume, curtesy of Johnathan.

The two of you dance together for a long time. A welcome distraction from the thoughts that overwhelmed you previously.

Eventually Joyce decides you can stay the night and you and Will head to bed together where he cuddles you until you fall asleep.

——————————————————————

Will is the KING of distracting you from your thoughts. Change my mind.

WHEN YOU ARE ALONE WITH HIM:

This is assuming you’re in his bed probably

When you’re alone his methods of calming you down gets more physical

He’d probably be sitting where your back is to his chest and you’d be in his lap, his attempt to keep you grounded

He’d place small kisses on whatever exposed skin he could access

———————————————————————

Will held you tightly as you followed his breathing patterns, though unlike you when he held for those seven seconds he placed soft kisses to your skin.

When you came out of it you turned around in his lap, now straddling him. You rested your forehead against his shoulder. Will moved his hand up to your hair and played with it as he hummed softly to you.

You feel your eyes go heavy and before you know it you’re sleeping in your boyfriends arms.

Doing his best not to wake you up. Will lays the two of you down. He doesn’t move to retrieve blankets, not wanting to risk disturbing your peaceful state. Will gives you soft kisses scattered on your face until he himself falls asleep. A soft smile on his face.

———————————————————————

If Joyce or Johnathan found you they’d 100% cover the two of you

No one really talks about it in the morning when the two of you walk out of his room together

THIS WAS BOTH THE MOST FUN YET MOST STRESSFUL THING IVE WRITTEN LITERALLY EVER. I hope you enjoy though <3

Hello! Can I request a fic where the reader likes to tease Will and goes a bit too far? And Will gets a little upset, so the reader kind of freaks out and feels really guilty. Can you also make the reader not very good at comforting but affectionate? Thanks :)) (He/Him prns please).

Hey there sorry this response is a bit late. I’ve gotten very busy today <3

Either way I really enjoy this concept and I hope you enjoy reading it!!

“Hey Will, whatcha working on?” You ask, draping yourself onto his back.

Will was currently sitting at his desk and drawing in a sheet of paper, thus why he hadn’t come to greet you at the door. Luckily, Joyce was aware that you were his boyfriend so she welcomed you in with a warm smile.

“It’s just stuff for the Party’s next dungeons and dragons campaign. It’s not a big deal.” He said nonchalantly. Only turning his head from the paper to kiss your cheek softly.

Upon closer examination, the drawings were of characters he had never described. NPC’s you assumed. Throughout your relationship with Will he had introduced you to the game and you were just as hooked as he was. You played with the party but luckily Mike was the DM. This meant you were always allowed to see Wills drawings before arriving to the campaign. Though you did still like to tease him about it occasionally.

“That sounds very nerdy Will. Please do tell me more about your nerd shit.” You giggled and he giggled too. Though his shoulders did tense a bit. He had never tensed like that before when you joked about it, but you brushed it off. Maybe you had just leaned to heavily on him.

When Will didn’t begin to ramble you decided to prompt him more by grabbing the paper. “Jeez Will. These characters look like something from a professional kids show. Like one of the animated ones.”

Apparently that was the very wrong complement to use because he snatched the paper straight out of your hands, opened one of his desk drawers, and threw it inside roughly, slamming the drawer shut hard. You thought he was angry, but when he turned to look at you his eyes were sad. They were brimming with tears and his face was red.

You froze. Unsure of what to do. Usually when Will cried you knew what it was about. The upside down in his nightmares. However, now that you don’t know, you are unsure of what to do.

“Will baby I’m so sorry. What did I say?” You asked quietly, putting a hand on his arm.

He flinched away from your touch as tears poured down his face. Now you really didn’t know what to do. His eyes remained fixed on you but they were unfocused. The only thing you knew how to do was what he does for you.

Making sure his eyes would stay on you, you motioned to his bed and made grabby hands. You left you arms open. He took you up on the silent offer and crawled into your arms. You scratched his scalp with your fingertips as he cried into your shoulder. You didn’t talk. You didn’t know what you could say. He was the one to break the silence.

“I had an argument with Mike.” Will started, voice shaky and quiet. “He thinks we’re getting too old to play anymore. He thinks it’s childish.

Oh yeah, you’d really fucked up this time.

“Will- I- uh….” You didn’t know how to even start apologizing or comforting him. Instead of using your words you decide to use actions instead. At least until you could think of proper ones to use.

You held onto him tightly and planted kissed to the top of his head while using your hands to rub the small of his back. The least you could do was let him cry out his emotions.

When Will’s tears had dried, that’s when you decided to speak.

“If it’s worth anything, I don’t think your childish. In fact I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as perfect as you Will. I love you so much.”

He lifted his head and smiled at you.

“Thank you. You’re a wonderful boyfriend, you know that? Even if you aren’t very good with words.”

Will’s comment sent you into a fit of giggles and the positive energy kept up. Even hours later Joyce found the two of you laughing together while drawing. She was happy because she realized her son had finally found someone who he could be with. Someone who truly understood and deserved the love of her son.

I didn’t know what to do for the ending so I wrote some nice Joyce Byers content <3

may i request a fluff with will byers x male reader ?

i feel like will would be a little spoon type of guy, like definitely. reader would be comforting will after he had a nightmare and is playing with his hair a bit to soothe him. will would apologize for being so needy all the time but the reader wouldn’t mind at all, saying how much he appreciates how will can come to him for help when he needs it !

sorry if im rambling. i love willlll <3

You are so right about Will being a little spoon. And feel free to ramble!!! It just gives me more ideas.

Anyway hope you enjoy <333

It was 2:17 in the morning and normally you wouldn’t be up at this time. But you had an obligation to attend to. That obligation was Will Byers.

Will was your boyfriend of now 10 months and Joyce knew she couldn’t keep you away so she started allowing sleepovers.

This has spurred Will into finally explaining to you what had happened to him as a child. Before he said he couldn’t tell you due to government reasons. You accepted this easily. However when he explained it to you, it became clear why you couldn’t know. Everything from the Upside Down to the Demogorgon. It was an insane situation. But you just listened. Even if you didn’t understand, you promised Will you’d be there for him.

The reason he chose to explain this to you so suddenly wasn’t revealed properly until about thirty minutes ago. You had been woken up by Will thrashing and screaming. As soon as you touched him to try to wake him up his body shot up into a sitting position and his eyes flew open.

You followed sitting up, placing your hand on Will’s back. He took a few minutes to collect himself before turning to face you. He said nothing as he pressed himself into your chest, his arms wrapping around you. You simply held him back, laying the two of you back down.

You were on your right side. One of your arms was resting under your head and the other was in Will’s hair, fidgeting with the short strands. He laid on his left, both of his arms wrapped around your middle, his face still in your chest.

Eventually you moved so that the hand in his hair moved to be on his waist. Will complied with the position changed and turned around. He pressed his back into your chest and your hold around his waist tightened.

“I’m sorry.” You hear his quiet voice say.

“Baby you don’t have to apologize to me.” You immediately respond.

“But I’m so needy all the time and-,” you cut him off by suddenly sitting up. Will turned his head so he could see your face. You took this opportunity to place a gentle kiss to his lips.

“Will if I didn’t want to be here I wouldn’t. But I love you. So I’ll stay here through everything.” You smile softly at him and he smiles back. He turns his head back to it’s starting position and you sink back down. You nuzzle your face into his hair and you begin to him songs you know he likes.

Eventually you feel him fall asleep in your arms and you allow yourself to rest as well. The rest of the night was plagued with no nightmares and even the days that followed were alright. As long as you were with Will, it brought him peace.

Sorry if this one’s a bit short. I’m tired but I wanted to get it done for you. : )

So I was listening to lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid and thought it was like the black brothers, so here's what happened after they saw each other after siri left. :))

Sirius: Thought you found a way?

Regulus: I thought I found a way out

Sirius: ...

Regulus: You got away, so I guess I gotta stay now

Sirius: Oh

Regulus: I hope some day I'll make it out of here

Sirius: Even if it takes all night?

Regulus: or a 100 years

Sirius: Need a place to hide?

Regulus; but I can't find one near

Sirius: reggie..

Regulus: i Wanna feel alive, but I can't fight my fears

Okie. (〃ﾉωﾉ) @shycroissanti

𝓗𝓾𝓰𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓚𝔂𝓸𝓳𝓾𝓻𝓸 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓷𝓼

His hugs would be firm and tight like a business handshake. Its warmth and love still provide you a whole bunch of comfort.

When you are alone and hugging, he is like a puppy who craves your love and attention. Leaning into every touch of the hug, giggling like a teenager that just discovered kissing.

He sways your hips to feel you rubbing against him. And tells you how beautiful you are and how he loves you.

He caresses several parts of your body causing you to giggle. It tickles you so much.

He hugs you whenever, wherever you want.

He gives the best hugs.

Hug him now!

100/100. Hug or die.

a/n- enjoy

What would you love for Kyojuro to do with you?

Oh? A hug? (〃ﾉωﾉ)

Kindred Souls

Trollhunters/Miraculous Ladybug fanfic (WriteLikeTheWind)

Marinette follows her sense of curiosity and ends up unraveling a mystery far bigger than she expected.

Includes: g/t first meeting; fluff; tiny POV; giant (well, human) POV; friendship.

Not DDD but some tooth rotting fluff with Dadwing that I had written a while ago.

Dick had always had a kinda 6th sense when it came to Damian, they had been Batman and Robin together, *the* dynamic duo! So he knew when his little brother was upset, more so than usual.

It started after a failed capture, the Riddler had been out of Arkham for over 3 weeks, the longest that he had been out for quite some time.

Bruce had finally found Eddie's hiding spot and was staking him out for some time, trying to determine whether the Riddler was truly there or this was once again a decoy safe house.

Bruce regretfully has the communication skills of a particularly grumpy slug and failed to properly give Damian the brief on what he was doing after joining his father from a round of patrols with Dick.

It really truly wasn't Damian's fault that he rushed in and only really succeeded in flushing out the Riddler and driving him to ground once more.

And once again, Bruce the grumpy slug scowled, let out a grunt and demanded Damian back to the cave, further not explaining why Bruce tried to stop him from taking down the Riddler and why he didn't pursue.

---

Dick was surprised to come out of the locker rooms of the cave to his youngest brother, practically shaking with rage as he not so carefully pulled off his suit, and what was the most concerning to Dick was the quiet, but still angry mutterings coming from the boy.

Dick felt a pang in his chest at the words, his Arabic was not the best but he could tell more than a few foul words slipping from Damians lips, taking a small breath to prepare, Dick slowly approached his little brother, holding his hands up in surrender even before speaking.

"Hey Babybat? Dami? You okay kiddo? What are you-" Dick stopped mid sentence at the scathing glare that was leveled at him, blinking a few times as his brother collected himself enough to speak clearly, but his voice was rough with emotion, and his accent that was usually hidden away came back harder. (Something that Dick realized that Jason and Damian shared, the angrier they are the more they go back to their roots.)

"Do not attempt to placate me Richard, I am not playing your foolish games nor am I wanting to speak of my feelings, so I simply ask you to leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone." At the end the boys words were ground out as he threw down the Robin chest plate and stromed past Dick, heading to the showers.

---

Dick knew it was a little bit risky, but something was clearly upsetting his little brother greatly, so here he was, standing outside of Damians room, letting out a small sigh, Dick softly knocked on the door.

Two short, one long: U

Three long: O

One long, one short, one long: K

Morse code, one of the first no vocal languages that all the birds and the Bats knew, Dick and Damian had used it more than a few times on the field.

The only thing that Dick received from that was a dull thud of something being thrown at the door and the much softer sound of it falling to the floor, but the rest of the room was an inky black.

Letting out a sigh, the oldest of the Wayne children grabbed onto the doorhandle and slowly turning it, pushing the door in as he popped his head in, seeing the sacrificed plush animal laying on the ground where it was thrown

Dick felt guilty being glad it wasn't a knife.

"Dami? Little D? Kiddo I am going to come in..."

Opening the door more, Dick slipped into the dark room, spacial awareness helped Dick circumvent the few basic traps laid around his little brothers room, and made his way over to the boy's bed.

Eyes adjusting to the dark quickly, Dick could see the small outline of his brother shaking under the covers, looking so small in the king-sized bed, sitting on the edge, Dick laid a hand on where he thinks Damians hip is, feeling his heart break a little at the small jump he felt as he did.

"Can you talk to me? Please? I want to help kiddo." The only response he got was a shaky drawn in breath and the form under the blankets shifting, sitting up and revealing his younger brother.

His jade green eyes practically glowed in the dark of the room, Damians glare more tired than angry.

(It was times like these that Dick had to force himself to believe that Damian was just his brother, that the boy was not his son, wasn't the boy he raised for a year and a half as his own)

Shuffling closer to the center of the bed, Dick softly placed his forehead on the boy's own before pulling back after a second, he had learnt that little touches of affection got him a lot farther (and a lot less stabbed) with Damian.

Sitting back Dick watched as Damian crawled over, closing the distance between them and leaned his head onto Dicks shoulder, his eyes fluttering closed as he took in several deep breaths, calming himself even further.

Dick didn't dare move while Damian re-centered only snaking his arms around the smaller boy once he felt Damian go slack against him, softly cradling Damian in his arms as he pressed a soft kiss to the boy's spiky locks.

They stayed that way for a while, Dick gently rocking them both as he held his younger brother, silently waiting for Damian to speak first.

"...Father is an idiot..."

Blinking at the words that finally came out, Dick took it in stride, "For a man that is called the worlds greatest detective he can't see two feet in front of him when his loved ones are involved."

Silence lapsed after a little while, only breaking again as Damian pulled back from the hug, staring into Dicks powder blue eyes,

"...is it bad that some days I hate him Baba?" The words crush him, hitting at Dicks heart far worse than anything he had felt before, throat raw and itchy suddenly, Dick tried to not let Damians choice of words affect him.

(Dick has never heard Dami call Bruce Baba, only a ever respectful Father.)

"I-I, Um...I have felt way about B more than a few times Dames...He tries his best but sometimes...some times I do" There was a shine to Damians eyes as he looked into Dicks as the man continued softly "But I don't think it's bad...no I think you are just growing up...It...it's the beginning to when your seeing B how he can truly be like." (A scornful son of a bitch, only that Martha was a wonderful woman...)

Damians face grew distraught, and the shine pooled until soft tears ran down the boys face, "I do not wish to hate Father, but why can he simply not...speak to me? He has not spoke to me outside of case work for over three days and even during that no more than a few words..." leaning his head against Dicks shoulder, the boy's words were muffled slightly as he continued

"Is...is it wrong to expect more from him Baba?"

Dick didn't have any words for his Damian, because he sure as shit isn't Bruce's at the moment, sweeping the boy up into his arms, Dick hled him close while laying the two of them down, Dick on his back and his boy on his chest.

Running a hand through Damians soft hair, Dick thought hard of what to say, "I will speak to him...and maybe Tim...I know you two still have disagreements but honestly for some reason he listens to Tim more than even Alfred...you deserve so much more than that kiddo..."

Dick felt the soft shakes as Damian cried ontop of him, it broke the man's heart to smithereens that even while overwhelmed by emotions his boy still felt the need to try and be as quiet as possible.

Once he felt Damians shudders slow, an the boys breathing came back to a normal rate, Dick reached into his pants and pulled out his phone, "I think we both gotta unwind a little bud...have I ever shown you Bob Ross?"

---

(They watch till the sun peaks through the black out curtains, well, it plays that long, but the two where asleep for a lot longer than that.)

(Bruce gets a very long talking too by his kids, and gets the cowl taken away from him until he gets therapy)

(It only works a little.)

(He made a new one)

♡Hêår†§†rïñg§ wïll †µg♡

Synopsis- Argenti's insecurities couldn't have hit worse than today, especially with him getting injured while on duty, and his lover walking in on him-!

Characters- Argenti x Boothill (romantic)

Warnings/Extras- Hurt/comfort, blood, potential gore?, body horror?, many many insecurities and mean thoughts about self, implied ED, overstimultation, usage of pet names, incorrect spelling?

Notes- Sorry that this story is a bit late! Some stuff happened, and I was unable to post it at a reasonable time. But I promised that I would post it on Thursday or Wednesday, so here it is today :)

When the light hit Argenti's soft face, he could tell something was wrong. It seemed... duller, just like the energy he had for today. It felt... a bit numb, like something was trying to connect to his brain, but it only lingered in his gut.

Nonetheless, the redhead hopped out of bed, a soft smile already forming on his pinkish lips. He had to get ready for the day. He was a knight afterall!

Knight of beauty. Beautiful... Argenti.

-----

Argenti hid his insecurities behind kind smiles and poetic words, tossing them out to hopeless romantics who hid their grins and blushing face. No one could tell.

No one could tell, let alone even take a glance at the redheads' pitiful thoughts for himself. They would never know how many nights he spent staring in his mirror, inspecting every cell of his skin, or the times he took too long in the bathroom due to him dissociating in the tub, his emerald gaze a bit numb as he stared into the reflection of himself in the water.

Or even the times he took extra notes on how much he weighed...

How could anyone notice? He was a delusional freak afterall.

But someone noticed... Boothill, oh, his beautiful Boothill.

Argenti never opened up much. He felt a sense of guilt. He was a knight. He had to be brave.

He has to be brave.

But when the knight did open up to the outlaw, he stared at his with those soft, smokey eyes, each word that rolled off his tongue dripped into Boothill's mind. His robotic thumb occasionally rubbing circles into the back of his hand, silently telling Argenti to continue. He noticed, and he knows.

But with everyone else? He played oblivious to his insecurities that loomed over his shoulder.

----

The knight’s armored boots softly rumbled with each step he trudged through the dirty ground of the large building he was searching through, his emerald gaze carefully scanning the rooms before he continued walking.

Recently, another knight of beauty had been attacked by a few bad monsters. He was able to fend most of them off, but the mission was overall a failure.

So of course, Argenti being one of the most trusted knights, he was out continuing the rest of the mission for the other knight.

Argenti would've brought some extra knight’s for precautions, if not for the knight explaining how a lot of the monsters were now dead. The proof sealed as Argenti hadn't noticed a single strange figure, not even a noise or anything.

Of course, the knight was still careful, and the silence would've heightened his anxiety, but he was more confused than anything at the lack of action.

But the peacefulness would soon be swept away as Argenti head something drop.

The knight swirled around with a scowl as his grip on his spear tightened, his expression firm as he glanced around the room.

When Argenti didn't hear anything, he took a few hesitant steps before continuing his path, not wanting to investigate and potentially get injured, but with how fate is. One way or another, he'll be walking home injured.

Suddenly, the ceiling above him collapsed as figures dropped down, just barely avoiding the redhead as he stepped back, standing in defense as Argenti noted the gloopy mess of the 'people' as they quickly molded nto a sharp physique, taking their own positions in fight before the other quickly launched itself at the knight.

Argenti quickly slid out of the way from the goopy monster, watching as it hit the floor with a splat before it quickly tried to form again. Meanwhile, the second one rushed up behind the knight, only to get cut as the male took a deep stab through its 'body'.

Only the knight paused once he failed to pull back his spear, a look of anxiety rushing through his already high adrenaline.

The goop that splattered onto Argenti's red spear quickly spread around it. The 'person' trying to absorb it.

The knight froze in shock before quickly brushing off his feelings.

Be brave. Something echoed in his mind as he took out a switchblade that was gifted to him by Boothill, just in case if he'd get caught in extra trouble. Which was all the time.

Urgency running through his veins, Argenti chopped the sludge from the figure, peeling his blade out and accidentally sliding the other persons 'face' as it was reforming again.

The knight swiftly stepped away from between the two, swirling the rest of the muck off of his spear before rushing back up and hitting the figure down into the second one, watching with a pant as the figures cried, trying to rekindle and untangle into their own forms.

Abruptly, the knight would be joining their cries as he let out a yell, pain shooting through his body as the world started to turn a bit slow and heavier.

Without thinking, almost instinctive to fight. Argenti turned around, slid his spear through whatever attacked from behind, lifted, and slammed it onto the rest of the figures.

Some of his holy water, plucked from the purist of water that was believed to be Idrila's making, slipped out from his hip and splashed against the figures. Their cries becoming louder as they shriveled and burned from the water, eventually drying up and staining the ground.

The crimson haired male panted as he used his spear to hold himself upright, unable to look away from the grotesque creatures and the cruel death.

Nonetheless, the monsters were slayed. The most trusted knight of beauty of them all. Argenti had come out on top yet again!

.... he needed a nurse.

----

Argenti panted before sighing at the familiar atmosphere of the inside of his ship. His one and only.

Argenti slid down the large doors as he tried to hold back his pain, hissing slightly before glancing down at his hip, scowling through sweat as he noted how the monster somehow wasn't able to pierce through his armor, but was somehow able to cut at his slightly exposed hip!

Better than being cut in two. The knight would live.

Argenti groaned as he wobbled through the many rooms, inevitably making it into his own shared bedroom. With him and Boothill...

Of course, despite being injured, he still couldn't let his guard down, and he couldn't let his items go to waste. He was a knight. after all, he had to be resourceful. So, while he clutched the blood wound starting to turn darker, he still carefully put away his spear and slipped off his boots.

Tears starting to fill his eyes at this point as he tried to calmly and delicately guide himself out of his heavy armor, having take pauses near the end as he panted.

Blood. Blood. Blood... bandages.

The knight groaned as he lifted himself off of his temping bed, stripping off his shirt as he started to shake to the connected bathroom, his mind demanding him to stay upright. Demanding to walk. Demanding to get care. Demanding to straighten his back. Demanding to not get careless like that. Demanding.

The redhead let out a loud cough as he nearly doubled over, his gaze fuzzy as he tried to navigate himself. To catch himself... failing.

Eventually, the knight stood in the bathroom, which suddenly seemed a bit yellowish and claustrophobic, using the counter and his elbow to prop himself up, his hand still holding his bloody gash while his free hand searched through the drawers, thankfully finding some fresh bandages in the end.

His mind was a blur. He could feel the warm blood trickle down his cold flesh despite his sweating forehead. He could feel his scarred hands shake as the texture of the bandages slid uncomfortably between his fingers.

The knight tried to control himself despite his racing heartbeat and his adrenaline spiking again. He didn't even think to grab something to wipe off the excess blood it wouldn't stain or that the wound wouldn't become infected. No gauze pad or anything. He just frantically rolled the bandages tight around his hip and stomach, feeling the covering scratch at his skin. His emerald irises shaking as his surroundings blurred, watching in anxiety as he rolled it around his waist only to wrap it tighter before continuing.

Roll, then tighten. Roll, then tightened. The knight had to pause occasionally as his pants turned into wheezes, half of his mind finally letting him loose it a bit and stop wrapping the bandages.

The male paused as he huffed once he tore off the rest of the bandages, holding it in place as he scrambled to find something to clip it together and make it stay.

A rare smile in the moment suddenly painted his lips as he found some leftover surgical tape. Only for it to be wiped away as his frantic body froze, suddenly realizing what it had done before he could register it.

The mirror... that was him?

This was the beloved knight?... why... why is he so 'beautiful'...

Despite Argenti's sweating forehead and the blood now staining the bandages and his fast heart rate and his mind going into overdrive!-

.... he froze.

His curly red hair was matted and slightly stained with muck. His eyebags were becoming a bit more noticeable, and his eyelashes did no help with proof of his tiredness. His shaky hands and his scarred body and his moles splotched on his body without a care and his stupid lack of preservation for himself! And his waistline starting to thicken! And his nose being a bit too bumby!

... this was the beautiful knight..? He could cry. He was pitiful. It was pitiful.

The knight watched his reflection in the mirror as his eyes stayed wide in shock before suddenly, the tears started to pile up a bit more, till they eventually dripped down his cheeks.

Why was he crying?.. why was the knight crying?..! He's a knight! He's a knight, not a damsel in distress!

...

The knight didn't want to see himself, but of course. He would still think about himself. Because this is what people on the express in different galaxies and even different lovers saw him as!

Once the bandages were stuck together. Argenti cried. For a long time since forever. He tried to clean up the mess in the bathroom and the thrown armor, even being able to tug a tight turtle neck on himself!

But despite him being able to clean up his messes. He wasn't able to pick up himself. Can you blame him? Who would?

----

Boothill sighed as he stepped into the familiar atmosphere of the ship, taking a breather before a smile appeared on his lips as he finally could relax for the night after some trouble with the IPC.

Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. And he hadn't even gotten a scratch on him!

Hopefully, his partner would be proud and tease him of being taking a break for tonight and not having to worry about fixing any of his systems.... and hopefully, he wouldn't scare the Aeons out of his boyfriend since he'd usually text before coming over. But in his defense, he now has the code!

...speaking of which. Where is his Argenti?

----

The redheads' cries died down at the echo and rumble of a door shutting, only to pause as he lifted his head up. His blurry gaze traveled across the room as his numb mind processed what was going on.

The slam... slam.. oh... Boothill's here.

...

Boothill's here.

Argenti propped up from the bed, his mind a bit faint at the sudden movement, but he brushed it off.

Glancing at his surroundings, the redhead quickly flipped over the pillow to the side that wasn't wet with his tears, quickly trying to wipe them away before grabbing a towel near him.

Scrubbing his tears off as he smoothed out his hair with his free one, tossing the cloth to the side, the redhead continued to scramble, wracking his brain for things to ease the situation so he could play pretend.

The males hands shook as he reached to turn on the bedside lamp, only lightly hiss and turn away at the bright light close to him. Instead, he turned off that lamp and leaned to the other side of the bed, Boothill's half, to turn on his light. It being far enough not to hurt his sore eyes, and so it wouldn't reveal what he'd been doing earlier... what he's been thinking about..

Argenti scanned the room to see if there was anything else to make him look natural, snatching the remote as he turned on the television.

It was... also a bit of an eyesore. But it made him seem more normal, and he could handle it a bit better. Plus, they don't have the largest TV, so it could work.

----

Boothill paused as he glanced around the ship, standing close to the hallway where the bedroom was, but still trying to figure out if Argenti was in the bedroom. Let alone on the ship.

His attention was quickly brought to the TV being turned on, able to hear it due to the sudden noise in the quiet area.

The cowboy's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. Either Argenti just woke up or something else was going on.

And either way! The ranger just wanted to see his beautiful boyfriend after an unappreciated meet with the IPC-

Oh... there he is.

The crimson haired male glanced up from the TV with a soft look, pretending as if he was lounging around and wasn't crying after his whole situation.

"Hello, dearest. I'm a bit surprised that you came, but still grateful," Argenti smiled, trying to lay out his honeyed words and ignore the crack in his voice.

"Mh... I'm surprised I didn't startle ya'." Boothill lightly teased, shifting as he closed the door behind him before reaching up to take off his hat.

Through Boothill gave Argenti a quick concerning glance from underneath his cowboy hat before removing it, noting Argenti's slight... hoarse voice?

"Anythin' special ya' got up to today?" Boothill questioned, shrugging off the red cape from his shoulder.

"Hm. Not necessarily. Just some scouting here and there," Argenti lied, shifting in the bed slightly only to softly hiss at the wound striking his body. To which the ranger quickly turned back to the knight.

"Ya' alright hun'?" Boothill questioned, his gray eyes already roaming across the redheads body.

"Yes, yes... just.. tense back today," The knight explained, shifting in the bed further only to wince again.

"Maybe I could give ya' massage? Could make yer' borin' day much more entertainin'." The cowboy grinned. Even though Boothill was mostly cyborg, he knew how much his partner loved his massages. The entire atmosphere and cold hands rubbing away the knots in his back always made Argenti turn into a puddle.

But this time, the knight tensed at Boothill's words, not just from the wound, which was otherwise known as his 'tense back'.

"No, it's alright, dear. I bet you had a stressful day yourself," The male convinced with a cascade grin.

He just... had to keep it in. Not wanting the outlaw to notice the obvious would on his hip. But it still hurt like hell...

No, no!... he had to keep it in. He had to be composed. He could do this. Argenti, the knight, could do this.

Boothill's eyes narrowed a bit before he turned back to the table he stood at, stripping off his belt with the holster to his revolver resting in.

"Meh. The IPC was fudgin' annoyin' today, but I gave them a good fight, just like they wanted!"

The outlaw tilted his head over his shoulder to glance at Argenti as he added.

"Glad to report zero scratches," Boothill grinned before placing his belt on the table and being... somewhat careful with his gun.

On the other hand, Argenti froze slightly as his smile dropped a bit at Boothill saying 'zero scratches'... unlike himself.

"Mh.. that's good to hear," The redhead anxiously smiled, internally smacking himself on the head at his carelessness despite the sudden attack. But that was no excuse!

Well. At least not in his book. Boothill's, on the other hand, he'd just curse that monster to Penacony and back.

More importantly, he could never blame Argenti for anything. As if he was some sort of angel...

He wasn't. He was far from great, and a pit swirled in his gut, not just from the wound, but at the remembrance of his reflection in the mirror.

He'd rather be in denial about that being someone entirely else. Hell, he'd believe if it was just dumb prank and it was just some simulation!

...

The redhead was too caught up in his thoughts to notice the quietness that erupted between the couple. Boothill definitely noticed, and the cowboy couldn't help but steal more glances over his shoulder at his Argenti.

Something about him... something wasn't right. And he could tell just from one conversation with the knight!

His words were less dragged on and poetic, he seemed more quiet and reserved than usual, and just an overall aura and uprightness from him.

It made the cowboy worry a bit over the redhead. Which was basically a foreign word to him at this point.

But Argenti... oh, his beautiful Argenti. He'd lie forever if it meant he wouldn't admit his softness for the knight.

Truthfully, Boothill wasn't sure how to feel about the male at a first glance. Sure, he was gorgeous... but he seemed a bit out of touch and awkward, at least to passing people. The cowboy wasn't an angel himself, but now? Now, he'd pray to whatever Aeon to let the redhead stay a moment longer. Believe it or not, past self! But that rando redhead will stay in your brain for longer than you think.

Still, now. Something in the cowboys mind soon settled in his stomach at his concerns. He could just feel something wrong with Argenti.

... that wasn't the best thing to bet on due to his robotic body, unlike his love for his redhead.

The white and black haired male finally tugged off his leather jacket and pulled off his boots before stepping up to the male. Who only tensed as he snapped back to reality.

"'Genti..." Boothill hummed, leaning down to sit on the bed, the mattress creaking from underneath the cyborgs body at the new added weight.

"... do you need something, dear?" Argenti questioned, tilting his head to the side a bit as a smile graced his lips.

Boothill was about to reply, but something stopped him as his gaze caught something, reaching closer to gently cup the redheads' face, lifting his head back in position.

... what was with the streaks? It wasn't that noticeable, especially with the soft light. The outlaws eyes squinted in inspection as he stared at the knight. Who, unlike his outer shell, was internally screaming and pulling at his hair.

"... Bo-" "Ya' okay?"

He was barely able to get a word out. Quickly brushing off the faint trace of anxiety on his expression, the crimson haired male nervously smirked as he stated.

"Of course..? Why wouldn't I be?" The male answered. The white and black haired males gaze squinting further, noting the eyebags and slightly knitted eyebrows before finally shifting back a bit.

"Yer' not hidin' somethin' from me. Are ya'? I can handle it, y'know." Boothill softly grinned, half joking but secretly, 100% serious. To which the knight just smiled again

"Yes, sweetheart," The redhead explained, his hand reaching over to scratch and fiddle with his hand, only to fumble as he quickly caught himself.

Knight’s stay proper. They don't let their feelings get in the way this easily. They don't give up.

The male winced slightly as he instinctively adjusted, only to immediately regret the decision.

... and they heal quickly from their injuries. Not fussing about it like a toddler.

This time, the outlaw noticed it more intensely, letting his hands drop from his face as he quickly held his waist, trying to be careful with the redheads' sore body and his own metal hands.

"Woa- hey! Hey... ya' alright?" Boothill spoke, his own eyebrows furrowing as his thumbs unconsciously rubbed Argenti's torso to comfort him.

While the male did appreciate the gesture, it was hard not to shift out of anxiety of him noticing the wound.

The redhead took a few deep breaths before his shoulders drooped slightly. Meanwhile, the white and black haired male hardened in annoyance as he nagged.

"Not hidin' somethin'. Yes, sweetheart?" Boothill mocked, to which the knight huffed out of his nose, knowing he was caught.

"Just... maybe I do have some pretty... terrible pain in my back, but that's it." The knight lied, trying to smile to cover his slightly cracked throat.

The outlaw still stared at the redhead with harshness before softening slightly, shifting closer to rest his hand near the knight’s knee.

"Baby... what's wrong?.. ya' can tell me. Please, tell me." Boothill tried to convince, not taking even a second to look away from his partner.

Nothing was wrong... but nothing was wrong! He could survive with some wound that was, albeit, handled without much care. But he could survive and live with the injury that would most likely cause some scar... that would taunt him at how he got it... but at the end of the day. The knight didn't like his body... the knight didn't like himself much either.

"Darlin'... did somethin' happen to ya'? Ya' mentioned scoutin'..." The outlaw wondered, unable to get the redheads eyes to meet him for more than 2 seconds.

No.. no. He couldn't tell Boothill what happened. He'd... he'd feel too guilty. He could barely meet his eyes. He just had to let these feelings burn off. He just had to become skinnier and work on his muscles and clean his hair more and clean his armor and walk better and talk better.

He could handle it. He's a knight!

"C'mon rosey. Just breathe and tell me... I know ya' don't have to, but at least just tell me that," The cowboy tried. As time frantically passed in the knight’s head, he could barely lift his head up or brush away his hair to greet his lovers worried gaze.

He's a knight. He's a knight. He's a knight? A very pitiful one. Why was he a knight. Why was he here? One of the most trusted ones? Make the crowd laugh more why don't you?

So idiotic. A knight? He does fit the category. Just a delusional knight. A freak of nature. Some ugly redhead who'd easily be left in the dust. He should've just died on that planet. But he's still here. He's still got a job. He's still a knight. He's a knight.

"Pretty boy. Lemme hear ya'. Lemme see ya'. Please."

Argenti paused. Did he? Because now he was staring at the outlaw, finally meeting his lovers gaze.

Pretty boy? That was new... and it was stupid... and it was too kind for Boothill to say to... a knight.. a...

Suddenly, he was brought into an embrace. Much warmer than he expected, and his face-

...

When did he start crying?... This was stupid. He was a knight. He was a knight. Argenti is a knight. Argenti.

... Argenti just wanted his thoughts to shut up... he just wanted the people who insulted him to shut up. Call him selfish. Whatever.

Argenti was just so... so tired..

"Shh... shh.. 'm 'ere.. 'm right here, baby," Boothill whispered in Argenti's ear, rubbing a soothing hand down his partner's back while his other hand resting on his head, his red locks of hair so easily and smoothly falling into his hand.

"No.. mh.. no Boothill.. I..." "Shh... it's okay... you'll be okay.. and I'll be here.." Argenti sobbed once again as his hand wrapped around the cowboy's robotic body, desperately clinging to his system and trying to somehow pull himself closer, his hoarse voice already crashing so easily as the redhead hid his face into the cowboy's shoulder.

The couple stayed like that for a moment, Boothill whispering sweet nothings into Argenti's ear as he cried, Boothill kissing his temple and occasional rubbing at his head as Argenti nuzzled closer into Boothill.

Eventually, Argenti let his cries die down, still resting his face onto Boothill's now damp shoulder like a kicked puppy, only to feel his face suddenly lift up.

The redhead cracked his watery eyes open as he stared at the outlaw with a far look in his eyes. Contrary to Boothill, who looked at his partner with the most tender gaze.

The cowboy delicately held the knight in his metallic hands, swiping away any leftover tears before he spoke up.

"... what happened, pretty boy?... I can't read yer' mind, but I can at least hear ya'.." Boothill whispered, gathering the redheads' hands in his own, who teared up a bit more at the pet name before shakily exhaling.

The two stayed quiet for a moment before Argenti opened his mouth, something tugging at his heart if he met Boothill's gaze for too long, especially as he explained.

"The people... everyone... they're right. I'm..." Argenti paused as he pursed his lips, trying to regain his composure while his lover stayed silent, though confusion still wavered on Boothill's face at Argenti's trailed off words.

"Everyone... everyone calls me delusional or even a freak and... they're correct...! I can't believe... I can't believe that this is a knight of beauty..."

...oh

"Sweetheart-" "I'm... no I'm... I'm not good enough... and I'm... I'm not pretty..! There's so much beauty around me... but somehow I'm always the thing lacking it..."

".. I shouldn't be here.."

".. 'Genti... baby..." Boothill murmured, his accent thick like syrup as it got heavier in regard, a hand picking back up to try and lift up his face and make the redhead meet his eyes.

The ranger took a small exhale before shifting his hands to rest on Argenti's neck, his thumbs holding up his face as the cowboy spoke.

"Listen to me... yer' the most wonderful, gorgeous human I've ever met. Even with the first time I met ya', I thought you were so, so beautiful.. an' it only got better as I started to know ya' more personally."

"Yer' so kind an' brave, an' I could give half of a shirt at anyone talkin' bad about ya'. I'd be more concerned on what they're seein'." Boothill explained, lightly joking before interlocking their hands again.

"I can't get ya' to believe this overnight, but please know that yer' so... so perfect from the inside an' out, an' there's so many people who trust ya' for you... an' I can knock out the people who dare to think otherwise." The outlaw confessed, earning a smile that tugged at Argenti's lips.

Despite Argenti's arguing thoughts racing in his mind, a part of his soul still trusted Boothill's words, which is why the redhead gave the cyborg a soft nod. Earning a whipped smile from said cyborg, who'd prefer the term mushy or lovesick. But in this situation, he supposed it wasn't the worst.

"There's my angel," Boothill murmured, pulling Argenti into a caring hug, which was quickly reciprocated.

"... anythin' else ya' wanna tell me?" Argenti froze.

"Uhm... me going scouting... was a lie.. ish... I went on an old mission of another knight of beauty because it ended in failure for him... and I did complete it.... but I.. got a bit injured," The crimson haired male nervously explained, leaning back from the white and black haired male, whose eyes widened before relaxing slightly.

"Do ya' need me to fix it up for ya'?... have you put any bandages on it..!?" Boothill questioned, getting a bit anxious himself before Argenti added.

"Yes, yes... Albeit very... frantically... and.. little care..." Argenti continued, shifting awkwardly in the bed slightly before the ranger quickly held back the redhead.

"It's okay.. it's alright. Lemme fix it up for ya' hun'." Boothill comforted, kissing at the redheads temple for a split second before sitting up and walking over to the bathroom.

As the cowboy quickly gathered the supplies to heal up Argenti, grabbing some thread just in case for stitches, Boothill couldn't help but notice the blood that was previously dripped onto the floor, an uneasy feeling washing over him as his mind traced on what happened before.

The ranger started to feel a bit guilty for being late, especially with his partner's injury and how long he was possibly crying for, but he was here now, and he'll do whatever it takes to bring back up that smile.

When Boothill came back into the bedroom, he couldn't help but notice Argenti, now shirtless with a bloody patch near his hip. He took an inhale before settling down the items on the bedside table.

"Here, here. Just lay back..." Boothill murmured, one hand gingerly ushering away his hands from the bandages while the other carefully pushed the redhead back into the pillows by the chest.

As the outlaw unraveled the bandages, he quickly noticed the bloody wound that started to leak out once the covering was immediately off.

"Mh... luckily, I doubt you'd need stitches, but yer' definitely gonna have to let it rest, just like yerself." Boothill explained, giving little room for Argenti to argue, not that he wanted to. The redhead just stayed silent as he watched the ranger properly put on his bandages, occasionally getting a gentle sorry and kiss on the face from the latter when the crimson haired male winced.

Secretly, the male's mind was torn between embarrassment at another human coddling over him at something like this as if he couldn't take care of a simple wound... and pretending to act in pain for more kisses, but the knight knew better.

Sooner or later, the ranger wrapped the last of the bandages together and made sure they were secure in place, making sure not to tighten it too much, compared to Argenti's first try.

As the redhead sat up in the bed, taking a soothing breath as the coverings felt much more comforting on his body than before, suddenly, the male watched in the corner of his eye as the cowboy lowered himself to the ground, to which he was met by the white and black haired male kneeling in front of him when he shifted his gaze further down.

Argenti watched as a pleasing smile slowly formed on Boothill's face as he reached for the redheads' hands, bundling them up to kiss at the backs of them, his eyes closing in solace before opening as he leaned back.

The rangers eyes drooped lightly, leaning against the knight a bit to extend his metallic hand up to brush aside a strand of hair straying away.

"I love you," Boothill confessed, a smile tugging at Argenti's face in return.

"I love you too." Argenti responded, his smile growing wider as the outlaw kissed at his hands for another moment in gratitude. If anything, Argenti should be doing all of this for the ranger, but he would allow himself to be pampered for tonight, and most likely for the next few days while recovering.

It was... new, and it felt a bit awkward, but the knight couldn't ever refuse getting love to someone like his lover, especially with it being Boothill.

As the quiet moment passed, the cowboy lifted himself back up, only to quickly pull himself back to the knight.

" 'm gonna get changed, jus' wait 'ere for me..." The cowboy whispered, his accent turning stronger despite his low voice. Wrapping a hand around Argenti's head to pull his face forward and press a quick kiss to his forehead, the male soon stepped away to grab at some clothes for rest.

After a moment, the outlaw walked out of the bathroom, brushing out his messy hair with his hand as his red plaid sweatpants clung to his hips, Boothill's robotic eyes quickly met with Argenti's, who silently stared at the cowboy before looking away as light blush crept up his neck and face once he watched a smile break out onto Boothill's lips.

The outlaw softly chuckled before quickly sliding into bed, still seeking his connection despite his lack of flesh. Boothill took note of Argenti shifting underneath the covers so that he was closer to the middle and the outlaw had room.

While Boothill did appreciate the redheads' mindfulness, he couldn't lie when his fingers twitched in anxiety of Argenti potentially hurting himself at the movement.

Luckily, Boothill quickly stopped Argenti before he could hurt himself. Reaching over to turn off the light as an excuse before swiftly wrapping his arm around the knight, guiding him down as the cowboy leaned back into the mattress and fluffy pillows.

".. good?" The white and black haired male questioned as he watched his partner place his head down onto his metal chest plate and practically laying the rest of his body on top.

"Mh.. yes.... thank y-" "don't thank me." The cowboy quickly intercepted, despite his firm words, his voice lacked any of it.

"Ya' don't need to thank me... lemme pamper ya'..." Boothill explained, a hoarse chuckle leaving the redheads' lips.

"... I hate to admit this... but... this feels so weird.." Argenti confessed with furrowed eyebrows before quickly turning his head up to the outlaw.

"Not loving you, but rather... getting love like this... I'm always fussing over people.. but in the circumstances when it's the other way around..." The knight trailed off as he stared at Boothill with a parted mouth despite his lack of words.

"I get it. It felt weird gettin' love in general... but you..." The cowboy paused as he glanced up at the ceiling before looking back down at the knight, a grin stretching across his sharp teeth.

"Well, you seemed to hack my circuits..." Boothill joked as another chuckle left Argenti.

"Mhm.... still.. I do feel a bit bad for you doing this and worrying over my carelessness... can't I do anything? When I'm not injured, of course," Argenti continued, resulting in the latter quieting down before shifting the redhead closer to his body.

"Jus' stay here." Boothill instructed, his free hand intertwining the knight’s scarred hand while the other already wrapped around him, grasped at his cheek, and swayed his thumb back and forth against the redheads' cheekbone.

A soft hum emerged from Argenti's chest as he practically melted against the touch, his curls flowing against Boothill’s cyborg body. "Charmer." Argenti teased, his emerald eyes cracking open as he looked up at Boothill through his long red lashes.

"I'm gettin' it from you." Boothill teased back in unison before he relaxed against the mattress, his thumb continuing to trail back and forth in a rhythm.

"I love ya'... did I already say that?" The outlaw chirped. "You did, and I feel like if I don't rest now, you'll say it until the morning comes," The redhead explained, feeling a kiss being pressed on his forehead where his hair didn't cover.

"It's true.... but I love ya' so much... if I'd have yer' tongue, I'd also be ramblin' for hours," Boothill laughed, squeezing Argenti's hand.

"You say I love you only to follow up with a mean quip? I don't think that's very sweet of you, my silver cowboy." Argenti scoffed, reciprocating the soft squeeze.

The ranger just rolled his eyes before speaking. "Jus' rest yer' pretty head," The male lightly demanded, only for his words to quickly cut through Argenti's taunting persona as blush started to form on his face once again.

"... uhm.." The knight anxiously hummed after a quiet beat, the outlaw quickly looking down at the redhead at his embarrassment.

"Can you... can you just... call me those.. names again?... like... you called me pretty boy earlier...." Argenti stuttered, his blush rising to his ears as he closed his eyes, immediately regretting his words.

Meanwhile, the latter's eyebrows raised up in slight surprise, but Boothill swiftly brushed it off. Especially at his partner's beautiful flushed face.

"Of course, darlin'. They were made for you, after all," Boothill reassured, his hand parting from his cheek to drag through Argenti's red hair and softly rub at his head. To which the knight calmed down at the cowboy's reassurance, especially at his physical affection.

As the sun started to set and the stars found their spots in the dark sky, the constellations met with each other and formed into a tale of time. The couple stayed safe on the ship, traveling through the night as the outlaw comforted his tired knight now at ease.

"Yer' so beautiful,"

"My pretty boy,"

"I'll be 'ere. Don't worry,"

"Jus' rest that crazed mind of yers',"

"I love ya,"

Boothill murmured before opening his eyes, his gaze immediately softening as he saw through his vision, his tired, but oh so perfect Argenti.

The ranger pulled the covers higher onto the pair as his hand rested back down onto Argenti's cheek, swiping at his cheekbone while his other hand unraveled from his partner's just to pull him closer.

Boothill couldn't help but press a kiss to the corner of Argenti's parted lips as his breaths came in and out in a slow yet careful motion, nesting his chin onto the top of his head and into his hair, inhaling that familiar rose scent before finally letting his worried rush away for the night as he would soon meet with Argenti in their calming dreamland.

"I love you so much, my beautiful Argenti."

If you repost this on another website, please give credit. Any like or repost is greatly appreciated -dixidin

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