#{ kiddo is happy to see her mum }

[ericshoney]

Favourite ~ Brothers!Sturniolo Triplets

Summary: You have to go to the doctors for a check up, not happy with the needles that come along, so the doctor calls for your favourite brother.

Warnings: probably swearing as usual, platonic nicknames, fluff, needles, doctors

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Today you had to go to the doctors for a check up and some shots. You weren't aware of that part, something your mother and brothers hadn't told you.

Nick, Matt and Chris were going to go along with you for support, knowing you might struggle once you find out. The trio were sat waiting for you and MaryLou. You then rushed to them, showing off your outfit.

"Cute hoodie, kid." Chris said, seeing you wearing the new merch, the guys made sure they had stuff in your size too.

You giggled as your mum came over. The five of you then left for the doctors. It made you slightly nervous, but being five, you were still easily distracted. Nick talked to you the whole way there to ease your mind.

When you parked up, you all walked in, you holding your mum's hand as she signed you in before sitting down and waiting. You only waited ten minutes before being called in.

"Y/n Sturniolo."

Nick, Matt and Chris remained in the waiting area as your mum went in with you. You sat on the bed quietly, swinging your legs as you watched the doctor put some gloves on.

"Hi sweetie, I'm just going to check a few things first, okay." She said sweetly.

You nodded and let her check your weight, height, pulse and breathing. Everything was good but next was the scary surprise. You watched as she went over and pulled out a small needle, making you whimper.

"It's okay honey." Your mum said.

"No." You replied.

"Just a slight scratch, you want to hold your mum's hand?" The doctor offered.

You shook your head quickly and curled up. The doctor looked at your mother who smiled.

"My sons are outside, Nick, Matt and Chris, maybe they can help." She suggested.

The doctor nodded and came to the waiting room. She looked around and saw three identical boys sitting at the back, to which she assumed they were your brothers. She walked over to them with a polite smile.

"I assume your Nick, Matt and Chris?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's us." Nick answered.

"Your sister is about to have a shot, but she's not very happy. Which one of you is her favourite?" She asked.

Nick, Matt and Chris shared a look. None of them thought you had a favourite. The doctor laughed slightly at their confused faces.

"I'll go." The three of them said at the same time as they stood up.

"No, I'm probably the closest to her." Matt said.

"No I am." Nick said.

"Ha no I'm her favourite." Chris said.

"How about all of you come in and help calm her down, I don't mean to rush but I have other people to see." The doctor said.

The three nodded and followed her to the room. You calmed down instantly seeing the three of them walk in, your mother standing by your side.

"Hey bub." Matt called, coming to sit on your left, Nick sat on your right, as Chris stood in front of you.

The guys distracted you, making you laugh and smile, so the doctor could give you the shots without you realising.

"And all done." She said, throwing her gloves away.

"Really?" You asked.

"Yes sweetie, well done." She answered with a smile, giving you a sticker too.

You giggled and headed back to the car. As your mum drove, the guys decided to ask you the big question.

"Sweetheart, who's your favourite?" Nick asked you.

"Favourite?" You repeated the word.

"Yeah, out of us three, bub." Chris said.

"Not have one." You answered simply.

"You don't have a favourite brother or triplet?" Matt asked.

"No! Love all the same!" You cheered.

"Aww, we love you too kiddo." Nick replied.

[scribblesofagoonerr]

— In the light of new beginnings

pairings: lia walti x reader, caitlin foord x reader, katie mccabe x reader, leah williamson x reader

summary: caitlin and lia take things seriously as they head to the school to tackle the bullying concerns

here's the one you've all been waiting for to come out, so hopefully it doesn't completely suck 😌

“Mum!” You beam a wide smile as you swing the front door open to reveal the Australian woman as you all but launch yourself into her arms.

“Hey kiddo,” Caitlins’ quick reflexes come in handy as she catches you and spins you around like she always does, “Someone’s in a happy mood, eh?”

“Ay, I’m here as well,” The thick Irish accent speaks up as she walks up the steps of your home, “Nice to know you’re not that pleased to see me,” She jokes, ruffling your hair.

“What’re you both doing here?” You ask, confused because don’t get yourself wrong, it’s great to have them here, but they rarely come over and especially not together.

“Your mama and I need to take care of things,” Caitlin explains, side stepping into the house she used to previously live in with you and Lia.

You tilt your head to the side in confusion, “Take things like how?” You ask, even further confused.

“We’re going down to the school,” Lia speaks up, appearing in the hallway as she shares a civil smile with Caitlin and Katie, “Katie’s gonna stay here and hang out with you.” She adds.

“But Leah’s here as well,” You furrow your eyebrows confused, gesturing to the blonde woman who is currently in the middle of a phone call with people you didn’t care to figure out, “No offence but the two of you don’t exactly get along that well when your together,”

“We can get along,” Katie says in defence, holding her hands in mock protest.

You can’t help but scoff in disagreement, “I don’t believe that very much at all,” You pause, “You two are always arguing about something.”

“We don’t always argue,” Leah pipes in now that she has finished her phone call and shoves it in her back pocket, “Have a little faith in us, kid?”

“It’s hard to do that,” You smirk at the blonde, eager to wind her up as you look towards both Lia and Caitlin, “Why can’t I come with both of you instead?”

“We thought you would prefer to stay at home,” Caitlin admits to you, wrapping her free arm around you, “It’ll be fun for you to hang out with Katie and Leah though, kiddo!”

You can’t help but scrunch your face up in disagreement, “No it won’t be.”

“Oh, I won’t take offence to that at all kid,” Leah faux’s her hurt as she clutches her hand over her chest, “And here I was about to suggest that we have a game of Mario Kart, eh? See if you can beat me?”

“Please, I always beat you!” You grin at the blonde, flicking her hair over your shoulder dramatically, “But if you want to be a sore loser again then be my guest.” You add, cheekily.

Katie snorts in amusement and shakes her head, “Oh, that’s fighting talk right there,” She is keen to encourage your competitiveness, “Now this is something that I need to see.”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Lia reassures you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder, “Have fun and don’t set my house on fire.” She jokes, her tone half playful and half serious.

“No promises, Mama!” You retort, sticking your tongue out as you are ready make a dash into the living room to turn the Nintendo Switch on to thrash the blonde in Mario Kart, “Come on Leah, I’m gonna beat your–”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, kiddo,” Caitlin warns firmly as she points her index finger at you, “See you when we’re back, l love you.” She adds, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“I love you, sweetheart,” Lia told you, following suit and kissing you on the top of the head and saying goodbye to Leah and Katie before the two of them left the house.

“Right then, who’s up for a game then?” Katie smirks, mischievously rubbing her hands together.

You reach out for the stray Nintendo Switch controllers and hand one to the blonde, “Game on!” You insist, loading up the home screen and tap on the game, “Don’t cry when I win again though, yeah?”

“Alright, let’s do this,” Lia breaks the silence between the two of them as they arrive at the school creating a united front to resolve the issue at hand.

Caitlin nods in agreement with her ex girlfriend as she glances up at the school building, “I never realised how much this school looks like prison from the outside,” She retorts, shoving her sunglasses on along with the baseball cap, “It’s no wonder Y/N isn’t so keen on going that much.”

“The school is perfectly fine,” Lia tells the Aussie woman as she locks the car and the two of them walk in the direction of the entrance, “We both looked it up to make sure it was the right fit for Y/N and she’s mostly happy here.” She adds.

“Other than the bullying that neither of us were aware about,” Caitlin reminds her ex as she shakes her head and walks through the doors, “Seriously, how did neither of us not pick up on that?”

“I don’t know, but we’re resolving it now,” Lia exhales a sigh as she speaks to the receptionist at the school to let her know they are there for an appointment before both of them are gestured to take a seat and she’ll let the head teacher know they’re there.

“Even the chairs are uncomfortable,” Caitlin mutters as she shifts around in the hard plastic chair.

“Do you have to complain about everything?” Lia questions, exhaling a sigh and shaking her head, already done with her ex’s need to complain.

“Just making a point and all,” Caitlin shrugs her shoulders and continues to shift around, “But seriously, they are very uncomfortable. Are these the type of seats that they make the kids sit on? It’s unbelievable,” She continues to mutter about the state of the chairs.

“Sorry for keeping you both waiting,” A stern looking lady in her mid 50’s with a short bob and glasses steps in front of Lia and Caitlin, “Let’s take this into my office, shall we?”

“Thank you for seeing us,” Lia’s response is polite as she stands up from her seat.

“Finally,” Caitlin thinks to herself as she stands up and walks into the office along with her ex girlfriend and the head teacher as she sits down in the chair which to her relief are more comfortable than the ones back out there, “So, lets’ just cut to the chase, our daughter has been getting bullied at this school and we want to know how you guys are going to handle it.”

The headteacher’s brow furrows slightly at Caitlin’s need to get straight to the point.

“Caitlin,” Lia interjects, giving her ex an exasperated look, “What my… ex partner means is that we’ve recently been made aware of Y/N being bullied which has been going on for a few months and we have our concerns about things and how things have gotten this bad.”

“Right, that’s exactly what I mean,” Caitlin grits her teeth to stop herself saying some harsher words to the woman.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” The older woman says, genuinely concerned, “Can you give me more details? What kind of bullying has been subjected to?” She asks.

“It started off as verbal, name calling as such but it’s escalated now,” Caitlin explains to the women, frustrated with the situation at hand, “Now it’s physical and it hasn’t just been a one-off incident– Quite frankly, I’m concerned about my daughter’s welfare at this school, and I have a right mind to pull her out of it!” She snaps at the woman, making her point known.

“No, no, we’re not pulling her out,” Lia is quick to interrupt and shoot her ex girlfriend another look, “We just want this issue to be taken seriously, we don’t want our daughter to have to come to a school and be taunted by any fellow peers.”

The headteacher looks genuinely surprised and still concerned, “Of course, I see. I can assure you this is the first I am hearing of any physical altercation involving Y/N, other than the incident the other day,” She says, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk, “We take these matters very seriously. I will need to know more to address this matter properly though.”

“We can give details,” Liat tells the woman, not trusting her ex girlfriend to speak in case of saying the wrong words again, “Y/N has mentioned a name a few different times that it has happened.”

“We don’t want our daughter to not feel safe here,” Caitlin chimes in, trying to refrain from letting her frustration boil over again.

The headteachers expression softens, “I appreciate your willingness to work with us on this and rest assured, we will launch a thorough investigation into these claims,”  She pauses as she shares a genuine smile with them both, “We will speak to the other student involved, review any available CCTV footage and ensure that all the necessary steps are taken to protect Y/N.”

Caitlin’s eyes narrow slightly, “And what about the immediate measures to ensure her safety while this investigation is going on? I don’t feel particularly reassured about sending my daughter to this school if she’s going to be facing torment from that student.”

“Of course I do understand that,” The woman nods, acknowledging the concern, “For the meantime, we will look to make sure that Y/N comes nowhere in contact with the other student to make sure that Y/N’s safety is our top priority,” She tells them both honestly, “We will also keep you updated on the progress and actions were taking.”

“Thank you,” Lia thanks the woman as she shares a reassuring look with Caitlin before turning back to the headteacher, “We just want to make sure that this is handled properly and that Y/N feels safe and supported here at school.”

The headteacher gives them both a solemn nod, “I understand, we will take all the necessary steps to keep you informed every step of the way and if there is anything more you think could help, please don’t hesitate to let us know.” With that, the women shakes hands with Lia and Caitlin, the latter being more reluctant to do so before they leave the office and head back outside the school.

“Well that went well,” Cailtin mutters as she walks out the door to head in the direction of Lia’s car, “I just hope that they keep their word and keep Y/N safe.”

Lia hums in agreement as she unlocks the car, “Did you really have to go in all guns blazing with the woman?” She asks, raising her eyebrow as she climbs in the driver's seat of her car, “I mean, threatening to pull her out of the school? We didn’t agree on that.”

“Maybe we didn’t but it certainly got the message across that neither of us are playing,” Cailtin shrugs her shoulders as she climbs into the passenger side of the car, “That was me being tame, it could have been a lot worse.” She adds.

“Let’s just go back to mine and hopefully the house hasn’t been burnt down,” Lia retorts, exhaling a sigh as she starts up the ignition on the car.

“Well I suppose no phone call is a good sign,” The Australian woman jokes with her ex as they begin the drive back to the house.

“Well I don’t see any smoke,” Caitlin remarks as they pull up outside of the house, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out the car, “See? Totally fine.”

“I guess I can breathe a sigh of relief,” Lia says, turning the ignition off before she unbuckles her own seatbelt and climbs out the car, “Wait– Do you hear shouting?” She asks, confused as she hears faint sounds of yelling inside the house.

“Oh God,” Caitlin’s face drops as the two of them rush up the steps to head inside the house.

“Nah. Nah. That’s cheating!” Lia and Caitlin are met by the loud protests of Leah’s voice, no doubt losing a game of Mario Kart, “You can’t do that!”

“Sucks to be a sore loser!” You retort cheekily, sticking your tongue out at the blonde as you can’t help but continue to poke fun about how she lost.

“Ha! She got you there!” Katie cackles with laughter, amused at the situation of Leah loosing against you in Mario Kart, again.

“What’s going on, in here?” Lia questions, relieved to find that the silly squabbling is over nothing serious other than a video game, “We could hear the shouting from outside.”

“Leah’s a complete sore loser!” You taunt the blonde before you chuck the controller to the side and bolt up from the sofa,  jumping over the back of it to rush over to Lia and Caitlin, “You’re back!” You exclaim, happy enough to see them.

“We’re back,” Caitlin chuckles as she runs her slender fingers through your hair, “What have you been up to while we’ve been gone?” She wonders.

“Completely thrashing Leah at Mario Kart– She’s still sulking about it now,” You remark, gesturing to the grumpy expression on the blonde’s face.

“I am not!” Leah interjects from the living room, clearly unhappy as she sits there with her arms crossed.

“You totally are,” You can’t help but be amused as you smile at Lia and Caitlin, “I missed you both.”

“We missed you as well, sweetheart,” Lia tells you, enveloping you in a warm hug.

“Did you get things sorted down at the school?” Katie questions, curiously as she leans her arm over the back of the sofa to look in the direction of where you all stood.

“We did,” Caitlin nods in agreement, “Your bully won’t be a problem anymore for you, kiddo.”

“Really?” Your eyes light up in relief, “Thanks!”

“We just want you to be safe and happy at school sweetheart,” Lia explains, giving you a genuine sympathetic smile, “We will do whatever we can to protect you.”

“Even if it means going in and shouting at your headteacher,” Caitlin admits, sheepishly smiling at you, “But it did get the message across that we want the matter dealt with seriously and ta-da, now it won’t be a problem at all.” She jokes, avoiding the look that her ex is giving her while you can't help but giggle.

You know that whatever happens, the two of them would protect you at whatever cost it took... Even yelling at the headteacher of your school, apparently.

© scribblesofagoonerr

[woso-dreamzzz]

Surprise

Arsenal Women x Meadema!Reader

Summary: Your mums give you a surprise

Mummy picks you up from nursery. That isn't unusual but she's smiling all weird in the way that she only smiles at you and Mama.

She keeps looking at you in the backseat as you kick your legs and clutch your little-Flip tightly. You keep looking out the window and your eyes light up when you spy all of the cars in your driveway.

"Aunties!" You exclaim and Mummy nods.

She gets you out of the car and the door opens.

"Auntie Leah!" You cry as you're scooped into her arms.

"Hey! I missed you!" She carts you off inside, leaving Mummy to get your bags in from the car.

"Missed you too!"

But you're suddenly distracted again when you notice all your aunties in the house. You're practically vibrating in excitement and, when Auntie Leah releases you, you hurry off to greet everyone.

You glance around the room and suddenly tug on Auntie Vic's hand. "Where...Where Mama?"

She looks down at you, rubbing the top of your head. "She's just busy at the moment y/n. She'll be around in a minute."

You huff in annoyance and clamber up onto the sofa, letting Auntie Katie keep you occupied with cute puppy videos on her phone.

You've been wanting a puppy for ages but with Mama and Mummy both injured, they said no. You asked again but Mama was back in the Netherlands for camp so Mummy told you no again.

Rona was pretty cool and all but you just really want a puppy too but you keep yourself happy by watching videos with Auntie Katie.

"Liefje?"

Your head shoots up and you smile as Mama comes into view. You scoot off the sofa and crash into her legs. She crouches in front of you and presses a kiss to your cheek.

"Mama!"

"Liefje."

"Where you been?"

"Just a bit busy. Now, me and Mummy have a surprise for you, okay?"

You gasp. You love surprises. You tell Mama so.

"I know," She replies," But I need you to come sit on the floor for me and be very still. Can you do that?"

You nod. Auntie Steph's hands come to cover your eyes and you know it's going to be a good surprise because you're not allowed to see what it is.

The whole house has gone silent for your special surprise and you can hear Mama's socked feet walk away from you before returning a few minutes later.

Something soft and wriggly is placed in your lap and Auntie Steph takes her hands away.

You gasp.

"Puppy!"

The puppy jumps at you, giving you lots of little kisses on your face as your shriek and laugh.

"Puppy!" You say again, looking at all of your aunties as if to check they could see it too.

"Yeah, kiddo," Auntie Katie says," It is a puppy."

You grin happily as the puppy pants in your lap, tail moving at rapid speed. You glance at Mummy and Mama. "My-My puppy?"

Mummy looks at you fondly. "Well, it's the family puppy."

"But...But sleep in my bed?"

Mama makes a face of annoyance but Mummy is nodding.

"Yeah, if you want."

You take the puppy in your arms and stand up. Auntie Vic loves puppies almost as much as you so you bring your new friend over to meet her.

"Is my new puppy," You tell her. The puppy is content and happy in your arms as you make it greet Vic. "Gonna sleep in my bed with me and I'm gonna walk it and we're gonna be best friends."

Vic nods along as you talk. You repeatedly stroke over your puppy's head before you hurry off to see the others.

Aunt Cloe isn't from England so you show her your puppy next, just in case she hasn't seen one before.

"Is my puppy," You tell her, just like you told Vic," Have you seen puppies before? They're very little."

She laughs slightly. You don't really know what's funny but you laugh with her.

Aunt Caitlin comes next and she takes custody of your puppy so you press kisses to her soft fur and get cheek kisses in return.

Aunt Jen crouches down next to you. "Hey, y/n," She says," Your mums want to have a talk with you. Why don't you head on over?"

You glance back at your puppy. "But..."

"I'll look after her," Aunt Jen promises," Head on over to your Mums."

You nod dutifully and go over to where your Mums are sitting with Auntie Lia. Your Auntie instantly sits you on her lap when you approach, although you keep glancing over to where Auntie Jen, Auntie Caitlin and Auntie Katie are all fawning over your puppy.

"Auntie Jen says we need to talk," You say, a pout appearing on your face.

Mummy smiles at you, a finger reaching out to poke against your bottom lip. "What's with the pout? You can't take the time to come and have a chat with your old mums?"

You roll your eyes and fall back to properly learn against Auntie Lia. "You're not old," You say," But I want the puppy. Thank you for my puppy."

Mama smiles at you and pulls out a covered basket. "We have an extra special job for you, liefje. Your puppy needs a favourite toy, don't you think? Like I have Flip and you have little-Flip."

You frown for a moment before nodding. That sounds right. You're happy to share your bed and your house with the puppy but you don't really want to share little-Flip with her.

"Alright," Mummy says," Why don't you have a little look in the toy basket and choose which one you want to give her."

You lean forward to look and Auntie Lia holds you by the waist to make sure that you don't tumble off her lap. You root through the basket, stopping a few times before going back to what you're doing.

Finally, though, nestled between a duck and a squeaky bone (Mama winces when you squeak it several times), is the perfect toy. You grab it instantly and beam.

It's soft and cute like little-Flip so you know it's perfect. It's not a teddy bear too, so you know you and the puppy won't get confused on whose toy is whose. You pat the little cow toy on the head and wriggle off of Auntie Lia's lap.

You kind of fall to the ground but Mummy's hands are there to keep you steady. You smile at her as Mama smooths down your hair, pushing on your butt to make you get moving.

You wander over to where your other aunties are cooing over your puppy.

"Is for you!" You say to the puppy as you put the cow toy on the ground.

The puppy wags her tail before picking it up, shaking her head from side to side before dropping the cow and pouncing on it. You clap in delight and point to make sure all of your aunts are watching.

You zoom off back to your mums and hug them both. "Thank you for my puppy," You say again," I'll take good care of her."

Mama fondly moves your messy hair out of your face. "You know, liefje, you need to give her a name."

"Like you and Mummy give me a name?"

Mummy laughs. "Yeah. Just like that. If she's going to be sleeping in your big girl bed with you, she's going to need a name."

You glance back at your puppy for a moment then at your mums.

"Myle!"

"Myle?"

"Uh-huh! Myle! My Myle!"

Mama laughs as she stands, placing you on her hip. You lean against her, yawning. It's not even dinner time yet but you're exhausted.

Myle looks exhausted too when Mummy picks her up, bringing her over to place in your lap when Mama takes a seat on the ground. You hold Myle tight as she falls asleep on you.

"If you guys are sticking around then we'll just order food," Mummy says to your aunties," But it might be a while." She jerks her head towards you as you fight to keep your eyes open. "Little miss needs a nap."

"My Myle needs nap too," You slur," She's only little."

"You're little too, liefje," Mama says but the only response she gets is your soft snoring and your head slumped against her shoulder.

[marymary-diva17]

Hili I have a request! Ok it's kinda long cause it's all a dream I had

Jake sully × reader

Ok let's say reader and jake were married before everything (when he was still human) and she got knocked up by him and lates say like in the movie jake falls for neytiri and reader finds out and during the war reader gets injured and they take her to eywa, eywa saves her baby but it's transformed to a Navi baby (let's say it's neteyam) while reader is stuck still being human so k Jake and neytiri takes care of the kid it's angsty especially with neteyams death

Broken vows

Jake x reader + son neteyam/ sully kids/ neytiri

sure I can that for you but there might be changes here and there.

avatar masterlist

Never in your wildest dreams did you think you will be on the planet of pandora, you are a scientist on earth and had spent most of your life studying about pandora. Now you were getting the chance to see the planet and the navi with your husband Jake hoping to start a life with him and having new adventures. You and Jake had a wonderful marriage and you thought you will always have a life with him, that was until he had fallen in love with neytiri leaving you in his past. Soon change came to you life as you had become pregnant and lost your avatar, your son had been saved and born. Jake and neytiri had mostly raised him but you were still his mama no matter what anyone said to him or about you. Life now on pandora had changed for everyone and it seems like there was no going back, as change has come for everyone.

y/n " ummm" you had gotten out from bed and started getting ready for the day, you navi body was no longer of use for you as it was badly damages during the accident that nearly killed you. So you were now human and your relationship with Jake was rocky at the moment, he still loves and cares about you but had become distance over the years.

Norm " heading out y/n"

y/n " yes I'm"

Norm " say hello to the children for me"

y/n " I will" you soon left the human base to visit the clan and see the children, you are half way there when you saw three blue navi kids running towards you.

????? " mama" tuk the youngest of the bunch had reached you first and hugged you.

y/n " hey sweetie"

lo'ak " hey mum"

y/n " hey buddy"

kiri " hey mum"

y/n " hey honey" Jake and neytiri had two more kids together and they were lo'ak and tuk. Kiri was born form grace avatar and taken in by them, you had helped take care of the kids over the years.

y/n " how are my children"

tuk " we are well mama we came to see you today we wanted to spend the day with you"

y/n " well I'm happy you all came here to see as I was coming to the village"

lo'ak " we tried to get neteyam to come but something came up for him between dad and mom"

y/n " oh I undertand kiddo well come one let head to the village" neteyam is your son but like your other children Jake and neytiri, were able to be with them more verse you. This had broken you heart as you wish to be there for all your kids.

Jake " oh y/n you are here today"

y/n " yes I'm here today I came to see the children and everyone, if it not a good time I can leave"

Jake " no stay I'm sorry that was rude of me I'm happy you are here"

y/n " I and the others are doing our best but there might be a low chance I get to use it again"

Jake " don't worry my love everything will be fine I know it"

y/n "so where neytiri and our son are right now"

Jake " well neytiri and I were speaking with him early I'm guessing the children told you, they went off to their ikrans to care for them"

y/n " thank you I will go see them"

Jake " I can show you the way"

y/n " Jake I know the way and if you want time alone with me you can ask" you smirk toward Jake making him smile and laugh and bit he soon, took the other kids and walked off. You soon went to find neytiri and neteyam and it was not the hard.

y/n " I swear I need my avatar body back climbing this as human is fun and dangerous"

neteyam " mama you are here" neteyam and walked towards you and soon help you onto the top branch, as she smiled towards you he was so happy to see you.

y/n " hello my boy how are you doing"

neteyam " I'm doing well mama"

neteytiri " hello y/n"

y/n " hello neytiri how are you doing"

neytiri " ma teyam I will leave you to speak with y/n"

neytiri " yes mom" soon neytiri left you were trying to have a good relationship with neytiri but it seems like she didn't, like you as she saw you outsider. The both of you have a relationship with Jake and it seems like neytiri didn't like the idea of you being with her husband as well.

neteyam " I think she coming around mama"

y/n " don't worry about me and neytiri my boy that is something, we have to handle ourselves"

neteyam " yes mama hey will you love to come flying with me"

y/n " sure honey" neteyam smiled as he had taken you to his ikran helped you on and soon got on as well, the mother and son took taking off into the sky. The two of you had a very close relationship neteyam always made time for you and you always made them for him. You will do anything to protect you son as a mother that is your duty.

Sometime later

Jake " y/n we are leaving"

y/n " leaving for how long"

Jake " I don't know the clan has to leave the rad found us and they have these recoms"

y/n " ....."

Jake " we are all leaving everyone"

y/n " what about us here"

Jake " you cant come yet none of you neytiri and mo'at don think it safe"

y/n " so you are taking my son and the kids away from their home and the family they have"

Jake " they will have me and neytiri they will be okay"

y/n " he my son Jake my son as you are my husband"

Jake " I was your husband times have changed y/n you need to move on, as I have moved on with neytiri we will take care of him"

y/n " no Jake ...."

Jake " yes as the boy father he will be coming with me I knew we shouldn't of done this now look where we are... the kids are all attract to you they call you mama when you are aren't their mama"

y/n " I don't care what they call me Jake they feel like they are my kids"

Jake " well If you want to be a good mom and wife let me and neteyam go we need to live our own lives, if you are there or not"

y/n " Jake you don't mean that"

Jake " yes I kinda of do I wish that times you went back to earth or gave up clam of neteyam to make all our lives better"

y/n " if he goes with will you give me update on him and the kids"

Jake " yes"

y/n " then he can go he wont go unless he knows I approve" Jake looked at you and saw you were about to cry, neytiri was watching from few feet.

y/n " neytiri promise me you will keep my son alive and well, as you are his mom as well"

neytiri " yes"

y/n " then I hope you all have safe journey there bye" you soon tuned away from Jake he waned to go after you and comfort you, but he felt like he was getting looks from everyone else.

neteyam " mama are you sure you want me to go"

y/n " yes baby I need to know if you and your sibling are safe"

neteyam " then who will be here to keep you company and make sure you are safe"

y/n " I have your uncles here and all my friends we will keep each other safe"

neteyam " are you sure I wont leave you here if you wish"

y/n " go my son and have all new adventures and tell me everything once we each other again"

neteyam " I love you mama"

y/n " I love you to baby now go" neteyamm had hugged you one last time, he seems like he didn’t wish to let you go. He soon had to let you go and leave with everyone else all the other kids were crying saying goodbye to you. You will get to speak with the kids on days that were good and getting updates from Jake. Until one day your world came crumbling down.

norm “ y/n it kiri" you soon looked at norm he had explained everything you packed everything you need and left with max and norm, heading toward the metkayian village. The metkayian were shocked to see humans and they were so shocked, to see you new medicine so well. You were able to awake up kiri and she was happy to see you all the kids.

y/n " ......." you were given a permission to stay which made the kids happy, you were getting use to your new life here. The kdis were having you meet their new friends and you had made new relationships here, making Jake and neytiri a bit jealous on how many adults were flirting or being close with you.

lo'ak " mama mama we need you" a battle had started between the navi and RDA you were attending to the injured, when lo'ak came running towards you.

y/n " what the matter"

rotxo " neteyam been shot by one of the recoms we need you" panic had set in as you heard one of your kids are in dangers.

y/n "lo'ak grab my kit and take me to your brother" lo'ak had grabbed your kit and took you to neteyam who was laying down with his sibling and friends near him.

neteyam " mama"

y/n " I'm here baby I'm here"

????? " kids" you were trying to save neteyam life as she was struggling to breath as Jake and neytiri came, they were trying to help as well.

y/n " it going to be okay baby"

neytiri " what happened"

tsireya " he was shot by one of the demons"

neteyam " mama"

y/n " yes my son I'm here"

neteyam " dad"

Jake " I'm here son I'm here"

neteyam " mom"

neytiri " hush my boy" neteyam had grabbed onto your hand as you held it kiri soon started helping with, trying to keep neteyam alive. The was heart monitor tracking neteyam heart beat it was not good.

neteyam " mama I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry"

y/n " no baby there nothing to be sorry about"

neteyam " mama I ... I ....." neteyam soon stopped moving and breathing soon the heart monitor stopped as well.

y/n " no neteyam please no not my baby boy ... please dont leave like the please no ...." you started wailing and crying holding onto your son as Jake and neytiri were trying to comfort you. the kids had stated breaking down as well.

y/n " no please no please no why him why him" it seems like everything had become silent around you and it felt like the world stopped. Soon there was beeping sound coming from the heart monitor that got you attention.

tuk " mama what happing"

y/n " he still alive ... we need to get him to the hut right now call norm now"

Jake " y/n"

y/n " I said now Jake" Jake had nodded his head and called Jake, the boys helped your carry neteyam body. as he was rush to the hut where norm and max are waiting. You were waiting outsider the tent with the kids as norm, max, and moat try to help neteyam. The kids were comforting you.

y/n " please great mother hear my prays I will do anything for keep my son alive, so please don't take him away from me" soon moat and max came out of the tent.

neytiri " mother"

mo'at " the boy will live but he will have a scar for the rest of his life"

y/n " thank you"

mo'at " you are good mother you help us save him by using your medical ways"

max " it going to be okay y/n neteyam will be fine" the kids soon hugged you and you hugged them back, night had fallen and the kids were taken home by mo'at to rest. spider was being take care of by max and norm who went into the human small base to find him a place to sleep. as you stayed with neteyam taking care of him as Jake and neytiri were still there.

Jake " y/n"

y/n " ........."

Jake " y/n please say something you haven't looked or even spoke to us"

neytiri " say something please"

y/n " just stop please just stop"

Jake " stop what"

y/n " stop acing like you care about me as you never did, I have missed out so much of my son life because of you two ... Jake you were married but then you left and said nothing ... you neytiri treat me horrible when I have been noting but nice towards you and the kids I treat them as my own"

Jake " we are still married"

y/n " oh are you because last time I seen it you haven't treated me like a wife or a friend"

Jake "I'm sorry"

neytiri "I'm sorry as well I should've of been nicer"

????? " mama" you soon looked down to see neteyam was waking up slowly.

y/n " hey baby"

neteyam " hey mama..."

y/n " no don't move so much you are hurt and need time to heal"

neteyam " yes mama"

Jake " son how are you feeling"

neteyam " good"

neytiri " we are so happy you are okay my son we were worried" neteyam nodded his head but gave his dad and mom a look.

y/n " you should eat something I made your favorites soup you can have that and soon rest"

neteyam " what about everyone else are they fine"

y/n " everyone is fine you can see your sibling in the morning or they might come here to sleep, spider in the small base over there so are uncle norm and max"

neteyam " what about you"

y/n " I will be here as well my boy " you gave neteyam something eat he was speaking with spider, as you were outside with Jake and neytiri.

y/n " started today or tomorrow's things are changing for this family, I'm not being pushed out my son or his sibling lives again by the two of you anymore"

Jake " y/n I'm sorry we still care for you and love you "

y/n " we can deal with what going on between us later on as neteyam needs someone to comfort him right now, as he has bene through enough today"

neytiri " y/n I'm sorry for how I been ...."

y/n " we can talk more about what our lives will be like in the future, I think it best if we all head home for the night and get some rest neteyam will be staying with me until he better"

Jake " please y/n I ...."

y/n " here Jake I should of give this back to you many years ago" you soon removed the necklace that had your wedding ring on it, it was the ring Jake had saved up so much mondoe for to buy for you and give you.

y/n " you are no longer my husband you haven't been my husband in many years, you no longer give me that look of love you once had for me .... neytiri should have it as she the one you love the most and care for about in the end" you soon place the necklace in Jake hands as he looked at you with heartbreak.

Jake " no take it y/n it belongs to you it symbolizes what we have"

y/n " what we had Jake it no longer there goodnight you two" you soon started walking back to the tent, Jake and neytiri watched you walk awya from them not look back like you use to and smile at them. You had entered the tent to see neteyam and spider talking, they seem to so happy to see you. The other sully kids and tonowari children had came to spend the night with neteyam and spider, you had given them permission. That night you felt happy that your son was alive and well, but also felt some happiness that you will be starting a new life with the ones you love from here on now.

[callmewrinkles3]

Nothing new - DR3 x Fem!OC

Masterlist

Summary: Some decisions are difficult and bittersweet to make. During rocky times, sadness can be an unwise advisor, but with friends and family around, taking those decisions becomes easier.

Warnings: Fluff. Angst. Sex talk. Pregnancy talk. Mentions of mental health issues, pregnancy loss, injuries and past crashes -we don’t like you, Zandvoort 23- and past abusive family. McLaren being mentioned too, sorry.

Words: 16.2k

A/N: HELLO AGAIN. After a little post this morning we’re finally back with our long-as-hell-oneshot regular schedule. Let’s forget about what happened in Zandvoort for our own mental health 😌 Hope you like this mess of a oneshot, hope you are all well and promise we’re gonna post soon. See you around, kiddos.🫶🏻

June 2024.

If Em had to put a date on it, she'd say it started during Monaco weekend. But in her heart and soul she knew it was before then. It started with the realization that she didn't want to return to work. She wanted to just be Lulu's mum and Dan's wife and do it properly. She couldn't do both that and get back to work as Dan's assistant and do it right.

She simply didn't want to run around people anymore. She didn't want to squeeze through the paddock and the pit lane to organise things and get Dan on track. She was there anyway because she was Dan's wife. She was always going to support him. But now she had a chance to do it because she chose to, not because she had to.

It started while she was standing in the garage after FP3 in Monaco while she watched the sponsors looking at their brands neatly printed on the car. She understood people's passion for cars even though she didn't share them. However, she was disgusted by the men in suits who were only there to be there and take photos. That was the day she admitted she didn't want to go back to work and deal with them.

Em knew it all started with McLaren. She could make a ridiculously long list of the things the orange team took from her and her family. Her and Dan's physical and mental well-being was at the top of the list. A close second was her trust in people when she finally learned how to. She'd begun to make friends and trust and open up to people, but it was ripped away so suddenly it left a brand new wound that she was still trying to heal.

The other major thing they ruined was how much she adored her job. And if she was brutally honest with herself in therapy with Mildred she could admit it hurt the most. She loved her job. At the beginning when Dan told her she was getting paid it felt weird. Being paid by the man she was sleeping with and who she loved? It was strange. But she loved the job and the work she did. It gave Em a reason to be in the paddock and spend time with her boys. Working by Blake's side every day made her happy. She had a reason to spend basically every day with her best friend. Even when they joked they were sick of each other, Blake would give her a hug and swear he couldn't do it without her.

She used to find joy in planning their trips and booking places for dinners. It was fun to colour code schedules so they could tell at a glance what could be moved if needed. She liked running around the paddock with her pit access badge around her neck, her tablet in her arms, and her boys by her side. While she hated the spotlight and the whispered comments about her, at least at Renault she could deal with it. She had to deal with it and learned how by the time they arrived at McLaren.

When their bags became orange and Dan’s half of the wardrobe was filled with the colour it became a constant struggle. Work was a battle for her to be heard and listened to and able to get her point across, and then thanks to the poisonous atmosphere it affected her home life. And then it all fell apart.

McLaren broke them and it took a miracle to get them back together. Love gave them the patience to work on themselves and their relationship. They put the pieces back together once at a time, gluing them into place until they could hold. But even then something inside Em just felt dead.

Something in her had broken, and Dan couldn't help her fix it like he’d helped with everything else. She couldn’t even admit it until now. Back then she thought it was everything she’d lost in such a short space of time - Dan, their relationship, their home and her family. Then she blamed the miscarriage. She blamed her parents and everything they said and did. She also blamed Michael because he made everything more difficult even though she knew she shouldn’t.

There were times when she didn’t feel that broken part inside. She had her Danny, their family, and rebuilt their home together. She had his ring on her finger and their little wedding to promise they loved each other and then their big one to tell the world. They had their sunshine girl and there was nothing that could have prepared Em for the love she had for her baby Luna. But that broken love for her job never came back.

She wasn’t in a position to work when she got back to Dan’s side. She couldn’t think straight at the time, so it was ridiculous to consider working. She knew Blake and Dan agreed and said yes when she said she wanted to return. She knew it was their attempt to distract her from the mess of their lives, but it never happened, at least not in full capacity. Looking back, Em was aware it was all a terrible need to feel like things were normal in some way. It was her way to feel like she didn’t blow out her whole life for not having the courage to stand up to Dan and all her fears and ghosts. 

If she could barely gather the strength to make it to the paddock as Dan’s girlfriend, she wouldn't have the strength to work like she used to. The only thing that kept her going were Dan and Blake. She also knew she could stay hidden away from the world when she wasn't in the garage. Strength temporarily returned when McLaren decided to fight against Dan. She could barely keep herself standing, but she lifted and carried Dan, putting herself together as well as possible to keep him moving. Dan had been doing that for her for months, so she had to do it for him. 

The one last time the strength to work came back was when she had to walk into the MTC and face McLaren and the people she despised. She had to fight for the man she loved. She got there fought them and won, but all the energy was drained after that. It was a brief period and then her pieces started falling apart again. 

As the months passed the attention never turned back to that. She hated herself for leaving Blake on his own when he had too much on his plate, but she needed to focus on herself and Dan. She needed to hug him, kiss his cheeks and remind him that it was only a matter of time until they could be home for a year. In some months they would burn everything that was orange and had the name McLaren on it. It was a matter of time, then they could figure out what they were doing next. 

Em thought she could do it. She could keep it together for what was left of the year, but then she had to break her hand. Then everything was a constant battle with Michael, the criticism about her husband wouldn’t stop no matter what he did, and on top of that they faced her parents. By the end of the year Em could barely leave the bed, and any work-related matter was long forgotten inside one of her suitcases. 

Blake insisted she didn't have to return to action any time soon. Summer break was supposed to be used to disconnect and that's what Em and Dan needed to do. They could think about it later in the year, but in the meantime, they deserved some time off to heal, plan their wedding and be with their family. Blake had the same plan and after spending some time with Em and Dan in Perth, he was gonna fly home for the holidays to be with his family, but Charlie happened. He wasn’t expecting to meet and fall in love with a gorgeous, brilliant woman who was head over heels in love with him too. When it happened everyone was happy that it did. If someone deserved love and happiness that was Blake, so it was wonderful to see it come true. 

The idea of working became even less appealing to Em. Seeing her husband smiling again at a car launch was a sign she hadn’t seen in a while. The sight of Dan actually having fun again doing press and sponsor work was something Em thought was long gone. Even seeing Blake smiling so bright and big while looking at his phone made Em forget how terrible the previous year was for them.

That's how months passed and with them the incredibly excited news about their pregnancy. Then came their wedding, Scotty and Chloe’s wedding and Dan testing for Red Bull. Everything happened so suddenly that Em had to keep her focus on her Danny and that's what she did. By then, Em was in some meetings, but she was mostly on the side, holding Dan’s hand and promising everything would be alright. After all the difficult things they faced through it had to be alright for him and his career.

Dan breaking his hand wasn’t on her bingo card that year, making it all messy and complicated. He was finally in a car and had to step to the side before he could even taste it. Em never thought that at seven months pregnant she would be holding her husband’s good hand as he lay on a hospital bed ready for a multiple fracture surgery. She never thought she would have to sit there promising her husband everything would be alright while she was fighting one of their former friends for talking about Dan’s injury to the press. The last thing any of them needed was Michael sneaking into their business. Em was already nervous enough and it wasn't good for her pregnancy. 

Em hated to say it, but the accident was part disgrace and part blessing. Thanks to it they got more time off, allowing them to return to Perth for some extra days. They had the chance to be with their family for Grace’s birthday, Blake got to spend some extra days with Charlie, and they knew more than anyone how they needed to cherish extra time with their loved ones. Dan and Em even had some time to slowly putting something together at Lulu’s nursery in the farm, so something good came out of it. 

As months passed by, things got crazier with organizing their lives and Dan returning back to racing, but nothing ever got as crazy as when Lulu finally arrived. Their whole universe changed, their world shifted and nothing really mattered after that. 

There was a lot of mess in their lives, but they were happy and for the first time, things seemed to be going their way. Maybe that is why Em found it so difficult to think about finishing her maternity leave at the time. It was agreed that Em would take a few months off and then we would see how things were going and how she felt at that time. She was thankful to be able to spend as much time as possible with her newborn baby. She was grateful for the opportunity to spend this time with her family, and she made the most of it. That's why Em decided it was best for her to stay off work.

Not only was Dan too busy, but Lulu was so tiny. If Em was working Lulu would be right there with them in the paddock and Charlie was gonna be looking after her, but Em just couldn’t. It wasn’t about Charlie. She was like Lulu’s second mum. They knew Charlie and Blake would always love her and protect her, that's why they were her godparents. It wasn’t them, but Em not willing to take her attention from her daughter. She really wanted to be with Lulu and spend time with her. In one of her therapy sessions, Mildred told Emma it was perfectly normal and understandable. Being a first time mom, considering all the things that have happened to them and how much they wanted to have a baby, it was logical that given the option Em would want to be there with their daughter all the time. Em wanted to take that chance. Dan always reminded her how privileged and lucky they have a good life not worrying about a lot of things. For once she was gonna pay attention to her husband and enjoy doing nothing except looking after her family. Em finally had the life and family she never thought she would have and wanted to enjoy them. 

Admitting it to herself was one of the most difficult things Em had to do in a long time. She felt that she had no reason not to work. There were two voices in her head: one was her mother's voice telling her to stay at home and not work because that was what a woman should do and the other was her own feelings of regret about not working. She had no idea what it was like not to work. Emma has worked non stop since she was seventeen and had to take care of herself. Having a baby was no excuse because there were all those other mums out there having their kids, doing their jobs, and running their homes. Not loving her job anymore shouldn’t be an excuse. 

As Mildred told her, being with her family was a strong reason. Not wanting to compromise her mental health was comprehensible. Not wanting to do it was a perfectly fine reason too, but if Emma needed something stronger, then her family was good enough. The main reason why Emma started working with Dan was to help him and Blake, so now she could keep helping as a wife and a friend instead of as an assistant. Priorities shifted and hers changed. Her priority was her family and it was perfect. 

Before she took any decisions Emma decided she needed to talk to Blake and then to Dan. Even when back in the day Dan was the one paying her salary and technically her boss, Blake was the one who worked side-by-side with Em. For the world Blake was Em’s boss, but they worked together to make things run as smoothly as possible. After all the messes she made she wanted to talk to him before making any decision, especially if it included him.

“If technically I didn't want to work again, what would happen?” Em asked Blake once they were alone for more than two minutes. Charlie was napping, Dan was out on a short walk with Lulu and Steve, so it was only her and Blake as she worked on dinner.

“Nothing. I mean, I miss working with you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask you to double check one small thing for me cause you are going to be right there sitting in front of me.” Blake shurgged as he drank his coffee.

“Really? You won’t be mad at me? And how many cups did you have today, B?”

“Emma Charlotte Ricciardo, I swear to God. Really? Ain’t we way past that? You know I won't get mad at you. And don't ask me such thing as how much coffee I had.” He smiled, knowing the answer was probably too many cups. Between work, a wedding being planned on the other side of the world, and helping care for his baby niece Blake was tired, but he was a happy man.

“Fine. But about the other thing, I just wanna know, alright?"

“Timmy, I’ve been waiting for you to say the word for months. I knew you weren’t coming back for some time now, and if I'm honest I’m happy you are not. It means you’ve got something way better going on. You’re too good for all this mess, Em. You’re seriously too damn good for this weird circus."

Em smiled shyly as she looked at the water starting to boil in front of them. She really had something good going on in her life. She really had an excellent reason not to go back. The fact that Blake agree was a big relief. It was a big weight off her shoulders. “I wanted to. I really did. Working with you again would be so good. But I… They need me, Blakey. They need me and I need to be Lu’s mum and Dan’s wife and nothing else.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Em. If that’s what you want, then you'll do that.” Em simply nodded at her friend’s words. She couldn't imagine doing anything else. She hoped it would be different in the future, but not at the moment. “Hey, you know how proud I am of you? That shy woman next door is this brilliant woman with a husband and a baby and a life. And a pretty cool brother, too. That’s pretty cool, Timothy.”

“You’re a silly man. But you’re right. I can’t believe it either. It’s kinda scary, you know?”

“Nothing and especially nobody will take that from you. I promise you. You just look after them and let me make sure you’re ok too. We’re a family, Timmy. We don’t need to work together to look after each other. You’re my sister and that's it. I love you no matter what. And I know Charlie feels the same way."

The shy girl Blake met all those years ago and was absolutely lonely and scared of everything wouldn’t have asked for a hug, but it was another story with the actual Emma. She didn’t hesitate, leaving the spoon on the table and moving the sauce she was making away from the fire to give Blake a hug. Her brother was on her top five list of Best hugs in the world, and she would steal one whenever she could. That afternoon seemed like an excellent time to get one.

“I love you too, B. And I love that wife of yours." Emmy smiled, resting her head comfortably against Blake’s chest.

“Three months and she’ll finally be my wife. Can you believe that?” As Blake kissed the top of her head, she could feel him smiling at her. Em didn’t think she ever saw someone as excited to get married as Blake was. Dan was happy and excited when they did too. He always said meeting Em, getting her back, marrying her and having Lulu were the highlights of his life. She never doubted her husband's words, but Blake was next level of happiness and joy. He was like a happy kid with candy and a brand-new toy, still pinching himself to check it was not a dream. At least once a week he asked Charlie and even Dan and Em if it was really happening, simply because he couldn’t believe he was marrying the love of his life.

“Honestly I can believe it. But it was the best decision you ever made, darling."

"That and saying hi to my nice new next door neighbor. That was an excellent call too.” Blake insisted, giving Em one last squeeze and kiss on the top of her head before he finally let her make dinner.

“It was a smart idea. Second smartest after proposing to Char.” Em smiled, grabbing the wooden spoon to stir the sauce. After filling it, she placed it in front of her friend. “Now try it and let me know if it's good or not."

“What do you mean if it's good? Mama Emmy's sauce is always good." Blake grabbed the spoon and ate it all up. As he smiled, Em could tell what he was thinking about it. She couldn't help but smile back. She knew they all loved her magical sauce, and that made her feel special. Em always felt a some sense of pride as she watched her family enjoy the food she made. She always thought her cooking was more about love than skill, so it filled her with joy to know it put a smile on their faces. "It makes so much sense that you married into an Italian family. This is so incredible it's ridiculous."

As simple as her talk with Blake was, she was terrified of talking to Dan. He wasn't going to say it was a terrible idea or anything like that. She knew her husband would support her in whatever she did. He was always supportive and made sure his loved ones had smiles on their faces. But admitting it to Dan would make it real. If she admitted it to him, then it would be like finally admitting it to herself and signing the resignation letter. Talking to Dan meant making it final. It was terrifying, even when she knew it was the right thing for her and her family.

Before Emma could find the right moment to do it, Dan found it for them. With Lulu in the park and grocery shopping with her godparents, Dan and Em were at home to give them some grown-up time. They never complained. They loved spending time with their daughter, but Charlie insisted.

"Do married couples stuff, alright? No work, just normal people stuff. We're gonna go get some candy and swing in the park before we get sick of you, mum and dad". Those were Charlie's words as she held Lulu and Blake laughed, grabbing Lulu's bag ready to leave. It was a kiss to their daughter before they walked out the door. Soon after, Dan dragged Em to the couch.

She always said she had the superpower of knowing what Dan needed, and that day it was to hug his wife. He needed to wrap his arms around her body and hold her as close as possible. It took Em a minute to realize it wasn't about him, but about her. Dan knew something was bothering her, so he held her until she found the words. He knew it could take a couple of minutes or even hours, but he waited patiently.

"You're waiting for me to say why I'm overthinking, right?" Em finally broke the silence as she placed kisses over his neck and shoulder.

"I have all day, so there's no hurry." Dan's patience was one of the things she admired about him. Or at least his patience with her. It gave Em a safe space where she knew there was no hurry or rush. No matter what her fears or anxieties were, no judgment was made. Dan understood better than anyone else that some conversations needed time, so he held her safely, giving her all the time she needed.

“We gotta go back to mum and dad when Lu is back, so not all day."

“You know Blake and Charlie won't have any issues looking after her for the night if we need it."

“You and I both know it won’t happen. A day off at home? She’s gonna be squeezed between us as soon as she crosses that door." she smiled, feeling how Dan nooded in agreement. Days off were family days, so there was no way Lulu was going to spend the night away from them. But Dan was right and Em didn't want to have that conversation with their daughter at home. “I don’t need you to promise me you won’t get mad, right? ”

“Not at all. You know you can tell me anything you want, Emmy." Dan assured, looking down at her. His big brown eyes always made Em feel better. Dan always looked at her with love and adoration, exactly the kind she thought didn't exist before they met. Combined with the sweet way he kissed her, it gave her the strength to finally talk to her husband.

“I just- I don’t think I want to work anymore? I mean, not forever, but for some time? It's not about you or B. You know I love working with you both, but... I don't know, baby. I guess F1 is not my cup of tea, y'know? I don't want to work there, Dan. Not in the paddock and around all that craziness. I thought it was fun for a while, but then I got tired of it. They ruined the fun for me. I can't do it anymore. I keep showing up because it's your job, but I like it less and less every day, Dan. There are so many people around that it's hard to cope. I know it won't be healthy for me to work again. Not there and especially when Lu is so small and you need-"

Emma suddenly stopped talking when she realized what she was gonna say. She didn't want to overstep, but Dan kissed her before continuing talking for her. “You can say it. I need you. I really need you. I know it. I’m not ashamed or scared to admit I need my wife and daughter by my side. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it."

“And I need you. I need my family. I need to just be your wife and Lulu’s mum. I want to just be just Em for a while. I have to look after my family, baby. I want to keep things like this and be available for my babies. And it's scary because I don't even know what it was like not to work. The only time I didn't do it was when I was sick. And there’s this voice inside my head saying it's the wrong thing to do, but I really need it."

"Remember the day I knocked on your door asking what to do with Red Bull?" Dan asked, taking Em's hand to kiss her wedding rings.

"You at my door with lemon cake, wine and the biggest puppy eyes? How could I ever forget?". It felt like yesterday even though it had happened six years later. She would never forget his crazy curls and handsome face on the other side of the door asking if he could come in. If she closed her eyes she could feel the nerves in her stomach for having him there. She even remembered his perfume filling the room. It was his eyes that Emma remembered most. He really looked like a kicked puppy. He had a mix of confusion, sadness and worry that made her want to hug him and kiss the frown away from hid face. There was no way she would ever do that, so instead she sat there in front of him, trying to be helpful to the the man she was convinced that was never going to look at her as more than just a friend.

"I was shitting my pants all the way to your place. I had no idea how to knock on your door and say I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see you so badly you have no idea." Dan confessed, making Em smile shyly. She had no idea about that day. She couldn’t believe Dan was scared about it, but deep down she knew her Dan was a shy guy. The man behind that extrovert personality and big smile was still a shy person who took months, a difficult race, and an unbelievable amount of drunkenness before kissing her for the first time.

"We were just kids, huh?"

"Yeah, we were just kiddos. We really were just kids trying to figure shit out. But you remember what you asked me that day?"

"The wrong thing probably?"

“It wasn't wrong, baby.” Em couldn’t help but smile at her husband. She wasn’t surprised by his answer. Despite the fact that it probably wasn't the best thing, Dan was sure Em never said anything wrong. For Daniel, his wife was always right in some way. He was convinced she was the brightest, smartest, wisest person in the world, so his Emmy was absolutely right. She knew she had fucked up by not telling him not to sign with Renault and especially with McLaren. Em knew she should have stopped him right away, but Dan always insisted she hadn't said anything wrong. Em only gave him advice, but he took the decision on his own. “You asked me what I wanted. You told me to follow my gut. You told me to listen to my heart. That’s what I did. Now I'll tell you the same thing. What does your heart say? Not your head, just your heart and guts."

It was such an easy call. Because it was such an easy decision, Em didn't have to think twice before saying it out loud. “I want to be with you and Lu as much as possible, Dan.”

“Then we do that.”

“What about the brand?”

“Thats not a problem, Em. We keep doing what we've done so far. It's working just fine, but if it doesn't, we'll figure out a way. It's not like you won't give me your opinion. You know you can be in meetings whenever you want. It's alright. And if you ever want to go back, you can do it. Enchanté will always be our thing. It was our first real project together, and that won't change. It's ours no matter what. And if one day you want to do something completely different, that's fine too. You have all the choices and time to decide. We're lucky to be able to do this without worrying about many things, so just stick with your heart."

"I just don't wanna disappoint you, Dan. And it won't be forever"

"You could never do such a thing, baby. The fact that you're doing this in part cause I need you? Cause our family needs you? I'm nothing but grateful, Wrinkles. I just want you to be happy. If it lasts forever but you're happy, that's it. You know what they say, 'Happy wife happy life'. Here at home it's more like 'Happy wife, happy baby, happy husband, happy life'. If my baby mama's good, then we're all happy."

"Thank you. For everything you do for us. And for loving me so hard and not giving up on me."

"Loving you is the easiest thing to do, Mrs Ricciardo." After one long hug the decision was finally taken and sealed with a kiss. It was the right thing for everyone, so Em was happy to accept it.

The one thing they agreed on was to take care of the paperwork for her resignation in another moment, probably during the summer break after Charlie and Blake’s wedding. For too imany reasons it wasn’t the ideal moment to deal with it, so they would rather wait and focus their energy and time in other more important things.

The last couple of months - to not say the last couple of years - have been an emotional roller coaster for them. They had been doing every single possible thing so Dan could focus his energy on work, that’s why after Monaco he decided to take drastic measures. Dan talked to his team, friends, and family, but then his with wife. She knew what was coming when they sat in bed. She knew what her husband asked everyone. For six long, difficult, crazy, and beautiful years, they had most of their crucial conversations and made most decisions from their bed. It ended up becoming their tradition and none of them planned to change it, especially not that night.

Em held his hands and brought them to her hips, kissing his wedding rings before the question fell over them. She knew the answer to "What can I do to not waste that much energy during race weekends?" The team would do its part by cutting sponsorship presentations and marketing obligations. Blake would take care of more things, but Em could only do one thing. The second they found out Em was pregnant they made a deal that she would take care of most things if Dan was working. She reminded him of their deal the second Dan had an AlphaTauri contract over the table ready to sign. Now the only option was to reduce family time during race days. No more getting up extra early to cuddle Lulu and give Em some extra minutes of sleep as he fed her and changed her for their day. No more staying up extra late to cuddle their baby to sleep and do their bottle-pjs-storytime routine at night and then have five extra minutes of cuddling with Em. There was no more running around the paddock to see them for a second when he had more than three seconds free. The other thing that Em decided to give up on over the weekend was sex. It was the first thing Em cut from the list, choosing to let it go long before she decided to do full parenting over the weekend on her own. She was Dan’s wife, but she was also Luna’s mom and they swore to put their daughter first no matter what.

She was terrified of what could come of all that. After all they had been through Em was aware of how strong their relationship was. She knew where their priorities lay and how it worked for them, but it was scary. They changed from a pair of scared young adults with a highly active sexual life who could barely stay away from each other and keep their clothes on when they were together to a married couple and parents of a six-month-old daughter. Their sex life was still active and they still loved it, but things were different and that was scary. She knew herself and her Dan, but fear was always there. She knew Dan was never gonna allow it, but Em was terrified all those decisions were going to push her husband away and ruin her family.

Emma knew that was not the answer Daniel wanted. There was a list of things Dan wasn’t willing to do. Leaving his wife and daughter to the side and spending even less time with them was not one of those things. They were the best part of his life. He had his family and friends and loved them to pieces, but Em and Lulu were the air he breathed. His girls were the center of his world and who he loved more in the entire universe. They had his whole heart in their hands and he was happy it was all theirs. They were the whole reason for absolutely everything and he was not ashamed of saying it out loud. That's why he didn’t want to spend less time with them. He knew the sacrifices they were making for him to live his dream. Em had to live the pregnancy in a rollercoaster that was nothing like the chill year off Dan promised. She had to travel the world, live part of the time in Italy, help their friends in a long distance relationship, lift Dan when he broke his hand and see him get back to racing all in half a year. Then when she was absolutely not ready for it they had to move from the comfort and happiness of their lives in Perth all the way back to Europe when she should be home getting used to being a first-time mom and all that it brought with it. They had to deal with the insanity of being first-time parents and a new season while having a legal battle with Emma’s parents. At six months old Lulu visited more countries and had more stamps in her passport than many adults had in a lifetime. They never signed for that life, especially not Lulu, so he wanted to make it count. He wasn’t making them pass through all that to end up outside the points on a race weekend. Daniel wouldn't do that to them. He wasn’t willing to be that kind of husband and father. 

When she saw her husband's eyes shining with tears, the fear only became stronger. Em could see how he rethought and reconsidered every option and decision he made. Dan promised again and again that she would be his top priority. He swore their child was going to always be the top priority in his life, but now it was all slipping from his fingers. He had counted hours to be a husband and dad for three or four days, and now his job was taking that away. Emma felt like the villain because she was taking it away from him even if it was for the sake of his career. She was feeling like the most awful person in the world when she did it. She felt like the worst mother and wife that ever existed when her husband whispered “Baby please don’t take that from me” as she mentioned how night routines would be her thing. Her main job was to look after Lulu and Danny. Her one thing was to protect them and help them but instead she made her husband cry silent tears. She was a failure and it felt like she was bringing her marriage to an inevitable ruin, but she had to do it for Dan. Work was work and she knew that from day one, no matter how it hurt. Between tender kisses all over his face, Em promised them they would be there no matter what. She was gonna be right by his side with their baby, holding his hand and loving him as much as she always did. Their schedules might change, but not their love for each other.

The one thing they agreed on was to take care of the paperwork for her resignation in another moment, probably during the summer break after Charlie and Blake’s wedding. For too many reasons it wasn’t the ideal moment to deal with it. Instead, they would rather wait and focus their energy and time on other more important things.

The last couple of months - to not say the last couple of years - have been an emotional roller coaster for them. They had been doing every single possible thing so Dan could focus his energy on work, that’s why after Monaco he decided to take drastic measures. After talking to his team, friends, and family, Dan spoke to his wife. She knew what was coming when they sat in bed. She knew what her husband had asked everyone. For six long, difficult, crazy, and beautiful years, they had most of their crucial conversations and made most decisions from their bed. It became their tradition and none of them planned to change it, especially not that night.

Em held his hands and brought them to her hips, kissing his wedding rings before the question fell over them. She knew the answer to "What can I do to not waste that much energy during race weekends?" The team would do its part by cutting sponsorship presentations and marketing obligations. Blake would care for more things, but Em could only do one thing. The second they found out Em was pregnant they made a deal that she would take care of most things if Dan was working. She reminded him of their deal the second Dan had an AlphaTauri contract over the table ready to sign. Now the only option was to reduce family time on race days. No more getting up extra early to cuddle Lulu and give Em some extra minutes of sleep while he fed her and changed her. No more staying up extra late to cuddle their baby to sleep and do their bottle-pjs-storytime routine at night and then have five extra minutes of snuggling with Em. There was no more running around the paddock to see them for a second when he had a moment free.

The other thing that Em decided to give up on over the weekend was sex. It was the first thing Em cut from the list, choosing to let it go long before she decided to do full parenting over the weekend on her own. She was Dan’s wife, but she was also Luna’s mom and they swore to put their daughter first no matter what.

She was terrified of what could come of all that. After all they had been through Em knew how strong their relationship was. She knew where their priorities lay and how it worked for them, but it was still scary. They changed from a pair of scared young adults with a highly active sexual life who could barely stay away from each other and keep their clothes on when they were together to a married couple and parents of a six-month-old daughter. Their sexual life was still active and they still loved it, but things were different and that was scary. She knew herself and her Dan, but fear was always there. She knew Dan was never gonna allow it, but Em was terrified all those decisions were going to push her husband away and ruin her family.

Emma knew that was not the answer Daniel was looking for. There was a list of things Dan wasn’t willing to do. Leaving his wife and daughter to the side and spending even less time with them was not one of those things. They were the best part of his life. He had his family and friends and loved them to pieces, but Em and Lulu were the air he breathed. His girls were the center of his world and who he loved the most in the universe. They had his whole heart in their hands and he was happy it was all theirs. They were the whole reason for everything he did, and he was not ashamed of saying it out loud. That's why he didn’t want to spend less time with them.

He knew the sacrifices they were making for him to live his dream. During the pregnancy, Em lived a rollercoaster ride that was nothing like the relaxing year off Dan promised. She had to travel the world, spend part of the time in Italy, and help their friends in a long distance relationship. She had to lift Dan when he broke his hand and see him return to racing in half a year. Then when she was absolutely not ready for it they had to move from the comfort and happiness of their lives in Perth to travel all the way back to Europe. She should have been home getting used to being a first-time mom and all it brought. If it wasn't enough, they had to deal with the insanity of being first-time parents and the upcoming season while having a legal battle with Emma’s parents. At six months old Lulu visited more countries and had more stamps in her passport than many adults had in a lifetime. They never signed for that life, especially not Lulu, so he wanted to make it count. He wasn’t making them go through all that to end up outside the points on a race weekend. Daniel wouldn't do that to them. He wasn’t willing to be that kind of husband and father. 

When she saw her husband's eyes shining with tears, fear only became stronger. Em could see how he was rethinking and reconsidering every option and decision he made. Dan promised she would be his top priority. He swore their child would always be the top priority in his life, but now it was slipping from his fingers. He had counted hours to be a husband and dad for three or four days, and now his job was taking that away.

Emma felt like the villain because she was taking it away from him even if it was for the sake of his career. She felt like the worst person in the world when she did it. She felt like the most horrible mother and wife that ever existed when her husband whispered “Baby please don’t take that from me” as she mentioned how night routines would be her thing. Her main job was to look after Lulu and Danny. The only thing she wanted to do was protect them and help them, but instead, she made her husband cry silent tears. She was a failure and it felt like she was bringing her marriage to an inevitable ruin, but she had to do it for Dan. Work was work and she knew that from day one, no matter how it hurt. Between tender kisses all over his face, Em promised them they would be there no matter what. She would be right by his side with their baby, holding his hand and loving him as much as she always did. Their schedules might change, but not their love for each other.

But even knowing it was temporary, the guilt didn’t go away for weeks. They had one week off after Monaco and half of it was both of them feeling guilty about their decisions. Dan promised that the week would be exclusively for the three of them, and it started by taking Lulu to the beach Dan bought Em over their first weekend together in Monaco.

Em couldn’t help but think Monaco was cursed for them. They cursed it after getting together. Year after year, it was one terrible thing after another. It was so awful that she didn't like being there at all. She knew they had to for legal reasons, but she didn’t like to spend more than necessary there. Monaco had so many memories Em felt like she couldn’t breathe there. After they got back there, they moved their things to another apartment on the opposite side of the city. The apartment had a beautiful view, two rooms and a more spacious kitchen than the old apartment had, but Em still wasn’t happy. Em couldn’t help but feel out of place because she didn’t belong there. She was still the girl who loved her simple life in London. She loved being home and having a normal life doing normal things such as grocery shopping, fixing dinner for her family and doing laundry. She could tell Dan wasn’t happy to be there either. He could see how his wife was uncomfortable and his daughter was less chilled out. Lulu wasn’t grouchy, but she got irritated faster when they stayed there.

The one happy day they had in Monaco after their terribly difficult conversation was when they decided to return to the beach where they had been all those years back after they slept together for the first time. It was Dan’s desperate need to spend time with his family who brought them there, and Em was delighted they did it. Seeing Lulu giggling was one of the counted good things that happened to them there in the last few years. Maybe it was the one happy thing that happened to them. Watching her husband holding their daughter so she could wet her tiny feet in the ocean was one of those memories that would last forever. Watching her water-loving baby smiling at the sensation of the waves hitting her skin was all Em needed to feel lighter even if just for a few hours. That and being held by her husband as he promised everything would be alright kept her going through the week.

Having some family time in New York and traveling to their house in Austin also helped ease her heavy heart. She knew it was a matter of days until they started their ‘No more distractions over the race weekend’, but first they had some normality. They lived a couple of days like any normal family, doing mundane things any couple with a baby would do. Doing the dishes at their home and taking Lulu to the park felt like a privilege and Em soaked it up. She enjoyed every second with her loves until they had to fly to Canada.

When they reached Thursday and press day it was all gone and the reality of her words hit her as hard as possible. Waking up to Dan still asleep and not sitting down in bed holding Lulu almost brought tears to her eyes, but she stopped herself. She took a deep breath to control her emotions, trying to keep them together. The last thing Dan needed was to wake up with his wife crying. He had been through that too many times in the last couple of years. Two years earlier they were in Montana, crying all day and giving Dan the chance to walk away from their relationship before heading to Canada. When they were there she had to ask Dan to keep Michael away from her for some time because she just couldn’t handle his comments. Things were completely different, but memories weren’t easy and she knew it. It was not easy, it was still somehow in the back of his head, that’s why Em didn’t want him to add more worries to his already long list. 

It was her job. One of the reasons Emma left her job as Dan's assistant was that she didn't love it any more. She had a much longer list, including her mental health on top. But one of the most significant reasons was focusing on her family. Her priority was her family. The first two people on her list were her Dan and her Lulu. She got up, made her way to the bathroom and walked straight to their daughter to start their morning in silence while Dan rested. 

She loved the quiet, soft, slow moments with Lulu in the morning. Em loved cuddling and feeding her baby while ignoring the world outside their room. Lulu’s big brown eyes looking up at her were one of the most incredible things that ever happened to her. She couldn't believe how that six-month-old beauty with crazy tiny curls was her daughter. She couldn’t believe how each day Lulu looked more and more like Dan. For Em it was glorious because if Lulu didn’t look like her, she wouldn’t look like Emma’s mother. Thankfully, their baby was full Ricciardo which gave Em nothing but joy, especially considering Dan was the most handsome man in the world for her. Being able to stay there with Lulu in her arms looking at Dan sleeping peacefully was a privilege for Em.

For an hour and a half, her husband's snores were Em's background noise as she cuddled, kissed and changed Lulu. As Em got ready for their day, she smiled at Dan. She had no idea how she used to sleep without Dan as her white noise. She barely remembered how it was to go to bed without his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't even think how it was to wake up without his curls and stubble tickling her skin. Em could not help but laugh because she never imagined marrying a man who occasionally loved a mustache on his face. However, she loved Dan and all his weird and questionable facial hair choices. She must have giggled too loudly because Dan stirred as she talked to Lulu.

Maybe Emma giggled too loudly and made too much noise without realizing, because as she talked to Lulu, Dan started to stir. Like every morning she kissed his forehead. It became a small tradition and whoever was up first always did that while whispering a little good morning. Em cut too many things from his routine, but that wasn’t one of them. Em wouldn't leave behind the extra five or ten minutes of cuddles in bed. Those small things she was not willing to give up on. She might not let her husband get up earlier, but her family was gonna have their usual cuddle session to start the day like they always did. She wasn’t willing to take from her beloved family their morning little ritual of Dan kissing Lulu good morning. It was her face first, then her hands, tummy and feet, making her giggle with joy, dimples full on display, exactly like her daddy. It was all those moments that made Em remember every single decision and sacrifice was worth it if the loves of her life were happy. She was exhausted, but it gave her an extra shot of energy to hear Dan call her Mama as he talked to Lulu.

Em knew it was probably too soon to say and see any changes, but seeing her husband doing so well in Canada was like a breath of fresh air. A wonderful P5 in quali and P8 in the race was more than they expected. Em never doubted him, but trusting what the car could do was a completely different story.

Canada was wonderful, but they were just incredibly excited about visiting Barcelona. They were looking forward to meeting their family there, so it was good news for everyone. With Isabella and Isaac on school break, the family spent some time in Europe with Dan, Em and Lulu. It was all they really needed. Just as a toothless smile from their daughter could lift their spirits, a hug from the kids or Grace or Joe could lift their spirits. It was healing to watch them all cover Lulu in love when they couldn’t do it for months. It was magical to see Joe and Grace holding their tiny granddaughter and the kids playing with their baby cousin.

Having their family there not only meant much needed family time, but also Grandparents in charge. Lulu would spend at least a whole afternoon with Grace and Joe every time they were with them. They loved their grandkids, so spending the day with them was absolutely wonderful. That also allowed Dan and Em to have adult time without their baby around. Grace and Joe insisted the four of them needed some time to be just adults without thinking about the baby in the family and that's what they did.

Dan and Blake promised to join Charlie and Em later in the afternoon after press day in the circuit, which left the two women having brunch and part of a girls day. They normally did it with Lulu, going for a walk, lunch and maybe some shopping just the three of them until the boys returned. One of the things Em got thanks to Charlie being around was more freedom. With Em not working and Dan not in the car on Thursday, there was really no need for the girls to be at the track while the boys worked. One day they decided to turn Thursday morning and afternoon into girls days and it stuck. They sometimes skip it depending on the country, but for a big part of the calendar it was their thing. It didn’t change when Lulu was born, only transformed into a more baby-friendly version of it. With Lulu around it wouldn’t include alcohol, but when it was only Em and Charlie they would always have a glass of rosè.

Doing it in sunny Barcelona normally would put a smile on Em’s face. It was one of the places with more happy memories for them. Her first race was there and she couldn’t forget how happy Dan looked when he saw she was really there after insisting so much. She remembered his cute selfies back in 2018 when it was snowing and he was all covered in a scarf and a Red Bull beanie complaining how he didn’t like the cold and especially the snow. The same happened in 2019, Dan coming and going to London to see her on his free days between one week of testing and the other. She could never forget their nights snuggling in her hotel room in 2020 when she was finally working with him, trying to hide from the world because they weren’t supposed to be together but they just couldn’t stay away from each other. Dan hiding his face against her chest as he hugged her body, saying he was too cold even when the room was perfectly warm, enough for them to not use clothes while they slept. Even the previous year, because they weren’t there during the race but Dan gave them a reason to visit to have his hand surgery. Those were some of the most stressful days of her life, but she was never going to forget her husband waking up from the anesthesia whispering “You’re really pretty but I have a very hot pregnant wife” as he smiled lazily at her, trying in vain to reach her bump with his good hand.

Barcelona had too many good memories and she didn’t want anyone ruining that for them. But even with all those happy memories and stories, Em couldn’t stop thinking about everything that was happening. All the comments and rumors and talks about her husband were haunting her, making it hard for her to stop overthinking, even when she was supposed to be enjoying her day off with her friend.

Doing it in sunny Barcelona would normally put a smile on Em’s face. The place held many happy memories for them. Her first race was there and she couldn’t forget how happy Dan looked when he saw she was really there after insisting so much. She remembered his cute selfies back in 2018 when it was snowing and he was covered in a scarf and a Red Bull beanie, complaining how he didn’t like the cold and especially the snow. The same happened in 2019, Dan coming and going to London to see her on his free days between one week of testing and the other. She could never forget their nights snuggling in her hotel room in 2020 when she finally worked with him, trying to hide from the world because they weren’t supposed to be together but they just couldn’t stay away from each other. Dan hid his face against her chest as he hugged her tightly, saying he was too cold even when the room was perfectly warm, enough for them not to wear clothes while they slept. Even the previous year, because they weren’t there during the race but Dan gave them a reason to visit to have his hand surgery. Those were some of the most stressful days of her life, but she would never forget her husband waking up from anesthesia whispering “You’re really pretty but I have a very hot pregnant wife” as he smiled lazily at her, trying in vain to reach her bump with his good hand.

Barcelona had too many happy memories and didn't want anyone ruining them. But even with all those happy memories and stories, Em couldn’t stop thinking about everything that was happening. Even on her day off with her friend, she found it difficult to stop overthinking due to all the comments, rumors, and discussions about her husband.

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked out of the blue, glass in her hand as the sun shined down on her, making her look like something absolutely divine.

“Nothing.” It was typical Em trying to avoid the inevitable conversation, but knowing it was in vain to try at all. It was Charlie after all.

“Baby…”

“Nothing, Char.”

“Kay, right, lie to your bestie.”

“I’m not lying!”

“Then tell me what’s in your head. I know you, my dear. Maybe you don’t remember but I have a PhD in psychology. Might be in child psychology, but people’s minds are the same. Plus I know all of your faces and you've got the 'I'm worried' face on right now. I know a lot of things worry you but tell me which one is putting a frown across your face." Oh my God, how much she loved Charlie. The fact that she was right about everything she said made it funny. She was so skilled at reading people that it was difficult to hide something from her. It was especially difficult when they spent hours and days together, but Em tried. She tried to keep it chill and quiet, hiding behind her own wine glass. "Alright, I'll guess. Is it Dan and the noise of the silly season?" Check mate.

“You really know me a bit, don’t you?” Em smiled, taking a sip and breathing deeply before talking about the issue. “Yeah, it’s that. I’m just tired and we’re just in June. And Dan told me I could talk to Bayer and Mekies to get some peace of mind but I don’t want to. One of the reasons I quit was because I was tired of meetings with team principals and CEOs. I don’t fully believe them."

“Nobody can blame you. You have your reasons not to.”

“I know. And even if I did I’d still be worried. People talking about my husband is never easy. I hate people acting like they know him or what's going on. All these years and I still hate it. I feel powerless. Like I get to sit there and watch while it all happens when I should be able to do more." It hurt to confess it, but it also felt like a weight off her shoulders as she said it. It was like a bit of pressure came off her chest, which really helped her feel lighter.

“Em, darling, there’s nothing you can do. You’re already doing everything to help him. Goddamn, many women wouldn’t do half the things you do and wouldn’t help with half of the things you help.”

“I know that, but it's that constant small voice in my head saying I should be doing more. I wanna do more.”

“You’re doing enough, Em. Believe me. You’re flying the world with your baby daughter and raising her on your own most days so your husband can stay focused on his dream job. Damn, I can’t wait for the summer break and it's not even about my wedding. I want it so you can have Dan all day for you and Lu.”

It was the final countdown to their summer vacation and Em couldn’t remember the last time she waited for it as much as that year. Being cozy at home with the family sounded like a dream. It was even better when the excuse was their best friends’ wedding.

“I really can’t wait for you and Blakey to get married, you know? Having time off is nice, but your wedding? That’s gonna be incredible. I’m so happy you’re the one who gets to marry him. I really can’t wait.” Em affirmed, looking at Charlie's happy face. She normally lights up at any mention of her man, but the grin only grew bigger as she talked about the wedding.

“I can’t wait either. I really wanna be my squishy face’ wife. He’s gonna look terrific being my Mr Friend-Clarke.” Charlie proudly blushed, drinking from her glass to justify and hide the pink color on her cheeks.

“He’s really doing it, isn’t he?” Em curiously asked. She knew Blake intended to add Charlie’s last name to his. He couldn’t care less about whether Charlie wanted to change her name or not. He said again and again that it was all up to her. However, when Charlie decided to do it, Blake said he was doing it too. If Charlie was gonna add Friend to her name then he was determined to include Clarke to his.

“Fuck yeah. You know, it was his idea, so I won’t fight him. If he wants to be a Clarke, that's his thing.” Charlie shrugged. Em knew she was pretending it was not a big deal, but it meant everything to her. The fact that her future husband wanted to also carry her family’s name right beside his felt surreal. “But don’t change the subject here. We were talking about you and your man. You guys are alright? I mean, overall and despite all the vroom-vroom craziness.”

“Yes, we’re okay. We're doing really well. Trying to adjust to the new weekends routine. Good thing is all this won't last longer than 2026, so it won't be that terrible. Or at least I hope it won’t be.”

“Its bad that I can’t wait for that?” Charlie breathed as her happy smile faded into a rather sad smirk. 2026 wasn’t coming fast enough for them.

“No, it's not. Me neither actually. I’m not gonna miss not being on a race track almost every weekend."

“How did you do it? I mean, you don’t like it. You don’t enjoy racing. You get nervous every time. You don’t like the mess and fanciness and fake shit that comes with it. I see your face every time you see how the garages are full of people outside and the track is also packed. You’re this little miss introvert sunshine in the middle of a circus full of extrovert people. How have you survived all these years? Like seriously, in how many races have you been?” Charlie wondered, making Em laugh at all the questions at once. She wasn’t surprised coming from her friend, especially not after all that time together.

"I have no idea how many. Less than a hundred I guess? I never counted them.” Em tried to do fast math, but there was no use. As the number of races changed every year, Dan missed the entire season the previous year, and she missed too many, so it was impossible to guess it quickly. “I really don’t know. But to your other question, I did it for Dan. I want him to be happy. He’s happy racing, so here I am.”

“I know but anyway, it's insane, Em.”

“Why did you leave your job and your family to follow Blake for two years around the world, partly living in a country you dislike?" Em replied, leaving Charlie thinking with her mouth slightly open and a frown showing on her face.

“It’s not that I don’t like the UK. Charlie defended herself just like every time someone accused her of not liking Em’s country.

“You don’t have anything against it, but you hate the weather.”

“It’s cold in summer! Summer is supposed to be warm, not cloudy and rainy!” Charlie and Dan sometimes disagree on some stuff. They were like siblings who fought over which M&M color was the best or which song was better, but they loved each other. But they always agreed on the weather. They hated the cold, they didn’t like the rain and they loved sunny skies and warm days. Living in London was like a nightmare for her because of the weather. Em was not surprised to hear the same words her husband normally says, but they came from Charlie’s mouth.

“You kind of sound like my husband, you know? Like a lot like him.”

“Cause we’re from cute sunny Perth, baby. We’re not made for cold European weather.”

“Your man is from Sydney and he doesn’t complain.” Em remarked, finishing what was left in her glass, acting like she said the smartest thing in the universe.

"It's because he's a saint. He’s marrying me, poor thing. He already has a spot in heaven for handling me and my shit. For handling us all. If he can deal with that, then I can deal with the cold weather for him.”

“And flying around. Because you’re scared of planes and there you are traveling around the world, jumping on planes every week." Em pointed out. Everyone around her knew how scared she was of flying. It was as overwhelming as Em's airport anxiety, but Charlie made it time after time. It took time, love, and patience, but she made it as long as Blake held her hand and reminded her everything would work out.

“I just don’t like turbulence and I told you, people are not supposed to be in the air! Same with huge machines. It's not natural." Charlie explained, giving the same answer she gave everyone who asked how she could be terrified of the safest transport system that existed.

“I know that, but my point is, you do it anyway cause you love Blake. You handle cold and rain and planes to be with him and because you want him to be happy. You fly and get cold, I get in noisy, packed places. We do what we have to do.” Em concluded, as Charlie grabbed the bottle of wine and poured what was left between their both glasses. “We are gonna get drunk, Char!”

“We have to finish it! It's to celebrate how fucking ridiculous we are, babe. We both know we wouldn’t have it any other way. We wouldn’t change our boys for the world and I drink to that, so cheers.” Charlie grinned, clicking her glass with Em’s to toast for their happy lives. “Or you know, Enchanté, as your husband says."

"Since you asked, we're talking about boys and relationships. How are you and my brother doing?” Em asked, taking another tiny sip and leaving the glass back on the black table. It would go to her brain sooner rather than later, but it was her one afternoon off, and the wine was really good. Good enough to send a photo to Dan and add it to their 'Wines Emmy likes' collection.

“We’re good. Better than ever really. Stressing a bit about the wedding cause it’s not easy to organize it from the other side of the world, but enjoying engaged life. A lot of engaged sex before it turns into married couples' sex. Just in case it changes and gets bored, y’know? But yeah, we’re okay. Really happy."

"Getting married doesn't change much. At least it didn't for us. And considering it's you? It won’t either. Like, I know I will regret asking this but really Char, how many days a week you…?” There was the wine finally and officially taking over and talking for Em. Her little prudent brain never let her talk about those things just like that, unless there was alcohol in her body.

“You’re trying to ask me how many days a week we have sex? You better keep drinking, sister.” Charlie smirked, knowing she finally got to the point she wanted to have ridiculous conversations. “And depends? Almost every day?”

"Oh, come on! That's insane."

“You shut up! B told me how you and Dan were basically like horny dogs for years, so don't come here judging, little missy." Check mate. Em hated to admit it, but Charlie was kind of right. Right enough to make Em blush.

“But not every day!” Em tried to defend herself, but her red cheeks and the silly smile gave her away too fast. Besides, Charlie knew when she was lying so it was in vain. “Maybe at the beginning when he came home and I didn’t see him every day but if we spent time together we didn’t have sex every day.”

“Okay but how many days? Spill it, sister.” That damn question.

“Charlie!” Em exclaimed, looking to the tables around them. Luckily, they were too far and too involved in their conversation to listen to what they said. “I don’t know. Four? Five on vacation? But normally, three? Depending on the week."

“Sounds logical. But I don’t care, really. I won’t lie and say it's too much for me because it's more than alright. If B doesn't complain we’re good. As long as he lets me sit on his di-“

“Char! There are people around!” Em interrupted, laughing like a small kid who was almost discovered doing something bad. The fact that she stopped Charlie from saying something worse let her know she wasn’t that terrible. Maybe. “If Dan was here he would say his dick is gonna fall one of these days.”

"Oh boy wine is finally hitting her!” Charlie laughed, not really believing the word ‘dick’ came from her best friend’s mouth, at least not in such a way. “But yeah, nah, it won’t. I know how to take care of my pretty boy. He is really looked after, so don’t worry about it. I take care of him so damn well that one day soon there might be two babies flying around the world with us."

Emma could see the exact moment Charlie shifted. She could see how she wasn’t supposed to open her mouth to say such a thing, but trust and wine together were bad advisors and they betrayed her. Em could only think of how her face reflected Charlie’s. A surprised expression on her face as she processed the words.

“Oh boy… Char are you…?”

“No.”

“But you’re trying, aren’t you?”

Charlie answered in a second. Em could see how she was trying to decide if she should say the truth or lie, but there was no use lying about it. “A bit. Maybe a lot. Like a lot.”

“I need a coffee. We need coffee. We can’t have this conversation like this, seriously." Em breathed, taking what was left of her wine and calling the waitress to order two coffees and water for them. It felt like suddenly more than one thing about her friends’ behavior made sense. Suddenly too many of the things they did had more logic about them. “Goddamn, that's why you stopped smoking at all.”

"How do you know that? Only Blake knows I stopped for good and he told me it was our secret.”

“Someone asked for a lighter the other day and you didn’t have one with you. You always have it. Always. Even if it’s to burn a building. Or a body. Or evidence.”

“I was planning to stop anyway. It's terrible for you guys and B hates it too cause it's bad for me.” Charlie tried to justify as they smiled and thanked the waitress for bringing their order.

Before Em could answer, she first drank water. Straight after she poured sugar on it and took a sip of her coffee. She needed to try, even though it wouldn't take effect fast enough. “We all hate it because it's terrible for you, Charlotte. And it went from one every once in a while to too many a week."

Em knew Charlie’s smoking history. She knew how it started in her university days, mainly recreationally, as she had drinks with her friends and classmates. As time passed, she got caught up in it, using it as a way to cope with stress from exams. She promised to quit after getting her PhD, and she did it. Charlie would only get one in a year, maybe two and only when she was really drunk. But the 'only while drunk' clause was omitted from the equation. Between planes, airports, hotel rooms, cameras, photographers, and strangers knowing who her boyfriend was, her anxiety only grew. When it happened and Charlie felt anxiety reached her peak of the day, she would sneak away from them and try to put it away with some nicotine. She would never smoke around them, so it would be a fifteen minutes break to return with her face and teeth washed and clean clothes. But as it happened more and more often to the point Em was thinking about making an intervention, one day it completely stopped. Now it made sense why she did it.

“We have a stressful life, Em." Charlie tried to justify, but there was no point in discussing that at the moment.

“Don’t change the subject."

“We’re trying. We started less than a month ago. We talked too much about it and we really really thought about it. We had a plan and were waiting, but with my family history of fertility issues? I’m not getting any younger and I don’t wanna risk it. I won't risk our chances. I can't wait, Em. I'm afraid of waiting too long and then finding out it won't happen, y'know?. I’m older than my mom was when she had Cal and I just- We always knew we wanted this at some point so we’re trying for it. I know it's terrible timing with the season and all that but-"

“Charlie, no." Em interrupted her friend, grabbing her hand from over the table to stop her from rambling. "Love, don’t do that. It's not bad timing. It is not. It could never be. Lulu having a travel buddy sounds wonderful."

If there was something that Em admired about Charlie, it was the way she always looked like she could own the world. It was effortless somehow. There was something about the way she carried herself. Em knew Charlie carried her heart on her sleeve and was the sweetest, most loving, protective, honest woman in the world. However, there was something about her that said she could take over the world if she wanted to. Em always joked that Charlie and Blake could take over the world if they wanted to do it, but they would rather snuggle on the couch. But just like Charlie was the most badass woman Em ever met, her friend also was one of the most sensible people she ever knew. That afternoon was not the exception and Charlie could see how her friend's face completely shifted. There was absolute relief on her face as she heard those words, her brown eyes shining even more.

“Really?” Charlie asked, and the happiness in her eyes slowly reached her smile, giving Em a tiny smirk.

“Yeah it does. It really does. Those babies will be so lucky to have you and Blake, Char." Em smiled, squeezing her friend's hand as the shock hit Charlie. "What? Don't look at me like that. I know you'd like more than one. I'm not silly. I saw you and Blake looking at the kids and whispering numbers. I kind of live with you, remember?"

"Is that obvious?" Charlie blushed, taking a sip of her water as she realized her friend had caught them.

“Not for anyone, but me and Dan its obvious. But I can totally see you with a bunch of tiny brunette babies running around the house. If someone has the patience for something like that, that's your husband."

“I know. Nobody has as much patience as that man. But maybe it's just one baby? I’d love to have a couple but I'd be happy with one.”

"One, three, seven, whatever. They’re really gonna be the luckiest kids in the world." Em had no idea if someone was ever really prepared to be a parent, but if someone was close enough, that was Blake and Charlie. After a bunch of nieces and nephews from Charlie's side and after spending the last months helping raise Lulu like she was their own, Em knew they were more than ready for it.

“You think?”

“I know it. Just like my Lulu is lucky to have you as godparents”

"We're lucky to be her godparents. You know I love all my nieces and nephews with all my heart and I don’t have a favorite but damn it, little baby Lu really is something else. That girl is a shining little star. There’s no way you don't smile when you see her with those big eyes and crazy curls. Like you really made an excellent one.” Charlie smiled proudly as she talked about her youngest goddaughter.

“That toothless smile is really something else, isn’t it?" Em grinned, still not believing how incredible her baby girl was. Charlie was right. Lulu was a bright little star who would put a smile on anyone's face. She was sweet, smart, funny, and gorgeous, the light of her parents life and the reason for everything they did. "But hey, soon enough we'll be covered in diapers and running around with two tiny ones. Just wait and see."

“You think our kids will be besties?”

“What's that question? Of course they will be best friends. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Charlie exclaimed excitedly, making Em laugh at her. "Maybe they get married and all!"

“Oh so you really don’t wanna get rid of me, uh? That’s why you want our babies to marry? So we’re family forever?” Em joked, but there was nothing that made her happier than thinking about spending the rest of her life like that, sharing lunches with Charlie and then returning back to their boys and babies.

“Exactly! Us? That's forever, baby.”

The most enjoyable thing about spending time with Charlie was how she always brought a smile to Em’s face. They were always able to make each other smile. A glass of wine and a long walk while shopping mostly for Lulu, Em could almost forget about her worries. She couldn't completely forget about them, but as Charlie dragged her to a fancy shop to buy some new lingerie, Em could at least put them to the side for a while.

Having a double dinner date was probably another thing they needed. More than once Steve switched from Dan’s trainer to Lulu’s babysitter, offering himself to look after her for a couple hours or even the night so the rest could have a night out without a baby car right by the table. Normally they would say no and it would be the six of them having dinner together, but on some weird occasion Steve would basically kick them out. Every hour, everyone in their group chat would receive a photo of Lulu, attached to a text that said something about their own date running perfectly. He always made sure Em and Dan didn’t worry about their daughter and they were thankful for it. That night they didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving Steve to the side because he was on his own FaceTime date with his girlfriend Sophie, so it was all good.

Just like Canada was wonderful, Barcelona was a disaster. The car was supposed to be faster with the new parts, but Em had to see her husband qualify P18 because the team decided to sacrifice their quali to test the ungraded parts. The last thing they needed was that. The last thing Dan needed was that, especially in front of his family. 

It had been a while since Em wanted to cry after a race, but that day she had to fight the tears. Knowing the kids were in the hospitality, Em took a deep breath and pretended everything was alright. It hurt her to see her husband fighting for something that some days seemed impossible no matter how hard he tried.

That terrible race was the reason why they didn’t say yes when Grace and Joe offered to take Lulu for the night after the race. Depending on the race and how tired Dan was, Blake and Charlie would look after Lulu for the night, giving the parents some time off to sleep without worrying or waking up in the middle of the night. But that night they couldn’t do it. Dan was tired, but he needed his girls. Em knew he needed both his girls, so after a family dinner they headed back to their room for some cuddles.

“You think she'll be proud of me one day? Even with the not so good years?” Dan asked in the dark, his head resting against Em's chest as she kissed his forehead while Dan did the same on her chest.

Even then, his focus was on Lulu. Their daughter slept in her crib right by their bed, never out of reach. They both slept better knowing Lu was there, especially in case a bad dream hit one of them and they needed to hold her tiny chubby hand.

“I know she will. As soon as she is old enough to understand, she will be so proud of her dad. Not only for everything you have accomplished but for how amazing you are. Just like I am proud of you, not only for going fast but for being the best dad and husband in the world.”

It melted her heart when Dan looked up at her as she said those words. It made her feel butterflies in her stomach, the same ones that appeared the night she met Dan. It was the same ones that never went away. They only grew stronger as time passed, especially when Dan kissed her as he did that night. “You’re the best mama and wife in the world. Absolutely the greatest.”

“I try my best cause my loves deserve it.” Em whispered against his lips, enjoying the feeling of her husband right there by her side. Her whole universe was in that room and she couldn’t ask for anything more. “I love you. I don’t care where you end up in the race, alright?”

“I love you too. So so much, Wrinkles. You have no idea how much. Six Barcelona races later and I wouldn’t change us for the world.” Between more lazy, soft, silent kisses to not bother their daughter, Em couldn’t help but smile again. Dan still made her blush, not really believing her luck in life when he said those things.

"How is it already six?" she wondered, still amazed. It felt like an eternity and three lifetimes passed since they met at Blake’s. But at the same time it felt like it was yesterday. Six years of the highest highs and lowest lows. Six years of the happiest and saddest days of her life. Six years and she would do it all again if it meant she ended up being Lulu’s mum and Dan’s wife.

“Dunno, but I love it. Best six years of my life."

“Don’t lie to me” she joked, biting casually his lower lip.

“Best six years of my life. And best six months of my life thanks to our baby moon.”

Leaving Barcelona to go to Austria wasn’t her favorite thing to do. She has nothing against that place, but she loved Barcelona way too much, so if she had to choose, she'd stay in the Spanish city.

Before they headed to the track, they decided to spend some days in Vienna to visit and show Charlie and Steve around. Em's favorite thing was also on the agenda. It was her annual tradition to go to the Belvedere museum to see some paintings, but mostly Klimt's The Kiss. She had it tattooed on her thigh, Dan loved to kiss it and say it looked a lot like them, but they also loved to go to the museum and see it. From the first time Dan made it happen and took Em there in 2019 it was their tradition to do it. They would stand there, Dan standing right behind her with his arms around her waist as Em rested her back against his chest. Sometimes they stayed silent, sometimes Dan whispered sweet words into her ear. But nothing ever compared to the feeling of being there with their best friend and especially with their daughter. Em walked with one hand holding Dan's and another holding her daughter's tiny foot. Like always, Lulu was strapped in her carrier against Em's chest, looking at everything around her.

"See that one, Lu? That's mama's favorite painting ever. I come here every year to see it cause it makes me happy. Your poor dada always comes with me, but now we can do it together to not drag him." Em whispered, kissing her baby's head making Lulu give her the best gummy grin.

"I love coming with you, so now it's the three of us." Dan answered, kissing both his girls. "There's nowhere I rather be than here with you."

Having walked around the city, shopped, and visited places for two days, it was finally time to leave for Spielberg for her husband's 250 race.

Em was never as skilled at maths as she appeared, but, in this case, maths was simple. Two hundred and fifty races were about four years and a half of racing. Two hundred and fifty Sundays when her husband got into a car and raced his heart out. He was almost in the top ten of F1 racing drivers with the most Grand Prix starts, and she couldn’t be prouder. Em was always proud of her boy, constantly reminding him how she loved him for who he was and not for his job, but she was tremendously proud of him. Dan always said the things he did weren’t sacrifices but choices, but Em knew half of it was true. Not being able to spend more time with his family and friends was both a choice and a sacrifice to do what he loved. Not being able to give his wife and daughter more of his time, not having the opportunity to take Em on more dates, letting her do most of the parenting was nothing and not being a full-time dad for Lulu every single day was on the top of his list of things he would wish to change. It was at the top of his list of things he wanted to change the second he retired. In the meantime, she kept kissing his cheeks, smiling at him and whispering how much she loved him and how he had a job to do.

But what surprised her the most was when Blake told her Dan’s 250th race was also her 100th race. When Charlie asked at lunch, Em still didn't have the courage to check. She still didn’t have the heart to count. Like she told Charlie, searching for a list and doing the maths would mean she had to look at the races she missed back in those terrible orange days and she didn’t intend to. She didn’t have the heart to do it. Her list of things to do grew, and she did not get upset about it. Most days she didn't let herself think about that and how tired she was. Her job was to look after her babies. Thinking about her tiredness would lead her to think about how much she wished to get home and it was impossible. It would lead to spiralling about her leaving a big part of her job, being a full-time mum, missing home, longing to be with their family, and a hundred things more. The saddest part was it made Em think how she knew Dan wanted another baby but they couldn't. Lulu was too young, Em didn’t plan to get pregnant again until their daughter was at least two years old, and she didn’t want to deal with a pregnancy and a toddler. She couldn’t deal with it if Dan was racing. She wanted to be home to do that, and Dan agreed, but she knew he wanted more babies. They didn’t want Lulu to be an only child like Em was. They wanted at least one more baby, but she could do another fifty races and celebrate her husband’s 300th with two kids on the road.

Em couldn't and didn't want to let her brain overthink all that. She wanted to celebrate her husband and all his races and the ones she had been by his side. She wanted to celebrate that and then his birthday and the fact that it was his first birthday with Lulu by their side. All Em's worries could wait for another week or two. If extra therapy sessions were necessary, she would have them for her family.

At the end, it was a miracle that she didn’t need it, but maybe it was the joy of seeing her husband smiling in his special helmet. She remembered the day Dan had the idea to do it like his helmet from his kart days, and she loved it. She remembered the excitement on his face as they lay in bed and Dan asked if it would be an good idea. There was a big difference from that night months ago to the day it became a reality. She saw the helmet when Dan brought it home, but there was a huge difference from when she saw it at the race in the Red Bull ring. Em looked at Dan taking it off its bag and for some reason, tears fell down her face. From that little boy who only wanted to go fast in his kart to the wonderful man he became, he had come so far in life. She was so proud of him. She was the luckiest girl to be there for six years of his career. She was the luckiest woman to be there for hundreds of those races.

“I thought we said no tears” Dan smiled, closing the gap between them in his room. As soon as they were one in front of the other, Dan reached her face, cleaning the tears with his fingers.

"I know, but they're really good ones. I’m so proud of you. All you did and you keep doing? God, I’m seriously so proud of you, baby."

“Y'know what's my favorite part about it? That you and Lu are here to see it. It's been crazy, but having you here makes it better and easier. Having our potato here?" Dan asked, pointing to their daughter with his head as she took her morning nap in her seat before the craziness and the noise started. "It really feels like a dream.”

“We have a little saint for a daughter." Em smiled, wrapping her arms around her husband and resting her head against his chest. She knew they didn't have much time, but she would enjoy every second of it.

“Just like her gorgeous mama. And thank goodness she's nothing like her papa.”

“Only on looks."

"That's why she’s precious."

“Then it sounds like she's exactly like her dad.” Em affirmed, kissing his chest before looking at her husband's face. “Thank you for letting me be by your side for a hundred races. It has been my pleasure, baby. No matter what form we were in, it's been awesome.”

“99 of those races should've been as you as my girl.” Dan admitted, kissing Em's nose before tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know what you'll say. You were my girl. You've always been my girl, but you were not my girlfriend. That's my one regret."

"It's your 250th race, there’s no time for regrets." she reminded him, moving one of her hands from his waist to his face, stroking his cheek with her fingers.

“There's no time for regrets, but there’s time for one more big hug from my lady wife." Even when they were still holding each other, Dan hugged Em as tightly as possible. For some reason it felt so peaceful that it didn't feel like they were on the track. It felt like they were home, except for the detail of her husband wearing the team's clothes. “Thank you” he whispered against her hair, breaking the silence in the room.

“For what?”

“For Lu. For existing. For being here. And for handling my daily shit. I think I don’t thank you enough for it.” He did. Heaven knew he did. Em was well aware of it and it was never an issue. Dan was always in awe of his wife and all she did for their family. But she also knew that after what happened with them and not talking about their feelings for years, Dan needed to remind her how he felt about them.

"You know how you can thank me?" Em asked, moving her face from his chest to his neck, kissing it a couple times and then his jaw. "Don't cut your curls during the summer break." Em liked the mustache and she was more than used to it, but if she had to pick she always rather the full bear. There was counted things Em loved as much as running her fingers through it. If she could get it back, she would be happy even if it was temporary.

"Emmy!" Dan exclaimed, forcing Em to cover his mouth for a moment with her hand.

"Shhh, you'll wake Lu up." Em whispered as Dan kissed her palm again and again. "I'm just saying. That and a full beard. That's how you make your wife happy. The whole daddy looks suits you."

"Fine. Anything else?" Dan asked as he took Em's hand off his face and held it against his heart.

"One of those new helmets for my collection."

"You know one is always for you. Anything else?"

Em said no with her head, then got in her tiptoes to kiss her husband's lips to close the deal. One. Two. Three kisses. That was the lucky number. She hated to let it go, but it made her heart warm even more as she looked at her husband kissing their daughter’s forehead carefully to not wake her up. A simple “I love you and see you later, yeah baby girl? Be good with mama while papa’s working, potato” was all Dan whispered while Em couldn’t stop thinking she had done something right in life to get them. No matter how crazy or difficult things were, no matter where they ended up working or living, if Em had her little family things were going to be okay.

---

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[harrysmimi]

My Missus

Synopsis: One where Harry admits to have a girlfriend on a talk show

CW: Smut. Unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it kiddos)

Pls pls make sure you leave a like and reblog if you'd like xx

Series Masterlist | More of my work

YN's never been this happy in her life before!

She didn't know how a year and half went by with Harry. Obviously it's not been all rainbows and sunshine and unicorns and cotton candy but whatever it came her wat she cherished with her life. Because almost half of the time Harry was on tour all over in US and Asia, she gets to attend few of his shows as well.

Now she's got someone who shows her respect and love her for who she is!

Harry's recently released his third studio album which she helped write a few songs for. It was a swift process as he had his muse by his side, he said to her. And god has it been breaking records after records!

Alas, Harry was back in London but for a few days before he heads off to Manchester and tour all over Europe.

It was his birthday and he requested they spend it at home together. YN had baked him a little cake which was chilling in the fridge as they lounged in her living room, half dressed from their morning shenanigans, him sat there just in his boxers. A nice Sunday afternoon.

"Are you coming to the show tomorrow, love?" Harry asked. YN was sat in front of him on the sofa of her flat which have become a home for him from past couple of months now, as he painted her nails to match his.

"Yeah, I've taken the day off for tomorrow." She nodded watching him so concentrated that he doesn't get anything on her cuticles. "Your mum has called me over for lunch with your sister, a girls day in she called it."

"You know sometimes I get jealous how well you get along with my mother." He shared, his curls flopped down on his forehead. She'd somehow convinced him to not cut his hair.

"Awh! That so sad, isn't it?" YN cooed teasing him.

Anne has been nothing but sweet to YN since day they met on Gemma's birthday. Though that was very early when YN met her but they bumped in getting dinner at the same restaurant. Harry was taking his sister out on a nice dinner with his mum and Gemma's boyfriend tagged along. YN was there with her friends.

Totally unplanned for but everything went by smoothly. And what was there to love about YN? Harry wondered. He honestly doesn't know how and why fell for her. He just did. It just happened.

"But that sounds fun," he added quickly. It wasn't the first time YN has shared about hanging out with him mum or sister and it honestly warmed his heart to see and hear that. Especially when either of the women in his life has been so open to accept anyone he's dated in their lives this much.

"Mhmm. Gemma suggested we should all go get our hair done, she's been wanting to change her hair colour but she is confused. I was thinking about getting a hair cut too." YN shared.

"Yeah?" Harry glanced at her with a grin on his face, "what haircut are you planning to get?"

"I don't know, I kinda want to get bangs again. But it's too much work." YN contemplated. "I'll just get a little chop."

"Don't cut off your hair!" He exclaimed, "been begging me to not cut mine, you can't do that either!"

"You look cute with long hair!" She defended, "and I'm talking about just a little trim." Harry was done with giving her a nice manicure, looking proud of the little green heart he'd drawn over off white base. "That's so cute! Thank you Harry!"

"You're welcome, baby." He smiled, started putting away stuff on the coffee table.

"Oh, oh, oh, I forgot." YN got up and ram to the bedroom which they now share leaving him confused. She came back with a small paper bag in her hand. "A little birthday present for you."

"I told you to not get me anything, love." Harry gasped.

"Mhmm I did the same but you still got me present last year." She reminded him, "open it, open it!"

"What is it?" He took the bag, there was a little ring box in it. "YN, you really didn't had to lovie!"

"No, shush! Just open it!" She scolded him and did just that. There was a pretty signet ring with a gorgeous purple stone and silver band.

"This is so pretty." He pulled out the the piece of jewelry, "what stone is it?"

"Amethyst. Do you like it?" She beamed at him watching his reaction.

"I love it, sweetheart, thank you so much." Harry cooed, his voice soft.

"Wear wear it on your third finger, left hand." She shared.

"Any specific reason?" He slid the ring on the exact finger she said.

"I don't know about that. It's just that Amethyst just helps with creating like a good and zen mood, and like help with anxiety and stuff - I wear it too you know - basically it's calm you down." She started explaining, "my parents got me this ring when I was teenager." She showed him the ring he'd always seen her wear, "because I was starting to lash out on everyone, they thought I was like possessed or something. Our family astrologer said to get one made for me with silver to help with that. But anyway, that's not why I got it for you. I thought it might help as you said you get a little anxious before your shows. And a new piece to add to your collection. And it's also your birth stone!" She ended her rambling with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Awh!" He chuckled, "thank you so much, darling, I love how much thought you put into this. We can match now!"

"Oh, yeah!" She realised looking down at her own hand.

"Aren't you the sweetest little thing!" He pulled her in a bear hug cooing to her. "You're my own Amethyst, this is just a little cherry on top." YN was too shy to say anything so she resorted to just giggle. He'd managed to get her straddling his lap. "I love you."

"I love you." She pulled away to give him a kiss on his mouth. "So much. Thank you for being constant in my life that I've been looking for forever. I can't imagine myself without you."

"I'm not going anywhere," an adorable smirk creeping up on the corner of his lips, "you don't have to imagine that. I'm here with you for as long as you'd like to have me. You've given me a ring and now you're stuck with me."

"That doesn't sound bad."

"No it doesn't." He agreed, "would you like it if we move in together? We can get a place of our own somewhere a little private, I know my house has become a tourist attraction now."

"Or we can stay here." She suggested, "we've basically been living together. For now, we can stay here no one really knows where I stay. We can get a place maybe in future?"

Even thought gave him butterflies. He had never lived with anyone before. Thought of making it more legit and move in with her all together made his heart jumping in his ears. To finally and openly call her flat their home which has always felt like home to him.

It isn't as grand or as big as his own property, YN says, but he could say otherwise. It was just perfect for two people to live together which also had enough room to give each other personal space. That's more than enough.

"Yeah?" His cheeks were starting to hirt from how much he was smiling, "maybe when we're married?"

"Yeah." She nods. "When we're married!"

"You want to get married?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" She shrugged, "do you?"

"I don't see myself not doing that." He admitted kissing her tenderly, "it's good we're on same page."

"Okay, now stop we have a cake waiting in the fridge." She stopped whatever he was trying to lead on.

"Come on it's my birthday." He looked at her with faux-puppy eyes, being sneaky with his wandering hands. Stroking his hand on soft of her bare thighs, slipping under her (his) sweat shirt she had threw on after their post-breakfast shenanigans. "Do you want to stop?"

"No," she nodded.

"Just as I expected," he smirked sitting straight with his hand on the back of her neck pulled her down slotting their mouths together. Cutting to chase, his tongue slipped past her lips getting the taste of her. His moan was lost in her mouth at gentle rut of her hips against his own. "God you're gonna be death of me!" He groaned pulling away from her mouth breathing out another moan.

"It's your birthday we wouldn't want that." She teased him.

"If you don't want that you should definitely take this off, it's only fair." He suggested, already tugging the piece of garment of her. He almost managed to get her sweatshirt over her head before her phone started ringing in the other room. "Were you expecting a call?"

"No," she shook her head getting off his lap after he'd adjusted her clothes properly letting her go.

YN saw it was face time from Alec, upon answering she found Brielle was on a conference call. Alec went on about his video, Brielle calling him weird names for bragging about it their usual shenanigans. All fun and jokes continued for next ten minutes before Brielle talked about sharing something.

"Before she goes on, we know it's your boyfriend's birthday but she just can't keep it in her stomach for a day longer." Alec gave YN a disclaimer.

"What is going on?" YN asked.

"I am engaged!" Brielle screamed showing YN her ring.

"What the fuck?" YN squealed.

"Yes! Ben proposed last night!" The blonde shared.

"Oh my god, Brielle! I am so happy for you!" She couldn't contain herself. "What!"

"Wait, wait, wait, there is more!" Alec butted in, taking YN by surprise.

"Oh, Hi Harry!" Brielle said making YN look behind. Harry was there with a shirt on. "Happy Birthday!"

"Hello, how are you? I heard squealing here, everything alright?" Harry said.

"I got engaged last night!" Brielle gave him the new as well.

"Awh! Congratulations, darling!" Harry cooed. All the YN could feel his hard on pressed to her lower back. He got worked up, hasn't he, YN wondered.

"And..." Brielle said picking up something from in front of her. "I am pregnant!"

"Oh my god!" YN gasped, "slow down girlie!"

"No, no, that was her surprise for Ben. But little did either of them knew both of them called me up before to help with the surprise." Alec said, "it was like two birds with one stone!"

"You sneaky little shits, didn't even tell me about a thing!" YN huffed.

"Yeah? You were seeing Harry Styles behind our back for months before you told us!" Brielle pointed out.

"Touché!" Harry agreed with her just to tease his girl.

"Anyway, I have to go I'll talk you all later." Alec said, "Harry, Happy Birthday to you bestie!"

"Yes, yes, I have an appointment. Happy Birthday, Harry. Bye bye!"

"Thank you!" Harry smiled. YN hung up the call with her friends and put her phone back on charge.

"Oh god!" She squealed watching Harry towering over her, taking steps back.

"Left me hanging there." He pouted but he kept walking forward until she was flushed against the wall behind her, beside her dresser.

"I got a call, didn't mean to." She genuinely got upset for doing that to him.

"No, baby I'm just joking." He rushed, giggling softly he pressed a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Do you still want to continue?" A cheeky smile over his face.

"Mhmm!" She agreed. "I want."

"C'mon." He walked her to their bed, making her sit back down he took off the shirt he'd put on just so he can could check on her and her friend squealing, it would have been indecent if he walked in on their face time chat just in his boxers. He resumed to do the same to her, waiting for a moment to get her approval. Being careful of the neckline. "Hi."

"Hi." She chuckled watching him keep the jumper close by. Little thing he'd been concious about to not throw her shirt away as she gets cold easily. He approached her with a kiss on her mouth, as he carefully lied her back. Making sure she'd comfortable on her pillow.

"You still want this? You aren't still sore from last night, right?" He enquired.

"I want it," she assured him, "please?"

"You're getting it, gorgeous," he cooed to her. Cutting to chase, he pushed his boxers down as well as her panties. His fingers skimming over her core to meet with her wet fold, that earned him a breathy moan from her in attempt. "You ready?"

"Yeah." His hand still between them, as he grabbed onto his cock slipping through her fold with ease her feel her tightly wrap around him. He felt her shuddering under him just at that. "Move!" She sounded. Enough for him to pull out enough and buck his hips into her in gentle thrusts. Feeling warm and close, pushed him to the edge already if it weren't for how worked up he got waiting for his girl to get off the phone call with her friends.

"Oh my baby," he sighed dropping his head in the crook of her neck, comforting her as he heard her little whimpers, "fuck!"

Harry felt her press a few kisses on his face. "Oh god- Harry. Faster please!" She managed to convey between each puffs of oxytocin in her brain followed by each of his thrusts. He picked up his pace enough for her satisfaction, she wrapped her arms around his middle to find a balance, her nails racking on his skin in attempt.

"Jesus, baby I'm not gonna last!" He punctuated his little announcement with a sigh of his moan, a growl she decided it was rumbling through his chest. "Are you close? Need you to cum with me baby love."

"Getting, getting there." She nodded, stuttering through her speech.

"I can't- fucking christ!- I can't..." He whimpered. Her walls clenching around him making it much harder for him to chase her.

"Cum for me, please, Harry." She urged him. "Please?" With his thrusts getting sloppier and sloppier, he came down on his orgasm hard spurting his cum inside her until his cock softened again. Their mouths pressed together to drown their noises, his cock was replaced by his fingers. "Ah! Harry!"

"Can't leave my baby hanging, can I, hm?" He cooed to her, "been so good to me. Can already feel you clenching around me fingers." His fingers worked faster hitting just her right spot and be knew exactly what he was doing to her, making her squirt as she came down of her own high. Grateful of the towels they had splayed on their bed from last night.

Harry brought up fingers to her mouth, pushing past her kiss lips be watched her suck them clean. Thin sheen of sweat over her face had him groaning, he swore he'd fucked a real angel and now she's sucking their cum off his fingers.

Feeling oh so tired, he plopped on his spot next to her. "C'mere, angel." He coaxed her closer to him so she wouldn't get cold. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just need a minute." She shared, her head rested on his chest. "Are you having a good birthday?"

"Most amazing one I've had." He corrected her, "thank you for the present, sweetheart, really love it!" She just pressed a kiss on his collar bone.

YN wasn't big on recieving thank yous. Especially from him and her friends. She did the things she did nit expecting a thank you in return, it made her weird she said. But Harry is for sure never going to take off the ring she got him. She draped her arm and leg over him cuddling closer.

"Was it too rough last night, baby?" He enquired, carelessly running his hand down her side to the full of her ass feeling her bare skin. "Are you sore anywhere?"

"Not from last night." She admitted, "and I liked it."

"Yeah, you did?" He smiled, "but you've gotta tell me if it's too much, okay lovie?"

"I will, I will." She agreed.

"Why are you sore?"

"In my joints, it happens when the weather is changing." She shared.

"Did you have an appointment with your doctor recently?" Lately he's been accompanying her to her doctors visit as many times as he could between his schedule. He figured she tends to forget a few things her doctor says, so he took it upon himself to go with her. Or it is usually Brielle going with her when he can't.

"No, it's next Friday."

"You want me to go with you? Can come back from Manchester." He suggested.

"Yes, please." She lifted her head up to look at him, "I want to take a warm bath now. Join me?"

"Lay here, okay? I'll go run us a bath then."

......................................................................

YN's day out with Anne and Gemma was amazing.

They were talking about the videos YN sent in their group chat of Harry decorating his own birthday cake and struggled every moment of it. Getting frosting everywhere, dressed in his purple bathrobe. Gemma was having a field day making fun of him in the group chat.

The girls got their hair done. Gemma finally deciding to dye her hair with blue highlights and getting curtain bangs getting inspired by YN. Anne just got her hair trimmed and styled, she looked stunning!

YN could really see how much Harry resembles to his mother. It was creepily adorable to her how look alike they were, knowing very well that's how genes work. The way they both talk and behave are just so similar, Harry just got a little lazy undertone to his voice.

"Oh, YN did you see Harry's fans have been suspicious about him seeing someone in secret?" Gemma asked, "I know you're not on Twitter and Harry doesn't go online much, just wanted to give you a little head up. People online can be brutal. But honestly his fans loves you even though they don't know you yet."

"Mhmm, I saw those too." Anne chimed in, "there are pictures of you two from Louvre last month."

"Hmm?!" YN couldn't believe it. The few Harry update account she'd been following for ages haven't posted any of those on their feed. She didn't know about that.

"Yeah." Gemma nodded, "we're going to show after this. And anyone says anything mean to you, you tell me about it!"

YN chuckled, "I will, I will."

......................................................................

Before the show started the girls headed to the Wembley stadium. It was jam packed with Harry's fan screaming to the show opener's songs and even pre set playlist.

Waiting for Harry was a bore honestly, Gemma said. So they took many selfies and pictures. YN gonna show each one of those Harry later tonight when they get back home. But alas he got up on the stage, ten minutes late!

The back of the pit was open, just a few guards stood around. Especially next to Anne, Gemma and YN and other of Harry's friends visiting. He'd also invited YN's friends to the show.

"YN!" Brielle squealed.

"Bri!" YN hugged her, "oh my god I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," the blonde cooed hugging her best friend back.

Gemma was YN's date as Harry was literally working and ber friends were accompanied by their Fiancés. Yup, both her friends are engaged. Alec proposed his girlfriend of five years on their graduation day. YN couldn't be happier for both of her best friends. But Gemma kept her company as they danced to Harry singing.

Just just Harry climbed on the sound box during Medicine making his fans go crazy and his family and friends stood in the back laugh. YN just hoped he doesn't hurt himself, he didn't so that was good.

"Oh my, he is going to hurt himself someday." Gemma said. YN's sure she's planning to give him some scolding.

"It's okay, he's fine. He just needs a wired mic." YN assured her making her laugh out loud.

After the show like planned they all went to have dinner. Harry have been meaning to do so, to get to know her friends better. They had an amazing time to say the least, apart from little threats he got from her friends if he hurts YN in anyway. They were both mostly joking.

......................................................................

Harry was finally done with his tour for the hear, he was home. YN got home from work, Harry had begged her for attention and cuddles. Having her pinned to the sofa along with him.

"Brielle is already showing a tiny bit, she said she's having twins she told her!" YN shared, as she showed Harry pictures she took with ber friends at Brielle's little gender reveal. They looked through the posts on Instagram and Harry's fans making fun of him for the way he was being a little monkey on stage on his last show with a wireless mic. "That's insane!"

"Yeah? Identical or Fraternal?" Harry found her excitement pretty adorable. She was lied there basically on top of him with her back pressed on his chest, he held her tightly.

"Fraternal, I think she said but both are boys." YN wondered not remembering what Brielle shared.

"What do you want for dinner? I wanna cook something for you." He smiled, she lifted her head to look at him, "I won't burn down our kitchen don't worry."

"I hope you don't," she nodded.

"Babe that happened once!" He defended himself. When he went to make YN and himself some tea and accidentally let the tea simmer off all over the stove that the flame went off. "You can supervise me."

"We have some pasta, you can make that." YN suggested, "spaghetti maybe? I think there is some spaghetti sauce or we can order a jar if not."

"You really keep me humble, really need that." He chuckled, she really doesn't want him near the stove. Just as she was about to say something the door bell went off.

"Yeah, and your wired mic back." She commented before getting up to go check the door but she wasn't quick enough before she felt a smack on her bum.

"Cheeky!" He exclaimed.

YN laughed. She opened the door to find her neighbour there. "Oh Hi, Deniz, how are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good." He said. "My roommate and I made some Pide, thought to share with our neighbour." He offered her a plate china plate with delicious food.

"Hmm, thank you." YN accepted, "what is Pide?" Looking at what she can make is a boat shaped pizza.

"It's Turkish dish, like a, uhh, pizza you can say. This one has eggs and this one has sausage on it." Deniz explained. "Hope you enjoy them."

"Yeah, thank you." YN nodded.

"Bye."

"Bye." YN waved at him and shut her door after he got in his flat.

"Who was it darling?" Harry called from kitchen, he was looking at things in the fridge.

"The new neighbour." YN said, "we are offered some Turkish delicacies."

"Oh, our neighbours are pretty nice. Except Mrs. White at front." Harry smiled, "what is it?"

"He said it's like a Turkish pizza." YN shrugged. "And I get her, we were being too loud that day!"

Harry didn't liked the old lady who lived in the flat right across from YN's (now their home), she knocked on the door the morning after he can came back from his Asia tour scolding them for being loud. Even threatening to call the cops as it was the second time. Since then they've been very tame with their sexual activities.

"Yeah, like she didn't when she was younger."

"Oh my god Harry, give her a break." YN laughed. "You go at it like a freaking rabbit."

"I go at it like a rabbit? Like you don't participate." He scoffed, "you're the loudest one, which I don't mind."

"Oh my," YN rolled her eyes because there was no denying on the first part of his argument, "she'll move out in three months after her lease is over."

"How do you know that?"

"The day I moved in she came in to deliver her set of rules, there she told he how long she's been living here and stuff." YN explained, "and she said she doesn't have the energy to deal with my shenanigans if I were to bring home people every night like every other college student who live on the floor." Though YN never brought anyone home with her, except her friends a couple of times and now Harry.

"Oh, she's exhausted then." Harry giggled picking up A slice of Pide from the plate. "There is enough to make the sauce from scratch in the fridge, would need to go grocery shopping. This is not going to be enough for us."

"Okay." YN nodded. Harry got to preparing to make the sauce for the pasta.

"You know I was thinking," he started.

"What are you thinking?" YN asked as she washed up few dishes in the sink from lunch time.

"Maybe we should go on a vacation?" He suggested, "need a little break before I start filming for Eternals."

"Vacation? Where?"

"Wherever you please," he shrugged. "We can do it for your birthday."

"I, ehm, I am sorry I don't know if I can really afford a vacation right now." She explained.

"Baby," he dropped the knife on the counter before he walked upto her, "you don't have to worry about it, yeah? I said I wanna take you somewhere for your birthday." He hugged her from behind.

"I'd feel too bad!"

"Why would you feel bad? I am your boyfriend, I have the right to take my girlfriend out."

"Exactly, I'm your girlfriend not your sugar baby, so you don't have to pay for my vacation." YN placed the last dish on the drying rack and turned around to face him.

"It's not that, sweetheart, I promise." He assured her, "usually I go alone out somewhere for sometime after tour. But I'm not alone, am I now?"

"No you're not," she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah? Then will you think about it?" He asked, feeling excited already.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"Though I wouldn't mind to be your sugar daddy." He teased, tickling her sides

"I'll need a Versace bag and the new Louis Vuitton collection for that to happen." YN said, of course adding to his teasing jokingly.

"Thought you'd say you want something from Gucci!" He acted hurt.

"Not everyone is obsessed with Gucci like you, Harry." She booped the tip of his nose with her pointer finger.

"But I am obsessed with you!" He corrected her, making her chuckle sheepishly.

Harry just laughed watching her blush dipped his head down to place a tender kiss on her mouth before they both got to making dinner.

He had put on her dance playlist on her phone, they laughed when the Spotify add started playing interrupting their fun. But none the less they danced around the kitchen. Harry singing along to Elvis as they waited for the water to boil to cook the pasta, he pulled YN closer to him with his arms snaked around her waist swaying them both to the soft tunes of Can't Help Falling In Love because he really couldn't.

"I love you so much." He mumbled to her like they weren't home alone, as it if it were his little secret, as if he wanted to be selfish and keep it to himself. His forehead rested on her, noses skimming close into soft kitten kiss.

"I love you too."

......................................................................

Another day at work YN was having a fairly good day. Excited to go back home and watch new season of the show with her boyfriend. She had been holding off to watch the show for Harry. Just as she was about to wrap up her shift by taking the last order, her older brother walked in.

"Hello." He said, smiling.

"What can I get you?" YN smiled back, keeping it professional.

"It's bit late for coffee, if you're done can we talk?" He asked politely.

YN nodded, "wait outside." She quickly wrapped up for the day amd clocked out. Walked out to see her brother stood there waiting for her. "What do you want?"

"Hey, be nice." He whined, "I came to see my sister, can't I?"

"What do you need help with?" YN trued to cut to the chase.

"You think I'm like Mumma and Baba, don't you?" He sighed, "look there are few things I want to you to know about, it's important. It's better you know from family than anywhere else."

"What is it then?" She asked.

"Come on let's go get dinner and well talk about it." He suggested. YN contemplated and hesitated but agreed.

"Okay, I'll drive there. Need to inform my boyfriend."

"You've got a boyfriend?" He chuckled not believing. YN just kept her head down and walked to her car sending a quick text to Harry explaining that she won't be coming home for dinner, that her brother came to see her. To which he sent a quick okay and a little Enjoy baby!.

Harry at home, took time to himself. Cleaned around the flat a little and picked up the dirty laundry he tends to leave everywhere and annoy YN. He did both their laundry and cooked dinner himself as she won't be joining him.

Though it made him a little anxious for his girl when she mentioned that she's going to get dinner with her brother. She didn't mention which brother it was. As far he knows her little brother is a complete asshole, he'd seen him a few times, calling YN up to lend him cash or pick him up from somewhere and whatever he might need help with, throw tantrums like a little toddler when YN refuse to help him.

She had told him so much about her family, that they all lived in a big joint family — a typical Indian household she expects —, with both her grandparents, her parents and all of her siblings. Before her older sister got married and though his older is married too now, he still lives with their parents with his wife. It was a pretty common custom he reckoned.

YN was the middle child in between two sets of twins. An older sister and brother and younger sister and brother. And essential like every stereotypical middle child she was neglected. If not neglected then always looked down upon. Why? Because her older siblings were much mature and listen to everything her parents asked them or told them to, and her younger siblings? Well, they're always excused and as they're young and dumb.

Growing up YN felt pressure to be good enough to make her parents proud and be a good example for her younger siblings who don't give a crap about her. She never listened to anyone talking shit about her, even behind her back, she clapped back unlike her other siblings. She rebelled against the shitty rules.

And oh boy did she dared to choose her own career path and don't go to be a doctor, or an engineer or a fucking lawyer or even a teacher for the matter of fact. When she told her parents she is not quitting her job at the cafe because she loves it, they just lashes out on her. Because well, it isn't well reputed job, is it?

Harry waited for her anxiously at home. When he heard that click of door opening he walked up to go greet her, she looked all tired and run down. Before he could say anything else their neighbour greeted her.

"Hey YN."

"Hi," she said after glancing at her boyfriend.

"I was wondering if you were free this weekend, my friends and I were going out for drinks." Deniz said, Harry looked taken back.

"No, I have plans with my boyfriend here." She quickly and politely turned him down, "Harry this is Deniz, he's our new neighbour."

"Nice to meet you..." Harry said, he didn't mean it though, "Deniz was it?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. Sorry about that." The blue eyed man said, "never seen you around here."

"I was on tour recently so I wasn't home." Harry shared. Deniz just smiled awkwardly and walked into his flat. YN walked in herself and shut the door behind her. "You've got a quite a few admirers, eh?" He teased her earning an eye roll from. "I don't blame him honestly, I've got a quite crush on you too."

"Oh, I really hope you do." She warned him, taking off her shoes. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't know why he asked that."

"Don't be sorry baby, I trust you," he assured her as he pulled her in a big bear hug. "God I miss you too much when you're off to work."

"Just six hours Harry," she giggled holding onto him tightly as he lifted her off her feet and walked in the living room with her. Sitting down her placed her on his lap.

"It's too much!" He whines burying his face in her neck.

"I'm all sweaty, lemme go shower and we can cuddle." She suggested.

"Shush!" He sounded, "I don't mind."

"Did you eat dinner?" She asked.

"Mhmm," he nodded, pulling back enough to look at her, "how did it go with your brother?"

"He shared a few things." YN started, "for first he was asking if I was ever going to move back in, I told him I'm living with my boyfriend now to which he reacted like, meh, I don't know how to explain it. He just looked taken back."

"Mhmm, and?"

"And he said that Grandma is sick from past few weeks, but they had to take her to hospital a couple of days back." She said, "and all that. And a couple more things."

"You want to go see her then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll go tomorrow." She nodded, "you want to come with me? We can go after your interview?"

"Yeah." He agreed. He'll get to meet her family.

......................................................................

The very next morning Harry had an interview at Graham Norton show but he is nervous. He's certain he's going to be asked about the pictures of him and his girlfriend at the interview. He has been contemplating whether to just dodge it or answer it truthfully. Honestly he would but he doesn't know how YN feels about it.

"Baby, would you help me pick a suit?" Harry asked.

"You should wear the pink one from suits Lambert sent pictures of." YN suggested.

"Oh the with embroidered flowers?" He was already pulling up the exact pink suit on his phone.

"Yes, that one. And wear the baby pink shirt underneath it."

"Nice choice baby love." He gave her a forehead kiss, "I'll go get ready to leave now."

"Yeah," YN nodded, pressing a kiss on his shoulder she walked out.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Harry followed her out, she was in the kitchen.

"Nothing, just worried about my Grandma." She shared, a pair of tattooed arms wrapped around her stopping her from moving around much as she prepared for a nice breakfast.

"I thought you didn't like her?"

"Harry, she's still my dad's mother." She sighed, not liking his joke which weren't entirely wrong.

"I apologise baby," he pressed a kiss on her shoulder, "we'll go see her after my interview today, yeah?"

"Mhmm." She nodded.

"What are you making?" He asked watching her resume mixing flour in the went ingredients.

"Pancakes, I'll be getting late for work so, something quick." She shared.

"I'll make us coffee and tea." He got to making himself coffee and her a cuppa. Like everyday, they had a breakfast together. It was their thing to eat at least one meal together whenever Harry's in town.

......................................................................

As expected Harry was now being asked about his secret girlfriend.

Now Harry has been dying for the commercial break so he could tell this actress sitting next to him that his girl is a huge fan of her. She's literally made him watch each one of her movies with her. But he wasn't expecting for the pictures of him and his girl being asked about now, though he knew it was going to inevitable to avoid.

"What are you even doing here?" Graham asked showing a picture of him at the Hyde Park on one of the many picnic dates with YN. He was chasing her for something cheeky did that day. He has been caught in the action, with a very funny face.

"Running." He shrugged leaning back trying to act casual and not nervous. Graham proceeded to show a few twitter memes of him on the pictures.

"Oh, this is a new one 'I would be filing an restraining order if someone looked at me the way Harry is looking at this girl.' I mean, you do look creepy there!" Graham laughed.

It was a picture of Harry and his girl at Louvre museum not too long ago. He didn't even know he looked creepy just admiring her talking about something she found amusing or interesting. He can still remember seeing her eyes sparkle there, looking at the stuff she has been researching for days when he told her about the little trip to france even though just her back was to be seen in the picture. He just laughed awkwardly.

"May I ask, who is that you're with?" The host asked, taking him by a little surprise.

"That, ehm, that's my missus." He confirmed making the audience scream in awe, "yeah, that's my partner." He nodded, shyly running a nervous knuckle under his nose, an attempt to hide his blush.

"You've never talked about your romantic life before!" The host exclaimed in surprise, "well, apart from confirming your situationship with Barak Obama."

"Stop, it still hurts!" Harry covered his eyes dramatically making everyone laugh.

"How long have you been together? And how didn't we know about it?" The other comedian actor sitting on his other side asked, confusedly.

"I don't know really." Harry stuttered, "a pretty long time, yeah." He smiled shyly. He's clearly never talked about being in a relationship with someone. And he was being vague about the status for a reason there, to protect her from the internet cruelty. People can really feel free wonder what their relationship setting is.

He knew this was going to make a huge buzz in the media and on internet. But Harry did talked to YN's favourite actress about her, even make FaceTime call after wrap up.

He went home to see an excited YN there who tackled him with the biggest and warmest hug.

"Ah! I can't believe you actually met her!" She exclaimed, "thank you telling her about me!"

"Of course my baby," he cooed, "I love talking about you!"

"I love you so much!" She gave him a last squeeze before she pulled away to press firm kisses on his mouth.

"I'd go hunting down your favourite celebrities from now on." He mumbled in between her sweet little kisses. "I love you too, baby."

"You are my favourite celebrity, I don't know what you're talking about." She shrugged.

"I can agree to that." He nods, "are you ready to leave to see your grandma?"

"Mhmm, I packed a little over night bag." She shared, "it would be too late to drive back. Do you want to get a change of clothes?"

They were going to have to stay overnight as the visiting hours in the morning are very limited. Driving in the morning made less sense, in case if they got late they'd have to wait another day. YN managed to get just one day off of work. Also she wanted Harry to meet up with her family finally!

"Of course, do you have room in your bag?" He went in their bedroom to get a change of spare clothes, he was already in a pair of sweats and a hoodie.

"Yup!" She sounded following him around like a little puppy.

......................................................................

On the car ride to Kingston, YN was driving when Harry decided to tell her that he'd confirmed to be in a relationship.

"Graham showed a few pictures of us at the interview." Harry started, "I gave a vague answer that you're my girl."

"Oh, really?" She asked, being taken aback by the accent she put on unknowingly, "I sounded super British there! What have you done to me?!" She fake screamed making him laugh out loud, his head thrown back.

"Being a good influence, eh?" He teased her, "I don't know if you were fine with it or not. I can still call in and ask them to cut the segment off for you."

"No, it's fine." She shrugged, "it was going to be out anyway." She seemed very chill about it. "Though your fans still come over at the cafe asking what time you usually come in."

"They do?" He was surprised.

"Mhmm, I just tell them there is no fixed time you come over." She answered. "Oh shit! I forgot to book a damn hotel, I don't want to stay at my parents!"

"I can do that baby, don't worry." He pulled out his phone without any questions. He knew how weirdly complicated her family is.

It was going to be a fum field trip for him and her for the day. But he was ready for anything. Because he just loves so much!

......................................................................

Twitter

HSupdates: "That, ehm, that's my missus." Harry talking about being seen with a girl at Louvre museum."yeah, that's my partner."

Replies:

User1 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!! HE HAS NEVER TALKED ABOUT HIS PARTNERS BEFORE! I'M GONNA GO THROW MYSELF OFF A CLIFF. BRB.

User2 He's literally so sick for doing this! 😭 I love him!

User3 He actually seems so happy 🥺 makes me so happy that he can openly talk about the person he loves.

User4 She must make him so happy that he actually talked about her. I'm gonna cry!

mamatwist ❤️❤️

User6 WHO IS SHE?!! WHERE THE FBI HARRIES?!

User7 OMG! She works at the cafe Harry has been seen visiting almost every fucking day he's in London. GOD! he's smitten like a kitten with her! 😭

User8 no because I go to her cafe, she's literally so sweet. Such an agel she is. Sadly there were some rude Karens when I was there last time I couldn't talk to her cuz I didn't wanted to make her more upset. But she's literally so sweet!

User9 What the fuck? Harry likes to degrade his options? He went from Taylor to Kendall ro Camille to now some random ass barista? My mans need a serious wingman!

User10 SHUT UP! That's why he's been visiting the same cafe from past two years??? They've been together FOR TWO FUCKING YEARS??

User11 Watch this man get married, have ten kids and three grandkids and we wouldn't know. Love that for him!

User12 Isn't it the same girl who have been Credited on every Harry's House song? 🥺

User13 Fucking hell! She's the rudest person I have ever met. She messed my perfect order on purpose when I went to her outlet.

User14 Don't listen to the rude and nasty people in the replies y'all. She's very sweet and kind. No wonder why Harry is so happy lately. She was there at the last London show with Gemma and Anne, they both looked so happy with her too. 🥺

User15 My baby is finally happy! 🥺 I am so happy he found someone!

User16 So happy she's not from the industry. He needs serious humbling!

HSupdates: "I don't know really." Stutters, "a pretty long time, yeah." Harry on being asked how long he's been with his partner.

Replies:

User17 He might have told us he's taken but he will never give out any details.

User18 People better not bully the girl who makes my baby so happy 😤 I'll literally burn down cities!

User19 No because he got all blushy and shy. I love that for him!

User20 This is seriously a PR to hide ykw 👀 she's been literally credited on his album. Lol

User21 User20 stfu if you don't know anything. Let Harry be happy for once! Not everything have to a PR to hide anything! Grow tf up!

User22 God she's so fat 🤢 wtf Harry sees in her!

User21 User22 Good! Sk now we're gonna body shame the person you don't even know the name of? Go get a job at a McDonald's or something pls.

User23 Harry we love that for you!

User24 God I feel bad for the girl already. I hope fans respect this girl now. She seems so sweet by reading the few nice comments about her. 🥺

User25 No one bully my Husband's partner 🤺🤺 I'll literally hunt you down!

User26 *Sneaky Pictures of YN working at the cafe" I saw her today! Ew she's so ugly!

User27 User26 WTF? Literally delete this now! This is so disgusting of you, leave her alone!

User28 I literally love her for making Harry so happy!

User29 I hope Harry settle downs now. 🥺 Anne seemed so happy with her at the Wembley show.

User30 No but how lucky is Harry to have a person HER in his life now? He deserves it!

User31 stfu everyone! Harry_Styles can you fight? Because I am gonna steal your hot gf from you!

User32 NO SHE WAS IN MY MUSIC HISTORY CLASS! NO WONDER WHY SHE HAS BEEN CREDITED ON HARRY'S HOUSE!

User33 No literally. Harry you should go learn Karate or something because she's so fucking gorgeous. Like BI PANIC IS REAL!

User34 No he took her to Museums for dates 🥺 that's so Harry of him

User35 They frequently go to Hyde Park and have little picnics. I see them almost every second day Harry is back in London when I go for my everything walks.

User36 No because the way Harry and Her go to the Hyde Park. I literally see them everytime Harry's in town. They cuddle up in a corner looking through the phone kr Harry reads to her 🥺

User37 SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TAKE THEIR PICTURES FROM THEIR PICNIC DATES!

User38 User37 Uhmm... No? Because that's very effing creepy. They deserve their privacy. So stfu with kindness 🥰

User39 That's the same girl I saw at Harry's Wembley show at the salon with Anne and Gemma. She's literally part of the family now 🥺❤️😭

User40 Her hair is so fucking pretty 😭 I wanna see how pretty she looks so badly!

User41 Imagine the next post of Harry is that he's engaged or married to her. It's over for you bitches 🤧

User42 User41 I doubt he'll post anything about it but that would shut down many fucker out here! I so badly want him to post about her.

User43 I can't. I am heartbroken at the same time so happy for him.

User44 "My Missus" ?!?!? How British can he get 😩

User45 She's so hot irl dude. Harry is literally to lucky to have get her! I am jealous 😭

User46 so cute!!!

User47 I want to be Harry so bad! I am so jealous of him for a getting a girl that hot!

User48 The way we're all collectively thirsting over Harry's partner 🤧 this has never happened before but I'm here for it.

User49 No because why is her back so pretty? Like, imagine how pretty she's be from the front

IndianHarrie Harry finally getting some spice in his love life 😤 (pun intended cuz she seems Indian to me lol)

User40 IndianHarrie NOUR! STOP! 😭🤣

N O T E :

1. AJSHAIGS the way I had so much writing this 😭😂 especially the twitter part. Probably the dumbest shit I've written but I love this!

2. Please do tell me how you like this one. What was your favourite part?

Tag list:

@vrittivsanghavi @buckymydarlingangel @sweetwritingfanficfriend @theroosterswife24 @sleutherclaw @melllinaa @michellekstyles @sunshinemoonsposts @marialikescherries @japanchrry know if you want to added to the tag list

[justabigassnerd]

You're Home

Pairing - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x sister!reader

Word count - 3,330

Warnings - inaccurate court scenes, angst, mentions of death, abandonment, fluff

Summary - Maverick ends up fighting his mother for custody of his baby sister after her sudden reappearance

A/N - wow it's been a hot minute hasn't it?? I'm so sorry for the delay I'm fighting for my life out here but I'm almost done with my dissertation which is super exciting! this was an anon request so I hope I did the idea justice and I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to it. as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

When Pete Mitchell turned eighteen, his mum gave birth to a little girl who very quickly became his favourite person in the world. Not even half a year had passed before his dad died, leaving the family in ruins.

Not long after Pete sent in his application to the naval academy along with his best friend, his mum took off, leaving his little sister in his care. He was petrified at having to look after a child but because it was you, he took it in his stride. He got official custody of you and raised you with love and affection and Goose was more than happy to help his best friend along the way.

When you turned four, Maverick and Goose were given spots at Top Gun, and so both men packed up their belongings and moved to San Diego. You were left in the care of Carole who graciously took charge of both you and her son while Maverick and Goose were training at Top Gun.

When it reached the last leg of training at Top Gun, families were permitted to fly out to see their loved ones, so Carole packed a bag with her stuff, yours, and Bradley’s and flew on the first plane out to San Diego to see Maverick and Goose. When you disembarked the plane, you spotted your big brother and immediately barrelled towards him, giggling when he scooped you up in his arms and pressed a kiss on your temple.

“Was the flight okay, kiddo?” Maverick asks with a grin as you cuddle close to your brother, wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder.

“Yeah.” You reply, nodding against his shirt as you speak. It was clear that you were tired from the journey so Maverick exchanged one look with Goose, and both men instantly knew that tomorrow could be the day they go to the beach.

“Alright, y/n/n. Let’s grab something to eat and then we’ll get you settled at my place. I think that sounds like a plan. Do you?” He asks, receiving a nod in response to his question. The group of five make their way to a small diner and get something to eat. Maverick and Goose fill Carole in on what training at Top Gun had been like while you and Bradley were happy to entertain yourself by colouring on the colouring page the waitresses gave you. When you finished your food and Maverick and Goose had split the bill, you all left the diner with you holding your brother’s hand and giggling as he twirled you effortlessly. When Maverick looked up from where you were walking alongside him to check where he was going, he locked eyes with someone he didn’t think he’d ever see again.

“Hey y/n/n, why don’t you hang out with Goose for a minute. I have something I need to do really quick.” Maverick asks, glancing from you to Goose who instantly picked up on his best friend’s tense frame and nervous expression and crouched down to be at your height.

“I think I saw an ice cream place nearby when I was walking around the other day. I think we should get some ice cream, don’t you?” Goose says with a smile. The idea of ice cream has you instantly leaping into Goose’s arms as he scoops you up and sits you on his hip.

“Ice cream!” You cheer, clapping your hands happily.

“I want ice cream too, dad!” Bradley clamours, tugging on his dad’s Hawaiian shirt.

“We’ll get you some ice cream too my sweet boy. Just remember to say please, okay?” Carole says, stroking her son’s hair away from his face before taking his hand in hers to begin the walk to the ice cream shop.

“Bye, Pete!” You wave over Goose’s shoulder to Maverick who waves back, making sure to blow you a quick kiss as well. The moment you were out of his line of sight he turned to face Shannon Mitchell, the woman who abandoned her children.

“Pete, it’s so good to see you.” His mother gushes, instantly reaching out to cup his face but faltering when Maverick takes a step back, keeping the distance between them.

“What do you want?” He questions, grateful his aviators are hiding the daggers he is shooting towards the woman standing in front of him.

“A mother can’t come and see her own kids? Especially when her son got into Top Gun. That’s a big deal, Pete we should be celebrating as a family!” She tries, this time reaching for Maverick’s hand, and he snatches his hand away from her like she’d burn him if she made contact with him before folding his arms across his chest.

“I’ve already celebrated with my family, thanks.” Maverick says, thinking back to the dinner Carole had made to celebrate the pilot and RIO duo gaining a spot in Top Gun and how the five of you had sat around the dinner table eating the delicious meal.

“They’re not a proper family. I’m talking about me, you, and little y/n. Where’d that man take her to? I want to see my little girl.” Shannon argues, making Maverick grit his teeth at her words.

“Goose and Carole have been more than a family to me and y/n than you ever have. So leave us alone.” Maverick spits angrily before turning on his heels and leaving Shannon stunned and silent. As he walked away, Maverick assumed that was the last he’d see of her and that his warning was enough of a deterrent.

However, not even a week later, Maverick opened the door to his quarters as you sat colouring in your colouring book to see a man in a sharp suit on the other side of his door.

“Pete Mitchell? You’ve been served. Your mother wants to regain custody over your sister, y/n Mitchell.” The man said, holding out an envelope towards Maverick who takes it hesitantly, holding the envelope loosely in his hand as the man explains a few more things before bidding Maverick goodbye. Maverick closes the front door and rips the envelope open, eyes skimming the piece of paper in hand before he lets out a sigh.

“Pete?” Your small voice shakes Maverick out of his thoughts as he moves the paper from his eye line to see you standing in front of him with a worried expression as you clutched your soft toy in your hand. Maverick quickly folded the paper up and put it on the counter behind him so you wouldn’t see it.

“What’s that?” You question innocently, pointing at where Maverick had just put the piece of paper.

“It’s just grown-up stuff, squirt. Really boring if you ask me.” Maverick replies as he crouches down to be at your height, plastering a fake smile on his face for your sake. Instead of responding vocally, you wrap your arms around Maverick’s neck and nuzzle close to him as he reciprocates the hug, straightening up to stand at his full height before he carried you back to the sofa so you could have the cuddles you clearly wanted from your big brother.

When it came time for the court date, Maverick had recruited Goose and Carole to help him maintain custody. His lawyer had told him that he was probably in for a tough case because even though Shannon had left you in Maverick’s care, she was still your birth mother and while Maverick technically had custody, Shannon could make a strong sympathy case.

Maverick’s knee was bouncing anxiously as everyone filed into the courtroom for the trial. You were sat with Carole and Goose who reassured you that you’d be able to see Maverick again soon, you just needed to get through the boring stuff first. When the judge began the proceedings, Maverick could only hope and pray that the judge and the jury would see that you were better with him. Goose and Carole took the stand one at a time, both of them saying that Maverick was the best guardian for you. They explained that while they had been a support system for Maverick, he had been doing a great job raising you on his own and you were happy and loved.

Shannon took to the stand and tore Maverick’s whole case apart in mere seconds.

“He travels all the time for work. He could be killed and then there’d be no one to look after my sweet girl.” Shannon says, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue as she speaks. At her words, the jury exchange a look and Maverick feels his chances of keeping you slipping away. After listening to all the testimonies and reviewing the evidence, the judge calls a recess so they, along with the jury can come up with a verdict. Maverick looked over his shoulder to see you sat on Goose’s lap, waving at your brother once you made eye contact with him. Maverick waved back at you with a soft smile, hoping that when the judge walked back in, he’d get the verdict he wanted.

When the judge and jury return, Maverick watches them carefully. He watches as they take their seats, and the judge clears his throat before surveying the gathered people.

“After carefully reviewing the details of this case we have come to a conclusion. We have determined that y/n Mitchell would be much better suited to live with her mother Shannon Mitchell. Bailiff, if you could please bring y/n forward.” The judge says, and Maverick feels his world fall apart around him. He looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with Goose who was wearing a horrified expression as the bailiff took you away from him. Carole’s eyes had filled to the brim with tears as she watched you get handed over to your mother, who grabbed you by the wrist and gently guided you to follow her as the judge dismissed everyone after stating that Shannon would be permitted to pick up your stuff from Maverick’s the next day.

“I wanna go with Pete.” You whine, tugging against your mother's hold and glancing over at Maverick who could do nothing more than watch with teary eyes as you were dragged away from him as you cried and shouted for your big brother to come and save you from her. The second the doors closed behind you and Shannon, Goose and Carole came rushing over to Maverick, neither one daring to ask if he was okay.

“Hey Mav, let’s head back to ours. You can spend a few nights there.” Goose says softly, wrapping an arm around his best friend’s shoulders and escorting him out to Goose’s Bronco. When Goose got in the driver’s seat, Carole took over taking care of Maverick, sitting in the backseat with him, holding his hand gently and watching him carefully to see if he’d crumble. Maverick remained deadly silent the whole way back to Goose’s quarters, not responding to anything Goose or Carole said to him. When the three arrived at Goose’s quarters, Goose paid the babysitter as he entered the house while Carole guided Maverick into the living room, easing him down on the sofa and making sure he was comfortable.

“I’m going to get you some tea, okay, sweetie?” Carole says gently, before heading into the kitchen to make some tea for Maverick. As she leaves, Goose enters with Bradley hot on his heels.

“Uncle Mav!” Bradley shouts happily, scrambling to sit on Maverick’s lap, dodging Goose trying to stop him from doing so. Bradley settles himself on Maverick’s lap, curling into him as he looks up at his godfather with all the love and adoration in the world.

“Hey, kiddo.” Maverick forces himself to say, trying not to let his voice break.

“Where’s y/n?” Bradley enquires, looking from Maverick to Goose who exchange a nervous look with each other.

“Hey buddy, we’ll see y/n soon. She’s just gone away for a little bit.” Goose lies, kneeling down by the sofa to look Bradley in the eye. He felt awful for lying to his son about how long you’d be gone, but he didn’t want to break Bradley’s heart, not yet. Bradley’s face shifted as he thought about what he could do.

“Could I make her a card?” He asks, making Goose smile softly before he looked up at Maverick.

“I’m sure she’d love that, Bradley.” Maverick said, finding his voice and ruffling Bradley’s hair lightly. Maverick’s words had Bradley instantly scrambling off Maverick’s lap so he could dart off in search of paper and pens so he could make you a card. As Bradley left, Carole re-emerged from the kitchen with a tray with three mugs of hot tea. She places the tray down on the coffee table and hands a mug to Maverick who offers a weak smile in response before taking a sip of the warm drink. Carole and Goose move to sit alongside Maverick as Bradley came barrelling into the room with paper and pens in his arms before he dropped everything on the coffee table, being mindful of the mugs of tea. He asks Carole to fold the paper into a card, waiting patiently for her to do so before he begins to draw on the front cover, humming happily to himself as he doodles. When he’s finished drawing on the front of the card, he turns around to the adults.

“Daddy, can you help me write in the card?” Bradley asks, holding a pen out to Goose who nods lightly before easing himself to sit on the floor alongside Bradley.

“Alright buddy, what do we want to write?” Goose asks, guiding Bradley as he writes in the card, helping him spell certain words and helping him sign his name at the end.

Maverick makes it through the rest of the afternoon without breaking down. He struggled with keeping himself upbeat enough for Bradley’s sake, but he held it together somehow. However, once Bradley was in bed, Maverick broke down. Goose and Carole came downstairs to find Maverick sobbing with his head in his hands. The couple immediately trapped Maverick in a hug, both of them exchanging sad looks with each other as they comfort Maverick.

“I can’t believe I lost her.” Maverick manages to say through his sobs, lifting his head to reveal his bloodshot eyes as he glances at his best friend.

“Maybe if we talk to your mum, she’ll let you visit sometime.” Goose says softly as Carole rubs Maverick’s shoulder comfortingly. Maverick wanted to believe Goose’s words, but he knew that after the battle they had in court would lead his mother to not want Maverick within a hundred-mile radius of you. Goose and Carole continue to comfort Maverick until his tears slow. Carole then excuses herself to grab Maverick some water while Goose picks up the mugs and carries them into the kitchen behind his wife. Carole fills up a glass while Goose places the mugs in the dishwasher. When the two make their way back into the living room, they find Maverick curled up on the sofa, fast asleep. Exhaustion had clearly taken hold of him after the day he had. Carole placed the glass down on the coffee table while Goose grabbed a blanket and draped it carefully over Maverick. They then whispered a goodnight to him and made their way upstairs.

“I’m worried about him. This is going to mess with him even when he’s up in the air. He can’t fly while he’s like this.” Goose confesses to Carole as the couple climbs into their bed, wrapping his arms around his wife and tugging her close to his chest.

“I’m worried too. Maybe you could speak to your instructor? I know the trophy is important to you two, but I’d like my boys to make it home safe.” Carole agrees, making Goose’s heart soften for a moment. She’d known Maverick for as long as she knew him and for her to consider both of them ‘her boys’ showed how big her love was for not only him but his best friend as well.

“We need to be his support system. He needs us now more than ever.” Goose says as his hand finds its way into Carole’s hair, running through it absentmindedly.

“We will be. Let’s get some sleep. Mav will need us tomorrow.” Carole says as her eyes slip shut and Goose follows suit, sleep claiming the couple.

The next day, Maverick returns to his quarters, waiting anxiously with Goose and Carole for Shannon’s arrival after he showered and changed before they packed up your belongings. It took a mere twenty minutes for her to arrive after they started packing and they were soon loading your belongings into Shannon’s car.

“Is there any way I could visit sometime?” Maverick asks awkwardly, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets as he talks, glancing over at Shannon.

“I don’t think so. You stole my daughter from me and then you gave me hell in that courtroom.” Shannon fires back, making Maverick shrink from her glare and harsh words. Goose watched the exchange from afar, eyebrows furrowing at seeing Maverick shy away from someone.

“Well, then could you at least give her this card? It’s from Goose’s kid, Bradley. I thought y/n would appreciate a letter from her friend.” Maverick then says, extracting the card from his pocket and holding it out towards his mother who rolls her eyes but takes it anyway, barely promising to give it to you.

Maverick watched Shannon drive away with all your belongings in her car with teary eyes as Goose and Carole comforted him once more. He couldn’t believe that she had denied him any form of visitation. He had only lived one day without you since you were born, and it was already the worst day of his life, and he didn’t know how he could keep going without you.

However, a couple of days later, Maverick received a knock on the door to his quarters. He didn’t want to answer the door, Goose would’ve called through to him if it was him but when the knocking refused to cease, Maverick dragged himself off the sofa and tugged the door open.

“Pete!” You hugged your brothers’ legs as he stared at you in shock before looking up at the smartly dressed woman who offered him a kind smile.

“After what happened in the court, the judge and jury felt they made an incorrect choice in their verdict-”

“You’re telling me.” Maverick interjected, leaning down to scoop you up so he could hug you close.

“As I was saying. The judge and jury reconvened the next day to discuss overturning their verdict. They realised that their verdict was made in error and that while Shannon was y/n’s mother, the two had no relationship and she evidently felt much safer with you than she did with her mother.” The woman explains. Maverick was barely paying her any attention; he was too focused on the fact that you were back with him.

“Well, here’s her belongings. We’ll be in contact shortly to get you custody again.” The woman continues, handing Maverick a suitcase.

“Thank you.” Maverick says sincerely to the woman, nodding lightly before he dragged the suitcase inside and closed the door behind him. The second the door closed he hugged you tight, peppering kisses all over your face as you giggled, pushing his face away.

“Yucky kisses!” You giggle, wiping at your face as Maverick chuckles lightly.

“I’m just so happy you’re home.” Maverick says, carrying you over to the sofa and flopping onto it, keeping you lying on his chest so he can feel your weight so his brain knew you were home.

“Stay with you?” You ask, innocent eyes looking up at Maverick who nods confidently.

“You’re home kiddo. I’m not going to let anyone take you away from me again.”

[padfootdaredmetoo]

Please can I have a Tommy x daughter fluffy fic where as her mums died she asks him to come with her to try on ballgowns with her and he doesn’t like a few for different reasons but he gets emotional when she finds the perfect one

Hey Anon,

Hope this does it justice - this request got me in the feels. Thanks for waiting. <3

Warnings: Teen drama, mentions of funerals and death - peaky related stuff

There were a lot of things you kept to yourself when it came to your father. Most of which Esme and Polly would wrangle out of you and give you advice for. 

You were close with each other the same way you suspected other fathers and daughters were. He was there to comfort you in his own way (mostly just holding you tightly) when you needed him, he gave you books to read and would try to remember to ask you questions about how you enjoyed them. 

He was away a lot for business but he always called you before bed to ask how your day was. Some moments when he’d drank to much you saw the pain in his eyes when he looked at you, a spitting image of your mother but with his eyes. 

You adored him, and rarely ever asked him for difficult things knowing he was always stressed. 

“Awe, you miss us, don't you? Next time we go you’ll be old enough to tag along. An extra week won't kill you darling.” Esme’s voice rang out over the phone and your stomach sank. You were in a proper situation now. You said your goodbyes but didn't tell her why her taking an extra week's vacation with Pol was a problem for you. 

You lit a cigarette and slid down the kitchen wall. They would be home the day of the big charity ball, not the type of event you could get a dress for the morning of. They must have forgotten that they’d promised to take you when they got back. You didn't blame them, this was the one time they got away from kids and the business.

You could ask… Lizzie? She hung around the family, worked for your dad, and seemed nice enough to you when you came by the office. She’d probably be able to help you.

You needed a backup plan, Linda still hadn’t forgiven you for an outburst you’d had at dinner a few weeks ago, but maybe John would help you? 

You thought about getting ready with Esme he’d always tell her what looked good. Well, mostly how he enjoyed the way it looked on her, but still Esme always looked very happy with his commentary. 

You got up and flicked your cigarette out the window before going to ask for a ride to the office.

You showed up and Lizzie greeted you with a large smile. 

“Here to see your dad are you?” 

“Well, I was actually - I -” The words got caught in your throat, she was far too pretty. Thinking of her seeing your awkward body in dresses made you shrink away. “Have you seen Uncle John?” You said quickly. 

“Should be in his office.” She gave you a look and you thanked her. You knocked on the door and his voice called out. 

“Hey kiddo,” he said looking up from a mess of papers. “Your da’s got me right tangled in this stupid paperwork. Give him a kick in the shin when you see him next will ya.” 

“Sure.” You laughed. “Guess you're pretty busy then?” 

“Be lucky if we survive another week with the hens gone.” He sighed, there was no way he’d be out of this mess any time soon, but maybe he could just tell you what to wear.

“What erm- What types of things does Esme wear that you like?” He looked confused by the question. 

“Trying to impress a lad then? Odd person to come to for advice on that.” He scratched the back of his head but before you could fix what you said he’d already carried on.

“Look if he doesn't like you as you are then there's no point in going after him. Gal’s seem to think we care about all the fuss when really - we’re going to see eve-” 

“What are you doing, love?” Your father's voice called from the doorway. Happier than ever to see him you sprang up from your seat and moved to give him a hug. Jarred by what you figured John was implying you decided to just pluck up the courage to ask him to go. 

“Get that shit done John, needs to be out by tomorrow morning,” John swore at him and you followed your father out of the room his arm steering you into his office. 

“What did you need from John?” He asked moving behind his desk. 

“Well, I didn't want to bother you.” 

“Trust me, love if it's worth asking, it’s not worthy of Johns's advice.” 

“Ah, well, I need a dress for the ball.” You stated, and he gave you a curious look. “Um, well it's my first time really going, for the dinner and dancing and everything.” You coughed awkwardly. For a moment you hoped that he would just understand where this was going and tell you he’d help you, but you looked at his face and knew he was lost as ever. 

“SO” you said a little too loudly. “I erm - need to get a proper dress, Polly and Esme said they would take me but they won't be back in time.” 

You brought your gaze from the wallpaper once more to still see him still looking confused. 

“You can have any dress you want, just give me the receipt.” He shrugged. 

‘No- I erm. I just- need someone to go with me.” You confessed sounding irritated. “I don't know what looks good - I’m not good at that type of stuff. John always tells Esme what he thinks about her dresses when we get ready so I figured he would be a good person to ask.” 

“I’ll take you.” He said uncomfortably. “We can go after-” He looked down at his schedule. “Can it wait till after dinner?” 

“Oh, yeah - thanks” 

“No problem,” He said with a nod looking only slightly put off. 

“I’ll head back to the house -” 

“I’ll grab you at 7” 

You gave him a nod and then left the office saying bye to Lizzie. 

Dinner was nice, you rarely ever went out to eat. You rambled on about a book you were reading and your dad followed along. Eventually, you started to tuck into your meal and he sighed. 

“So there's a boy then?” He asked looking pained.

“No?” You said startled with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. 

“No?” Tommy repeated looking at you with the look he gave when he felt you were lying. As a kid, you thought he had superpowers and could see in your mind. 

“No” You shook your head grabbing your glass of water. 

“John mentioned -” 

“He didn't understand what I was asking. Don't need to be interested in a boy just because I don't want to show up in front of all those people wearing something embarrassing.” You said defensively, face flushing. 

Tommy let out a hum and finished the last of his drink. Your last comment seemed to put him off even more. 

You finished up dinner and then headed to a fancy-looking shop. The sign on the door said closed but you followed behind your dad as he pushed the door open. 

The lady barely took notice of you as she shook your dad's hand, ensuring she would take care of anything he needs. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes as she touched his arm. 

He turned to you “alright free rein of the place, go pick some out that you like. I’ll start on this side.” 

You almost wanted to laugh as if it was a joke but your father moved passed the woman and started on the far wall. She looked over your body and began pointing out some to try on. 

You thought about her suggestions and said you would try them to be polite. If you turned up looking like a frosted cupcake Esme would never let you hear the end of it. 

You moved to the long dresses and found a nice dark red one. It was a shimmery fabric but it was dark enough that it wouldn't bring too much attention. You had a feeling that it was the right one, but with the lower neckline you felt it might be a fight to take it home. You decided it was worth it and asked the woman to take it to the dressing room for you. 

You found another few that you liked well enough, all of them were black and made of various materials. 

You met back up with your dad in the lounge and saw him sipping another glass of amber liquid, a cigarette in his hand. He met your gaze and held his hands up in mock surrender.

“Wasnt much help out in the field but it’s only because I have faith in your abilities.” 

You gave him a smile, happy to see him in better spirits. You put the first one on and hated it immediately. It was much too tight and it would be impossible to dance in. 

“Not very practical.” You waddled out and you watched him point back to the dressing room sternly. “Alrighty then,” you murmured feeling embarrassed. 

You tried the cupcake one on next and fought to work up the courage to walk out in it. You struggled to get it through the doorway and your father actually laughed. 

A proper healthy loud laugh that was contagious. 

“I feel like Esme would take the piss for ages if I wore this.” You looked yourself over in the mirror.

“Not just Esme. Didn’t think it would be possible to make you look anything less than gorgeous. In that line of thinking it might not be so bad after all. Don’t want this mystery boy enjoying himself too much.” 

“Dad!” You snapped before fighting back into the dressing room. “There is no boy.” 

“If you say so.” 

You wore one of the black ones next. You walked out feeling comfortable, you thought the black would go with any jewelry and looked classy. 

You looked at your dad and his face twisted slightly. 

“No black.” His tone of voice took you off guard.

“Why not? You’ll be wearing black?” you asked trying not to get worked up. 

“No black.” He said firmly and you knew better than to challenge him when he sounded like that. 

You went back into the room. 

“Ah - that leaves one left.” 

“Give it a go,” he called back.  

You pulled on the red one and loved it instantly. It was grown up, hugging you in all the right spots without showing too much skin. The color made your blue eyes seem electric. 

You liked it so much you didn't want to show it. What if he hated it as much as the black dress? Or thought it was stupid like the pink one. 

You took a deep breath and called out. “Don’t be mean.” Then stepped out. 

You looked at the mirror avoiding your father. It looked even better in the lighting. Eventually, the silence was too much. 

You watched him take the dress in and thought you saw tears in his eyes. You wanted to run back and hide. Why was he being so weird? Even if there was a boy, it’s not uncommon at this age. Heck, most of Esme’s sisters were married by 16. 

“That’s the one eh?” He finally said looking at you.

“Yeah. Think I look grown up, but not to - erm-  showy” 

“Grown up, is one way to put it.” He finished his drink and smiled at you. “I think you look lovely. Your mother has a necklace that will match with the color” He said softly. “-if you want to wear it.” He added hurriedly. For a long time, he thought her things might have been cursed, until one day he came home from a very long trip and said it was him that was cursed. You shivered remembering that night. You always avoided touching her things, her room untouched but not forgotten. 

“I would really like that.” You said feeling emotional, you realized that the panic was about wanting to look nice, but some of it was anger that your mother was not there to help you. “Did she wear this color then?” 

“Always red.” He nodded. 

“Ah - well, I can see why.” You looked back in the mirror. 

“Look - I know this sort of thing would have been more fun with Pol or Esme- and you probably miss your mum a lot these days. Lots of changes and whatnot.” He waved his hand uncomfortably. “But - well, I enjoyed this. I don’t mind being around for this stuff. I wouldn't have liked you more as a boy or anything like that” He cleared his throat. 

Tears started to spill over something you hadn't even realized you were worried about. 

“I love you.” You said. Felt strange standing on a platform saying it down to him as a saleswoman was probably judging them from the shadows somewhere. 

“Love you too.” 

On the ride home you both made jokes about different things, Arthur and John weren't very good at taking over for Pol and Esme and you enjoyed your dad’s commentary about trying to keep the place running. 

When things quieted down you finally felt that you needed to end this boy nonsense. 

“Dad?” You asked wondering how he kept the car straight while fumbling with getting a cigarette out and lighting it. 

“Yeah?” 

“There really isn't a boy, if there was John is the last person I would ask. One time he picked me up from school, years ago, and a boy, Tim Weatherby, had waved to me. He ran his car into the back of his parent's car three times before driving off.” 

You watched your father let out another laugh. “Always classy.” 

“I’d tell you first obviously. Esme would get too excited, and Pol would worry.” 

“And what would I do then Eh?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Probably meet him and scare his pants off.” You answered honestly. 

“That’s a good thing then?”

“Obviously. If he comes back it's because he really likes me.” 

__________________________________

EXTRA - Tommy's POV 

Watching her walk out in a black dress made the fleeting moments of humor leave him. He sort of saw her in the gown but his mind flashed back to that scared little girl all dressed in black.

“No black.” He said slightly out of control of the feelings biting into him. 

“Why not? You’ll be wearing black?” He could see that you wanted to argue but he couldn't stand to see you in that dress any longer.  

“No black.” He said firmly and you looked a bit deflated before retreating back to the dressing room. His mind pulled him back to that day. You attached firmly to his side, dressed in all black. The way you tried so hard to behave, tucking your face into his neck to cry as they lit the vardo on fire. How you even tried to hit Polly when she tried to take you from him. How you would panic if he was out of your sight for more than a few minutes. 

No black. He ran his fingers through his hair. 

The next dress hurt nearly as bad. Tears he had not cried in years welled up in his eyes as he looked at you taking in your body in the mirror. 

So much like your mother, the style of the dress, the color. You were going to be an adult in a blink of an eye. Only small traces of that little girl left in your features. Now there would be boys and time left with it being just the two of you would start to slip away.  

He thought the dress was much too showy, you didn't understand that yet though. Considering you would be standing next to him the whole night he figured it would be alright. You could pair it with your mother's jewelry and he could get Pol to convince you to wear it with a shall or something.  

Eventually, your eyes looked at him for approval and he felt guilty for snapping at you. There was a very evident look of self-consciousness on your features. He wished it came more naturally to him. 

“That’s the one, eh?” He said and enjoyed the way your eyes lit up. He may not be the best dad, but he would try hard to spend the last time he had with you. Find things to do with you, before you became busy with the rest of the world.

[spoonietimelordy]

-Them shooting the tardis is so painful to watch

-wtf they're all dead O.O, ok definitely not staying dead but still

-fucking hell he was here all along

-"in the name of life itself" (that line was written for rowan)

-love that tardis

-woohoo the dalek are dead, what a consolation price

-"I did this" "this is my fault" oh babe

-😭 this scream

-a spoon, do you want to destroy me?

-"might save the universe with this spoon"

-oh no, not the baby no 😢

-"cultural appropriation" oh someone I know is gonna yell

-"dna match" 👀

-Mel... :(

-and everyone is back!

-"clever boy" 👀

- the mum and her kiddo 💕

-"with a spoon"

-"I must become a monster" ooooooh

-"surely that's what I am life" "I am the one that brings death" hope you're happy Rowan

Ok do I get a point for the purgatory being metaphorical and not literal?

-so her mum is just a random girl? Ok, I'm fine with it. Ooooh she became important because we made a myth out of her, of course, I'm stupid, how did I not thought of that? Come on I kept saying myths where the answer and I missed it!

😢😢😢

-oh the coat is on for the first time this season, doc!

-yes bring up susan, ruby!

Go see susan for god sake!

Also, is rusty doing us a swanqueen? Adoptive mum and bio mum gonna date?

Oh wtf ! Mrs Flood is doing us a lemony snicket

[alittletaste]

The one where Harry goes on a hike with his kids

-

Harry looked like a proper dad. His cheeks had a few days old stubble on them, his eyes were clouded with sleep but you could see the absolute adoration in them and he was also supporting some eye bags from the lack of sleep. But, he wouldn’t change it for anything, he loved his kids.

One of them was strapped to his chest, his baby girl, only 5 weeks old and already out on her first hike. Harry felt full of pride, holding his baby against his chest as his elder kids ran along the path of their hike. This was what life was about, enjoying these little moments of love and doing something fun.

He decided on taking the kids out for a nice walk whilst y/n got some rest, given birth only five weeks ago, dealing with postpartum and also having to now look after four kiddos was a lot. So Harry knew she deserved a break, time to get some shut-eye and some peace and quiet.

“Daddy! Look at this flower” Indi, Harry’s five-year-old, spoke. He held up a dandelion, which he picked from the path pointing it towards Harry. “It’s so pretty!”

“It sure is bub” Harry replied, taking ahold of Indi's other hand, making sure to keep him close by. “It’s called a dandelion”

“Is it called a dandelion because it’s yellow daddy? Like a lion?” Beau, Harry’s seven-year-old, asked. Stopping in his track to look back at his dad for an answer. He was Harry’s mini me, the exact same mannerism and hair.

“I’m not sure bud, but that’s a great way to look at it” Harry was attentive in the way he answered, smiling at his secondborn before turning to lean a kiss into his baby girl's hair, who now began to move under the strap. He could feel her reach her tiny hand up to grab at his jumper making him physically awe at her.

“Dad, shall we pick some of the dandelions for mum?” Harry’s oldest, Jude spoke. At just 10 years old, he was very mature for his age, doing whatever he could to make his parents happy. He also loved watching out for his younger siblings, spending his nights cooing at Stella, his baby sister.

“That’s a very good idea lovie” Harry smiled with pride again, “she’ll love it” as soon as the words left his mouth, the boys ran off, on a mission to find their mumma some dandelions. “Stay close though, yeah” he spoke rather loudly, earning a bunch of “yes daddy” from his little ones.

As Harry chuckled, he felt more movement on his chest, his hand goes to rub at Stella’s back as he looks down to see her wide little eyes staring back. “Oh hello you, hi” Harry whispered, leaning in to place another kiss on his daughter's head.

“Did I wake you, eh?” He asked and smiled when Stella made a grumpy face. “Daddy’s sorry bug, just need to make sure you cheeky brothers are safe” he spoke to the girl stuck to his chest, his eyes twinkling with love.

As he looked up, he saw all three boys coming towards him, each holding a bunch of flowers, waving them around happily. “There they are, your brothers” Harry smiled, taking in the sight of the beautiful winter sunset and his absolutely adorable little family. He truly couldn’t be happier.

-

a/n: was in my dad!Harry feels tonight, hope you all enjoyed this 🫶

[ginnyw-potter]

James Sirius's first Halloween

“Happy Halloween!” one of the Aurors of the night shift wished them as he entered the department.

“Yeah, you too,” Ron said half-heartedly as he gently attempted to lead Harry out into the hallway.

They walked in silence, the excitement of the holiday reaching neither of them. Ron paused in front of the fireplaces and turned to Harry. “I’d ask you out for drinks tonight, but I bet you’d rather go home.”

“Yeah, need to check on Jamesy,” he said with a small smile. “But thanks.”

“He better not grow until Sunday,” Ron said with a shake of his head. “Tell him, no growing until Uncle Ron sees him again.”

Harry chuckled. “I will. Goodnight.”

Ron waved goodbye as he stepped into a fireplace. Harry quickly got into a fireplace too before someone had another chance to wish him a happy Halloween.

Seconds later he arrived in the living room of his home. The noise of the fireplace roaring had announced him, and Ginny walked into the living room to greet him.

He was alright, really. But the moment he saw her his shoulders slumped, and his face pulled into a deep frown. Tears prickled behind his eyes, but he blinked them away.

She was in front of him immediately, pulling him into a welcome hug. “I told you to take the day off.”

His arms wrapped gratefully around his wife. “I’m fine.”

She hummed and didn’t argue, continuing to hold him until he let go first. She met his eyes.

“How’s our kiddo?”

Ginny smiled, kissing his lips. “About to be awake from his nap.” She stepped away from him and pointed her wand at the fireplace, making the flames flare up into a cosy fire. “Do you want to go to the graveyard tomorrow?” she asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know.” He looked at her as if she would have the answer.

“James hasn’t been there since right after he was born, I thought it could be nice,” she said, her expression soft and compassionate.

He nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that.” He looked at her. “Fred after?”

“Mum will insist regardless,” she supplied.

Harry turned his head when he heard the baby’s cry.

“Your son is awake,” she said. “Go on. I’ll get started on dinner.”

Harry couldn’t hide the fact he was eager to hold his son. Becoming a parent himself had given a new perspective on his parents’ deaths and it was at the front of his mind tonight. He walked into the kitchen with the baby still crying—James was clearly hungry—and his gaze fell on Ginny.

In the small pause his son gave him by catching his breath, Harry spoke. “Now we have a kid of our own, it seems so much more cruel. They were younger than we are now. Their lives were barely getting started, just had a baby... they didn’t get a chance to live.”

Ginny nodded silently, setting the knifes to work chopping up vegetables. A pot filled itself at the tap and then landed on the stove, which she switched on. She walked to him.

“I have been thinking of that too,” Ginny said, caressing his hair. “It really wasn’t fair. I can’t imagine leaving James,” –Her eyes flitted to their son and filled with worry—“But I know I’d give my life for him in a heartbeat.”

“Me too,” he agreed. He offered James to her. “He needs feeding. He’s very upset with me.”

Ginny took the baby into her arms easily. “That feels like five minutes ago, but I suppose if you’re hungry...” She settled down on a chair to feed him.

Harry kept an eye on the food, putting the sausage into the pan before turning back to Ginny.

“You know,” she continued. “Nothing is going to happen. Not tonight.” She looked up from James to meet his eyes. Her look was determined.

He didn’t want to admit the fear that had settled in his gut. He was so grateful he didn’t need to explain. He stepped to her and placed a kiss on her hair. “I know, because you’re with me.”

She let out a small chuckle, her focus returning to James. “Your Auror dad relies on his wife for safety, isn’t he silly? Yes, he is!”

Harry’s smile widened and he continued looking at them, reluctant to let them out of his sight. Only when Ginny said she smelled something burning, did he turn back to the stove.

[strangerthingslover69]

Naughty step daddy

Jim Hopper + Female reader

Your mum married recently the one and only Jim Hopper, chief of police. Since you were seventeen you’d had a thing for him, you’re twenty two now and still would like to see what he’s got under that uniform. Now he’s your new step daddy, he takes his role very serious. When your mum goes out of town for a business trip you just see how serious he is

18+ minors do not read!

Warnings ~ Smoking, swearing, drinking and smut ~

‘Oh honey I forgot to tell you tomorrow I’ve got to go out of town for a couple of days. Got an important business trip. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get the client and get that bonus’ your mum tells you over breakfast. ‘I hope you do too mum, you definitely deserve it’ you say with a smile. Your mum is the hardest working women you know, she’s your idol and you adore her. You’d never want to upset her. However if she knew about your secret crush it would definitely upset her. Your new step daddy. Jim Hopper chief of police. It all happened so quickly, one day he was just Jim and now he wants you to call him daddy. However you do not you are twenty two and you do not see him as your daddy, well not in the normal way at least. ‘Did you hear that Jim?’ You mum asks as he walk from the kitchen to join you both at the table. He sits next to you with his coffee and toast. ‘Yeah yeah, you’re going away for a business trip? I’m sure you’ll do great darling.’ He says whilst biting his toast. ‘Now whilst I’m gone you two gonna be okay? You gonna behave for dad Y/N?’ Your mum asks. You roll your eyes, ‘yes mum I’m always good and he’s not my dad!’ You say with a huff. ‘I’ll make sure she behave don’t worry’ Jim says with a grin. You feel his hand on your bare leg, you don’t dare move. Jim runs it up and down slowly causing a throbbing sensation straight to your core. ‘You’ll be a good girl for daddy won’t you?’ Jim turns to you winking at you. He’s straight up flirting with you in front of your mum but she hasn’t noticed she’s getting her paperwork together, thank god. You nod slowly looking into those eyes. ‘Great. I’m glad you can get along whilst I’m gone. I’m gonna go to work so I’ll see you guys later’ you mum leaves giving you a kiss on the head and a kiss on the lips for Jim. Once she’s gone Jim moves his hand higher and squeezes harder. ‘Gotta go kiddo, daddy will see you later’ he says seductively. You are left sitting there thinking what the fuck has just happened.

The next day your mum is gone early to go to the train station to get her train. It’s a Thursday and you have a day off from work which is nice. You can can get round some chores you’ve been putting off. You needed to tidy your room and go through your clothes seeing if you wanted to keep them or not. But before any of that you roll out of bed and head to the shower. You go to the bathroom and start the shower up, waiting for it to warm up. You realise you’d forgotten your towel so you leave the shower running going back to your room. You retrieve your towel from your bed and make your way back to the bathroom. You can see the steam so you know your shower will be hot enough. You lifts your top up and shuffle down your shorts. Your pull the curtain back slightly not wanting the heat to escape and stand under the shower head. You let out a sigh of happiness. You turn around to lean your head back ready to wet your hair. You let out a squeal as stood in front of you is Hopper. Naked. You are speechless and let’s say very impressed. You look his body up and down and take in the view. Your mind comes back to reality, ‘Jim what the fuck!’ You shout at him. He takes one step closer, there’s no where to move now. ‘What Y/N? I was having a shower. Your the one who joined me.’ He said as he raised him hand to your stomach stroking it up and down sending shivers down your body. ‘I-I forgot my towel!’ You say with a stutter. ‘Well that’s not daddy’s problem if you can’t remember your towel.’ Hoopers hand that was on your stomach goes up higher touching under your breasts. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. He takes another step towards causing you to fall back and your back pressed again the wall. His arms come next to you blocking you in. There is no escape. ‘Tell me to stop and I’ll go’ he says as his mouth is getting closer to yours. ‘Tell me’ he said as his lips nearly touch yours. You stay silent.

He leans in and presses his lips to yours, being ever so gentle. Your return the kiss, your arms automatically coming up and wrapping them around his neck, the kiss becoming more passionate. Bodies now pressing together you can feel how hard he is against your stomach. And my god he’s big. Jim slides his tongue into your mouth causing you to let out a small moan. His hands find your hips and lift you up effortlessly to the wall. Jim is a strong guy so he wraps on arm around your back and the other comes in between your legs. Your back being supported by the cold rough wall. ‘Such a pretty girl for daddy’ he moans into your neck, kissing it hard and biting it. His fingers slide straight into your throbbing hole wet from the shower but wet from him too. He begins to quickly fuck you with his fingers hard, the noises that leave you mouth are unholy. He sucks your neck and adds another finger in your pussy. ‘Fuck sweetheart, I can feel you’re close. You wanna cum on daddy’s fingers?’ He asks. You nod. ‘No I need words’ he asks more aggressively. ‘Yes, I need to cum!’ You shout at him. ‘Say my name and I’ll let you’ he whispers into your ear. ‘Jim?’ You moan confused. ‘No, my name baby, what’s my name?’ He slows down his fingers as you work out what he means. Bingo. ‘Daddy, I need to cum on daddy’s fingers!’ Just like that his pace gets quick again and you are clenching around him, you cum all over daddy’s fingers and it feels good.

Before your brain has time to adjust Hopper takes his fingers out and replaces it with his dick. Pounding straight in, you hiss at how big he feels, his fingers stretched you out but not enough. ‘Fuck Y/N you’re so damn tight’ he moans to you as he fucks you relentlessly. His hips hitting you so hard sure to leave bruises it makes your head spin. His dick reaching places no one had ever reached. You twitch around him. ‘You gonna cum on daddy’s dick?’ He asks breathlessly. ‘Y-yes need to cum on daddies d-dick!’ You dig your nails into his back as he fucks you faster and harder, getting more sloppy by the minute. You are both close. ‘Fuck fuck fuck daddy!’ you scream as you cum all over his dick. ‘Daddy’s gonna fill you up’ Hopper fucks you until you feel him release himself inside of you. You both stay like that for a minute so you can catch your breathes. He looks up at you into your eyes and you into his. ‘Well sweetheart, we’ve still got more time till your mums home’ he says bringing you in for a kiss. You kiss him back, you feel bad about what has happened but you don’t regret it, you can’t wait until the next time

[blingblong55]

I. LOVE. YOUR. BLOG. that's all I can say lol

Can I make a request for a lesbian reader coming out to 414 + Los Vaqeros, she had trauma from her homophobic family and now she is coming out to the boys she see as brothers, she needs a family comfort.

This one is kinda personal for me :,)

Thank you so much..it means a lot when ppl say this!<33333

New Family- 141+ Los Vaqueros

Please listen to Matilda by Harry styles. It works if you want a crying session!

F!Reader! Platonic! Relationship!

*Trigger warning!*

It was another day at base. Soap and Gaz knocking so things down. Ghost training the rookies. You and Price at his office. He had found you crying the day after you arrived back from your family. "What happened this time?" His voice soft, as if he spoke any louder, he'd hurt you. "I can't talk about it this time sir" your voice was low, you struggled to keep yourself calm.

The guys walked into his office, they soon heard your soft sniffles. "It's hard price" your voice shaky.

----

141:

This was all hitting too fast. Just 3 weeks ago you decided to visit your parents. All happy and excited, feeling alive and free. "Mum, dad, I don't date boys because...well.. I like women. I love women." Your then smile faded. "This is disgusting r/n, women belong to men." But dad, I-" "leave" and as you packed all your stuff, they harassed you until you drove off.

The entire day you cried. Your heart ached. All the good memories stayed but the future memories were never to be made.

----

"c'mon lass what's wrong?" Soap kneeled in front of you. His eyes looking for you, not this sad soul, your parents created. "I can't, I'm afraid of-" you stopped and broke down in tears. "We love you, you know that dont ya'?" You nodded. Your hands now covering your face.

"what ever it is, we are here kid." ghost rubbed your shoulder.

"Yeah, we already think you're cool, and also the most prettiest clown at base. Soap is the last best looking." Gaz said, attempting to make you laugh. "Hey" soap responded. You giggled.

"You promise?" your sad voice broke their hearts. "Yes" they all answered.

And after much hesitation you just blurted it out. "I like women. I'm a lesbian...gay what ever you want to call it. That's why I am, thats who I love." You never looked up at them. Price sighed. "You think that just because you like women we'd dislike you?"

"imagine how much help we'll all get. we need help with dating and boom you're here. You need ideas and w're hear lass." soap slowly placing his hands on your knees.

"we'll have a one spy on the inside" Ghost added.

Man were you relived. You got up and soon they all embraced you. "bear hug!" soap said as his arms fell upon yours.

"thank you boys"

"y're welcomed love" gaz imitated soap.

"Stoop t'at" soap's accent got worse. "I love you all."

"we love y'back kiddo" price spoke up, making you all laugh. Perhaps it was the nervous that had you laughing or the sense of a new home. Whatever it was, it felt good.

"And you'll teach us stuff, like techniques right?" Soap asked which only received a smack on the head from ghost.

"Just ask'n"

Los vaqueros:

You were assigned to work with Los Vaqueros, being that they didn't have any women on their team and they needed to connect with female victims. They became your second family. Always laughing with them that you'd forget your troubles.

----

When you were on leave, things back home weren't exactly how you pictured it to the team. Your mother had slapped you across the face. Yelling homophobic things. Sayings slurs and she damned you over and over. Your family was religious, big followers. Your father called you a disgrace to your family. Your siblings said things you'd never imagined they'd say.

----

Alejandro knew something was wrong the minute you set foot on base. You always came back from home with a little less of you and more of the you your family had morphed you to. Rudy was the only one you let in on the secret. He was always so supportive. Asking if you felt comfortable with certain things. Ale was different. He acted tough when around his men, and you couldn't blame him.

Rudy was always pushing you to tell Ale. But you were scared. When he got mad he reminded you of your own father. His words were always harsh, he'd say things to his men the same way your mum did.

The vaqueros would do anythings to please ale, especially on his bad days. So you knew that if he wasn't okay with you, then neither were the rest of the team.

For that same reason you are distant on him. Always with Rudy and never him. Until today.

"Que pasa?" he asks (what's wrong?)

"Nothing, just leave me alone."

"hablame a mi, mi amor" (talk to me my love) he softly says, eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think you're ready for this." your chest aching.

"Whatever it is, im here" he gently places his hands on your shoulder.

You just wanted it out. "I like women. I'm gay." you mention without any hesitation.

"And here I thought you betrayed me"

"what? you're nor upset or mad?"

"Why would I? I always knew...I'm glad you can be open about this...does Rudy?"

"yes, he's been my support for months now."

it was true, Rudy was always there. When a man would say things to you because you acted 'manly' or vocalized how you felt about men, he was your guard. Your voice when yours was too weak to speak. He became your guardian angel.

Always guiding you and also judging you. "you can do better." he'd say anytime you would talk about a girl. "I see we have the same taste." he'd laugh anytime you described who you liked, and how you'd like for them to be.

Safe to say, Ale and Rudy became your big brothers. Always watching over you on dates. Gossiping about what had happened.

---- First off, ur fam can fuck off, you already got a supportive new family here on this crazy but cool app&lt;3. Second of all, I hope I can fulfill this request. I understand how shity family can be and thats why I didn't add much of a back story, I struggle with one my own family so I understand how how hard real acceptance and love can be...stay safe love.

Also to all my readers who are in the LGBTQ+ community or those who never felt love, appreciated, cared for, repsected, I'll always be here. I'll be a safe place for you all! Take care my dear!

Tags: @ghostofuchiha

REQUEST ARE OPEN!!

[come-imagine-with-me]

Mother F/O & (gender nonspecific) child selfshipper imagines

Please take your pick from the following imagines ♡

PLEASE NOTE: you'll see several similarities in this post relating to the imagines I made for the Father f/o & (gender nonspecific) child selfshipper imagines post I made since many of what was said there still rings true regarding your Mother f/o but don't worry, there are some distinct differences I made & added ♡!!!!!!!!

If she adopted you, imagine her face lighting up like New Years Eve fireworks the very first time you call her "Ma"/"Mum" etc. She is just so thrilled, so honored to have earned that title from you; maybe she even tears up a bit in front of you or perhaps later when she's alone, overwhelmed with the sense of honor, gratitude, pride, you've given her.

If you only ever call her by her first name, for whatever reason, just know she's still so proud to have such a close bond with you and no, she doesn't mind that you don't call her "Mom" or anything like that! Your comfort matters most!

Think of the way her eyes crinkle, how she smiles, the pride and warmth in her voice whenever she introduces you as her kid. She can't get enough of it, can't get enough of calling you hers- she loves you so much! If she has a phone, you just KNOW you're her wallpaper and if she's just got her wallet in her purse, know your picture is in there ;w; ♡!

Think of your mother f/o telling you she's so, so proud of you after you tell her about how you've overcome a recent struggle in your life; think of her urgently reminding you that she's always there for you if you ever need her. She wants to fix everything for you, and while she knows she can't, that doesn't mean she won't try her hardest to help you when you ask her for it!

If you're currently going through something hard, please think of telling your mother f/o; just clarify what you need from her and she's happy to do it- listen, comfort, offer advice- she's just eager to do what she can for you to make you feel seen and heard, to validate your struggles and to help you overcome them however she can ;--; ♡

If you're a person who menstruates, please know she 100% has got you covered regarding products, medication, treats--- whatever you need to feel as comfortable as you can during this time!! She knows what you're going through and she knows it's rough!!! If she could take away the pain she would but she can't so she's happy to just get you what you need and hold you on the sofa if you want and tell you it's okay to cry it out if that'll make you feel better; she isn't going to judge you, she just wants her kiddo to feel better soon ;w;!!

If you're queer, think of your mother f/o wholeheartedly accepting you as you are, just happy and honored and grateful you trust her enough to come out to her- if you change your pronouns she of course will do her best to use these new ones- it doesn't matter what you identify as now, what matters is that you're still and always will be her kiddo ;w;!!

If you live with your mother f/o, think of all the little moments like...

-her eyes lighting up whenever you come home; she's always so relieved and happy to see you home safe!!!

-imagine her taking care of you while you're under the weather and vice versa ;--;!

-her gently waking you up in the mornings. Maybe she sits beside you and pets your hair as she softly calls out to you and, with a big smile on her face as you wake up, she reaches out and pushes your fringe off your forehead, telling you something like, "morning sleepy head, breakfast is ready." Alternatively: think of waking her up in the morning! Maybe you do the same to her or maybe you lay down beside her and pat her arm; think of her wanting to snuggle with you for five more minutes before you two finally get up for the day ;w; ♡

-think of stealing her favorite cardigan/ hoodie/jacket/jumper when she isn't using it so you can smell her perfume and feel comforted by it when she's not around; imagine her laughter over finding you wearing it, letting you keep it until she inevitably reclaims it :>

-consider helping her fix things up around the house! Even if it's just you bringing her water to stay hydrated, it's still helping and she appreciates you looking after her! If you're capable of fixing things yourself for her, just know she's so grateful to you and your help ;--;!

-catching her asleep on the sofa and putting a blanket over her- only for her to wake up later with her heart warm and full of love and appreciation for you ♡

-overhearing her singing your praises on the phone / while she has friends over- it's hard for her not to bring you up in conversation because you're her whole world and she is always proud and excited to share nice things you've said or done recently!

-if you're into photography, think of getting candid shots of her reading, resting, cooking in the kitchen, etc. and showing her your photography- she's always surprised and pleased you took time to capture a moment of her, touched you found her worthy of making your subject--- if she's into photography, think of her paying the favor back to you, telling you how lovely you look in the picture she shows you!

-imagine surprising her with her favorite coffee/tea in the morning made exactly as she likes it; think of her loving smile and sweet, warm voice as she says "thank you" ♡

-think of brushing/styling her hair for her; she's so touched with how careful you always are when you brush her hair ;--;! If you have hair long enough to be brushed/styled, think of her brushing your hair for you too!! Just as carefully, her voice soft as she praises your hair color and texture, stealing smiles at you in the reflection of the mirror, just so happy to do this simple thing with you ♡

-your mother f/o taking time out of the day to give you affection.

If you enjoy physical affection most, please think of her giving/ asking you for lots of warm hugs, gently patting/rubbing your back, ruffling your hair, playfully poking and teasing/tickling you when you least expect it (if you're okay with that ofc!), giving you kisses on the cheek, the top of your head, your forehead, snuggling with you on the sofa, holding your hand / interlocking arms in public depending on what you'd prefer, etc ♡

If you enjoy verbal affection most, think of her often telling you "I love you", calling you sweet endearments (I'd try to list some but everyone's different, I know each of you have your own preferences lol), telling you she's grateful for you when you do things for her without her asking, her praising you for the effort you put into dressing up any given day, telling you she enjoys getting to spend time with you, etc ♡

If you enjoy both in equal or varying measures then, well, you've a lot to think about :D!

Take a moment to ponder over her hobbies and then consider participating in some of those with her... below are some examples :>

Is your mother f/o into theatre arts / cinema / is she an artist? I just know she'd love to take you to the opera or theatre to enjoy a play / musical / movie with you, especially so y'all can discuss yalls feelings and insights on the themes / messages / physical effects / etc. of the show! She values your opinions and always wants you to feel safe sharing them! As for art, I just know you'd be her wonderful muse and she'd love to teach you how to paint/draw if that is something you wanted!

Perhaps she's into crocheting/sewing/mending etc! It's a vital art form to create new beloved clothing and to upkeep old, precious ones- if you're not into it, please think of sitting close by and chatting or listening to music with her while she works- just know that if you have a book with you, she'd enjoy hearing you read aloud to her! If you are into it or want to learn, she'd be so thrilled to split up projects with you or to teach you what she knows!

Is your mother f/o a collector? If so, think of having lots of fun on the weekends going to thrift shops, antique stores, and garage sales together to search for what she collects! She always appreciates how keen an eye you have for helping her spot what she's looking for and she loves surprising you with little gifts from y'all's searches whenever you take interest in something ♡

Is your mother f/o a gardener? If she is, do you ever help her in the garden with the weeding, sowing, watering, and layout planning? What do you plant together? If gardening isn't your thing, don't worry! You can always just bring her something cold to drink on hot days- that never fails to put a smile on her face!

Is your mother f/o an avid reader? If she is, please think of her wanting to read aloud to you, to tell you the stories she's reading about--- or!! Her wanting you to read aloud to her! Or!! Maybe you two have a book club together!!! How lovely would that be?!??

Does your mother f/o love sports or play any sports? Think of getting cozy on the sofa with tons of snacks on Sunday afternoons or Friday nights to watch the game on TV :D! Is she the type to "talk" to the players? Get really into the game? Or does she sit there quietly and excitedly point out the technicalities of what's going on? If you're on opposite teams, imagine her playfully making bets with you on who will win! If she plays on a team, think of how pumped she gets to win knowing you're at the game rooting for her!!

If you have a shared hobby/interest, by golly, think of your mother f/o excitedly sharing this with you!! She loves sharing this with you, loves growing with you in experience & mastery of this hobby / diving deep into this topic with you!

Think of your mother f/o encouraging you to chase after your goals / interests / dreams! She's happy to sit down with you and plan with you about how you can achieve those; your happiness is her happiness! If you ever change your mind about pursuing something, know she'll understand and that she only cares about you not giving up on something that truly is attainable ;w;

If you're ever scared or anxious about something, just know your mother f/o is ready to hold you and protect you the best she can; a mother's love will conquer anything that threatens her kiddo! She'll always be there to encourage you to try your best to be brave and remind you it's okay to be scared, it's okay to be anxious- just do your best to make it through okay and things will be better- she knows it will because she believes in you ♡

If you have a romantic f/o, just know your mother f/o will do her best to try and get along with them for your sake if she doesn't automatically 'click' with them! The fact that they make you happy is enough for her to like them enough! Alternatively, if your mother f/o and your romantic f/o get along well, think of your mother f/o flustering you on purpose by calling your romantic partner her future kid ;3c

If you have sibling f/os that share your mother f/o, think of her being careful to make time just to spend it with you and you alone so you don't feel ignored or overlooked!!!! She may love you all equally but that doesn't mean she won't do her best to make sure you feel special in her eyes!

Have you thought about going out on the town / leaving the house with your mother f/o yet? If not! Now you should :D! Let me help...

Think about going to the local diner with your mother f/o! Maybe she helps you get dressed up to look your best with her, maybe you both go in your PJs! If you don't mind it, she's always happy to order for you! Maybe she likes to hold your hand or point out the scenery to you to enjoy it together- maybe some people watching! Even if you're grown and have a job of your own, she still insists on paying but gets really soft when you sometimes sneakily beat her to it ♡

Please imagine going grocery shopping with your mother f/o! Maybe you divide the list and conquer, maybe you stick together and tackle one item at a time. Is she the type to sing along to the overhead songs playing? Is she the type to do a little fun ditty of a dance in the aisle???????? do you join her if so 👀???? Or do you get embarrassed and pretend you don't know her :3c? She'll stop after a while don't worry! She just wants to make you smile ♡

Perhaps you go on a little road trip! If so, think of her driving (or letting you drive if you're legal) with a smile on her face as you sing out-loud to the songs on the radio. Maybe y'all have a special playlist of y'all's favorite songs on it!

Planned Mother & kiddo outings!! Maybe it's the museum, maybe dinner, maybe the cinema-- wherever it is, just know she won't let her own worklife make her reschedule this outing with you! She always looks forward to these planned adventures with you and will always, always keep you safe ♡

[ashes-writing-corner]

Hey guys! I am so sorry for the super long delayed update to this. I've been super busy, I've been sick, and I've had an injury I'm recovering from. I'm doing better, I just messed up my tailbone a while back. And i've also been super dedicated to getting my book done. But you're not here for that! You're here for the Ghosts that We Knew! Let's gooooo!

Taglist: @stargatenovus @poisonedsultana and @cedar-bees

Tw: none really, maybe a mention of Necrophilia, hinted Spectrophilia but it doesn't go into details. So yeah...

Ghosts That We Knew

Part 14. Spectrophilia

“Are you and mama mad at each other?” Ellie asked one afternoon as she put aside the doll she was playing with.

Ghost was watching her from a corner in the room, as he always did when the girl was home and playing by herself. She had seemed somewhat somber these days, since you had figured out who he was and what he did. Ellie had felt the tension. She was doing everything her little mind could come up with to try and make them happy again, and it seemed to work to a degree. But there was still a sort of intensity whenever you and Ghost were in the same room. You hadn’t completely stopped talking to him, but you seemed hesitant to say anything.

“No lovey, we aren’t mad at each other” he answered quickly.

“Mama seems upset about something” Ellie pointed out, looking at the ghost who looked so comically big in that small corner.

Ghost sighed a little. “I…did kinda do something”.

“What’d you do?”.

Now to come up with an explanation a little kid would understand. That was the hard part. Ghost wasn’t stupid. He knew kids were smarter than adults usually gave them credit for. However, this wasn’t her fight to sort out. This wasn’t her problem to solve. This was between you and Ghost, whatever this was.

“I kept a secret that I shouldn’t have” he said.

“But I thought that’s the point of secrets?” Ellie cocked her head.

She wasn’t wrong. Thankfully he had a good counter for that.

“Sometimes yes. But serious ones, ones that could hurt people, they need to be told. Not be secrets. Surprises are temporary, secrets aren’t. I kept something from your mum that seriously hurt her feelings. We talked about it and I thought we were doing okay”.

“What was the secret?”

Now that was something he didn’t want to tell her. Not yet. Not to mention it really wasn’t his place to tell her. It was yours, and he wasn’t about to take that from you.

“Your mum will tell you when you’re older, I’m sure”.

“But I wanna know now,” Ellie said, “Please?”

Behind his mask, he couldn’t help but smile. “I appreciate the manners, kiddo, but I can’t tell ya. No matter how much I want to. It’s gonna be alright. I promise. Your mum just needs time and we gotta wait for your little brain to develop a little-”.

Ellie frowned. “You think I’m stupid…”

“What? No! No, never! I could never think that way about you, lovey. You’re a smart kid. It’s just that, problems between adults should stay between adults” he carefully sat down just in front of her on her bed, “What gave you that silly idea?”

Ellie put her hands on her head. “I hate talking about my brain”.

“Why?”

“Makes me feel dumb”.

“Sweetheart, you are anything but dumb. There’s just some things that you don’t understand yet. But I promise you, someday you will. It’ll take a while, but you will. And I’ll be there when your mum wants to tell you. You’re not alone Ellie, and you never will be if I can help it”.

With that, he hugged the little girl as best he could. It was cold, but Ellie didn’t seem to mind it. She was still worried about the situation though, she couldn’t help that.

“Can you and mama be friends again?” she asked.

“I’ll try to talk to her and see what’s going on. I caused this and I think only I can fix it. But seriously, Noelle…Do not for one second think you're dumb, stupid, ugly, or whatever negative thing is in your little head. You are remarkable. You’re sweet, kind, and you have the biggest heart of any kid I know. What or whoever is saying otherwise-”.

“My brain says it…” she admitted with a frown.

Behind his mask, Ghost frowned. Depression in such a young child was hard to swallow. He understood what she meant and that was a sad thing. But at least he knew.

“My brain used to say things like that too” he told her.

“Really?” she asked.

Ghost nodded. “A lot, actually. I…Only I didn’t hear my voice in my head saying things like that”.

Ellie cocked her head. “It wasn’t your voice?”

“Nope. My father was very mean, he’d say terrible things and do terrible things. Whenever my brain said negative things about me, I’d hear him say it”.

“What would you do to make it stop?”.

He couldn’t tell her that in the end, the voice had won over. No, he wouldn’t let her be without hope like he had been. He couldn’t do that to her.

“I’d tell him to shut up. That I was doing the best I could, and if nothing was good enough for him, then I’d give him nothing. Pay him no mind, give him no credence. No attention. Nothing. I would listen to music. Think of things that I liked, things that made me happy. And most of the time, he would stop”.

Ellie looked thoughtful. “Can you tell my brain to shut up?”

Ghost chuckled. “I can do something better. Close your eyes for me”.

The girl did as he asked and he put his hands on either side of her head. Again, his touch was cold, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Hey, Ellie’s brain…be nice” he whispered, “She’s got it rough enough as is. She doesn’t need you makin’ it worse. If you aren’t nicer to her, I’ll come in there, and you’ll be very sorry”.

Ellie laughed and her eyes fluttered open. “Will it help?”.

“Well, when your brain starts saying mean things, I want you to remember that. I want you to hear my voice in your head saying just that. Sometimes our greatest bullies are the ones inside us. But it doesn’t need to be. When that happens, tell me or your mum, and we can make those thoughts go away”.

Ellie nodded in understanding. “Thank you” she wished she could hug him.

She didn’t need to, as Ghost reached his arms out and embraced her in an icy hold. “There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for you, sweetheart. Remember that”.

“I’ll try…” she answered.

“That’s all I can ask” he replied letting her go, “I’ll try talking to your mum. I promise you, none of this is your fault or anything. It’s purely mine. I’ll take care of it. I promise. You just worry about being the best dang Ellie there is”.

Ellie smiled widely and nodded. “I’ll try. Thank you!”.

“You got this little one” he stood, “Now to go talk to your mum. Whatever you hear, I promise: It’s not your fault. Alright?”

“Not my fault”.

“Exactly. If you have to, cover your ears and keep saying it”.

“Are you guys gonna yell?”

His eyes softened more at that. “I’ll try not to. But your mum is really upset with me. Not you, me. Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise”

He remembered being that young and being afraid of his parent’s raised voices. He didn’t have anyone to protect him then, and he would be damned if he failed to protect her. It was bad enough the poor dear suffered from depression already. Ghost refused to make it worse if it could be helped.

Now it was time again to face the music, and figure out what exactly was bothering you now…

You were sitting in your room, having just washed up from dinner and now settling into your night routine. You were still looking for a therapist, as you weren’t about to go back on your word with Ghost, despite the new information you had. Soap had messaged you not too long ago, but you weren’t sure if you could talk to any of them without anger. You weren’t even really sure why you were angry at them. Price, Gaz, and Soap hadn’t actually done anything. They were just there the night of your transplant.

It was bad enough your mom and sister were there. You hated that they saw you like that, on the verge of death and needing a transplant. You hated that Ellie saw you like that. A chill passed by you and you set your book down, turning your app back on so you two could communicate somewhat.

You…okay…

“About as good as I can be in these circumstances” you answered.

Angry…me.

“You’re angry?”

No…you. Me.

“I’m still processing everything and I actually learned something else”.

What?

“Your friends were there that night”.

That took him by surprise. The guys were there? Why? Was it time? Were they coming to say goodbye? Did they still think that fondly of him at that point? He didn’t know what to say to that.

“Price called me, he left a message. I thought of calling him back, but I haven’t had the time and I don’t wanna run the risk of screaming at them. It was bad enough that my family saw me in that condition. I didn’t want your friends to be subject to it too”.

He wondered if they were actually there for him. It would make sense…

For…me…not…you.

“It’s possible. I just…I hate thinking of all those people’s eyes on me. I was sick, and I needed help. Not pity”.

You got help.

“I know but…I just have mixed feelings about it”

That didn’t answer his question though. You had been really tense with him as of late, and he wanted to know if perhaps he did something wrong.

Wrong?

“What?”

Something…wrong…I…did.

You sighed. “As I said, I just need time to process everything. I didn’t expect to get so tangled up in the military again. After my partner’s passing I didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. Now I’m caught in it forever. I just feel awkward around you now, it’s weird”.

Awkward?

You sighed and looked over at the end of the bed where you assumed he was sitting. It was now or never, and he had a right to know.

“You…Okay, I don’t want you to feel weird like I do, but I think it’s important” you got up and closed your door, careful to make sure you didn’t make too much noise as Ellie was about ready for bed by now.

With the door shut, you went back to the bed, heart hammering in your ribcage like a bird trying to get free. You weren’t sure how he was going to take this. Hell, YOU didn’t even know how to take this. It was so…bizarre and maybe wrong on some deep moral level. You weren’t sure. You opened your mouth to finally talk.

“When you touched me the other night…my chest and everything…” you were looking at your hands, trying to keep your palms from sweating, stifling the urge to pick at your arms, “You made me feel something. Some kind of way. I…haven’t felt anything like it since before my partner died”.

Uh oh…

Oh god…

No…no…no…

Red flags were going up in Ghost’s head. A voice in his mind, for once not his father’s, was screaming: “Go away, go back to the closet right bloody now and do NOT come out!”. This could not be going where he thought it was going. Even so, he couldn’t move. He wanted to, oh gods he wanted to, but something just held him in place. He was stuck in some kind of nightmare scenario and there was no getting out of it.

When he didn’t reply, you continued.

“Maybe I’m just crazy, or lonely or something…but…I liked it. I liked it…definitely more than I should have. I mean, I totally get it, you didn’t mean it in like a sexual kinda way, but…” your words failed, “Fuck…”.

An awkward silence hung between you. Simon had NO idea what to do or say. You actually liked that he touched you? And he definitely didn’t mean it in that sort of way, but it felt…nice. He hadn’t felt warmth like that in ages, softness in even longer a time. He didn’t find the action to be entirely unpleasant and you definitely didn’t either.

Weird and yet, it felt so right…in a strange way.

Simon snapped back to reality. No, this wasn’t some weird romance novel shit. This was actually happening and it was wrong. He was dead, you were alive. To wish for such things would be black mark on both of you. He would be holding you back. And you, if anyone ever found out, would be ostracized as a…well…was there a term for someone who wanted to sleep with ghosts?

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said anything. I feel so damn stupid” You shook your head and kept your gaze still on your hands, “I’m not a necrophiliac I swear…”

I know.

“It’s wrong. It’s so wrong…”.

Feel wrong?

“Feel wrong?”

Did…it…feel…wrong?

“Well no because you asked permission first. All I wanted to do was show you the scar, to show you what you did, in a way” you answered honestly, “And again, I know the intention behind it wasn’t-”

Again?

You stopped, stunned. Hell the question even took Simon off guard. But gods be damned he…he actually wanted to touch you again. As he had said before there were things he missed about being alive, warmth and softness being chief among them. A ghost's afterlife tended to be empty and cold. But you…you made him feel like he actually existed…

You were almost too stunned for words. “I…I think I’d like that…a lot”.

You felt a blast of cold over you as you laid back against the pillows, like he was moving on top of you. It was a heavy feeling, but not exactly physical. It was hard to describe. You felt the same chill softly bristle your cheek, like something was gently touching you. As odd a sensation it was you didn’t find it at all unpleasant. You drowned out the voice in your mind screaming that this was wrong and that you shouldn’t want this. But goddamn…did you ever want something so badly?

You felt both of his hands on your cheeks, your head moving seeming on its own accord. You felt almost hypnotized as the deathly cold traced your cheeks and down your face. Your heart hammered again inside you, your stomach was doing odd flips. You closed your eyes, something taking over you. Your lips felt suddenly cold and you just knew…you just knew.

Ghost was kissing you.

You were being kissed by a dead man.

A dead man whose heart beat in your chest.

Knowing this only seemed to heighten your senses as you felt his icy hands roam over your mostly bare arms. The straps to your simple cami fell to your shoulders as the kiss intensified. You seemed to meet those cold lips with the same intensity, closing your eyes as you felt your stomach go warm…and something further down started to ache. It had been so goddamn long…

When you opened your eyes, he was there, mask half up to reveal his graying skin and violet tinted lips. You weren’t afraid. You had never been afraid. And you sure as hell weren’t now.

“You alright lovey? Is this alright?” he asked, his eyes intense and his voice a little husky.

You let out a few quivering breaths before you answered. “This is fine. I’m okay. I promise”.

“Do you want me to take this off of you?” he asked, eyeing your cami shirt.

You felt your cheeks go warm as he asked, but you could only nod. Ghost took it as silent approval and moved his icy hands to your waist so he could pull the shirt up and over your head. Still ignoring that damn pesky voice, you raised your arms a little to let him pull it off. Your eyes found his as he flung it away and put his head to yours.

“Don’t you worry about a thing tonight love…I’ve got you” Simon kissed your head.

Something in you settled a little and you knew for certain that he was right. This was right…

Sorry guys but I'm not a smut writer, I leave that to the pros cause I sure as hell am not one. Maybe I'm a coward or maybe it's cause I'm on the ace spectrum. Who knows?

Anyway if you guys liked this part please feel free to like, comment, tag, and please reblog. I really appreciate it. I hope yall are having an awesome day and I'll hopefully be back soon ^.^ thank you for your patience!

[cami-stuffs]

Pushing Towards You

Chapter 5: Reconciliation

"Is that so bad?" Gaia woke up when Ártemis entered the room like a hurricane. "Ártemis sees her mothers together. Is that a bad thing?"

"The point is this shouldn't have  happened!" Calista said, pointing from her to Gaia. 

"Why? We were married!" Gaia got up. She was on the edge of a burst. 

"Exactly, Gaia! We were married. We're not together anymore. Last night, we were drunk and feeling nostalgic. That's all." Calista said, exasperated.

"Ohh... So it was the wine. Did we sleep together because of the wine?" Gaia was hurt. Calista could tell. 

"Gaia, please... Don't complicate things." Calista pleaded.

"I won't. Don't worry. I'll take my shower, and I'll leave for Nevermore. You don't need to bother yourself by taking me there." Gaia got out, slamming the door.

"Great, Calista. Well done! Get drunk and sleep with your ex-wife. You look like a teenager." Calista muttered to herself.

Calista headed to the bathroom and took a hot and relaxing shower. She would have to face her daughter sooner or later, but doing it after good self-care was better. She took her time to put herself together, but she couldn't waste more time. Ártemis was on the couch, watching the news and waiting patiently for Calista to leave the room. Calista looked around the living room.

"Relax, Mumma G has already left. She was not in a good mood, I must say." The girl alerted her mother.

"I can imagine that." Calista signed while heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. 

"Are you both okay? I mean, between all possibilities." The girl stood up and got nearest her mother.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have seen it. We shouldn't have done it." Calista apologized to her daughter. 

"That's okay, mum. You don't need to apologize to me. Of course, a girl can dream about having her parents married again. But I know you too well to see that your feelings didn't change. I'm afraid I know Mumma G as well. And, I guess she still had some hope until this morning." Ártemis was now hugging her mother.

"Yeah... And I probably just hurt her even more." Calista was feeling regretful for the way she spoke with Gaia.

"Let it be, Mum. Let her stay with her plants. They always make her feel better. She'll come by her sense in time." Ártemis concluded wisely.

"When did you grow up, kiddo? Where is my baby girl?" Calista caressed her daughter's hair with kindness. "Well... let's eat if we intend to spend the morning in Burlington."

Once in Burlington, Ártemis fancied a new outfit for school and a whole stationery kit. Calista was more than happy to provide all this unique experience to her daughter. At noon, they had fast food for lunch, as Ártemis desired, and while the girl was buying them some ice cream, Calista received a message. It was from Larissa.

"L: Hi. How are things going in Burlington? Are you two having a good time?"

"C: Hey. Morning! Things are going great. Temis made me buy her a lot of items she didn't certainly need."

"L: I bet she's having fun, then. Would you like to have dinner with us here in Nevermore? So you won't be on your own at home."

"C: That would be great. Thank you!"

"L: Marvelous. See you later. Oh...by the way, Gaia is moody today. She was not good company at lunchtime. What happened?"

"C: Hangover. Too much wine last night. I have a terrible headache, and she is in a bad mood."

"L: Ohh...I see. Well, let's take it easy tonight, then. Xx"

"C: Yeah... That would be wise. Xx"

Calista was distracted and with a funny face. She didn't notice Ártemis coming back with their ice cream.

"What are you laughing at?" Ártemis couldn't help but smile, too.

"Larissa just sent a message to ask if I would like to have dinner with you and took the opportunity to say that Mumma G is moody," Calista answered.

"Poor, Ms. Weems." Ártemis thought about Gaia being rude. "I like her, you know? Principal Weems. She seems to be a nice person. Were you friends at school?"

"We were. She was always with Mortícia, but sometimes we had time to speak peacefully. She is a nice person. But it would be best if you kept in mind that she is your Principal. When classes begin, she must do what she needs to keep the school running. There is a possibility that she won't have much time for you and won't be so gentle." Calista warned the girl. "Do not confuse the person with the Principal," Calista added.

"Copy that, mum." Ártemis bowed her head to Calista. After a few seconds, Ártemis asked, "Do you think she is married?"

"Who? Larissa? I don't think so, but it's been years since we last met. I don't have a clue about how her life is going." Calista wondered if Larissa had been serious with someone. "You tell me. You've spent a lot of time with her lately."

"She doesn't talk much about her personal life. Especially with me. I may be her former school friend's daughter, but I'm still a student at Nevermore." Ártemis said. "And it seems that our days are in a countdown." She was sad about that. 

"I didn't say that. I meant that this closeness between the two of you will be scarce. She will remain kind to you, but she is a Principal." Calista was finding it difficult not to worry about this friendship. Being away, it will be normal for Ártemis to look for Larissa to replace her mother. They were getting along too well. Will Larissa be ready for that? Will Gaia be prepared to see Ártemis getting close to Larissa? And Calista? Will she manage to watch all this from far away? "So, let's continue shopping, or do you would rather stay muttering to yourself?" Calista shook her thoughts away and stood up.

"Shopping!" Ártemis followed her mother.

They were driving back to Jericho when Calista started a conversation. 

"Are you willing to start a new life here?" She looked side-eyed to the girl, maintaining her focus on the road.

"Yeah... I have a good feeling about this school. I don't know; it feels like the right place to be." Ártemis was admiring the view. "I mean... Probably, it has the same issues as the normie's school. But being an outcast among outcasts, I believe, is much better. Even for a shapeshifter, I guess."

"I already told you this; you don't have to tell them. Take your time. Know who you're friends are." Calista reaffirmed. 

"I told Ms. Weems I was a shapeshifter. She was surprised. I guess we are not common in Nevermore, right?" The girl looked at her mother, who kept her eyes on traffic.

"No, you are not. So, you must be sure you wanna tell your friends." Calista gave a glimpse to Ártemis. "Nevertheless,  I am positive that Gaia and Principal Weems will stand by you regarding these terms. And you can always count on me. You know that. If you feel you must go back home, do it and call me." 

"Is it an insurance or a desire?" Ártemis tighten her eyes to her mother in an attempt to be suspicious.

"Neither. I want you to remember that you are not alone." Calista rushed to answer. "I will miss you, but I want you to be as happy as I was in Nevermore."

At this, Calista parked her car in front of the school and hugged her daughter. 

"Ohh... We are already here. That was a fast trip, Mom. It wouldn't be tiring if you had to do this daily journey." Ártemis muttered as if she were talking to herself. 

"What do you mean?" Calista already knew. But she made Ártemis express her feelings. 

"I am saying that when you get tired of missing me, you come to live in Jericho and work in Burlington. They have hospitals, a University, and a Medical Care Center. You can find a job there." Ártemis was shaking her arms, trying to make her mother understand.

"Are you also in a bad mood?" Larissa showed up frowning at them.

"Hi, Ms. Weems. We're not. I was just emotionally blackmailing my mother, and she was pretending she didn't comprehend it." Ártemis showed her teeth to Larissa with a significant smile and got into the school, leaving the adults behind.

Larissa made a question face to Calista at this statement. 

Calista let a heavy breath out and explained. "She is trying to convince me to quit my job as a University professor in North Carolina and move to Jericho. She has been in this attempt since we left home and now come to her sense that Burlington is nearby." Calista rounded the car and opened the trunk. 

"They have a university in Burlington, you know. And you can be around if she needs you." Larissa said as if it was apparent, and Ártemis was her only worry.

"You have joined the chorus too?" Calista looked up to the blond woman. 

"I am just saying it's not a bad idea. She would enjoy you living nearby. I would, too." She lowered her voice at this.

"Would you?" Calista tried to hide her surprise. 

"Of course. You know that." Larissa took some packs from the car trunk. "Let me help you with that. I imagine those are Ártemis'." 

"They are." That's all Calista could manage. She took the remaining packs and followed Larissa inside.

They headed to Ártemis' room in silence. Calista was thinking about what Larissa let out, and Larissa was giving a glimpse to Calista occasionally. That conversation was still on hold, and postponing it became more challenging. They found Ártemis looking for something inside the bags she handled.

"Hey... Here it is. All your shopping." Larissa said, putting the bags on the bed and giving the girl a soft laugh. 

"Thank you, Ms. Weems. Mumma C made me forget about them." She smirked, side-eyeing Calista.

"Oh... Now it's my fault." Calista sighed. "Speaking about guilty. Would Gaia be in the greenhouse? I need to speak to her." She turned to Larissa.

"Probably. She spent all day there. As I said, she was not on good terms today." Larissa replied.

"Yeaahh... Moral Hangover. Mumma C broke her heart this morning." It slipped away from Ártemis. She wide-opened her eyes, realizing what she just has said.

"Oh, Temis." Calista moaned, putting a hand on her face.

"What? Ms. Weems knows you've been married. Flashback happens, right?" The girl was organizing her new belongings in the bathroom. 

"Oooh...shut up!" Calista used her powers to slam the door and keep the girl inside.

"Now you use your powers?" Her voice was baffled.

"Did you sleep together last night?" Larissa lowered her voice and stared at Calista. Her eyes now were greyer than blue. Calista couldn't decide if it was sadness, anger, or jealousy.

"Not that I owe you any explanation, but yes. We drank too much wine, and I was feeling nostalgic for their departure, and one thing led to another. It was a mistake, and I might have been too rough with her telling the truth." Calista explained more than she intended to. "And now I want and have to apologize myself. I don't wanna leave with unresolved issues."

"That's exactly how you left me 22 years ago." Larissa was resentful.

"And where it has left us, huh?" Calista replied. "Gaia was my wife and mother of my daughter, and I'll fix things out."

*Knock knock*

"Mumma C, let me out! I've learned my lesson." Ártemis shouted from inside the bathroom. 

Calista and Larissa were close to each other, and before Ártemis got out, they backed off a little. At the sight of the girl, Calista cleaned her throat and nodded in Larissa's direction. 

"I'm sorry, Ms. Weems," Ártemis said, lowering her eyes.

"That's alright, my dear. After so many years around students, we get used to hearing those things." Larissa smiled at the girl.

"So, I see you both at dinner. I will humiliate myself to Gaia now." Calista looked at Larissa, and she nodded.

"Good luck!" Ártemis said.

"So, darling, how did you like Burlington?" Calista heard Larissa ask Ártemis from the hall while leading to the greenhouse. 

Gaia was working on her microscope when Calista arrived and leaned against the doorframe. She cleaned her throat to call Gaia's attention and received a mere glance over the device's eyepieces.

"May I come in?" Calista started the conversation.

"You're already in. But, yes, you may come nearer." Gaia answered, still looking through the microscope.

"I've come to apologize for earlier. It was far from my intention to hurt you, but I know I did it. I am truly sorry." Calista patted Gaia's hand.

Gaia let out a heavy breath, laying her forehead on the eyepieces. "I've thought about what happened between us last night and, yes, you were a brat with me this morning, but I must admit it shouldn't have happened." She looked at Calista with a soft smile. "You know I still love you, and last night felt like returning home. I know you don't feel the same, and I overreacted." Gaia was blushing hard.

"Still... It was not cool of me treat like that. I don't wanna go back home being on bad terms with you. We've been together for almost 20 years and have a daughter. You don't deserve the way I treated you." Calista insisted. 

"You're right. I am too good for that shit." Gaia scoffed, and both laughed at this. "Ohh... Forget it. I might have pushed it a bit, you know. But, as I always say..."

"...a girl can dream. Yes, I know." Calista completed the sentence. "So, friends again?"

"Well... Do you see that vase on the other side of the room? I honestly need it right now. If only someone could bring it to me. It would be awesome, and I would probably forget any misunderstanding." Gaia spoke as if it was not a big deal.

"I think I can manage that, you know? Easy peasy." Calista brought the vase to Gaia using her telekinetics.

"Oh... What do we have here? Just the vase I needed. " Gaia faked a surprise. She looked at Calista and gave her a slight smile. "We are okay, 'Lista. Let's move on."

"Thank you." Calista sat observing Gaia work at the vase.

"I owe Weems an apology as well. I guess I was a bit rude to her at lunch." Gaia mentioned while working. "My rudeness was for remaining silent all the time we ate. She tried to converse, but I was not in the mood."

"You don't have to worry about that. Ártemis already explained openly about it." Calista was laughing. 

"Oh God. Poor Weems. Ártemis is a piece of a kind. I imagine her face when 'Temis said she found us in bed together." Gaia was now with a bright grin on her face.

"Those blue eyes opened wide more than I thought possible. But I imagine she is used to listening about sex being the Principal of a teenagers' school." Calista chuckled.

Calista and Gaia talked about Calista's day with Ártemis in Burlington. Gaia was finishing her duties when Ártemis sent a message to Calista.

"A: I hope you are alive. Dinner is ready. We are having it in the yard again."

"C: Don't worry. Things are great. We are coming."

When Gaia and Calista arrived, Ártemis and Larissa were chattering and waiting for them. Calista enjoyed the connection between them, and it was noted by Gaia.

"They get along very well, huh?" Gaia whispered. 

"Yeah...I hope it makes it easier for Ártemis to adapt here. I count on you and, now, on Larissa to keep me aware of her needs." Calista whispered back.

"I can talk for myself, and you know I'll do anything to improve her life. I love that girl with all my heart, even if I look strict to her sometimes." Gaia's speech made Calista's heart infatuated. Calista held Gaia's hand and looked with a soft and thankful smile.

"Oh...I see you two are good again." Ártemis spotted the tender moment between mother.

"Yeah...Well, adults are like this, love. A roller-coaster." Calista kissed her daughter's head.

"Don't grow up so fast, baby." Gaia completed. "By the way, I'm sorry, Principal Weems, for earlier. It was not fine of me." Gaia apologized.

"Please, call me Larissa. Classes haven't begun yet, and we are here as friends." Larissa said with a smile. "And you don't need to apologize yourself. Everyone has a bad day." Larissa comforted.

"Thank you." Gaia bowed her head. "So, 'Temis, Mumma C told me that now you have even more belongings that you need," Gaia said playfully.

"I guess she overreacted. I needed all those things." Ártemis feigned affectation. 

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it." Gaia chuckled.

Dinner was light. Ártemis wanted to know everything about the events Nevermore held. Larissa was glad and proud to explain them to the girl. She has never had a student so eager to learn about the Academy. After the events, it was time to learn about the facility itself. In this field, Gaia and Calista joined the conversation to help Larissa describe the school and its grounds. Gaia was an expert on the forest. She was always wandering around, touching and learning about the plants. She was looking forward to showing everything to her daughter. To Ártemis' delight, Gaia suggested they could anticipate the picnic from next week to the following day. The idea was well-received by everyone.

"I guess I'm going to bed, then." Ártemis yawned. "Good night, Mumma C. Drive home safely. Good night, Mumma G. Good night, Ms. Weems." Ártemis received farewell for the remaining and left for her quarters.

"I'll follow 'Temis' steps and hit the night." Gaia stood up. "Good night, 'Lista. Drive safely. " She kissed Calista's head crown. "Good night, Larissa. Sleep tight, you both." And then, she left.

Larissa and Calista were now alone and sitting in front of each other at the table.

"I can see you two made up." Larissa started.

"Yeah... I didn't have to humiliate myself. Gaia has her heart in place." Calista answered with a grin.

"She does indeed." Larissa agreed. "I am sorry for reacting that way in Ártemis bedroom. I have no right to reclaim any explanation to you. Especially about your marital life." Larissa stared at Calista, looking for forgiveness.

"That's alright. Let's forget about it." Calista said.

"By the way, I've heard your voicemail. You have my word that I'll help Ártemis with anything she needs about her powers. Shapeshifters are outcasts among outcasts. I've never been open about my abilities around our schoolmates, which caused me pain. I don't Ártemis to feel the same." Larissa soothed Calista.

At that moment, Calista was sure her daughter would have the support she needed to succeed, and Calista was beyond happiness.

"This support is essential to me. Thank you." Calista answered with watering eyes. "Well, It's late, and I should get going. Tomorrow, we are going to have an adventure day." She said, standing up.

"I'll accompany you to the door." Larissa paired with Calista, and they followed in silence.

Calista turned to Larissa at the car, and they looked at each other a bit longer.

"I am having a great time around you and your family these fast days," Larissa said, holding Calista's hand. "I'm thrilled we met again."

That was sufficient for both. They closed the space between them and leaned for a kiss. Calista's heartbeat accelerated, and she cupped Larissa's chin with tenderness. It was exactly as she remembered. The same softness and the same smell. Today, Larissa's breath had scents of wine. Calista felt Larissa's hand on the back of her head. Before the kiss goes deeper, Calista's phone rings. The two women backed, startled. 

"Oh...Hey, 'Temis, what happened?" Calista put a hand on her chest. Larissa's gaze softened after hearing Ártemis' on the speaker.

"A: Hey, Mumma C. Could you bring me hot chocolate from The Weathervane tomorrow?"

"Of course, baby girl. Your hot chocolate will be with you in the morning." Calista said, laughing and raising an eye to Larissa.

"A: Thank you, Mom. Good night. I love you."

"I love you more, precious. Sleep tight. See you tomorrow." Calista hung up the phone. "Well...I guess this is my cue. I have to go." She said, looking at Larissa and holding her hand.

"Do you have to go?" Larissa pleaded Calista.

"I think it is better this way, for now. Besides, I have a hot chocolate order for tomorrow." Calista remembered. 

"Well, in that case, could you bring me one too?" Larissa asked, rounding her arms in Calista's waist and pulling them together. 

"How could I deny a request like this one?" Calista pecked a kiss on Larissa's lips.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Larissa tried again.

"I am sure. Besides, we must have that conversation before we go any further." Calista resisted.

"Yeah... I guess you are right." Larissa kissed Calista's lips and let her go. "Good night." She said, caressing Calista's cheek.

"Good night, Larissa." Calista kissed Larissa's hand and went ahead to her car.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6