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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Riding High

Ch25: Keep it Simple

Chapter Summary: The events of Boston behind them, Frank, Fliss and Mary look forward to Christmas…and Frank has a big surprise planned.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut…NSFW and NO UNDER 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: So here it is, the last in the series Riding High. Thank you to everyone who has helped and re-blogged and commended in any way. Do not fear, Frank and Fliss will be back in the next instalment of their adventure Riding On

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 24

If you should ever leave me, thought life would still go on, believe me, the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you…

"Mary can you just hold on a second, please!" Frank sighed, grabbing the back of her coat to stop her shooting off into the crowd that streamed down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. "But Frank!" she turned and looked at him, her woollen hat jammed down over her ears "I just wanna see the stall!" "Yeah but you can't just run off!" He grumbled and beside him Fliss gave a chuckle. He turned to look at her "who gets so excited about damned wooden tree ornaments?" "Oh hush!" Fliss leaned up to give him a pack, her cold nose brushing his. In retaliation he pulled the front of her baby blue sparkly bobble hat down over her eye and she shoved him in the chest, laughing. "Fuck you!" "Chance would be a fine thing" he grumbled, taking Fliss’ hand as they headed after Mary. "Awww is that why you're grumpy?" Fliss grinned as they walked "Coz you haven't had any in nearly 3 days?" Frank pouted "No." "Liar..." "Ok, look...Frankie has needs..." he whined "I completely over looked the fact hanging out with an 8 year old in the room would be a cock block." "Always the shower..." Fliss teased and Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine? I give it 3 minutes before she came looking for us." "We go home tomorrow. I'll make it up to you then." Fliss grinned and he sighed. "What?" She laughed. "It’s just...you look so hot in all this winter clothing." Frank grinned. And he meant it. Seeing her wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf had made her look all cute and cozy...and it had done inappropriate things to him for some odd reason. "Hmmm, you know most men get more turned on the less clothing their girls wear." She teased and he grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not most men" She gave him a smile which he returned with a soft kiss as they stopped by the stall where Mary instantly dived into looking at the array of ornaments. After a few moments of looking she handed Frank one in the shape of a reindeer stag, and a doe for him and Fliss before selecting a robin for herself. "I think they're so pretty." She looked at the bird in her hand "I saw one at Evelyn's over thanks giving." "Ever heard the saying robins appear when loved ones are near?" Fliss asked. Mary shook her head. "No" "Well, I don't know about here but certainly in England we say it because there is an old belief by some people that a robin is a message from heaven, that a loved one is watching over you." "Do you believe that?" Mary looked at Fliss. Fliss hesitated "Well when my Dad's dad died I was 20 and I remember getting up the morning after he died and there was a robin on the fence of the back garden. Bill told me it was my granddad Alex come to check I was ok." "Do you think it was? Really I mean?" "I dunno sweetheart." Fliss sighed "I'd like it to be true..." "Then you should believe it was." Mary said, looking at her "Because isn't that what faith is? Believing something you want to be true?" Fliss looked at Frank who smiled and gave a small shake of his head. She turned back to Mary, smiling softly as she dropped a hand to the back of her head. This kid was unbelievably wise, but with such an innocence behind it all. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Fliss nodded. "Do you think the robin I saw could have been my mom?" She asked, her eyes wide. Frank at that point stepped in, carefully picking an answer that was ambiguous so as not to say yes, but also not dampening her spirits. "If your mom could I'm sure she would come and see you, make sure you're ok." Mary gave a nod, before she turned back to the stall, her attention back on the ornaments. "We need a dog for Thor, and a cat for Fred oh...and a pony for Monty." "What about Cap and Heidi?" Fliss asked, moving to inspect the selection of decorations. "Oh, yeah!" "This is gonna bankrupt me." Frank grumbled, his hands on Fliss' hips, chin resting on her shoulder as he observed the two of them. "Scrooge" Fliss shot back with a smile "Do you think Verity and Bill will like this one?" Mary held up a snowman. "Absolutely" Fliss nodded. "And can I get one for Evelyn?" She asked, selecting a snowflake. Despite the fact that they were now well into the fifty buck range for fucking tree decorations, Frank couldn't help but want to smile at Marys face. She was so thoughtful, the purity behind it all was, as usual, humbling. So he nodded "Sure she will appreciate it." He smiled. He moved to lift her up so she could hand the ones they had picked over to the guy behind the counter who asked Mary what names she wanted on each one. As she told him, he allowed her to sit up on the edge of the little surface, held in place by Frank to watch as he burnt the names into each ornament before he bagged them up and she took them with a thanks. "Our first family tree stuff!" Mary grinned and Fliss smiled, bending down to give her a hug. They set back off towards the hotel, stopping by a burger joint for dinner before they dumped their bags and returned back out for their final evening in the City. Frank had loved every second of their trip, and so had Mary and Fliss. Seeing Mary's reaction to snow and the Christmas lights had been amazing, along with all the bands on street corners, people walking around dressed up. It was magical and he wasn't afraid to let his inner child come out to play either, as Fliss had just found out. "Whose idea was this again?" He asked as Mary was bouncing up and down in the queue. "Yours!" Fliss scoffed as he took Mary's hand in his right "I seem to recall the very visible horror on your face yesterday when I told you I'd never done it before..." "That’s because it's an abomination that someone who's 34 has never been ice skating." "I was a professional athlete." She shrugged "I was banned from doing anything deemed dangerous " Frank looked at her "What do they consider more dangerous than flying a half tonne animal almost 2 meters into the air?" "Bungee jumping, sky diving, jet skiing, water skiing, ice skating.." Fliss shrugged "just to name 5" Frank shook his head as the queue shuffled forward a little. It wasn't too long now, luckily they had timed it right by arriving 20 minutes or so before the next lot of General Admission to the famous Rockefeller rink opened so there weren't too many people ahead. After another 10 minutes they got to the front and Frank nudged Fliss out of the way as she tried to pay. She scowled at him and he simply rolled his eyes and handed his card over. It wasn't cheap but then, he was in New York. What was? Together they headed onto the ice. Frank, having done it a few times as a kid found his legs fairly quickly and didn't stop himself laughing as Mary's completely went from under her and she landed with a thump on her ass. "Here..." he chuckled, offering her his hand. He pulled her up and moved her in front of him. "Give me your hands..." Mary extended her arms to the side and he took her mitten clad hands in his, holding her in front of him. Fliss was moving tentatively behind him, using the sides for support a little. "Ok slide your right foot forward, like on your roller skates..." Frank said. Mary did as she was told "now left...right...left...right..." He continued his chanting and glanced over his shoulder to see Fliss was concentrating on her feet, her tongue poking out slightly. "You good?" "Yup." She said, raising her hand to give him a thumbs up before she skidded slightly and went down in a tangle of limbs. Letting out a laugh he gently pivoted Mary so she could hold onto the side and offered Fliss his hand. Pulling her up into his arms he held her steady for a moment whilst her laughing subsided. He watched her for a second, her face creasing up into those adorable dimples, eyes crinkled so much they were almost shut and her shoulders shook with the force of her giggles. "I fuckin' love you..." he grinned and she smiled at him. "Back at ya sailor" After another few laps Mary and Fliss had managed to get the hand of it which meant Frank could leave them a little bit as he went off for what he called a proper skate. The girls watched calling him a show off as he crossed his feet and turned, skating backwards a little. Both of them debated sabotaging him and tripping him up but they decided not to, instead they simply pretended they didn't know him, resulting in him grabbing Fliss from behind just beneath the large tree, and spinning her round to face him. "Can I help you?" She teased and he gave a snort. "Yeah, you can... Mary?" He called to her where she was trying to perfect a turn and failing as she almost stumbled again. She looked up and headed over. "Can you take our photo?" "Only if you're gonna kiss..." she replied, making smooching noises. "Well we can’t disappoint her..." Frank shrugged and Fliss grinned, her smile turning into a shriek as Frank quickly grabbed her hips before he took one hand, keeping the other round her back and dipped her so she was bending backwards, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth as he gave her a wink, before kissing her a little deeper and then setting her upright, his eyes boring into hers which were shining in the Christmas lights surrounding the rink. "Oh that was great!" Mary howled and he turned to face her as she handed his phone back. Frank checked the photo and had to smile, it was a dammed good shot. He showed it to Fliss and she beamed. "A framer?" She asked. "A framer." He agreed. It took them ages to get Mary to finally leave the rink. Even a bribe of hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies wasn't doing it. Eventually Frank put his foot down and told her it was time to go as it was almost 9pm and they still had that tree to go see before they headed to Central Park for one last walk in the lights. After handing their skates back and retrieving their belongings from the lockers they followed the path to the tree. As they round the corner Mary gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Frank and Fliss, her eyes wide "Oh my God!" Frank smiled kissed Fliss' cheek as Mary walked slightly ahead of them down the walkway that was flanked with smaller trees and the famous lit up trumpeting angels . As they caught her up he slipped his spare hand in his pocket, his fingers curling round the small, leather box inside. The damned thing had been burning a hole in his pocket since he had bought it in Boston just after Thanksgiving. Fliss, Verity and Bill had all stayed for a very pleasant week rounded off with a damned good proper Thanksgiving dinner and the three of them had flown home on the Friday, as Fliss was starting to stress about her business. He and Mary followed on the Sunday after she had been given the all clear to fly after a week’s check up at the Hospital. On his spare afternoon, he'd taken a trip into the city with one goal, and it had been surprisingly easy. The first jeweller he has walked into had a perfect ring, and despite the fact he had visited several others none of them caught his eye like that. So he had gone back and asked the assistant for a closer look. It wasn't a huge rock, white gold and emerald cut with in a pave setting, but everything about it had screamed Fliss. It was delicate and feminine but with a wonderful sparkle just like her. He knew that sounded so lame when he had told the assistant but she has just smiled and told him that if he had that much conviction, it must be right. He had been lost when she asked him what size, but in a sudden inspiration he had remembered the Pandora ring he had bought her when he had gotten his first new pay check as supervisor. He mentioned this to the assistant who beamed and said she could easily size it from that by using a simple conversion chart and told him to come back the following day. His sudden good spirit had fallen as he explained he couldn't do and asked her to see if here was anything she could do, even contemplating taking it and having it sizes back in Florida. But, after the shitty run of events over the last week, his luck was in after she returned 5 minutes later with a slip of paper, informing him it would be ready by the end of the day. When he had told Mary he was going to ask Fliss to marry him, she'd been so excited. She'd asked when, where and when he said he didn’t know she'd given him the most exasperated look on the planet. The only one of his friend who he had confided in, Greg, hadn’t been much help either, simply telling him to do it in a way that meant something to them both. Simply put he just hadn't a fucking clue. He had agonized over how to pop the question. On the boat? Or maybe a sunset on their favourite spot at St Pete's beach? Did he wait for New York? As such, Frank had taken to carrying the ring around with him, waiting for that moment when it felt right. So far it hadn't happened at home and as it stood New York wasn’t faring any better. He had thought about it at the top of the Empire state, but it had been too busy. Then there was a moment in Central Park after they had been snowman building that might have worked...until Fliss had nailed him in the face with a snowball. So they'd had a snowball fight instead. Then when walking over Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline behind them… then when they walked back to the Hotel after seeing the Lion King on Broadway, going the long way round to see the display in Macy's window all lit up...and then that moment before when Mary had taken a picture of them kissing under the tree on the ice rink... but none of it felt right. It didn't feel like the moment for them. But now something stirred in his gut. This could be it. It wasn't too busy, the place was gorgeous, right in front of the tree Fliss had been so desperate to see... Ok Adler, you can do this. Taking a deep breath he pulled the box from his pocket when he heard Mary give a squeal. "Oh...wow! Frankie look..." Fliss' voice was a whisper and she nudged him, pointing to the base of the tree. He followed her gaze to see a blonde haired man down on one knee, presenting a ring to a dark haired woman who had her hands clasped over her mouth. Frank slipped the box back into his pocket and stared at the man as he placed the ring onto his now fiancés finger and did his best to look like he cared when Fliss let out a soft "Awwww" The man looked around excitedly, his eyes falling on the three of them before he asked Frank if he or Fliss would mind taking a photo for them. "Course not buddy, congratulations." Frank smiled. Fucking prick... ***** "It was AMAZING!" Mary gushed to Verity as they walked to the car, Fliss' parents having come to pick them up from the airport. "we saw so much stuff but nowhere near all of it but Frank said we could go back next year in the summer maybe and do a bit more." "Looks like someone else had a good time too." Bill smiled, nodding to Fliss who let out a loud yawn. Frank chuckled "She was up all night, I told her not to have more food so close to bed time." "I wanted a hot dog and a pretzel." Fliss mumbled, "Besides, it's nothing to do with the food...we did a lot of walking." Bill gave a snort "You ride horses for a living, you should be fit enough to walk round New York" "I probably skated about 4 miles too..." Fliss said looking at Mary "Someone wouldn't come off the ice rink" "You been sleeping ok otherwise?" Verity looked at her "I'm fine mum." She smiled "No anxiety?" 'V, she said she's fine so leave it" Bill said gently and Fliss shot a grateful look at her dad. She knew her mum was only concerned but she was fed up of assuring people she was fine. After the attack from John she had suffered a bout of delayed shock which had manifested in a few panic attacks, nightmares, and restlessness at night and on one occasion nausea. Luckily Frank had been brilliant at keeping calm when she had an episode, helping her work through it and the last incident she had suffered had been over a week ago. Once they were all in the car, Frank took the passenger seat after Verity offered it to him, Mary continued to chat all the drive home about New York, Fliss and Frank butting in here and there. They arrived home little after 30 minutes later and Fliss headed up the steps with Mary, Thor almost sending the pair of them flying when they opened the door. "Oh puppy I missed you!" Fliss smiled as she gave him plenty of attention and he kept licking her face, whining and emitting quiet little barks. "Did you miss me? Did you?" "Yerress" Frank did his best Scooby Doo impression as he walked past and Fliss let out a laugh, as she stood up and headed into the living room behind Mary, bumping into the girl as she stopped dead, giving a squeal as she saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. "Mum, Dad?" Fliss called, smiling "I take it you did this?" Frank appeared behind them both, smiling as Fliss and Mary exchanged a glance before they all turned to Bill and Verity who were stood in the doorway. "Well we know how much you like to get your tree up as early as you can and, well we were picking one up for ourselves so we got you one. You don’t mind do you?" Verity, looked at Fliss then Frank. "No, of course not!" Fliss grinned. "Saved me a job." Frank nodded "Thanks guys." "Can we decorate it tonight?" Mary asked "Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee Frank!" Frank glanced at his watch before giving a sigh, he knew she wouldn't go to bed if he said no anyway so what was the point? Plus she was at the University tomorrow which didn’t start until 10 so... "Ok, but if you so much as grumble tomorrow morning when I get you up you'll be in deep trouble." He looked at her sternly as she stooped to pick Fred up. "Cross my heart, hope to die, we all know Fred's got one eye..." she chanted off, nodding. "We brought your box of decorations from the annex." Verity smiled at Fliss, nodding to the box on the floor. "We thought you could pick what you want to keep now you're combining."

“Speaking of decorations…” Frank said, looking at Mary.

“Oh…yeah…hang on…” She said, running to the sofa where she had dumped her little pink rucksack. She fished out the paper bag they had gotten from the stall and found the Snowman they had bought. With a smile she handed it to Verity who looked down at it, her face curling into a smile as her eyes started to prick with tears.

“Fliss said you wouldn’t mind the names Mary wanted on them.” Frank said, watching carefully.

“Of course we don’t mind!” Bill smiled, picking Mary up to give her a hug “We are Nanny V and Poppa B ain’t that right kiddo?” “Yep!” she grinned, hugging him.

“We’ll save it to hang tomorrow when you come over after school.” Verity said as Bill set Mary on the floor and she hugged her tightly.

After a little more chat Verity and Bill left and Frank instructed Mary to change into her Pyjamas before they did the tree. Deciding that was a good idea, Fliss did the same and before long they were all in the living room. Fliss and Mary going through the boxes of decorations, Frank wrestling with the tangle of fairy lights. How they managed to get so fucking knotted up after simply being in a box for 12 months was beyond him.

He had just about managed it when Thor came over to inspect what he was doing, and dropped straight onto his back on top of the string.

“Thor…get out of it…” he grumbled, pushing the dog who simply rolled over, taking half the lights with him, tangling them round his legs and his tails. “Jesus Christ…stand still…for fucks sake…”

Thinking this was a huge game, Thor started to bounce around, barking, and Frank shook his head. “Fliss, sort this mutt out….” Fliss gave a laugh and dropped off the sofa, calling Thor to her. He sat down, allowing Frank to remove the lights before he stood up, shaking them out. Together the 3 of them wound them round the tree before they made a start on the decorations.

“Frank got me this for my first Christmas.” Mary said, hanging a red bauble which had her name on it. “The glitter has all fallen off it now.”

“We can add more if you want.” Fliss looked at her and Mary shrugged.

“I kinda like it.” It didn’t take them long, and their wooden trinkets from New York were the last ones they hung, Mary ensuring they took pride of place. Frank then lifted her up so she could place the star at the top before they stood back.

“Ready for the big turn on?” Frank asked, grinning. Mary and Fliss cheered and began a countdown from 5. When they hit 1 Frank hit the switch and the lights on the tree came to life. He stepped back, looking up at it, his arm curling round Fliss’ shoulder, his other dropping to Mary as she grinned.

“Best Tree ever.” she smiled.

“Yeah, and now it’s time for the best bed ever…” he looked at her.

“Seriously?” Mary complained

“No moaning, remember?” Frank instructed her. “That was in the morning.”

“Well I just extended it to now as well.” he said, shrugging “Because I can, so get…” “Fine, fine, I’m going…” she grumbled. “Night Fliss.” “Night sweetie.” Fliss dropped a kiss to her head before Mary shot a filthy look at Frank who met her with a passive one of his own.

“I’ll be in in a second.” Frank shot after her, watching as she headed down to the hallway. He turned back to Fliss who was watching the tree, a smile on her face.

“Not exactly up to Macey’s standards…” Frank chuckled and she shook her head.

“I love it.” “It looks like an Elf threw up on it.”

“All trees should be like that.” Fliss shrugged, before she gave his cheek a peck. “Now, you go sort Mary and I’ll get us both a beer.” “Actually…” he said, looping his arms round her waist. “I believe there was something else you promised me tonight…” “Oh, yes, of course, Frankie has needs…” she replied with an almost uncanny impersonation, which made him snort. “Does that mean no beer?”

“No beer.” “You want me to wait in bed.” “Yes I do.” he nodded “Go, I’ll let Thor out and lock up.”

Grinning she accepted his kiss and smiled as she turned around, casting him a quite frankly sinful look over her shoulder which almost had him hard right there and then. Not wanting to wait a moment longer he sorted the dog, locked the door, poked his head into Mary’s room to wish her goodnight, and headed into their bedroom. Fliss was hanging her jeans in the closet after having simply discarded them on the bed earlier, and wasting no time Frank pulled off his T-shirt, tossing it to the side before he stepped up behind her, spinning her round to face him. He pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss as he slid his hands down to cup her ass and she smirked into the kiss.

“I like your ass.” he muttered. “I like yours too” she said back, “And your arms”

He laughed and pulled back to look down at her as her fingers trailed up his biceps. “My arms?”

“Yeah, your big, strong arms, and your big, broad shoulders and your stupid, handsome face…” she muttered, pulling him back down to her. In between the dizzying kisses Frank steered her towards the bed, and as her legs collided with the edge he stopped to gently trail kisses across her bare collar bone. His lips found her jaw and then, with a wicked quirk of his eyebrow he reached down for her thighs, and grabbing them he pulled them forwards, causing her to fall backwards as he pitched them both onto the bed. As she laughed he chuckled slightly before he kissed her again, and then it was a scramble to get out of his clothes as fast as he could before he fell back on top of his girl, his hands pulling up her camisole top, lips kissing at the spot just below her ear before he slid down her shorts, his mouth gently kissing a trail up from her belly through the middle of her breasts, up her neck and finally back to her mouth.

Fliss was utterly lost now, in the usual whirl of love, and lust and passion and kissed him back, hard as his hand gently dropped between her legs and he felt her slick against the tips of his fingers as he gently coaxed at her clit, continuing until she was nothing short of a writhing mess clawing at his back, aching for him. They locked eyes as he took her left hand in his, and slowly worked into her, both moaning simultaneously at the sensation, Fliss’s eyes rolling back at the exquisite stretch inside. Frank began to move his hips slowly, deeply, his thrusts weren’t measured in the slightest despite the fact he was absolutely aching for her. He wanted to take it slow, end what had been an amazing trip in the same mood it had started in, absolute pure love.

His mouth moved back to Fliss’s neck, nipping gently at her skin and she let out low moan as he picked up the pace ever so slightly, his spare hand kept hold of her hip, keeping her as close to him as she could possibly be.

“Fuck, Frank, right there…” she groaned as he hit her spot and he smirked slightly, he loved the way she got like this with him, ever so demanding at times, such a far cry from the timid woman he had fallen for the previous year.

“Yeah?” he panted as she gave a soft cry, her body tensing underneath him “Good.” “So good…” she moaned, arching her back. His mouth found hers again and his hand slid from her hip to gently tease her nipple and she rolled her hips to grind up against him, changing the angle slightly causing him to go deeper.

“Lissy…” he panted as he drove into her deeply, slowly, and then again and again, his pace increasing ever so slightly. Every single sense Frank possessed was on fire and he broke the long, lazy kiss that they were sharing to stifle a moan against her cheek when he felt her clench around him, a tell-tale sign she was nearing her release. The sheets rustled underneath and around them both as his hips pushed up against hers, and Frank saw Fliss’ head tip back, her throat bared to him in utter bliss as she came hard, her moans soft and breathy into his ear. Frank picked up his pace slightly, chasing his own end as he pushed her through hers, and when he felt that snake in his belly beginning to unravel, he gave a low grunt which morphed into a gasp as he clung to Fliss, spilling himself into her, his hips slowing to a stop as he collapsed forward. Fliss gave a soft chuckle as her hands gently slid up his back and into his hair, as she moved and pressed a soft kiss to his head.

“I know I keep saying it but I really do fuckin’ love you Cowgirl.” he said, voice muffled as his face pressed into her neck.

Fliss gave a chuckle “I’ll never tire of hearing it Sailor. “

He moved to look at her, flashing her a grin before he caught her mouth in a sweet kiss. **** "You still not managed it?" Greg asked as they stood at the bar, waiting for their drinks. Frank sighed and glanced at Fliss who was sat with Bonnie in the booth, the pair of them sniggering at something. "Do you see a ring on her finger?" He looked at Greg. "No" "Well there's your answer." "What's the hold up, man?" Greg frowned. "Nothing has felt right." Frank sighed "she won’t want a huge fuss in front of people so that basically ruled out all of New York...bar one moment when I thought it was time, in front of the tree at Rockefeller...and then some douchebag went and beat me to it, proposing to his girl whilst we watched..." "You're over thinking it." Greg said, looking at Frank "Take a step back. When are the pair of you at your best? The time you enjoy most, I mean" "Honestly?" Frank shrugged "at night when Mary's gone to bed and we finally sit down and just watch TV or joke around." "Well there you go." Greg shrugged "What, at home?" Frank frowned "Why not?" Greg looked at him "the point isn't to be showy or flashy but to show her you wanna spend the rest of your life with her." Frank pondered this for a moment. Greg has a point. They were at their happiest doing the simple things, spending quiet time together, being fucking normal. Fliss loved it when they curled up and Frank would simply cuddle her close and kiss her head, easy signs of affection that she had craved all through her wreck of a marriage. And Frank loved it too, because it made him feel grounded, time for him to simply be Frank in his own right, the very thing he used to use his Friday night drinking sessions for. Now he could feel it every night, thanks to Lissy…

And then, suddenly an idea came to him, out of nowhere.

Oh, it was perfect! "Greg..." he smiled, slapping the man on the back "you are a genius." "Glad I could be of service." Greg smirked "This means I get best man duty, right?"

Frank smirked at him, shrugging, not giving anything away. His eyes flicked back to Fliss who had now stood up, Simon having returned to the table sliding in next to Bonnie. Frank’s eyes travelled up her bare legs, from her high-heels up to the short little pink playsuit she was wearing, which was printed with black palm trees and other patterns, the small straps settling on her tanned shoulders, the front showing him just enough cleavage. She was wearing a black butterfly necklace that she had bought in New York and her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in soft curls. Her brown eyes locked onto his and he smiled as he remembered the last Circle Of Truth Christmas outing the previous year, when he had told her he loved her for the first time. And here they were, now 5 days away from their second Christmas together.

“Hey beautiful” he smiled as she reached his side. His arm curled round her and he pressed a kiss to her cheek “You ok?” “Yeah, just thirsty.” she smiled. “Can I get a water as well as my gin please?”

“Sure…” he turned to look at the bar tender who was pulling their drinks together. Once he had attracted his attention and added a bottle of water to the order he turned back to her as Greg spoke up.

“Frank said you enjoyed New York.” “Oh, it was fantastic.” she smiled “Every bit as magical as I thought it was going to be.”

“Good, I’m glad you all had a good time.” Greg smiled “You deserved it after everything that went down.” “Yeah well, he’s banged up now. His brother is going to go down for Endangerment or whatever it is you call it, its’ done, it’s over.” Fliss smiled, “We got the rest of our lives ahead of us now.” “Well, if that doesn’t call for shots then I don’t know what does…” Greg smirked as the bar tender placed their drinks in front of them.

“No, Greg…” Fliss started to protest but Greg cut her off.

“Yes Greg!” he smirked, turning to the bar tender, “Can I get a bottle of Tequila pal and 8 glasses.” Fliss groaned “I’m teaching at 9 am!”

“Dumbass…” Greg looked at her and Frank gave a snort.

“I told you to switch them out…”

“I can’t!” she pouted “I already did for Boston and New York…” “Well…” Greg smirked as the bar tender set the bottle and glasses down in front of him “Looks like you’re doing it with a hangover honey.” “Fuck my life…” **** Fuck my life indeed. Fliss spent the following morning throwing up, groaning once more that she was never drinking tequila EVER again. Frank reminded her of how many times she had said that over the time he had known her and she’d simply let out a huge fake sob and thrown herself face down on the bed again declaring that she didn’t want to adult anymore as it sucked.

The days before Christmas passed in the usual chaos. Presents were wrapped and stashed under the tree, more drinks were had with Friends. Evelyn visited for a few days, which had actually almost pleased Frank a little. She wasn’t staying for Christmas, her arrangements having already been made, but she had hinted that maybe next year she could, to which Frank and Fliss had both agreed. She had been taken with Mary’s gift to her and had laughed out loud when Bill and Verity had presented her with a case of Malbec, the same Malbec she’d smashed a bottle of over John’s head. Her gifts to them both had been a substantial chunk of money, in the thousands, and when Frank had protested at the amount on the cheque she had waved it off as 8 years of owed presents. Mary’s was wrapped so it was placed under the tree for Christmas morning. Evelyn headed back to Boston on the morning of Christmas Eve, Frank and Mary driving her to the airport instead of her driver, where they had both bid her a Happy Christmas and waved her goodbye as she headed off to spend it with her friends in Newton.

After the final preparations were made Frank, Fliss and Mary collapsed onto the sofa for a Marathon of Christmas Films. Mary was, as usual, excited and the copious amounts of chocolate and candy she was shovelling down weren’t helping either, but what the hell, it was Christmas after all.

"You ok?" Frank glanced at Fliss as she sat on the other side of the couch. Love Actually was playing, the final film of the evening before Mary went to bed. Fliss, however didn't look like she was paying attention. "Huh?" She looked at him, blinking. "I said are you ok? You look like you were miles away"

“Yeah, sorry, I was errr…just running through things in my head, making sure nothing was forgotten.” Frank smiled. They were hosting Verity and Bill tomorrow as Steven and his family were at his wife’s parents for this year, flying out instead of the 28th to spend New Year’s with them all. Fliss had asked Frank if they could host, as she’d never had the chance to do that before and of course he had agreed, not least because of the excited look on her face when she had asked.

“The table is set, food and everything is ready to go…” he chuckled, looking at her “Just relax…”

He reached round Mary, his hand gently rubbing at Fliss’ back and she smiled at him, turning her attention to the TV.

20 minutes or so later the film finished and Mary jumped up, grabbing Frank’s hand to make him dance to God Only Knows as the final closing scenes played out. He smiled and picked her up, resting her on his hip as he twirled her round to the song, the pair of them laughing before he eventually dropped her down and told her it was bed time. She scooted off, Fred trotting behind her, his tail swishing as she skipped and Frank headed in about 5 minutes later to tuck her in, before he came back to the living room.

“She wants you to go and say goodnight.” he smiled,

Fliss nodded and stood up.

“You sure you’re ok?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m just tired.” she assured him. Giving him a kiss she headed up the hall and Frank watched her go before he smiled to himself, and set about quickly putting the last touches to his plan.

She came back about 10 minutes later and he smiled at her as she walked into the room.

“OK, now she’s out of the way…I got something for you...” Frank smiled.

Fliss looked at him before she shook her head, chuckling a little “I got something for you too…Frank, I have-” “Me first.” Frank cut her off.

She looked at him for a second, his bright blue eyes were shining as he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” she smiled, “Ok, you first.” He grinned and then folded his arms “You gotta find it.” “What?”

“It’s hidden, on the tree, and you gotta find it.” Her face lit up as she gave a laugh “You are such a dork!” “Yeah, I know…” Narrowing her eyes playfully she moved to the tree, glancing at it. “Ok so it’s not very big then, seeing as I can’t see it straight away.” Frank shrugged as she continued her search.

“I haven’t put it high up, seeing as you’re a short ass…” “I’m perfectly average for a woman thank you.” “Trust me baby girl, nothing about you is average.” he winked and she let out a snort.

“Charmer.” she grinned, turning back to the tree.

“Ok, you’re miles off…” he said, and she moved to her right “Gettin’ warmer…warmer…ok, yep, nearly there…” Fliss continued to search, and then something caught her eye. There was something shiny handing from the nose of her Doe ornament. She stepped forward slightly, and when she realised what it was her right hand flew to her mouth. Frank’s breath caught in his throat as she spun to face him, her eyes wide.

"You, me and Mary have been hanging out together since August last year now...” he said, clearing his throat slightly “How do you feel about hanging with us forever?" He watched, holding his breath as Fliss' chest heaved with emotion as she looked at him, those brown eyes he could happily stare at all day were full of tears, the hand which had flown to her mouth in surprise was now shaking as it slid to the spot beneath her throat, that dip in her neck that he could nuzzle at forever. "I'll hang with you for as long as you'll have me..." she whispered, taking a deep breath. "Is that a yes?" Frank inhaled sharply and a watery laugh burst through her tears. "Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!" Frank's face split into a huge grin "shit..." he sputtered before she threw herself into his arms and he lifted her up easily, her legs wrapping around his waist as he held her close, kissing her neck. She pulled back and placed a kiss to his lips, long and short pecks being shared as she laughed and he laughed, the pair of them simply lost in the moment until eventually he set her down and with a shaking hand he reached out to retrieve the ring from where it was hanging. Taking her left hand in his, with a deep breath he slipped the diamond onto her finger.

Fliss looked at it, admiring the way the delicate band sat underneath her knuckle, the beautiful diamond twinkling in the lights of the tree.

"Oh Frankie...it’s gorgeous..." she whispered, before she looked at him, taking his face in both his hands and pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He smiled, kissing her again before he pulled away, his hands linking behind her back.

"I err, got us some champagne." He smiled, "I know it was presumptive of me but figured we could have it tomorrow if you turned me down." Fliss looked up at him, blinking before she took a deep breath “First I need to get you…just wait here…” He released her from his hold and she turned and headed out of the room, Frank watched her go, blinking for a moment before he shrugged and headed to the fridge, the smile still plastered on his face. She said yes!

Not that he had doubted she would, not really, but there had always been that little bit of fright she may have done. But that was all gone now. As he popped the cork on the bottle he found himself thinking about how he would be doing that soon enough on his wedding day. He poured 2 glassed and headed into the living room with them wondering if maybe a late Autumn wedding next year would be nice, October perhaps when it started to cool off slightly. They could do the beach wedding she always wanted, hire a marquee... Lost in his thoughts completely he jumped a little when Fliss spoke his name and turned to look at her as she stood in front of him, the back of his thighs brushing against the sofa slightly. He noticed her hand was in her pocket, clutching something. Playfully he nodded towards it “I assume that’s not a spanner." He chuckled, referencing the joke they often shared and Fliss shook her head, biting her lip. "No it’s a bit bigger than that" With a shaky hand she pulled out a small, white stick of plastic and held it towards him. It took Frank a moment to understand what it was and as soon as he did his eyes widened and he looked at her, then it, then back again.

"You're...we're...no!." he stuttered, reaching out to take it from her. "I found out this morning." Fliss whispered, watching his reaction carefully "I suspected last week but thought it might all be down to stress and stuff but..." "How, I mean..." "I should have started a new pill packet when we went to Boston but I forgot to take it with me. I thought I'd be ok if I started as soon as I got back but..." "There's a baby in there?" Frank cut her off as he stumbled over his words, nodding to her stomach "Yeah" Fliss nodded. "You put it there." Frank's legs grew shaky and he dropped onto the sofa, staring down at the test in his hands.

2 blue lines. 2 blue lines that had just changed his world forever. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden and I should have been more careful..." Fliss took a tentative step towards him and he reached out, his hands on either side of her hips, gently pulling her t-shirt up. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her belly, his forehead resting just above her navel. "I'm gonna be a dad." he pulled back, his eyes watering. "Frankie, you already are." Fliss said, her own tears once more springing forth. "I know you hate it when I say that about Mary but it's true." He looked at her, a dazed smile split his face into two as he pulled her onto his lap, where she straddled him, and he kissed her, hard, leaving her slightly breathless before he rest his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Lissy." he whispered, his eyes closed "You're cooking a little person..." She spluttered a laugh, nodding, her forehead brushing his as she did. "Was it made in Boston...is that the right word?" He pulled back to look at her and she laughed, brushing her hand through his fluffy hair as his gently reached out to rest against her stomach. "Yeah and most likely." "It's a little Boston Bean" he grinned and she laughed again, pressing her lips to his. "You're ok with it then? I know it's probably not what you would have planned but..." "Ok? Of course I'm ok!" He smiled "I love you and the thought of us making a little person that's half me, half you...fuck, it's amazing." She smiled and nodded, her voice a whisper "I know..."

"There is one problem." Franks said, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "What?" "You just ruined Christmas forever...because nothing is ever gonna live up to this ever again."

****** Fliss, Frank and Mary’s adventure continues in RIDING ON

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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91percentpynch · 4 years ago

Text

false god - kevaaron au pt 5

long time no see because i was in a writing block and that sucks but i‘m back and ready to break our hearts <33 thanks to argyro for helping me figuring out what happens here

i listened to false god by taylor swift cuz the angst??? love it!!! anygays this is from kevin‘s pov, i hope it makes sense and i hope you like it <33 stay safe, drink some water and always remember only racists, trump supporters, transphobes and homophobes skip meals!!

to check out the other parts click here

Aaron wasn‘t gone for too long when Kevin‘s phone rang

He didn‘t have the energy to pick it up, just to stare it down as if some kind of magic or his sheer will power would make it stop, let him be alone with his thoughts

But obviously that didn‘t work, it never did

The phone kept ringing, slowly driving the striker mad, slowly taking his sanity.

It would be the fifth or sixth missed call that would make him get up to answer the phone

„KEVIN HI NICKY HERE, LISTEN I TRIED TO CALL YOU FOR THE PAST HALF HOUR OR SO BUT AARON‘S IN THE HOSPITAL AND I CAN‘T GET THERE UNTIL LIKE TOMORROW AND ANDREW DOESN‘T ANSWER HIS PHONE EITHER AND HE WOULD TAKE LIKE HOURS TO GET THERE AS WELL CAN YOU PLEASE GO TO HIM SO HE DOESN‘T HAVE TO BE ALONE I DON‘T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED PLEASE, KEVIN I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING FROM YOU PLEASE JUST GO AND MAKE SURE MY SON IS OKAY“

„Nicky? Hi to you too. You do realize he isn‘t my responsibility and that he broke up with me and that I don‘t really have to go there. I don‘t own him shit. He made my life miserable. He probably deserves whatever happened to him“ was what Kevin wanted to answer, was probably what he was supposed to say. But deep down he knew it was not true, that Aaron never ruined his life. Made it better, made it it bareable. Made it worth living, not just existing. Made it more than Exy and Vodka.

After a few moments of silence that felt like an enterinity Kevin settled for a simple: „Which hospital?“

„OH DIO MIO GRACIAS, MUCHAS GRACIAS. ESTÁ EN EL CHICAGO HOSPITAL“, Nicky replied in Spanish. Something the Latino only did when he was either very emotional, very drunk, very angry or all at once.

Kevin didn‘t have it in him to tell Nicky that he still did not speak Spanish, he understood the hospital and that was enough. For now.

„I‘m on my way, call you later and Nicky? He‘s going to be fine. It‘s not your fault. You‘re a great mother to them, the best I‘ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Now calm down, go to Erik and take a nap. You don‘t have to come, he‘s with us. We got this. Do you want to talk to Jeremy while I go to check up on Aaron?“

„Sí“, was all Nicky had to say. Voice thick with tears.

„JER CAN YOU TALK TO NICKY AARON‘S IN THE HOSPITAL I‘M GOING THERE“, Kevin shouted into the flat.

„Absoloutly“, Jeremy replied and took the phone from Kevin.

„Mi corazón, escúchame“, was the last thing Kevin heard as it hit him. Aaron was in the hospital. Right after Kevin refused to listen to him, right after Kevin refused to let him explain himself. It was Kevin‘s fault. If Aaron died, he would have killed him. He was basically a murderer. His breathing came out uneven, his lungs didn‘t get enough air. He knew that he needed to breathe, but breathing was hard and he was weak.

Jean noticed Kevin having a panic attack when he came to check up on him. „Day, listen to me. Breathe. In... And out... In.... And out... In... And out“

Kevin‘s breathing got better, slowly but steadily.

„It‘s my fault“, the striker whispered.

„It‘s not, Kevin. It is not your fault. If you don‘t want to go there, you don‘t have to. He is not your responsibility“

„Hypothetically if Jeremy was to break up with you and you‘re hurt and sad and blame him for your misery when it‘s more the lack of him that makes you feel that way and his sister or brother or mother or whoever would call you and hysterically asked you to go look after him cause his family is stuck on another continent and the only other person who could call refuses to take the phone cause they‘re too busy doing their boyfriend, would you not go cause he is not your responsibility anymore? Because Aaron is my Jeremy. Just like Jer saved your life and made you see that live is indeed worth living, Aaron showed me the same“

„I don‘t think I would surive Jeremy leaving me, you‘ve always been stronger than me. Should I give you a ride?“, Jean whispered.

„It‘s not a thing of strenght Jean, it‘s an addiction. It used to be alcohol that made me forget, made me feel light and free and carefree. I drank and drank until I couldn‘t live without it anymore. And then I met Aaron, I tasted him, I smelled him and he chose me. Me? What did I have to offer him? A boy broken and raised by Exy. All I can offer is Exy. Nothing more. Until he made me see that it was wrong, that I am more than that. And he might have broken my heart and yes I might still love him even though he will never feel the same but I cannot not go there. I have to. I have to be there for them, the way he was always there for me“

„Get your things, we‘re going to the hospital“, Jean replied, unable to put his emotions into words.

So Jean and Kevin left for the hospital while Jeremy tried to calm Nicky down with softly whispered Spanish words.

As they arrived at the hospital Kevin stormed in there.

„Aaron Minyard“, was all he was able to say. Too many memories were connected with hospitals. Too many memories he would much rather just forget.

„Name?“, the nurse said in a bored tone.

Kevin just put a finger on his cheek.

„Kevin Day? I can‘t let you to him, only family and spouses“

„What if I sign something, we take a nice selfie and you tell me where he is. You see I‘m basically family. I‘m the closest and the others can‘t be here until at least tomorrow evening and we don‘t want the poor guy to be all alone and confused, do we?“, Kevin said with his press smile and shining eyes. He knew the charme he had on females. It was just not useful for him as he never really was into that. He never was into anyone but Aaron, to be fair.

„I could lose my job for that“, the nurse replied, her eyes wandering from his eyes to his lips and up again.

„I‘m sure I can offer you something that will you let me to go see him“, Kevin replied with a wink, being disgusted by himself that he even thought about all the possiblities this woman could ask him to do with her.

„Room 21, second floor, station E. You clearly care about him, if anyone asks it wasn‘t me“, she smiled at him. „Besides I always liked Moreau more, I‘m sure we can think of something to do while you are with the boy“

„Sorry“, Kevin whispered to Jean as he ran down the aisle trying to figure out where Aaron was.

The hostpital was a mess of busy nurses and angry doctors, but nothing could stop a determinded Kevin Day. No one. Not even Andrew Minyard.

After what felt like forever he made it to the room, kicked the door open and walked with three long strides to Aaron.

„You fucking idiot, what have you done?“, he whisper-shouted, holding back tears while taking in Aaron‘s sorry state.

„I don‘t need your fucking pity“, Aaron replied, exhausted.

„Did you tell them you can‘t have morphine? Because you might relapse, i mean you already did but we don‘t want it to get worse. And this is not pity, this is Nicky yelling at me in Spanish cause you‘re in the hospital and he‘s in Germany and I‘m the closest to you and he does not want his son to be alone“

„Andrew didn‘t care to come, did he?“, Aaron whispered into his pillow.

„Andrew does care about you he‘s just shit at showing it, that fucking asshole“, Kevin replied softly. „C‘mon what have you done Minyard?“

„Car accident, not that it‘s any of your fucking business“

„How are you?“

„Fucking great, I should let a truck drive into me more often. Very freeing. Very calming“, Aaron said sarcastically, avoiding Kevin‘s eyes.

„A truck. Drove into you?“, shock made Kevin‘s Irish accent stronger.

„Not that you would care“, Aaron‘s voice was barely more than a whisper as he turned around, back to Kevin.

„Aaron first of all I can see you naked ass and not that I wouldn‘t mind the view and I‘ve seen it often enough but the nurses don‘t have to see that too. And secondly of course I care. I always did. Always will“

Blushing Aaron turned back towards Kevin.

„Why wouldn‘t you listen to me if you care so much? You‘re exactly like like Andrew, you guys only ever care when I‘m about to die or do something that doesn‘t sit right with you. Never about me as a person. The conecept about me maybe, but me? Me as a person? No one cares about that“

„You are Aaron Minyard. Born on the 4th of November, 8:31:45 am. You grew up in California in the house next to Nicky. Nicky and you were always close and you didn‘t have many friends because of your mom. Your mom might have abused her and I might hate her for that but you still love her and I get that because on some fucked up level I still care about Riko. You are allergic to cats, peanuts and house dust. You have a freckle right on your right hip, under your navel, from under your left eye over to the nose to the corner of your right eye. You like it when you are hold when you can‘t sleep but you hate showing affection in public. You were 13 when you started exy, because it gave you an escape, but you had to stop because the bruises from your mother‘s beating got to obvious. So you started getting into medicine. You borrowed every single book on medicine you could find and read it at night, always hidden from your mom. You had to have straight As or the beatings would be worse. Your mom did go out to have ice cream with you when it was especially bad. That‘s why you hate ice cream so much, especially vanillia because it was her favourite. Your secret hobby is skating. You feel free when you do it. You want to live at the coast, but not close to Cali, never back to Cali. You want Andrew to notice you and you hate how easily he let Neil in because obviously deserve it more and I get that. You tried drugs to escape, to see what was the appeal. Your uncle never helped you but he brainwashed you into believing he did. You grew up very religous and in an extraordinary homophobic household, you watched your cousin and only friend getting shipped away because he was different, not right, so you confinced yourself you were different. Heterosexual. When in reality you knew since you were 15 that you preferred guys. You liked girls as well. At least you thought but it‘s so much more complicated. Actually it isn‘t. You‘re asexual, you do however like the feeling of sex. You think the process is disgusting, but you still like the feeling. It has to be the right person though. It doesn‘t matter wether it‘s a boy or a girl or something else entierly, all that matters are the feelings the person makes you feel. It took you years to accept that you are not wrong, that you wouldn‘t have to go away like Nicky. You apologized to Nicky. You thought you had to be against their relationships, because that‘s what they made you believe. Old habits die hard. But you got over it and I am very proud of you. You sleep with a teddybear or with another person that cuddles you because the thought of being alone scares the living crap out of you. Your favourite flowers are sunflowers because yellow is a happy color. You hate sweets, you prefer salty snacks. You prefer coffee black, like your sould. You use sarcasm and humor as your coping mechanism. You stole my history books because you love history as well. You also love art but you don‘t think you are good enought to become an artist. You would love to work at Jean‘s studio but you are afraid to ask. You and Jean used to be friends but you cut him off and isolated yourself because your anxities and insecurities took over you again. Sometimes you have depressive episodes, in these you crave drugs more than normally. You want to stop it, you really do but somehow your brain tries to tell you you need it. You would love to have five dogs. An Irish Red Setter, an Irish Wolfhound, a poodle a big one though, a labrador and a golden retriever. You also want to adopt at least two kids. You don‘t want any child to go through what you had to go through or Andrew. So don‘t you dare tell me I never cared for you. Because I do. I listen when you tell me things. I remember every single time you came to me, black out drunk, crying and telling me you‘re worthless. Because every single time I wanted to tell you you aren‘t. You are a wonderful human being and I don‘t understand why I wasn‘t enough for you to stay but I will not let you tell me I never cared about you. Because that‘s some fucking bullshit“

Kevin didn‘t even notice the tears running down his cheeks. It‘s been a while since he was that emotional, since he let his walls down and dared to show emotions.

„You really did listen“, was all Aaron had to say.

„Why wasn‘t I enough for you?“, Kevin replied, voice thick of tears, Irish accent strong.

#all for the game #the foxhole court #the raven king #the king’s men #kevin day #aaron minyard #ship: kevaaron #kevaaron

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storytime-with-moth · 4 years ago

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Writing modern teen Dad Sokka (zukka uni)

I wrote this a few months ago, but I ran out of steam and inspiration, so anyone is welcome to take this on and finish it as their own or take it as a prompt and try there own story.

Summer of grade 11, Sokka and Yue spend the whole summer as lifeguards, soaking up the sun, making each other laugh and dreaming of the future.

One night it’s just the two of them in the pool after it’s closed, you can see the full moon through the windows above, Sokka and Yue lay on floaties driving around the pool.

“Hey Sokka?”

“Hmm?”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Sokka laughs “Haven’t heard that since I was a kid and I wanted to be and otter penguin - and no I have no idea where that came from.”

Yue turns over so she can look Sokka in the eyes. “Seriously though, what do you want to do when you can leave this small town and its small ideas.

Sokka could tell that there was more behind the question but tired answering it honestly “I dunno exactly “What” I want to be, but I think I would like to build things, useful things too. And I’m not really a car guy or a building guy.”

Yue snorts “Ya not a car guy, says the guy who failed to get his license twice!”

“Hey!” Sokka splashes yue playfully. “Okay okay, I have been looking the some of the research into mixing prosthetics with robotics and focusing more on make prosthetics one with the body, I don’t know much about it yet. But I guess I started reading all about them and I kinda became obsessed.”

“what about hockey?”

“I love hockey, and the coaches at school think I’m good enough to get scholarships, so if hockey helps support an actual career for me I’m all for it, but I know I want to do more than catch pucks my whole life, I want to really use my brain and solve puzzles.”

“hmm” Yue turned over and looked back at the moon thoughtful.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well as you so gracefully put it, what do you want to do when you can leave this place that’s too small for you and your big ideas and dreams?”

“Well when you put it like that… I want to travel, see places, important places. I want to fall in love, out of love, I want to have enough friends that my house is always filled with good food and loud laughter. I want to be a Mom someday, I think maybe I want to go to school and study philosophy, not sure what kind of job that leads to but I want to ask questions, the big questions like why are we here, what is a life well spent?”

“Whoa”

“Ya… Whoa”

“and have you talked to your dad about that?

“Sort of, and it sort of didn’t go well.”

“he’s still set on you making the Canadian swim team? Duty to country and family stuff?”

“YeP” she said as she popped the P

“That sucks”

“indeed it does”

They floated around in silence for a bit longer.

“Hey Sokka?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to have sex?”

Sokka promptly fell into the water, Yue’s laugh echoing around the empty pool.

They did indeed tumble into bed together that night, an awkward interaction for both of them that ended with the laughing covered in sweat. That morning when Sokka woke up Yue was already sitting on his bed looking at his doodles on the walls.

“Sokka I love you, I do, and I honestly thought maybe I loved you like a girl loves a guy, but I think I just love you because you're my best friend.”

“Ookaaay. I think I should add in you’re my best friend too? Because you’re being weird”

Yue looked to her hands in her lap and a tear fell to her hand. “Sokka, think I might like girls.”

She said it so quietly that it took a second for Sokka to understand what she had just told him.

“Whoa, no I mean, Cool! That’s fine. I support you, wait was I really bad last night?”

Yue’s tears quickly turn into laughs “No you idiot! You ere great, it just wasn’t right”

“Okay well cool then…..”

“Cool then”

“promise you won’t tell?”

“Yue, I promise I won’t tell! I can even pretend to be your boyfriend so your dad can’t freak out, and we can totally go to the girls soccer games this year if you want?”

“Sokka I love you, you big dummy”

“Well I love you to, to the moon and back dreamer”

___________________________________

So Sokka and Yue were still best friends and they spent the fall attached at the hip, and when Yue found out she was expecting a baby and her parents kicked her out, Sokka just grabbed her hand and her backpack and walked into his house stating that Yue lived here now.

Hakoda and Bato nodded and welcomed her home, Katara squealed and fawned over becoming an auntie.

And for a while things were good, they were complicated as they prepared to become teen parents, co parenting as best friends, both of them aiming for scholarships and working part-time gigs whenever they could to save up. But life was happy, they were going to have a baby.

But then things went wrong, Yue went into labour 6 weeks early, her pressure dropped, the baby’s dropped, there was blood, there were doctors everywhere, then there was a small shrill cry, more moving and running and yelling. Then there was a lot of quiet.

Yue died in labour, their baby was in the NICU for three weeks to improve her lungs and even then doctors were worried about how premature she was. Finally after weeks camped out in a hospital next to his baby in a box or in his bed in the dark or the shower staring at the wall, he could bring his daughter home. She was going to be okay.

Her name was Juno Kya Last name, and she was perfect, wide hazel eyes like her Mom, and the sharp cupids bow like Kya, it looked like she would have Sokka’s dark hair and complexion. She watched everything with curious eyes, and didn’t cry unless she was hungry or tired which was often the first few months. But Bato and Hakkoda loved their granddaughter to bits and helped with everything. The diapers, the late feedings, the tummy time, the grieving.

The grieving was the hardest. Mostly because he was to busy trying to be there as a Dad and as a student and as a team player. He spent so long being there for everyone else that one night once hockey season was over and Katara took Juno to a girls sleepover he was all alone, for the first time since he was a little boy after his Mom died.

The dam burst and he sat on the floor and cried, he cried until his Dads came home and they wrapped him up in a hug and he cried some more. Then they made hot chocolate and sat on the couch in thick chewy blankets. They talked and talked, Hakkoda speaking about loosing the love of his life with two young children, being a dad by himself, Bato spoke about loosing his best friend Kya so unfairly and traumatically. The spoke about the unfairness of life and the peace in death, and how he will never move on but he will move forward, with one hand holding his daughter and the other pointing him forward to his own future.

When Katara came home the next day, Sokka was already awake and making blueberry pancakes poorly singing ice ice baby. When he saw his sister holding Juno he scooped her up and gave her a million kisses.

They were going to be okay, because they were loved, because Sokka was smart, because Sokka was going to be driven just like his best friend was, he was going to ask the big questions whenever he could, and love and laugh, so much his home was filled with it.

For Juno and for Yue, and for himself too.

_________________________

So Sokka worked his ass off, he won a full ride scholarship to university for hockey to study bio engineering, he was even able to work on family residence on campus, which took a load off his shoulders of trying to figure out travel to and from school with a baby, now he skates, lives and attends school on campus (which even had a daycare)

During the summer leading up leaving for school Bato revealed that ever since Sokka got into school he has been trying to transfer his job to the same city so they could be closer and he had not only done that but he had gotten a promotion out of it too. So Katara was starting at a new high school for senior year and Bato and Hakkoda were moving to be 20 minutes away from Sokka’s school.

He knew he would have to get used to being more independent, as he knew his dads thought he would be annoyed by them following him, or his sister would be upset about changing schools. But no, katara had high hopes for her new adventure and sokka was just relived to not be alone, and that Juno had more than one badly an adult person in her life.

_________________

Little hands grabbed at Sokka’s hair as he hoisted 9 month old Juno up on his hip. “Well June-Bug this is it our home for the next four or so years”

Juno looked up at her dad with wide hazel eyes and replied in noisy baby babble.

From behind Sokka Bato came up and rested a hand on on his shoulder “Deep breaths kid, you’re going to be great.”

Sokka smiled ruefully at Bato as Katara ran up with a stroller full of baby things and his dad struggled with his hockey bags as he tried to lock the car with one hand.

Sokka looked at Juno again and whispered to her and himself “Deep breaths kid”

Later after they had gotten the crib set up in the attached office to Sokka’s room Bato and Katara took Juno for a walk in her stroller to grab some food. While Sokka and his dad finished unpacking.

“Son are you sure you want to stay on campus, are you sure you want Juno to stay with you? We could take her for the weeks mostly and you could come stay with us at the new place on weekends. I know you expected to do this more by yourself, but Bato would move oceans for you kid and got the new position in town, so we’re here, we can help.”

“Dad… Ya I’m going to need help, so thank you, I will take you up on looking after Juno when I need it, but you and Bato are going to be looking after her as her grandparents and not as her guardians. I promised Yue - Juno and I are family, and I’m not going to pass her off whenever I feel like not being a Dad anymore, she’s my kid and I want to be here for all the stuff, the walking the talking everything, and that’s not going to happen if she’s only my kid on weekends.

“Sokka you’re doing just fine son, more than fine really. Okay okay well when Juno wants to see her Great Papa and GB (Grand Bato) you give us a call, or if you need to pull an all nighter for an assignment you call, anything you call and we can be here. And when you get your game schedule, email us so we can make sure one of us can take her to the games, Bato is very excited about the baby headphones he bought her.”

“Okay Dad Okay, Now get out of here ya old man, and Dad Thanks for being here.”

“Of course Sokka”

________________________

Sokka was pretty pleased with his new place, sure it was small, but it was clean and had more room than he expected to get so he was grateful. The suite was in the family/accessible living accommodations which was a small building with elevators to every floor. This suite had two rooms on opposite sides of the small common area which had a worn in couch and a coffee table. There was also a small kitchen and an even smaller dinner table. Sokka’s room had a small attached office space that he turned into Juno’s room, even though she still co-slept with him most nights, it was good to have a crib for naps and a place to put her never ending supply of diapers, blankets and clothes.

Sokka's roommate was a paraplegic kid named Teo who happened to have basically the same schedule as Sokka so they quickly bonded over advancements in the medical and mechanical fields. Teo also seemed pretty chill and took a liking to Juno right away. Which made Sokka endlessly happy because, well they were now living together and babies cry and poop so he was worried about tiptoeing around his new home.

Day care still didn’t open for the next two weeks while sokka would be attending training camp so his Dad would be taking most of the days with Juno, but it happened to shake out where the first day of meet and greet and skate Hakkoda was attending a support group meeting for retired field medics in a new city and Sokka didn’t want his Dad to miss it, plus it gave Sokka an opportunity to introduce everyone to his best girl.

Katara came to hold Juno while he was on the ice excited to get a sneak peek at university life before her high school year started.

“Da da da” Juno babbled as she mushed her fist into Sokka’s mouth, sokka smiled and pretended to gobble up her hand, the baby shrieked and laughed and Sokka adjusted her baby sweater around her neck.

“Sokka she’s fine, I have diapers, formula, and the big blanket you packet in the stroller, if she gets fussy I can take her for a walk to see the birds, and she won’t get cold because you packed a million layers and she will be held by every limbo there so again, she will be fine.”

Sokka checked the stroller again nodding to what his sister was saying. She was right, he was prepared, he had already emailed with the coaches so they knew what was up and he had coffee with the captain yesterday, who looked like a giant holding his baby, but overall seemed like a good guy. Eric “Wooly Mammoth/ Wooly” Woolner seemed like a solid guy, like physically solid and also like the type of guy Sokka could lean on as a leader while figuring out classes, fatherhood and being on a university level hockey team.

Everyone met in a blank sort of room with lots of chairs facing a projector, Sokka thought it was probably to review game footage and make new plays. He settled in with Juno on his lap as the other guys in the room took notice that there was a baby in their midst.

“Sokka you brilliant man!” Shouted a familiar face from across the room as he stood up and ran over.

Haru was taller and broader than Sokka, much bigger at least than when they last saw each other when they played on the same club team when they were 15.

“Haru, dude! You’re here! Awesome!”

Haru took a look at Juno and sized her up, then he stuck out his tongue and did a silly dance, Juno hid her face in Sokka’s shoulder and Haru ran around so she could see him and did it again. This time he managed to get a small smile before she hid her face again, grabbing Sokka’s collar with her hands.

“She’s cute Socks, she yours?”

“Yep, this is Juno.”

“Nice, is she gonna be at the games and shit?”

“Easy up on the potty mouth there dude, and ya I hope so, my dads moved into town so they hope to be there and bring her to them and stuff.”

“Wicked, is the uh - mom in the picture?”

“Nah, she passed when Juno was born so it’s just us.”

“Sorry bro”

“Thanks, anyways we should totally catch up properly later. Let’s introduce the team to our new good luck charm shall we?”

Katara was right, Juno has passed from bro to dude to himbo, once she realized that everyone one here was as big and cuddly as her dad she seemed to warm up and enjoy the attention. Then it was time for everyone to get on the ice to pass around the puck and do some laps getting a feel for the other players on the ice.

Juno sat with Katara smearing her messy hands all over the glass looking at the people on the rink until she fell asleep in her stroller tucked under a whole blanket.

Sokka enjoyed the team, Haru was a great comfort of home, Wooly was a level headed captain that set a tone for the rest of the guys, then there was Lucas “Longshot” Cho, Dennis “The Duke” Cunningham, Sam “Rooke” Chesterfield, Finn “Pipsqueak” Biggs, and the team manager Suki and the assistant captain Zuko.

All of the guys were loud and boisterous, including Suki, but Zuko seemed reserved and maybe a little prickly.

Then there were coaches Piandao and Bumi. Piandao seemed more serious, the man with a plan. He had coached a lot of different teams and was sought after for his reputation of the coach who turns coal into diamonds, Bumi on the other hand had coached here forever it seemed. He gave Sokka Manic genius vibes that had him thinking that maybe he should let Piandao hold Juno for the occasional practise instead of the ripped crazy old guy who ran around the ice in uggs.

——————

Later when Sokka was packing up and talking to the coaches about potentially bringing Juno with him in case he couldn’t find a sitter last minute working out how that would work, Katara pulled up with a fussy Juno in her stroller.

“Sorry Sokka I have to run, Dad is outside waiting for me and I have to finish unpacking my room tonight”

“All good Kat, thanks again for coming tonight!”

Katara leaned down and kissed her fingers and pressed them to Juno’s head “Love you little bug”

The coaches bid their farewells shortly after and Sokka packed his stuff into the stroller before taking Juno out to settle her and give her a bottle.

Just as he tucked her into his arms and pulled the bottle from the bag someone walked briskly into the locker room where he was sitting.

Zuko and Assistant Captain huffed in and sat down hanging up his phone and tossing it on the bench.

“Uh hi?”

Zuko whirled around looking ready for a fight before spotting Sokka and said baby sucking on a bottle. “Hi Baby.” Zuko said shyly.

Sokka laughed “ Take me on a date before you call me that.” And winked at Zuko.

Zuko looked like a startled deer so Sokka took pity on him.

“Just kidding dude, I mean sort of I am Bi - what a discovery that was and anyways - sorry I wasn’t coming on to you - I don’t know you - I just thought I should make it clear that I COULD come on to you because I like guys, and girls…. Whelp I would start running away in shame now for oversharing but I’m currently a food spruce for this nugget sooo, yep just going to sit here and wish I could time travel to punch myself in the face.”

Throughout the vomit of words coming out of sokka’s mouth Zuko seemed to relax and then smirk at the other man.

“You do know I was talking to your kid right?”

“Yep, yes I did”

“Well see you around Sokka.”

And Zuko grabbed his bag and left the locker room. First impressions for today might be bit all over the place Sokka thought to himself.

____________________________________

Sokka talked to Juno all of the time. What can he say, he is a guy with a lot of words and they can’t all stay in his head.

So Juno has an interesting and advanced vocal for a 9 month old baby.

Of course she can address the people in her life, Dada, Kat, Great Papa, and GB (Great Bato)

She can also ask for milk, to go up, and uh oh.

She loves to say no but can infect say yes (sokka swears he’s heard that one)

But it also means she tries to say things that Sokka often says to varying degrees of baby success

“Stupid gravity!”

"Monkey balls”

“Shoot”

“I love you to the moon and back”

“hockey time.

And her favourite word of all time

Puck

It stopped making Sokka freeze after the first 2o times he thought he heard his baby say fuck. Now its just a cute funny thing his kid has figured out, Dada has to find the puck, and it is her job to hide them.

She hides pucks everywhere, he swears sometimes she is multiplying them on her own because he always finds at least two in the diaper bag and one hidden in her crib.

So very quickly into the season the team dubs the hockey baby with her very own nickname

“Little puck”

Sokka quietly thinks that Yue would have liked that one because her favourite Shakespeare play was midsummer night's dream.

________________________

The team gets Juno and Sokka a fancy running stroller for her birthday/christmas

It was Zuko’s idea

Zuko sometimes comes by to offer to take her for a run when Sokka has exams.

_______________________

Zuko seemed to always be the last to leave the locker rooms, Sokka would usually rush out to pick up Juno from whoever had her unless she had stayed with Couch Dao during practise which she had today.

On days like today Sokka takes his time, cleans and folds his gear, re-tapes his stick for next practise and actually has a real shower. So today he was tucking Juno back in her stroller after changing her as Zuko put the tape away. They were casually talking about the hilarious origins of Pipsqueaks nickname when sokka realized Zuko had a funny look on his face.

“What? Do I have poop on me or something?”

Now Zuko looked even more confused as Sokka looked at his shirt, twisting around to make sure he was free of baby droppings.

“No, you just never look at it, is all. I was trying to figure out what was so -weird about you other than being a crazy goalie, and you don’t look at it.”

“I don’t look at what?”

Zuko gestures to the scared half of his face glumly. “You don’t look at it, you look me in the eyes, always have. It’s weird I guess. You pretending it’s not there.”

“Oh”

“Forget it, sorry.”

“No! It’s just of course I know it’s ther, I’m not pretending its not there, it just seems like whatever happen was probably truamitic, ya know? And - well - okay so tragic backstory time. My Mom was killed in a targeted home invasion by some racists, super fucked up... “

“Holy shit.”

“Yep, anyways everyone knew about it, in the town we lived in, in the next town we lived in, So it was like everyone could see my big truma all the time, it wasn’t up to me to trust people enough to share something that was hard for me and that hurt. It was out of my hands and everyone knew including people I didn’t feel safe with or I didn’t know at all. So I get it, in a way. I see your scar I do, but I get that it maybe comes with a pretty sucky story that’s not mine to make assumptions and judgments on. If I’m worthy of knowing then I will, but I will always look you in the eyes, I’m not going to look at your trauma first because you’re Zuko first.”

Zuko stared at Sokka with his mouth open. Sokka looked away and finished strapping Juno into her stoller before looking back up at the other player. When he did Zuko was looking at the wall, his shoulders turned away from the young father.

“Thank you, and I’m sorry about your Mom… I promise I won’t tell anyone, that scar can stay between us for however long you need.”

And before Sokka could stay anything Zuko turned on his heel and walked quickly from the room.

________________________-

Sokka wasn’t sure what was up with this Zuko guy, everyone else on the team except Haru and Sokka had played with Zuko last year, so they all seemed to have an unspoken understanding of the reserve alt captain. But Sokka couldn’t even get him to smile. Sokka knew he was funny, he was full of 100% organic grass fed dad jokes for goodness sakes! But no, Zuko would not smile, he would not laugh, actually most of the time he seemed to be trying to not talk to Sokka in general. Which was hard considering Zuko was one of the defensemen and it was his job to protect Sokka, you’d think there would be an effort to become friends.

“Maybe he’s uncomfortable with the whole baby thing?” Suggested Teo from the table where he was copying data to a new chart.

“Nahh, I don’t think so, he even said hi to Juno at the first prac - ohhhhhhh” Sokka fell to the floor from where he was sitting with Juno, she took the opportunity of her opponent on the ground and began to climb on her dad.

“What ohhhhhh?”

“I totally flirted with him after that and told him I was queer and he like panic walked out of the locker room.”

“Ugh so do you think he’s homophobic or something?”

“Maybe or something? I don’t get bully vibes from him more like “I act scary so people won’t pretend to like me and then stab me in the back” vibes from this guy. So maybe it’s just a little internalized stuff and he’s not going to beat me up just might not want to talk about it.”

“Well it sucks either way!”

Juno continued to climb around her Dad trying to stuff toys down his shirt and then take them out again. Sokka kept a hand two inches from her back whenever she got close to standing just incase she decided that gravity no longer applied to her and she tumbled over.

“Hey Sokka, do you think he told anyone? Would your spot be in danger if you were outed?”

A cold feeling settled in his stomach “oh shit, I uh, I didn’t think about that… I don’t think I would be kicked off the team. There are policies like that for the school, but I don’t know about how safe I would be from the boys.”

“Oh,” Teo finally looked up from his laptop and set down his highlighter. “You know if you need someone to back you up, I know I can’t take them in a fight but I am friends with some freelance hackers and I could make their lives living hell.”

“Teo, you my man are one scary dude, and the wheels only add intimidation with that tricked out chair. You’re also a really great friend.”

Teo blushed and shrugged “Eh it’s whatever, us queers in engineering trying to change the way people use bionic tech gotta stick together right?”

“Totally, isn’t Uncle Teo awesome June-Bug?” Sokka picked up his daughter and flew her over his head as she wiggled her legs.

“Too too!”

“Uncle Teo?” teo said quietly from the table.

“Oh, well ya, if you want? Juno needs a village right? And one day you and I are going to start a bionics company together, so ya you’re going to be around for a while right?”

“Right.” Teo smiled.

“Toto!” Juno screamed again.

Both of the boys laughed and the night went on.

_______________________________________

Juno was still asleep and Teo was in the house studying so Sokka took the opportunity to go for a run around his building with the baby monitor clipped on his waist band.

It was rare nowadays that Sokka could get a good run in outside, his feet pounding the pavement, a chance to clear his mind.

He was surprised to see that Zuko apparently had the same idea because soon they were matching each other stride for stride around the complex. It was surprising even after weeks of Zuko evading Sokka at any chance they seemed to be in sync.

They were still going strong when Sokka heard Juno fuss from the monitor and slowed to a stop. Zuko halted a few paces ahead and looked confused.

“Are you tired? We can stop-” Zuko started but Sokka quickly waved him off.

“No it’s Juno, I just want to see if she’s going to go back to sleep herself or whether I have to call Teo to pick her up, or if I should go get her. Come on J-Bug settle down,”

Zuko looking curious came to hover over Sokka’s shoulder looking down at the tiny screen which showed Juno in her crib tossing and turning.

“Come on J look your penguin is right there- YES!” Sokka pumped his fist and did a little dance. “My baby went back to sleep, ah I love you!” He continued speaking to the machine and the sky and skipped around before remembering he had an audience.

It looked like Zuko was thinking about smiling and Sokka thought that that might be worth celebrating too.

“Hehe whoops, sorry man. I just haven't been able to run in forever, it's like she knows when I grab my runners and demands to see me.”

“No worries, Sokka.”

So the two hockey players started up a soft pace again around the building. It came to Sokka's mind that he shouldn’t poke the bear but he also had poor impulse control so as he thought it the words came tumbling out of his mouth.

“So have you outed me to all the guys and should I watch my back?”

Now it was Zuko’s turn to stop, he looked like Sokka slapped him.

“What.”

“Ugh! You know, like I can not talk about it and we can just play the game but - should I be making sure that Juno is safe? If she comes to a practise and I’m leaving will I get roughed up by the guys? Because I can take a hit, but my daughter is off limits. Nothing has happened yet so, my guess is you haven't told anyone, but are you going to?”

“No!” Zuko still looked scared “ Never - do I come off as someone who would do that?” He followed up quietly.

“I don’t know what to say dude, you looked scared out of your mind when I flirted with you and practically ran out when I told you I was Bi and ever since you have avoided me, I just assumed you were uncomfortable.”

Zuko looked around as if to check for monsters around them, then he looked at Sokka. “I won’t tell anyone, I haven't, I swear to you that I have your back if you ever want to say anything about it. Juno is safe, I swear it.”

“Whoa that’s a serious tone shift, Um thank you then.”

There was an awkward pause as the two men regarded each other for a moment.

“Just out of curiosity why did you avoid me after? Was it the baby thing?”

“No, it wasn't the baby thing.” zuko mumbled and toed the dirt with his shoe.

“Okay… but were good now right?”

“Ya”

Sokka turned and started to jog again, and soon enough Zuko caught up and they continued for a few more laps. As they were cooling down Zuko still looked amped up, Sokka was surprised, running usually calmed him down but Zuko seemed jumpy.

“Well this was fun! If I can ever join again it would be nice to have company, even company as quiet as you along.”

“Why don’t you bring Juno in her stroller or something?”

Sokka rubbed a hand behind his neck “ Well her stroller is a second hand one we got when she was born, it’s not the kind I can take running without it falling apart or bouncing my babies brains out. And her Mom and I both had much to offer in genetic smarts so I would like my babies brain to be perfect so she can run the world or something.”

“Oh and I guess running strollers are expensive?”

“Ya a bit, and I already spend so much on her clothes, she just won’t stop growing!”

“Too bad, it was also nice running with you.”

“Wow a real Zuko compliment, be still my beating heart!”

Sokka grabbed his chest and fell back and rolled in the grass. Zuko’s lips tilted up just a fraction and butterflies fluttered in sokka’s stomach.

Just then Juno started to cry in earnest and Teo’s voice came over the monitor. “Uh Sokka is her bottle the one in the door of the fridge or do I make a new one?”

Sokka sighed a little then pressed the intercom button on the monitor “Don’t worry about it Teo I will be up in two. Just start telling her the periodic table or something.”

“See you later Zuko”

“Bye Sokka.”

_____________

Sokka’s head was pounding and his vision was blurry, as he stumbled in the dark to the toilet and heaved.

“Fuck.”

At some piont after the sweating and throwing up he dragged himself back to his room to fetch his phone. Juno was fast asleep in her crib because he had a headache last night and homework took forever, so he had put her down early.

Back in the bathroom he rested his head on the cool tile and dialed up his dad with shaky fingers.

After three rings Hakkoda picked up in a panic “Sokka, are you okay? Is Juno okay? Where are you?”

Sokka squinted his eyes at the loud voice of his Dad ringing around his skull. “Dad? I think I have the flu.”

“Oh bud, okay. What’s going on, how can I help?”

“I had a headache last night so I put J down for bed early then I woke up with a fever, I keep throwing up, Dad I -” Sokka felt a lump in his throat and tears sting his eyes. “Dad I don’t want to her her, she was just so small, and I don’t want her to get sick. I know I have to do this, but i love her so much and I dont want to fuck up - “

The tears fall down his cheeks to the floor.

“Oh son, okay. One you love that kid more than anything you would die before hurting her this I know. Two people get sick, people also get better with rest and the I think I can help with that.”

“Dad I know I’m grown up ish, but can you tell me what to do?”

Hakkoda chuckled on the other end of the line. “Sokka, Bato and I will come pick up Juno in 30 minutes, we will drop off some crackers and gatorade too.”

“Dad- “

“Nope Sokka, you asked so I am telling you what we are going to do. We will come and get our baby girl and take her for a few days, You will email your profs and get your homework sent to you, you can only go to class when you don’t have a fever and if you do you’re going to wear a mask, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good you will email your coaches tell them whats what, when you feel better you can go watch practise, the cool might even be good for the fever, but you will not push yourself. This week will not make or break the rest of your life. So you will sleep, rest, do your work form home, and Juno will play at GB and great Papa’s house. And everything will be okay.”

“Okay. Thank you dad”

“We will be there soon buddy”

So Juno went with his Dad’s and he sent his emails and face planted in his bed and passed out for 6 hours.

Later an hour before practise Sokka’s phone pinged, he groaned and grasped around for his phone.

A text from Fire Prince Zuko

Coaches just said you won’t be at practise tonight. Is everything okay? Is Puck good?

Flu bug, don’t want to mess up that pretty ice with my vomit. Juno seems fine she’s at my Dads house until I’m not dying of the plague

A few minutes went by after that and sokka’s eyes started to fall again. “Ping”

I can drop off soup and tea on my way to practise, which suite is yours in family huas?

Dude its fine I can feed myself

Dude. I’m helping at my uncle’s tea shop today. They have soup and tea, it’s no problem. In fact my uncle insists.

14a second floor

And thank you Z

What are Alt Capts for?

Hakkoda was right, everything was indeed okay in the end. Juno had a blast at her grandparents house and sokka managed to get all of his homework done and even managed to watch a few lectures online courtesy of Teo. Zuko was the anomaly he could’t account for but was grateful for none the less. Whenever he could he stopped by with snacks, soup, tea and even weirder sent cute cat and baby videos at random points during the days.

Within 4 days Sokka felt good enough to go to classes and do some dryland training uring practise and after one more day he was back catching pucks on the rink with his daughter sleeping in the bed next to him one hand fisted on his shirt to make sure her dad didn’t leave.

After that week sometimes Zuko would still stop by with a tea, which Sokka had begun to like even when he wasn’t dying. Except now he would occasionally stay and drink his own tea while they watched juno play on the floor.

Sokka was starting to think he might have a new friend after all…

_____________________

#zukka modern au #fanfiction prompt #sokka #zuko #team avatar #modern au

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randomingoftherandomness · 4 years ago

Text

Fic: All we do is think about the feelings that we hide

Fandom: The Old Guard (2020)

Pairing: Booker x Joe x Nicky, Booker x Nicky, Booker & Nile, mention of Andy x Quynh

Tags: Secret Relationship, Established Relationship, Angst, Booker’s Self-Worth Issues, Mentions of Double Penetration, Otherwise no graphic sex in this fic

A/N: For the always darling @bewires who is a delight and a gem. I made this more Booker x Nicky focused coz... My brain needed some streamlining and so here it is? I hope you’ll like it nonetheless x

When they walk together, Joe and Nicky take the lead up front while Nile hooks an arm around Booker’s. He is careful to keep his eyes from following them when they move through the crowds of locals and tourists alike that pack the Christmas market and doubly more deliberate in his attempts to cajole Nile into trying a sausage or a cup of mulled wine, or what about that shop with those knick knacks?

If her indulgent smile is anything to be judged by, Booker thinks it’s not working.

Coming to the Christmas market had been Joe’s idea. A chance for them to spend some time together. The exact thing Booker had been wanting to avoid at all cost. Since his return, Joe, Nicky, and himself had taken a weekend off to have the screaming and sparring and sex sessions that resulted in a mutual agreement to take things slower this time. As if everything they’d done prior to his exile had been wrong footed and untrue. Desperate with want - which in fairness, he had had Nicky’s cock in his ass and Joe’s waiting to press up against it at the time - Booker had agreed to it.

“-buy as Christmas gifts?”

Nile’s question hangs in the winter air between them before Booker inelegantly mumbles a, “Hm?” to her incredulous amusement. “I was just asking what Joe and Nicky would buy as Christmas gifts?” She repeats, bumping their shoulders together. He had been infinitely grateful that when Joe posited the trip to the Christmas market, Nile had piped up and said it was a great idea. At least he wouldn’t have to walk alone while Joe and Nicky held hands and strolled through the crowd together.

“They usually try to make things for other people during Christmas. One year, Joe painted Nicky in that pose that Kate Winslet did in Titanic. I think it’s still hanging in their house in Malta,” Booker says with a fond smile as the memory comes to him. “You should visit them there when you have a chance to.”

“Have you ever been to Malta?”

“A few times,” Booker hedges carefully, guiding her towards a stall that is selling some Christmas candy.

“How many times is a few times?” Nile asks, completely undettered. God, he should’ve known she would have latched on to that little tidbit.

“I’ve known them almost the entirety of my immortal life, Nile,” He says with a careful smile while he picks up a bag of chocolate peppermint sticks and pays for it. “It would be only natural for me to know how their favourite safehouse looks like.”

Nile frowns but doesn’t continue that thread of thought because Joe is cutting through to them with a glint of unholy glee as he declares that they’ve found an ice-rink.

The thing is, when Joe, Nicky, and Booker agreed to take this relationship slowly, only Booker was paying attention to the rules of the game. The agreement to try was still fresh and Booker can still feels the phantom weight of their cocks in him as they came, filling him up in this covenant they’d made.

He’d been beyond relieved and grateful that they’d even wanted to try at all that he knew that he would have rather died a true death than allow himself to fuck it all up again. Booker had barely survived that first heartache of being sent away. He knows he won’t a second time.

So, he plays a game with himself; how many times can he stop himself from looking at them? How many times can he resist from reaching out them and asking for some reassurance or comfort? To fall easily against them on the sofa and tangle their limbs together? To have the simple pleasures that comes with being in a relationship with another party; to know their kisses, their hands in his own, the weight of their embraces, their laughters and gazes. Booker packs all his yearning and focuses on maintaining the facade that for anyone who cared to look, it was Joe and Nicky and no one else.

When he had gone through this the first time around, he knows or at least had the suspicion that Andy knew why he’d always slept close to Joe and Nicky, or why there had been a fair few times when they’d gone out together as a foursome and disappeared together as a three. She’d never spoken to him about it. Booker misses her for that.

With Nile, that bag of rules went out the window the moment he had a second to truly know his sister.

Now that Andy was off galivanting the world with Quynh on some long, protracted second honeymoon, they’re lucky to get her on the phone for more than 15 minutes sometimes. But she is happy, and they will see each other again. This left Nile in charge and she takes to it like a duck to water. Which is perhaps the reason why she clings to Booker and tugs him to the ice where a slew of laughing and screaming people are having their wintertime fun out on the town square.

“Nile, leave him be,” Nicky says with a gentle smile, prying her away from Booker.

Joe suitably distracts her by pulling her to join the line for the skate rentals. “Thanks,” He says, tucking his hands into his coat pockets, carefully angling his body away from the ice. “You should go join them. Have a bit of fun. I’ll just get myself a hot drink and wait for you somewhere nearby, okay?”

Nicky shakes his head, still smiling. “Ah, I don’t feel up for it. I think I’ll stay with you.”

“But you like ice-skating,” Booker replies with a frown. “Andy and I had to convince you not to make a bid for the Winter Olympics, remember?”

“I remember, yes. You always had a good memory for things like that, Basti,” Nicky laughs fondly. Taking him by the elbow, he guides them both to the nearest hot chocolate stand. “Perhaps I want to spend some time with you instead, hm? Joe had been a bit upset that Nile wanted to join us. He’d been talking about how romantic it would be to visit the Christmas market with us both.”

Booker orders their drinks and does his damndest not to look at Nicky when he says, “That’s very nice of him to want that but wouldn’t coming here with you suit him better?”

Nicky doesn’t say a thing to that and they wait for their drinks, absconding to find a free bench to wait for Joe and Nile. “Sometimes just when I think we’re alright, you say things like that that make me think that we’re stil back at square one.” He shrugs when Booker turns to him. “I think we’re okay and then you... Avoid Joe and I. Turn away from our kisses, look away when we catch you looking, hide your hands when all I want to do is hold them and kiss them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you even know what you’re sorry for?” Nicky asks, eyes clear and devoid of judgement. “Basti, we love you so much. We are ready to shout it from the rooftops and scream it to anyone who would care to listen, but everytime we think you are ready for that, you seem to shy away from us.”

“It’s just easier,” Booker breathes, exhalation coiling in the cold air between them to mingle with the steam rising from their hot chocolate.

“Easier for who?”

“For all of us. I-I... I want to be loved, I do. But for so long now I have found myself not being worthy of you and after London,” He pauses. “After London, I believed I had lost any hope of being with both of you. Then, we had that weekend away and we said we would try, that we would do this differently. So, I tried.”

“Oh, Booker,” Nicky sighs.

He sets his drink down by his feet, swallowing tightly. Nicky does the same after a moment and takes Booker’s hand in between his own. Keeping his gaze fixed on their palms pressed together, he glavanises himself to speak.

“The first time we got together, you never asked me for any intimacy when we were in public, and I was alright with that. It had been just the both of you for so long, of course it would feel weird with a third. It was okay. Now, this time round, I taught myself not to want it because...”

“Because?” Nicky urges him on, shuffling closer.

“Because I don’t think I can survive being sent away by you again,” The truth tumbles forth in a whisper. “Because I drank myself to death twice before Quynh showed up and I know if I have to leave you again, I won’t survive a third.”

Nicky leans in, wrapping him in an embrace that Booker accepts with his arms around Nicky’s waist. He buries his nose in his scarf, trying to stop the shaking of his limbs.

“I love you both so much, but I’m scared. All the time. What if I kiss you and Joe, and I’m turned away? I know you love me, but will you love me if I make a mistake again? Because I will, you know I will. I don’t think I can do this if I fuck this up again.”

Careful fingers curl through the back of his head, keeping his face tucked to Nicky’s shoulder. After a beat, he speaks. “Do you trust me? Do you trust Joe?”

“With my life.”

“Then, trust me when I say that we’re never going to give you up,” Nicky says, turning his lips to the shell of Booker’s ear as he continues. “Never gonna run around and desert you, never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye-”

“Oh, fuck off,” Booker gasps, choking on a wet laugh as he pulls away only to be dragged back into a quick press of a kiss tinged with happiness.

“Hey, I want a kiss, too!”

Booker startles and makes to jump apart at the sound of Joe’s voice but Nicky holds firm. “Well darling, take a number,” He says sweetly, turning Booker’s attention back to him and sliding their mouths into another kiss that leaves him melting into Nicky’s arms.

He can’t see it but he hears the absolute triumph in Nile’s voice when she says, “Oh my god, Andy owes me 500 euros.”

#booker x joe x nicky #booker x nicky #booker & nile #the old guard fic #bewires #gab writes stuff

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ashleyswrittenwords · 4 years ago

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Whumptober No.7

I’ve Got You (Support | Carrying | Enemy to Caretaker)

Series Summary: After Calamity Ganon awakens, Zelda is left alone and heartbroken. Now something horrible has happened to Link and no more is she merely tasked with fighting the Calamity - but also what is left of her knight.

Against her better judgement, Zelda unfurled from the ball she had cocooned herself into. Impa was long gone – back to the village that wasn’t too far from where she stayed stargazing. Chills snuck down her spine and her joints ached from the long period of stasis on the ground.

She rolled up into a seat, hands quickly rubbing at the crick forming in her neck.

There were a tumultuous number of factors that made this a bad idea. Even while knowing that, she didn’t feel the urge to return to the village where she knew she’d be safe and warm. There was a freedom in being alone, a hint of the independence she had always yearned for.

Now, her fingertips reached for the sky.

I believe he was looking for you.

Her movements stuttered and her arms folded behind her head.

The implications of that were obvious and to pretend they were anything else was childish, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t dwell on it any less. Nor would it spell that she would forget the way Link saw her for the brief span of time. It was almost him.

Almost.

Behind her was a cluster of buildings and within that light from several pitched tents. Zelda wasn’t sure how long she had been away. The songs she could scarcely hear coming from the village had ceased and she assumed that the only ones awake were the rotating night watch. Her nose scrunched at the brief comparison to her former guard. These people were far from that. Though some had formal training, the majority were simply men and women who had lost enough to follow her in protecting what was left of Hyrule.

It was confounding because it was her fault after all. Normally Impa would scold her into “corralling her thoughts”, but Impa wasn’t here to read her mind. Zelda could be as unschooled as she pleased.

A short walk is what she needed, or that’s what she told herself. She’d be a fool to waste a night like this. Other than the slight wading in the snow, it wasn’t hard to convince herself to do just that. The land laid out in front of her, the darkness not as fierce when the stars were there to light the way. The snow, however, hid small crags that made her trip.

She made an embarrassingly uncouth noise, found her bearings, and glanced back at the town she was temporarily leaving. At that point the distance would mask any uncouthness she could muster and it suited her just fine. Zelda wobbled up the hill to gain a better vantage point.

Castle Town had been once formidable. It had fortified walls to keep its wealth within and its enemies outside. For centuries, it had endured and even grown. On a clear night, one could spy the lights of Castle Town from the peak of Mount Lanayru – she would know because she had done it. A chill not born from cold met her as she stared at the black abyss of where the city was meant to be. Nothing but the dull hue of Calamity Ganon illuminated the castle.

As the princess, she should feel anguish and she had for a time. Guilt, sorrow, and grief rolled into one wedged deep. But no one human can keep living with that weight, according to Impa of course. Zelda found that she had only gotten used to it; dulled it, adapted to live with it. None of that was communicated to her Sheikah friend. Some things were better left unsaid.

Below her was the snaking Regencia River, winding from Hyrule Castle’s moats and to the south. Zelda had seen is freeze over before, but she recalled remark from Purah about the downward temperature trends.

Ice skating. That was something she missed. She wasn’t particularly good at it, as much as her father bragged. To anyone that discussed his daughter with him, Zelda was a renaissance woman to the fault of where the kingdom needed her most. Who was to call him out when her days were spent studying in monasteries and venturing across the country for holy springs?

Zelda glanced back at the village while biting at the inside of her cheek. Scaling down the hill left her completely out of view, but her feet had their own mind.

Her mother, however, was a little too honest. It was her smile that Zelda remembered the most, toothy and unadulterated. Always so perfectly her and bursting with optimism. Before the doctors had barred Zelda from seeing her mother alive again, she promised her that she would be able to surface her power. In a sense, she wasn’t wrong but it couldn’t have been what she had expected.

Zelda’s boots toed the edge of the iced over river. Solidness against rubber felt safe enough and once she had smoothed back any loose hairs from her braid, the woman had a surge of confidence. It bubbled in her chest and twitched the corners of her lips upward.

The boot’s heel picked up in hesitance before stepping on the ice altogether.

This was silly.

She took another step and the liberty to slide it across the surface, her stance wobbling in uncertainty. Another step when she regained it. Pale hands outstretched on either side of her. They traded heights frantically as nervous laughter trembled on her lips.

Surely, she had gone mad.

With time she created a gentle shuffling of feet and her subconscious dared her to venture further. Whatever she was doing was a pitiful bastardization of ice skating, but she’d be lying to think that having the correct footwear would make any difference.

A noise made her whip her head back to the shore. The swiftness caused her to misplace her weight and her back foot slipped forward. Her backside hit the ice harshly, pain shot up her sides.

“Dammit-”

The curse froze on her lips when a sharpness pierced through the air. It lasted long, as if snaking through the air. Suddenly Zelda felt it and her hands scraped up the ice only for her to fall again. The bank was so far with her, nearly halfway across the river’s width. Another low, cutting sound caught her ears and then the ice turned to large sectioned puzzle pieces.

Zelda held her breath, scrambling upward to see the world turn and capsize.

Her environment muffled. Shock stalled her muscles as icy cold invaded her senses.

Cold, cold, cold.

She kicked her feet wildly only to realize that she couldn’t tell which direction was up. It wasn’t until the weight of her boot suctioned her further into the dark abyss did she begin pulling herself to the surface. The first attempt was lame, and already Zelda’s muscles burned fiercely.

Anxiety gripped her. She kicked again, then again until there was nothing more she could give. Cold solid ice scraped her fingertips and despite the force she applied to her pounding, it wouldn’t give. In the murky water, Zelda watched how more air left her.

Screaming. She was screaming.

It was foolish. All of this was, she decided suddenly when her hands left the ice. Born a princess, soon motherless, a life of falling dominos left her an orphan altogether.

What was the point?

Meant to be Hylia’s servant, maybe. And she had been for a time. Now here she was, drowning in a river caused not by Ganon. Her lungs met the unforgivable water. It would soon be all black due to her closing her eyes or falling deeper into the river.

Life was unforgiving too. All it did was take. Zelda was all too willing to give: her time, energy, opportunity. Had it not been good enough for Hylia?

She just wanted to be happy – even if it took taking a few dedicated moments back.

The water jostled her.

Had she taken too much?

Solidness gripped her arm.

Her mother seemed happy. Is that why she died?

Then, her waist.

Zelda’s lungs hurt. She wanted it to stop.

“Death is only good when it’s swift.”

It was as if he meant to add that he knew from experience. He watched her with stolen eyes. His coat, too, was most likely stolen. The winter weather an excuse enough to mask what Calamity Ganon had done to him. She had heard stories of him tricking clueless people into giving him shelter.

Zelda hated him. This was not Link. How dare he pretend to be the same man!

But the string of her bow relaxed anyway because nothing good ever came from hope.

There was pressure on her chest. So much pressure that came and went.

The woman was taken away by Impa. The town was built into the hillside, so she found herself on a rooftop. Zelda was stuck in a fight with him. His grin was wild, drunk until she read his steps wrong and her arm was caught in the crossfire of his blade. It was a shallow cut only because he jerked back at the sound of fabric tearing. Blood pooled in the wound, but she rebounded quickly.

The jacket she wore was roughly being torn.

Then, muttering anger. “…never walk on river ice…”

Her short sword balanced in her hand as she met him once more. Link appeared laxed, meeting her blows with an unreadable expression – staring uncomfortably at her arm. The roof was sloped, and with him taking the upper ground she expected this to be difficult. Zelda hadn’t expected to be tripped by his foot and sent tumbling into a snowbank. He was gone by the time she recovered.

Unexpected warmth enveloped her. She clung to it, shivering violently. It was a moving heat that adjusted her until she was comfortably cradled. There was a crackling fire singing in her ears and something that was distinctly not fire. A haven she desperately clung to.

Zelda couldn’t feel much. Her hands were the ice that trapped her. She pressed her fingers closer to that warmth – she wasn’t burned, just pulled tighter. Exhaustion took hold of her mild consciousness. There was a smell that was familiar, but sleep overtook her before she could figure it out.

“Princess?”

The sudden light made Zelda squint. She buried herself deeper into the quilts.

“Princess, please. Are you alright?”

Light nudges stirred her to lucidity. She blinked, adjusting to the brightness and then to who was in front of her. Esme stared with wide eyes, adverting them with a flush. Zelda shivered and, to her horror, looked down to see pale nakedness. The princess yelped, pulling the blankets around her tightly.

She was at the entrance of a barn; the doors were ajar. Beyond Esme was her soaked clothes laid out nearly on hay bales.

Esme seemed to take assessment, already with a steaming cup in hand. “You have your people worried sick, love.”

“I-I um,” she swallowed, sitting up. It was difficult to form words. She looked down at her forearm to see intricate bandages around her wound from last night. “Did you see anyone else here?”

Esme gave her an odd look, glancing around the small barn.

Evidently not.

#I envisioned the movie Ice Age while writing this #thank you ice age #the prompt kind of gives it away but...#if you read into the last part there's a lot to unpack #i think #whumptober2020 #no.7 #enemy to caretaker #zelink #loz #legend of zelda #legend of zelda: breath of the wild #corrupted!link

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big4girl · 4 years ago

Note

Heyyyy me again! I really loved your last fic so Imma request another, if that's okay! If you're still doing drabbles, could I possibly get a Hiccanna Angel/Demon AU fic with the sentence starter “If you don’t hug me right now I think I might fall apart.”? I'm in the mood for big boi angst lol (also kinda see Hiccup as the demon one here because of the dragon and fire connection, but reversed would be interesting too!)

I think I’ll go for what you suggested since it makes the most sense character-wise! I hope you enjoy!

****

Angels and Demons coexisted as enemies for many millennia. Good versus evil, light versus dark, virtue versus vice, Heaven versus Hell.

And Anna was okay with this. She was old, far older than the human numbers could reach. She thought she had seen it all. But that was before him.

The first time she was sent to Earth was on her first mission as a Guardian Angel. She had been protecting a little girl with brown hair and brown eyes who loved ice skating and playing with her brother.

Anna admired the way the family interacted; laughing, playing, creating. And how they created an orange and yellow light that kept the darkness away.

She listened intently one night when the little girl asked, “Mommy, why do we light the fire?”

The mother tucked her child securely in her bed, the covers pulled up to her chin. “Because there are evil things in this world, things that want to hurt us, and the fire keeps them away.”

Anna’s feathers ruffled at the mention of evil. How could someone even think about hurting people so innocent? Why they had never done anything wrong.

“Like the boogeyman?”

The mother smoothed back her daughter’s hair. “Yes, my love, like the boogeyman. But the fire keeps him away. You have nothing to worry about. And if the fire ever goes out, you have your guardian angel to protect you.”

Anna felt herself glow a little brighter as her ward’s eyes lit up.

“I bet she’s beautiful,” the little girl whispered.

Her mother kissed her on the head and said her goodnight, placing one of the brother’s head as well. How happy they were. How perfect that moment was.

Then that moment ended.

“Be careful,” the mother chided them.

“We will,” the boy replied with a laugh as his sister pulled him towards the frozen lake.

Anna walked carefully along the treeline above them, keeping a watchful eye, but she wasn’t worried. They had done this a hundred times before, what could go wrong?

How she wished she had paid more attention.

The ice cracked under the little girl’s feet, her sobs being drowned out by her brother's reassurances.

Anna couldn’t move, a force was keeping her rooted to the spot and she was furious.

She watched on in anger and fear as the brother coaxed his sister a few steps forward. The ice cracked, the little girl screamed and Anna was suddenly free from her trap.

She flew forward, grabbing the little girl by the armpits and flying her to the other side of the ice where it was thicker.

Anna smiled as the little girl looked around, her eyes finding her brother’s.

It was a blissful moment that was ruined by the deafening sound of cracking ice.

The brother let out a cry of surprise as it gave way under his feet, pulling him into the freezing waters below.

Anna cried out, but she couldn’t save him, couldn’t even touch him. She wasn’t his guardian angel.

“Jack!”

That’s when she saw him.

He was standing on the other side of the pond across from her. He had blood-red eyes and black scales running along his skin. He was frowning and. from a distance, Anna thought he looked angry.

“Hey!” She cried out angrily, leaving her ward’s side for a moment to fly towards the demon.

He disappeared when she reached him. She let out an angry shout before returning to the little girl’s side. Watching her sob as she ran for her parents.

Jack became an angel for his sacrifice.

Anna met him in Heaven. Shook his hand and apologized for not being able to save him. He didn’t hold it against her, just asked for updates on his sister every so often.

Anna would watch over the little girl until she was old and was ready to go.

When she closed her eyes for the final time, Anna was there; her hand out in greeting, ready to take her to Heaven. To her brother.

“I was right.” She said, taking Anna’s hand. “You are beautiful.”

Anna smiled. “I will miss looking after you,”

“You can come to visit me anytime,”

Anna knew it didn’t work that way but didn’t say anything, just smiled and nodded.

They were met at the gates by Jack and her other family members she had lost over the years. The moment she stepped through the gates, she was reverted to her child form, running to hug her brother for the first time in a long time.

Anna would have cried if she were human.

But her heart did feel funny, watching them.

Her next ward was a little girl in Scotland. The girl had a head of curly red hair and a bow and arrows at six years old.

Anna knew she had her work cut out for her.

She watched on from a tree as the little girl played hide and seek with her mother and received a brand new bow from her father, much to her mother’s dismay.

It was beautiful until the little girl screamed.

Anna was up immediately, landing in front of the mother and daughter, using her powers to still the bear until they were safely out of the way. She saw the way its eyes glowed red and she knew that this was no ordinary bear, but a demon-possessed one.

The father and his men charged the bear, pointing spears at it and a rush of panic flew through Anna. No, no, no not again.

The bear moved right past her and she was once again rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to help in any way.

The bear slashed at the wooden spear, effectively ripping the sharp end of it off.

The father threw the splintered wood aside, ready to take on the monster with his bear-hands.

It roared, ready to go in for the kill.

“NO!” Anna screamed, breaking free of the hold with all of her ability and slamming herself into the bear. It staggered to the side, jaw sinking into the man’s ankle instead of his neck.

Anna watched as the father screamed and the demon came out of the bear.

It was the same one from the lake.

His red eyes met Anna’s gold ones. He seemed surprised, intrigued.

Anna, however, was livid. She lunged at him, only for him to disappear the same as he had before. Anna screamed out in fury.

The father was alive, at the cost of his foot. But he was alive.

And Anna was in trouble.

“Άννα.”

She was suddenly standing in the blinding white room of her boss.

Not God, much worse.

“Elsa,” Anna replied, turning to see the head Guardian Angel standing before her.

“Άννα,” She repeated, using Anna’s original angel name. “You meddled.”

Anna frowned. “I had to! That demon was going to kill my ward’s father!”

“You cannot meddle, Άννα. You should know better.”

“Come on, I saved somebody! Isn’t that what guardian angels are supposed to do?” Anna argued.

Elsa only gave Anna an icy glare. “I’m sorry. But I cannot allow you to watch over Merida any longer.”

“What!”

"Acts like this have consequences, Άννα.”

“That’s so stupid! It wasn’t even my fault! If that stupid demon hadn’t been there-”

“Enough,” Elsa said sternly.

Anna cowered underneath her gaze but was still stewing with anger.

“You are on probation from guardian duties. You will be assigned to another job until it is through.”

Anna was on probation for centuries and it felt like a millennium. When she was finally released on another mission, she was assigned a boy this time.

Who was a troublemaker, of course. She always seemed to get those. But Anna didn’t mind; in fact, she was overjoyed because she was always on the move. Being locked up in heaven will do that to you.

Her ward was living the life. Just accepted into college at fourteen and being praised by his brother.

Anna watched on with admiration as the two talked. Her siblings up in Heaven never showed any emotions, perhaps that came with being an angel, but Anna longed for love.

Maybe that made her a bad angel, she didn’t care. Love was a fascinating prospect.

Then everything went bad. Just like it always does.

Anna noticed the fire right after the two boys did. She flew alongside the two brothers, terrified as she watched multiple guardian angels flying around the place.

Where was Tadashi’s? Anna suddenly realized, looking around to find Rapunzel.

She finally caught sight of her near the sidewalk, completely frozen in place, unable to move, to do anything.

“No,” Anna said with sudden terror. “No, no, no, no-”

She turned to find that Hiro and Tadashi had moved, gone closer to the flames.

“Tadashi no!” Hiro cried, latching onto his older brother’s arm.

“Somebody has to help.”

“No!” Anna cried flying forward, trying to catch Tadashi, but it was too late. All she could do was stand in front of Hiro and shield him from the blast.

“Tadashi!”

Hiro’s cries were faint in Anna’s ears as she looked around the scene. Guardian angels were flying everywhere, following people away from the fire and helping the firefighters put out the blaze, Rapunzel was free from her hold and she was crying, and there was that demon again.

Anna’s eyes landed on him at the steps of the building. He was gazing up at the fire, reflecting ominously in his red eyes.

He wouldn’t get away this time.

“Hey!” Anna cried out.

He didn’t move and Anna flew forward, tackling him to the ground.

He let out a cry of surprise and a grunt as they landed against the hard earth.

“What’s your problem with me, huh? Why do you keep killing the people my wards care about? Every time you’re around one of them dies!”

The demon below her didn’t say anything, just took on her wrath with surprising calmness.

This made Anna even more furious. “You don’t feel guilty at all? Ha. Should expect that from filthy demons like you! You probably take pleasure in killing people-”

“We don’t kill people,”

“What?” Anna asked, glaring at him.

The demon cleared his throat, as the best he could with Anna sitting on his chest. “We don’t kill people. We just cause chaos. Posses them, mess with them, make bad things happen, yes, but we don’t kill people.”

“Then how do you explain-”

“Do you think you guardian angels would let us get that far? We can’t overpower you, you know that. So, how can we kill anyone?”

Anna’s mouth went dry at his words.

No. He had to be lying. He had to be.

“Then how are these people dying?”

“Don’t ask me. Maybe you should take it up with the higher authorities.”

Anna’s world was crashing down around her. Heaven wouldn’t- they couldn’t-

“It’s not the Devil who chooses when people die, Angelface.”

Anna ripped her hands off him, stumbling backward, trying to get away from him.

“Then why were you there? Every time you were there.”

“We’re in tandem, I guess. I’m just a worker Demon. Like you. At least” - he frowned. “-I was.”

“We are nothing alike.” Anna spat.

“Keep telling yourself that, Angelface.”

“Stop calling me that! My name is-”

Anna was transported into Elsa’s room again.

“Άννα.”

“What?” Anna yelled, turning to face her superior, who was stone-face. “What, huh? What do you want from me? Want me to go on probation again? Because I’m sick and tired of watching people die, Έλσα.”

“You interacted with a demon, Άννα. This is serious.”

“So what? He was some beat demon, there to start a fire that was killing people.”

“Demons don’t kill people, Άννα. The lord decides when they are to come to Heaven.”

“What?” Anna said, angrier than ever. “But we’re Heaven! We’re supposed to be the good guys! The light! Killing people is wrong!”

“Άννα. Calm down.”

“No! No, why? Why does some unseen celestial being get to decide the fate of good people? Old age, okay, fine, but young people? Children? That’s wrong.”

“We serve the lord, Άννα. We don’t question.”

“Well, the lord can beat it! I don’t care! This is wrong! How can you not see that?”

“I’m sorry, Άννα.”

Anna was cast out of Heaven immediately. Her halo stripped from her, her wings turning a dark black to signify to the other angels her crimes. She would walk the Earth as a ghost.

She hit the ground near where her last assignment had been.

“So,” the demon said, sitting next to her when she came to. “I’m guessing taking it up with the higher authorities didn’t go so well?”

Anna felt something for the first time in her life. She left a million things at once and it hurt.

She turned to the demon with watery eyes and she noticed for the first time that his eyes weren’t red anymore. In fact, they were a really pretty green.

“If you don’t hug me right now I think I might fall apart.” She said.

The request didn’t seem to shock the demon. He just opened his arms and allowed Anna to hug him, to sob into his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed as hard as he could.

Anna felt something she had never felt before, but couldn’t place the emotion. Over time she would learn, but now all she wanted to do was cry and be held.

“Any chance you’ll give me that name now, Angelface?” he asked softly.

“Anna,” She choked out. “My name is Anna.”

“Nice to meet you, Anna. My name’s Hiccup. And I think we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together.”

#hicanna #hiccanna

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what-is-your-plan-today · 5 years ago

Text

Riding High Ch 25: Keep It Simple

Chapter Summary: The events of Boston behind them, Frank, Fliss and Mary look forward to Christmas…and Frank has a big surprise planned.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut…NSFW and NO UNDER 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

And yes, I know it ain’t Christmas but…well, in my mind it should be Christmas every day!

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter Song: God Only Knows by the Beach Boys

If you should ever leave me, thought life would still go on, believe me, the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you…

"Mary can you just hold on a second, please!" Frank sighed, grabbing the back of her coat to stop her shooting off into the crowd that streamed down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. "But Frank!" she turned and looked at him, her woollen hat jammed down over her ears "I just wanna see the stall!" "Yeah but you can't just run off!" He grumbled and besides him Fliss gave a chuckle. He turned to look at her "who gets so excited about damned wooden tree ornaments?" "Oh hush!" Fliss leaned up to give him a pack, her cold nose brushing his. In retaliation he pulled the front of her baby blue sparkly bobble hat down over her eye and she shoved him in the chest, laughing. "Fuck you!" "Chance would be a fine thing" he grumbled, taking Fliss’ hand as they headed after Mary. "Awww is that why you're grumpy?" Fliss grinned as they walked "Coz you haven't had any in nearly 3 days?" Frank pouted "No." "Liar..." "Ok, look...Frankie has needs..." he whined "I completely over looked the fact hanging out with an 8 year old in the room would be a cock block." "Always the shower..." Fliss teased and Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine? I give it 3 minutes before she came looking for us." "We go home tomorrow. I'll make it up to you then." Fliss grinned and he sighed. "What?" She laughed. "It’s just...you look so hot in all this winter clothing." Frank grinned. And he meant it. Seeing her wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf had made her look all cute and cozy...and it had done inappropriate things to him for some odd reason. "Hmmm, you know most men get more turned on the less clothing their girls wear." She teased and he grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not most men" She gave him a smile which he returned with a soft kiss as they stopped by the stall where Mary instantly dived into looking at the array of ornaments. After a few moments of looking she handed Frank one in the shape of a reindeer stag, and a doe for him and Fliss before selecting a robin for herself. "I think they're so pretty." She looked at the bird in her hand "I saw one at Evelyn's over thanks giving." "Ever heard the saying robins appear when loved ones are near?" Fliss asked. Mary shook her head. "No" "Well, I don't know about here but certainly in England we say it because there is an old belief by some people that a robin is a message from heaven, that a loved one is watching over you." "Do you believe that?" Mary looked at Fliss. Fliss hesitated "Well when my mum's dad died I was 20 and I remember getting up the morning after he died and there was a robin on the fence of the back garden. Bill told me it was my granddad Alex come to check I was ok." "Do you think it was? Really I mean?" "I dunno sweetheart." Fliss sighed "I'd like it to be true..." "Then you should believe it was." Mary said, looking at her "Because isn't that what faith is? Believing something you want to be true?" Fliss looked at Frank who smiled and gave a small shake of his head. She turned back to Mary, smiling softly as she dropped a hand to the back of her head. This kid was unbelievably wise, but with such an innocence behind it all. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Fliss nodded. "Do you think the robin I saw could have been my mom?" She asked, her eyes wide. Frank at that point stepped in, carefully picking an answer that was ambiguous so as not to say yes, but also not dampening her spirits. "If your mom could I'm sure she would come and see you, make sure you're ok." Mary gave a nod, before she turned back to the stall, her attention back on the ornaments. "We need a dog for Thor, and a cat for Fred oh...and a pony for Monty." "What about Cap and Heidi?" Fliss asked, moving to inspect the selection of decorations. "Oh, yeah!" "This is gonna bankrupt me." Frank grumbled, his hands on Fliss' hips, chin resting on her shoulder as he observed the two of them. "Scrooge" Fliss shot back with a smile "Do you think Verity and Bill will like this one?" Mary held up a snowman. "Absolutely" Fliss nodded. "And can I get one for Evelyn?" She asked, selecting a snowflake. Despite the fact that they were now well into the fifty buck range for fucking tree decorations, Frank couldn't help but want to smile at Marys face. She was so thoughtful, the purity behind it all was as usual humbling. So he nodded "Sure she will appreciate it." He smiled. He moved to lift her up so she could hand the ones they had picked over to the guy behind the counter who asked Mary what names she wanted on each one. As she told him, he allowed her to sit up on the edge of the little surface, held in place by Frank to watch as he burnt the names into each ornament before he bagged them up and she took them with a thanks. "Our first family tree stuff!" Mary grinned and Fliss smiled, bending down to give her a hug. They set back off towards the hotel, stopping by a burger joint for dinner before they dumped their bags and returned back out for their final evening in the City. Frank had loved every second of their trip, and so had Mary and Fliss. Seeing Mary's reaction to snow and the Christmas lights had been amazing, along with all the bands on street corners, people walking around dressed up. It was magical and he wasn't afraid to let his inner child come out to play either, as Fliss had just found out. "Whose idea was this again?" He asked as Mary was bouncing up and down in the queue. "Yours!" Fliss scoffed as he took Mary's hand in his right "I seem to recall the very visible horror on your face yesterday when I told you I'd never done it before..." "That’s because it's an abomination that someone who's 34 has never been ice skating." "I was a professional athlete." She shrugged "I was banned from doing anything deemed dangerous " Frank looked at her "What do they consider more dangerous than flying a half tonne animal almost 2 meters into the air?" "Bungee jumping, sky diving, jet skiing, water skiing, ice skating.." Fliss shrugged "just to name 5" Frank shook his head as the queue shuffled forward a little. It wasn't too long now, luckily they had timed it right by arriving 20 minutes or so before the next lot of General Admission to the famous Rockefeller rink opened so there weren't too many people ahead. After another 10 minutes they got to the front and Frank nudged Fliss out of the way as she tried to pay. She scowled at him and he simply rolled his eyes and handed his card over. It wasn't cheap but then, he was in New York. What was? Together they headed onto the ice. Frank, having done it a few times as a kid found his legs fairly quickly and didn't stop himself laughing as Mary's completely went from under her and she landed with a thump on her ass. "Here..." he chuckled, offering her his hand. He pulled her up and moved her in front of him. "Give me your hands..." Mary extended her arms to the side and he took her mitten clad hands in his, holding her in front of him. Fliss was moving tentatively behind him, using the sides for support a little. "Ok slide your right foot forward, like on your roller skates..." Frank said. Mary did as she was told "now left...right...left...right..." He continued his chanting and glanced over his shoulder to see Fliss was concentrating on her feet, her tongue poking out slightly. "You good?" "Yup." She said, raising her hand to give him a thumbs up before she skidded slightly and went down in a tangle of limbs. Letting out a laugh he gently pivoted Mary so she could hold onto the side and offered Fliss his hand. Pulling her up into his arms he held her steady for a moment whilst her laughing subsided. He watched her for a second, her face creasing up into those adorable dimples, eyes crinkled so much they were almost shut and her shoulders shook with the force of her giggles. "I fuckin' love you..." he grinned and she smiled at him. "Back at ya sailor" After another few laps Mary and Fliss had managed to get the hand of it which meant Frank could leave them a little bit as he went off for what he called a proper skate. The girls watched calling him a show off as he crossed his feet and turned, skating backwards a little. Both of them debated sabotaging him and tripping him up but they decided not to, instead they simply pretended they didn't know him, resulting in him grabbing Fliss from behind just beneath the large tree, and spinning her round to face him. "Can I help you?" She teased and he gave a snort. "Yeah, you can... Mary?" He called to her where she was trying to perfect a turn and failing as she almost stumbled again. She looked up and headed over. "Can you take our photo?" "Only if you're gonna kiss..." she replied, making smooching noises. "Well we can’t disappoint her..." Frank shrugged and Fliss grinned, her smile turning into a shriek as Frank quickly grabbed her hips before he took one hand, keeping the other round her back and dipped her so she was bending backwards, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth as he gave her a wink, before kissing her a little deeper and then setting her upright, his eyes boring into hers which were shining in the Christmas lights surrounding the rink. "Oh that was great!" Mary howled and he turned to face her as she handed his phone back. Frank checked the photo and had to smile, it was a dammed good shot. He showed it to Fliss and she beamed. "A framer?" She asked. "A framer." He agreed. It took them ages to get Mary to finally leave the rink. Even a bribe of hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies wasn't doing it. Eventually Frank put his foot down and told her it was time to go as it was almost 9pm and they still had that tree to go see before they headed to Central Park for one last walk in the lights. After handing their skates back and retrieving their belongings from the lockers they followed the path to the tree. As they round the corner Mary gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Frank and Fliss, her eyes wide "Oh my God!" Frank smiled kissed Fliss' cheek as Mary walked slightly ahead of them down the walkway that was flanked with smaller trees and the famous lit up trumpeting angels . As they caught her up he slipped his spare hand in his pocket, his fingers curling round the small, leather box inside. The damned thing had been burning a hole in his pocket since he had bought it in Boston just after Thanksgiving. Fliss, Verity and Bill had all stayed for a very pleasant week rounded off with a damned good proper Thanksgiving dinner and the three of them had flown home on the Friday, as Fliss was starting to stress about her business. He and Mary followed on the Sunday after she had been given the all clear to fly after a week’s check up at the Hospital. On his spare afternoon, he'd taken a trip into the city with one goal, and it had been surprisingly easy. The first jeweller he has walked into had a perfect ring, and despite the fact he had visited several others none of them caught his eye like that. So he had gone back and asked the assistant for a closer look. It wasn't a huge rock, white gold and emerald cut with in a pave setting, but everything about it had screamed Fliss. It was delicate and feminine but with a wonderful sparkle just like her. He knew that sounded so lame when he had told the assistant but she has just smiled and told him that if he had that much conviction, it must be right. He had been lost when she asked him what size, but in a sudden inspiration he had remembered the Pandora ring he had bought her when he had gotten his first new pay check as supervisor. He mentioned this to the assistant who beamed and said she could easily size it from that by using a simple conversion chart and told him to come back the following day. His sudden good spirit had fallen as he explained he couldn't do and asked her to see if here was anything she could do, even contemplating taking it and having it sizes back in Florida. But, after the shitty run of events over the last week, his luck was in after she returned 5 minutes later with a slip of paper, informing him it would be ready by the end of the day. When he had told Mary he was going to ask Fliss to marry him, she'd been so excited. She'd asked when, where and when he said he didn’t know she'd given him the most exasperated look on the planet. The only one of his friend who he had confided in, Greg, hadn’t been much help either, simply telling him to do it in a way that meant something to them both. Simply put he just hadn't a fucking clue. He had agonized over how to pop the question. On the boat? Or maybe a sunset on their favourite spot at St Pete's beach? Did he wait for New York? As such, Frank had taken to carrying the ring around with him, waiting for that moment when it felt right. So far it hadn't happened at home and as it stood New York wasn’t faring any better. He had thought about it at the top of the Empire state, but it had been too busy. Then there was a moment in Central Park after they had been snowman building that might have worked...until Fliss had nailed him in the face with a snowball. So they'd had a snowball fight instead. Then when walking over Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline behind them… then when they walked back to the Hotel after seeing the Lion King on Broadway, going the long way round to see the display in Macy's window all lit up...and then that moment before when Mary had taken a picture of them kissing under the tree on the ice rink... but none of it felt right. It didn't feel like the moment for them. But now something stirred in his gut. This could be it. It wasn't too busy, the place was gorgeous, right in front of the tree Fliss had been so desperate to see... Ok Adler, you can do this. Taking a deep breath he pulled the box from his pocket when he heard Mary give a squeal. "Oh...wow! Frankie look..." Fliss' voice was a whisper and she nudged him, pointing to the base of the tree. He followed her gaze to see a blonde haired man down on one knee, presenting a ring to a dark haired woman who had her hands clasped over her mouth. Frank slipped the box back into his pocket and stared at the man as he placed the ring onto his now fiancés finger and did his best to look like he cared when Fliss let out a soft "Awwww" The man looked around excitedly, his eyes falling on the three of them before he asked Frank if he or Fliss would mind taking a photo for them. "Course not buddy, congratulations." Frank smiled. Fucking prick... ***** "It was AMAZING!" Mary gushed to Verity as they walked to the car, Fliss' parents having come to pick them up from the airport. "we saw so much stuff but nowhere near all of it but Frank said we could go back next year in the summer maybe and do a bit more." "Looks like someone else had a good time too." Bill smiled, nodding to Fliss who let out a loud yawn. Frank chuckled "She was up all night, I told her not to have more food so close to bed time." "I wanted a hot dog and a pretzel." Fliss mumbled, "Besides, it's nothing to do with the food...we did a lot of walking." Bill gave a snort "You ride horses for a living, you should be fit enough to walk round New York" "I probably skated about 4 miles too..." Fliss said looking at Mary "Someone wouldn't come off the ice rink" "You been sleeping ok otherwise?" Verity looked at her "I'm fine mum." She smiled "No anxiety?" 'V, she said she's fine so leave it" Bill said gently and Fliss shot a grateful look at her dad. She knew her mum was only concerned but she was fed up of assuring people she was fine. After the attack from John she had suffered a bout of delayed shock which had manifested in a few panic attacks, nightmares, and restlessness at night and on one occasion nausea. Luckily Frank had been brilliant at keeping calm when she had an episode, helping her work through it and the last incident she had suffered had been over a week ago. Once they were all in the car, Frank took the passenger seat after Verity offered it to him, Mary continued to chat all the drive home about New York, Fliss and Frank butting in here and there. They arrived home little after 30 minutes later and Fliss headed up the steps with Mary, Thor almost sending the pair of them flying when they opened the door. "Oh puppy I missed you!" Fliss smiled as she gave him plenty of attention and he kept licking her face, whining and emitting quiet little barks. "Did you miss me? Did you?" "Yerress" Frank did his best Scooby Doo impression as he walked past and Fliss let out a laugh, as she stood up and headed into the living room behind Mary, bumping into the girl as she stopped dead, giving a squeal as she saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. "Mum, Dad?" Fliss called, smiling "I take it you did this?" Frank appeared behind them both, smiling as Fliss and Mary exchanged a glance before they all turned to Bill and Verity who were stood in the doorway. "Well we know how much you like to get your tree up as early as you can and, well we were picking one up for ourselves so we got you one. You don’t mind do you?" Verity, looked at Fliss then Frank. "No, of course not!" Fliss grinned. "Saved me a job." Frank nodded "Thanks guys." "Can we decorate it tonight?" Mary asked "Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee Frank!" Frank glanced at his watch before giving a sigh, he knew she wouldn't go to bed if he said no anyway so what was the point? Plus she was at the University tomorrow which didn’t start until 10 so... "Ok, but if you so much as grumble tomorrow morning when I get you up you'll be in deep trouble." He looked at her sternly as she stooped to pick Fred up. "Cross my heart, hope to die, we all know Fred's got one eye..." she chanted off, nodding. "We brought your box of decorations from the annex." Verity smiled at Fliss, nodding to the box on the floor. "We thought you could pick what you want to keep now you're combining."

“Speaking of decorations…” Frank said, looking at Mary.

“Fliss said you wouldn’t mind the names Mary wanted on them.” Frank said, watching carefully.

“Of course we don’t mind!” Bill smiled, picking Mary up to give her a hug “We are Nanny V and Poppa B ain’t that right kiddo?” “Yep!” she grinned, hugging him.

“We’ll save it to hang tomorrow when you come over after school.” Verity said as Bill set Mary on the floor and she hugged her tightly.

He had just about managed it when Thor came over to inspect what he was doing, and dropped straight onto his back on top of the string.

“Frank got me this for my first Christmas.” Mary said, hanging a red bauble which had her name on it. “The glitter has all fallen off it now.”

“We can add more if you want.” Fliss looked at her and Mary shrugged.

“Best Tree ever.” she smiled.

“Yeah, and now it’s time for the best bed ever…” he looked at her.

“Seriously?” Mary complained

“No moaning, remember?” Frank instructed her. “That was in the morning.”

“I’ll be in in a second.” Frank shot after her, watching as she headed down to the hallway. He turned back to Fliss who was watching the tree, a smile on her face.

“Not exactly up to Macey’s standards…” Frank chuckled and she shook her head.

“I love it.” “It looks like an Elf threw up on it.”

“No beer.” “You want me to wait in bed.” “Yes I do.” he nodded “Go, I’ll let Thor out and lock up.”

“I like your ass.” he muttered. “I like yours too” she said back, “And your arms”

He laughed and pulled back to look down at her as her fingers trailed up his biceps. “My arms?”

“I know I keep saying it but I really do fuckin’ love you Cowgirl.” he said, voice muffled as his face pressed into her neck.

Fliss gave a chuckle “I’ll never tire of hearing it Sailor. “

And then, suddenly an idea came to him, out of nowhere.

Oh, it was perfect! "Greg..." he smiled, slapping the man on the back "you are a genius." "Glad I could be of service." Greg smirked "This means I get best man duty, right?"

“Frank said you enjoyed New York.” “Oh, it was fantastic.” she smiled “Every bit as magical as I thought it was going to be.”

“No, Greg…” Fliss started to protest but Greg cut her off.

“Yes Greg!” he smirked, turning to the bar tender, “Can I get a bottle of Tequila pal and 8 glasses.” Fliss groaned “I’m teaching at 9 am!”

“Dumbass…” Greg looked at her and Frank gave a snort.

“I told you to switch them out…”

“The table is set, food and everything is ready to go…” he chuckled, looking at her “Just relax…”

He reached round Mary, his hand gently rubbing at Fliss’ back and she smiled at him, turning her attention to the TV.

“She wants you to go and say goodnight.” he smiled,

Fliss nodded and stood up.

“You sure you’re ok?” Frank asked.

She came back about 10 minutes later and he smiled at her as she walked into the room.

“OK, now she’s out of the way…I got something for you...” Frank smiled.

Fliss looked at him before she shook her head, chuckling a little “I got something for you too…Frank, I have-” “Me first.” Frank cut her off.

She looked at him for a second, his bright blue eyes were shining as he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” she smiled, “Ok, you first.” He grinned and then folded his arms “You gotta find it.” “What?”

“Charmer.” she grinned, turning back to the tree.

Fliss looked at it, admiring the way the delicate band sat underneath her knuckle, the beautiful diamond twinkling in the lights of the tree.

"Oh Frankie...it’s gorgeous..." she whispered, before she looked at him, taking his face in both his hands and pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He smiled, kissing her again before he pulled away, his hands linking behind her back.

Not that he had doubted she would, not really, but there had always been that little bit of fright she may have done. But that was all gone now. As he popped the cork on the bottle he found himself thinking about how he would be doing that soon enough on his wedding day. He poured 2 glassed and headed into the living room with them wondering if maybe a late Autumn wedding next year would be nice, October perhaps when it started to cool off slightly. They could do the beach wedding she always wanted, hire a marquee... Lost in his thoughts completely he jumped a little when Fliss spoke his name and turned to look at her as she stood in front of him, the back of his thighs brushing against the sofa slightly. He noticed her hand was in her pocket, clutching something. Playfully he nodded towards it “I assume that’s not a spanner." He chuckled, referencing the joke they often shared and Fliss shook her head, biting her lip. "No...it’s...a bit bigger than that" With a shaky hand she pulled out a small, white stick of plastic and held it towards him. It took Frank a moment to understand what it was and as soon as he did his eyes widened and he looked at her, then it, then back again.

"You're...we're...no...that's..." he stuttered, reaching out to take it from her. "I found out this morning." Fliss whispered, watching hair reaction carefully "I suspected last week but thought it might all be down to stress and stuff but..." "How, I mean..." "I should have started a new pill packet when we went to Boston but I forgot to take it with me. I thought I'd be ok if I started as soon as I got back but..." "There's a baby in there?" Frank cut her off as he stumbled over his words, nodding to her stomach "Yeah" Fliss nodded. "You put it there." Frank's legs grew shaky and he dropped onto the sofa, staring down at the test in his hands.

2 blue lines.

2 blue lines that had just changed his world forever. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden and I should have been more careful..." Fliss took a tentative step towards him and he reached out, his hands on either side of her hips, gently pulling her t-shirt up. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her belly, his forehead resting just above her navel. "I'm gonna be a dad..." he said, pulling back, his eyes watering. "Frankie, you already are..." Fliss said, her own tears once more springing forth. "I know you hate it when I say that about Mary but it's true." He looked at her, a dazed smile split his face into two as he pulled her onto his lap, where she straddled him, and he kissed her, hard, leaving her slightly breathless before he rest his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Lissy..." he whispered, his eyes closed "You're cooking a little person..." She spluttered a laugh, nodding, her forehead brushing his as she did. "Was it made in Boston...is that the right word?" He pulled back to look at her and she laughed, brushing her hand through his fluffy hair as his gently reached out to rest against her stomach. "Yeah and most likely." "It's a little Boston Bean" he grinned and she laughed again, pressing her lips to his. "You're ok with it then? I know it's probably not what you would have planned but..." "Ok? Of course I'm ok!" He smiled "I love you and the thought of us making a little person that's half me, half you...fuck, it's amazing." She smiled and nodded, her voice a whisper "I know..."

"There is one problem." Franks said, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "What?" "You just ruined Christmas forever...because nothing is ever gonna live up to this ever again."

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #gifted #gifted fan fic

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yeetskeetiwandelete · 4 years ago

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Oh boy I love my writing. Looking back through it is a great experience. Truly joyful. Here are some interesting sentences that I saw (mostly from different stories):

Carving his wrath into a body that didn't deserve it, the Birman's wicked heart wasn't appeased.

They decided being a snake was easier than this.

Her clothing barely provided armour, or even decent coverage, but she wore it proudly anyways.

Here he was, crying alone in a hotel room, 32 and hopeless.

Nope, most of them were addictions.

(Have a whole paragraph.) Outside, the sounds of Duncan being thrown out of a window echoed throughout the night. Mike was walking home, his jacket tied around his waist, one eye black and knuckles bruised, covered in bites and scratches, hair mussed up. The cool wind blew past him, ruffling up his hair and chilling him.

Sure, she a house she could go to and he didn't need to keep the cover, but there they were.

Tears already leaking out of sealed-shut eyes, he clenched his fists and tried to keep his breath calm, quickly beginning to fail.

I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to explode.

About a quarter of us are just unlucky non-natives who were taken in.

So yeah, there's a dogsled being pulled by one dog, with two screaming humans, two calves, and two chickens in the back while there's an avalanche, flying rocks, flying lava, and poisonous gasses in the air.

Moon likes walking, Snowflake likes walking, I don't like walking.

Moon and Shine were fine on the ice, while I looked like a football player attempting to figure skate for the first time.

So, Mary's brilliant plan to sneak into an abandoned warehouse didn't go well.

i ran into thorin (as we call him) screaming at watermelons.

Then there's me, who can't climb trees.

"Well, assuming that the a and e are pronounced the same way they are in Michael, we have Blaze, which is an awful name for a kid."

"Hello?" she asked, a voice like clicking beetles and burning fire.

"Hi," Dean responded, a voice like a normal teenage boy.

Those two are from neighboring pantheons with similar ideals.

"Drinking contest?" she asked, getting enthusiastic replies from everyone but Alan.

Isaac, to his credit, at least wore his seat belt.

Heck, I might even be missing some emotions.

I am not worthless, hopefully.

Should they exist? No.

Also, what's up with the tripwires?

He walked down the path, shivering and soaked.

Desecrated body, a plaything, thoughts of nothingness and everything, every word and touch a jolt back to tortured reality.

%$!#ing rabbit.

I got 10 minutes of sleep. Yay.

"Joey, how did you start a fire while getting a glass of water?"

Even in the dim light, they could still see her mechanical leg.

You grabbed me by the hands, kissed me until I couldn't breathe, and told me that you'd stay with me until the day I died.

The two thrill-seekers stared at each other, and then turned their attention to their friends on the cliffs.

"The incident in season two doesn't count."

"It has been four hours and we're STILL here!"

I didn't mind; I was a liar myself.

I can't see my face, but I'm assuming I'm bright with blush.

"I'll fight God if I have to."

Upbeat, confident, and outspoken, Gemini takes on his terrible life with a smile.

They cuddled together, sleepy and smiling, exchanging soft kisses.

There weren't lot of people left on either side, with several trusting their morals and guts over the Spector.

The cold floor was empty, mine alone, and once again the awful feeling of loneliness crept into my soul.

I didn't feel like standing up straight, I felt like collapsing to the ground and crying my eyes out.

Everything else in the world stopped mattering as they embraced, exhausted and drunk of the scent of sex.

my head feels like its splitting open. i run my hands through my hair. oh. my head is split open.

There were better responses than that. There are several better ones that I could think of. He seems to be thinking the same thing, and I could tell from the look on his face.

I hold Rosy tight to my chest, her fluffless stuffed animal body flopping into me.

I wouldn't call this a person.

I just gotta find a way to break it, for my sake an' Andy's.

A small mew came from a pocket in his leather jacket.

#rambling writes

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justoneday-namjoonii · 5 years ago

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Quarters. | 7

☼1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9

prompt: He is the definition of young blood, so sweet, so hot—it courses through his veins and fuels his vigor. When he fights, each punch cracks the earth and every drop of sweat gives birth to a flower somewhere in the universe.

pairing: Jungkook x reader

warnings/au: dysfunctional relationship, mentions of being insecure because of being adopted, family issues, humor(i try), mature subject matter, drug usage, don’t smoke children, fluff, angst, boxer!au, iceskater!au.

authors note: It’s been a while! But it’s back and I’m happy with how this came out, i hope you are too^^ feel free to comment what you think! Also, I will edit this later and lotte jk choked me. ♡´･ᴗ･`♡ i know this is late but happy b-day jungkook

Jimin yells pointers from the sidelines and he takes heed of all of them.

People are cheering, smoke wafts through the air to create a cloudy ambiance, and he drips with sweat. He is the definition of young blood, so sweet, so hot—it courses through his veins and fuels his vigor. When he fights, each punch cracks the earth and every drop of sweat gives birth to a flower somewhere in the universe. He grits his teeth and he’s dying to spit out the mouth guard, all he has to do is hope the dude he just socked doesn’t get up. He stays heavy on his feet, keeping his guard up as the guy rolls on his side in an attempt to get up. In his mind he’s chanting, please stay down, please stay the fuck down-

“...5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We have a winner!

“Yes!”

Jimin exclaimed he was elated, to say the least. Jungkook was glad. Tae was there, Hoseok, Yoongi, and a bunch of his friends came to support. This result was far better than the last match he had. He thinks in the back of his mind, I did good, but I could have done a lot better.

Jungkook was all smiles when he ran back to the locker room with a crowd chorusing his name.

“Are you on steroids or something?” Taehyung snickered, he was back there waiting for him. Jungkook just giggled like a little kid, making his way to the showers.

“Nah, I think I’m starting my winning streak though.”

“You were a fucking beast!” Jimin hit the shower room door as Jungkook was back there stripping off the sweaty boxers and letting the hot water wash the sweat from his shrine of tattoos. “We have to celebrate.”

“I’m up for whatever.” Jungkook pushed back his once pink, but now freshly died black hair and washed his face. When he deemed his body clean enough, he tugged the towel down from the door and hastily dried off. He swings the shower door open and stumbles out and into his slides.

“Let’s go swimming! I’ll order some food and we can go to my place. Jungkook, you should bring y/n too, it’ll be fun.” Jimin grins, knowing Jungkook would be more than happy to have you join them. Jungkook has only been with you for a few months but Jimin can tell that you’re different from any other girl he’s been with, as cliche as that seems. Jungkook sounds so in love when he talks about you, if you look hard enough, you can see him blushing when you’re even mentioned. And given you’ve stuck around to get him out of jail and all the other crap Jungkook has got himself in, you must really love him.

You skate around playfully, lazily trying to wrap up your conditioning for the day. Unfortunately, Charlotte’s best bud Stephanie came to the rink about 30 minutes ago to practice her routine. Just when you thought you could get a break, she skated up to you, a snake-ish smirk on her face.

“Y/n, how are you?” She grins, a very fake grin at that.

“I’m good, you?” You return her smile with the same expression.

“I’m fine. It’s Charlotte I’m worried about.”

“Oh?” You almost choke at your attempt to compile a comment of concern for your fellow skater. “Why?”

“People are talking about the competition and your scores...”

“And what about my scores?”

“Some people are thinking that the judges were biased when tallying up your scores.” You couldn’t hide the grimace on your face when she said that.

“What?”

“One of those judges used to be your coach.” How did she know that? “I heard she gave you a great score, the one that made you beat Charlotte.”

“And?” You didn’t have time to fool with her today. The most important thing for you to do is keep your cool and ignore her.

“And that seems suspicious, everyone thinks so.” That’s when she skated away.

You roll your eyes and skate off the ice. Instead of finishing conditioning, you decide to change and go home before you do something you regret. You grab your gym bag and take it to the locker room. The competition season has ended so everyone is focused on sharpening their skills for the next season. Why are people still talking about that one competition? You won, that’s it, it’s over. But you should have known the win couldn't come that easy, especially if you beat Charlotte, your arch-nemesis.

“Hello Y/n.” Charlotte enters the locker room, her pitiful little assistant trailing behind her with her bags. Due to repairs at her own center, she had to come here to practice. “I didn’t know you practiced on Thursday’s.”

“Yeah, I’m here every Thursday.” You grin, turning to face your locker as you take out your sweats and sneakers, eager to slip them on.

“This is kind of my home rink...” You mumble that to yourself while situating your sweats and then taking a seat to tie up your sneakers. Once you’re dressed, you threw your bag over your shoulder and you were ready to get out of there. Her assistant walked out and you were about to do the same.

“Wait,” Charlotte grabbed your arm, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I might as well.” She grins. “I brought a complaint to the judging panel.”

You pull your arm away and frown. “A complaint about what?”

“About you. One of the judges was a past coach of yours, and that judge gave you the score that put you in the first place. Isn’t that a bit of a coincidence? You’ve never won first place over me, ever. But the one time a past coach of yours judges the competition, you win.” She scoffs. “Their reviewing the scores and should be contacting you within the week.”

Of course she would do that.

“What? What is wrong with you? Why do you feel like you have to win everything?”

“Because I deserve it, Y/n. I work harder than anyone out there on the ice and for you to sneak your way into first place was cheap. My routine was flawless.”

“I still don’t understand what you have to complain about. You have world-renowned coaches, your equipment is state of the art, you’ve never had to worry about entrance fees, you get to live your passion and you have all the resources to cover it. Unlike you, my parents aren’t paying for me to do this. So I work my butt off to perfect my routines and I know for damn sure that I deserved what I got.”

“You’re an amateur!” She flails her arms dramatically, brows furrowing angrily. “I’ve been on the ice since I could walk, I was made for this. And I didn’t come all this way to let someone like you take it from me.”

“Charlotte, each and every skater in the building thinks they were made for this.” You cross your arms, throwing your bag over your shoulder. “It’s a matter of proving it.”

“Well, that’s just the difference between me and everybody else. I’ve proved it.” She walks up to you, too close for your liking so you purposely take a step back.

You realize that you don’t have to take this, so you don’t. You storm out of the locker room and pray you don’t look back, because there are a thousand things you could say to her right now. All the blood, sweat, and tears—and this is what you get in return? This is B.S.

You tried not to let it get to you, you really did. But here you are, sitting in your car and brewing with frustration over your messed up life. “I hate that girl. I hate her, I hate her stupid ponytail, I hate her attitude, I hate her...” You hook in your seatbelt and just as you’re about to pull off, you get a phone call, it’s Jungkook.

You try to sound as pleasant as possible. “Hello?”

“Hey baby, are you done with practice?”

“Y- Yeah, how’d your match go?” You’ve become progressively more supportive for his boxing hobby.

“I won.” he sounded so excited and it made you smile.

“That’s so good Jungkook, your practice paid off, I told you it would. Are your friends taking you out to celebrate?”

“Yeah, we’re having a little late-night pool party at Jimin’s. Can you come? I’ll pick you up.”

“Y-yeah, of course,” You clear your throat, “that sounds like fun.”

“Great, I’ll see you in 30 minutes. I love you,” You can literally hear him smiling, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see you too Jungkook, love you,” You grin to yourself, “bye.”

Sitting your phone down, you let out a heavy sigh. Despite your sour mood, you decide to quit sulking in the parking lot and head home so you can get changed. You’re happy for Jungkook, honestly. Ever since the beginning of your relationship, his boxing hobby was a concern of yours more than anything. Seeing him all bent up was hard to stomach at times, especially when he’d lose—that was hard to see. But luckily, he tried not to get stuck on a fight so you never had time to dwell on it.

Now, more than ever, you’ve begun to accept it as a part of him and actually like it a little. He’s an athlete, so he does have the tendency to find identity in the sport and you can definitely understand that. Without skating, you don’t know where you’d be right now. It’s your passion, there’s nothing on this planet that makes you feel as alive as dancing on the ice. Jungkook feels the same about his sport so you embrace it at full force now.

It’s not long before you make your way home and struggle into your humble abode. Your knee has been bothering you lately and last night you forgot to ice it like you were instructed to at the clinic, oh well. You lowkey aren’t too crazy about a pool party, you don’t really care for stuff like that, but it’s for Jungkook so you decide to suck it up. You go to your drawer and search for a suitable swimsuit. After narrowing down your options, you decide to go for the black spaghetti-strapped one-piece with the low back, that seems nice enough. You quickly go to freshen up a little, put your hair up, and pull a hoodie and some jeans on. Your phone begins to buzz and you see it’s a call from Rosie.

“Hey, Ro.”

“Hey, girl! I heard Jungkook won the match.”

“Yeah, he did, I wish I could’ve been there but I had conditioning and I had to be there since I skipped last week. But yeah, he’s been at that gym nonstop for the past few weeks and it paid off.” You have the phone on speaker and you lean down to tie your shoelaces.

“That’s so awesome. I was just calling to let you know that Jimin invited me to the pool party and he said Jungkook went to pick you up, so I’ll see you soon- Oh, and you said you had practice tonight, how did that go?”

You smack your teeth and she can already tell it wasn’t good.

“That bad?”

“I mean, it was fine until Charlotte showed up with her bullshit.”

“Y/n, I always tell you, don’t let her get to you-”

“You don’t understand, Ro.” You take a deep breath. “She reported me, for no reason.”

“Seriously? Reported you for what?”

“She said since one of the judges was a past coach of mine, and that coach gave me the score to put me in the first place, she doesn’t think I deserved first place. Can you believe that? I’m so pissed...”

“Man, that sucks. She shouldn’t be able to do that, how can they prove that the judge was biased? You just had a great routine. Charlotte has always been a bitch to you and now it’s really coming out.”

“The board is going to contact me soon so I don’t know what to do...”

“Well don’t worry about it, okay? Let loose and have fun tonight.”

You sigh. “I’ll try. See you later Ro.” You bid each other farewell and drop your phone on the bed. You’re so stressed right now, but you’re gonna try your best to not let your mood affect Jungkook or anyone at the matter.

Suddenly, you hear a knock on the door and a voice saying ‘it’s me, it’s me.” You sigh, he’s here. You run to the door and look at yourself in the mirror real quick before you open it.

“Hey, baby.” He coos, his sweet bunny smile making an appearance.

“Hi, Jungkook.” You shyly smile when you see him, a simple tee and sweats on. You reach up to give him a big hug and he attacks you with a kiss. You try to move back but he just laughs, pulling you closer and lifting you up to spin you around.

“Woah,” You steady yourself as he finally stops moving, “I’m happy to see you too,” He puts you down but you’re still in his arms, “why didn’t you use your key?” You mumble into his chest.

“Left it at home,” He breathes. “ahh, you smell so good, I mean you always do but today it’s more—almondy?” And he exhales. “You ready?”

“Yeah, just about.” You let him go in search of your tote bag. “I’ve had a really annoying day so it’s nice to go out. You deserve to let loose and get rewarded for all the work you’ve put in.”

“Aw, you had a bad day? What happened?” He frowns. You feel him come up behind you and before you know it he’s trying to hug you but you gently pry his hands off.

“It’s- it’s nothing really, don’t worry about it,” You press your lips, “tonights about you.”

As soon as you pull up to Jimin’s place, you can hear people jumping in the pool and your heart starts to beat faster. You’re a little jumpy, per usual. You know most of his friends and they know you but you’re still subject to a little anxiety every now and then. You get out of the car and rush over to walk beside him so you can walk in together. That’s when he rests his hand on your waist, and that’s when you know he’s paying close attention to you.

“I haven’t gone swimming in forever.” He mumbles as you two walk up to the front door and he knocks. “And I don’t think we’ve ever gone swimming together, have we?”

“Um, I think once, at Rosie’s sister’s party a few months ago, but I didn’t really get in the water.” He nods to himself and as soon as he does that, the door flings open.

“Look who decided to show up late to his own celebration!” Jimin yells into the house with a bright smile on his face. He must’ve been in the pool not too long ago because his hair is somewhat wet plus he has a towel around his neck. “I guess the champion runs on his own time now.” Jimin is clearly joking and Jungkook just laughs and defends himself as you both enter the nice home.

“Hi Y/n, how are you?” Jimin reaches in to give you a hug before playfully nudging Jungkook aside. “Glad you could make it.”

You smile, embracing Jimin for a few more seconds before you release him. “I’m good, thanks for having me.”

Jimin gives a sweet smile. “Anytime-”

“You didn’t even give me a time. And it’s only been like 30 minutes.” Jungkook is pretty familiar with Jimin’s house so he’s already walking out to the pool and you follow right behind him.

“Hey, guys.” You and Jungkook both say in sync. Everyone greets you two, paying more attention to Jungkook of course, congratulating him and making him feel loved. Most people are watching the TV that’s mounted on the wall, you can’t help but think—Jimin’s house is fancy as hell. When you look up from greeting Taehyung, Rosie is hopping out of the pool to tackle you with her dripping wet pale pink hair and neon green swimsuit.

“Hey- Ro! You’re soaking wet!” You tense up as she hugs you extra tight anyway.

“Y/n quit whining! You’re about to get in anyway.” She laughs, finally letting you go. She lowers her voice and grabs your hands to get you to look her in the eye. “Are you okay?” You know what she’s referring to and you nod.

“I’m fine, let’s not talk about it right now, okay?” Rosie gives you a look, just to ensure that you’re okay and you reassure her, she lets you go.

“Okay, but if you need to talk, we can pull away.” She gives you a look before getting back in the pool and that’s when you look up and see that Jungkook has already stripped down. You walk over to one of the pool chairs and take a seat so you can take off your clothes. Carefully, you take off the hoodie and pull off your jeans to reveal your cute little black suit.

Jungkook walks up to you, standing in all of his tattooed glory and black pool shorts, smirking down at you. The way he looks alone is enough to distract you from your sucky day. You furrow your brows and stare up at him, rubbing your exposed arms. without a word, he leans down to get close to you while still standing and you smile nervously, unsure of what he’s doing. “What?...Jungkook!”

He’s such a child.

Jungkook picked you up against your will and walked you towards the pool.

“No! Put me down!” You say that but you’re both laughing hysterically and you shriek when he jumps in the water—practically drowning you. Apparently, he finds this hilarious but you’re coughing up water and slowly dying because of him.

“Are you trying to kill me?!” You scream, swimming away from him and splashing him in the face. “And why are you laughing?!”

He snorts, trying to block his face from your constant splashing. “Ah!- I’m sorry Y/n!” You’re relentless and you know for a fact that he’s regretting every decision that led to throwing you in the pool.

“Ok!- Ok, fuck-“ He grabs you to hinder your movements. You fall out laughing, finding his need to restrain you laughable, it only excited you.

”Geez, I forgot you were crazy.” He shakes the water out of his hair.

Rosie was out of the pool and in the little outside kitchen whipping up a few drinks for everyone. “Hey! Who wants drinks? I make a mean margarita, virgin or experienced.”

“Me! I want one!” You swim over to the ledge, resting your chin on your folded arms. “One for him too...” You look back and Jungkook’s already swimming under the water and you move over to sit on one of the steps to wait for him to emerge.

“Here you go, Y/n.” She hands you two drinks.

“Thank you.” You set his drink down and you smile when he slowly swims up to rest his folded arms on your knees, doe eyes sparkling like stars.

“You wanna tell me what happened today?” He whispered, careful not to make his voice heard by anyone other than you. “I know something happened, you sounded frustrated when you answered the phone.”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, let’s just focus on the good vibes in this nice heated pool, okay?...” You force a convincing grin, taking a sip of your drink, and directing your attention to the movie that’s playing.

He shrugs, moving to sit on the step beside you only to move you as if you’re weightless to sit between his legs. He grabs his drink and relaxes, freehand holding you against him. It’s not long before Jimin brings over some snacks and you know Jungkook is in his little heaven right now. His baby in his lap, a drink in his hand, and snacks at arms reach; he’s all set.

Though you’re trying to keep your attention on the movie, you can’t ignore the nagging thoughts about today. It’s hard not to let the thought of being stripped of your title all because of a sore loser get to you.

The night goes on, people are heading inside where Jimin had another movie set up in the living room inside. That meant the only people lingering in the pool are Jungkook and you. Eventually, you turn to straddle his lap and he pulls you in for a kiss, which just heightened your stress for some reason. His hands find their place on your hips and he leans up for more of you.

“Hey, will you do something for me?...” Jungkook pulls away, grinning at your pinkish lips and the thought of his own, you nod. “I want to take pictures of you out here in the water...”

You blink, fingers fiddling behind his neck. “Um, how would you like me?” You hoped that didn’t sound too awkward.

“I could answer that a thousand different ways but in terms of the picture, however you’d like, pretty girl,” He smirks as he fights not to take your seemingly innocent question for an entertaining turn.

He got out of the pool and made his way to your tote bag. You weren’t surprised to discover that he had snuck his snacks and camera into it. You knew it felt heavier than normal. You folded your arms and rested your chin on them as you waited patiently for him to press the little buttons.

He crisscrossed his legs and held the camera to test out the angles. It always amazed you to see him take pictures or draw, he seemed so calm and focused, completely in his element.

“Charlotte told me she reported me today.” You confess suddenly, causing him to lower the camera. He glances up at you briefly, brows furrowing.

“For what?”

“When I won first place, the judge that gave me the winning score was a past coach of mine. She argued that the coach was biased and gave me an unfair score.” You sigh, wanting to get out of the water now that he wasn’t beside you. “Can you believe that?”

“That’s what you were upset about. Baby, don’t let that get to you. You won because you’re fucking talented and no self-righteous bitch has the right to take that from you.” He reasons, but you still have a pout on your face.

“Yeah, but there’s nothing I can do. It just sucks, a lot...” You lift yourself out of the water and sit on the edge, legs dangling in the warm blue oasis. You can hear the shutter of the camera and you look back at him, trying your hand at a little pose of some sort. He smiles when he pulls away to see how it came out.

“That looks good. I’m blowing that one up and putting it in my room.”

“Oh my God, Jungkook. Do not do that...I’ll cringe every time I see it.” You frown, now fully getting out of the water with the empty pina colada in hand. The little alcohol that was in it did little to nothing to soothe your nerves, but you’ll get your buzz soon enough.

“I’m getting kind of cold out here,” You head over to the chairs and grab a towel. “can we go inside and change?”

“Yeah,” He does a few things to the camera and shoves it back into your tote, “we can change in one of the back rooms.” Jungkook is shirtless still, and you can’t help but stare at the art adorning his skin, and how good it looks in the pale moonlight. He’s also sporting a killer pair of earrings today and you’re wondering if he’s trying to seduce you or something. If so, it’s working. For some reason, when he bends down to grab his top off of the floor, you don’t even notice yourself reaching to tangle your fingers into his long damp hair. He grins to himself but continues to walk inside, a towel now loosely around his shoulders.

When you walk beside him, you see the house is only lit by the lamps on the end tables and everyone's laughing at the movie that Jimin put on. Jungkook easily grabs your hand and quickly leads you to the guest room where Jimin said you could change.

“J- Jungkook, why are you in such a hurry?” You giggle when he skips into the darkroom and shuts the door behind you two—something told you he had other plans in mind. Before you know it, he’s grabbing the backs of your thighs and picking you up, towel falling from both of your shoulders as he sits on the edge of the bed with you straddling his lap. His hands graze your sides before they fall behind him to keep himself up and let you sit however you wanted. You furrow your brows, blushing at the suddenness of it all. “What are you doing?”

“You’re so beautiful, just wanted to tell you that.” He simpers, his eyes sweeping over you in your little black swimsuit.

“Thank you, you’re beautiful too,” You lean into him to tickle under his chin like he does to make you feel little. His hands go to your waist and he holds you tight, face nuzzling into your chest like a sleepy child. “Can I ask you something? And can you answer honestly?...”

“Sure,” He peers up at you, “shoot.”

“Um, you never talk about your family...We’ve been together for a while now and you’ve only told me that your real dad died when you were little and that you really don’t like your stepdad...And that your brother recently got married and lives in a different city...But what was growing up like for you?”

He furrows his brows as if he didn’t quite understand your question. “Uh, you don’t want to hear about that baby,” His mood turns a bit cold suddenly and he lifts you off of him. You’re sitting on the bed and he stands up to slip on his t-shirt, “it’s nothing special.”

“If it’s about you, it is special to me.” You argue, turning from him to slip your suit off and putting your undergarments on then your sweats.

“I know you’d like to think that, but that’s really not the case.” He scoffed, this little attitude of his taking you by surprise.

You frown, opening your mouth to come back at him, “But-”

“I swear Y/n,” He grabs your shoulders and kisses you hard. Aggression. When he doesn’t want to face something, that’s one if his first responses. That or an attitude.

You don’t dare move because he tilts his head and boldly tongues at your lips. Regrettably, you find yourself submitting to the overwhelming feeling. When his hands slide down to grasp your small wrists, he pulls away, leaving you breathless, “even thinking about it makes me want to smoke, and I know you don’t want that so let’s drop the subject, okay?”

“B- But why don’t you want to tell me, Jungkook?” You step away from him as you rub his saliva from your bottom lip. “I’m not trying to mess up your night or anything, I’m just curious. I’m your girlfriend, but Jimin knows more about your past than I do and I just feel like-”

”Y/n,” He stops your rambling, “you can stay in here if you want but I’m going to watch the movie.” He walks out of the room and it takes everything in you not to yank him back.

You shove your swimsuit in a plastic bag and into your tote before walking out of the room behind him.

“They’re back...” Jimin mumbles more to himself with grin and you roll your eyes, throwing your bag to the corner. Jungkook sinks into the couch but his eyes don’t follow you into the kitchen like you thought they would. He’s sitting like he always does, legs spread wide and head resting on his hand as he mindlessly watches the TV screen.

He’s so moody.

He must have somewhat of an idea of how you might be feeling. If he’ll be closed-lipped to his own girlfriend about his past—what else would he be willing to keep from you?

As the night went on, you sat beside him and ate the rest of your snack. It was weird, you didn't talk to each other, and even when he put his hand on your thigh every now and then, he wouldn’t say a word. Even when he’d curl his fingers into your fleshy thigh, earning an expected squirm from you, he wouldn’t even look at you.

Around 1 a.m, everyone started to trickle out. Jimin went to shower and he convinced his friend to go sleep in the backroom because he had a little much to drink to drive anywhere. Eventually, it was just you two and Back to The Future in the living room.

You glanced at him, his hair covered his eyes a bit, it made you want to push it back and see that cute furrow in his eyebrows. But he’s not fluffy and cute right now, he’s burning hot and dripping with propane, one spark from you and he’s up in flames. The tension is pretty ridiculous, neither of you want to give in. If there’s one thing you have in common, it’s that the silent treatment is both of your go-tos.

“So, we’re just not gonna talk now.”

Is that supposed to be a question or a statement?

“That’s entirely up to you...” You cross your arms, eyes glued to the TV now that he’s looking at you. “Since you obviously don’t talk unless it's on your terms...”

“That’s not fucking fair and you know it. You’re being really selfish right now, you know that?” He shakes his head like you’ve gone completely delusional. “I never made you talk about your personal life. Like the fact that your birth mother gave you up.”

You visibly stiffened at that.

He certainly knows how to strike a nerve.

“Or the fact that you grew up with your foster parents and even though they “loved you like their own” and adopted you, sometimes you feel out of place with your adoptive brothers and older sister. You told me all of that but I never forced it out of you, I let you tell me when you were ready.” He stares at you, awaiting a response.

He really went there.

“Jungkook,” You glare at him, “Why would you use my past as leverage in an argument?” You turn completely away from him and bite your lip, “that’s low.”

Already having anticipated your reaction, he lets out a heavy sigh,. “I’m not using it as leverage, I’m using it as an example to show you that you’re being hypocritical. I love you but you can’t force me to talk about some things, I need time to-”

“I am not a hypocrite!” You raise your voice at him abruptly, making him pause mid-sentence.

Wow, you really sounded childish. Tears are forming at your eyes and your face feels like it was set on fire—this is not how tonight was supposed to go.

“I don’t understand why you would keep this type of stuff away from me.” You whine, brows furrowed and tight with a puffy pout. “How can you expect me to trust you when you can’t even talk to me about your own family?”

“Fine.” He snaps at you, tone sharper than you’ve ever heard it. But you can’t bring yourself to be phased by it. He pushes his damp locks from his forehead, exposing his dark brows in his wake.

“My mom was a nurse, my dad was a cop. Everything was fine when I was younger but behind closed doors, they were ripping each other's heads off.” His firey presence is decreasing in size the more he talks, now he’s just getting cold. “Only when I got older did I find out that my dad had a drinking problem and my mom was always on the verge of filing for divorce.” He sighs.

“He drank like he didn’t give a shit about his life and ended up dying in a DUI when I was 8. After that, my mom went through guys like fucking clockwork, there was a new one every few months. I gave her a lot of problems because- I don’t know, I was just reacting to a fucked-up situation. Her boyfriends would try to parent me, tell me to stop getting tattoos and smoking because it quote, ‘upset my mother.’ That was bullshit. I didn’t listen to any of the crap they had to say to me.” His voice was vehement and it was almost as if talking about it made him re-live parts of it.

“Why would I listen to someone who doesn’t know shit about me? I had to remind them that just because they fuck my mother doesn't mean they suddenly had a free pass to play daddy to me.” The blatant vulgarity of his words makes you shudder.

“A few years back, she started talking to this new guy. He was a successful businessman, lived in a nice area, he was everything she wanted. I knew she really liked him too, so I laid off a bit on getting into it with him so much. We didn’t talk much but he respected my space so I was fine with him. She stayed with him longer than she had with any of them. They’ve been married for 4 years, maybe 5 now? Besides his 25-year-old son from a previous marriage, he has a daughter with my mom, she’s I think 6 now...Yeah, her name is Jooe, she’s my half-sister.”

That’s the first time he’s ever mentioned a little sister. You grinned at the thought of Jungkook interacting with a cute little girl who favored his soft appearance.

“I had a falling out with their dad a few months back over some life choices I’ve decided to make. We can barely be in the same room for more than a few minutes without arguing now. My stepbrother was gonna have me come to his wedding but he knew his dad wouldn’t have liked that. I guess to avoid the commotion, he kept me out of the picture entirely, it was better for everyone in the end...I’m sorry I called you that night, I was so drunk.” He scoffed, sliding both hands down his face with a heavy sigh. “I wish I was drunk right now.”

That was it.

He said what you wanted to hear.

Silence engulfs the room and only now do you realize that the movie is indeed still on and Jimin is still in the bathroom. After a painful dead silence, he gets up and you watch him trail off into the kitchen. Of course, he went straight to the fridge, eyes in search of one of a bottle of relief. You don’t say a thing to him when he walks back to you with a bottle of his choice of alcohol and sits it on the table in front of you two.

He peers at you, hand reaching for the bottle but you stop him by grabbing his wrist. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” You blurt out, and you only ramble from then on, “I’ve never been in a serious relationship like this before and- And I don’t want to get hurt again. I was with this guy a long time ago, we met at school and while we were dating, he had been seeing this other girl. He didn’t answer my calls and when I went to his house to see if he was ok, this other girl was there, and she was pregnant.” You grimace at the thought.

“I got so mad, I wanted to hurt him the same way he was hurting me...I started screaming at him and hitting him, the girl eventually called the cops and they had to pull me off but he didn’t press charges against me.” You scoff. “I think they just felt sorry for me.”

He tightens his brows. “Why did you never tell me this?” When you first met, he would have never imagined that you did something like that. “That’s pretty rough stuff to carry, I didn’t know you had any past relationships.”

“Yeah, but it’s embarrassing...I thought you might think I’m crazy or something and decide to leave me.” You twiddle your fingers, looking up to gauge his reaction.

“Y/n, I’ve done some crazy shit, I’d be stupid to leave you just because that idiot pissed you off for knocking up some girl while dating you. I don’t blame you.” He takes a sip of beer and lets his hand rest on your upper thigh, almost touching the crease separating your hips and thigh. “I swear, I would never do something like that to you.”

You slide your hand over his, eyes wavering when he continues to stare you down with that look of want that never fails to chill you to the bone. He presses his face up into the crook your neck, his breath hot against your ear, “Do you hear me?” He almost purs. “Baby?” He trails his hand up to rest at the base of your neck, index finger tracing your skin. He’s too much.

“Mhm,” You nod, smiling, “we should head home, it’s getting late.” You clear your throat, and Jungkook moves away to look you over.

“Your place or mine,” He smirks,

You bite your lip. “Yours...”

“Hey, guys-” Jimin emerged from the bathroom and your eyes widened. “Sorry,” He snickers when he sees Jungkook’s hand leave you to settle on your lower back, “I didn’t mean to interrupt,”

“You’re not! Nope, you’re not interrupting anything,” You quickly stand to your feet, scrambling for your tote, “We’re actually about to head out.”

“Yeah, I gotta get her home, she’s got stuff to do in the morning.” Jungkook glances at you and you have to stop yourself from saying that you really don’t. But you know Jungkook is just saying that to get you two out of here without Jimin insisting that you stay.

“Okay,” Jimin just shrugs and grabs the bowl of pretzels off of the coffee table, “drive safe.”

“Thanks, Jimin, we’ll see you later,” You rush over to give him a goodbye hug, “thank you for tonight.” He easily wraps an arm around you with a smirk directed towards Jungkook.

“Okay,” Jungkook grabs your hand eagerly, “see you Hyung,”

Jungkook wisps you away and soon you two are in his car, anxious to fall into his floral-scented bed sheets.

You look through heavy eyelids to see a sheen of sweat covering his bare chest and some of his long hair was sticking to his forehead. He looks so, so good. Your eyes find the plumb blossom tattoo that you love so much and you follow it as it continues down his chest. On his left bicep, he’s got this intricate collage of little pictures he’s drawn, he’s even got a tattoo of a butterfly that you tried to draw one day. You told him not to use it because you didn’t think it was good enough, but a few days later, you showed up to his gym and there it was. He wears it proudly now and it makes you feel fuzzy inside.

Earlier, he reached into his nightstand for something, hand plundering around until he finds it. He sits up and he’s holding a lighter and a blunt in each hand. You're watching him through squinted eyes because you're sure he thinks you’re asleep. The blunt is pinched between his long fingers and he lights it, desperate to breathe the vapors for a fleeting euphoria. You make note that he keeps blunts in his nightstand for times like this.

His head lols back after the second drag and he sits it in the ashtray. He looks like art, smoking hot art. His earrings dangle when he moves, his hair beautifully unkempt—courtesy of you. His arms are lined with veins and that reminds you just how strong he is, and how easily he throws you around. The thought alone makes you remember how lucky you are.

“Mm...” He groans, mouth agape and eyes heavy with the after-effects. He smoothes his fingers over your cheek, smirking at how flushed the skin was. “You awake?”

“Yes.” You grumble.

“Let’s dance.” He grins.

“What? It’s 2 o’clock in the morning.” You sit up, “How do you have energy? I’m tired...” He had already hopped out of bed, black boxers being the only thing covering him. You watched as he typed a few things on his phone and the Bluetooth on his nightstand starts blaring out one of your favorite songs.

“Get up and dance with your boyfriend,” He grabbed your arm and started tugging you up, there was no point in resisting.

You let him place your arms around his neck and lead you to the rhythm that he followed naturally. You’ve only had the pleasure of going to the club with Jungkook twice and each time he gave you the dance sessions of your life. You had never been shot dirtier looks by more girls in your life, you just laughed it off as jealousy. Who could blame them? His hands find their place on your hips and he presses his face up against yours—these are the moments you get to experience Jungkook at his most transparent.

“Hey,” He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you closer, “are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” You nod, “I’m sorry for even bringing your personal-life up in the first place, tonight wasn’t the night to talk about stuff like that.”

“Babe,” He doesn’t stop dancing with you as he reaches for the joint in the ashtray, “you were gonna find out sooner or later, it’s fine.” Mindful not to blow it in your face, he knows you hate that—maybe even more so than him actually smoking. He takes a hit and blows the cloud of smoke over your shoulder, eyes shutting in bliss when your fingers tangle into his luscious raven locks. “You feel sooo amazing...”

“Are you high?” You trace your hands down to his warm chest, he shivers at your touch.

He laughs, long hair covering his eyes when he looks at you. “No. Well, maybe a little-”

Suddenly, the music goes off and his phone buzzes rapidly. He reluctantly pulls away from you to grab it off of the nightstand, he stares at his phone.

“Who is it?” You inquire, taking a seat on the bed with him when he continues to stare at it.

“It’s Jooe.” He frowns, questioning why the little girl is even up at this hour. “Why is she even up this late? And when did she get a phone...”

“Answer it Jungkook,” You nudge him, “it could be an emergency.”

He picks it up and holds it to his ear. “Jooe? What are you doing up-” You hear a little voice over the phone and rambling on, your heart plummeting into your stomach at the thought of what she was telling him.

“Hey, slow down, tell me what happened,” His eyes are laser-focused and he grimaces at what she’s saying, “she’s okay now? It’s just you and your dad there? Why the fu-” He bites his tongue when he realizes who he’s talking to, “Why didn’t he call me?” He glances at you, a hand on your thigh to reassure you. “Okay, I’ll come first thing in the morning, tell her and your dad that.” She says a little something and he sighs. “Love you too.”

He puts the phone down and takes the longest drag of his blunt you’ve ever seen anyone take. There had to be not an ounce of oxygen in his lungs.

“What happened?”

“My mom is in the hospital.”

“Oh my gosh,” You gasp, “Is she okay?

“Her appendix ruptured about two hours ago and I got the call from a 6-year-old, not her husband. A 6-year-old, Y/n.” He abruptly stands up, hands pushing his hair back angrily, “I have some fucking words for him when I see him.” His ears are tomato red, he’s getting angry. You get up to drag him to the bathroom. “I have half a mind to go up there now-“

“Shh, you need to stay calm,” You flick on the light and put his toothbrush in his hand, “brush your teeth and get in bed. Don’t stress yourself, okay? I’ll go with you in the morning.” You wait for him to respond and he gives you a weak nod.

You tell him not to stress himself out but you’re freaking out on the inside. If you go with him in the morning, that’ll be the first time you meet his family and he’s not on good terms with his mother's husband. Now you have to get added to the mix. Jungkook walks out of the bathroom and basically dives face first into bed before crawling up to lay his head on your soft chest, arms wrapping around your middle. Sometimes he forgets how heavy he is and just crushes you, but you let it slide because he’s just so cute like that. He’s quiet, mind probably facing with worry. The steady beat of his heart, the rise, and fall of his chest as he let his eyes slip shut. You let him drift asleep with the comfort of knowing loving hands were holding him. When he gets like this, and life is literally kicking his butt, you feel like your problems pale in comparison. And it makes you hold him tighter.

They do you so so dirty, baby.

#jungkook smut #jungkook boxer au #bts boxer au #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts angst #bts fluff #bts smut #jungkook scenarios #jungkook au #jungkook imagine #jungkook quarters #quarters #this took forever but im finally satisfied with how it came out #*big sigh*#enjoy babys #lotte jungkook did this to me

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lynnchkn · 5 years ago

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Protein, Parrish

Adam Parrish is the newest member of Aglionby University's men's hockey team and for the first time, he feels like he's a part of a family. But Adam's rec league hockey team didn't prepare him for the scariest part of college ice hockey. Checking.

If Adam's going to stay on the team, he's going to need help from the last person he wants to ask, his apathetic captain, Ronan Lynch.

*A TRC Check Please!AU.*

Read it on AO3!

Chapter One

Adam Parrish, a habitual skeptic, believed Cabeswater was magic. As the sun rose past the trees, they cast a haunting shadow over the ice. He’d been awestruck by it when he’d toured the rink, but he still couldn’t believe it was his home.

Technically his home was a 115-square-foot room in Dittley Hall, but he wasn’t interested in splitting hairs.

He hadn’t been on the ice since May, and he hadn’t been at all in his new skates, so he was a little shaky to start. He hovered near the wall to avoid suspicion.

Gansey, who had taken a liking to Adam for some undetermined reason, stuck close to him. It wasn’t that Adam minded. It was just that he was trying to break in new skates without announcing it to the whole team, and Gansey’s persistent hover wasn’t helping.

Gansey trailed off from the story he was telling. “You’re from Virginia too. Right?” Adam nodded. He didn’t want to talk about where he was from, but it wasn’t a secret. “Near Jonesville?”

“Henrietta.” He tried not to spit when he said it.

“Right,” Gansey said. “How could I forget? The cave systems near there are extraordinary. Have you ever had the chance to explore them?”

He could remember a cave on a field trip once when he was a kid, but nothing recreationally. Robert and Sarah Parrish didn’t do family outings.

“Only a little,” he said.

“I haven’t been in probably five or six years.” His enthusiasm was a quiet hum in Adam’s ear. He could see Gansey physically restrain himself from fidgeting. It would have been endearing if the conversation at hand was about anything other than Henrietta. “I’d love to go back sometime. The Welsh influence in the region is fascinating.”

“Gansey,” a voice called from across the ice. Ronan Lynch skated toward them. Adam didn’t let himself flinch, but it was a conscious choice, certainly not what his body’s first instinct would have been. His rigid stance threw off his balance, and he grasped the wall tighter to recover.

Ronan was taller than Adam had imagined, and there was a permanent sneer on his face that warned casual observers off. But after a moment of consideration, the fear relaxed. Not completely. Adam never wholly relaxed, especially not around new people. But Ronan couldn’t be too dangerous if he was going to so much trouble to look it. The people Adam actually feared hid their menace behind layers of polite conversation and neighborly handshakes.

The two fist-bumped casually and what a strange pair the two of them were. Gansey, encased in marble, trapped forever with the face of a teenage scholar, and Ronan, with rough stubble and bags under his eyes that made him look closer to his thirtieth birthday than his twentieth. “Ronan,” Gansey said, turning the attention to him. “This is Adam Parrish.”

Ronan’s stare was unwavering, but Adam was the most stubborn person he knew. He held his chin up and matched the larger, scarier man eye-to-eye. Adam wasn’t scared of some trust-fund legacy player. If he kept thinking that, maybe he could convince himself it was true.

“What’s wrong with your fucking skates?” he asked.

Adam didn’t have a good response. He thought he was hiding his discomfort pretty well.

“Jesus,” Gansey said. “Are those new?”

“Yeah,” he said. There was no point lying when the truth was so obvious.

“You didn’t have time to break them in this summer?” Ronan asked.

“No,” he said. “I promise you my old ones were beyond hope.” Persephone had offered to buy him new ones, but he didn’t feel comfortable with that. He liked his new ones. He could already tell they were going to speed him up. For what they cost him, he sure hoped so. “I’ll be alright. I’ve just gotta break them in.”

Ronan rolled his eyes, an irritating gesture that oozed indifference. Indifference was a privilege Adam had craved his entire life. If Adam didn’t give a shit, he didn’t get shit. He’d only stayed alive as long as he had by caring. By wanting so damn much, it leaked out of his pores. Ambition was a hell of a drug.

“We’ve got ourselves another Virginian on the team,” Gansey said, thumb rubbing anxiously at his lip. “Adam is from Henrietta. That’s near you, right?”

Ronan nodded. “Singer Falls.”

“Really?” Adam said. Another lie, of course. Everyone in the Shenandoah Valley knew the Lynch family.

“Yep,” Ronan said. There was nowhere else for this conversation to go without bringing up Ronan’s background, or worse, Adam’s, so the three of them stood in silence for way too long to be comfortable. Gansey glanced between the two of them like he was waiting for them to make some grand connection, but they continued to stare.

Ronan’s stare was a wild one, meant to scare off opponents. But Adam didn’t shy away from it. He didn’t like conflict, but he was good at it. He’d lived with it since he was born. This was his arena. A little staring competition was nothing.

“Well,” Gansey said, clapping his hands together. He rubbed them anxiously against one another. “Good talk. Ronan, I think Blue wanted to talk to you about something in the equipment room.”

Ronan took a moment to tear his gaze away from Adam, but Adam held it even as he turned to go.

“Sorry about him. He’s not always like this,” Gansey said.

Adam was willing to venture a guess that he probably was.

The first few rounds of warm-ups and drills went better than Adam expected. He was getting more comfortable in his new skates, and while he was struggling to keep up, he wasn’t the worst on the ice like he thought he’d be.

Then they started running plays.

They weren’t overly difficult or complicated. Adam was doing okay for the most part, but there was one thing he’d been dreading since he’d first signed his contract with the team.

Technically, Adam had never been checked before.

In Henrietta, the ice had been the safest place he could be. Persephone used to let him stay for hours after practice, running drills by himself or making penalty shots, or sometimes just sitting around, killing time before he had to go back home.

Here, in Cabeswater, it was going to get violent. He’d known that all along, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t happen during his first practice. He’d hoped he’d have a little time to adjust.

Henry Cheng was not a big guy, no bigger than Adam anyway. It shouldn’t have been scary watching him charge across the ice. But the second their pads collided, Adam went down hard.

His father was leaning over him. He had a tight grip on the front of his sweaty t-shirt. His breath smelled like cheap beer, and Adam couldn’t figure out why that of all things bothered him so much.

“Look at me when I talk to you,” he hissed.

Adam couldn’t get his eyes open. There was dust in them. Dust in his blood, pumping through his veins. It was who he was. It was where he came from, and when he died, he’d turned back to dust. He could only hope it was soon.

“Parrish,” a voice called, softer than his father’s, almost hesitant.

He peeled his eyes open.

He was at center ice. He was lying at center ice at Cabeswater, and the entire Aglionby Men’s Hockey Team was staring at him.

“I promise I didn’t hit him that hard,” Henry said.

“Shut up,” Ronan said. “You gonna survive, Parrish?”

Adam nodded. He pushed himself to his feet. Ronan reached out to help him, but he brushed it off.

“That was impressive,” Noah said. “Do you think we could make a play out of that?”

Adam watched the coaches, gathered at the wall, watching him, expressions concerned. He gathered himself, turning his expression to stone. It was fine. He was fine. He had to show them he was tough enough for this. He couldn’t freak out every time he got checked.

Except once a guy hits the ice in a full-blown panic attack, the team gets a little nervous about hitting him again. He watched them skate around him, slowing down to let him pass. They moved slower, more deliberately. But it wouldn’t work long-term. Other teams weren’t going to leave him alone just because he was scared. He hated them, their pitying looks, their tense smiles. Fuck all of them.

He didn’t stop to talk to anyone when practice was over, not even Gansey.

He let himself take far too long in the shower. He couldn’t remember ever showering without worrying about the water bill, so he let himself enjoy then warmth as it washed over him. Once he was sure everyone else had left, he scrambled for his towel and clothes, changing as quickly as he could before returning to the main part of the locker room. Several of the guys had already left, so it wasn’t hard to avoid stares and questions. He didn’t want to talk to any of them ever again. He’d never been so embarrassed.

In the parking lot, a small crowd had gathered around a shiny, orange Camaro. He wanted to walk away. He wanted to get ahead on the reading for his Sociology class, and he hoped to find time to call Persephone and lie to her about how his first practice went great, and it was going to be a great year. But something drew him in. Whether it be fate or intuition, he wasn’t sure. Persephone used to call him perceptive. Maybe that was it.

Gansey sat in the driver’s seat, hopelessly turning his key in the ignition. A guttural growl came forth, but no signs of actual life. Blue, the team manager, was leaning out the passenger side window, yelling unhelpful instructions at Ronan as he fiddled helpless under the hood. Noah, in the backseat, stretched over the center console, face concerned. “I don’t have a fucking clue, man,” Ronan said. “You’re going to have to call Triple-A.”

“Need any help?” Adam asked.

“That depends,” Gansey said. “Do you happen to know anything about cars?”

“I know a thing or two.”

It turned out to be a faulty spark plug, a stupidly easy fix. Adam finished quickly and soon found himself in the backseat, tucked between Noah and Ronan on his way to Nino’s.

They led Adam straight to a booth at the back of the restaurant. He rushed ahead of Gansey to put his left side against the wall. Gansey slid in beside him, and the other three piled onto the opposite booth.

They ordered a large deep-dish pizza—half avocado and half sausage. Adam didn’t order anything other than water. He had a meal plan and had been taking full advantage of it. But he still couldn’t afford to be blowing what little money he had on pizza.

“You play hockey. You fix cars,” Gansey said. “What can’t you do?”

“Take a hit,” Ronan said.

Blue smacked his shoulder. “Shut the fuck up.” She turned to Adam. “Ignore him. We’re thinking about getting him a shock collar.”

Adam had known this outing was a bad idea. He’d been distracted by the hope of it all, their closeness, the way these guys knew each other better than anyone else. These were uncharted waters for Adam. He’d let them draw him in. But he knew better, and he had to keep reminding himself. He was unknowable. Untouchable. He was a functional machine made of broken pieces, and one day it would all come to a grinding halt. It was better to keep everyone else out of the way of the inevitable crash.

Gansey turned a stern glare to Ronan like he was about to scold a toddler. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it in a silent huff. He turned back to Adam. “Any other hobbies?”

Adam knew how to do lots of things, just nothing he’d call a hobby. His father had taught him how to protect his face. His mother had taught him how to lie. But Persephone had taught him how to play hockey. When he’d showed up at the rink, scrawny and hungry, searching for a third job, she’d seen him for what he was. She gave him a job cleaning the stands after games. She’d paid him more than he was worth and bought his equipment. Hockey was his ticket out of Henrietta, but there was one more thing she’d taught him.

“I can bake a mean pie.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gansey’s grin broke through his marble features. It made him look less noble than his previous politician-perfect smile. “Pies?”

He nodded.

“You should come bake at Monmouth,” Noah said. He bounced in his seat, an impatient gesture that shook the whole table.

“That is not a bad idea,” Gansey said. “We never have baked goods.”

“I made brownies last year,” Noah said.

“Those do not count.” Gansey shook a stern finger at Noah. “And you know why.”

When their waitress came back with the pizza, she sat it in the middle of the table and handed plates to each of them. Adam gently pushed his away. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

“I’m sorry, Adam,” Gansey said, eyebrows pulled up in a concerned crease. “We should’ve asked what you wanted. We can order something else if you’d like.” His words said I was wrong, but his eyes said you poor thing. Adam hated pity.

“I’m fine,” he snapped. “I’m just not hungry.”

Ronan leaned over the table, grabbing a slice with sausage on it. It slapped onto the plate, and Ronan slid it forward, just under his face.

“Eat it anyway,” Ronan said. “You could use the fucking protein.”

Fuck Ronan Lynch.

He ate it anyway.

#the raven cycle #trc #Adam Parrish #ronan lynch #pynch

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imaginesmai · 5 years ago

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Tom Holland-Back to you

Inspired by Back to you-Selena Gomez. It’s really sad and it might be unexpected, so I’m not going to put any warnings. Just, ANGST AND SOME SENSITIVE TOPICS THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU CRY

Took you like a shot

Thought that I could chase you with a cold evening

Let a couple years water down how I’m feeling about you

Tom knew that he never should have gotten involved with you in the first place; his best friend’s sister, his friend since forever and the woman he imagined a world with. He should have known something would go wrong. His luck with women wasn’t good, and he took the chance without caring about the consequences. About the feelings afterwards, about the broken friendship and the endless tears.

He was so wrong.

In his mind, he could still picture the video he first recorded you on. Smiling at the camera with your brand new shirt from Spiderman, giggling like a proper fan and trying to cover your face from him. He could still hear your sweet voice calling out for Tessa when she did something wrong, only to finally let her hop into the bed with the two of you, cuddling together. When he closed his eyes, he could still see your teary face the last time you closed the door on him, bags in hand. Leaving a whimpering Tessa and a broken-hearted Tom behind.

Tom’s throat burned once more as the fiery liquid from the glass bottle in his hands darted down his throat. He had several missed calls from his family and friends, some of them from the director of the film he was working on. He had promised you he would be okay, that he would carry on with his life and find someone else that, maybe, could give him half of what you gave. You had laughed, and he smiled, knowing not even that was possible.

But that day was different. Because it would had been your birthday, and Tom still had your gift wrapped in the back of the wardrobe. He couldn’t remember what it was, just that he had been squealing in happiness when he brought it.

Last year, the two celebrated all day together in bed, wrapped up in each other’s warmth. You had said it had been your favourite birthday yet, and that you couldn’t wait to see how you would spend it next year. How ironic that, the next week, you left.

Harry had checked on him earlier, but he decided to keep his distance since he knew that Tom was still too sensitive about it, and that the wrong words could get him into a hole that Harry didn’t want to see his brother in. Jacob had called around noon to discuss something about the scrip, but Tom knew he was really just trying to distract him. It had been a good distraction thought, Tom had spent the better part of two hours on the phone, not thinking about you.

But soon after he had hung up, the memories came back. You and him stealing glances across the room, before dating, and then him telling it to his brothers like a teenager in love. You and him laughing about something you just knew, and holding hands after that. Saying I love you for the first time, between kisses, and for the last time, between tears.

Tom took another sip at the bottle.

I wanna hold you when I’m not supposed to

When I’m lying close to someone else

You’re stuck in my head and I can’t get you out of it

Tom had tried to move on, he did. Truly.

It was just a lot harder than what he thought it would be. He would compare every aspect of a girl to you. Because that girl ate her pasta like that, and you swirled it around your fork before shoving the first bite into his mouth. And the other had that laugh, while you started noiseless before breaking into a fit of loud and airy laughs that made his chest clench.

They weren’t bad people. Carri was loving and kind, Barbara was an advocate for children’s education, Marie spent her weekends volunteering to save the environment, and Helen loved dogs as much as Tom. But they weren’t you, not even close, and Tom stopped trying after he called the second girl your name in bed.

Some mornings, he would wake up early and pull you closer. He always thought about you first, and had a smile since he opened his eyes. Tom still thought it was like that some mornings, and woke up crying. Remembering, that you had left, that he had agreed and that you weren’t coming back.

It was never the same for him when he slept with other people. Barbara was too loud. Carri was too freaky. Marie was too shy. And Helen too dominating. Sometimes, Tom would imagine your face in other’s girls faces. Half-closed eyes, rounded lips in an o shape and flushed cheeks. He tried to imagine it was you moaning his name and touching his skin, and not someone else.

He imagined that it was you holding his hand as he walked through the park, not Tessa’s cold lash, that it was you who held his arms when he went ice-skating, not that awful date of the past month, and that it was you who he spent all day texting back and forth with.

Most important, Tom imagined a day where he wouldn’t imagine he was with you instead of the person he was actually with. He hoped that day would come soon, and each time the doorbell rang he stepped up with the same glint of excitement that died every day.

Tom felt that he had won the jackpot with you, that he had finally done his ace in golf with you. Everyone else felt like a mediocre prize.

Playing and replaying old conversations

Overthinking every word and I hate it

Cause it’s not me

His nightmares were plagued with you; and his dreams too. His sweet dreams turned sour as he brain too him back to your last moments together, over and over again.

Tom had found the letter early in the morning on Monday; and had went to the gym not knowing what it was or what it meant. It had some strange logo on the front and was thicker that the rest of them, but he had been in a hurry; sometimes, he wished he had stayed and read it with you. Because receiving the condolences of your private clinic for not being able to do anything against your cancer was hard, and that was the first mistake Tom made.

The second one, was bursting into tears and sobs, until he fainted for exhaustion and pain, leaving you to deal with it for the night. He had woken up thinking it was just a dream, yet your teary face and sad smile said otherwise.

He had never met someone as selfless as you. While you walked out of the door, two weeks later, he felt his heart clench at that. Tom knew you were doing it for him, to avoid him from watching you at your worst and make him suffer more. Pleas, cries and begging didn’t work; you left after spending a whole night awake just hugging each other and the second letter came. Before the five day of him being alone and drowning on his sorrow, it arrived; a small yet effective goodbye letter you had written to him for when all of it ended. It was signed with your mother’s writing.

Even after months had passed, Tom hadn’t gone more than three nights in a row without wondering if he did the right thing by respecting your wish of dying without him until your last breath. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself it was your decision, and he did well; a shadow of your disappointed face chased him in his dreams.

And what’s the point in hiding?

Everybody knows we got unfinished business

And I’ll regret it if I didn’t say

This isn’t what it could be (isn’t what it could be)

“Tom Holland’s bigger strike, and final set”, the headlines had called it.

Once it had gone public, his temporal retirement and the reason behind it, the fans and the media had been behind him. The press and the public didn’t know many details, like that Tom had three websites written down on his favourite notebook along with some phones of real estate agencies that had economic flats in LA. The press didn’t care about those things, they didn’t care about Tom having his life planned with you or the pain he was in, the only wanted every juicy detail about Tom and Harrison ‘break up’ and when he was going to come back to the industry. They didn’t care neither about Harrison, who couldn’t look at his best friend without thinking about his dead sister.

The world only wanted to know as much as they could on the non-important details about Tom’s girlfriend, not about Y/N Osterfield, young girl who died because the government didn’t invest enough money in cancer treatment.

Tom hated that.

You can break my heart it two

But when it heals it beats for you

The night of your birthday, as Tom was going to bed, he found himself wandering around the house you used to share in London. He walked around until he stopped in front of your studio, where he had put all the things after you had left. The brown wooden door seemed to stare back at him, daring him to open it. After a few moments, he gave in, and slowly began to twist the doorknob.

When Tom got back from the funeral, after being left alone by a overprotective mother and worried brothers, he went to your studio and the realisation of what had happen drawn to him. He hadn’t cried in the funeral, and hadn’t talked to your family; after the official ceremony, he spent the next week holed up in your side of the bed and hugging your clothes.

He had tried to enter your studio that same day, and he had been met with silence

He got angry, really angry. Tom started yelling and screaming as waves of anger washed through his body. He began to grab everything he was and threw them across the room; your computer, books, the television, the lamp, notebooks, clock. He cursed out loud to Got for taking you so soon. Tom threw random little knickknacks he found and chucked them as hard as he could; his hands were bleeding by the end of it. The last thing he picked was a picture frame of the end of your desk, with a photo of you and him he had taken during your best vacation.

I know it’s forward but it’s true

Won’t lie I’d go back to you

Tom picked up the photograph, and the anger in him subsided, feeling drained. The screams turned into sobs and pitiful cries, and he started wheezing. With shaky hands, he turned around and placed the picture frame on your then flipped bed, and walked out of the room. He knew he wouldn’t been coming back any time soon.

The day of your birthday, the room was the same way it was when he first visited. There were shards of broken glass everywhere. Piles and piles of ripped papers were strewn across the floor. Tom couldn’t help but since at the sound of glass under his shoe. He let one last tear roll down his cheek and rolled the sleeve of his shirt, ready to do what he had been trying to for a whole year.

He looked back, and saw Harrison with a small smile and a brush on his hand. His hair was longer, he seemed ten years older and he was wearing an old shirt that did nothing to his already skinny body.

Tom wasn’t looking much better. He had had his hair cut recently, not bearing anymore the absence of your fingers through his hair. Luckily, Jacob had dragged him out of his apartment a couple of times to go to the gym and his mother made sure he ate at least twice a day. So even if he was thinner, he was still healthy.

If I could do it all again

I know I’d go back to you

When he sat down that night on bed, exhausted and with aches in all his body, he took the frame in his hands and looked at it closely. He promised to himself, once more, that it would be the last time he cried over you, as the tears soaked the picture. In the pit of his stomach, he knew that if he had the opportunity to go back in time and tell his past self all that had happened, to tell himself about the pain of falling in love with an expire date, he would still do everything the same exact way. Tom realized, that even though he had lost you, he hadn’t lost the memories of you. And the good ones were much more better than the bad.

I’ll go back to you

I know I’d go back to you

Tom may had had his heart broken by you. He had lost his friendship with Harrison, a lethal wound on their relationship. And he had suffered what he thought it wasn’t possible. But he knew, if he had a choice, he would go back.

Every. Single. Damn. Time.

Want to know more about me? Here is my Masterlist! Feedback is always appreciated!!

Tom Holland tag list:

@delicately-important-trash

#tom holland #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #peter parker #peter parker imagine #angst #spiderman #spiderman imagine #imaginemai

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iactuallygiveup · 5 years ago

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The boy who drowned

There was once a boy who lived in a small house with his three sheep and his four bees. Every night when he was about to sleep he would count his sheep over and over until his eyes shut and his breath slowed down. In his dreams he would see his four bees that live outside in an oak tree the boy had planted when he was a young boy. It wasn't big but it was enough for the four bees. In the boys dream the bees would circle his head, sometimes only for a few times sometimes they would do it the whole dream. He liked it, it calmed him down. He didn’t do much in his dreams. Sometimes he would just sit outside on his swing and stare at the flower fields, and sometimes he would go down to the lake and sit there with his bees staring at the calm water. The only thing that was always the same in these dreams were that the boy always ended up drowning before he woke up. It could be because his sheep were stuck in the water and he tried to save them, or his little neighbor who he knew couldn't swim had tried to swim in the deep parts. The boy had wondered many times why his dreams would punish him when he saved a life, but he hadn't figured it out yet.

The boy had just gotten back from the small market around 2 km away from his home, he had noticed the day before that his small neighbor didn’t have much vegetables in their garden, that made him feel bad so he went and bought some for them. He knew that he had used up his last money this month on those vegetables but it was for a good reason, his small neighbor smiled from ear to ear when they got them. The boy walked home and went to sleep without dinner that night. Counting his three sheep, staring at the flowers, saving a small girl from falling in the lake but drowning in the process, then waking up.

The weather was getting colder, it was snowing that day. The boy had blankets and a fireplace. He was warm. But his sheep weren't. He felt bad, so he brought them inside, gave them his blankets and warmed a bowl with his last cabbage soup. His sheep were now warm. The boy wasn’t. But he knew that it was for a good reason, the sheep slept good by the fire. The boy counted them, stared at the lake, road ice-skates with a sad, lonely man to make him happy, then drowned under the ice after saving the man from falling in. And the boy woke up, freezing and sad, but he felt good because he knew that his sheep were warm.

The boy sat outside his small neighbors house waiting for them to get ready, they were having a picnic down by the lake today. The sun was shining and both of them had gone to the market yesterday and filled their food supply. It was a good day, his sheep were chewing on the grass and the bees were happily buzzing in the small flower garden. The boy had nothing else to do when waiting so he counted his sheep, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three. His small neighbor came and they went down to the lake. It was surrounded by trees but the sun was shining on the water and they were happy, they sat down, talked, and stared at the lake. He saw fish jumping out of the water trying to eat something, the boy couldn't see what they were trying to catch. Until he got closer. He started running, and running, and swimming and then he got there. His bees had followed them but were stuck on a stick that was sticking up from the water. The fish were trying to eat his bees. The boy carried them up from the stick, blowed on them carefully until they dried, and the flew to the shore. What the boy hadn't noticed was how the sand under his feet had swallowed him, he was stuck and was slowly sinking. His small neighbor had fallen asleep by the shore and his sheep were nowhere in sight. The boy sunk, and sunk. He should have counted on this, he always drowned when he saved someone, why would this be any different. He didn’t want to scream, he knew his neighbor didn’t get much sleep. So the boy accepted it, the water was up to his neck, he relaxed, thinking back on all the times he woke up after drowning. He knew he wouldn't wake up this time, that it would go all black and he wouldn't wake up to his three sheep, he would never see his small neighbor smile again and he would never hear the buzzing of his four bees. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and felt the water swallow him. Black. Everything was dark, except it wasn't, he was at the lake again staring, seeing a fish out of the water dying. His first instinct was to go save it, but would he drown if he did? He was already dead what could possibly happen. He stood up, but he feel down again, then he stood up, and fell down. He was stuck in the sand, he had another chance to dig himself up or save the fish. He couldn't save the fish. It was already dead.

The sun was shining in the boys eyes, he could hear talking, he could feel hooves on his chest, what was happening? Was he alive, what happened to the fish? It died, he could feel it, but it was only a dream. The fish wasn’t real. The boy sat up, he could see his three sheep, he could hear his four bees buzzing and his small neighbor was smiling with tears running down their face. He was alive. Sometimes you have to choose yourself before others, even if it means they get hurt, because if you don't there is a chance that you get even more hurt. The boy knew what it meant now. But he would never stop caring about his small neighbor, four bees and three sheep.

#drowning #death #sheep #bees #flowers #friendship #lake #love yourself #idk how to tag #choose yourself #care

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trashforgubler · 6 years ago

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Hold On

Word Count: 2,466

Summary: You try to kill yourself and Spencer (your boyfriend) is left to deal with the aftermath

Extra Info: This fic was inspired by the song “Hold On” by Chord Overstreet and as always I 11/10 recommend you listen to it. Also, I would like to note that this is an extremely sad and dark piece so please please please do not read it if you know it will trigger you. I promise not all my stuff will be this dark but because I watch too much criminal minds I am a little bit “dark and twisty” so this kind of stuff will come up every now and then.

Warnings: Light swearing, cutting, self hatred, suicide, dark humor, literally if it’s depressing its probably in here

Requests: Open pls send

Feedback pls and thank

masterpost

This was it. You were done. You couldn’t do it anymore. You breathed.

Inhale.

Exhale.

As you looked around the room, your eyes fell upon a photograph. It was taken on the day you and Spencer went ice skating together, and he pretended to not know how just so he could hold your hand. A smile made its way onto your face for the first time in a while, but you hated the bitter sweetness of old memories. On the one hand, you loved thinking back to times when you were happy. Truly happy. Oh, how times had changed. Now thinking about those memories made you cry, because you knew there was no way to go back to how things had been. How was it possible to want to cherish something and forget about it at the same time? You sighed and stared at the blade sitting on your desk. Your hands rested on its cool surface as you learned up against it, head hung low as a million thoughts flew through it.

I can’t do this to him. He won’t survive.

Thoughts swarmed your head like a hurricane. You wracked your brain, trying to think of a way out that wouldn’t kill you both. And then it came. You opened the desk and took out a flimsy piece of notebook paper and a pencil, as if a note explain yourself would make it all better. Maybe it wouldn’t erase his pain, but you hoped it spare him some. You heard somewhere that the not knowing is the worst part for the people left behind. After a while, they could grasp the fact that you were gone, that was easy. It was not knowing the reason why that eats at them for an eternity. Spencer had to know he wasn’t a reason. You picked up a pen and held it against the paper, watching as the dot of ink grew larger and larger. Nothing had ever prepared you for this moment. English class had taught you how to write a 2,000 word essay in one night, but you couldn’t ever recall “how to write a suicide note,” being on a syllabus. You figured if you didn’t think about the words to much, they would just come to you.

Dear Spence,

I don’t know how to say this. I’m sorry. I’ll miss you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you.

You were planning on something a little more extravagant than that. That’s what always happened in books in movies. Characters writing big long letters to their loved ones, explaining every detail of their decision. A play by play to the exact moment they decided they were going to cut their life short. But in that moment, you couldn’t even bring yourself to think what you felt. Trying to put your reasoning on paper was impossible, as if you had to have a good enough reason to kill yourself. Almost as if there was a court that approved your application for suicide. “Oh, you hate yourself and you think you’re a burden to everyone? Sorry, Mike over here just overfed his goldfish and killed it. Please try again in 20 years.” Realizing the fact that you couldn’t even figure out what you were feeling suddenly frightened you. If you couldn’t even understand your own brain, how could Spencer? Words started floating through your head as you attempted to put a label on what you felt. Sad? No, not really. Depressed maybe, but not necessarily sad. Angry? Angry at the world? Yes. Angry enough to die? Probably not. Guilt? Guilt. That was it. You probably felt guilty because that you were leaving an innocent man to suffer while you got to be free. But you couldn’t help it. You were trapped.

You placed the note on the counter and undressed yourself. As you walked into the bathroom, blade in hand, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Cringing, you studied each and every part of your body. The body you had despised your entire life. You were too big, had too many stretch marks and too many scars. The cuts covered your body. Your eyes strung with tears as you realized this is the last time you would ever look in a mirror. You didn’t know whether those tears are of happiness or sadness. It was all irrelevant anyways, none of it mattered anymore. In a few minutes you would be dead, completely useless to the world as you always had been. You never had a purpose, you had just become tired of pretending that would ever change. The water stung the cuts on your thighs as you stepped into the bath. Slowly, you sank down into it. The coldness seeped into your veins, leaving chills across your skin. The blade in your hand stared at you, taunting you, daring you to cut. You bit your lip, but you weren’t sure why. You had no doubts, no fears. This is what you wanted to do.

“I’m in complete control”, you reminded yourself, although you knew it was bullshit. You weren’t the one who decided to do this. The monster that has slowly been possessing your body for the past three years was. The person you once were was gone. She died the day you put a blade to your small wrist for the first time. Just as you were about to do for the very last time. Inhaling, you plunged the blade into your arm despite your shaking hand. You drug down your arm, following the blue vein that ran down it like a map. A map to death. Blood began pouring out of you and mixed in with the bath water, turning it a murky red color. Black dots began to appear in front of you as your head spun. The cold water seeped closer and closer to your face as you sunk down into it, slowing losing conscious. You were so close to death that you didn’t even hear the front door open. The last thing you saw before you blacked out completely was Spencer leaned over the bathtub, tears cascading down his red face as he wrapped his arms around your limp body, trying to pull you from the tub.

Spencer’s POV

Your lifeless body stared at Spencer from the bath mat, your blood staining the once white fabric. He couldn’t take his eyes off you, even as he fumbled to reach for his phone.

“911 what’s your emergency?”

“My girlfriend is bleeding out.”

The words, “my girlfriend tried to kill herself in our bathtub with a blade she got from a broken pencil sharpener,” refused to come out of his mouth, but he assumed it didn’t matter. All he knew was that you were probably dead. Time was nonexistent. The next thing he knew he was riding in the back of the ambulance as he watched you slowly fade further and further away from him. He felt like he was dreaming. This couldn’t be real. Everyone else who fell in love got to be happy. They got to give each other valentines and go out on movie dates and kiss each other whenever they please. His stomach twisted when he realized he might not get to kiss you ever again.

As soon as he arrived at the hospital, a nurse pulled him away from you as you were whisked off to surgery. He stood there, in the middle of the ER, completely helpless. His pulse racing and could hear his heartbeat in his ears as it echoed loudly inside his chest. His head was swimming with a million thoughts all at the same time, and he couldn’t get them to stop. God, he just wanted them to stop. The nurse asked if he wanted to call anyone. All his concentration was put into trying to remember anyone’s name. “J- Jennifer Jareau,” he finally stammered out. The nurse nodded and lead him to a waiting room and then left him. Alone.

The ticking of the clock was starting to drive him insane. Why was there so much noise? He put his head in his lap and clamped his arms over his ears, trying to block it all out, but it persisted with no avail. The clock, the crackle of the AC, they sound of people shoes as they walked outside the door. It was too much.

“Spence.”

The sound of a soft voice startled him. His arms fell from his ears and dangled at his sides, but he kept his head down, to embarrassed to look up. JJ was standing before him, tears in her eyes as she said his name. “Spence?” she asked, bending down to look at him. She brushed a loose curl out of his face and looked him in the eye, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Spencer felt a tear trickle down his cheek and land on his cardigan. He sniffed as he pursed his lips and shut his eyes, still not believing any of this was happening. She was fine. He told himself. I thought she was fine. The more he thought about her, the more he began to cry. The now bitter sweet memories of seeing her smile when he woke up every morning or hearing her laugh when he complained about being referred to as a “pipe cleaner with eyes,” tore at his heart. “Aww Spence.” JJ said, wiping away a tear. She didn’t know how to help him. How do you help someone who was waiting to see if the love of there life was alive or not? She didn’t know. “Spence did you cut yourself?” JJ asked with motherly concern, seeing the jagged tear in his jeans that was seeping blood.

Spencer shrugged, “probably just the blade she dropped,” he said plainly.

The words made JJ’s heart ache. Here he was, slumped in a hospital chair, crying because he didn’t know what was going to happen, and she knew it killed him knowing that he couldn’t fix it. Whenever there was a problem, Spencer made fixing it his number one priority. He couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t bring you back to life, or make your pain go away. He was so caught up in it that he hadn’t even noticed that he hurt himself on the blade you tried to take your life with.

“What can I do?”

“Just…” Spencer started before having to stop to compose himself, “Be here,” he finished, voice breaking as he did. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to contain his emotions.

“Okay.” JJ nodded, sitting down in the chair next to him. He tilted his head to rest on her shoulder and collapsed further into her as he felt her arms wrap around him. “Okay.” She repeated. “Okay.”

Hours passed. Or maybe it was only a few minutes, Spencer wasn’t quite sure, but before they knew it, the doctor had come out to talk to them. “Are you Y/N’s family?” She asked them.

“Yes.” They both said in unison.

“Okay, well she’s stable for now, but we’re not sure when she’ll wake up. We had to suture her wrists and replace a lot of her blood, but she should be fine, with the expectation of lots of therapy of course.”

Spencer let out a sigh of relief as he allowed a small smile to appear on his face. JJ thanked the doctor as they both head into your room. They made themselves comfortable in chairs by your bed. Spencer took your hand in his as he learned back into his chair, falling asleep to the sound of your steady breathing, and the beeping on the heartrate monitor. He loved that sound. It meant you were alive. That you were okay. That he would be okay.

Your POV

You woke up to the sun streaming in through the window pane, casting a warm glow onto your face. You almost smiled at the feeling. It reminded you of carefree summer days spent at a neighborhood block party, eating red, white and blue popsicles with your friends. It just made you happy. You could hear soft snoring coming from the person next to you.

Spencer.

Oh shit, Spencer. Had he been there all night? Had he been there more than one night? You quickly realized that this question would be a lot easier to answer if you knew what day it was. You squeezed his hand gently to wake him. He opened his eyes, which were red from either sleep deprivation, crying, or both. You didn’t know. Another pang of guilt stabbed you the more you looked at him. His messier than usual hair, the crescent shaped circles under his eyes. You did this to him, and you didn’t even know why.

“Hey beautiful,” he said groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes. You managed to give a small smile in return. He brushed your forehead with the edge of his thumb and you relaxed at the feeling, as if all your problems and this giant mess you’ve gotten yourself into were now gone because of the way his hands felt up against your skin. Not in a sexual way, but in a pure way. The way only Spence could make you feel. He made you feel safe.

“How long have I been here?”

“Just a day.” He responded.

“And you?”

“Just a day,” he repeated, looking down at your hand as he smiled. His eyes then wandered over to your wrists, which were covered in big white bandages, but they did nothing to hide the other cuts up and down the upper part of your arms. “I love you,” he started, bringing an edge of seriousness you’ve never heard from him before. He looked up at you with those big brown eyes. “You know that, right?”

“Of course, I do, Spence.” You dreaded where this conversation was heading.

“You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“I know.” You said quietly, breaking eye contact as shame consumed you.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked in a low voice, leaning towards you as he said it. You promptly shook your head. To say you have zero interest in talking about it would be the understatement of the year. You know that you can talk to him, but you don’t want to cause him any more pain than you already put him through.

“Okay.” He said, understanding. “Not now, but eventually we need to talk about it okay?”

You nodded in agreement. As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. As always. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, and you felt a small tear drop trickle off his face. “I love you Y/N.” he said. “Sleep.”

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds angst #criminal minds fluff #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid #criminal minds imagine #writing #writer

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ibrokeeverything · 6 years ago

Note

“He’s so pretty I think I’m gonna faint.” Yuuri x Victor

Sitting up and reaching for his glasses, Yuuri let out a frustrated sigh. He’s been in bed for hours with little luck falling asleep. He was no stranger to sleepless nights. There had been countless times he’d been kept up by anxieties or nerves, mind spinning until the sun rose over the horizon. With everything that had been going on lately, it was a miracle he got any sleep at all. Luckily brutal conditioning and long practices had worn his body down to exhaustion; he’d been asleep as soon as he hit the bed most nights.

Glasses slid into place, Yuuri felt around for his phone until his fingers connected with the cool plastic surface of his case. He brought it up close to his face before clicking the home button to determine the time. Blinding light emitted from the screen, but he was able to make out 3:26 am before squeezing his eyes shut and pointing it down towards the floor. He ran a hand through his hair, shoving his bangs back. He flopped back down into bed, landing with a soft thump. It was so late, or early now that it was technically the next morning, and he had to get up for practice in just a few hours. Letting out a long breath, he pushed himself to his feet. Clearly, just lying in bed wasn’t getting him anywhere. He shuffled out of the room, careful to make as little noise as possible while sliding the door shut. Gently walking down the hall, he passed Victor’s room and made it to the stairs. The last thing he would want to do was wake Victor in the middle of the night while he’d been working so hard to coach him.

Yuuri flipped a light on once in the kitchen, wincing as his eyes adjusted. He began going through the familiar motions of making a cup of tea. After filling the kettle with water, he set it on the stovetop. Turning the knob until the fire came to life, he watched as the flames danced below the kettle. He sorted through the teas until finding the chamomile blend. It was caffeine-free and calming, so therefore perfect for a 3:00 am cup of tea. The water soon began to rumble and steam, so he turned off the heat and scooped up some of the dried chamomile flowers. Dumping them into the pot, he watched as they fell in and slowly started to stain the water a pale yellow color. Pulling his attention away from the tea, he hunted for a mug and strainer. Once found, he leaned on the counter, forearms propping his body up, and watched as the tea turned from a light color to a rich and deep gold.

There was something about the middle of the night that Yuuri loved. Everything seemed to calm and still. There was no chaos or worry, only quiet and peace. He found it much easier to relax, yet at the same time, there was nothing to distract him from his own thoughts. It was also easy to spiral out of control, spending hours obsessing over something trivial, just for morning to arrive and to realize that it never really mattered to begin with.

Shaking the thoughts away, Yuuri peered into the kettle. Deciding that the tea had brewed for long enough, he carefully poured the hot liquid through the strainer and into his cup. Gingerly taking the hot mug into his hands, Yuuri wrapped his fingers around the mug. Settling down on a cushion and placing his mug on the table, his eyes were drawn to the steam drifting away from the tea before disappearing into nothingness. It was beautiful, yet fleeting and untouchable. If not for the lack of sleep he may have found it in himself to compare it to Victor, so close but just out of reach. Instead, he simply brought the mug to his lips. A quick sip warmed his throat, the comforting flavor helping to put his mind at ease.

Tapping his phone screen, it illuminated with the time again. This time, the light was manageable, tempered by the overhead lights of the kitchen. The minutes ticked by, his alarm getting closer and closer as each one passed. On a whim, he opened up his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He landed on a very familiar name, Phichit Chulanont. It hadn’t been too long since he had last seen Phichit, yet he missed the constant warmth and optimism by his side. Tapping the call button, he brought the phone up to his ear.

Moving to Detroit was one of the scariest and most exciting things Yuuri had ever done in his life. He was leaving the comfort of his home, family, and even his own country. But, it was to further his competitive career. Celestino had been invaluable in advancing his skills, so of course the experience was worth it. However, Phichit had been the one to make it enjoyable. He had bonded with Yuuri right away over their passion for skating. His compassionate and easy-going nature was a perfect counterpart to the stressed and anxious side of Yuuri. They could talk about anything and everything, and he was always there to listen.

“Hello?” Phichit’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Hi, it’s me. Are you at practice?” Yuuri answered, one hand wrapped around his phone, the other around his mug.

“Yep, but I’m on a break,” Phichit’s peppy voice was a welcome sound. “Isn’t it really late there? What’s up?” Concern crept into his voice. He knew that Yuuri had trouble sleeping occasionally, being roommates and all, but he still worried for his friend.

“Yeah, it’s like 3:30.” The 13 hour time difference between Detroit and Hasetsu meant that it was mid afternoon for Phichit. That big of a difference usually made communicating a bit tough, but texting always worked well enough since they could just answer whenever they were awake. “I just- I don’t know Phichit.” Letting out a long breath, Yuuri slumped against the table, leaning his upper body against its surface with a hand propping up his head.

After Socchi, his life had basically turned upside down. He went from one of the lowest lows to his life and skating career, to soaking in the onsen and being coached by his idol, Victor Nikiforov. He was so thankful. Victor was producing results; Yuuri won the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Championship by a relatively wide margin. His short program, while very different from his usual style, was commanding attention and was rewarded with a high score. And of course, it was a dream come true to spend so much time with Victor, yet he was more stressed than ever. The stakes were raised impossibly high. With the Cup of China coming up soon, he had to perform spectacularly. Now, if he failed, Yuuri wouldn’t just be disappointing himself, he’d be disappointing Victor’s fans, Yuri, basically the entire figure skating community, and worst of all, Victor himself.

“Everything is changing, for the better, but I’m overwhelmed,” Yuuri admitted. Overwhelming: that summarized the experience pretty well. Victor had come crashing into Yuuri’s life like a beautiful, chaotic storm. “It’s just a lot to take in.”

Phichit hummed in response, affirming what Yuuri said. “I’m sure it is. You live with the Victor Nikiforov,” he replied. “Eighteen year-old Yuuri would have had a heart attack and died,” he finished, a warm chuckle following his words.

“I’m not sure twenty-three year-old Yuuri is faring much better.” Whether it was just a European tendency, his personality, or something else, Victor was always far too close for comfort. It wasn’t that Yuuri didn’t like it, but he constantly felt like his heart was going to burst. It was always something: a firm touch correcting his posture, leaning in a little close, or asking to sleep together. He was starting to think that personal space was not in Victor’s vocabulary.

“How is it? Living out your dream?” Phichit questioned. Yuuri pondered the question for a moment. He’d barely even had time to process that he was, in fact, living his childhood dream. It was everything he’d imagined, but it was reality too. Sure, he was being coached by his idol, but that didn’t magically solve all his problems. It fixed some of them and also created some more. He logically knew that people would have higher expectations for him now and that he’d be harder on himself. The problem he didn’t anticipate as a kid was the adult reality of living with someone you loved for basically your whole life. The crush he’d developed on Victor through years of idolizing was becoming an issue.

“Yes and no,” Yuuri replied, knowing that it wasn’t really much of an answer. “It’s just… Sometimes, he’s so pretty I think I’m going to faint,” Yuuri mumbled. His cheeks burned and he knew his face would be flushing to a deep crimson. While he’d admitted to himself long ago that he had a crush on Victor, and it went further than just admiring his skating, the embarrassment of saying it out loud still hit him hard. He’d gushed to Phichit about how cool Victor was countless times, but now that he knew Victor personally, and he wasn’t just some celebrity image, it felt all the more real. He found himself wanting to reach out and close the space between them more often than he’d like to admit.

“Yuuri, You’re in love! That’s so cute!” Phichit’s voice was suddenly much louder, excitement evident in his tone.

“I- I don’t know about that,” Yuuri sputtered back. He wouldn’t deny that there were definitely feelings there. He just wasn’t quite sure that they could be called love. Not yet anyway. His attachment to Victor was growing each day. Being the first person Yuuri saw every morning and usually the last one he saw at night was starting to wreak havoc on any and all rational thoughts. Yuuri knew that Victor was his coach, and getting involved could get really messy, but when Victor pulls him into a hug, he never wants to pull away. But, it didn’t matter in the long-run anyway. Victor was the top figure skater in the world, anyone would be thrilled to date him and there’s no way he’d ever look at someone like Yuuri in a romantic light. It was a miracle that he had even seen Yuuri’s video and decided he was worthy of Victor’s coaching.

“Just be sure to invite me to the wedding,” Phichit laughed, the sound bright and clear.

“It’ll never happen, Phichit. You know me. I’ll just enjoy every second I have now, while he’s looking at me, probably have a couple panic attacks along the way, and cry when Victor inevitably goes back to St. Petersburg. I’m just trying not to get my hopes up too high.” While Yuuri knew he’d probably get hurt in the future, he figured he could at least indulge himself for now. As embarrassing as it was, he allowed himself to enjoy Victor’s closeness. He’d take an extra glance when Victor walked out of the onsen in only a towel, or even the simple things like enjoying a meal together.

“Come on Yuuri, you have to go after him! You just don’t give yourself enough credit. Anybody would be lucky to have you!” This was why Yuuri always loved talking to Phichit. He was always there to make Yuuri feel better about himself and shower him with encouragement.

“I’ll think about it.” A small smile tugged at the corners of Yuuri’s lips. “I should probably go, I need to sleep.” He didn’t even want to think about how exhausting practice was going to be tomorrow on this little sleep.

“Definitely! Call me again soon, okay?” Phichit replied.

“Of course,” Yuuri hung up his phone and laid it on the table next to his now mostly empty mug. He did feel a bit better now, having talked with Phichit.

Leaning back, he laid back on the ground, legs stretched out under the table, gathering his resolve to get up and head back up to bed, hoping to get some sleep. Then, his eyes settled on a figure stepping into the kitchen. “Victor!” Yuuri all but squeaked, bolting upright and smacking his knees on the table in the process. He winced at the pain, but scrambled to his feet, turning to face Victor. Hoping the panic wasn’t showing on his face, he offered a small smile. “Why are you up?’ He questioned, desperately hoping Victor hadn’t heard anything from his conversation with Phichit. He might actually die if that happened.

“Water,” He replied simply. “But, I could ask you the same question.” Victor retrieved a glass and filled it up with water before turning back to Yuuri.

“Um, I couldn’t sleep, so I thought tea might help.” Not mentioning the phone call seemed like the safest option. Hopefully he could escape back to his room before Victor asked any more questions.

“Who was on the phone?” Victor asked with his usual bright smile and energetic tone. A new wave of panic rushed through him and Yuuri felt his heart sink. This was it. He was going to have to retire from figure skating and never show his face again. He couldn’t even hope that Victor would misunderstand the call. Yuuri had even mentioned Victor by name.

“How much did you hear?” Yuuri said, voice quiet and eyes downcast. He was clinging onto the hope that all Victor had heard was their good-byes like it was a lifeline.

“Just something about not getting your hopes up. Worried about getting to the Grand Prix?” Victor took a sip of his water, looking at Yuuri with innocent eyes. Relieved, Yuuri started heading toward the stairs, trying to ease his way out of the conversation.

“Something like that,” He agreed, too tired to come up with anything else. That made sense and Victor would understand. Victor followed him to the stairs, heading back to his own room as well.

“Well, don’t worry. You can do it, no problem. You have the best coach out there,” Victor replied, another smile spreading across his features. Despite the tension of the situation, Yuuri felt his nerves settle with the reassurance from Victor, even if it wasn’t relevant at the moment.

“Thanks. I, uh, should probably get some sleep,” Yuuri said as they reached the door to Victor’s room.

“Yep! I’ll see you in the morning,” Victor replied, opening his door. “Oh, and Yuuri, if you ever feel faint, I’ll catch you.“ He finished with a wink. At that, Victor slid his door shut, leaving Yuuri standing in the hallway, staring at the door. Something in his brain short circuited at the comment. Victor had heard everything. All of it. He was completely unable to process what Victor just said to him, and didn’t think he’d be able to even if he were well-rested. Blush flaming on his cheeks and heart pounding, Yuuri stumbled back to his room in a daze. Convinced he was delirious and had been hearing things, he rejected the possibility of Victor taking any interest in him. It was crazy. Maybe it had been a dream instead. It was easier to believe that he’d finally lost it. Shaking his head, he fell onto his bed, letting his phone slide to the floor.

The night ahead was sleepless, but far too short. Yuuri was still processing when the sun rose. Doing his best to shake it off, he prepared for practice with Victor. He knew it was going to be a very long day.

#yuuri on ice #yuri on ice #victor x yuuri #yuuri katsuki #victor nikiforov

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