#{ :^) Sorry I've been busy with hospital work but I should be free

[hosannan]

Right, the White Heron Cup. She didn't have the heart to tell Altena no, nor the heart to tell her that...

Never mind. It would be fine... It should truly be fun...

Full list of interactions under the cut; planning on trying (really, truly) to send everyone an ask/answer an ask! (Currently: 32!) Please do send me a message if an ask didn’t go through.

Getting Acquainted (1) | Getting Acquainted (2) | Getting Acquainted (3) | Askbox

Air— Marth, Sigurd, Ivy, Raven, Maria, Hortensia, M!Kris, Niamh Earth— Leif, Ares, Chad, Leonardo, Caeda Fire— Micaiah, Ethlyn, Cordelia, Colm, Lene, Larcei Lightning— Ingrid, Altena, Sakura, Soren, Laslow, Volke Water— Lachesis, Sephiran, Poe, Denning, Edward, Dimitri, Celica

Flowers:

Air— Ivy Earth— Leif Fire— Larcei Lightning— Altena Water— Lachesis

[coff33andb00ks]

Rule Breaker - Pt 2

max verstappen x single mom!reader

{prev} {next}

warnings: cursing, reader y/nsplains, jos is an asshole, fluff, barely proofread, logan tries to flirt, y/n's bestie is a tumblr girlie at heart, kiddo steals the show Summary: Max has it all...right? Besides, he's too busy collecting trophies and completing side quests for anything else. Until... You moved across a whole ass ocean to start over, uprooting you and your son's lives to become social media admin for cars that drive in circles. word count: 6833 auth.note: thank you all so much for the love for part 1!!! ily all and i'm having so much fun writing this

The paddock was relatively quiet so early in the morning. Unable to sleep, y/n had left the hotel and made her way to the track. She was taking the opportunity to explore the settings on the camera and getting her bearings since she didn't have any work duties to complete until later in the day. She had expected Kevin to want to come with her, but he'd opted to sleep in with Ellie, who would bring him to the track later. So she wandered, exchanging the occasional greeting with others. Stopping to take a photo of a bird perched on the fence in front of pit lane, she backed up, crashing into someone.

"Whoop, s'cuse me, sorry," she said, turning to apologize properly. She recognized the two men by their faces but her mind blanked on their names.

"It's alright, ma'am. Didn't mess up your shot, did we?" His American accent was a happy surprise.

"I don't think so." Smiling, y/n lowered the camera. "My fault, and I'll blame it on being new."

"Marketing?" The other man guessed.

Australian. And suddenly she remembered their names. "Social media. I'm y/n."

"So great to meet you." Logan tipped his head slightly. "Carolina?"

"God, you can take the hick outta Carolina, but you can't take the Carolina outta the hick." He grinned and she laughed. "North Carolina, yeah."

Oscar stared at Logan. "How did you guess that? She just sounds plain American?"

"No, dude, it's the lilt. It's like when George got pissed we couldn't pick up on the different English accents."

"Can he pick up on the different American south accents?" y/n asked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "He knows Brooklyn, Midwest, valley girl, and just south."

"In his defense it's hard to pick out each individual one," Oscar pointed out.

Y/n shrugged. "You've got a point. I sound different from people that grew up just an hour from me."

"Yeah! And I know mine's been butchered from so much time in Europe." Logan nodded.

"You still sound more like home than anyone else I've met."

"I was gonna say the same thing – you sound like home." He smiled, a soft, genuine smile that had her smiling in return.

"And what do I sound like?" Oscar asked with a grin.

"A magical place far, far away," y/n told him. She covertly checked the time and wondered if hospitality had finished setting up so she could get some coffee.

"Hear that? I sound like Star Wars."

"She's using southern charm on you, dude," Logan snorted.

"Well it's working, I'm charmed."

A giggle bubbled up her throat and she let it free, raising her camera and giving them a hopeful look. "Okay?"

"Hang on—" Logan fussed with his hair, and y/n laughed when Oscar reached to help him, then they both had to fuss with Oscar's hair. "Think we're presentable enough?"

She nodded, moving so the sunlight was beside them. She got several photos and thanked them. "I'll send them to y'alls social media teams?"

"You can just send it to me." Logan began patting his pockets for his phone.

"Unbelievable," Oscar muttered under his breath, and y/n barely heard it, giving Logan her number and adding him to her contacts once he'd sent her a text.

"I should get going – Sorry for bumping into you."

"Don't apologize, I'm glad you did."

As she walked away she gave her head a little shake, smiling to herself when she overheard Oscar's grumbling that Logan had flirted with fuckin' Red Bull's social media admin. Something told her to glance back and she did, amused to see Logan watching her. Don't show interest, don't show interest, don't—

He gave a little wave. And she smiled, waving back.

Fuck.

Ducking around the corner, she wandered until she found hospitality, grogginess taking over as she made her way to the back to fix herself coffee. She recognized a couple engineers and mechanics that she'd met in Milton Keyes and greeted them, settling into a corner to drink and look over the pictures she'd gotten.

She was on her second coffee, had uploaded the pictures to her laptop, and was editing the first batch for a short video when the chair across from her was pulled out, taking her shoe with it.

"Sorry," Max said when she yelped, chuckling as he bent to pick up her shoe. "Didn't know you were attached."

"Bad habit I'm afraid." Taking the shoe, she shifted to put it back on. "Picked it up when I was pregnant now I do it without thinking."

"For the swelling?" he asked, sitting down and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah." After tying the shoelace she shifted, tucking one foot beneath her. "Good morning, by the way."

"Morning. Already working?"

"I'm gonna do a short photo tour of the track. I got some nice shots."

"You walked the track?"

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so… It's beautiful first thing in the morning."

Max nodded, picking up his coffee again. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Max, you should know that hotel beds suck. Especially with a three year old sleeping sideways and a snoring friend in the other bed. Is this where you tell me you slept great?"

"Haha, no. My sleep was shit but it wasn't because of the bed. I didn't get enough." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I was up late sim racing."

"Okay, explain sim racing to me," she requested, slipping one earbud in so she could check that the music she'd selected went well with the photos. Tweaking it as he began to talk, she realized she was barely paying attention to her work, exporting and posting the video to all the platforms then closing her laptop to focus on him. He talked with his hands. It was something she'd picked up on already, that if he was focused on the topic he used his hands. Maxplaining the fans called it. Finishing her coffee, she listened intently, propping her chin on one hand.

 He smiled, almost shyly, as he finished. "It's something I truly enjoy. I'm not very sociable. I like going out once in a while, but I prefer to stay in, yeah? And I can spend hours in the sim without thinking twice."

"I spent the last few days watching a lot of interviews. Not just of you and Checo, but everyone on the grid," y/n said softly. "Leclerc talks about piano and his family, Norris talks about gaming and DJing, and Hamilton has his six hundred side projects."

"Yes?" He didn't look or sound impatient for her to get to the point, and she appreciated that.

"The thing is, they all have passions outside of racing. This – formula one, fastest cars, all that – is a goal, a dream, but they all have something else they love, that they can pursue now." She paused, meeting his eyes. "The only thing I've seen you passionate about is racing."

He blinked once, nodding his head. "Because it is my passion."

Y/n regarded him carefully for a moment. "You're very lucky, Max."

That must have surprised him, because his brow furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Not everyone is able to be successful following their passion. Being able to do what you love for both a job and hobbies is almost unheard of, yet you're doing it. You break records and win races and yeah you've had a few setbacks but you're still in love with this. And on your off time you're training to be better and studying tracks and you go home and race on your computer." She shook her head in amazement. "You're incredibly lucky, that your passion is not only something you're good at but something you can be immersed in nonstop, and that you haven't lost your love for it."

"I guess I am lucky," he said carefully. "But luck had nothing to do with me getting into formula one."

"I know." She held up her hands, not wanting him to think she thought he was in the position he was purely by chance. "I can't imagine how much work you've done over the years, or how many sacrifices you've had to make. It's just… In my experience, passion doesn't always equal financial stability is what I'm trying to say."

"What's that saying? Do something you love and you never work a day in your life?"

Y/n snorted. "That's bullshit. I love sleeping and yet I still have to work."

That made him laugh and she rolled her eyes, even though she enjoyed the sound. "Surely you love more than sleep."

"I love a lot of things. Maybe that's been my problem all my life. I find things and fall in love with them and when I think hey this might be it something new and shiny comes along and I fall in love with that."

"There's nothing wrong with being passionate about many things," Max said gently.

"That's what I keep telling myself. And yet—"

"Are you saying you don't love your job?"

She froze, a wave of panic rippling through her. "Uhmm… Since it's technically my first day I can't answer that."

"Okay. Do you love your social media?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.

The table which was, suddenly, smaller than she remembered.

"I like engaging others. I like creating conversations and seeing my work appreciated," she finally said.

"You sound like a PR person. Do you love it?" He enunciated each word slowly.

She couldn't say yes. The answer wasn't no, either, because she didn't hate it. "I personally hate it. But you've learned how to make it work for you, yeah? How to word things to spark a conversation among followers? What type of content people appreciate?"

"I like to think so."

"Stop being so unsure of yourself. You study it, right? At your last job when you posted a video and no one liked it what did you do? "

She exhaled harshly. "I compare it to ones that did well and pick it apart to see why it didn't work."

"Why?"

"Why?" she echoed.

"Why did you pick it apart?"

"Because I wanted it to do well," she said slowly.

"And these conversations you want to create, do you join in or sit and watch them happen behind the safety of your screen?" He reached over, gently turning her laptop so he could see the screen.

"I engage. I reply and ask questions to make the viewers want to keep the conversation going."

"Why?"

"Because—" She clicked the mouse, bringing up the comments below the video she'd posted to Instagram. "These comments? Come from people that love this brand – or sport. Some of them are trolls who just want to start up an argument to make their boring lives more interesting for a few minutes, but for the most part it's people who care. People who want to see this team do well. People who had the dream of doing it themselves but life got in the way. People who watched it with their parents and still watch to stay connected to someone they love. It's little kids who want to be like you. It's people who spend their hard earned money on a t-shirt or a hat or a ticket to see someone they admire live out their dream." She took a quick breath, scrolling through the comments. "If I don't like or respond to them, they feel like their opinions don't matter. And maybe they don't in the grand scheme of formula one. But they want to be seen and heard. When I click and they see that Red Bull Racing liked their comment or replied with an emoji or whatever, they have a few seconds of elation, and their support of this team is cemented just a bit more."

Max blinked at her, and she continued even though she heard him draw a breath to speak.

"I know very well how horrible social media can be. However, I've seen how it fosters growth for a company. You're not stupid, I'm sure you've seen how TikTok challenges or Instagram livestreams have brought in more support. Not to mention money. If a post of you wearing your Red Bull shirt gets a million likes, I can probably pull the data and show you that a hundred thousand people went to view the shirt on the official shop and probably twenty-five thousand ordered one. A silly picture of you arriving for race day or a new helmet design pulls people in and gets them excited. And, yes, it makes money. Which in turn pays the salaries of everyone on the team."

"Y/n."

She sucked in a breath. "I'm—"

"Passionate," he whispered before she could say sorry.

"I know what it's like to enjoy something and never feel included," she murmured. "So, yeah… I guess I love what I do, because I like that I can include people in something they love."

His hand covered hers briefly. "For a moment there, I even loved social media."

She watched his fingers squeeze hers before they slid away, wondering why his touch lingered. "Yeah?"

"It's easy to forget that there are real people saying nice things. Sometimes all you can see is the negativity."

"Negativity only breeds more negativity—"

"And when you look at it, it's all you'll see," he murmured.

"Well… So far everything I've posted today has been met with positivity."

"That's good."

"Okay, a few comments about wanting to see Lando on the podium. Thank you for letting me rant about why I do what I do," she said, glancing at his hand without meaning to.

"You let me do the same," he reminded her. Lifting his chin, he waited until she looked at him again. "Are you too busy to see what I was talking about?"

"I don't have anything scheduled until after lunch."

"Perfect." He lightly drummed on the table and stood. "Do you want to see my rig?"

"You do know I won't have a clue what anything but the computer and monitor are, right?" Smiling, she stood and began packing away her stuff.

Closing her laptop, he handed it over, catching her earbud when it fell off the edge of the table. "Maybe you'll like it so much you'll want one of your own."

*-*

He was rambling, he knew he was, telling her about the setup and his plan for the 24 hour race over the weekend and how he had everything scheduled so he could do two of the things he loved most. But he could tell she was paying attention, actually listening, as if she really cared. Rubbing his palms against his thighs, he finished and looked up at her.

"So this is your actual job and the f1 thing is just a hobby?" she teased.

Laughing, he got to his feet and got himself a can of Red Bull. "It's just racing, y/n."

"And racing is life."

"Absolutely." He watched her muffle a yawn behind her hand.

"Am I allowed to mention it in my posts? Because it sounds so badass. Sim race stint then qualifying, chug a Red Bull, sim race stint then race."

"You can mention it, not like it's a secret." He watched her hide another yawn and cleared his throat. "Looks like you need a Red Bull."

She shook her head. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Nodding, he checked the time. Just over an hour before he had to meet with his trainer. "Of course."

"I hate Red Bull," she whispered.

He choked on a laugh. "You what?"

"I've tried so many times! I can just about stomach one of the flavored editions, but the original? Tastes like battery acid to me." She looked embarrassed and covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell anyone."

"You hate the drink. So you accepted a job with a team owned by the drink company." He wanted to laugh. It was so absurd to him.

"Yes," she groaned.

"That would be like me taking a job at Instagram."

"I know it's so bad. What makes it worse is I love Monster—"

"Of course you do," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Please say you won't tell anyone. If corporate hears, I'll probably get fired. It's in my contract that I can only drink that while in pubic during race weekends which means I've got to either stick to water or learn to fake it."

"Your secret's safe with me," Max promised, breathing in the aroma of her perfume as she moved past him to get her bag.

"Thank you. I think Ellie would kill me if I told her I have to find a new job."

He didn't want her to go so soon. Ridiculous because he knew he'd see her in just a few hours. By the end of the weekend he'd be sick of seeing her. Sipping his drink, he finally sighed and cleared his throat. "You can take a power nap."

She whipped her head around, sending a wave of her perfume his way. "What?"

"A power nap." Before he could stop himself he was setting down his drink and taking her bag off her shoulder. "Thirty minutes, and you'll feel great."

"Max—"

"You need to be alert and focused, and I don't have a Monster for you to drink. Please, I insist." He motioned to his bed in the far corner, gently nudging her shoulder when she hesitated.

"You're sure?" she asked softly, and when he assured her he was she bent to take off her shoes, looking almost elated as she walked over to the bed. "Wait, I need to set an alarm."

"I'll wake you."

She lifted an eyebrow and he pulled out his phone to set a thirty minute timer. Satisfied, she sat on the edge of the bed, thanking him several times as she laid down and curled up on her side. "Thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes," he murmured, sitting on the couch to answer emails. It was fifteen minutes before she stopped shifting and kicking, and when he heard her breathing even out he knew she was asleep. Resetting the timer, he stood and carefully pulled the blanket over her, then returned to the couch and tried his best to ignore that she was sleeping in his room.

Her phone started buzzing on the table. She didn't stir so he ignored it, focusing on his email. That was impossible though so he cleared out his unread texts, one foot bouncing each time he heard her breathe. A mistake. It had been a mistake. He jumped up when her phone began to buzz again and, glancing from it to her, he realized she would undoubtedly sleep through it. He picked it up and was about to silence it when he saw the name on the screen. Ellie. That was her friend that was helping with Kevin… Something could be wrong, so he answered the call and lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, we just— Who's this?"

"Max. This is Ellie?"

"…Yes…" The woman sounded wary. "Why are you – Oh! Max! Right of course. Um, is y/n okay?"

Max looked over at her, smiling faintly when she shifted. "She's fine. Taking a nap, actually."

Ellie snorted. "Of course she is."

"Is everything okay with Kevin?"

As though aware of the question, Kevin began chattering in the background. "Yeah, he's perfect. I was calling to let her know we just got here but I ain't got a clue where to go."

"Are you at the main entrance?" he asked, slipping out of the room so he wouldn't wake y/n. Ellie told him where they were and he nodded as he pulled out his own phone to text one of the team assistants. "You're going to walk down to the turnstiles, scan your passes and come through. Someone will be there to meet you and bring you to the motorhome."

"Ok perfect. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. We'll be downstairs to meet you." Ending the call, he checked that the assistant was going to meet them then reentered his room. He closed the door and silenced his timer. "Y/n?"

She hummed in her sleep, and he smiled while he crossed over to the bed.

"Y/n," he called gently. She groaned, shifting to face away from him and it suddenly occurred to him that when he went to bed that night he would smell her on the pillow and the sheets. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea, but it was too late now.

Would he be an asshole if he had his sheets changed before the end of the day?

Leaning down, he gently touched her shoulder. She inhaled sharply and he saw her eyes snap open. "You have company on its way," he said softly, tugging the covers back in case she tried to get comfortable again. His eyes swept down, locking on the skin bared by her shirt, which had ridden up in her sleep. "Come on, you had a nice nap, time to wake up."

"This bed is so much more comfortable than the one at the hotel," she mumbled, slowly sitting up and turning to face him. Smoothing down her shirt, she stretched and sighed, blinking as she focused on him. "Oh! Ellie and Kevin!"

He laughed as she leapt to her feet, his hands immediately moving to steady her. "It's fine, they haven't even made it to the paddock yet. I've sent someone to meet them."

"Oh," she murmured. "Thank you."

His hands were on her hips, and he forced his breathing to remain calm as she rested her hands on his forearms. The space, which had felt roomy and open, now felt tiny with how close she was to him. He was painfully aware of the scant space between them and each place their bodies touched, but more so of her. That heady floral scent of her perfume and the softness of her palms against his skin. The gentle lushness of her hips. He could hear every breath as his gaze traveled up from her hands to her face, lingering on her slightly parted lips before settling on her eyes. "You good?"

"Yep."

"Right. Sorry," he mumbled, releasing her hips and taking a step back. "I'll get your shoes."

What was wrong with him? It hadn't been so long that he got turned on like a teenager just from touching a woman… As he bent to retrieve her shoes he counted back, dragging a hand over his face in humiliation. What must she think of him? He'd brought her to his room, showed off his fancy toys, then let her sleep in his bed. She probably thought he wanted to fuck her—

You do.

—which couldn't be further from the truth. He was just being nice. Because she was nice. That was all.

Wasn't it?

And why, he wondered as he handed her shoes to her and told her about answering Ellie's call, did he care what she thought? Not caring was his specialty.  

"How do you feel?" he asked, finishing his drink in one gulp.

"Refreshed. Thank you so much, Max." She tied her shoes and ran her fingers through her hair. Her lips moved but he didn't hear a word she said, watching her gather her hair and twist and twirl it, securing it with a band from her wrist.

Witchcraft.

"That okay with you?" she asked, slipping her phone into her pocket.

"Of course," he answered automatically.

She clapped her hands together. "Great! I'll put up a post asking for fan questions."

Max blinked, pinching his brows together. "Fan questions."

"Well we can't do an impromptu Q and A without questions." She had her other phone out now, fingers flying across the screen. "We'll do it this afternoon? Just let me know the best time."

Fuck's sake. What had he agreed to? More importantly, how had she gotten him to say yes? Everyone knew he had a low tolerance for marketing. He could take it back and say no, he couldn't do it today. He could tell her to get Checo to do it, that he would do it another time. He'd gotten out of marketing and social media stupidity without a problem plenty of times before. But he was already opening his calendar, going over his schedule, already telling her the open slot he had at 5, and was already putting Q and A with Y/n in that space.

"Perfect," she enthused, shouldering her bag and heading for the door, her fingers still tapping swiftly on the screen. "They should be here about now, right?"

Nodding, he followed her out the room and down, smiling when Kevin came through the front door with a woman he assumed was Ellie. The boy dropped her hand and sprinted over to y/n, who dropped down to hug him tightly. Max looked on, chest squeezing, searching for something that had been lacking, as mother and son talked and hugged, their words overlapping. They both understood each other perfectly, though, and he smiled at Kevin's excited retelling of what he'd had for breakfast. Introducing himself to Ellie, he reached to shake her hand.

"Mister Max!" The boy squealed.

"Kevin!" He was down in a split second, Ellie forgotten and chest constricting tighter as Kevin hugged him like a long lost friend.

"I saw two cats and a horse!" Kevin tugged at his shirt, grinning as he showed off his Red Bull merch.

"You did? What kind of cats?" he asked, taking the boy's cap and beginning to roll the brim for him while the boy described the cats and then the horse. Returning the cap, he enthused over animals, telling him about his own two cats and pulling out his phone to show him a few pictures.

"I miss Cotton," Kevin said with a small pout.

"Is that your cat?" Max saw his trainer approaching and gave him a quick nod.

"Yeah. We can't bring him to Eng-a-lund so Aunt Ellie's sister has him." Kevin's pout melted into a faint smile. "But she sends lots of pictures!"

"That's good. And maybe you'll be able to get him soon."

"Mama says it's s'pensive." The boy sighed as though he had to earn the money to bring his beloved cat to England.

"I know," Max sympathized. "Go with your mum, yeah? I've got to go train."

Kevin's face puckered in confusion. "Train? Like Shang?"

Y/n cleared her throat. "We watched Mulan on the flight last night."

"What did Shang do?" Max vaguely remembered the movie, but it had been years since he'd seen it.

"He made a man out of 'em."

"Okay, doodle bug, we have to let Max get his workout in," y/n said, flashing Max a smile. "If you ask another question he'll start singing the song."

Max stared at her then turned his attention back to Kevin. "What song?"

Because he had to. Because hearing her groan as her son began singing a song about being a man was priceless. And the dramatic way she hung her head when Ellie joined in made him laugh. Kevin giggled, cutting off his singing and looking at Max hopefully. "Will you watch it with me?"

"I—"

"Mister Max is too busy to watch a movie," y/n cut in.

"We'll watch it this weekend," Max promised, hating the sadness in the boy's eyes. Relieved when it disappeared in a flash, he gave him a high five and stood.

"Yay!"

He exchanged a look with y/n, who sighed and nodded, reaching for Kevin's hand. "I'll see you later," he said.

"5 o'clock," she reminded him as he headed out.

*-*

"So…"

Y/n groaned at Ellie's knowing tone. Watching as Kevin was snatched up by Lando so he wasn't crashed into by Charles in the impromptu game of football, she folded her arms over her chest. "So?"

"He had coffee with you."

God, here we go.

"Showed you his private room and his expensive computer setup… Let you take a nap in his bed—"

"He's just being nice," y/n insisted.

"And he's gonna take time out of his ridiculously busy weekend to watch a movie with Kevin." Ellie hummed, taking a sip of her tea.

Ignoring her, y/n looked on as Lando, Oscar, and Logan pretended to fight back the others while Kevin kicked the ball towards the goal. They were all shouting, dramatic and over the top, and above it all she heard the sweetest sound of her son's laughter. When the ball rolled into the net there was a roar that rivaled a championship game, and she joined in the cheering and applauding.

"You could do worse," Ellie murmured.

"Would you stop?" Y/n rolled her eyes, giving Logan a thumbs up when he gestured to the football and Kevin, understanding they wanted to have another quick game.

"He's cute."

"They all are," y/n muttered without thinking, lifting her camera for a few photos for her personal collection. Recognizing Checo when he suddenly appeared in the viewfinder, she snapped more photos, lowering the camera to watch.

"You know—"

"I can't wait for you to start your job so I can come and try to partner you up with a coworker," she huffed, snorting when Ellie gasped.

"You wouldn't."

"In a heartbeat."

"Besides, there's only one person in that group that's technically your coworker," Ellie said.

"I'm not here for that."

"I know." Ellie leaned against her briefly. "Wouldn't be me if I didn't encourage a delusion, though."

"Yeah…" Y/n laughed softly. "It's my first day, of course everyone's already in love with me."

"Exactly."

It was what she loved about Ellie. No matter what, she could make her laugh. Grinning, she watched Kevin bump into Oscar, who immediately collapsed with an exaggerated howl of pain, holding the leg that Kevin hadn't touched. "And they're all so good with kids."

"Total dad material, every one of them," Ellie agreed. "Not a stepdad, a dad who stepped up."

She choked on a laugh, playfully swatting her friend's arm. Because she knew Logan had overheard them. "Stop—"

"And probably more than willing to crack your back—"

"Oh my god." Clapping a hand over her face, she sensed someone approaching. "I have to work with these people."

"Only until they fuck a baby into you."

"Hey, y/n, your kid's so cool," Logan said.

Her face burned but she slowly pulled her hand away, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks."

He propped his hands on his waist, breathing heavy as he watched Kevin dart between Lando, Oscar, Checo, and Alex. "He always this energetic?"

"Fify-fifty. He's either like this or so quiet I worry he's up to something."

Logan chuckled. "Is he a troublemaker?"

"Nah, if he's quiet it's because he's focused on his cars or studying a bug."

"Christ! Get it away from me!"

Y/n's heart lurched at the sudden shriek from Lando, and she barely saw him sprinting away from her son, who was holding something in his hands.

"It's a frog, mate!" Oscar shouted behind him.

"Don't care!"

Kevin slowly walked over to y/n. "Mama, look!" he said, eyes shining with excitement. His cheeks were a little flushed from the hard play and he was giggling. "Mister Lando scared of a l'il frog."

"He's just not a country boy like you, honey," she soothed. "But maybe we should put the frog somewhere he'll be safe?"

"C'mon, Kev, I'll help you," Logan offered.

"Hmm," Ellie hummed once Logan had scooped Kevin up, cupping one hand over the boy's to keep the frog from jumping away.

"Shut it."

"I didn't say a word."

"Please, that hmm contained at least two paragraphs, ten innuendoes, and a pointed reference," y/n said, trailing behind Logan. Looking on as he set Kevin down near the tree line, she got a few pictures of them releasing the frog. She cringed when her son wiped his dirty hands on his shorts but Logan didn't seem to mind, lifting him up and carrying him back to her.

"He's free!" Kevin squealed. "Thanks, Mister Logan."

"Anytime, Kev." He tousled his curly hair after setting him down, flashing a shy smile at y/n.

She returned the smile, eyes following Kevin as he ran back to the game. "He's gonna pass out as soon as we get back to the hotel."

"He could probably run circles around all of us all night," Logan chuckled.

"True…"

"So like…" He cleared his throat. "Are you married?"

God, she loved Floridians. "No," she answered, turning to look at him. "Are you?"

"God no." He made a face at the thought. "So you're single?"

She nodded, already formulating how she would turn him down if he asked her out. She was too busy. Not interested in anything romantic at the moment. It never hurt to be honest, right? She couldn't lie and say she just had a messy breakup or—

"Would you be interested in – I'm not trying to hook up or anything," he said quickly when she opened her mouth. "Just, like, as a friend? I know how it is to feel like a fish out of water here. I'm kind of used to it but I can remember feeling like I was alone and surrounded by people who didn't understand my Americanisms."

"Oh." Aw. Damn it, she couldn't say no to that. "I… Yeah, sure, I'd like that."

He smiled. "Awesome. Maybe we can do something tomorrow after practice?" he suggested.

"Sure, sounds great. Text me?" she requested. Her phone alarm started going off and she pulled it out to silence it. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

She waved to Ellie and mimed that she had to get some work done, waiting for her friend to wave back before making her way to the garage. While walking she got a message from one of the mechanics that the cars were photo ready and quickened her pace, envisioning the photos she would get of the mechanics and engineers. As she worked she asked questions, truly interested in what everyone did, a small idea forming that she'd run by Mr. Horner later. She knew that she would enjoy mini profiles on the team, with just the most basic of information like their names and where they were from. Maybe how long they'd been on the team, what had brought them to formula one…

"Thanks so much guys," she said as she finished up, declining the offer of a cold Red Bull. Her alarm went off again – twenty minutes to get ready to meet Max in the lounge back at the motorhome – and she switched off the camera, waving bye and turning to leave the garage.

She slammed into a human wall, grunting in surprise as she stumbled back. Twice in one day, really? The bump had caused the camera to slam against her ribs and she rubbed the spot gently. "I'm sorry! Wasn't looking where I was going."

She expected a chuckle, a reassurance that it was a hazard of the job. Maybe even an apology in return. Instead, the older man sneered at her, looking her up and down in such a way she felt like a child caught misbehaving. "You need to learn your place."

She gulped, fear prickling through her embarrassment. And even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, she found her mouth opening to apologize. "S-sorry."

"Horner know better than to hire amateurs," he muttered, scoffing. "He obviously didn't hire you for your looks."

She bristled at that. "I beg your pardon?"

"As you should." He brushed past her.

She felt weak. Clammy and cold. Shuddering slightly, she swallowed hard and left the garage, heading straight for the motorhome, where she was able to catch her breath. Who the hell had that been? He'd been wearing a Red Bull pass, so he had to be on the team. He was obviously important. She couldn't imagine him being considered her boss, not when everyone else had been so nice and—

"Ah, y/n, are you ready to do the Q and A?" Max asked.

Y/n felt her lungs burn and sucked in a breath, staring at the cup of coffee she'd made herself. "Y-yeah, I'll meet you up on the deck?"

Please go up, please go up, please go—

"What's wrong?"

Goddammit.

"Y/n?" He looked and sounded concerned, and she ducked her head as he walked over. "Hey…"

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You're a terrible liar," he said, leaning against the counter. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just overreacting." Rubbing her hand over her face, she shook her head and reached for the coffee. "Just a run-in with an asshole."

"But I haven't seen you in three hours." Max's lips barely twitched at the corner.

"Not you, a different asshole." She felt her cheeks burn and groaned. "I'm not saying you're an asshole!"

"You don't have to, I already know I can be an asshole at times." Folding his arms over his chest, he met her eyes. "Who was it?"

"That's the thing, I don't even know. I was coming out of the garage – You know, I went down to get pics of the mechanics? Anyway, I was about to text you about the Q and A and wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into him."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Older, kinda tall? Sour faced." She raised a hand to the man's approximate height. "I apologized and he told me I need to learn my place, then said I was an amateur and Horner obviously didn't hire me for my looks – I didn't ask his name because I was in shock. All I know is he had a Red Bull pass."

Max's brow furrowed, and she felt him tense. Then, to her surprise, he described the man perfectly.

"Yeah, that's him." She bit her lip. "You know him?"

"Unfortunately," he muttered. "It's my dad."

"Oh." Y/n looked down at her coffee. "Sorry."

"Me too." He sighed, pushing away from the counter. "Don't listen to him, yeah? You have more right to be here than he does, and you're not an amateur. As much as I hate social media, even I can tell that you're excellent at your job."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I just… I've spent my entire adult life working to improve myself and discover my own worth as a human being, and I can give other women empowering pep talks, but I still freeze when a man that thinks he's better than me talks down to me."

"Fuck him," Max said simply. "He's not your boss, he can't control anything you do in your life."

"Either you're really trying to make me feel better or you really don't like your dad," she murmured. When he didn't reply, she slowly lifted her gaze. Seeing the muscle in his jaw twitch, she felt a pang of sympathy. If the man had been that rude to her, a stranger, she couldn't begin to imagine what he'd been like to his own son.

"If he speaks to you like that again, you let me know."

"I don't want to cause a fuss—"

"Not wanting to cause a fuss is why he thinks he can get away with it," Max pointed out. "I'll speak to Christian—"

"Max, no, it's literally my first week!"

"Which is why you have to set boundaries now. He'll either treat you with the respect you deserve or he'll be banned from the paddock."

Y/n blinked in shock. "You'd have him banned?"

"In a heartbeat." The look on his face told her he was serious, from the determined set of his jaw to the way he kept his eyes level with hers. "So either you mention it to Christian in the team meeting or I will."

"God," she groaned, knowing that this had to be just one tiny item among a long list of infractions for Max to want him banned. "Okay. I'll tell him before the team meeting tomorrow."

"Good. Come, let's do the Q and A. You ready?" he asked, taking her empty cup and throwing it away.

"Yeah." Grateful for the distraction, she walked to the stairs with him. "I did a clip of you looking confused and posted it on TikTok and Instagram that went viral because I captioned it When You Ask Max Verstappen About Anything But Racing. Oh and I found out Tumblr fans love making gifs of you laughing. Twitter likes making memes out of your face. Whereas Facebook is mostly a bunch of boomers commenting about how I'm ruining the integrity of the sport."

"I really do hate social media," he snorted.

"And that is why I'm doing social media," she teased. Halfway up the stairs, she slowed, turning to look at him. "Thank you, Max."

"For hating social media? You're welcome."

taglist

@spookystitchery | @halleest | @lyannesworld | @llando4norris

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Episode two - Blessings of St Coccyx

Master list

Jack Dawkins x fem reader. Belles older sister.

You walk into the hospital finding your sister pulling a bed pan from below a patient's bed.

"You take human excrement from sick people and dump it outside the door?" You hear Belle asking.

" Well, you may fashion a quilt from it, should you desire." Dawkins laughs

" This place is horrendous." You say drawing their attention.

"You noticed?" He quipped, hands on his hips.

"Has no one here heard of cleanliness?" You ask. Belle meets your eyes and her smile stretches wide. "You'll need mops." You say.

"and a change of clothes. I need to address the nursing and laundry staff." Your sister giggles. The two of you march out of the ward followed by the staff.

As your sister worked to clean the wards and have the sheets changed on every bed you were busying yourself with dusting the main entrance and hallways. Dawkins walks up behind you.

"Are we to have the pleasure of your presence here as well?" He asked resting himself against a wall. You jump and look back at him.

"On the contrary, I simply came to see how Belle was getting on. I'm glad I arrived when I did."

Jack smiles, "that's a shame, I'd rather see you around here."

You laugh but catch yourself with a tightness in your chest. Jack instantly stood to your side.

"are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I should not have used so much of the wood polish." You try to lie.

"I should examine you properly." Jack said placing a hand on the small of your back.

"No, no I'm fine. I'll just get some air. You should continue with your work. Thank you Dr Dawkins." You say stepping away from him.

"Lady y/n, would you call me Jack?" He asked before you got too far away.

"Perhaps." You grin and turn away. He watches you leave, then returns to the ward to check on Charlie.

You rested outside the back door taking in the fresh air. You had to admit the heat of this country was much better for your chest than England had been. In truth it had been part of the reason your father had taken the job as governor. Your health had been a worry for him for many years. Not one Doctor had ever told him a true reason for it. It took some time for you to focus on the argument happening between Belle and Jack.

"I'm sorry I was not born into a life of wealth. I don't have the luxury of being able to cause trouble and get away with it." He held his face still to control his emotions.

" So, really much better to be a common thief with your uncle." Belle bit back.

"Do you know how much they pay the surgeons here? Well, no, of course, you wouldn't. Why would you? Nothing. I get free food and accommodation." That caught your attention "Then, how do you..." She asked.

"By gambling. I play cards. That's how I make my money. And I'm pretty good at it. Except, last time, I got cheated, and now, if I don't come up with a year's worth of income, then I get my hand cut off."

"So, that's why Fagin stole the gems?" You step up to them. Jack looks back to you his eyes showing the hurt he felt inside. He turns back to Belle, "You want to be a surgeon? Then expect nothing in return." He walked away from you both re-entering the hospital.

"Get back to work, Belle." You told your younger sister before rushing inside.

"Doctor Dawkins? Doctor, Jack wait!" You called after him. He finally stopped at the sound of you calling his name and turned to you.

"Jack, I can help you. If you need money I can get it for you." You say pulling him to the side.

"what?" He blinked at you.

"I have money, if you need it." You say again.

"No, y/n no I couldn't take money from you. I have no way of paying it back. I do not need your charity." He's a little agitated as he talks.

"that isn't...Jack you're a good surgeon I simply do not want you to-"

"What, become a thief? A criminal?" He said the words as if they tasted bad in his mouth.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you Doctor. Good day." You turn and rush from the hospital, a tightness in your chest that was not medical plagued you all the way home.

Later that day Belle returned home and told you about the hernia operation. The prof had almost killed the poor man before Belle and Jack had taken over.

"oh, you look pale, sister." Fanny said walking into your room.

"oh I'm quite well, just tired. I spent too much time in the sun I fear."

"Are you well enough to come down to my soiree?" Fanny asked. You and Belle both stood.

"yes of course." You follow her down to the parlour where Smales is resiting yet another of his poems to your parents and the other guests. Belle was ready to leave almost immediately. Though you tried to stop her.

"You will make your sister sad. Stay." You whispered to her.

"What happened today, before you left? Jack was in a foul mood all afternoon." She half whispered back to you.

"I'm sure I have no idea." You say, turning back to your youngest sister's art show.

*_*_*_*_*

It was a few days before you chose to return to town. Belle had been spending her days in the hospital whilst you stayed in your family gardens. Fanny was still determined to marry off her sisters so she too could marry. You had decided today was good enough to walk around the town, take in as much of it as you could.

Standing outside the hospital you waited for Belle to finish her day when you heard his voice. He was laughing along with Fagin.

"Oh, lady y/n, how lovely to see you again." The older man bowed his head to you.

"Thank you Fagin, a pleasure I'm sure." You replied with a danity smile. He nodded and stepped away leaving you and Jack alone.

"I am just waiting for my sister." You said, unsure of what else to say.

"Yes, of course. Lady y/n I...well I wanted to apologise. I shouldn't have been so brash with you." He began.

"No, you should not have been. I accept your apology." You say abruptly and turn away from him.

"Well, I thought you...I, well the debt is gone. We have dealt with it." He informed you, seemingly finding it hard to say the words.

"Oh, good. The rubies?" You ask.

"No, um we, well Darius and I played for it." He appeared nervous.

"And you won, I assume?" You turn back to him, meeting his eyes at last. His hair looked brighter in the afternoon sunlight. "How, how is Charlie?" You ask, not wanting the conversation to end.

"He is doing well, he likes your sister visiting. He may enjoy one from you as well." He took in a long breath.

"Yes, perhaps I shall." You reply. For a moment the two of you are silent, looking into each other's eyes.

"Sister?" Belle stood at your side.

Part three

@fandomfan-102

[mxckiemxn]

Standby

Chapter 4-Run

Word Count: 1,600

Warnings: swearing, infections, blood, guns, food insecurity, anxiety, mentions of death, zombie shit

Taglist: @rkive-joonie @tweetiebirb @arantxaglz

Author's note: Another shorter chapter haha. Sorry it took so long. I've been extremely busy and stressed this last week. As always, feel free to reblog if you like it and let me know what y'all think about this chapter. ~Mackie 💜

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up covered in a pool of your own sweat and feeling as if the room was spinning. You looked to your side, only to realize Hobi wasn’t there. You slowly lifted the blankets to look at your inflamed wound. It looked as if it had become infected as a thick, clear substance oozed out of it.

You cried as you attempted to sit up. Pain flowing throughout your entire body as your torso throbbed intensely. You stood up weakly, as your legs shook beneath you. Feeling as if they were about to give out. Slowly, you put one foot in front of the other, losing your balance and falling to the floor. The sound must’ve alerted Hobi, because soon enough he was running into the room.

“What happened?” He frantically asked, trying to help you up before you pushed him off.

“Please don’t touch me, Hobi!” You cried. The feeling of his hands on you made you feel as if your skin was on fire.

“Jin!” Hobi yelled a few times, trying to wake the others. It didn’t take too long though, and within a couple of minutes, everyone was running to your room.

“Shit, she has fever.” Jin stated, as he tried to look at your wound. He received the same treatment as Hobi. Getting pushed off as you continued to cry in pain.

“Y/N, please. I need to see if it’s infected.” Jin pleaded. You looked up at him with worried eyes. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

You allowed him to check your wound, and he kept his promise, remaining as gentle as he possibly could.

“Fuck. It’s infected.” He stated as he looked at the others behind him.

“This is bad. What are we going to do?” Jungkook asked through an anxious tone.

“She needs antibiotics. She could die if we don’t get this under control.” Yoongi said.

“She’s not going to die!” Hobi yelled, still crouched down beside you. Being as careful as possible as to not touch you.

“She will if the infection spreads, Hoseok!” Yoongi yelled back.

“Yoongi’s right, Hoseok. If we don’t get her some proper medication, then the infection will spread.” Namjoon reasoned.

“Then we need to find something.” Hobi argued.

“Please, stop yelling.” You groaned. The sound was starting to give you a headache.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” Hobi whispered.

“There has to be a pharmacy somewhere. Right?” Taehyung asked.

“Where, Taehyung? We don’t even know where we are. We could be hours away from a pharmacy.” Jimin stated, now starting to panic as well.

“Will everyone just please calm down!” Namjoon said through a loud tone.

As much as you hated the sound, it worked. Everyone stopped arguing and looked to Namjoon for answers. No one knew what was going to happen to you if they couldn’t get antibiotics in time.

“If there isn’t a pharmacy nearby, there has to be a hospital or a doctor’s office. That would be our best bet.” He stated.

“A hospital is too dangerous.” You muttered.

“It’s a risk we’ll have to take.” Namjoon said.

“We drove for hours and didn’t see anything. How can we be certain we’ll find something?” Jungkook asked.

“We should all go.” Taehyung suggested, causing everyone to direct their attention to him. “Look, we don’t know how long it’ll take and by the time we find what we’re looking for, the infection could already be spreading. The sooner Y/N takes the antibiotics, the better.” He continued.

“Fucking fine with me. Come on, Y/N. Let’s get you up.” Hobi quickly stated, attempting to put his arms around you.

“Will you please calm down?” You asked him, gently swatting his hands away. “Is everyone fine with coming, or does anyone want to stay here?”

“I never unpacked. So, I’m fine with going.” Jimin stated.

“Yeah, me too.” Jungkook added.

As you looked around at the men surrounding you, it was evident that they were all willing to pick up and leave again if it meant saving your life.

“Then it’s settled. Let’s grab our bags quickly. Jin, help Hobi get Y/N in the car.” Namjoon said.

Everyone dispersed to gather their things and prepare to leave again as Jin and Hobi helped you to stand.

“I’ve got her. Grab her bags.” Jin told Hobi, who wore a look of hesitation before nodding.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, causing you to look up at him with a look of confusion.

“Never better.” You said, causing him to chuckle at your sarcasm.

“No, I mean mentally, how are you?” He rephrased.

“I’m tired, Jin.” You admitted. He didn’t say a word in response. Opting to nod in understanding.

Once he was sure that you were secure in the backseat of his car, he stared down at you for a moment as his hands rested on the door.

“You know you’re going to be okay, right? We’re going to take care of you.” He said softly.

“I know, Jin. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what is it?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m worried that if something does happen to me, that Hobi would blame himself for it. I know he made a promise to me, but I’m afraid that he’s going to get himself killed in the process of trying to fulfill it.” You told him.

“I won’t let that happen. None of us will. You’re one of us now, Y/N. We’re all going to make it through this.” His tone was soft, but you could see the sincerity in his eyes.

“Thank you, Jin.” You said. He gave you a confirming nod before shutting the door gently and entering the drivers side.

Shortly after, Hobi and Jungkook took their seats in the car and we were off. The air felt heavy, but you were unsure if it was due to the burning sensation flooding your body. With every bump in the road, you winced lightly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jin had been driving for about an hour, yet the scenery hadn’t changed much. You were still surrounded by trees and the sun was finally starting to rise. You couldn’t help but think about your parents. If there was a chance that they were still alive, are they happy? If they were dead, did they die peacefully? The thoughts lingered incessantly. It made you want to hit your head against the window repeatedly in an attempt to get the images to leave your mind.

The sound of static pulled you from your thoughts, Yoongi’s voice coming through the other end.

“Hyung, we have to stop.” He said, causing everyone to sit up.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Jin asked, pulling to the side of the road.

“We’ve run out of gas. We can’t go any further.” He said as he parked in front of you.

“Fucking hell.” Jin groaned as he rested his head on the steering wheel.

As you attempted to pull yourself up to look over your shoulder, you realized just how low the gas gauge was in this car as well. You guys could probably drive for a couple more miles, but it wouldn’t matter. You’d run out of gas soon enough too.

“We’re going to have to walk.” Jin muttered, looking at you in the rear view mirror.

“She can’t walk in her condition.” Jungkook spoke.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” You reassured the men in the car.

You weren’t too keen on walking, but you had no other choice. It was either wait here for the infection to spread and die or die trying to stop it. Either way, you mentally prepared yourself for the journey.

Namjoon knocked on Jin’s window as the others approached the car.

“We’re going to have to continue on foot.” He spoke.

“I know. We’re almost out of gas too.” Jin sighed.

“Y/N, how are you doing?” Namjoon asked.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.” You said weakly.

“Let’s only take what we need. If we find gas, we’ll come back for the cars.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You did your best to keep up a good pace, but you were still slowly trailing behind the others as Hobi allowed you to hold on to his arm in order to remain steady. The group had to leave a lot behind. Only splitting as much food and water that you could fit in each of your bags.

“Wait!” Namjoon raised his hand as he stopped walking, signaling everyone else to come to a halt.

“What is it?” Tae asked quietly.

“Look up there.” Namjoon pointed to the road ahead of us that was on a hill.

You did your best to focus on what he was looking at, squinting as the sun shone directly in your eyes. Your breath hitched as you realized what it was.

There was a massive hoard of zombies ahead. There had to be hundreds of them, all walking towards you. As you began looking around, you realized that they weren’t just ahead of your group, but all around you. Coming out from the trees as if they were waiting for the right time to strike.

“Guys, we need to run!” You urged, making the others aware of the impending danger that you were all in.

Everyone began running in the opposite direction, unsure of where to go. The zombies were catching up and there was nowhere around to hide. You cried as you lost your grip on Hobi’s arm, falling to the ground harshly.

“Y/N!” He called, as he realized you were no longer beside him.

“I’ve got her. Just go!” Yoongi’s voice yelled from behind you. “Put your arms around me.” He instructed and you quickly did as you were told as he picked you up, bridal style, and began running.

You couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, panicking as you realized how close they were now and how far away the rest of the boys had gotten.

“Yoongi, you need to let go of me. I’m slowing you down.” You told him.

“Shut up, Y/N.” He growled through deep breaths.

You reached over his shoulder and began digging through his bag, trying to find his gun. Once you felt the cold metal, you quickly pulled it out and turned off the safety before firing at the zombies closest behind you. The unsteadiness of your body as you shook in Yoongi’s arms made firing a sure shot nearly impossible, but it slowed a few of them down. As you turned back around, you realized that the others were no longer in sight, and there was a smaller group of zombies coming from the right side of the road.

“Fuck, Yoongi turn left!” You yelled.

He carried you into an opening in the woods, not stopping until you were both sure that you’d gotten away. You were now in the middle of the woods, tall trees surrounding you. Yoongi gently set you down on the ground with your back against a tree as he fell to his knees, attempting to catch his breath.

As he looked up at you, the two of you shared a knowing look. You had gotten separated from your group, and neither of you knew where you were. You were alone now.

“What are we going to do?” You asked through a whisper as tears formed in your eyes.

He stared at you for a moment before sighing and snickering lowly as he shook his head.

“We’re going to find a pharmacy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Previous Next

[patibato]

[Bitter Sweet Sixteen] 002-A24 - Eat, Smile, Have a Blast

*crowd chattering*

Momiji: Wow~ so many people! It looks like all the tourists have gathered here!

(Everyone travelled for the festival, huh. …I'm really glad it opened without issue.)

…Hm?

Customer A: Excuse meee, I'd like to buy a three pack of baby castella with the special syrup.

Ushio: Right, hold on a moment…!

Customer B: I'll take a five pack!

Ushio: R-right…!

Customer C: No way! This is delicious! The special syrup is pretty good! I'll get it as a souvenir! Sir, make it a ten pack~!

Ushio: -…! Ri…! Right!

Momiji: Amazing. It's busy as hell…

Nanaki: Hey. It's been like that since the festival started.

Momiji: Nanaki-kun, Kiroku-kun! Good work!

Kiroku: …Good, work… to you… too…

Nanaki: Um, Chief. If it's alright… well. Our hands are free at the moment.

We were thinking we could help Kurama-kun out with the stall. The waiting customers are gonna get bored at this rate.

…Will that impact our grade?

Kiroku: … We'll … do our… best.

Momiji: Huh!?

(Nanaki-kun and Kiroku-kun came to offer help themselves…)

-… Of course! Just ask if there's anything you don't understand! Let's do our best to provide hospitality!

*omotenashi battle*

Momiji: Thanks for the help, you two! Our dear customers seemed very happy! Right, Ushio-kun!

Ushio: …Well, they got sold quicker than if I did it alone. It's a natural result of multiple people maintaining it… …

…It helped. Here, as thanks. It's the castella I'm selling.

Kiroku: …You're… thanking…

Nanaki: Here's hoping it doesn't start raining again. …Thanks for the food.

Chew chew… …!?

Delicious…

Ushio: …Hmph.

Nanaki: The moment the mild syrup flavour enters your mouth, an aroma spreads out like you're on a prairie…

The gentle sweetness of the sponge softly creeps up on you, like flowers garnishing a pure dreamscape…

A miraculous harmony that wouldn't be possible without both—a magnificent combination of saltiness and sweetness, with a somewhat nostalgic feeling…!

What is this… until I swallowed it, I had a Jimu Hen* guitar solo running through my brain…

Momiji: Amazing! Looks like you've got a talent for food reviews too, Nanaki-kun!

Nanaki: Ah, no, it was just too good, so I ended up…

Kiroku: … …

… …

Momiji: (Kiroku-kun's fully focused on eating. …Cute.)

Oh right, Ushio-kun.

Ushio: What.

Momiji: The lady who prepared the baby castella machine was praising you. She says you should have told them that you'd properly brought all the ingredients with you, instead of going "I forgot the syrup~".

"It's the first time I've had such delicious sweets" she said, so she's thankful.

Ushio: … I mean, I just did what I was supposed to.

Momiji: (So he says, but his cheeks are turning a bit red. He's embarrassed, huh.)

—Everyone really put their all into this. The fireworks were also a wonderful success, and both the tourists and the locals were very pleased. You really livened things up!

Nanaki: The music did?

Momiji: Of course! The sound source was far better than the one they'd been using before, and both young and old people enjoyed it!

Nanaki: Really!?

Momiji: Really. There's already a video online. They're saying the way it's matched with the fireworks is the best, and the number of views is doing good.

Nanaki: I see!

Ah, no. …It's because I worked hard. Yeah.

Momiji: Kiroku-kun's lantern is also really popular, it's addictive eeriness is considered cute—

Kiroku: …Huh…

Momiji: It seems like it's become a photo spot. Lots of pictures are being uploaded to social media.

Kiroku: Re… …rea, lly…? But… it's not… fin… ished…

Momiji: Being unfinished isn't as bad as you think.

Kiroku: …

Momiji: The clear skies brought a good turnout, and the management side was pleased too. Everyone's having so much fun—I, I'm so moved… …

Ushio: …You're quite the crybaby, for an adult.

Momiji: S-sorry. Looks like the sea breeze got in my eyes.

(At any rate, the kid who did the most to ensure everyone's efforts bore fruit like this was—)

Akuta: He~y there! 'Tis I, the man who will completely eviscerate the competition for the Kurodemy** Director Prize!

Muneuji: Good work, everyone.

Momiji: Akuta-kun, Muneuji-kun, good work!

Akuta: Ah~ this takoyaki is seriously good! The okonomiyaki's cooked all fluffy, and the oden's so flavourful~! Stall food is the best!

Nanaki: Aaah, you've bought so much, even though Sakuchan-sensei said we'd go out for food at the after party…

Akuta: Nope~ I remember that clear as day. When I passed in front of the stalls, I got 'em for free!

Ushio: Bet you were looking real greedy. Or like a starving puppy.

Kiroku: Isotake does… make you want… to give… food… to him…

Muneuji: As they're a representation of everyone's kindness, we couldn't refuse. Though I did say to not eat them now, and save them for later.

Momiji: He couldn't help himself, huh.

Akuta: No problem! My stomach is infinite! It's still only ten percent full!

Sakujiro: Ah, here you all are. It seems the store will be ready soon. We will be going to the same place we got Hishio bowls at on the first day.

Momiji: Since we'll be leaving Shodoshima tomorrow, we should absolutely all eat together this time.

Akuta: Hi-shi-o! Hi-shi-o!

Kiroku: …

Nanaki & Ushio: …

Muneuji: We'll all be participating, then.

Kiroku: … It… seems… that way.

Muneuji: …

Ushio: …

Kiroku: …Will you two… be… o… kay?

…You won't…… get into a…..

Akuta: What's that? You'll share half your Hishio bowl? With me? Hooray! Thanks!

Kiroku: …!? That's not—

Akuta: Huh, did you say you'll share your miso soup too? You're seriously a god, Kiroku! Thank you thank you~~~!

Kiroku: …I, didn't… say…

Momiji: (It somehow feels like they're not on the same page…)

At any rate, let's set off!

Nanaki: What do you mean you launched the egg!?

Akuta: Yep! It went boom!

Momiji: Hm? What did?

Nanaki: Nothing, we're discussing a movie.

Don't yell.

Muneuji: We negotiated with the egg, and this is how things turned out.

Nanaki: You mean it could communicate? The egg? I didn't think it seemed much like a living creature.

Muneuji: If you're asking if it reacted like it had a living body, it didn't. However, I could sense some kind of purpose from it.

Akuta: It was like a space communication device? Controlled remotely, like a radio controlled car~

Nanaki: So now, the egg is…?

Akuta: We searched the mountain for a bit, but couldn't find it!

Muneuji: I fear it may have burst into tiny pieces.

Nanaki: Wow… seriously…?

Akuta: No way! It doesn't have such a weak nature! It's an egg.

We'll definitely meet again someday. Somehow—I can just tell.

Nanaki: You're really confident about a baseless assumption. …Well, it's fine. Whatever you do, don't let Kinugawa-kun know.

He seemed really attached to the egg. I'm sure he'll be hurt if you tell him it might have burst.

Muneuji: Understood. I shall tell him that it returned to the sea itself.

*ジムヘン/Jimu Hen is a reference to Jimi Hendrix, often abbreviated to ジミヘン/Jimi Hen in Japan

**The Kurodemy Prize is a real thing, but it seems to be a manga award with no subcategories, so I'm not sure it's actually a reference to that

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

[papytonpropaganda]

Hello! So, I've been really bored recently, and have been in full Walls brainrot mode again, so I wrote this little... i don't know what I'd call it... a fanfic of Walls? A fanfic of a fanfic? Basically, I took what I know about Walls and wrote a little paragraph or two of how the ending could (and almost certainly will not) go. If you have any problems with people doing this, please feel free to tell me! I don't mean to be rude or try to steal your work, and I'm not going to publish this anywhere, I'm just writing it for fun lol- sorry if you're not comfortable with that!

Anyway, here it is, because I really wanted to share it with you.

TW FOR SU!CIDE AND DRUGS

***

Papyrus sat in the hospital bed, Mettaton standing next to him, the two of them holding coffees in their hands. The two of them smiled awkwardly at each other, an orange blush spreading across the skeleton’s face, and was he hallucinating, or was the robot’s face slightly pink?

“So, what did you want to tell me?” Mettaton asked him, finally breaking the thick, stiff silence. 

“I-” Papyrus hunched over in embarrassment as he tried to get the (metaphorical) guts to say it. Rubbing his arms awkwardly, he took a deep breath. “So… Mettaton, I- I just want to say that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” he began. “I just- you’re such a kind, lovely person, and I- I like everything about you.”

Mettaton looked worried. “Papyrus, this isn’t a goodbye, is i-”

The skeleton cut him off. “Mettaton. Just listen to me.” His soul began to burn brighter. “I wish I could do more for you, I really do- I wish I could give you bunches of flowers and gifts and clothes and cars, and I wish I could be a better person for you, but this is all I can do, so I’m going to do it.” He took one last deep breath before saying the words he’d wanted to say for such a long time. “Mettaton, I love you. I love you with so much of my soul that none is left.”

Mettaton’s mouth fell wide open, the cup of coffee he was holding shattering onto the floor. “I-” He took a step back, and another, and another, to the door.

Papyrus’s eye sockets widened. “Mettaton?...”

Mettaton stepped out the door and ran. 

***

Papyrus was being discharged from the hospital in around a week. He sat there, skull buried in the blankets and knees up to hide his face. Sans, Grillby and Toriel had come to visit there, but Papyrus said nothing. 

“Papyrus, you must talk to us! We cannot do anything if you do not speak. Please, let us help you,” Toriel waved her huge paws around, speaking with an anxiety-ridden voice. 

Sans’s smile was almost gone as he walked up and put a hand on the taller skeleton’s shoulder. “Russ, please, you gotta wake up. We know you’re awake.”

Grillby, despite not being that close to Papyrus, had come with Sans, and signed at Papyrus although he knew he wouldn’t be able to see. Please talk to us.

Papyrus simply shook his head an inch to each side and resumed his silence.

***

Once the three older monsters had gone and the sun had set in the sky, Papyrus stepped out of the bed and walked down the corridor. There were a few doctors around, but they just assumed Papyrus was a patient taking a walk - and they weren’t wrong. In truth, he was a patient, and he was taking a walk. But he had something more to do. 

The door to the medical supplies was unlocked, as usual. The doctor who had her shift around this time was new and always forgot to lock it. Nobody had realised except Papyrus, who was now slipping into the cupboard in silence, taking a small jar of some of the medicine. 

And another jar. 

And another. 

***

“Fuck!” Undyne slapped her forehead

“Is there still time to visit Papyrus? I forgot my bag at the hospital…” she mumbled to herself whilst messaging those words to Toriel. 

“I should think so, but I cannot come with you! Apologies, I and QC are busy shopping,” Toriel responded over text, typing slowly with her big paws. “But I should think if you run, you should get there before visiting time is over!”

Undyne took a deep breath and sprinted to the hospital, managing to get there within enough time. She slammed open the doors and ran into Papyrus’s room just in time. 

He wasn’t there. 

“Papyrus?” She called out, but there was no answer. Assuming he had gone for a walk around the hospital, she nodded to herself, happy he was up and moving again, and took her bag and left.

It would be nice to walk back through the forest near the beach, Undyne thought. Around this time of year, it was dark enough for only a few people to be there, but early enough that it was still warm and the birds were still singing. So she went back through the forest, feeling an odd sense of serenity wash over her. Flowers to the left, grass in front, sea behind… and trees on her right, dappled lighting falling through the leaves, and birds singing in a bush just behind them. Stepping nearer to the trees, she noticed a figure hidden in the bush - clothed in a pale blue and white gown. Confused at why someone was in it, she went to check. 

There was something - no, someone - there. Covered in dirt, hospital gown on. Limbs - or were they limbs? No, bones - splaying everywhere. 

Papyrus. 

Her eyes widened in horror as she grabbed him, shaking him hard. 

“Papyrus. PAPYRUS!” she screamed. 

*** 

Mettaton, trying to clear his head, took a walk through the forest too, using the birdsong as a method to calm him down. Well, he would have been, if he hadn’t gotten a call from Devon. He smiled at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice, listening to him talk on about his day at work and ignoring the nasty feeling in his throat. And the world did seem to be against him today, because he would have been able to talk to him a lot longer if he hadn’t encountered Undyne, tears running down her face and a death grip on his arm. He used his other arm to turn off the call and put it in his pocket hastily. 

“Ow, fuck, Undyne! What’s wrong?” He rubbed his arm and scowled at her. Undyne wasn’t having it, hiccuping and wiping her eyes. 

“I- It’s Papyrus. He’s- he’s-” She shook her head and yanked Mettaton over to where Papyrus was lying. The pit in the robot’s stomach grew. 

“Papyrus? Papyrus. No, Papyrus,” his eyes widened in horror as he ran over to the skeleton’s limp body and shook him. “Papyrus, wake up. WAKE UP!” he screamed. Undyne rushed away to see if there was anybody that could help them. “P-Papyrus,” he sobbed, tears pouring down his face as he clutched at the skeleton’s gown and wailed. “Papyrus, please… I love you too, Papyrus. Papyrus, don’t go, please…” This was his fault. It was all his fault. If he had just told the skeleton sooner…

He took out his phone to make a call to the ambulance, and saw that his phone was on the ‘Recent Calls’ page. He stared at it, speechless, the pit in his stomach growing by the second. 

It read, ‘Devon: last called - 5 seconds ago’.

***

Please do tell if you're not comfortable with this! Again, I'm very sorry if you are - anyway, I hope you liked this little thing! It's not fantastic, since I haven't had a lot of practice at writing, but I hope it's good enough. Have a good day! :3

OH MY GOD EVERYONE IT JUST HAPPENED I JUST WON EVERYTHING

anon you are the FIRST person I know (or remember at least) who wrote fanfic for Walls which is the DREAM. dude I know very few fanfic authors who wouldn't be honored to receive a fanfic of THEIR fanfic of this caliber in their inbox. this is INCREDIBLE thank you.

I honestly don't mind if you did post it on like AO3 or something, I believe AO3 even has an option to mark the fic as "being inspired by another work" or something like that. I do not see this as "stealing" from me at all, you don't know how amazing it feels to have inspired someone else to write about my story.

you are correct in that what you've written was not what I had planned (in fact the ending of the original was far, FAR off from where we left off). but it definitely invokes the kind of feeling I go for for the angst in Walls and it's a nice little continuation of the point where I decided the whole thing needed a revamp. I'd actually really like to see how your version ends!

thanks so much again, you don't know how much this means to me.

[winryofresembool]

Could You give us a sneak peak of the next chapter of the things we lost in the fire?

Sorry it's taken me a while to answer this! i've been very busy lately (or have I just been procrastinating on everything? Who knows). But sure, I can give you a sneak peek (honestly I'm so sorryyy it's been /so long/ since the last update but life happened...)!

She (Calypso) fished her phone from her bag and unlocked it to see her notifications. 11 missed calls. When she opened the call history, she saw that all of them were from Piper, who knew that she was at the flower shop at this hour, likely to drop a message instead of calling unless it really was something urgent. Had something happened to one of their friends? As Calypso was pondering that, the screen lit up again for an incoming call and she swept the answer button with shaky fingers.

“Piper? What’s going on?” she answered without even greeting her.

A hoarse voice responded: “I’m sorry, I know you’re at work right now but… do you think your boss might let you come to the hospital? Now?”

(whoops am I actually teasing you with another cliffie? Shame on me. For the context, if someone doesn't remember, Leo and Jason were left in a picky situation in the previous chapter and now it's Calypso's time to find out what happened to them)

While I do have most of the chapter written, I should give you a fair warning that I really am not sure when I can update again. I do have a 'break week' the first week of March so I could try to get some work done for this fic then, but a 'break' doesn't mean a break from school reading in my case so I may not have as much free time as I'd like. But one way or another, I'll get this chapter done, eventually >:)

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Apocalypse/End of the world AU in which some sort of big catastrophic event has been heralded to happen for years and several hundred spaceships have been built to save a select few of humanity's elite and bring them on a new planet to ensure the human race doesn't just die out. (They are designed like massive cities, with living areas imitating nature, apartment complex-like structures for living, hospitals, recreational centers etc)

Other than those in the position to pay millions to save themselves and their families, there are some special categories of people that get to board the ships for free, with two other family members/friends/whatever: pilots and operating staff, engineers, scientists from several fields and state leaders.

Wei Wuxian is the chief engineering specialist in charge of the spaceship project. Being so close to it, he knows when the catastrophic event will take place, so he lets his parents, Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, know in advance so they can get ready and secure a good place on one of the ships.

Except... they don't.

"We've lived our lives already, A-Ying." His father says, a serene smile on his face.

"It's true, we're old by now! We would only cause trouble, you know?" His mother says and offers him a comforting hug. "You're such a big boy now, so strong and capable, and we're really proud of you and grateful that you want to take us with you, but we would like to die in our house, on our planet, here."

Wei Ying's eyes are filling with tears. "I can't go and know I've left you like this... is there no way I can convince you to come? I showed you my designs, everything, I can make you a home just like this one-"

His parents envelop him in a tight, loving embrace. "We love you more than words can say, A-Ying. We are so proud of you and so happy we got to be your parents. But the future belongs to you now, to your generation. It is you that should get in those ships, not us."

--

"My parents won't come with us." Wei Ying says, distantly, reviewing some of the ship's final plans.

Wen Qing sighs, places a comforting hand on one of his shoulders. "I'm sorry to hear that... But that's understandable, in a way... this is more than leaving your house or your country..."

Wei Ying gives her a half smile. "What about you? Have you talked to your uncle?"

Wen Qing looks away, picking up some paperwork off an adjacent table and activating a hologram to input some of the data. "He will be taking Wen Chao and Wen Xu."

Wei Ying's expression falls. "...that's...that's all?"

"Yes."

"What a piece of shit! It's not like he can't afford the tickets for you and Wen Ning..."

She shrugs, already having made peace with it. "It's his money. And it's not his fault I didn't qualify to take anyone with me either. I guess there are more than enough doctors around..."

"I'll take you. And Wen Ning. And A-Yuan."

Wen Qing's eyes widen, and she drops the papers onto the ground. "Wei Wuxian-"

"I have to adopt him so I don't have to pay for the ticket, but that's just a formality-"

"You don't have to do this, you should take someone that matters to you-"

"You guys are like my family anyway. We've been working together for years. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather take with."

She's crying before she knows it. "...thank you."

---

A-Yuan is more than excited to go on the ship, ooh-ing and aah-ing at everything he can see: the high ceilings, the tall, thick walls, the lifelike greenery, even the trashcans.

He's adorable, and serves as good distraction from the fact that, in just a few hours, the world as they all know it will be gone, with all the people in it. It had been an emotional last couple of months - Wei Ying spent most of it with his parents, whilst Wen Qing and Wen Ning made sure A-Yuan got plenty of memories with granny and Fourth Uncle, as well as the rest of their relatives that would be long dead by the time the ships even made it past Jupiter.

Boarding is... an unpleasant business, to put it elegantly. Rich snobes flaunt their wealth obstentatiously, some of them having brought their luxury cars and private planes aboard, mindless of the fact that the new planet would not be providing them compatible fuel. Staff hauled dozens upon dozens of designer bags, expensive alcohol collections and jewelry vaults - as if any of those would matter at all in the end.

It was only one particular family that brought books alongside their personal riches. The family that sponsored the project since the beginning and gathered more than enough financial support from other impossibly rich families: the Lan.

Wei Ying admired them for that, for the fact that they were not as snobbish and materialistic as others (read: the Jins) to bring their entire net worths with them to a whole new planet - and also because they did not just throw money at the project but became actively involved.

Their eldest and second eldest sons were part of the pilot crew, and the head of the family, Lan Qiren, was in charge of cultural heritage preservation and archives. There were some other family members doing the odd administrative job on the ship as well, though the crew was so large it was hard to keep track of them all.

The only reason Wei Ying remembered those three's names was that he had worked with them, especially running multiple test flights as co-pilot for Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. He had grown somewhat of a camaraderie with them, but he was especially keen on making friends with Lan Wangji, who he found intriguing and, to be frank, really attractive. (Not that Lan Xichen wasn't, they had almost the same face, but Wei Ying couldn't help gravitating towards the stoic one of the brothers and trying to get him to open up a bit).

The day of departure was especially busy for the crew and engineers, so after dropping the Wens off at their living quarters, Wei Ying was quick to enter the command room and help take-off.

Lan Wangji was chosen as captain for that day, in his white uniform and distinct forehead ribbon, and Wei Ying was glad - because he always seemed to synchronize so well with Lan Wangji, much smoother and easier than with anyone else, like they shared a mind.

"I have seen you with your family at the entrance gate." He said, sipping from a cup of steaming hot tea as the crew awaited orders. "I did not know you had a son."

"The Wens are my family, but we are not blood-related. My parents wanted to stay behind and the Wens' uncle had made... other choices. So I decided to take them with me instead." A little smile. "Oh, and I adopted A-Yuan, but he's actually Wen Qing's little cousin. We're all taking care of him, though."

Lan Wangji felt inexplicably relieved at the explanation. He had thought Wei Ying had perhaps been married with a child and just never said anything... which would have made Wangji feel even more awkward about the crush he already had on Wei Ying. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Thankfully...? Hard to say. Wangji was finding it more and more difficult to conceal his feelings for Wei Ying, and the situation was already deeply emotionally charged...

Take-off had gone as planned. Under Wei Ying's careful guidance, Lan Wangji seamlessly worked through each maneuver, like he had often done in every simulation. But that wasn't just a simulation anymore. And just like everybody else in the cabin, Wangji cried upon departure, the familiar planes of Earth becoming increasingly distant as the ship moved on its designated course.

After he was certain that everything was in order, Wei Ying was quick to excuse himself, overwhelmed with everything. He had just left his friends and family to die, while he was safely headed to a new planet, never to see his home again.

Wangji could sympathize with this, of course. But he couldn't stand thinking Wei Ying was alone, crying in some corner of the ship, he wanted to be there, to help him.

He finds Wei Ying in one of the control rooms, gazing at the ever smaller image of the Earth, sniffling quietly.

"Lan Zhan...?"

"Mn. Do you mind if I join you?"

Wei Ying didn't respond and Lan Zhan took it as a yes. If Wei Ying hadn't wanted him there, he would have sent him away.

"I knew this was going to be hard, but... I can't help feeling like I've abandoned everyone... like... I don't know... " The sniffles turned into sobs. "What's the use of all this if... so many people are going to die out there anyway? Who have I helped save? Those that caused this mess in the first place? What's the point?!"

Lan Zhan resonated with that so deeply that his heart ached. He felt the same, hated the fact that it was privilege that decided who would be worthy to live and who would be left for a gruesome death. That was why he insisted he become a pilot in this project - so he wouldn't be just another rich asshole buying his ticket for survival just because he had the means to. And that was why he and Xichen had donated so much money to people, as well - but they couldn't save everyone.

There was nothing Lan Zhan could think to do but cradle Wei Ying in his arms, tightly, lovingly. "You have done your best, always. It was not you who decided how your inventions would be used. You've already saved more people than anybody could have, do not be cruel to yourself."

They stayed like that for a long time, watching the Earth getting farther and farther away, holding one another like they would dissipate if they let go.

"I'm glad you're here..." Wei Ying whispered, burrowing his head in Lan Zhan's chest. "Thank you for being here..."

"I will always be."

[variouslife]

Chris’s story from California

On May 1st, I gave a 2 weeks’ notice that I would withdraw from the Bangladesh plant. The Bangladesh factory, which was my first project, will be closed after 5 yeas of history. I had mixed feelings but was not sad. With the opening of the garment factory in Bangladesh, our company has grown significantly and is currently one of the top three clothing brands in the United States. Following in the footsteps of my father, who was considered a big player in the clothing industry, I also launched a fast fashion brand, and now I am continuing my successor classes following in my father's footsteps. The secret to my success was aggressive marketing. I was able to receive a lot of funding through my father's network. In addition, it was possible to make great profits by using the cheap labour force of Bangladesh. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that I am the first person to start offshoring in Bangladesh.

"Mr. Welsh, the Bangladesh plant manager is calling."

"Can you let him know that I'm out and that he should call me back in an hour? I had bad sleep and gotta get some coffee now"

"Would you like to get the same thing? I will go get it for you."

"I need fresh air. And I need to call my wife too. So I will be back in 1 hour."

I know what the Bangladesh plant manager will say. He is probably shocked to hear that the factory will be closed. I'm sure that he will complain… I'm not in the mood to listen to such complaints right now because there is a more important issue than that. On my way to buy coffee, I called my wife.

"Hey, it is me. How is Josh doing now?"

"He has calmed down a lot. He ate a little while ago and fell asleep."

"Did you tell him about the hospital?"

"Yes.., but he stubbornly refuses to go to the hospital."

"You have to convince him somehow. Josh has to grow into a man who will inherit my business and this whole group. I can't let him live with being labelled a drug addict. If he does, it will affect the image of our company."

"…. Ok… I'll talk about it.. just give Josh a little more time"

"…I don't understand. What is wrong with him … I'll tell Dr. Harold anyway, so we should send him to the hospital and he needs to start treatment for drug addiction quickly.."

After the phone call with my wife, I started getting more headaches. I did everything for my only child, but he shakes his life with the cheapest and shittiest drugs… it was so insignificant.

"Welcome back Mr.Welsh. The Bangladesh plant manager is waiting for your call."

"He really bothers me. Call Dr. Harold first and ask if he is free this evening. Make an appointment for dinner. Place as usual. And tell me that it's urgent."

"Copy that."

“And connect me to the factory manager.”

(RING…)

"Hello, Mr. Welsh. Hope you are doing well. I was told that our factory will shut down soon. We have more than 1000 people working and everyone takes care of their family. We can't survive without this job. Please reconsider this issue."

"… Well… I did everything based on the contract. If you want to complain, sue us. But be prepared with good lawyers."

"No, no, no! Mr. Welsh. I'm sorry if it sounds like a complaint. I didn't mean it. I do apologize. I just hope that you consider our workers a little more. That's it"

“Do you know that I've been running the factory for the past five years? You don’t think I didn't consider employees? Factory evacuation will go ahead as scheduled. I have nothing more to hear from you, so I'm hanging up."

His calls made my headaches even worse. I should've not answered the phone… I’m sometimes too nice.. whatever, I need to focus on Josh and the next project for now.

[ratherbefangirling]

Belong 4

First | Previous | Next

Pairing: ot7 x reader

Genre: Fluff, hurt/ comfort , Omegaverse

Synopsis: The pack seems to be falling for you but Jungkook doesn't like it one bit. What happens when he learns you are his mate

You avoid the boys by staying at home. You don't tell your mom so as to not bother her.

Instead you crash at your best friends house. Yun Suyeon was a beta with an alpha mom (you had bonded over 'are all alpha mom's the same?' ) and you had been friends for a long time.

Suyeon though finds it a bit strange but doesn't comment on it and commits on spending more time with you.

"Are you excited for the college fest." She asks.

"I dont know."

"You should. Why don't you try for the Coordination. I'm in hospitality. Lim Suho is one of the heads and Kang Taehee is another they need more people."

While normally you would probably not consider such an intensive position but it didn't seem like a bad idea to drown in work.

"Isn't it kinda too much work?"

"Yes but you get certificates and stuff." She replies. "That's why I've volunteered for the social media head."

"Fine. Where do I sign up."

"Wait let me send you the link." She said.

After you submitted the form. Suyeon's pack mom bought snacks for the both of you.

You thanked her.

"It's nice to see you too. Come hang out with our pup more often." She says.

You nod politely.

"Don't stay up too late." She says as she leaves.

Suyeon hugs you squealing in excitement.

"We are going to be the coolest kids on the block." She says.

She notes you have put on scent cleaners. But before she can say anything about it. Her phone rings her boyfriend asking to hang out. She informs him she's infact with her wifey and thus is not available.

You dress nicely in the morning as today was the team meeting between the coordinaters.

There were four of you. Though you didn't know who the fourth was because their number wasn't saved on your phone but you were added to like 5 different groups.

After the classes were over you all had decided to meet at a coffee shop to discuss. Suho who the teachers had declared the main guy was the one who would bridge between the teachers and you all and you would look over and communicate with heads of all the other committees like decor, entertainment etc.

Suho was a beta and Taehee was an omega like you. The third member was Choi Yeonjun, an alpha.

You thought he was cute. You texted the same to Suyeon.

S: he's soobins bestie

S: should I arrange a double date

Y/n: noooo ... I'm just happy with eye candy

S: I mean let me know if you want a taste

Y/n: YUN SUYEON

S:😉😘😘😘

You had met at the campus and Yeonjun offered to drive you all to the cafe.

But Suho had his bike and Taehee had to go home for a change in clothes as someone dropped their drink on her.

So it ended up being you and Yeonjun.

"So ... what made you decide to coordinate? You always hide behind your bestfriend." He said.

"Just like that what about you?" You say.

"I like meeting new people. This is the best way to make it happen."

Their is silence.

"Can I turn on the radio?" You ask.

He does it for you.

It's nice not having too speak and the music is decent until Namjoon's favourite song starts playing and you abruptly turn it off.

"Is something wrong?" He asks.

Luckily the cafe is in sight.

"No just like that.. the cafe is here." You say changing the topic.

He nodded and the others joined you shortly. You soent an hour discussing themes and writing down important information.

"Let's have dinner together. Bonding night." Taehee suggested.

"I'm sorry I have prior engagement but I will pat the next time. You guys have fun." Suho says.

"Don't tell me you guys are busy too?" Taehee pouts.

"No I'm free and quite hungry." Yeonjun says.

"Me too." You add.

"Perfect!" Taehee exclaims and you guys go to a barbecue place.

You have a good time. Yeonjun takes it upon himself to serve. Its very alpha of him but you don't mind.

Taehee is good company too.

After your meals are over. Yeonjun offers to drop the two of you. You spend the ride discussing ideas and themes. Taehee is very excited for a more fantasy based one. Yeonjun wants a more party theme.

"Why don't we do it Russet inspired?" You ask.

Russet was a popular fashion magazine.

"That's super vague." Taehee comments.

"Exactly bur we can include different elements under one thing. And maybe people can wear things they already own instead of buying so it's sustainable."

"I would have never thought that." Taehee says.

"Yeah and we could get sponsorship from a fashion house or Paqsal Inc. ....they do charity galas to support initiatives like recycling and other sustainability endeavors."

"Let me text it to Suho. Let's run our ideas through the teachers. But the art department is going to be excited." She says. "We need to be very specific for the things to match and not be all over the place though."

"I'm sure we can do that we have like more than two months." Yeonjun adds.

Taehee's home is closer so she leaves and their is silence in the car.

"So?" You both say in order to ease the awkwardness.

You both laugh.

"It was genuinely a great idea." Yeonjun says.

"Thanks.. yours was nice too and probably easier to execute." You reply.

"All good things are hard work." Yeonjun replies as your house appears.

"Maybe.. but what if they aren't so great because they were too hard."

He shoots a concerned look towards your way but bites his lips.

Choosing instead to offer you a smile.

"See you later."

"Good bye, goodnight. See you later."

Taehyung had come out to throw trash when he saw you coming out of the unknown alpha's car. How he knew it was an alpha? Well no omega or beta liked that type of flashy car.

He wants to call you out but he can't since Namjoon has decided they should give you space. He thought it would be a better approach even Yoongi had conceded.

The pack house wasn't the best place to be right now. Jin had left to see his family. He had been very sad and even Hobi was very restless and short these days. Jungkook was still stubborn. Namjoon was was working himself to death and Jimin was stuck to either Taehyung or Jungkook. Continuously scenting.

Taehyung was worried Jimin was taking this very personally but he could do nothing to help except do whatever Jimin felt like that.

When he had talked about this to Namjoon, he asked Taehyung to take Jimin and visit their family packs.

So they had planned a trip. Taehyung had to guilt trip Jimin a bit but Jimin did need to be babied a bit and nobody did that better then their family packs.

But before Taehyung left he would give Jungkook a little something to think because that boy had done enough hiding after rejecting his mate when she helped him out.

If you were Taehyung's mate he would never hurt you like this or let you be away from him unless you needed to.

When he comes inside the house. Jin is at the window looking outside towards you. He can see the longing in Jin's eyes.

He let's his hyung be and looks at him. Staying with his family has turned Jin chubbier and his face is glowing except for the expression on his face. Taehyung decides to change it.

"Jin Hyung !!! When did you come?" Taehyung says.

Jin is startled almost falls on the sofa beside the window but before he can recover himself Taehyung octopus hugs him causing him to fall.

"I will break my back you brat." He says but Taehyung smells no real anger. Thus Taehyung pays no heed scenting his beta.

"Can't you ask me before scenting me?" He says only half serious. In reality Jin missed his packs scents.

"No, my beautiful beta." Taehyung says muffled against his skin.

Jin laughs. Alerting Jimin who came out searching for Taehyung.

Jimin was glad to see a laughing Jin tackled by Taehyung. Jimin too joined the pile.

Just in time Namjoon came to witness the happy site. He planted kisses on their head and was going to leave when Taehyung pulled him too.

Maybe things were a bit rough but it would be fine as long as they were together.

On the day they were leaving, Jimin was careful to scent Jungkook. Taehyung had gotten their bags and tickets. He entered the room where he observed Jimin sitting on Jungkook's lap. A flash of irritation arose.

"Jiminie." Taehyung called out.

"Yes Tae." Jimin asked.

"Go get ready. We have to leave soon." Taehyung informs Jimin flashing the train tickets.

Jimin nodded rubbing his scent on Jungkook for the last time before he left yo get ready.

" You're angry." Jungkook said scrunching his nose.

Taehyung wanted to agree but he also didn't want to fight.

"Why are you so mad? Shouldn't you be happy about going home.. are you worried about alpha's on the train."

"I kind of hate that part." Taehyung confessed but that wasn't what he had been actually bothered about but that was a concern too it had been a while since it was just him and Jimin usually one of the hyungs would accompany them. When they were younger Jimin had built enough muscles to pass off as a non omega, these days Taehyung pretended to be the non omega. Even though it was inconvenient he did secretly enjoy being able to protect Jimin as much he liked being coddled by his soulmate.

Taehyung sighed and let Jungkook scent him.

"I saw Y/n yesterday." Taehyung confessed. "She was with another alpha. It made me kind of thingies." Jungkook stiffened but did not say anything.

Taehyung sighed. Jimin and Hoseok had come back. Hoseok was driving them to the station.

Before they left Taehyung stopped by quickly into Namjoon's room who had an off from work today.

Namjoon's scented him and it made Taehyung feel better and he could finally enjoy the time in which he would have Jimin to himself.

Jungkook is stirring a cup of coffee in the kitchen when Namjoon comes down. Now awake.

"Wanna go on a date?" He asks Jungkook.

Who stops functioning for five minutes. Namjoon uses those to make himself a cup of coffee.

Jungkook knew Namjoon liked you when in his rut he could remember smelling Namjoon on you, so he thought Namjoon might ignore him to sort his feelings out.

"Ok..."

"Good!" Namjoon says smiling so brightly that his dimples start showing. He gives Kookie a kiss on his forehead mumbling something about outfits.

Namjoon comes out wearing all black hoping to match with Jungkook who had decided to go with the softer warmer colors in his wardrobe, Hobi who's sitting outside with Yoongi eating tangerines bursts out laughing when he sees them.

Namjoon smiles too when he realises what happened. Jungkook groans in embarrassment.

Jungkook starts the car as Namjoon sits in and puts on the safety belt.

"Where are we going, hyung?" Jungkook asks.

"I was thinking let's go to the beach, it's been a while."

Jungkook nodded and entered the location in the GPS. Namjoon played his 'driving' playlist.

The beach was fairly empty when they reached it.

They set up the little picnic basket and picnic mat they had bought near a tree.

After eating the sandwiches and drinking their beverages they lie next to each other staring at the sky. The breeze is lovely and the sound of wind comforting.

"I should have brought something to sketch." Jungkook tells Joon.

"Hmm." Namjoon acknowledges.

Jungkook cuddles closer to Namjoon. Its rare they have time together like this.

"Hyung... can I ask you something?" Jungkook asks and he hates to ruin the peaceful moment but his curiosity overcomes all.

"Of course kookie." Namjoon replies.

"Do you... you not like it that I've driven her away?"

Though he doesn't take your name Namjoon knows who he's talking about.

"I can't say I'm happy that our relationship is in strains but if I had to chose it will be you over Y/n. I know I may not say this often but I love you and I love our pack. This.. us. It means the world to me. Being pack alpha I want to be able to take care of all the packs needs and whatever the others may or may not feel about her she's your mate and I should apologise for bringing her to you in your rut but I won't because I couldn't see you suffering and as your hyung and your pack alpha I just couldn't bear to see you in distress or lacking."

"No you don't have to be sorry. I trust you hyung."

Namjoon ruffles Jungkook's hair.

"Why did you reject her, jungkook?"

"I didn't want her in the pack."

Namjoon nods.

"Remember when you joined the pack." Namjoon asks.

Jungkook nods. Ofcourse he does how does one not remember the best thing that happened to them.

"You know how most people avoid larger non familial packs. " Jungkook nods. " The reason we worked was all if us were in duos as friends before we decided to become a pack. Then we suffered in the transition. It isn't very easy to include more people in an already established dynamic. Then you came along like a Knight in shining armor. To be honest a part of me was jealous that even though I was a pack alpha I couldn't provide for my pack omega when a kid who didn't present did. But later I learnt that I couldn't be the sole provider and that it was ok not to be. Now I know this is something you lean and keep learning..Then came the part we decided to bring you to the pack. There were many concerns, your age, your presentation, uneven number of packmates. But you know who was the most willing to bring you in?" Namjoon prompted.

Jungkook shook his head no.

"It was Taehyung. He talked to me, convincing me. I even asked him if he was ok with no longer being a maknae. He was like Jiminie needs it hyung. And he was right but it also made me realise how cool our Tae is. Jimin is his soulmate and he didn't even care about jealousy or loosing Jimin. He just cared that Jimin be happy and healthy. I guess it did work out in the end that you could supplement each others need to be babied." Said Namjoon chuckling at the end.

"Taehyungie hyung told me he saw Y/n with someone."

"Aah." Namjoon drawled in understanding.

"I dont know how to feel about it." Jungkook said honestly.

"It's ok not to know. But if you think there's a possibility you want her then don't make her wait. "

"It's so tough." Jungkook whined.

Namjoon let out a small peal of laughter and pecked his baby alpha's nose.

"It's going to work out in the end and you have all of us to help .. anyway I'm hungry again let's go check out if there's foodtrucks that opened right now." Namjoon says standing up and giving Jungkook a hand.

In the middle of their journey back Namjoon groaned loudly.

"What is it hyung?" Jungkook asked sparing a sideway glance.

"I forgot to check out crabs." Namjoon exclaimed almost jumping of his seat.

Jungkook laughed.

Yeah so this one doesn't have much fluff with you involved but we cleared the air ig aaaand we have a love rival. We will probably be seeing more members but hopefully it balances out.

Hope you enjoyed and let me know your thoughts.

I would like to take a moment to say that I'm grateful for the support and that's the only reason I'm continuing this au honestly it was meant to be a one shot maybe 1.5 shot lol and writing this it's easy to get stuck because I don't have any idea where I'm going with this. I mean I had plans with alpha reader and beta reader.

Anyway don't be shy to drop in and say hi.

Until next time 💜

Taglist : @jaiuneamesolitaiire ; @mintsugarmy ; @goooood-vibes ; @juju-227592 ; @singukieee ; @zae007live ; @rainbow-bunny-bts ; @fluffy-canada-pancakes ; @bleubirdinthesky ; @kyrah-williams ; @thedarkwinterrose ; @realswimshaddy ; @djodjom1 ; @thsrndkd ; @emu007

[btnclmrttn]

Hellloooo! Are you still taking requests? :O if you are, can i pleaaase have saitama with a doctor s/o please? 🙉🙊🙈

Yes Yes Yes! I've been waiting for an ask like this! I'll ll do my best, but I'm only a nursing assistant lol. Only thing I can tell you about doctors is that they're usually insufferable pains in the ass working with. But that's for another discussion I hope you like it sorry it's long

Doctor S/O HCs

~~~~

It's a miracle how you guys managed to meet considering your schedules but luck have it he liked you enough to find you again

(I'd say you were standing in line in front of him and managed to get hundreds of dollars worth of groceries reduced to like $80. He wants in on that witchcraft)

He admires you so much by the work you do, and is almost intimidated how you can crunch in those long hours.

Always trying to stuff you up with little healthy snacks after you told him sometimes you guys don't have time to sit and eat.

Days off are always the best together. You got used to constantly be running errands on your day off and he helped you learn to chill out and not worry about everything the second you get free time

Lots of tub time together for your sore ass

He's always a sad egg when you get mandated. If it's too long you'll come home to him basically sitting at the door like a puppy. He misses you on the main just isn't aware of it.

If you're having the classic nerve pain or feet n ankles mega ouch he will NOT let you be up on them. He says you should rest as hard as you work.

Any medicine or cream you use for it he likes giving to you, like he's playing doctor

So that's where the househusband energy comes in. He's doing everything he can for you. His kind of lazy is bare minimum lazy, not total slack off. He'll do it for you

He's on your ASS about stretching. ALL THE TIME

He will message you sometimes but if it's a nerve problem it don't help at all for some people

Once you explain a handful of terminology he'll actually be interested in you work ramblings. There isn't ever a boring day, especially with dick bag coworkers

This fool will look downright mortified if you get talking about the not so fun part of the job. Not necessarily the deaths or gore, but the body waste hazards. Don't tell him till AFTER he's eaten any meal or it will ruin the whole appetite

He still listens even if it's gross. Why you chose this life, he'll never know

The job itself is painfully sad, most of the time. Usually everyone's too busy to have a minute to process most things. So if a well loved patient ends up dying, he'll try and be there for you

Literally had no idea what to do but let you just cry it all out while holding you. He'll barely say anything cause he just has no idea how you handle it as well as you do

Every now and then you'll see him in a window waving at you if he's in monster battle ground. The hospital never stops no matter what the warning is so you can get front row seats sometimes

He got knocked into the hospital one time and was like "oh hey hun" before hopping back into battle

You don't really have to ever patch him up after some fight but sometimes his friends that tag along are a different story. He'll be just showing you off and telling everyone what a good job you do as you're trying to stop some bleeding or some shit

Always boasting but he isn't aware of it, tbh

Be like "My partner, a doctor btw-"

When he explained how he lost his hair, you joked about it being alopecia. Now he's just contemplating his life and if it really wasn't hard work, just weird timing.

Because of how much you make, sometimes you take him out on a little bit more expensive dates, or get him really nice gifts.

He loves you but he hates it. The fact you have more money he can make in months is flabbergasting. Don't do this to him when you first meet it will scare him away

He's just grateful someone so smart and caring like you loves him. Ask him, and you're out of his league. He's a lucky mfr

[m-jelly]

Hey there! I’ve been hospitalized today so may I request a Moder AU Levi x Reader fic?

(Also I am ok kinda. Just in pain and need to stay here for them to watch me 😅)

Reader suddenly needs to go to the hospital and stay a few days. Collapsed at work or something and they need a few things.

Knowing Levi has a super busy day with important meetings, they ask Erwin and Hange to bring them clothes and stuff

Levi later learns about this and gets super insecure, because they didn’t call him.

But fortunately there is the one thing only Levi can provide to make us feel better and that’s….Levi himself ❤️

I hope you're feeling better anon! I'm going to change it a little! I'm gonna have you contact Levi, cause it's a little mean not to let him know you're in the hospital.

@kenkopanda-art <3

I don't want you to worry.

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: romance, fluff, cute, modern AU, worried Levi, serious talking, being a couple.

Concept: You collapse at work and end up in the hospital, turns out it's only something small, you are a little low on sugar and iron. Getting a top-up from the doctors and them telling you off, you ask your friends to get your clothes for you as you have to stay just for a few tests. You send Levi a text to let him know where you are and you're perfectly fine, but you'll be in for a day or two. Levi comes over after work and begins to worry. You relax him and snuggle with him on your bed.

Warning: Talks of self-neglect. Reader collapsed due to not getting enough iron and sugar in their diet.

Tag list: @ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @skittlelover69 @strawberrybunny123 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @notgoodforlife @demonsimp6

You groaned a little as the doctor ripped into you about not looking after yourself. You had been working too hard and you put yourself on a ridiculous diet. You were being told to eat normally, work fewer hours and get some sleep.

Levi had been on top of you a lot with it all, but he had no idea about your diet. He knew you had smaller portions when you ate around him, but he didn't know you'd been skipping meals. You had to face facts, you needed to stop your diet and just go back to the way you were.

You knew Levi loved you just the way you were, he'd be really upset that you made yourself sick and would probably blame himself. You didn't want Levi to blame himself. You felt bad about yourself and you punished your own body. Levi told you all the time how much he loved and adored you.

You texted Levi where you were and that you were perfectly fine and to come in after work. You sighed and called up Erwin. "Hey, Erwin? Could you and Hange go to mine and Levi's place and grab some clothes for me?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

You sighed. "I'm in the hospital and I have to stay for two days. So, I need some things."

"Oh, sure."

You gave him the hospital. "I've texted Levi, but I can imagine he's in a meeting."

Erwin hummed. "He is. Give him a call when he's done. That should be half an hour."

You smiled. "I intend to because I know how upset he'll get if I don't contact him. I just know you and Hange would be free. Thanks again."

"No problem! See you soon!"

You sat back in your bed and had a nap. You woke up to see Hange and Erwin moving around your room. "Thanks."

Erwin winked. "No problem. We'll head on out now."

You waved and then called Levi. "Hey, Levi."

Levi shouted your name. "Are you okay!? What do you mean you're in the hospital and I shouldn't worry?"

"Levi, I really am okay. I'm just low on sugar and iron."

"What? But I've been making your dinner and you've been eating."

You gulped. "Well..."

He said your name. "You have been eating, right?"

You welled up. "No..."

He sighed your name. "You...ah...I'll come over and talk to you. I'll be there in a bit." He hushed you. "Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry."

"Shh, it's okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. I love you."

You sniffed and rubbed your tears. "I love you too." You ended the call and whined a little. You stared at your hospital door for ages until it opened. "Levi."

Levi smiled at you. "Hey, are you alright?"

You rubbed your tears. "I'm sorry."

He put his bag down and ran over to you. He sat down and hugged you. "Hey, hey, hey, you're alright, it's alright."

"I'm sorry."

He cupped your face and kissed you. "Don't be sorry, okay? I love you so much. Tell me what happened when you're ready."

You sighed. "You know how I've been having smaller portions?"

"Mm, it has worried me."

You nibbled your lip. "Well, I've been skipping all my other meals. I have been drinking water, but only water and tea when I'm with you."

He held your hand. "Why?"

You sniffed. "I think I'm...well..."

He moved closer. "You are the most perfect and beautiful woman in the world. You are stunning. I know you don't think it, but I really believe it. I always tell you the truth, even if it's shitty."

You laughed. "Yeah."

"I don't hold back."

"You don't."

He kissed you. "I love you. I love all of you. Please don't hurt yourself like this, okay?"

You nodded. "I am going to be good, don't worry. The doctor told me off about it too." You laughed. "I'm going to go back to eating normally."

"Good." Levi lay on the bed and pulled you into his arms. "If anyone judges you for the way you look, they can fuck off. I'll take care of them. I'll cover them in honey, tie them to a tree and leave them to the ants and bears."

You giggled. "Levi."

"What? They deserve to be ripped apart for hurting me cute bunny."

You snuggled close. "They're a bunch of meanies."

He kissed your forehead. "They are." He hummed. "You want pizza when you get released?"

"You know it."

[thatgoblin]

RE Boys Listening to Voicemails/Reading Texts After S/O Reader's Death

I am wholly putting the blame on @abysswhiskey11 for this. Blame them, not me.

Warnings: Death, miscarriage, murder, death from sickness.

Chris

He doesn't do it often, maybe once or twice a year. Usually around the holidays or your birthday.

Chris will find himself a nice drink and sit in his office alone as he goes through the voicemails and texts from you that he's saved over the years.

'Hi, this is Y/N. I had a really fun time the other night and wanted to see if you were up for a second date? Give me a call or shoot me a text if you want to. Bye.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'Hey, it's me. Letting you know that I'm running late a bit, but I'll be there soon. See you in a bit, bye!' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'I know you can't answer and probably won't get this voicemail till you get back to the states, but I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you, a lot.' *giggles softly* 'Didn't think I could miss someone so much before. But uh, we should go to your favorite steak place when you get back. How's that-' END OF VOICEMAIL

'Chris, stop being an ass and pick up. I'm worried about you. It was a stupid argument over a stupid dish. I'm sorry I yelled at you, things at work have been busy as hell and I shouldn't have taken it out on you, please call-' END OF VOICEMAIL

'Hey Baby. I'm stopping by the store before heading home to OUR new place.' *giggles* 'I am making sure to pick up the right wine for tonight as well, so don't worry about that. Just make sure the steaks are ready! Love you!' - END OF VOICEMAIL

*sniffles and shaky breathing* 'I know you won't get this yet, but I'm just having a hard night without you. I miss you so much. I'll be okay, but I just wanted to feel like I was talking to you a bit.' *deep breath* 'I love you. Please come home safely.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'Hey, Claire came by and dropped off some stuff of your parents from her place. Give her a call later about it. Love you!' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'Hey you. I just got done at the doctor's office. Give me a call when you get this. Love you, bye.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

*soft sobbing* 'Chris, please call me. I need you.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'I know you hate getting voicemails, but I can't reach you right now and I'm. . . I'm not doing okay. Call me, please.' *shaky breath* 'It's not looking good, babe.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'Chris. . . I. . .' - END OF VOICEMAIL

'You're in the bathroom of the hospital room right now and you're taking a shower. I just want you to know how much I love you and how much you mean to me. You're the best thing to happen to me Chris Redfield. I love you, Baby.' - END OF VOICEMAIL

Leon

He shouldn't check it as often as he does, but some days are too hard. Leon needs to see your words, to remind him that you weren't a dream.

So on days he's deep in the bottle, he'll pull up your texts to remember some good moments in his life and why he works so hard to keep others from having to go through the same thing.

8/9/2013: 'Hey you. Figured I'd shoot you a quick text. I'm free Friday if you wanna take me up on that offer of dinner. ;)'

8/11/2013: 'We should go out again, soon. It was a lot of fun at that bar. Especially with the karaoke songs. lol'

8/31/2013: *sends a picture of a forest green shirt and a navy shirt* 'Which one do you think will sell my boss on giving me vacation?'

10/7/2013: 'Just picked up dinner and heading over! See you soon! <3'

11/24/2013: 'I know you said you wanted alone time, but I just want to let you know that I'm here for you if you need me. I care a lot about you, Leon and you're not alone.'

11/30/2013: 'Morning handsome. >:)' *sends pic of Leon's rear from behind in his kitchen*

1/20/2014: 'When do you get done with work? I've got some new fun things to show you. Like that thing we talked about the other night for instance.'

2/17/2014: 'Leon please answer the phone. I don't know where you are and I'm freaking out. Please let me know you're okay.'

2/18/2014: 'Can you give me a call when you get this? I haven't heard from you since yesterday morning and I'm trying not to be smothering, but I'm worried. If I don't hear from you by later today I'm calling Helena.'

2/19/2014: 'I know you're dealing with your own demons and issues, but please please please do not shut me out. I don't want to lose you. I love you.'

3/1/2014: 'Hey Babe! So, my coworker Erica said we could use her family's cabin this weekend since you got the time off. What do you say? A little woodsy time? Eh? Eh? :D?'

3/17/2014: 'Running late, trying to go as fast as I can in this stupid traffic. I'll message when I'm home. Love you!'

3/31/2014: 'I know you're on assignment in DC right now and can't take many calls, but I can't wait for you to get home in a few weeks. I went to the doctor today to confirm something and she said it was positive. You wanna be a real Daddy, Leon?' *sends picture of ultrasound*

4/7/2014: 'So far so good! No morning sickness or really anything. Feeling good! How about you, Papa?'

4/29/2014: 'I need pickles. Can you stop by the store on the way home from the office? Please? I love yooooouuuuu!'

5/15/2014: 'Not feeling that great. Gonna lay down for a bit. We'll order out for tonight, just wake me up when you get home. Love you.'

5/16/2014: 'Leon pick up the damn phone. Something's wrong. I'm in a lot of pain. I'm calling an ambulance.'

5/16/2014: 'Please call me. I'm bleeding and the paramedics just got here.'

5/16/2014: 'Leon, your voicemail is full and I need you here. Please.'

5/16/2014: 'I lost her. They have me on fluids and pain meds, but I haven't ever felt this much pain before. Where are you?'

5/16/2014: 'I'm trying to stay awake to wait for you, but I'm so damn tired. I'm in room 112. They know who you are and will let you in. I'm going to shut my eyes for a bit. I love you.'

Carlos

It hits him out of the blue, never on a schedule. The need to see you or hear you, but the phone he had with all your exchanges on it was destroyed on a mission, but there were the little notes you left him.

Carlos can still smell you on them, swears he can hear the pen scratching across the paper of the post it notes as he pulls them out of the wooden box he kept his most cherished possessions in.

Left on his desk at work after two weeks of dating. - 'Hey sexy, cute butt. Wanna bang?'

Found on his bike at work. - 'Tag! You're it!'

Shoved into his jacket pocket. - 'You had one job, Carlos! One job! Toothpaste! Now we're doomed!'

Stuck to the top of a pastry container. - 'Sorry for yelling at you last night. It wasn't your fault and I shouldn't have said half the things I did. I get mean sometimes. I love you and hope you can forgive me. - <3 P.S. I got you chocolate cake from that bakery you love.'

Left on top of his pillow while you were asleep and he came home from a mission. - 'Wake me up when you get home so I can greet you properly, soldier. ;)'

Taped to the fridge. - 'Don't forget to check the security system before you leave. It's being weird with the cameras and doors not chiming. Love you! Rest well! XOXO'

Pinned to his uniform. - 'Freshly cleaned! Now try and keep zombie guts off it as long as possible. I love seeing you in it without the entrails. XOXO.'

Found inside a pair of his dress shoes. - 'Wear these, not boots. We will NOT be allowed inside the restaurant otherwise. Love you!'

Slipped into his lunchbox. - 'I swear to any deity above, Carlos Antonio de Franca Oliveira, if you leave your food containers as work again -> flip over.'

On the other side. - 'You will NEVER get in my backdoor again! You hear me! I love you, have a good day. XOXO'

Taped to the bathroom mirror. - 'Can you call the security system people again? The cameras are down and the door chimes aren't working again. Thank you. :) XOXO'

Stuck to Carlos' chest when he wakes up. - 'I love you, so fucking much it hurts. So don't make me hurt you and pick up your damn boots before I break my neck over them. Thank you! XOXO'

Slid under the front door. - 'Locked out. Open the door. Keypad not working. SOS. It's raining and I'm cold. :('

On the floor of the kitchen, fallen face down with a few spots of blood. - 'Not sure what the hell is going on with the security system, but I double checked the doors and windows cause the cameras are out and the doors aren't chiming again. They're all locked. I'm heading to bed Babe. Wake me up when you get home, I miss you so much! I love you! XOXO.'

Tag List: @abysswhiskey11 @interviewedchicken @cadouboo @lonely-af-fangirl @girl-obsessed-with-things @mmmm----15 @depressedthebluefox @whimsywispsblog @singingsiren98 @parkerschurros @chrissyreid

[gucciwins]

Are you Angel?

Harry gets hurt while on the job and Y/N gets a phone call she was not prepared for.

Word count: 7413

A/N: hello friends, it's been a while :) this is a continuation to my story Trouble Follows. You don't have to read but it will give you an insight of how Y/N and Harry met. I am thrilled to share more of firefighter harry with you. I adore him and I hope you do as well.

please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333

Warnings: angst, breakups, hospitals

A firefighter will always run into a burning building with not a hint of hesitation. All their focus is on saving the people stuck inside.

Running towards trouble is second nature to them.

She knew that.

She also knew what it meant to date a firefighter.

The unreliable hours, the non-frequent communication, the many failed dinner dates. The twenty-four hours shifts when he would then arrive home to just sleep.

Harry had begun to give her a constant comfort that he would eventually come home and climb into bed behind her. He would then gently nuzzle his face in her neck, taking in her sweet honey scent. In contrast, she took in the woody ashy smell that seems to be permanently stained on him.

So trust her when she said she knew what she was in for when Harry asked her to be his girlfriend.

Four months in, she knew she would be here for a long time, maybe forever, if life would allow it.

She was sure; she knew what to expect.

But she didn't, not until she got the call.

The call that would shatter her heart.

The call that would lead her to be sitting in this uncomfortable, ugly brown hospital chair, holding tightly onto his ashy hand. As she prayed on and on to a God, she no longer held close but wished for Harry they were real and would bring Harry back to her.

Y/N prayed for Harry to finally open his eyes and give her a reassuring smile that he would be okay.

That they would be okay.

Until then, she'll wait.

Harry being Lieutenant allowed him to have a consistent schedule. That did not mean there weren't days where he had to pull a double shift or stay back to finish paperwork; he let it pile up.

The one day that was Y/N's was Sunday.

She got him an entire day to lay in bed together and eat all the baked goods she baked for him to try. It was becoming their day. Everyone at the station knew Harry could not be disturbed on Sundays unless it was the end of the world, and even then, they'd have to pry him away from Y/N.

He feels safe in her arms. Harry had never felt that before. Sure, he was surrounded by his firehouse family, but he had never felt so loved in two arms as if she could take all his problems and stresses away. Still, she did exactly that when she would flash him her gorgeous smile and hold her arms open for him to fall into at the end of every day.

Harry knows he's never felt this way, and he won't ever take it for granted.

This Sunday will be different, and she feels it as soon as she wakes up because, in her queen-sized bed, she's alone. No arms wrapped around her waist; no head tucked into her necks as he places soft open kisses to wake her from her sleep gently.

Already, she knows this is going to be a bad day. She feels it in her bones. Having been around trouble for so long, she knows the difference between good and bad. The feelings she has made her want to find Harry and pull him back into bed where she can keep him safe.

Y/N gets out of bed, throwing the warm sheets off her body going to the bathroom to do her morning skin routine, wanting to feel refreshed for when Harry breaks the news; he's going to leave her alone on their day. She knows him well enough; he's cooking her breakfast to make up for leaving her so early in the morning.

She walks out of her bathroom, going straight to her closet and taking out the first sweater she saw. It's a baby blue color and stitched on the left side on top of her heart is: "love me please?" It's Harry's favorite sweater of hers because it's an oversized sweater that fits him well. The only reason she has it back is that he wanted her to wash it and wear it until it got her smell again. Y/N kissed him silly when he told her that, plus she loves that it smells like him now.

Y/N takes one look at her unmade bed and walks away, knowing she's going to crawl back in after Harry leaves her. She walks out and, from the hallway, can hear Harry humming away. If she's honest, she doesn't recognize the song. As she has come to learn, Harry has an interesting taste in music; he has basically heard every song ever to exist. It's a reason they are so good at Four Clovers Thursday Trivia night. She dominates pop culture and films, and Harry takes on music. She's also better at history than him. Their friends love trivia night because their winning always gets them free drinks. It's something she looks forward to each week.

"Morning, H," Y/N says as she approaches him from behind and wraps her arms around his waist. Harry smiles, instantly feeling warm with her arms around him.

"Morning, firebug. Sleep well?"

She mumbles a no, causing Harry to laugh, and she feels it vibrate through her.

"Awe, upset I wasn't wrapped around you." He teases. "I'm making up to you by making breakfast."

She pulls away, spotting blackberries on the counter. "Sure, Jan."

Harry can hear the change in her tone and knows she's still goofing off with him but knows she's upset.

"Angel, come sit. Coffee is ready."

She shakes her head but makes her way over to the chair he pulled out for her. "No coffee. I'll be going back to bed soon." Y/N waits to see if he'll correct her, but he doesn't.

"I'm sorry." He begins.

"No apologies."

"Please let me. I'm leaving you on our day." He pouts.

"As much as I don't want you to go, I'm sure they need you more than I do."

Harry frowns, "I hope you'll never stop needing me." He whispers against her lips before closing the gap. Y/N hums against his soft lips allowing herself to get lost in the moment; she loves his kisses, soft and gentle just as he is despite what his sharp eyes might have one believe.

Harry pulls away after pressing one final kiss on her pouted lips. "I'm sorry I have to go to work, but I know for certain that I can meet you for a late lunch."

"Lunch?" She repeats, arms wrapped around his waist, hoping he was serious with his offer.

He hums. "Yes, 2:30, that bistro with that avocado dressing you like for your sandwich."

"It's a date." She grins, laying her head on his chest letting him hold her tight. He unwraps his arms, letting her go.

"I've got to get going, firebug, but I'll see you later."

"Stay safe, Styles." She tells him as she does every time he leaves.

"Try my best, angel."

With that, he slips his beat-up white Vans with lilac laces and walks out the door; it shuts it behind him. Just as Y/N steps towards it to lock up, it opens back up, startling her. Harry steps back in, and before she can question him, he places both faces on the side of her face and kisses her breathless. Y/N is quick to react, allowing their lips to move in perfect harmony, not as smooth but perfect, nonetheless.

"I--" Harry begins before he clears his throat. "I'll miss you, angel."

Y/N feels the heat rush to her cheeks because, for a moment, she thought he'd say another three words. "And I'll miss you, H. Now get out of here; I don't need you showing up late to our lunch date."

Harry smiles, dimples on full display, hugging her before walking out a skip in his step. She peaks her head out, making sure he gets in the car safely before he drives off. He sits there for a moment, and she knows he is letting his Bluetooth connect as he waits for his drive-to-work playlist titled "it's time" to start playing. He takes a look at his mirrors before backing out and driving. That's when Y/N closes and locks the door.

Time to go back to bed for a few more hours; what else is there to do on a Sunday when she's left alone.

Harry genuinely did not want to go to work today, but it's not like he could say no to his Chief. His Chief was never one to call in favor unless it was an emergency. He didn't ask, knowing he'd get the full story Monday, but for now, he gets on his pants, t-shirt, and boots and hopes there are no fires today.

The only thing is that Harry isn't used to working with the B-shift, sure he knows everyone's name and a little of their lives, but they aren't his usual team. He shakes that off because he knows he would do anything to help a team member and knows they would do the same in return.

Harry is lost in thought, wondering what Y/N was going to do today. He knows she planned to take him to a butterfly pavilion today even told him the outfit she had planned out for it. A pair of jeans that had flowers embroidered all over something she added, saying she thought they looked a bit plain, pairing it with a pastel pink top. Harry was surprised with her style after meeting her various times in different outfits. He was surprised at how soft she dressed in pastels. She may have a bold personality, but her fashion was delicate and warm. It was a nice balance.

He nearly runs into Carols as he made his way to his office, too busy thinking of the girl he left at home. "Sorry, bud."

"No problem, Harry. Surprised to see you here," Carols tells him, everyone knowing Sunday was Harry's day off.

"Chief had something come up and asked me to come in. I should be out of here by eight tonight if we're lucky."

Carlos smiles, "with you around, we usually are."

Harry chuckles, telling him he'll be in his office if he needs anything. He looks around his desk and sighs at how much has piled up already.

Might as well get ahead.

It's a few hours when Harry realizes the house is quiet. He peaks around the window and figures they are all in the common room. It's only one, and thankfully there have been no calls, and if it continues, then he will make it to lunch with his angel.

He shoots her a text.

Angel

13:24 PM

I miss you. Counting down the minutes until I get to see you xxx

Harry clicks send and smiles down at his phone. 2:30 couldn't come fast enough.

As he gets up to stretch and go for a snack in the kitchen, he takes a deep breath because as confident as he may seem, he isn't around the second shift. They don't know him so well, and Harry ultimately is shy. He may be able to hide it, but he has small quicks that others pick up on. Something he knows Y/N spotted quickly, like when he toes his foot into the ground or when he begins to chip at his nails, and Y/N's favorite is when he moves his hands behind his back and sways side to side. She finds it endearing, but others might not think it's leadership material.

He walks into the lounge to cross to the kitchen when a few heads turn to him, but before they can say a word, the alarm rings, and Harry is literally saved by the bell.

Not a second to waste, everyone heads over to the rig and quickly suits up. Harry is Lieutenant meaning he's in charge of the scene today, seeing as their captain and Chief aren't here today. Harry respects all the firefighters and knows this will go well if everyone carries out their job.

It's a factory fire, and as soon as they arrive, Harry can see it's burning fast. He's not sure how many people are there, but he calls in for reinforcements knowing they will need all the manpower they can get.

"This is House 102; please send more units available. The factory fire is burning at a faster rate than we can control. My team is going in now. There are five people unaccounted for; the left side of the building is clear." Harry speaks into his two-way radio.

"Carlos," the young firefighter jogs over, eyes on Harry, no longer staring at the roaring fire. "You're going in with Baz. Stay close and don't go up the second floor; you need to be quick in and out."

"Who's going with you, Lieutenant?" Carlos asks, clearly worried.

"Jameson and Rey are coming with me; stay safe, and if anything happens, just radio in."

"You got it!" Harry pats his shoulder and walks off towards the two waiting men.

Harry knows the men well, he trained them when they came into the house, but they preferred B-shift instead of being with him. One spot was available, and he knew they didn't want to be separated. Rey and Jameson have been dating for two years, but that's a secret only very few know. It's not prohibited, but if it gets more serious, one will have to relocate to a new station. They simply aren't ready for that, and indeed Harry would be sad not to have them around the house or hearing their stories. It just adds a more considerable risk because, at the end of the day, the job is first.

Rey walks towards the entrance with Harry following right behind. Jameson, a few feet back, calling out for anyone in there that needs help.

"Fire department, call out." Echoes out as much as it can as the fire begins to roar louder.

The heat gets worse the further they walk in; they turn right at the edge of a desk labeled "Torres."

"H, there!" Rey shouts, rushing over to a man knocked unconscious and had heavy storage struck over his legs, pinning him down. Harry and Jameson run over, assessing the man before making any sudden moves.

Jameson finds a pulse, weak but there. He gets the extra mask over the man's face hoping it'll wake him up soon.

"On the count of three, we lift," Harry tells the two men standing to a stand as the others do the same.

They nod. "One, two, three." They grunt in unison, pushing the container to a standing position. Harry looks over the man's legs and is thankful there is no blood, but there will be swelling and bruises. "Right, Rey, take him out. We'll keep searching."

Rey nods, lifting the man over his shoulder as he was trained to do, and rushes out of the burning building. Harry and Jameson have just learned a new area when the radio comes on. "Lieutenant Styles, it's Carlos. We found two men; only one remains unaccounted for."

Harry nods. "Got it, no one comes back in. We'll be out soon."

He now leads the way, making his way towards a stairway. There's no fire here, but it's moving faster, and smoke is thick. Whoever is in here might not last much longer without oxygen.

"Fire department, call out," Harry shouts, voice firm.

"Here.." a whisper is heard, both Harry and Jameson freeze. Once more, "here" is yelled but sounds muffled.

Harry looks around, not seeing anything but fire, and fears the structure will collapse soon. Just as he was about to yell again, he sees a can knocked, and a man hidden under a black rag is seen. Jameson rushes over, helping the man sit up. He's older, well into his sixties. He doesn't look too well; he has a few scapes.

"Right, we need to head out," Jameson tells Harry, helping the man stand up who is fighting consciousness.

"This is Lieutenant Styles; on our way out found the last man. Have paramedics on standby."

"Got it, Styles. Get out quick."

Jameson and Harry get the man up and head to exit. Harry can see the light of day and knows he will be late for lunch, but thankful Y/N is understanding and very forgiving. He'll make it up to her by buying dessert.

Just as they almost reach the door, a piece of dry wood comes falling down, separating Harry and Jameson; luckily, it did not hit them, but now Harry has to find a new way out. It's not looking good.

"Harry," Jameson looks panicked, but Harry stays calm.

"Get him out, now," Harry tells him, looking in every direction for what to do.

"No, I won't-" Harry cuts him off.

"Jameson, get this man out. He needs medical attention. That's an order." Voice full of authority with no room to argue.

Jameson nods and heads out. "I'm coming back for you."

Harry chuckles. He sees a small path, but it'd be a more extended way out. He debates what to do. He could wait, but the longer he stays, the quicker this building is beginning to collapse.

It takes him two seconds to decide to go right and find a new route out instead of staying put. He walks and only gets hotter as the fire begins to surround him. He's good at not panicking, always thinks better under pressure, but this is getting intense. Harry climbs over a crate and bends low to go through this tight space. He sees the exit, it's still a bit away, but he knows he is in the clear.

That's when he hears a big explosion knocking him forward. His oxygen masks flys off, landing a few feet away. As Harry reaches his hand out to get it, he's pulled back. He looks behind and sees he's stuck. There are crates stacked on top of him. The air is thick of smoke, and with no oxygen, it seems like the fire will soon enough engulf him.

Shit.

He's really in trouble now.

Harry presses his radio, holding it, hoping it's still working. "This is Harry," He coughs. "I'm trapped under a few crates. I can't reach my ask. I'm west of the building."

"Harry, hold on. We're going in." Harry hears Jameson reply, but he's fading quickly.

He shakes his head. "Can't go to sleep, but this smoke is too thick to actually see anything, let alone for his team to find him.

"Tell…" He coughs again, and this time doesn't stop for what feels like five minutes but is only a few seconds. "Tell angel, I'm sorry."

A voice comes over the speaker, but Harry's eyelids are fluttering shut, the weight of the crates is too much, and the smoke only gets deeper in his lungs if he keeps speaking.

Harry welcomes the darkness as he sees the one person he was supposed to meet for lunch. She's holding an outstretched hand for him to take and who is he to ever say no to her.

Real or not, he goes to her, and soon enough, he falls unconscious, not feeling when his team lifts him out and puts him in the back of an ambulance.

Y/N decided to show up a bit earlier for their lunch date, putting in their order early, wanting to maximize all their time together. She wouldn't see him until late that night, and honestly, she wasn't a fan of being separated on her favorite day of the week.

She sits on a bench right outside, both sandwiches wrapped tucked away in a brown paper bag and a lemonade sitting next to her untouched. It was his favorite, too sweet in her opinion. Still, Harry loved it, especially since he wasn't one to indulge in sweets unless they were hers.

Knowing Harry could be running late, she pulls out a book from her orange tote bag that Harry gifted to her. The book was Beach Read, Frankie recommended it to her then gave her the book saying she needed to read more romance books and not just poetry and nonfiction books. She actually enjoyed it, which surprised her, but even if she didn't, she's too invested to not find out the ending.

She was just starting chapter five when she feels too much time has passed and glances down at her phone.

2:55

25 minutes late isn't bad or unusual even; she decides to put the book away and keep an eye out for him. Usually, when he keeps her waiting, he makes up for it with a long kiss that never fails to take her breath away; she's excited about it now.

Time seems to go slower when she just sits waiting. She debates beginning to eat her sandwich when her stomach starts to growl. It's low, but she would feel bad if she began to eat, and that's when he shows up. She settles for waiting and instead takes a drink of the sweet lemonade.

As Y/N sits waiting for Harry, her phone begins to ring and displays an unknown number but the city's area code. Every bone in her body tells her to prepare for the worst but hopes she's paranoid.

She takes a deep breath before answering and bringing the phone up to her ear.

"Hello, are you angel?" A deep voice man asks.

"It's Y/N. Actually, can I ask who's calling?" She's holding her breath; only one person calls her angel.

"I'm calling on behalf of Lieutenant Harry Styles. Harry has been in an accident and was taken to the hospital. He asked us to call an angel on his way to the hospital. We assumed you were one of his emergency contacts."

Y/N feels her hands begin to shake. "What hospital?"

The man on the phone rattles the information, and she lets it all sink in. He hangs up, and she sits there waiting on the bench for her date that will not be showing up.

Her phone rings again, she answers without looking at the caller.

"Y/N," she recognized the voice; it's Mitch, and if he's calling, then it must be true.

"Mitch," she whispers, not recognizing her own voice. It's shaky, tears beginning to well up.

"Where are you?"

"At the bistro a street down from the station." She replies, hoping he's coming for her.

"I'm close; we'll pick you up and go see him, darling." She nods but remembers he can't see her.

Y/N isn't sure why she's not crying. She feels the tears, but it's like they are stuck; her heart hurts, and she knows that says enough. "We were supposed to meet for lunch. I got worried when he didn't show up, but I didn't think--" he interrupts her.

"Harry is going to be fine, trust me. He's okay, and he needs us there."

Y/N doesn't reply because she sees him pulling in. Mitch is in the passenger seat, Sarah is driving. She doesn't say a word as she swings open the door and settles in the back.

She sets her hands in her lap; she can feel herself trembling. She can feel herself breaking because she won't know if he's okay until she sees him. Mitch can say he's fine, but she needs to see for herself.

Sarah and Mitch share a concerned look; Y/N doesn't notice her eyes looking out the window.

"Y/N?" Mitch begins, voice full of concern. "Do you- are you okay to go see him?"

"Of course." She replies quickly. "He needs me; well, I hope he does."

"Course he needs you. Needs his angel by his side." Sarah tells her calmly, wanting to see her smile, but it doesn't work because only Harry should be calling her that. She shouldn't be on her way to see him in a hospital bed. She should have seen him next to her on that bench as he ate his sandwich and gave her kiss and kiss as she told him stories.

They are silent the rest of the way. Sarah pulls into an empty parking space, and she rushes after Mitch, who seems to know exactly where Harry is as he rushes past the front desk. The only thing that slows them down is waiting for the elevator; she gladly would have taken the stairs if Mitch didn't tell her that he's on the sixth floor. Instead, she waits impatiently for the old elevator that will take her to see her love.

He is going to be okay. He has to be okay. Y/N keeps those thoughts running through her head as Mitch and Sarah guide her to room 613.

Mitch walks in first, holding the door open, Sarah places a comforting hand on her back, and Y/N feels supported and loved, but nothing prepares her for what she is about to walk into.

The constant beep of Harry's heart monitor is the only thing that can be heard in his private room. The beep is steady; it makes her let out a deep breath. The monitor already calming her down, she approaches slowly as if he'd wake if she'd walk any faster.

She sits in the uncomfortable chair next to his bed and pulls it as close as she can.

Y/N just stares at him, taking it all in. He looks like he's resting peacefully like he should originally have been when they started this day together. His curls are disheveled, his face dirty with smoke stains and a few gauzes wrapped around his arms. She can't see much else but knows he's got a road of recovery still ahead of him.

"Hi, Harry," she whispers, her hand slowly reaching under the white sheet to grab hold of his right hand. "I'm right here, okay. Take your time waking up; there's no rush. Just know that I'm not going anywhere."

She pauses, hoping for a reply even though she knows she won't get one. "We can also discuss how I'm sort of one of your emergency contacts."

Y/N presses her lips to his hand. "Need you to wake up, want to see those Rapunzal eyes." She sits back, not removing her hand from his. Sarah has not taken her eyes off of her, Sarah might feel like she might blow up soon, but being at his side, she has begun to feel better.

"Harry, we're here for you. The whole team is outside in the lobby, probably why they sent us to the floor with the biggest waiting area. Even young Carlos is out there, saying you gave them a scare but really hopes you never pick up another B-shift again." Mitch sniffles before stepping out of the room. Sarah walks over to where he was standing.

"Hey Harold, it's trivia night in a few days, and kind of counting on you to get us those free drinks." Sarah chuckles. "It's been a while since we've been in the hospital. I think it was when I made you all donate blood for that ambulance competition. Fun times, now you rest and get better. The good thing is you have the best nurse looking out for you." Sarah glances at Y/N, sending her a small smile.

Y/N sits back in her chair as Sarah sits in one by the window. She knows she's in for a long afternoon and an even longer night.

Harry's head is throbbing.

He's not sure why. The last he remembers is leaving Y/N's house to go for his shift at the station.

They were meeting for lunch; he's sure she wouldn't let him drink any alcohol on the job.

Harry slowly opens his eyes and is blinded by the bright light. He sees a photo of the sunset right in front of him, and a tv hung up; if he's not mistaken, he's in a hospital room, primarily due to being in an uncomfortable bed. The oxygen mask over his face is also a dead giveaway he was in an accident.

He looks around, and he sees he is not alone. His angel is sleeping, a tight grip on his right hand; she looks exhausted. Mitch walks in just as Harry was about to wake her. Y/N mumbles and sits up, pulling her hand away from his to rub the sleep away. Harry wants to tell her to stop knowing how much it actually irritates her eyes, especially when she tubs a little harsher than usual.

"Were you able to find tea, Mitch?" Y/N asks, looking over at him.

"Sarah's bringing it over." Mitch's gaze never turns to her staying on Harry; this confuses Y/N and turns back around in her seat to look at a resting Harry but instead finds his eyes on her.

"Harry!" Y/N scoots forward, grasps his hand in hers. "You're awake. Mitch, the nurse, please."

Harry raises his free hand to take off the mask. He wants to speak, but this won't allow him. "No, love. Got to keep it on."

Harry's eyes close, then flutter open. He stares at Y/N, his eyes kind but defiant. He takes the mask off, coughing a bit; it makes Y/N feel nauseous, knowing he's not doing so well.

"I think you need to keep it on, Harry." She says, "the nurse needs to see it when she comes in soon."

"Hey, angel," he says in a raspy voice. It sounds like he's in pain when he talks.

"Yes?" She asks.

"I'm sorry for scaring you."

Y/N shrugs, "no big deal. I wasn't even scared."

Harry smiles, showering her his dimples since she last saw him this morning. He begins to laugh but stops when it causes him to cough. Y/N lets him settle down before bending down to gently kiss him.

"Now, let that hold you over, and put the mask pack on."

Harry nods. "Anything for you, my angel."

It's a half-hour before the doctor comes in, and by that time, Harry had fallen back asleep, only just waking up a few minutes before the man walked through the door. Mitch alerted everyone outside he was awake and doing good.

Dr. Vazquez walked white coat open, displaying a purple button-up and a bright yellow tie. It puts a smile on Y/N's face.

"Hello, Mr. Styles. Glad you're awake."

"Me too, Doc. Nice tie."

Dr. Vaquez smiles, looking down at himself, "Thank you, my wife picks out my tie every morning before she heads off to work."

"Lucky man," Harry tells him.

"That I am." Dr. Vazquez replies. "You've got a mild concussion, nothing serious, but you are allowed to sleep while you're here. We've got a good team looking out for you. You've got a few burns, but those will heal nicely if properly cared for. A few deep bruises on your leg and one on your rib cage, no blood clots. It will hurt to walk for a few days."

"Nothing too bad, then," Harry sighs, relaxing in bed.

"I've looked at your charts, and it looks like you will be making a full recovery and should be back on the job in three or four weeks. In the meantime, you will need to stay overnight and keep taking in oxygen. I see the nurse changed your mask. Please don't remove this one." Harry nods. "Any questions?"

Harry shakes his head no, "Not at the moment."

"Alright, I'll be off then. I'll come to see you tomorrow midday, and we'll talk about going home. I hear you have a waiting room full of people dying to see; just be aware that visiting hours end at nine, but if you're kind to Nurse Lucy, she'll be lenient to ten."

"Thank you, Dr. Vazquez." Mitch and Y/N say in unison as the man exits the room.

"That's the quietest I've ever seen you, firebug." Harry teases.

"You hush." She lightly pats his arm.

Mitch laughs, "going to go tell them you're allowed, visitors."

Y/N and Harry sit in silence. He can tell she has something on her mind, a slight frown on her face. He wonders if it's about him if she won't be able to handle dating someone who can be hurt by the job. Harry honestly does not want to lose her.

"I'm going to step out," Y/N tells him, looking down at their joined hands, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Y/N," Harry sighs.

"You've got lots of people waiting to see you and roughly have an hour to see them all. I'll be close by." She leans down, presses a kiss to his cheek, and walks out before he can reach out to stop her.

She steps out while a few members of his team come in to see him offering her a smile as she passes them. As much as she didn't want to leave him, she needed a moment away, and he needed a moment with his family.

God, Y/N has never felt so scared, and now a minute alone, everything is beginning to set in. She has no idea where the restroom is, and the next thing she knows, she's running into someone, but it seems they recognize her because they say her name, and the next thing she knows, she's crying, sinking to the floor. She feels arms wrap around her.

Shushes in her ear, brushing the ends of her hair. It's calming, but she needs to let all the tears she's been holding in.

"Y/N," she can now recognize the voice as Sarah's, "I'm going to help you stand and sit you in the chair.

Y/N feels herself nod.

She begins taking deep breaths, never letting Sarah pull her hand away. It is the only thing keeping her grounded.

"I got her some water." Y/N hears Frankie whisper handing it to Sarah before taking the seat to the left of her.

"I'm okay," she repeats. "I'm okay."

"Y/N," Sarah begins.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, sweetie." Frankie brushes her hair back.

"I'm supposed to be strong; I have to be strong to do this to stand by his side," Y/N tells them, beginning to let her emotions out.

"No one is expecting you not to cry."

"Bu-" Sarah interrupts her.

"No. stop. Accidents happen, and so do injuries. It's okay to be scared and hurt."

"I want to be strong for him." She whispers.

"You are. You never left his side; you talked to him. You're crying now because you care."

She wipes her eyes with her sweater sleeves. "I love him, and I was so scared that when I got the call, I'd never get to tell Harry."

"Then you tell him as soon as you walk back into his room."

"Thank you."

"Nothing to thank, I care about you, and I know Harry would be grateful to know you're not alone. You've always got us. Now let's grab something to eat, and we'll come back in an hour once all of them go home."

She chuckles. "Alright."

"Text me where you're sitting. I'll pop in to see Harry, then meet you."

"You don't have to," Y/N tells Frankie because she knows she is just as concerned about her friend.

"Are you kidding me? You're my friend first, always."

Sarah and Y/N walk down to the cafeteria. She knows she isn't okay but is feeling better, finally letting emotion out. It was only a matter of time before she let the dam break; she's just happy it was not in front of Harry.

The girls sit in the cafeteria munching on snacks for well over an hour. Mitch sends them a message letting them know all the crew has left and it's time to say goodbye for the night. Frankie wishes her goodnight downstairs with promises to come to see her tomorrow and bring her a change of clothes.

"Let's walk you back," Sarah tells her, linking their arms together.

"Do you think he'll know?" Sarah takes a good look at her and grimaces. "I'll just say I tripped, and it made me cry." Y/N jokes.

"I don't think he'll believe that."

"Yeah, me either." The girls walk out of the elevator as their laughter dies down.

They settle in silence as they make their way to his room, Sarah holding her hand leading the way. Mitch is in the chair she was in for so many hours before waiting for him to wake up. Mitch hears their footsteps and turns his head, but Harry is frowning, looking out the window at the dark sky.

Y/N doesn't know what to say, but one look at him has her heart filling up with relief; he's okay.

He's fine, and he gets to go home soon, and she gets to love him all she wants.

Harry turns his head as she steps forward. "Angel," he breathes out.

It makes her eyes well up with tears again. "I love you," she just lets it out, as if she's told Harry this every day as if she never went a moment not saying it.

"Oh my angel," Harry begins to cry, feeling overwhelmed and incredibly happy. His angel loves him, and although this isn't a perfect day, the moment is.

Mitch and Sarah sneak out quietly, shutting the door behind them to give them their privacy.

"I love you so much. Please come here." Harry replies, voice shaky.

In the next second, she's moving forward, pulling the chair as close as she can as he grabs her hands, squeezing them tightly. She leans down and presses her lips to his chapped pink lips. They move gently, pouring all their love and fears into the kiss. Telling each other that the worst is over and they are together, and they are fine. Y/N pulls back, knowing she can't kiss him as long as she'd like due to his sensitive lungs.

"Harry, I love you, and I was so scared I'd never get to say it."

"I'm sorry, angel; I never wanted you to get a call like this, at least not before talking about it."

"Me either," She sniffles, no longer able to control her tears, "but it happened, and I'm just happy you're okay."

"I'm okay," he repeats. She smiles, taking one of her hands out of his hold to wipe his tears away; Harry can't help but lean his head into her gentle touch. "I'm okay because my angel is always looking after me.

"Harry."

"It's true. I've never been luckier and safer since you came into my life." She smiles. "But there's something we have to talk about." He continues, and by the tone of his voice, it's going to be serious.

"Are you okay?"

"What? I'm fine. You're the one in a hospital bed." Her tone is defensive.

"There's something wrong. I can see it."

Y/n sighs, taking a deep breath. She takes her hand out of his hold.

Harry is quick to mask his hurt.

"I don't like that you're hurt. I hate that we aren't at home in the kitchen dancing around to your Sunday playlist as I bake you a new treat." She says in a rush.

"Hey, love, relax," he says and gestures for her to move in closer. She does so, allowing him to take hold of her hands with a firm grip this time.

"You're upset because I got hurt?" She nods in reply to his question. It's stupid because, of course, he's going to get hurt; it'd be naive to think he wouldn't in his job.

"It's part of the job." He says simply. It's something he wants her to accept and remember. She thinks back to a month into dating when he told her about his ex-girlfriend and how she couldn't handle the unknown of the job each day he left her. Y/N thought she'd be fine, but she loves him, and losing him would be something she could never recover from.

"I know. It's just not easy to see." Her voice was quiet and defeated.

"What do we do?" Harry asks, and Y/N freezes; she can feel her heart beating in her ears.

What do we do?

"What do you mean?" She can feel her hands begin to shake.

"This can happen again." He gestures to him in the hospital bed.

"I know." She says softly.

"Is this something you can handle or not?" He asks very direct. She knows this might not be the first time he's had the conversation, but she just told him she loved him, and he's questioning her. She's allowed to feel this way, but it doesn't mean she can't handle it.

"Y/N," he begins, "I'm incredibly happy with you. I see you and me together for a long time. You're it for me, but this job is my life."

"I know," she repeats. "I would never ask you to give up your job."

Harry stares at her; heartbreak passes through his eyes. "Are you asking me to give you up?

She shakes her and begs for the tears not to fall, but it's no use. She feels them falling and can't wipe them as Harry has a hold of her hands.

"Harry, I love you." He frowns as if fearing the worst. "I love you, and I'd rather love you every moment I have you than let you go now and never know what could have been."

"Oh, thank god." Harry lets out a deep breath. She giggles. "I'm sorry we couldn't have this conversation earlier; honestly, I feared if I brought it up, you could possibly break up with me, and I selfishly wanted to have you longer."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, not if it's up to me. Seeing you laid up is hard but knowing I get to be there for you makes up for it. Also helps that I'm a nurse."

"That it does."

Y/n grins at Harry, leaning in to kiss him, short and sweet for now. Each kiss never fails to make her heart race, and due to Harry's heart monitor, she knows it does the same to him. They sit in silence, staring at each other as Harry traces small shapes against Y/N's cheeks, loving the feeling of her in his hand. Especially when she lets out a soft giggle when he hits a sensitive spot.

"Move in with me," Y/N blurts out after a while of silence.

It shocks Harry. "What?"

"Until you're better. That way, I can be your in-home nurse."

"Only until I'm better?" She nods. "So, you'll give me the boot after." Harry teases.

Y/N can feel her cheeks warming up but pushes through, "Only if you're a bad patient."

Harry smiles, dimples on full display for her, always for her. "Okay, I can be good and naughty only when you ask."

"Harry!" She gasps.

He throws his head back, laughing.

"God, I'm so lucky to love you." His words warm her heart, and she promises to tell him every day from now on.

"Now get up here and cuddle me. I got Mitch to cue up Netflix."

"Are you sure?" She stands slipping her shoes off, knowing he won't be taking no for an answer.

"Going to deprive an injured man of what he wants most?"

"Guess not."

"Good."

Y/N crawls on and lays on his side, carefully resting her head on his chest. Harry presses kiss after kiss for his comfort, knowing he will be okay and has his favorite person by his side. She chooses Legally Blonde knowing it's Harry's comfort movie as much as he tries to deny it.

For an unusual start to their Sunday, it ends right; together in bed, a hospital bed but nonetheless a bed, together arms wrapped tight around each other.

Y/N might not have liked that Harry got hurt, but he's okay, and he will recover.

That's all she could ever ask for.

thank you so much for reading!

please send me a message of what you thought or if you'd like to see more firefighter harry

I adore you. take care xx

[pokemonispain]

The cold rain-Zhongli/Childe

(Really quick AN:  So I got this request a while ago and since I can only think about Childe at the moment, I decided to write this especially since all these artworks I keep seeing of him going to Zhongli injured to get bandaged up in the middle of the night lives rent-free in my head, still working on Aether's fic as well as my other longer fics STHIARL and Don't chase shadows as well as the next fic in the Chiscara agenda. But if you're wondering where I've been, shortly after getting out of the hospital and having the tooth that'd been causing me problems pulled my mom mom went to the hospital then an inpatient pt facility, and was gone for about 30 days total, she just came home yesterday so I'm taking care of her again. Besides that, I was visiting her every day etc either way sorry about not posting anything lately. Anyhow I hope you guys enjoy this fic I had a lot of fun writing it, especially since Childe is my favorite boy 😂❤❤)

summary: In which during one evening, Zhongli comes home to see Childe waiting for him.

Zhongli frowns slightly as he begins making his way home from the funeral parlor beneath the shelter of an umbrella. It’s fairly late at night, rain pouring from the skies as such Liyue harbor’s usual street traffic is practically absent aside from the occasional one or two passersby.

Tonight though was supposed to be the night that Childe and he would share drinks, typically at Zhongli’s apartment where they could have some quiet private time together or they would go out for food at Wamin restaurant, perhaps even train together.

Lately however for the past week, Zhongli has not seen Childe at all, while both men could be rather busy at times Zhongli does find it rather strange that Childe had not even stopped by once. In fact, Childe seemingly hadn’t been in Liyue harbor either, now that Zhongli thought about it.

He pauses for a moment as his scowl grows into a frown. Preheats he should go by Northland bank to check on Childe? But Zhongli quickly dismisses the idea as he continues walking towards his apartment.

Childe would come to see him when he had time as he always did. And yet despite his choice, Zhongli can’t help but feel that sense of worry grow slightly stronger.

~~~

Zhongli is a little ways away from his apartment when he pauses, a deep frown forming on his face when he sees something odd laying at the front of his apartment door.

As he narrows his eyes he realizes that it’s a figure, slumped to the side like a limp, lifeless rag doll, not completely outside of the rain.

Having a good idea who it was, Zhongli takes a deep breath in and sighs softly. It wasn’t unusual for Xiao to over-extend himself during his usual duties, Zhongli could count more than a few times he’d awoken to find Xiao laying curled up on the floor or ground practically soaked in blood.

As Zhongli begins approaching the figure though he pauses again, as his eyes adjust a bit more to see through the rain pouring down from the skies.

He can see that the figure is covered in red, no doubt smeared with blood but as he catches sight of familiar grey clothes and orange hair his breath practically feels as if it catches in his throat. His grip on the umbrella handle tightens almost subconsciously, nearly breaking it.

Zhongli’s chest seems to tighten painfully as panic and fear flares to life inside him, feelings so visceral he hasn’t felt them in Archon’s knows how long.

In the next moment, he’s rushing over to Childe’s side, his umbrella long forgotten it wasn’t important after all. Not right now.

“Ajax,” Zhongli called out and there’s an odd yet frantic, almost desperate edge to his voice as he stares at Childe’s limp form. He can feel the rain pelting his skin, cold as ice now that he no longer has his umbrella, but that doesn’t matter in fact it’s the furthest thing from his mind.

Childe lays on his left side, on the small welcome mat sitting in front of the door as if he’d simply been placed there. He’s practically motionless, those dark blue eyes Zhongli was so used to seeing were closed, blood smeared his clothing and skin.

Childe is pale as well, his face nearly the same shade as a sheet making the blood streaking his skin and clothing stand out even further. The blood doesn’t seem to be his considering that Zhongli can’t find any tears or rips in his clothing but at the same time he can’t be sure.

Gripping his shoulder firmly Zhongli isn’t surprised that Childe’s clothes are entirely soaked through with rain, but what does surprise him is the fact that he can feel Childe trembling.

This surprise however is good in a sense and Zhongli can’t help the wave of relief washing over him, it gives him a moment to breathe, to step back and assesses the situation, he does his best to ignore the worry writhing in his chest as he looks Childe over once more.

It is only now that he realizes he can hear Childe’s breathing, it’s a rough, rasping wheeze rattling in his chest. It’s painful, horrific even and Zhongli finds himself biting his lip for a brief moment.

Childe’s face is twisted ever so slightly into a grimace, a very faint red feverish blush coating his cheeks.

Removing one of his gloves, Zhongli places a hand on Childe’s forehead and winces, a deep frown crawling across his face. While Zhongli tends to run a bit colder than most people, even he is able to tell that Childe is sporting a fever, a dangerously high one too, to the point where it actually feels as if it stings Zhongli’s hand slightly when he first placed it on Childe’s forehead.

Placing his glove back on Zhongli reaches out and grabs Childe’s shoulder, shaking him in an attempt to rouse him.

It is only on the third time that Zhongli calls Childe’s name when the man’s eyes flutter open halfway.

If possible Zhongli’s frown grows deeper, Childe’s eyes are glazed over and glassy, lacking any of the usual sharp awareness they usually had. They roam around slowly, aimlessly as a very soft, heavily slurred groan slips from Childe’s mouth.

He mumbles something intelligible, a faint scowl appearing on his face as his eyes begin to slip closed again before Zhongli shakes him once more

“Ajax, I need you to stay awake. You are very sick at the moment,” Zhongli told him as he raised his voice slightly so that Childe could hear him over the pouring rain.

Another slurred groan slipped from between Childe’s lips as he mumbles something again, followed shortly after by a series of distinct wet-sounding hiccups that jolts Childe’s body. Then a moment later his body shuddered as he weakly retched up a wave of watery, thin, murky bile, the mess trickling down Childe’s chin and dripping from his lips to pool onto the ground beneath his cheek.

As Childe weakly coughed and spluttered, Zhongli reached out gently stroking his hair back and away from his face as Childe’s body shuddered with another weak retch.

As Childe choked up another surge of watery vomit adding to the rather decently sized puddle near his face, Zhongli scowled when he noticed something odd. Two white things, that appeared to be pills or some kind of medicine lay in the glistening puddle of vomit that was being slowly washed away rainwater surrounding them.

Truthfully if they had not come up entirely whole as they did then Zhongli may not have noticed it.

It didn’t seem to be poison either but more so a drug of sorts. If Zhongli had to guess one developed by the Fatui.

Childe gives a slurred groan as he shifts slightly, everything is hot far, far too hot leaving him as though he’s melting. The world coming to him in a smear of hazy colors, sounds, and sensations that seem to slip between his fingers before they could stabilize into something tangible.

He’s tired as well as if any and all his strength has been drained from his body leaving him wanting nothing more than to stay where he was and drift off to sleep.

However, he is able to register three things despite his thoughts and senses being one large jumbled mess at the moment. One Zhongli is with him, although Childe does not know why just yet, he’s able to recognize that familiar presence anywhere, that familiar firm yet soothing touch on his skin.

Although he’s not quite sure why he can hear panic and fear corrupting that rich silky tone he loves so much, as Zhongli spoke to him.

Was something wrong?

The second thing Childe is able to register is that his chest feels weirdly tight, an uncomfortable pressure squeezing it to the point where it feels as though he’s breathing through a straw, each breath he draws in stinging his lungs ever so slightly.

The third thing Childe is able to register is the pure, cold nausea whirling sickeningly in the pit of his stomach. And while Childe can’t exactly remember eating too much when Zhongli begins shaking him in an effort to keep him awake, Childe can feel the contents of his stomach slosh sickeningly.

Feeling all too much like a water balloon being rolled down a hill, the contents of his stomach practically brushing against its walls.

He does try to speak. “Stop. You’re…making….me…feel…sick,” he said softly, a slight scowl tugging at his face, but the words become a jumbled, slurred mess, as if Childe were speaking with his mouth full. Completely indecipherable.

For a moment things seem relatively calm, any of the noises, sights, and sounds that had been floating around in jumbled fragments before Childe’s eyes seem to be gradually fading away into nothing. He’s so tired, it seems as if it’s seeped down into his very bones weighing down his body like a rock beneath the ocean waves.

How had he ended up like this again? It takes Childe a moment to wrack his brain, especially when each thought seems to slip through his fingers like sand before they could form.

Ah…right…he’d been training in his Foul legacy transformation…then something had happened…and…

Childe is shaken awake by Zhongli once more, not even able to recall when he’d closed his eyes, but either way, the motion sends his stomach roiling and shifting inside of him.

A weak groan full of misery and slurred with nausea leaves his mouth as he tastes bile burning at the back of his throat, disgustingly bitter, poisonous almost, and rancidly sour like rotten meat left in the sun for days. It’s searingly hot, feeling as if it singes the back of his throat as he swallows thickly.

He tries to speak again, to get Zhongli to stop shaking him. “St-stop it. Y-you’re…going…to make me…puke,” he managed to choke out, but much like his last attempt at speaking it comes out slurred and jumbled.

As a wave of nausea washes over him, making heat prickle at his skin he feels air bubbling at the back of his throat, unable to stop the series of hiccups that just seems to drive his stomach contents further and further up his throat.

One of the more particularly harsh hiccups brings a lot more than air, the sound becoming garbled at the tail end as he retches.

A surge of watery vomit leaves his mouth as it gurgles up his throat, coating his mouth in an absolutely horrific nearly poisonous taste of bile.

As he coughs and splutters trying to draw in air in between waves he feels Zhongli’s hands on his face, gently stroking his hair back and cupping his cheek. It's strangely soothing and Childe finds himself trying to lean into Zhongli’s touch, chasing that relief from the fever that seemed to be burning him from the inside out.

Childe retches one final time, a harsh, violent wet noise the vomit gurgling in his throat making him sound as if he were drowning. The vomit is thicker this time, and a darker tannish color with a consistency similar to oil paint as it drips almost lazily from his open mouth, practically condensing into a slurry as adds to the mess on the ground.

Childe coughs and gasps for air threads of drool and bile slowly dripping from his lips, each cough, each breath feels as if it's raking across his lungs, crackling in his chest. But no matter what Childe does it feels as if he can’t drag enough air into his lungs, as if the moment he tries to draw it in it evaporates.

Childe feels dizzy, and a faint humming noise fills his ears growing stronger and stronger slowly blocking out every other noise. As darkness slowly begins to creep into his already blurry vision Childe is able to make out Zhongli’s familiar hands on his body, lifting him up and cradling him in his arms allowing Childe’s head to rest on his chest.

He can hear Zhongli’s heartbeat thumping softly, although it seems a bit faster than usual it's soothing nonetheless and that combined with the panic he’d heard in Zhongli’s voice has him giving a weak, airy yet raspy chuckle.

“You…were…worried about me…huh,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. In fact, if Zhongli wasn’t as close he may not have heard him.

“Now is not the time for jokes Childe,” Zhongli murmured with a scowl as he stood up, now holding Childe in his arms. He needs to get answers from Childe concerning how he got into this state, especially considering the pills he saw him throw up but that could wait until later.

First, he needed to get Childe inside and tended to.

~~~

A frown is on Zhongli’s face as he works meticulously. After bringing Childe inside and laying him down in bed, he’d set about removing most of his clothes to examine him properly.

Thankfully his initial guess was correct, the blood wasn’t Childe’s and he didn’t see any injuries beyond a few minor bruises, mostly on Childe’s arms, interestingly enough. However what is worrying is that the scent of the abyss clings to Childe, as if some poisonous miasma were imprinted on his skin.

Zhongli had noticed it faintly when picking him up but now that they’re inside and away from the elements, it’s impossible to not notice. It was as if Childe had been wandering the abyss for months or years even.

The last time Zhongli had seen Childe was before the new week started truthfully, afterwards it was as if the man had simply vanished from Liyue Harbor altogether. While he doesn’t think that Childe has been to the abyss recently something else does come to mind.

Childe’s Foul Legacy transformation. A strange monstrous form that from what the Traveler had described did not look like something that was from Teyvat. Zhongli had yet to see this form for himself but what the Traveler had described did remind him of a few other foes that he faced years ago.

Abyss Heralds to be specific and once he’d realized that many, many things quickly fell into place. A lot of the way Childe fought in battle, the way he moved seemed as if he’d learned it from those creatures somehow.

Abyssal magic was absolutely nothing to be trifled with even for gods, for humans perhaps even more so. If it didn’t further shorten a human’s already short lifespan, then it would change them, corrupting their form and mind into something horrific.

Zhongli sighed as he looked at Childe with narrow eyes for a moment. “You fool.”

Zhongli knows that there’s no way he would be able to get Childe to cease using that power, so he doesn’t even plan to try considering it would simply become a form of unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

What he could do however is try to make sure something like this didn’t happen again.

Once Zhongli had finished cleaning the blood off of Childe, he placed a cold washcloth on Childe’s forehead and placed a glass of ice water on the nightstand. He makes sure to place a small trash can by the bedside as well, hopefully, though Childe wouldn’t need to use it in his brief absence while he went to the pharmacy but it was better safe than sorry.

~~~

It’s hot, to Childe, the kind of heat that drained your energy and made you feel as though you were melting just by being in it.

Groaning softly, Childe shifts weakly. There’s something covering him, it’s soft yes but is only exacerbating the heat that seems intent on burning him to ash from the inside out.

It feels as if something is sitting on his chest, creating a harsh aching pressure which makes it feel as if his lungs are having trouble trying to expand and each breath he does manage to take seems as if it’s raking over his lungs.

The pain in his chest and the unbearable heat are not the only issues as well. Childe feels horrifically nauseous, the sensation is slimy and cold curls in the pit of his stomach.

His stomach feels as if the heat from his fever is making its contents boil, practically brushing against the walls of his stomach as they curdle inside of him.

Whimpering softly, Childe shifts without opening his eyes. He swallows thickly, placing a hand gently on his stomach as he makes some attempt to get it to settle down slightly.

A weak groan leaves his mouth when his stomach gurgles beneath his hand, and the waves of nausea washing over him seem to sharply increase. Taking a shuddering, shaky breath in Childe swallowed thickly when the saliva that is currently filling his mouth feels far too heavy and warm on his tongue.

But even that seems to make his situation worse, the back of his throat spasming ever so slightly while the action of swallowing the saliva feels almost as if he’s swallowing liquid glue. His throat almost clinging together slightly.

Opening his eyes a bit Childe shifts, making some attempt to try and prop himself up even a little since he knows that, with how he feels his stomach’s contents more than likely won’t stay down long.

However, he finds that he’s too weak to even sit up at the moment.

Honestly, he doesn’t know if it’s the drugs he’d taken to help dull the effects he usually got with the Foul Legacy Transformation that were causing him to feel like this or if it was just how the transformation made him feel.

The drugs were made by Dottore and a new formula apparently, and considering how Dottore could be Childe wouldn’t put it past him.

“Childe?”

Turning his head a bit to his right, Childe sees Zhongli sitting in a chair at his bedside, his usual long coat discarded and folded over the back of the chair. His gloves were also removed and his sleeves rolled up part way exposing his arms.

Smooth, snake-like brown scales the color of fresh earth lined his skin stopping at his wrist while the scales that covered his hand were orangish the color of cor lapis. It was a sight that Childe had seen many times in private but it never failed to leave him in awe.

Childe grimaced, swallowing thickly when his stomach lurched slightly beneath his hand, his nausea swirling almost violently in his gut.

Zhongli scowled a sense of unease settling over him when Childe grimaced. He sits up setting the book he’d been reading aside on the nightstand. “Are you in pain?”

Zhongli’s assumption about the medication being a Fatui drug was correct from what Baizhu had informed him. A form of experimental elemental energy suppressants, more than likely a way for Fatui soldiers to control their delusions if they were to run rampant if Zhongli had to guess.

The side effects were mostly unknown and based on sketchy reports at best which made things even more difficult.

While Childe had clearly thrown up some of the medicine earlier, those were obviously the most recent dosage he’d taken meaning that he could’ve possibly taken more beforehand.

“N-no…well yeah but…” Childe stops speaking for a moment, a hand shakily coming up to cover his mouth as he weakly gagged into it. Childe takes a shuddering breath in, his breathing harsh as he gives an audible swallow. “I…I’m going to throw up,” he manages to force out his voice, wavering yet heavy with nausea.

Childe closed his eyes, nearly squeezing them shut as he focused on trying to swallow back the near river of saliva overflowing his mouth.

He can feel the back of his throat spasming, threatening to make him gag as his stomach lurches and gurgles beneath his hand.

He hears Zhongli moving around for a moment then feels his familiar hands on him.

“Here you are,” Zhongli murmured as he helped Childe sit up. Placing a hand on his back to support him.

The motion seems to only further upset Childe’s stomach as he begins gagging into the hand over his mouth. Zhongli quickly places the trash can that he’d set by the bed in Childe’s lap.

This is good because a second later Childe all but lurches forward,  his hand leaving his mouth as he clutches the trash can in a near-death grip.

His stomach lurches, nearly spasming as a harsh burp forces its way up his throat, gurgling inside of it as a surge of murky, watery vomit sprays past his lips, splashing heavily into the bag lining the trash can.

He can feel Zhongli’s hand moving along his back slowly rubbing soothing circles on it, and it helps a tiny bit.

Zhongli scowls as Childe lurches forward again, coughing and spluttering for a  moment before a harsh, strangled retch tears from his lips bring a fairly decent surge of murky watery vomit spraying from his lips. The soup-like slurry splashing heavily into the trash can. The retching is so violent it even brings tears to Childe’s eyes.

As the stream of vomit slowly tapers off Childe is left panting and feeling drained, his stomach muscles aching and his throat feeling as if he’s rubbed it raw with sandpaper. He swallows, the back of his throat still spasming slightly as threads of bile and drool drip lazily for his lips.

Sniffling, Childe takes the tissues that Zhongli offers him. “Fuck…” he whispered his voice raspy, he slumps forward slightly over the trash can panting softly.

He feels drained, nausea still swirling in the pit of his stomach although he doesn’t feel as if he’s going to throw up right this moment. A horrible taste chalky bitter taste coats the inside of his mouth like poison and no matter how much he swallowed it wouldn’t disappear.

Eventually, though he looks up and over at Zhongli, a slight frown on his face. He had a faint memory of it raining and Zhongli being there, shaking him awake and seemingly angry with him. No, no angry, worried.

“How much do you remember,” Zhongli asked as he took the trash can from Childe and helped him lay back down.

Childe’s frown deepens a bit and after a moment or two, he speaks. “We were outside in the rain, you kept shaking me when I tried to sleep, and…you were worried,” Childe said as he shifted under the blankets a bit, it's far, far too hot.

At his words, Zhongli nodded he takes a deep breath and sighed feeling as if a weight has been slightly lifted off of his shoulders. Childe was sick but he was awake and alive. “I have not seen you all week, however when I returned home from the funeral parlor I found you on the doorstep, covered from head to toe in blood and unconscious.”

“Oh…” Childe whispered, his eyes slightly wide. Now Childe at least knew why Zhongli’s voice had sounded so distraught at the time. While it wasn’t rare for Childe to show up at Zhongli’s apartment occasionally covered in blood, this was the first time he’d done so while unconscious.

“Do you remember how you wound up in that state,” Zhongli asked crossing his arms, and Childe finds his eyes drawn to the scales when they shimmer slightly under the soft warm lights in the room.

Childe is quiet for a moment, he knows that Zhongli isn’t going to be happy about it but also knows its best to rip the bandaid off quickly. “I…went outside Liyue Harbor to train using my transformation, I planned on coming back to the harbor afterwards. I remember…dispersing the transformation but something went wrong.”

Zhongli’s eyes narrowed slightly at Childe’s words. “Did it have anything to do with the medicine you’d taken?”

Childe freezes for a moment but eventually nodded slowly as the memory came back to him. “It’s a new thing…it’s made to help with delusion usage. It helped a bit with the effects of the transformation too,” he admitted softly. He’s not surprised that Zhongli knows about the drug or at least some version of it.

Childe pauses and closes his eyes for a moment as he attempts to wrack his brain, all he finds however are hazy fragments that fail to form a full picture. “I don’t remember much afterwards, just that it was cold and felt like I was sleepwalking I guess,” he murmured.

Zhongli gives a soft hum. “If I were to guess, it seems like you were stuck in that transformation the entire time you were missing. It is only by a miracle that you simply wound up sick.”

Zhongli’s eyes meet Childe’s and Childe can’t help but feel as if Zhongli’s eyes are piercing right through him. “Quite the foolish man aren’t you.”

Childe finds himself glancing away when he hears Zhongli’s tone, it's incredibly firm, almost abrasive, rough even. Its a tone he’s heard before the few times he’d been reckless and wandered into Zhongli’s apartment to be bandaged up after being wounded pretty badly. He also knows there’s nothing he can say to remedy the situation at the moment.

Not using the Foul legacy transformation at all is not even an option for him, therefore it doesn’t even cross his mind. He knows the consequences it would bring and had accepted them long ago.

Sighing softly Childe looks up at the ceiling, it's too hot right now the fever leaving him feeling as if he’s burning from the inside out and melting into a puddle. His thoughts are beginning to get hazy as well, gradually becoming harder and harder to grasp.

He finds himself closing his eyes for a moment but opens them when he feels Zhongli pressing what feels like a wet washcloth to his face, below his nose and he can’t help but notice the concern clear as day on his face. It takes him a moment to realize his nose had been bleeding.

A soft sigh escapes Zhongli’s mouth as he quickly cleans the blood from the washcloth using the bowl of water on the night before bringing it back to Childe’s face once more. “Try to rest, for now, we will talk more on this matter later,” Zhongli told him softly.

“I…didn’t mean to stay in the transformation that long,” Childe murmured his voice still raspy.

Zhongli nodded at his words. “I am aware.”

It is only when Childe drifts off to sleep that Zhongli speaks once more. “I suppose both of us can be rather foolish.”

[helloalycia]

my happy ending [one] // kara danvers

summary: your crush from work decides to make a move, but she keeps putting off telling you something that you don't realise is actually really important

warning/s: none

author's note: i'm still working on a bunch of stuff but here's some old stuff to tide you over as i do. this is part one to a two-parter! enjoy :)

part two | masterlist

I sketched out some designs at my desk, ideas for some new Instagram and Twitter marketing CatCo we were planning to do. I was in charge of social media marketing at CatCo Worldwide, so things like this were routine at work. What wasn't routine was the cute blonde, Kara, AKA Cat Grant's assistant, approaching my desk with a chirpy smile on her lips.

"Hey, Y/N," she greeted, before setting down a coffee cup in front of me.

I smiled automatically, Kara's presence instantly affecting my mood in a positive way. I glanced at the cup and quirked an eyebrow.

"Hey, Kara. Is this for me?"

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose adorably. "I was picking up Miss Grant's order and I remembered you said you loved the chocolate orange hot chocolates Noonan's do. So, I got you one."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "Oh, wow, er, thank you. You didn't have to do that."

She shrugged, and I was sure she looked as flustered as I felt. "No biggie."

I took a sip of the hot chocolate and smiled at how good it was, but mostly because of who got it me.

"So, what are you doing?" she asked, walking around my desk and sitting at the edge. She glanced at my sketches and added, "Is that the new fashion post for our social media accounts? They look amazing!"

"Just some sketches, but eventually they will be," I said, before nodding. "And thanks. I just need the photos so I know what I'm working with. Gotta ask the new guy, James... you met him yet?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah, I just bumped into him earlier."

"Can you believe he knows Superman?" I asked with disbelief. "How awesome is that?"

She smiled with amusement. "Extremely awesome."

"Keira!"

Kara lost her smile when Miss Grant called for her, before looking to me apologetically. "I should–"

"It's cool," I said, nodding for her to leave before Miss Grant tracked her down. "Thanks again for the drink."

Kara flashed me a smile. "Anytime. See you later."

I watched her walk away, waving as she glanced over her shoulder. I found myself biting my lip to contain my own smile, feeling butterflies in my stomach.

Kara Danvers, assistant to Cat Grant.

Ever since she began working here, I found myself crushing on the blonde and her cute mannerisms. We were friends, occasionally hanging out outside of work and doing things together. But that's all it was, sadly. I knew she was friends with Winn – best friends, I think – and I also knew that the tech guy was practically in love with her. I didn't know him as well as I knew her, but I knew enough to not want to get in between the two of them. So, Kara Danvers remained a silly little crush.

I got back to my sketches, managing to draft up some mock-ups on Photoshop before my day ended. I was more tired than I thought that evening, ending up falling asleep earlier than usual. Which meant that I missed the biggest news in National City yet – a mystery woman saving a plane from crashing, possibly a new superhero.

I woke up the next morning to a million and one calls and texts from colleagues at CatCo, all expecting me to get on social media to post about this mystery woman. By the time I got to work that morning, I was caught up with everything and in awe at this new superhero we had. It was pretty darn awesome!

The amazement I felt however was short lived, as Cat was all over me when I got to the office, claiming I should have been on top of our social media coverage as soon as it happened. Apparently me falling asleep wasn't a valid enough point to miss it, so I was put to work instantly, working with the photography and marketing department to find some sort of coverage on this mystery hero.

As I was lining up some posts with the limited images available of this hero, I felt a presence stop by my desk and saw it was Kara.

"Morning," she greeted, before glancing at my computer. "Oh, so you heard?"

I chuckled. "Kind of hard not to. It's everywhere." I nodded to the many TVs around the office that were playing reruns of the news coverage from last night.

"Pretty cool, right?" she asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Very, but it also means I now have a lot of work to do, especially because I fell asleep when all of this went down," I said, jokingly. "Cat has been all over me about this all morning."

Kara laughed and it was literally the best thing I'd heard all day.

"So, I was actually hoping I could tell you something," she said, an excited smile on her face as she met my eyes.

I felt a little flustered under her gaze and found myself distracting myself with my computer screen momentarily.

"I actually have a lot of things to do right now,” I said regretfully. “Maybe later?”

Her smile faded as she nodded. "Right, no, yeah, that's totally fine. Sorry."

"No, no, don't apologise," I said instantly, feeling a little bad. "I just– if I don't get this done, Cat will kill me."

"I got it, you do this, it's cool," she said reassuringly, offering me a small smile.

"Sorry," I tried, a little sad that there was nothing I could do. I really needed to get this done, despite wanting to spend some more time with Kara.

"It's fine, good luck," she said, giving me a grin and thumbs up before leaving.

I sighed, before getting back to work. Unfortunately, it was a few hours before I could get away from my desk, and I managed to track down Kara at her own desk, remembering she wanted to tell me something.

"Hey," I said, earning her attention.

She looked up from her notebook, smiling when she saw me. "Hey, you manage to get that content done?"

"Just about," I said, before offering a small smile. "Sorry again for blowing you off."

She waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, honestly."

"I'm free now though," I said optimistically. "Maybe we could grab an early lunch? You can talk to me then?"

Kara pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she nodded slowly. "That sounds nice actually, yeah."

I felt a little relieved when she agreed. "Great. Well, I'll let you get your things and meet you by the elevator?"

She pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. "You got it."

We ended up getting lunch, as agreed, and it was nice to make it up to her. Though, I never really noticed that she never ended up telling me whatever it was that she wanted to tell me. I was so distracted by how smoothly our lunch was going that I forgot to ask her about it. Maybe if I'd asked, she might have told me the truth. Or she might have made something up and lied. I guess I would never know.

–

Did somebody say tiny umbrella drinks? #gottalovethetinyumbrellas #CatCoFoundation [image here]

I sent yet another tweet and picture out from CatCo's Twitter account, watching as it instantly got responses from everyone. I was at an event that Cat was throwing for all CatCo employees plus special guests. It was an event to raise money for Cat's foundation – a charity for children's hospitals in National City. My job was to live-tweet the heck out of the event, hoping to boost donations online.

It was a formal event, so I was comfortably dressed in some high-waisted pants and a silk blouse, it being my best attempt at 'formal' clothes.

The event wasn't too bad. There was free food and drinks, plus I got to hang out with some of my friends from work whilst doing the bare minimum. I just wasn't an evening person, I guess.

"Hey, stranger," a voice startled me, and I turned around, surprised to see Kara Danvers stood there.

I hadn't seen much of Kara in the past few months, despite working with her. She always seemed to be caught up with Winn, and she'd gotten quite close with the not-so-new guy, James Olsen. I wasn't stalking her or anything, but I began to notice when I would try to make plans with her like we used to – little things like grabbing coffee or going to watch a film after work – and she would decline or have plans already. Then I'd see her constantly being surrounded by Winn and James, so I figured she'd just made new friends.

"Kara," I breathed out, smiling as I took in her appearance. "Hey."

I hadn't seen her at all this evening and I was sure she just showed up because I definitely would have noticed how good she looked in that fitted red dress of hers.

"You look really nice," she said, looking me up and down before meeting my eyes.

"Thanks," I said, hoping my cheeks didn't look as warm as they felt. "So do you. You liking the event?"

Kara looked around, nodding. "It's beautiful."

"You did a good job," I said, giving her a knowing smile. "I know you planned it."

"This was all Cat, I just–"

"Kara, everybody knows you plan the events around here," I told her with a chuckle. "It's okay."

She smiled to herself, looking down. "Right." It went quiet for a moment before she looked up and said, "Do you want to dance?"

I was a little taken aback by her confidence, but nonetheless, I found myself nodding. She smiled as she held out her hand. I took it, feeling goosebumps from how soft her hands were.

She led me to the dance-floor, stopping and resting a hand on my waist, the other holding my hand. I nervously rested an arm on her shoulder as I focused on swaying to the music playing rather than stepping on her toes.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in a while," she said after a moment. I looked up and saw her blue eyes staring right through me.

"Well, we've both been busy," I attempted to give a reason.

She shook her head, smiling apologetically. "No, it's not that... it's my fault. I've been hanging out with James and Winn so much lately that I've been neglecting you."

I laughed a little awkwardly. "Kara, it's okay. You don't need to feel bad for having other friends. I mean, you don't have any obligations to me. They're your best friends. Of course you're gonna hang out with them."

She pursed her lips and I admittedly felt nervous as she stared at me, her expression unreadable. She was a little taller than me which didn't help with me trying to keep my emotions in check. She was extremely close to me as we swayed to the music and I could just about focus on it as she continued to stare at me.

"What if I want to have obligations to you?" she asked, and I almost thought she was joking until I realised that she wasn't.

I wanted to understand what she meant, but I didn't get to ask because she leaned forward and closed the gap between us with her lips. I was surprised at her boldness, pinning Kara for the shy type. Nonetheless, I returned the kiss, melting into her embrace and warmth.

We pulled apart soon enough, myself a little flustered from the kiss. My lips were still tingling as she met my eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I hope that was okay," she muttered.

I nodded slowly, still surprised. "Yeah, it was."

My stomach was doing somersaults as I mirrored her smile; the gala was merely a blur in the background as I realised Kara Danvers had just kissed me. I definitely wouldn't have thought she felt something for me other than friendship.

"I'm assuming you want this to go somewhere," I said, a little stupidly.

She laughed melodiously as she nodded, intertwining her fingers in mine. "That's the plan, yes. But actually, er..."

"Second thoughts already?" I joked, though inside I was genuinely believing she might be second-guessing her decision, judging from her sudden change of facial expression.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "It's just, I feel like we should talk first. I have to tell you something. Before this goes any further."

She sounded quite affected by whatever it was, so I nodded, losing my smile for a moment.

"Of course, you can tell me whatever you need to," I reassured her, giving her hand a little squeeze. "Do you want to talk now or after?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but tilted her head to the side as she grew distracted. I waited patiently, expecting her to snap back into reality, but she seemed caught up with something else.

"Kara? You okay?" I asked, growing a little concerned.

"What? Yeah, sorry," she said, shaking her head before meeting my eyes with apologetic ones. "I'm sorry, I have to go for a minute. I just realised I have to check on the desserts for the party."

"Oh, okay." I nodded, giving her a small smile. "You can tell me whatever it is afterwards then?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I'll be back after, I swear."

I believed her and watched as she let go of my hand, already in a rush to leave. I wondered what was so time-sensitive about desserts, but decided not to question it as I realised the very obvious and surprising fact that Kara liked me.

As she turned to leave, she quickly turned back to me and moved forward, pressing a haste kiss to my cheek. My face heated up as she flashed me a beautiful smile, before moving to leave.

Just danced with the most beautiful girl in the room #CatCoFoundation

I looked up and saw Kara by the door, about to leave, but she stopped when her phone vibrated. After glancing at the screen, she paused and a wide smile graced her lips. Her eyes lifted and she gave me a knowing look before disappearing. I found myself smiling like an idiot the rest of the night.

I guess I should have realised, once again, that Kara never ended up telling me whatever it was that she wanted to tell me. I was so caught up in the fact that she returned my feelings that I never remembered to ask her what it was that she wanted to say. Maybe if I'd remembered, things would have ended up a little differently.

–

Kara and I went on some dates, our relationship blossoming naturally. It was the best thing to happen to me at the time – finding someone who I thought truly understood me, and vice versa. We had inside jokes, an 'our song', a favourite restaurant we frequented; we were happy and it was amazing. I was really falling for her. I thought she was perfect. Nothing could change that, I thought. She was everything I wanted.

"What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?" Kara asked, tilting her head to look at me.

It was moments like this when I was in awe of her beauty, inside and out. She was comfortable, with her hair tied in a loose ponytail and her face makeup-free. Her glasses were balanced on her nose as she stared at me with an easygoing smile and sparkling eyes. I felt a sudden overwhelming flood of love for her as she waited for me to reply.

"I'm in love with you," I blurted out uncontrollably.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, mouth agape as she realised what I said.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. "That was random. And weird. Too soon, right? I freaked you out. I'm sorry."

Kara blinked several times, straightening up as she shook her head. "No, it's not, it's..." I watched her with anticipation, as she found her words. "It's fine. It's... I feel the same way."

It was my turn to be surprised now. I raised my eyebrows, a smile forming on my lips. "You do?"

Kara pursed her lips, eyes flickering up to meet mine. "Yeah."

I breathed out. "I'm really happy to hear that, especially because I thought I freaked you out, but like, I feel like something is bothering you, Kara."

Resting a hand on hers, I squeezed it gently. She offered me a small, troubled smile and I wondered what was occupying her thoughts.

"I trust you," she said gently. "I do. I love you. And I... I want you to know that I think what we have is amazing. I've never been happier."

"This sounds like a breakup," I joked, chuckling nervously. She wouldn't break up with me right after saying 'I love you', right?

"No, no, it's not!" she reassured immediately, taking any doubt from my mind. She leaned forward and cupped my cheek gently. "I'm not breaking up with you, silly."

"Good to know," I said playfully, resting my hand on hers and moving it to my lips, kissing it softly. "What is it though? What's on your mind? You can tell me anything you know."

She nodded. "I know... I can. I will. Now."

I stayed quiet, watching as she had some inner conflict going on. What was bothering her so much?

"I want to say that I–"

But she was cut off by her phone ringing. She rolled her eyes and I offered her an approving smile as she reached to answer it.

"Alex, hey, what's up?"

I sat back, keeping ahold of Kara's hand as she listened to Alex on the phone.

"Are you sure?" Kara said, concern in her voice.

I wondered what was going on, as the blonde was scrunching her brows together with worry. Her hand slipped from mine as she stood up, pacing.

"Okay, I'll be there now," she finished, before hanging up.

"Hey, that sounded serious, is everything okay?" I asked, standing up, too.

Kara nodded, already in the process of grabbing her things. "Yeah, sorry, it's just some family stuff with Alex. I should get going and help her out." She stopped moving and turned to face me, a distracted frown on her face. "I'm sorry. I know we were supposed to spend the evening together and I wanted to tell you something, but–"

"It's fine, Kara, you can just tell me another time," I cut her off, moving forward and rubbing her arm gently. "I hope everything is okay with Alex. I'll just see you at work tomorrow, yeah?"

Kara smiled tightly, nodding. "You're too understanding. It's annoyingly admirable."

I chuckled, stepping forward and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. She had a few inches on me, so I had to step on my tip toes to reach, but seeing the little smile appear on her lips when I did made it worth it.

"Don't get stressed about whatever it is you wanna tell me," I added, meeting her eyes. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I love you and I'm really lucky to have you in my life. I don't think anything will ruin that. Just... remember that, okay?"

Kara nodded, her eyes flickering to the floor. "Thank you, Y/N."

"I'll leave you to it," I said, moving away to grab my coat and put on my shoes. "Good luck with whatever is up, and see you tomorrow."

As I was about to leave, her voice called out, "I love you, too."

I smiled widely at her before leaving, feeling lightweight because of all the love that was bubbling around inside of me. Once again, Kara managed to distract me from the fact that she had something big to tell me, as when I followed up the next day, she assured me that she just wanted me to know that she sometimes moved too fast in relationships and she didn't want me to feel like I was being rushed.

I believed her, blinded by what I thought was my happy ending, and that was that.