#42 year old man baby

[canyyon]

I wanted to draw Julius getting bullied by an 11 year old and it devolved into an au.

The idea is Marx is missing and without him around Julius can't do his job because castle staff/authorities are not aware their favorite king is a literal child.

The person who kidnapped Marx is aware and made a threat on Julius's life if he stays in the castle. So Julius contacts William and Yami, the three of them coming up with a game plan to ship him off to the middle of nowhere until their squads rescue Marx and the threat is subdued.

Thus Asta and Yuno escort him to Hage Village, dropping him off on Father Orsi's doorstep giving a very abridged version of the situation. That Julius's guardian was kidnapped and there's no one to take care of Julius in Marx's stead.

Thus, Julius gets to live the life of a victorian orphan for just a little bit and see the future of his kingdom <3

Dialouge:

Julius: "Greetings!" Nash: "Stay away from Asta you snot faced loser, he's my older brother not yours, you aren't one of us!" Rekka: "Knock it off Nash." Nash: "REKKA THAT HURT!" Rekka: "Boo-hoo"

Julius: "Uh"

Rekka: "Yuno and Asta asked Father to look after Julius while they find his guardian. Until they do, he's our brother. If I see you bullying him again, you're dead." Julius: "She's scary"

[officialbruciewayne]

ooc. I've been married for four years how am I giving off baby girl energy

[nerdyenby]

Btw 30 is young. If you’re under 35 you’re young. Hell, if you’re under 45 and chill, you’re still young in my book. There’s nothing wrong with being old but you ain’t there yet chief. You’ve got so much time. So many more people to meet, so much more media to enjoy, so many more places to see, so many more opportunities to come. You have time, you deserve to live like it.

[becaexists]

I've emended "Like Real People Do" to be canon compliant but still fitting with my headcanon that Angelo has a niece from Seraphina, I'm going to update it with the Halloween chapter that will release on the 31st

[iadoreneteyam]

e!42 miles and his girlfriend going to his family barbecue

e!42 miles who begs his girlfriend’s to match shoes with him

e!42 miles who laughs in his girlfriend’s face when she says she wants to make a good impression on his family and says “why would I give a damn if they like you, mami?”

e!42 miles who makes sure his girlfriend has everything she needs to do her makeup as she sits down at his desk and looks into the led hello kitty mirror he bought her specifically for his house.

e!42 miles with a girlfriend who allows him to do her lipliner

e!42 miles who willingly sits in the backseat with his girlfriend when heading to the barbecue even though the passenger seat nexts to his mom is open

e!42 miles who does everything to annoy his girlfriend in the car.

e!42 miles who falls asleep on his girlfriend and drools but immediately denies that he drooled on her when they arrive at the barbecue

e!42 miles who puts his arm around his girlfriend’s waist to move her away from all his family members crowding him and his mom before leaning into his girlfriend’s ear and whispering “don’t want you to be overwhelmed, mami. my family is a bit of a handful y’know.” and kisses his girlfriend behind her ear before backing off.

e!42 miles who fights the urge to punch his cousin in the face when he hears something along the lines of “yeah, I don’t know how Miles ended up with a girl like that.” Miles heard murmurs agreeing before his cousin continued “wayyyyyy out of his league, man. he doesn’t even know what to do with that.”

e!42 miles and his girlfriend who runs to be the first in line to get barbecue when his older cousin yells that the food is ready only to be pushed aside with his cousin telling them “older men eat first.”

e!42 miles and his girlfriend who finally get their food and make and effort to sit away from his family because he “rather be with you than with them, y’know that mami.”

e!42 miles who refuses to let his girlfriend get herself another drink. “Imma get for ya so tell me what ya want, mami.”

e!42 miles who also refuses to let his girlfriend throw any of her own trash away

e!42 miles who immediately brings his girlfriend inside when she claims “it’s so hot, baby.”

e!42 miles who regrets coming inside because everyone now sees it as their chance to question him about the girl he brought

e!42 miles who is so happy to get away from all the hassling and to sit on the couch with his girlfriend

e!42 miles who smiles when he sees his girlfriend with his seven year old cousin in her lap as she helps her play uno against his mom

e!42 miles who comes over to the three of them and asks “y’all got room for one more?”

e!42 miles who groans after he loses to them twice before rushing his cousin off his girlfriend’s lap so he can pull her closer

e!42 miles who swings his girlfriend’s leg in his lap and asks her if she’s having fun

e!42 miles who silently begs his mom to go home once they hit the five hour mark to which his mom keeps waving him off saying “yeah sweetie let me just finish this conversation.” (they did not leave after that conversation)

e!42 miles and his girlfriend who don’t get to leave the party until it’s dark outside

e!42 miles who sits his girlfriend at his desk chair and grabs makeup wipes to help her take off her makeup

e!42 miles who lets his girlfriend take a shower first when they make it to his house so she can get more rest

e!42 miles who gets out the shower only to see his girlfriend still awake waiting for him

e!42 miles who gets in bed with his girlfriend, kisses her on the lips, and says “what I say about staying awake for me, mami ?”

e!42 miles who fights the pout on his face when his girlfriend tells him that her parents said she has to come home tomorrow

e!42 miles who just can’t sleep knowing his girlfriend is leaving in the morning

e!42 miles who wakes his girlfriend up and says “ya think ya parents will let me stay a couple days?”

e!42 miles who breaks out into a grin when his girlfriend tells him “ if you go get me breakfast in the morning I’ll ask, how’s that sound, baby?”

e!42 miles who kisses his girlfriend goodnight

[lassieposting]

Concept: ME2, told through Shepard's very active text chain with bestest best buddy Wrex after he leaves the Normandy post-ME1.

Like. Cerberus has a new omnitool for her aboard the SR2 and the first thing she does is try to contact him and Garrus. It takes a few days - and a few frustrating phone calls - to reactivate her old line and forward her messages and contacts and shit, but eventually they all ping her at once as the tool downloads them

10 November 2183

[10:46 GST] Urdnot Wrex: [11 missed calls]

[10:48 GST] Urdnot Wrex: pick up

[10:51 GST] Urdnot Wrex: answer me

[10:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: alliancenewsnetwork.ex/breaking_news_ssv_normandy_shot_down_over_alchera

[10:53 GST] Urdnot Wrex: ur ok?

[12:01 GST] Urdnot Wrex: shepard?

[14:32 GST] Urdnot Wrex: SHEPARD???

10 November 2184

[8:51 GST] Urdnot Wrex: img_attachment_bottle_of_ryncol_very_blurry.jpg

[8:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: cheers

[8:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: fucking. pyjak

And she gets back in touch with him, explains what happened to her and why she was MIA for two years, has a bit of a quick cry maybe because she misses him and she's surrounded by Cerberus lifers and she just wants someone on board she can trust to have her back, and from then on Wrex has to get used to receiving weird contextless texts on a regular basis

Like

[9:17 TNT] Shepard: LOOK WHO I FOUND

[9:17 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_garrus_asleep_in_medbay_post_surgery.png

[9:18 TNT] Shepard: Ignore all the bandages, his face fell off but we fixed it. You will not believe what he's been doing im going to kill him

[13:18 TNT] Shepard: video_attachment_garrus_fascinated_by_medbay_automatic_doors.mp4

[13:18 TNT] Shepard: Anaesthetic is wearing off...slowly...

And

[17:08 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_urz_wearing_hotdog_costume.png

[17:08 TNT] Shepard: :)

[17:09 TNT] Urdnot Wrex: i gave u that thing to win u credits and ur just putting it in stupid outfits

[17:10 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_urz_asleep_on_bed_with_plushie.png

[17:11 TNT] Shepard: yeah :) he baby

[17:13 TNT] Shepard: instagram.ex/urztherescuevarren

And

[22:31 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_harbinger_assuming_direct_control.png

[22:31 TNT] Shepard: wHaT tHe FuCk WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

[22:47 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_collector_corpses.png

[22:47 TNT] Shepard: nvm we good man these things UGLY

And of course, some go in the opposite direction.

[05:17 GST] Urdnot Wrex: so you finally did it eh

[05:25 GST] Shepard: Did what?

[05:29 GST] Urdnot Wrex: vakarian. about damn time

[05:41 GST] Shepard: oh my god 😂

[05:41 GST] Shepard: brb gonna go kill grunt

[05:42 GST] Urdnot Wrex: whatever a "step" dad is, he thinks hes getting one

Just. Shep and Wrex staying a big part of each others lives despite all the lightyears and star systems and backbreaking responsibility between them

[all444miles]

— ARCADE DATES

— pairing: e!42 miles x fem!black!reader hcs — genre: fluff — cw: cursing, use of the n word once, one slightly suggestive comment that's abt it — summary: miles is your boyfriend, so when you heard that the local funfair was opened, you just had to ask him to come with you. the perfect date, right? — translations: ¿Estabas diciendo, mi princesa? Fallaste como, cada disparo. = What were you saying, my princess? You missed like, every shot. mi culpa = my fault. cálma, cariño! = take it easy, baby! Hijo de puta.. = son a bitch.. — a/n: if the translations are incorrect/inaccurate, pls correct me n I apologise 😭 other than that, please enjoy!!

you text your boyfriend miles asking if he wanted to come to the fair with you. obviously, he says yes

fs he'll make a bet that whoever gets the highest score on the basketball machine has to pay for all the snacks. "amor, you tryna make a bet?"

"what kind?" "basketball machine. you lose, you gotta buy snacks for the rest of the night." "you for real think you gon win?" "ma, you look like a three year old when you try n shoot." "boy, please."

he wins, of course. he'll honestly flex about it for the rest of the night and laugh at how you're acting like a sore loser.

"Estabas diciendo, ¿mi princesa? Fallaste como, cada disparo." he'll tease you, nudging you with his elbow with a smirk printed on his face.

"miles, i hate you." "Aw, I love you too, mami."

you'll make the same proposal but with the car racing games, and this time, you win.

"woo! kiss my ass, miles!" "oh word? bet." "nigga." "jus’ sayin, mi culpa, mamas."

he's dedicated to getting you a hello kitty plush on that one unfair stand when he saw you look at it. he ain't even into that stuff, but he knows you are, so he'll do it.

"you really wan' that kitty plush, amor?" "look at it, its so cute tho!" "you trippin. but, ima buy it for you." "ain't those games unfair?" "and?"

it takes only 3 times of him losing, a chuckle from you and the owner at the stand to say "ah, looks like you can't win the plush for your lady, hm?" for it to get on his nerves. "hijo de puta.." miles curses, a scowl on his face in annoyance — but you try and calm him down. "cálma, cariño! its aight, we can jus' go to another stand!"

he deadass just knocks out the owner, leaves $50, takes the plush n gives it to you and goes on with the rest of the date 😭

y'all would kiss everywhere.

in the photo booth, you'll be on his lap n yall would take pics like this or like this.

at the tunnel of love, y'all corny mfs gon be kissin almost all half way..

yall with most definitely kiss at the top of the ferris wheel. sum like this

n and at the end of the night, when your man n you come back home from a night of fun n games, you’ll shower n cuddle for this rest of the night till you both fall asleep in eachothers embrace.

“tonight was fun, right miles?” “si, mi sol.” “i wonder if that guy you knocked out woke up yet..” “mami, go to sleep.”

© all444miles 2023. do not plagerize, copy, or repost my work in any way shape or form, without my permission.

likes, reblogs n comments r appreciated !

[therealbatgirlishere]

Trips in. (Tripin.) p1!

First fic! Kindness or constructive criticism is allowed. No req 🫶🏽

miles morales e-42 aged up! X bb mama reader aged up! miles age: 23 readers age: 22

context: you and Miles had broken up, due to a bad fight (petty argument) with a bad outcome, but anyways It’s been months and you’ve both pretty much moved on…right? Well, after you had finished getting dolled up to have a fun night with you and your girls, you had to drop your son off.. as you were planning to leave you might have been a bit.. interrupted?

You were chilling, just having finished your makeup and hair, you were going out with your girlfriends so you wanted to look nice as usual. Miles was comin in to take you n his kid,  sure. It’s a bit awks having to still communicate with the baby daddy after you both broke up but hey, at least your boy got a dad in his life. You were packing your sons things, placing clothes in his little bag, spare shoes a toothbrush and more, including a small treat for the road (a twix or stm Wtv u want.) after you had finished, you called your boy over. 

“Zion! ven aquí!” You shouted from upstairs, seconds later you heard the pitter patter of tiny feet coming up the stairs, your child then poking his head out of the door. 

“Mama?” Zion asked, in his cute lil voice you could see his little brown fro poking out as well as his eyes. You smiled, “Zion, you ready to see your papa?” You questioned, lips curling upwards. Zion gave a small nod. Cute. Your 4 year old son waddled his way over to you and gave you a hug, small arms wrapping around your knees and face dig into your legs. You patted your sons head.

 “Alright, I’ll put your bag on so you’re all ready.” You then picked up your son and settled him down on his comfy race car bed. He looked up at you, when you really looked at him, you could see miles, a resemblance between him and you in there…what were you just thinking? No. Stop thinking about that man. Focus. you were halfway through putting on his bag.

Knock knock knock

The sound echoed through the house, you had a feeling it was him, who am I kidding it was him. But, you had to make sure. 

“Zion,  stay here okay? I’ll call you down if papas here.” You said, holding his shoulders and being eye to eye with him before pecking his forehead quick and softly, then making your way downstairs and to the door, you were calm. Why wouldn’t you be? Face blank as you headed to the door.

Click.. creeeakkk

You opened the door, and there he was the 6’3 tall dark skinned male, mini Two-Strand twists,   the same blank expression as always. Wearing a white coloured wife beaters n a black zip up jacket with loose fit jeans, a silver chain and ring on his finger. 

(If ur wondering why he looks different it’s because he’s aged up, so ofc he would get taller and want to switch his hairstyle up etc. dw tho you can still imagine him looking the same ig.)

“…” he stared down at you,  hands in his pockets a lacklustre expression on his face as he then looks behind you. Searching for his son.

Where’s Zion at?” He asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks behind you still. Wow. Rude much? 

The man can’t even be bothered to say hi to the mother of his child.

“Well, Hi to you too. Miles.” You reply, giving him a sarcastic smile before rolling your eyes and turning your head back towards the house.

 “Zion! Your dads here!” You called him over, your son then poked his head out, a grin from ear to ear appeared as he then let out a small giggle. He then ran down the stairs, loud thumping being heard as he made his way down. 

“Ay.” You sucked your teeth in slight annoyance when you saw him running to fast down the stairs, almost tripping but saving himself. 

“Hijo, don’t run down the stairs you’ll fall.” You scolded him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he went to go hug your knees again, nodding a bit then looked up at his dad. 

“He’s jus a kid Chica.” Miles said, looking at you. What an ass. He still had that deadpan expression going on. You shook your head slightly and scowled.

“Just looking out for my son.” You replied, scowling removed as you looked back at him, crossing your arms. Jeez, did he have to be this annoying? You questioned in your head.

“You mean our, son.” He responded, then stared slightly more closely to your face, his eyebrows then knit together. “You wearin makeup? And what’s up with yo fit and hair?” He asked, staring you up and down as he pointed. Does he have to know every single little thing about you? 

This is p1 cause I can’t be bothered writing the rest 😜

[justagalwhowrites]

The Savage and the Sanctuary - Ch. 2: Teenagers

You and Joel adjust to each other as you struggle with Ellie. A continuation of The Savage and the Sanctuary, a no outbreak TLOU story, from the prologue through chapter 1 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Mild suicidal ideation. Mention of grief and child loss. Mention of parent loss. No use of Y/N. Whole fic will be explicit so minors DNI, 18+ only.

Length: 13.4k

A/N: For some reference because I haven't explicitly stated their ages, Joel is turning 42 in this chapter and was about to turn 37 in the flashback at the start of this chapter. Reader is 36 (meaning they were the same ages when their kids were born.)

Fic Masterlist | Masterlist | AO3 | Prologue | Previous Chapter

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

“Dad, please!” 

Joel sighed, leaning against his counter and sipping his coffee, his 16-year-old daughter standing in front of him with wide, pleading eyes. 

“It’s a school night, baby girl,” he said. “We both gotta be up early tomorrow and…” 

“And we could play hooky!” She said. “Celebrate your birthday, go to Waffle House…” 

“I don’t like waffles.” 

“Those are for my benefit,” she replied. “You can get your smothered hash browns and see if they’ll put candles in them so you can celebrate being an old man.” 

“I can’t just call into work because it’s my birthday tomorrow, kiddo,” he said. “And your friend should have her party on the weekend…” 

“But her birthday’s today!” She said. “It’s sweet 16, please! Everyone’s going, basically no one is going to be at school on Thursday because of it, please Dad!” 

He sighed again, Sarah still looking so hopeful in front of him. 

And then, her face shifted. 

“We could go see the new Curtis and Viper tomorrow,” she smirked, brows raised conspiratorially. “We’ll probably have the theater to ourselves so we can make fun of it.” 

Joel clenched his jaw to keep from smiling. 

“Come on, Dad,” she said. “You worked so late on your birthday last year that we didn’t get to do anything. Please?” 

He sighed. 

“What would you miss at school tomorrow?” 

“Basically nothing!” She said quickly, eyes lighting up. “I have exam review but I got As on all my homework in that class so I don’t need it and…” 

“Jesus, you’re a bad influence,” he muttered, taking a sip of coffee. Sarah squealed, slamming into him, throwing her arms around his neck. 

“Thank you thank you thank you!” She said, her voice muffled by his shirt before she pulled back at looked up at him, practically beaming. “We’re going to have so much fun tomorrow!” 

“Somethin’ tells me you’re more excited about having fun tonight than hanging out with me tomorrow,” he shook his head but smiled all the same. “Who all’s goin’ to this thing tonight? There gonna be boys and drinking and shit?” 

“Dad,” she gave him a look. 

“You can act all grown up all you want, baby girl, but you’re still a kid,” he said. “Want you to have fun but don’t want you doing anything too dangerous…” 

“My friends don’t drink…” 

“You say that now,” he muttered. 

“…and Brit’s parents will be there so while there will be boys, nothing’s going to happen with the boys.” 

“Alright,” he sighed. “But you gotta promise me you’re gonna be safe, no gettin’ in the car with someone who’s been drinking. Even just one beer is too much and you call me if you don’t have another way home, I’ll come get you, you won’t be in trouble and…” 

“I know, Dad,” she rolled her eyes but smiled a little. “Don’t worry so much. I don’t plan on getting drunk anytime soon. Maybe inject heroin under my fingernails but…” 

“Your fingernails, huh?” Joel teased. 

“Well yeah,” she said. “Gotta hide the track marks.” 

There was a honk from the driveway and Sarah grabbed what was left of her coffee - more creamer than actual coffee but Joel still liked to humor her - and chugged it. 

“That’s Emma,” she said, rinsing out her favorite mug, the chipped one with the owl on it that she’d been drinking hot cocoa out of since she was so small that it was more like room temperature cocoa, and setting it beside the sink. “I’m going to go to her place after school to get ready for the party since you’ll probably be at work, anyway.” 

“Yeah, should stay late and try and wrap up as much as I can since apparently I’m not workin’ tomorrow,” he smirked. “Home by midnight, OK baby girl?” 

“Yup!” She said, giving him a quick hug. He gave her a squeeze, pressing a kiss to her temple. “See you tonight!” 

“Be safe!” He called after her as she grabbed her backpack and headed for the front door. 

When she looked back over her shoulder to wave goodbye, he didn’t know it would be the last time he’d ever see her smile. 

***

Thursday, September 26, 2024 

It was still dark outside. 

Joel wasn’t sure what time it was but it was still dark outside so it was OK. He didn’t need to be aware of things like time or hunger or your safety when it was still dark and he was in his daughter’s room. 

He jerked awake not too long after midnight, just like he’d done every year on his birthday ever since Sarah died. He wasn’t sure why he even bothered trying to sleep in his own bed, as though anything would be different. Why would it be different? The only thing that mattered was gone, it couldn’t be different. 

He stared at his ceiling for a while, waiting to see if he’d be able to fall asleep again, if he could shake the feeling of phantom blood on his skin in the red glow of his alarm clock but he couldn’t. So he did what he always did on the morning of his birthday: he went to his daughter’s room. 

Joel rarely went to Sarah’s room now. Maria, his sister in law, probably spent more time in there than he did, coming by every few months while he was on a job to dust and run the vacuum so it didn’t fall to ruin. She was careful to not disturb things when she did, the t-shirt Sarah had worn to sleep in still draped over the back of her desk chair and the book she’d been reading still face down on the page she’d stopped at on her nightstand. He turned on the lamp and sank onto the bed - still unmade, like she’d left it that morning - staring at the poster-covered walls. 

The posters were old now, the sun fading them in the five years that had passed since his daughter had left him behind. It made the room seem like a relic, as though this space was a museum and not a place where someone had lived once, and it set Joel on edge. 

Five years. Half a decade without the most important person there’d ever been or ever would be. She’d only been 16 when she died and five years had passed so quickly. Soon, she’d have been gone as long as she’d been here. Soon, to the sun-bleached posters and peeling soccer trophies, it would be like she’d never been here at all. 

He found himself looking at the poster of you more than he remembered doing before when he’d been in this room before. It was strange, knowing you existed outside of this liminal space now. You were real, corporeal, a human being with thoughts and feelings and not some imagined thing with an almost disturbingly perfect face someone had invented and put on paper. 

It had been a three days since Joel had seen you last, spending 11 days working with three days off in between. Tommy had been hesitant to schedule him back on duty today of all days but Joel had all but insisted on it. He needed the distraction. More than that, he needed to keep out of trouble. He needed something to keep him from trying to find the person responsible for his daughter’s death and killing them himself. Protecting you was a good enough distraction. 

Yours was the first contract like this Joel had taken on, one that was longer and more involved. Typically, people who needed someone on hand 24/7 didn’t live in Austin, Texas. They passed through and Joel’s job was done in a week, two at most. You were more complicated. 

Part of that was the nature of the job, of course. Working in such close proximity and in such risky situations made shit complicated. 

He’d had to establish rules with you that first day after dropping Ellie off at school. He ground his teeth as you went by a small local coffee shop on your way home, you giving a fake name at the counter as the barista all but stared at you. 

“I’m so sorry,” the girl smiled sheepishly. “But has anyone told you that you look just like…” 

“Oh yeah,” you waved her off. “I get that all the time. Not sure why, I think she’s way prettier.” 

Joel resisted the urge to snap at you until the two of you were back to the car, you still refusing to let him drive as you sipped your overpriced coffee with a contented sigh. 

“Can I help you?” You asked him, brows raised, as you watched him over the rim of your cup. 

“You tryin’ to get yourself killed?” He said. 

“Didn’t realize the coffee shop was so dangerous…” 

“You know what I mean,” he snapped. “You’re bein’ reckless.” 

“I get coffee all the time back home and -”

“And you got yourself a fucking stalker, didn’t you?” He cut you off. “S’why you’re stuck with me, spent too much time runnin’ around doing whatever the fuck you wanted and now you’re payin’ the price.” 

“No, I’m paying the price because the studio is overreacting,” you said, condescension dripping from your voice. “Pretty sure I’d still be sitting in my car sipping a coffee if you were off promising to take a bullet for someone else.” 

You held his gaze as you took a drink, as if to make a point. 

“I don’t know why this is fuckin’ news to you, but you’re one of the most famous people on the goddamn planet,” he snapped. “That shit comes with problems. If you didn’t want to deal with those problems, maybe you shouldn’t have become fuckin’ famous.” 

You looked at him, like you were trying to hold back a laugh, eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared into your hairline. 

“You think I chose to become famous?” You asked. “You think I wanted this?” 

“Ain’t that why people become actresses,” he said more than asked. 

You just looked at him for a moment, like you were examining him. 

“You don’t have many friends, do you?” You said after a moment. 

He ground his teeth. 

“Got as many as I need,” he said. “Let’s get you home before I have to take a damn bullet because you’re stubborn.” 

“Yes, I’m sure the woman driving that minivan is packing,” you said wryly but putting the car in drive all the same. “Very dangerous.” 

“It’s Texas,” he said, voice flat. “She probably is.” 

But instead of going home, you drove to Whole Foods. Fucking Whole Foods. 

Joel was almost positive it was to piss him off but you completely ignored him as you went up and down the aisles, filling up your cart as he tried to watch for whatever threats might be at a goddamn grocery store while you acted like your goddamn baseball cap made you invisible to whoever might be looking for you. 

“I know you got people for this,” he muttered under his breath, putting his body between you and as much of the rest of the store as he could as you meticulously selected an apple. “Should fuckin’ carry you out of here…” 

“Yes but that would cause a scene, wouldn’t it?” You said, smug. “And that’s even MORE dangerous, right?” 

He narrowed his eyes at you and moved to respond but cut him off. 

“What do you think of this apple?” You thrust it under his nose. “It smells good, right?” 

“It’s a goddamn apple.” 

“Yes, but I need to try to get a teenager to eat it,” you sighed, impatient. “I need it to be appealing. Would you eat it if you were a teenager?” 

“If I tell you yes, will you shut the fuck up and get out of here?” 

“Maybe.” 

“Then yeah, I’d eat the goddamn apple, let’s go.” 

You smiled a little, satisfied, and got several apples and added them to the cart before taking your sweet time going through the rest of the store. 

Eventually, you finished your shopping trip and actually got ready to go home. The only person who seemed to recognize you at the store was the cashier, who gaped at you as much as one person could gape at another while they rang up their items. 

“That will be $267.48,” she said and you went to put your credit card but then she jumped. “Oh, wait! I can put in my discount…” 

“You don’t need to do that,” you laughed. “But you’re sweet to offer!” 

“But…” 

“How about you put that discount in for someone else who comes through your line today,” you smiled. 

“OK,” she smiled a little hesitantly. “Sorry, I’ve just never had someone famous come through my line before.”

“First time for everything,” you winked, putting your card in the machine. 

The cashier kept staring at you. 

“No one is going to believe I met you,” she said eventually. “I wish I had my phone so I could take a selfie…”

“Want an autograph?” You asked as the machine chimed. “Don’t need a phone for that.”

Instead of answering, she scrambled to get some blank receipt paper and a pen and Joel could tell you were trying not to laugh. You wrote on the paper quickly and handed it back before giving the cashier a smile. 

“You have a great day, Mina,” you said. 

She looked up from the paper with wide eyes. 

“How’d you know my name?” 

You smiled a little bigger and nodded to her name badge. 

“See you next time,” you said and she beamed. 

“Shit like that is stopping,” Joel said once the two of you were safely back in your house, behind the gate and fence that surrounded your property. “You got no damn reason to take risks like that…” 

“Yes I do,” you said, defiant, arms crossed. 

“What,” he demanded. “What’s your damn reason.” 

“I want to take care of my kid,” you stuck your chin out. “That means going to the grocery store sometimes. I’m sure that’s a new concept for you since I’m sure you subsist exclusively off fast food and have never thought about looking after anyone but yourself…” 

Joel tightened his jaw, trying to keep the sharp stab of loss from showing on his face. 

“You don’t need to go yourself,” he snapped. “Send someone.” 

You stepped closer to him, close enough that he could smell your skin, sweet and soft and he resented it. 

“I want to take care of her,” you said. “Me. She lost her mother, the person who used to do shit like make her dinner and pick out her snacks. I want to do that for her. Me, not someone I pay. So you just need to accept the fact that I’m going to go to the store because I’m not stopping.” 

“Fine,” he snapped, not about to admit that what you said tugged at him a bit. He remembered going to the store, looking for things that he thought Sarah might like. Things to put in her backpack so she had a snack for school when she got hungry between her afternoon classes or to have waiting for her when she got home. He remembered her favorite foods and how she lit up when he made burgers the way she liked or brought home her favorite cereal. He remembered how lucky he felt to be the person who got to know her in this way, to know her favorite things and be the one to get them for her. “But we’re doin’ it on my terms. This will be a whole lot easier on both of us as soon as you get with the program because I’m not letting you get us both killed because you’re stubborn. Got it?” 

He laid out the rules: You were to never leave the house without him or whoever was filling in for him on his days off. You needed to run your proposed schedule for the week by him so he could make necessary changes - varying your comings and goings as much as possible so you would be unpredictable. You needed to give him full access to your property and any existing security infrastructure so he could check for possible weaknesses. And you needed a code name, one that would be used for the whole team so when there was a handoff or a situation that required additional security, communication was short and easily understood. 

“That seems like overkill,” you rolled your eyes. “It’s not like I’m the fucking president…” 

“When it’s a shit situation and we need to know who has you, we need it,” he said, harsher than he needed to. He was hard pressed to care, though. “We don’t need people stumbling over your name, not knowing if we’re using your first or last, and we really don’t need ‘em announcing your damn name where the wrong person could hear it and learn where you are.” 

“Fine,” you said. “What are the rules for picking a code name then.” 

“There aren’t any,” Joel said. “Yours is Siren.” 

“Siren,” you looked at him, incredulous. “Seriously? I don’t get any say in this at all?” 

“No,” he lied. “We pick for you and it’s Siren.” Your jaw twitched and Joel fought the urge to smirk. “What, don’t like it?” 

You squared yourself, defiant. 

“No, it’s perfect,” you said. “Derivative and dull, just what I’d expect from you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have real work to do.” 

And with that, you stalked off to some far away corner of your massive fucking house, leaving the woman who’d answered the door for him that morning to show him around. 

Joel tried to hide the almost spiteful sense of pride he got from getting under your skin. Because, fuck, if he had live with the reminder of that goddamn show then you had to, too. 

He’d Googled you after he’d met you the day before, his chest tight the whole time. He saw your more recent film history and learned that you were older than he’d realized - you must have been in your 20s when you were playing a teenager on TV. He also learned that you didn’t talk much about the show that Sarah had loved so much and had made you a household name. He wondered if you loathed it as much as he did, if you got the same stomach churning feeling inside yourself when something made you think of it, the same one he got whenever he looked at your disturbingly perfect face. 

Siren was the name of that goddamn show and the almost mocking nickname the male lead of the show had given your character, both of your characters fighting to make it as musicians in some bullshit story that was dramatized to hell and back. Joel recognized the guy, too - he was some fucking country star now, the kind who played bullshit instead of real country music - and he could feel, when he picked that name, that you’d hate it. 

Normally, the person he was protecting got to pick their code name. But you didn’t know that and he needed to feel some sense of power over you. You loomed too large over him. He needed you to feel the way he did, a little helpless, a little out of control. 

And you, stalking off in a huff over that damn name, made him feel better than it should. 

Over the next week and a half, he was keenly aware that none of this, really, was your fault. It wasn’t your fault that you were tied so closely with his dead daughter. It wasn’t your fault that being around you was like living with an open wound, something tender and aching on him that he couldn’t seem to heal because you were near. It wasn’t your fault that he had gone through so much of the last five years numb to everything and now was almost shockingly aware of the constant pain that had been lingering below the surface. 

But you were there and you were so much easier to blame than himself. He knew that, too. But it didn’t make him stop doing it, almost like he was watching himself make your life difficult without having any control over it. 

He had to stay in your home to be available at all hours so he started getting up early to take your keys before you had a chance to make it downstairs in the morning so he could drive when taking Ellie to school. He made a habit of finishing the coffee when Esmo was busy elsewhere in the house and he knew you’d be coming back for another cup. He never accepted any kindness you offered, taking disconcerting pleasure in saying no lattes when you insisted on stopping for a coffee and telling you he didn’t want whatever food you offered him, choosing instead to eat frozen dinners alone in another part of the house away from you and Ellie and Esmo, too. He found a strange satisfaction in these small harms, as though they were earned in some way. You, embedded so deeply in the trappings of wealth and fame, surely deserved some inconvenience in your life. After all the pain you’d inadvertently caused him, it seemed like it was owed to him. He tried to ignore the fact that he didn’t like being the kind of person who took pleasure in hurting someone else who didn’t deserve it, even if it was only small hurts. He tried not to think about what Sarah would say if she could see what he was doing now.  

Being away from you, though, made him more aware of it. The strange poison of wanting to make your life harder was further away when he was home and it was easier to see through it. You were probably dreading his return as much as he was dreading returning. He didn’t like who he became when he was near you and here he was, going back to the sphere of your influence to let it swallow him and turn him into a worse version of himself again. 

Joel should tell Tommy to take him off this job. He knew that but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was never supposed to be this way with him and his brother. Joel was the older one, Joel was the one who had practically raised Tommy when their parents were gone. Tommy was never supposed to be the one to take care of him. He was never supposed to be the one to give him a fucking job or make sure he didn’t lose his house in the months after the death of his daughter. He owed his brother so much now. How could he tell him “Sorry, this simple job is just too much for me, find someone else.” Tommy asked Joel to protect you so he would. 

Even if he hated it. 

Dawn was just starting on the horizon when Joel decided to indulge himself for a minute, lying down gently on his daughter’s bed. He was careful to not disturb the blankets, he didn’t adjust the pillow. He let himself sink into the softness of her lavender sheets and twin-sized mattress, to be in the exact place she was the last morning of her life. He stared at the side of her nightstand - stickers she’d placed there starting to peel - and let himself remember what it was like to have someone as good as her love him. 

He stayed there until her room as filled not with the artificial glow of streetlights but the unflinching light of day and got up as carefully as he lay down, going to the door and taking a last look at his daughter’s room on the morning of his fifth birthday since he’d stopped being a father, closing the door softly behind him. 

The drive to your house went by too quickly for his liking and he pulled into the driveway at the same time you did, Seth - the guard who’d filled in for him while he had a few days off - laughing about something with you as the two of you got out of the car. 

“Joel, good to see you man,” he said, still smiling as the two of you met Joel near your front door. “Ready to take over?” 

“Don’t think I got much choice,” Joel said wryly.

“Good morning, Joel,” you said, your tone oddly cool. He just gave you a nod as Seth put the call in to dispatch. 

“This is Cook,” Seth said. “Transferring custody of Siren to Big Miller.” 

“Big Miller?” Your eyebrows shot up, looking between Seth and Joel. Seth covered the receiver on the phone. 

“We got two Millers, he’s the older one,” he said, before going back to the call. “That’s correct…” 

“Big Miller,” you smirked at Joel. “Oh there’s so much I can do with that…” 

“Jesus,” Joel muttered as Seth handed him the phone. He confirmed he was taking over and ground his teeth as Seth hugged you goodbye like the pair of you were old fucking friends. 

“Don’t let this asshole push you around too much,” Seth winked at you. “Deep down, he’s a big softie.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he’s a big something,” you said. Seth laughed. Joel glared. “See you next time.” 

You watched Seth leave before heading into your house without another word. Joel followed you inside, trailing behind you as you otherwise ignored his presence, going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before heading out back. 

“Hey,” he called after you and you stopped at the edge of your pool, slowly turning to face him, brows raised. “The hell you goin’? I need your itinerary for the week, you know the drill.” 

“No you don’t,” you said. “I decided I’d rather talk with someone who isn’t a huge fucking child so I gave it to Seth. Get it from him, Big Miller.” 

You kept going, toward the pool house and Joel ground his teeth, jogging to catch up with you. 

“Look,” he snapped but you rounded on him. 

“You lied to me,” you said. “I could have picked my own stupid name, you just had to get the one up on me for whatever reason and now I have to deal with being called that stupid, goddamn…” 

“If you and Seth are so cozy why didn’t you get him to change it for you, hm?” He cut you off. 

“Because I’d rather not look like a fucking idiot to your entire company, thanks though,” you snapped. “If you hate me so much, why didn’t you just ask someone else to do this job?” 

“If you hate havin’ me around, why didn’t you ask someone else to take over?” He countered. “Looked cozy enough with fuckin’ Seth!” 

You laughed. 

“Oh I’d never dream of giving you that satisfaction,” you said. “You want to torment me? Fine, two can play at that game. Just wait, you ain’t seen nothing yet, Big Miller.” 

You stalked off toward the pool house again before turning back to face him. 

“We’re leaving at noon,” you said. “If you want to know where to, better call fucking Seth and find out since you don’t have the people skills to get your charge to cooperate.” 

He grit his teeth as you went inside and he stared at the door you’d disappeared through for a moment, half expecting you to come back out and rip into him again. But you didn’t and he went inside, finding Esmo in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast. 

“She’s in a fuckin’ mood,” Joel muttered, going to help himself to a cup of coffee. 

“It was not an easy morning,” she said, holding a plate with a biscuit out to him. He took it with a frown. “Ellie’s a teenaged girl but even so…” 

“What happened?” He asked, settling in at the breakfast bar. 

“Not sure what set her off,” she sighed, putting the last pan in the drying rack before crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter, watching Joel. She reminded him of his mother, he realized, something grounding and sure about her. “But before they left, Ellie yelled that she wasn’t her mother. She didn’t say anything back but I could tell it hurt.” 

Joel flinched, looking out the window at the back of the kitchen, toward the pool and pool house. Toward you. He and Sarah had rarely clashed, especially that badly, but she was still a teenaged girl who grew up without a mother. She still lashed out about it and he was still the one who had to weather her rage. He knew her pain was misdirected but that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

“I know you two don’t…” She paused, like she was searching for the words. “Get along. But she is just as human as you or I, Mr. Miller. Go easy on her today.” 

“Told you, you can just call me Joel,” he said, dodging the rest of what she said. “I ain’t your boss, not gonna make you call me Mr. Miller…” 

Esmo barked a laugh as she poured herself a cup of coffee. 

“What?” He frowned. 

“Do you think she makes me call her ma’am?” She asked. “Mr. Miller, she is my employer. I am not going to call her by her first name, regardless of what she asks. Right now, the same goes for you.” 

He looked toward the pool house again. He’d assumed you’d told Esmo to call you ma’am, that you’d insisted on bullshit that put you on a different level than everyone else. Apparently, he was wrong. 

That didn’t mean he had to like you, though. 

Still, he almost felt bad for you as he got settled back into the room at your house that had become his. You’d been thrown into parenthood head first, none of the gradual build up that raising a child from birth provided. Instead, you were given a fully-fledged teenager with a chip on her shoulder. Anyone would struggle with that, even spoiled movie stars. 

His patience wore thin, though, as noon came and went and you still hadn’t come in from the damn pool house. He wondered if you’d told him noon just to piss him off, to make him feel like he had to spend his morning biding his time until it was wasted only to do nothing but sit at home until the time came to pick up Ellie from school. 

Eventually, he got tired of waiting for you and he stalked to the pool house, damn near ripping the door off its hinges as he went to find you, his eyes widening in surprise when he did. 

Joel wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find there but it certainly wasn’t this. You were there, back to the door, headphones covering your ears as you swung again and again at a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. 

“Hey!” He called but you either ignored him or couldn’t hear them, continuing your clumsy barrage on the bag. You clearly knew fuck all about fighting, your form rough and disjointed. Any punch you landed would be ineffectual at best, damaging to you at worst. It’d be comical if it wasn’t happening to someone whose safety he was responsible for. 

“Hey!” He tried again. Nothing. He clenched his jaw and stalked over to you, hand closing around the band of your headphones to pull them off your head and you spun, breathless and shocked, to face him. 

“What the fuck?” You reached to snatch the headphones back but he held them behind his back, out of reach. “Gimme those!” 

“You actually got some place to fuckin’ be this afternoon or not?” He snapped. “Because I’m tired of waiting for you to get your act together…” 

You stopped reaching for the headphones, still breathless, and checked your smart watch. 

“Shit,” you panted, drooping a little. “I lost track of time… Give me 15 minutes, then we’ll go.” 

He held the headphones out to you and you snatched them back roughly and Joel watched you stomp off toward the main house, sweat dripping down the nape of your neck and he tried loathe the way your leggings hugged every curve and arch of your legs and ass as you did. 

You were ready to go in just 15 minutes, though, and still more beautiful than Joel was comfortable with you being. You smelled fresh, clean, some floral fucking body wash on your skin that was covered by more skin-tight athletic wear that revealed your shape to him, all the places that - were you any other woman - he’d want to sink his fingers into to pull you close. He clenched his jaw and he went to the driver’s seat but you stopped in front of him, staring him down. 

“Not sure where you think you’re going,” you said. 

“I’m driving,” he said. “You know the drill.” 

“Oh, so you called Seth?” You asked, brows raised. “Know where we’re headed?” 

He narrowed his eyes and you smirked. 

“Didn’t think so,” you said. “Step aside, Big Miller. Maybe you can drive home.” 

Joel considered, for a moment, fighting you on it. But, today of all days, he didn’t have the energy. He just stalked around to the passenger side of the car, trying his damndest to ignore the little smirk you got when he did. 

He stared determinedly out the window as you drove, the odd, raw feeling he got in his chest when he looked at you a little too sharp today. He focused on the cars around him, watching for any kind of pattern, anything unusual, trying to lose himself in the work of keeping you alive. At least, then, he was still good at something. At least, then, there was still some purpose for him being here. Even if he didn’t want to be. The scar that had been at his temple for nearly five years itched. 

He was so lost in it that he was almost surprised when you pulled up in front of not some insufferable coffee shop or unnecessary grocery store but an overpriced looking nursing home. You reached between Joel’s legs without a word and got your worn baseball cap from the glove box, tugging it down low over your face before grabbing your keys out of your bag and dropping them on Joel’s lap. 

“Get comfy,” you said. “I’ll be at least an hour, probably two.” 

“Hold on,” he said, but you ignored him, getting out of the car and heading toward the door. He caught you quickly, grabbing your arm and pulling you around go face him. 

“What is your problem?” You snapped. “You’re always an asshole but Jesus you’re worse than usual today…” 

“You really think I’m just gonna let you go do some photo-op alone?” He asked. “Not about to just wait in the car…” 

“It’s not a photo-op,” you snapped. “It’s private, you don’t need to be involved…” 

“The hell I don’t,” he snapped back. “Your ass dies and it ain’t private anymore. I’m going. Deal with that shit now.” 

“Too bad for you,” you said, trying to pull your arm back from him but he held firm. Your clumsy little fight moves from the pool house earlier hadn’t done you any favors. 

“You can either listen to me or I’ll put you over my shoulder and make you listen,” he said. “I don’t much care which it is.” 

You stared him down, almost like you thought he wouldn’t do it. He was about to prove you wrong when you apparently decided instead, huffing indignantly. 

“Fine,” you snapped. “You can sit in the lobby.” 

“Fine,” he snapped back before following you inside. 

A woman rushed to meet you at the door, speaking to you in hushed tones that even Joel, standing so close to you, had a hard time making out. She directed Joel to a comfortable looking room that reminded him of his grandmother’s living room as a child, the one that no one was allowed in to “keep the furniture nice.” There were no such concerns here, the arm chairs and couches looking comfortable and inviting if overly ornate, neat stacks of magazines on the antique coffee table in the middle of them. He ground his teeth, watching as the woman led you away.

You’d be out of sight. That made him uncomfortable. And he couldn’t trust you to actually call for help if you needed it. That made him more uncomfortable. 

But… this wasn’t an especially public place. There was security keeping people out and the residents in. Chances were, there wasn’t anything that could really get to you in here. And if this wasn’t some bullshit media thing, it was probably fine to leave you to your own devices. At least for a little while. 

So he settled on the couch, keeping an eye on the front doors while he absently picked up a magazine, some kind of trashy tabloid that Sarah used to flip through at the grocery store. It used to make him roll his eyes and tell her that she was rotting her brain and now he’d give anything to go back in time and buy out every newsstand he passed if it meant he got another 20 minutes waiting in line for to pay for groceries with her. 

He wasn’t paying close enough attention to the magazine he picked up, though, and then bam, there you were yet again. Your picture was blurry and you were wearing sunglasses that were a little too big for your face and there was an iced coffee cup dangling from your hand. 

Bombshell breakup the headline under your picture said. Hollywood’s brightest star back on the market!

Joel looked at the date, from almost a year ago now, and flipped to the pages about you. There were pictures of you walking with a woman who looked something like an older, red-headed version of Ellie and he realized he was looking at her mother. Your arms were crossed tightly over your stomach and your face was drawn, Ellie’s mother’s face concerned. It was strangely intimate, seeing you like this. It wasn’t like other paparazzi pictures of you he’d seen, the ones that looked somewhat staged or like you’d at least known you were being photographed. This seemed like an intrusion, something he wasn’t supposed to be seeing. 

He looked at the pictures of you and Ellie’s mother for a while. He wasn’t sure how long, not really able to look away, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. 

“Yeah,” he said gruffly when he answered. 

“Hello Mr. Miller,” Esmo said, her tone still uncomfortably formal. “I apologize for just reaching out like this but I know she’s visiting her mother right now so her phone is off and we just got a call from the school…” 

“Wait, what?” Joel cut her off. Your mother? That couldn’t be right.

“Yes,” she said, sounding impatient. “The school, apparently Ellie was in a fight and she needs to be picked up, can you please tell her and take care of things?” 

“She OK?” Joel asked, trying not to overthink the sharp little stab of fear in his chest at the thought of Ellie in a fight. He tried not to think about getting his hands on whatever little teenaged prick decided to fight her, either. 

“She’s fine,” Esmo said. “At least, that’s what the school said. She just needs to be picked up. Can you go get her?” 

“Yeah,” he said after a second. “Course, I got it.” 

“Thank you,” she said, relieved. “I appreciate it.” 

Joel’s jaw tightened as he dropped that old magazine on the coffee table before stalking off in the direction he’d watched you go before. 

It didn’t take him long to find you, tucked away in a small and private visitation room, deck of cards sitting on the table between you and a woman who looked a lot like you, some of the cards fanned out in your hand.

“Do you have any fives?” The woman - your mother - asked. 

“You asked me that before,” you said, an oddly tense but gentle edge to your voice. “Why don’t you ask about another one?” 

“Oh,” she frowned at her hand. “How about… tens?” 

“Damn,” you said, handing her a card. She smiled. 

“You shouldn’t curse, you know,” she said. “It makes you sound dumb.” 

“I’ve heard that,” you said, arranging the cards in your hand. “Any eights?” 

She paused for a moment, examining her cards. 

“What was that again?” She said after a moment. 

“Eights,” you repeated. 

“Go fish,” she said and you got a card from the top of the pile. “You know, you remind me of my daughter…” 

“Do I?” You said, your tone oddly even. 

“She’s an actress,” she nodded. “She’s only a teenager though, a lot younger than you. She’s pretty like you, though.” 

“An actress, hm?” You said. “Does she like it?” 

“I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “But she’s good at it. Not sure she can handle the hard parts, though.” 

“You’re probably right,” you said. “She can’t.”

“Hello,” your mother said, looking up at Joel and lowering her cards. “Are you here to play, too?” 

You noticed him then, your back going stiff, shifting uncomfortably in your chair when you did. 

“Fraid not,” Joel said. “Just need to talk to… my friend here.” 

You looked back at him then, frowning but he just jerked his head toward the door. You, at least, didn’t question it, just setting the cards face down on the table and joining him. 

“Can I help you?” You asked, brows raised expectantly. 

“Now, I already asked and she’s fine,” he said, which made your eyes go wide but he held up a hand. “Ellie got in a fight at school, we gotta go pick her up…” 

“Shit,” you swore, fishing your phone from some hidden pocket in your leggings at the small of your back and turning it on. It took a moment but you groaned. “Fuck, I have six missed calls…” 

You stashed the phone again and went back to the table, your mother frowning at you as you gathered up the cards. 

“I’m so sorry, ma’am, but I have to go,” you said. “They’ll have someone come bring you back in a minute.” 

“It’s very rude to just take off on someone, you know,” she said sternly. 

“Been told that, too,” you said. “You have a good day.” 

She grunted, crossing her arms and turning away from you. You didn’t take the bait, just going for the door and quickly leading the way back to the car. But, for a change, you went for the passenger side. 

“What?” You said. “You do know the way to the school, don’t you?” 

“I know it,” he muttered, getting behind the wheel. 

“Good,” you said, buckling in. “Then drive.” 

You checked your phone, shaking your head, before just staring out the window. 

“So,” Joel said eventually. “That’s your mom.” 

“In the most technical sense,” you said, not looking at him. He nodded slowly anyway. “I don’t really think of her that way.” 

“Why’s she in there?” Joel asked. 

“Why do you care?” You said, incredulous, finally looking at him. He glanced at you and then shrugged and you sighed, the sound heavy. “Early onset Alzheimers. She’s 67 now, it started about five years back. I try to see her once a month or so.” 

“Don’t you got the money to get her a nurse or some shit so she could stay with you?” He frowned. 

“It’s really not any of your fucking business, is it?” you snapped before sighing, pinching the bridge of your nose and wincing as Joel pulled into the parking lot of the school. “Please don’t mention of this to Ellie. She doesn’t know anything about my mother and I’d like it to stay that way.”

You didn’t give him a chance to say anything else, all but leaping out of the car the second he put it into park and going quickly for the front door of the school. Joel had to run to catch up with you, barely catching you as the two of you were buzzed into the building where the headmistress met you. 

She greeted you the same way Esmo did and Joel could tell, now that he knew you didn’t like it, that it put you on edge. It made him stiffen at your back, narrowing his eyes at the prim and proper woman in front of him, assessing her differently now than the last time you’d met. She was a threat now, she’d upset you, she’d opposed Ellie and he was oddly comforted that he knew he could easily overpower her if he needed to. 

He frowned ever so slightly. 

Why would he need to? She was a fucking teacher. And why should he care so much that she pissed you off? 

“Ms. Stark,” you said, giving her a firm nod. “Where’s Ellie?” 

“In my office,” she said. “Please, follow me.” 

She led the way, setting a brisk pace, her back ramrod straight, but you kept your head high as you kept pace alongside her. 

“What happened?” You asked. “This is very out of character for Ellie.” 

“I’m not so sure it is,” the headmistress said and Joel could have sworn he saw the hint of a self-righteous smile on her lips and he clenched his jaw. “She’s… aggressive…” 

“She’s strong,” you said sharply. “But she wouldn’t pick a fight without a reason.” 

“Well, she has yet to tell us a reason,” she said, smug. “Maybe you can find one. This behavior may have been accepted at other institutions but we hold our students to a higher standard here…” 

“I’ll talk to her,” you said. “I’m sure we can figure this out.” 

Joel was half expecting you to make him wait outside the office like you had at the nursing home but you didn’t and he followed you, the principal’s office looking disturbingly more like a luxury hotel than a school. 

Ellie was sitting on one end of a small row of chairs in the office waiting room, her arms crossed and her jaw set tight. A boy - about her age and far larger than her - sat at the other end, an ice pack clutched to his lower lip and blood dripping from his nose. 

“Ellie,” you said, all but running for her, kneeling in front of her and brushing her hair back from her face. “Are you OK?” 

She jerked away from you. 

“Fine,” she muttered. “I just want to go home.” 

“OK,” you nodded slowly. “Can you tell me what happened?” 

She just looked to the side, tightening her arms around herself. You stood and sighed, still watching her but Joel looked to the boy sitting at the other end of the row. He was determinedly staring straight ahead but his eyes kept darting over to you, a deep blush rising in his cheeks. Joel’s eyes narrowed. 

“We can’t just permit students to attack other students,” the headmistress said. “Especially not unprovoked…” 

“It wasn’t unprovoked!” Ellie snapped, her head whipping around to look at the boy. “He knows what he did.” 

“Miss Williams,” the headmistress said sharply. “You nearly broke a fellow student’s nose.” 

“Well, he’s a pussy!” Ellie yelled. “Not my fault he got his ass handed to him by a girl!” 

“Ellie!” You scolded. 

“What! It’s true,” she said, calming. “Lucky I didn’t do more…”

The headmistress looked at you, a small, self-satisfied smile on her face. 

“Because this is her first offense, she’s suspended for a week,” she said. “But if it happens again, we will have to expel her.” 

“We’ll take care of it,” you said before turning your attention back to Ellie. “C’mon, troublemaker, let’s go.” 

She shoved herself out of the chair and grabbed her backpack sharply from the floor. The boy at the other end of the chairs watched her and she lunged in his direction before pulling back, making him jump. 

“Yeah, better be fuckin’ scared,” she snapped. 

“Alright,” you said sharply, putting your hands on her shoulders and steering her out of the room. “That’s enough, let’s go.” 

Joel gave the kid a final look, one that was apparently enough to make him stare straight ahead again, shrinking in his seat as he did. Satisfied, Joel followed you and Ellie to the car, the girl throwing her backpack in with a little too much force. 

Mercifully, you just went for the passenger seat, saving Joel the fight about driving. You immediately turned to face the disgruntled teenager behind you. 

“Want to tell me what the fuck that was?” You asked. 

“That was a fight,” Ellie said, the sass in her voice thick. “One I won, by the way.” 

“Yeah, no shit,” you said. “Kid, you can’t just do stuff like that for no reason! What were you thinking?” 

“It wasn’t no reason!” She replied. 

“OK then what was the reason?” You said. “I’m dying for you to enlighten me because there had better be some kind of reason why you’d go after a classmate like that!”

“Why do I need to tell you the fucking reason?” She demanded. “You don’t need to know the reason, you just need to trust me when I say I had one!” 

“I do trust you!” You said. “But that school doesn’t! They don’t know you yet! They don’t know how smart and kind and funny you are, all they know is that you refused to follow the dress code on day one and now that you beat people up when you don’t get your way!” 

“I didn’t hit him because I didn’t get my way!” She yelled. “I did it because…” 

Her voice trailed off, seeming to realize what she was about to say just as she said it. You gave her a minute to say it, anyway, but she didn’t. 

“Tell me a reason, Ellie,” you said gently. “Because there has to be a reason. God, I sure hope there is because I’d rather not have to donate a library to some stuffy school every time you decide to throw a tantrum…” 

“Oh, yeah, because you’ll just use your fucking money to fix everything,” Ellie snapped. “But you didn’t use it to save my mom! No, you just let her die.” 

Joel caught a glimpse of your face at that, looking less like you’d been yelled at by a teenager and more like someone had slapped you. 

“I tried, honey,” you said gently. “I tried so hard to save your mom, I helped get her the best doctors, I helped get her into the best facilities but sometimes it’s just beyond what we can do as people.” 

“Whatever,” Ellie snapped as Joel pulled into the driveway. She jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and you followed after her. 

“Is that what this is about?” You asked. “Is it because you miss your mom? Because I get that, I miss her too, so much that sometimes I want to burn something down, but…” 

“But she was your friend!” She rounded on you. “And she was my fucking mom, stop acting like you know how I feel because you don’t know how I fucking feel!” 

“Ellie,” you said gently. “I know it’s hard, and…” 

“No, you don’t know!” She snapped. “Stop it! Just leave me alone!” 

She started stomping off to her room but you stayed close behind. 

“We can talk about…” 

“I don’t want to talk to you!” She yelled. “I don’t want to look at you or talk to you or do anything with you! I wish it was you who died instead of her!” 

You froze where you stood and Ellie took advantage of your stillness to stomp off back to her bedroom, the door slamming in her corner of the house.

“Yeah, me too,” you said, so quietly that Joel doubted that you knew he could hear you. 

He was quiet for a moment, staring where Ellie had gone, hoping she’d come back for both your sakes. But she didn’t. 

“Teenagers are hard,” Joel said eventually. “Sure she didn’t mean that…” 

“Oh please, I know you’re just loving this,” you said harshly. “I don’t need your fake pity, Joel. I have interviews, stay out of my office.” 

You left without another word, the click of your door much quieter than Ellie’s had been. 

“That went well,” Esmo sighed, catching Joel off guard. 

“Sure it’ll pass,” Joel said gruffly. He wasn’t sure why his chest got tight as he looked toward your office. He didn’t care about you beyond needing to keep you alive and he only needed do that because of everything he owed his brother. Besides, you were just some spoiled, pampered celebrity. Surely you could use something pushing back on you for a change. 

“Dinner tonight is roast chicken,” Esmo said, heading toward the kitchen. 

Joel frowned. 

“Why are…” 

“I know why you don’t usually eat with us, Mr. Miller,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowed. “She won’t be joining us, her calendar is full until after 10. Don’t pretend that you enjoy those freezer burnt blocks of garbage you call food more than a home cooked meal, I don’t like liars.” 

She disappeared to the kitchen, the rattle of pots and pans following not long after and Joel sighed, settling in on the couch to kill time instead of disappearing to his room on the other side of the house. 

But, to his surprise, Ellie emerged just an hour later, in jeans a t-shirt instead of her uniform now, creeping into the living room like she was expecting someone to jump out at her. 

“She ain’t here,” Joel said, making her jump. “Sorry, kiddo, wasn’t tryin’ to scare you.” 

“It’s fine,” she sighed, coming in and flopping on the loveseat. “Where is she?” 

“Doin’ interviews in her office, I guess,” Joel said. She nodded slowly, staring determinedly at the coffee table. 

The two of them sat quietly for a moment before this strange tug at the center of him to take care of her - something that was so foreign now but still so familiar - made him clear his throat and break the silence. 

“Want… want to talk about anything?” He asked. 

“Like?” She asked, raising her eyebrows at him. 

“Like why you decided to beat up some boy at school,” he shrugged. “Or why you decided to say something that mean to one of the only people who really cares about you. Because that didn’t seem much like you.” 

She scoffed. 

“What do you know?” 

He shrugged. 

“Enough to know that you act tough but that you ain’t an asshole.” 

“Ain’t isn’t a word,” she said. 

Joel just shrugged again, going back to his phone. 

Eventually, Ellie sighed heavily. 

“That fucking boy,” she spat the word as though it were curse word, not the f-bomb she’d dropped a second earlier. “Figured out who she was. Saw her dropping me off at school earlier this week and started talking about shit like ‘your mom is so hot, why aren’t you’ and when that didn’t really bother me started saying shit like ‘I’ve seen your mom’s tits’ and called her a whore and I just… he fucking deserved it, OK? And I’m not about to apologize to that fucker just because the fucking school….” 

“Alright,” Joel said gently, cutting her off. “I agree. He’s a jackass. You probably did the right thing.” 

She looked surprised for a moment but it passed quickly. 

“That’s why I couldn’t tell her what happened,” Ellie said. “Because do you know how fucking creepy it is, knowing that every guy in your stupid school has probably jerked it to your aunt? It’s fucking gross. I don’t want to talk about that shit with her.” 

Joel nodded slowly. 

“So, what, you decided to take it out on your aunt when you got home?” He asked. 

“No,” she said, defensive. “I just… I know she loves my mom… Loved my mom… So why didn’t she… I don’t know, just… why didn’t she fix it? She has all this fucking money and knows all these fucking people, why didn’t she fix it? She can do everything else, why couldn’t she do that one thing?” 

“You really think she didn’t try?” Joel asked gently. “Look, I don’t really know her but I can tell she loves you something fierce and I’m guessin’ that’s because she loved your mama something fierce, too. Just… sometimes, there’s shit that money can’t fix.” Without meaning to, he remembered holding his daughter as she bled out in his arms. He remembered begging whatever god might be listening to do anything to fix it. That he’d give anything, do anything, to fix it. It hadn’t made a damn difference. “Trust me. Sometimes power and money just don’t mean shit.” 

She shrugged and picked at some unseen thing on the couch. 

“Not my business,” Joel shrugged. “Just seems like you’re making her miserable because someone else is bein’ an asshole.” 

“Think she’s mad at me?” Ellie asked quietly, looking over at him, her dark eyes soft. 

“If she is, she’s not actually mad,” he said. “Just hurt. You said some shitty stuff, kid.” 

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, looking toward the hall that led to your office. “I fucked up.” 

Joel shrugged again. 

“Everyone does.” 

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. 

“What are you doing out here, anyway?” She asked. “Don’t you usually hide in your room when you’re not following us around?” 

He didn’t want to admit to hiding from the visions of his daughter that so often plagued him on his birthday, so he just shrugged instead. 

“Well, I got this new video game while you were off,” she said. “Want to kill some zombies and shit with me?” 

“Don’t you got homework or something?” He asked, brows raised. 

“I’m suspended, remember?” She said. 

“You really think either of them are gonna let that stand?” Joel asked. “Between your aunt and Esmo, you’re gonna be back in that school before you know it.” 

She snorted. 

“Probably right,” she said. “Still. Wanna play?” 

He examined her for a moment, the hopeful look in her eyes as she watched him in return. 

It had been so long since anyone had wanted something like this with him, some kind of connection, some kind of approval, some kind of emotional investment. It made his chest get tight and his first instinct was to tell her no, to stalk off to his bedroom and close the door and keep himself far away from anything like that… but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when she so clearly needed it. 

“Yeah, alright,” he said. “Gotta get all that shit set up, though, don’t exactly play a bunch of video games…” 

She scoffed. 

“I’m sure you don’t, old man.” 

Ellie gave him a controller and, as the two of them ran through some virtual desert to collect supplies and shoot zombies, he had the fleeting thought that making her smile made this the best birthday he’d had in more than five years. 

***

“Thank you for having me!” You smiled brightly, hoping it still reached your eyes after faking your way through this for hours. Fuck, your Oscar should be for this shit, not your film roles. “It’s been so fun. Hope to see you at the movies!” 

“See you there!” The spunky entertainment reporter on the other end of the connection said before the stream cut off. You let the smile slip the moment you knew no one but Quinn was left on the screen, grabbing your water bottle from just out of sight and chugging half of it. 

“You did great,” she said, looking at notes on her end. “Hit all the big talking points, great lead in for the main junket kicking off soon.” 

“Can’t wait,” you said wryly. Quinn gave you a look and you just shrugged. “What? I don’t get paid to act like I enjoy this shit with you, just with all the reporters.” 

“Well, it looks like you won’t be flying solo on at least the LA portion of this junket,” she said and you frowned. Quinn answered the question before you had a chance to ask it. “Looks like Chris Reese will be with you…” 

You groaned. 

“Seriously?” You asked. “I have to be in LA and I have to deal with that jackass?” 

“Have worse chemistry with him and then you won’t have to do shit like press with him,” she said. You glared at her. “What? I get paid to spin shit for the reporters, not for you.” 

“Ha ha,” you said and she smirked. 

“It’s not so bad,” she said. “Just two days of interviews. And they want you to do a few of TikTok trends for promos…” you groaned again. “Going to pretend like I didn’t hear that and just say that you’re looking forward to reconnecting with your costar.” 

“Oh yeah, can’t wait,” you rolled your eyes. 

“Also,” Quinn said, steadfastly ignoring you. “I just emailed you part of the script for Savage Starlight, they want you to do some chemistry reads while you’re out that way. They think they have a casting choice for the young version of yourself and you’ll have one dream sequence scene with her that’s going to be pretty important to the story, I guess… fuck if I know. They want to make sure the two of you fit well. They’re also looking at a few guys for your love interest… couple unknowns, Ryan Smythe and Chris Pine are all in the mix.” 

You nodded slowly. 

“Ryan’s not bad,” you said. “I haven’t worked with him but we’ve met a few times and I like his work. Surprised he’s drawn to a project like this…” 

“I’m surprised you’re drawn to a project like this,” Quinn said. 

You shot her a glare. 

“…But I wouldn’t mind working with him,” you continued like she hadn’t spoken at all. “Pine is a shock, I think he’d have gotten enough of playing second fiddle to a woman superhero after Wonder Woman.” 

Quinn shrugged. 

“Maybe he’s just in his big time feminist era, not arguing with that. Plus, he’s good.” 

“Oh, he’s great,” you said. “The best of the Chrises. Unlike Reese…” 

“Oh, suck it up,” she rolled her eyes. “He’s not that bad.” 

“He’s obnoxious,” you said. “You don’t have to deal with him like I do.” 

“No, but I have to deal with his manager,” she replied. “I’ll trade you. At least Reese is nice to look at.” 

“Yeah, he knows it, too,” you said. 

“When you’re out here, we’ll have to have to have lunch,” she said “You’re my favorite client, I miss you.” 

“You say that to all your clients.” 

“Yes, but I lie when I say it to the rest them,” she smiled a little. “OK I’m going to let you go get some sleep. I’ll send you an itinerary for your trip out here and I’ll share it with the security outfit, too. Speaking of which, tell that bodyguard of yours happy birthday.” 

You frowned. 

“It’s his birthday?” You asked. “Wait, how’d you know that?” 

“Come on,” she scoffed. “You know I ran a full investigation on the man I knew would be protecting you. I’m not stupid. Anyway, tell him happy birthday for me and take care of yourself, OK?” 

“Will do. And you, too,” you said, hanging up and letting your forehead droop to your desk with a groan. 

You were exhausted. Even before the Ellie shit you’d been exhausted and all you’d wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep all day. 

Of course, you didn’t get to do that. Instead, you listened to the most important person in your life tell you that she wished you were dead before you had to go give the same goddamn interview to a dozen different broadcast outlets. 

You’d closed yourself in your office and let yourself cry for a while before you forced yourself to stop long enough to do your hair and makeup and make sure you looked at least somewhat presentable before the first interview. And then you faked a smile for hours, talking about the last movie you made before your best friend died, trying not to think about leaving set every day to go see Anna in hospice, always afraid that it would be the last time you’d get to see her. 

Esmo had sent you texts while you were stuck in interview hell, telling you when Ellie had eaten, done her homework and gone to bed. She’d also reached out to the school to discuss bringing her back sooner and said she would tell you what she’d gotten out of them the next day. 

You weren’t sure what you’d done to deserve her but, in that moment, you felt like you owed her your life. Because someone needed to look out for Ellie, even when she wouldn’t let you do it yourself. 

At least, now that it was late, the main part of the house should be empty. Esmo had gone home, Ellie was asleep, Joel liked to avoid every part of the house where he might run into people unless he absolutely had to be there. The last thing you felt like doing was getting into it with your niece or faking a smile for Esmo or putting up with Joel’s shit. 

Your bodyguard exhausted you. He’d seemed to make it his own, personal mission to get under your skin. Sure, maybe you hadn’t given him the warmest welcome - you still weren’t thrilled about having to have a bodyguard in the first place - but that hardly seemed to warrant the degree to which he’d been poking and prodding at you in the two weeks he’d been working for you. 

Joel had figured out quickly that he had a lot of power over you, somehow keenly aware that you weren’t about to complain to his boss about him or try to get him kicked off the job. What you didn’t get was why he seemed to be so fucking miserable to be assigned to you to begin with. 

It’s not like he’d never been a bodyguard before, it’s not like this was new fucking territory for him. He just seemed to hate you personally. 

You’d tried to change that for the first week or so. Yes, you’d gotten off on the wrong foot and you could take the blame for that. You were willing to give him some time to get it out of his system. You tried to reach out, to see what food he liked so you could update the dinner menus to his liking or to buy him coffee when you insisted on stopping to get one - much to his chagrin. You tried to even go along with some of his demands so his job was a little easier - things that wouldn’t have you losing as much of your autonomy, at least - but he didn’t seem to appreciate any of it. And then Seth, the other guard, was with you and you realized just how much Joel must absolutely loathe you. 

Seth was much easier going. He let you drive without argument. He had dinner with you, Ellie and Esmo every night. He smiled and laughed and mentioned that he was surprised you picked Siren of the name options for you. You’d managed to hide your surprise at that, not wanting to give away just how much his coworker seemed to enjoy humiliating you. 

Of course Joel had to come back on what had quickly devolved into the worst day you’d had since Anna died. Of course he’d seen just what Ellie said, of course he had some new way to make you feel like shit. Happy fucking birthday to him. 

The pinch of tears had returned to the back of your throat but you swallowed them. You needed to eat something. You needed to go take off all this fucking makeup. You needed to actually sleep in your own damn bed because sleeping anywhere else would be strange and you couldn’t give Joel more ammunition to use against you or give Ellie any reason to feel worse.

So you forced yourself to go to the kitchen to get the plate Esmo had made for you out of the fridge, your feet heavy, the house dark. The light was on in the pool, the reflection from the water casting lines over the ceiling of your living room and you considered, for a moment, just how easy it’d be to go outside, jump into the water and let it swallow you. But you couldn’t do that. Ellie needed you, whether she liked it or not, and there was a whole staff of people who relied on you for their livelihood. Giving up wasn’t an option. Not for you. So you kept going, like you always did.

The kitchen was dark, too, but the smell of coffee was fresh and strong as you opened the fridge, the light oddly bright compared to the darkness of your house. You found the plate Esmo had left you, a chicken thigh and roasted broccoli piled high. You pulled the plastic wrap back, bumping the fridge closed with your hip as you did. 

“Should pay more attention.” 

You yelped, jumping and looking around before you realized that, at the end of your breakfast bar, was the hulking figure of your bodyguard, sitting in the dark. 

“Jesus Christ,” you said, heart pounding. You set the plate on the counter and stalked to turn on the lights before rounding on him. “What the fuck are you doing, sitting here in the dark? Just lurking to try to fuck with me in some new way or what?” 

“No,” he said and there was something so honest in his voice that you couldn’t help but believe him. “Didn’t feel like sleepin’, so…” 

He shrugged and you just nodded, going to put your dinner in the microwave. 

“Well, you can have the kitchen to yourself again in a minute,” you said, leaning against the counter and facing Joel, your arms crossed over your stomach. 

The frustrating thing was, if he wasn’t such an asshole, Joel would be an attractive man. He was handsome, unquestionably so, in a way that would be sculpted out of marble in a bygone time. He was handsome and tall and broad and there was something about his presence - no matter how antagonistic he seemed to get - that made you feel safe. It was something that you thought went past the fact that he was paid to protect you, something in you that said that, while he was here with you alone, while he could easily overpower you, you didn’t need to be afraid of him. He was safe. 

Of course, maybe it was better if he was a dick. If he was kinder, you’d probably end up half in love with him, a recipe for disaster since he was your bodyguard. 

“S’your house,” Joel shrugged. “I can go if you want space.” 

“I don’t mind,” you said. 

He just nodded, twisting his coffee mug in his hands. 

“You alright?” He asked after a moment of quiet with nothing but the hum of the microwave between you. You raised your brows at him. “Just… you know… whole Ellie thing.” 

You watched him for a moment, head cocked. Was he asking because he actually cared? Was he asking to try to find some new way to make you miserable? You weren’t sure. 

“She’s a good kid,” he said when you’d been quiet a bit too long. “She didn’t… I know she didn’t mean what she said, she’s just bein’ a teenager, and…” 

“How do you know?” 

He frowned. 

“Know what?” 

“That she didn’t mean it,” you said. “How do you know?” 

The microwave beeped and you got out your food. Joel, much to your surprise, pulled out the chair next to his at the breakfast bar before gripping his mug again, his fingers tight and strained against the ceramic. You took the seat, grabbing a fork and knife from the silverware drawer on the way. 

“I talked to her a bit,” he said once you settled in next to him. He wasn’t looking at you, staring straight ahead instead. “She was… she was upset about other shit and took it out on you. Don’t make it right but… at least explains it.” 

“What was she upset about?” You asked, cutting into the chicken and taking a bite. Even reheated it was delicious. God bless Esmo. “Was it the fight at school? Because she was in a mood this morning, too, and…” 

“Yeah, think that fight’s been simmerin’ for a few days,” Joel said, taking a sip of coffee before glancing your way quickly.

“What was it?” You frowned. “Did she tell you? If it was a good reason, then…” 

“She told me,” he cut you off, actually looking at you now. “Look… I’ll tell you, but I think it’s best if you keep it to yourself. I get why she’s pissed.” 

You frowned. 

“OK…” 

“That fuckin’ kid she beat up,” he said, like he was choosing his words carefully. “Well… guess he recognized you…” 

“Shit,” you sighed, dropping your fork to your plate to press the palm of your hand to your eye. Of course you were the root of this problem, too. 

“Sounds like he thought you’re her mom,” he said. “Started askin’ her why she’s not as good looking as you and, when that didn’t get enough of a rise out of ‘er, started saying… other shit.” 

You gave him a second to continue on his own but he didn’t. 

“Other shit like what?” You asked. He flinched and looked down at his coffee cup. “Other shit like what, Joel.” 

He sighed. 

“Other shit like he’d seen your… chest,” he said, his cheeks getting red. “And he called you… well, somethin’ you don’t call a lady.” 

“Jesus,” you slumped down in your seat. “Well, at least that explains why she was begging me to not be the one to drive her to school in the mornings anymore…” 

“Sorry,” Joel said, his voice rough. 

“I don’t blame her for taking the bait,” you sighed. “Lord knows I would have in her shoes… God, it must be embarrassing for her…” 

“Like I said, she’s a good kid,” he said. “Don’t take one blow up too personally. Teenagers are… well, they’re teenagers.” 

You watched him for a moment. 

“Why do you know this stuff?” 

His jaw tightened for a moment. 

“Just do,” he said. 

Something told you that wasn’t all there was to it but you didn’t pry. Instead, you ate your dinner in silence next to him, trying to think of ways to talk to the school to get Ellie back in without bringing up what she’d told Joel. You liked that she had an adult she apparently felt like she could talk to. She needed that, desperately, in her life. You’d prefer it was you - it had been you, once upon a time, back when you weren’t responsible for her - but you’d take what you could get. 

“Can I ask what that punching bag out back did to piss you off?” He asked eventually. 

You laughed a little. 

“Nothing much,” you replied. “Wait… you sighed an NDA for this job, right?” 

“Yeah,” he frowned, looking at you again. “Why?” 

“Because this isn’t public yet,” you said. “But… Well, I’m trying to prep for a role.” 

“A role,” he said. “What role?” 

“You ever heard of the comic series Savage Starlight?” You asked. He nodded. “Well… I’m Starlight. Or, I will be. They’re going to officially announce it in a few months, once the rest of the main cast is settled. They’re starting me with a trainer to learn fight choreography in six weeks but I’ve never had a role with fight scenes like this one, I’m trying to make it so I’m not starting from scratch so I don’t look like a total idiot.” 

“That don’t…” Joel paused. “Doesn’t seem like your kind of movie.” 

“It’s not,” you said. “But Ellie loves the comics. They’re her favorite thing and… well, if I’m her favorite super hero, I can’t be all bad, right? So I just… I want to get it right.” 

“Well, you’re doin’ it wrong,” Joel said. You narrowed your eyes, about to argue with him on it, but he cut you off. “Not trying to be mean. Your form was just… I can tell you haven’t really thrown a punch before. Nothin’ wrong with that. Or, well, there isn’t until you need to start fighting. You just need to be careful is all, otherwise you’re just gonna hurt yourself.” 

You laughed a little. 

“Of course,” you said wryly. “It only makes sense that I’m shit at that, too.” 

“Not shit,” he said. You raised your eyebrows. “What? You’re not. Just not trained. I… I can help. If you wanted.” 

“Really,” you asked, incredulous. “You’d help me train to fight.” 

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Not like I don’t got the time. Besides, figure my job just gets harder if you’re in a damn cast because you busted your wrist throwin’ a bad punch.” 

“Fair enough,” you said. “Thank you.” 

“Sure,” he said, the two of you falling silent again. You picked at the chicken, not much of an appetite. 

“Do you think,” you said, trailing off for a moment before looking at him again. “Do you think you could take Ellie to school when she starts back? I’m going to talk to the school again tomorrow, try to get her back in next week, but I don’t want to cause her more problems and…” 

“Sure,” he said. “I… I don’t mind. She’s a good kid.” 

“She is,” you agreed. 

You finished what you could of your dinner and slid off the seat before cleaning up your dish, Joel frowning and watching as you did. 

“What?” You asked. “You’re looking at me like I’m… I dunno, an alien or something.” 

“Don’t you have people who do shit like clean up after you?” He asked. “Ain’t that part of Esmo’s job?” 

“I mean, yeah,” you shrugged. “But I’m not about to leave my dirty dishes sitting out overnight for her to deal with when she gets here in the morning. I’m not an asshole.” 

He seemed to process that as you loaded the dishwasher and chugged a final glass of water before putting the glass in the dishwasher, too. 

“Well, I’m going to bed,” you said. “Been a hell of a day. Want me to turn the light off so you can sit in the dark with your coffee again?” 

Joel just shrugged. 

“Don’t really matter,” he said. “Good night.” 

“Night,” you said, turning to go before you remembered what Quinn had told you. “Hey, actually, why didn’t you mention that today was your birthday?” 

He flinched, the movement so fleeting you almost thought you imagined it, and you had the strangest desire to comfort him somehow. You just didn’t know why. 

“Don’t like my birthday,” he said after a moment. “Not a lot of reasons to celebrate so I just don’t. Besides, don’t really like being the center of attention.” 

You laughed a little at that. 

“Yeah, I know the feeling. But… well, happy birthday, anyway. Thanks for looking after Ellie.” 

He nodded slowly. 

“Thanks,” he said. “It… it was nice.” 

You wanted to say something else but you couldn’t think of what so instead, you turned out the light and left him there, drinking coffee from your favorite mug alone in the dark. 

A/N: So sorry for the eternity between chapters. I've just not been able to keep up with things lately. I hope you enjoyed it, anyway.

I'm really enjoying their dynamic! Some active antagonism based in misunderstanding of motives, some mutual attraction, a lot of similar life experiences that they don't fully grasp yet. I just really love these two and I'm so excited to share where they're headed! Thanks for being here.

Love you!

Taglist: @christinamadsen @eff4freddie @brittmb115 @copperhalfcent @r3dheadedwitch @pedropascalsbbg @lovelyjess69 @yopossum @moel-jiller @picketniffler @lilyevanstan1325 @reluctanthalfwayoptimism @wintersquirrel

[bts-princess7]

Best friend’s dad (KTH x fém!reader) pt.2

Summary: your best friend since high school has always loved having you over, but he dad barely tried to say hi to you. If he ever did talk to you, it would be him telling you you did something wrong. That is, until the night of her graduation, when he’s forced to give you a ride.

Genre: angst, smut, fluff

Warnings: age gap (Tae is 42, reader is 20), penetrative sex, unprotected sex, daddy kink, fluffy, risky, confessions

Pt.1-

A/N: part 2!! Currently working on a part 3 after many requests. Enjoy ‼️💜💜

You felt something tickle your chest, pulling you out of your sleep. Through hazy eyes, you looked down and saw a man lying next to you, practically on top of you. You recognized him as memories started to flood back to you, your hips were littered with bruises, as well as your chest and probably your neck.

Taehyung lay with his head gently pressed onto your tits, his hair tickling your chin and chest, his expression was soft. He had one arm around your waist and the other gripping your thigh loosely.

Something else you felt, was exactly what he’d warned you about last night. You soaked up your last few moments of rest before he woke up, you watched him in his sleep.

His eyes were closed softly and his lips were barely parted, soft breaths could be heard from him. This was nothing like what you’d seen last night, the hungry predator seemed more like harmless prey in his sleep.

You never thought you’d say it about a 42 year old man, especially not this one, but he was such a cute sleeper. ´´You’re still staring?’’

Taehyung looked up at you with squinting eyes, fuck was his voice ever deep. ‘’You just look so pretty in the morning,’’ you smiled down at him.

‘’Hmm,’’ he acknowledged. Taehyung propped himself up on his elbows and slid up on the bed, pinning you to the mattress with his body weight and pressing his lips against yours. ‘’You’re so cute in the morning,’’ he grumbled, grinding down on your pelvis.

´´How are you already so hard,’’ you whined, reaching up to tangle your fingers in his hair.

´´Testosterone,’’ he answered, reaching under your legs and seining them over his shoulders. ‘´How are you still wet?’’ He smirked, running a hand through your folds. ‘´Or is this just cus u want me to cum in you again, yea?’’

“Yea, want ur cum.” You whined, pulling his lips onto yours. His hand came down and parted your thighs, you moaned into his mouth when you felt his tip rub against your folds. He guided his tip into your hole, pushing in slowly.

“Still stretched from me, isn’t that right baby?” You nodded, he bit his lip and looked down at you with intensity in his eyes.

His features were soft, they were much different from the night before. His eyes were barely open, his hair was fluffy and his hands were gentle, rubbing along your curves while he bottomed out.

He let out a small whine when you clenched around him, you ran your hands through his hair, moving it out of the way and observing the purple marks that you left on his neck.

Taehyung’s hips rolled into yours gracefully, hitting you deep and getting all of your sweet spots. “Oh fuck Tae, you feel so good.” Your praise made him smirk, his forehead pressed against yours for a moment.

“Roll over,” he demanded, pulling out and moving back. You took a moment to stare at him, sat back on his knees and panting, cock standing proudly against his stomach. You groaned, rolling onto your stomach.

Taehyung reached under your body, pulling your hips up so you were propped up on your knees. “Tae..” you mumbled into your pillow. He ran a finger through your folds, stopping to apply pressure to your clit.

“Your pussy’s so good for me, made for me, isn’t that right?” He grumbled, you pushed your hips back on his fingers in response. He lined himself up with your entrance and pushed back in, holding your hips firmly to keep you in place.

“Yea, made for you,” you reached up and grabbed one of his wrists. His veins strained under his skin from the grip on your waist, causing his arms to flex deliciously.

His hips started to pick up their pace, his pelvis slapping your ass in such a way that you were sure it left a mark. “Every fucking time,” you swore when your phone starting ringing. “It’s Milly, and 10 am.”

“Answer it,” he commanded. You but your lips, hoping you could stay quiet as you accepted the call.

“Hey Mills,” you mumbled. Taehyung didn’t stop fucking you, only changing his angle so there wasn’t as much noise and he somehow hit you deeper.

“Y/n what the fuck! I’ve been calling you since 7, where are you?” She screamed, you couldn’t tell if she was pissed or worried.

“I’ve been sleeping, I’m not used to late nights.” You babbled, Taehyungs thrusts shook the bed, hopefully not enough that she could hear it through the receiver.

“Well when can I come over?” She sighed, just glad you were okay. “Because mom’s gonna take us to get our hair and nails done at 1 and I left my dress at your place.” Taehyung leaned down to your ear and kissed just under your jaw, wet sounds came from his mouth.

“Come around 12 if that’s not too late,” you had to answer her quickly. Taehyung wrapped his hand around your throat, pressing on the right spots to make your mind go numb.

“Okay Y/n, and next time call me when you get home okay?” She asked, you gave her a simple yes and goodbye before hanging up the phone. You threw it to the side and Taehyung took his hand away, you looked back at him furiously.

“What the fuck, we could’ve been caught!” You exclaimed, furrowing your brows.

“She’d never know it was me,” he gripped your face, pulling you up towards him. “All she would know, is that you’re getting some good dick.” He kissed you roughly, easily sucking your anger away.

When he let go his hand found it’s way to the back of your head, pushing you into the pillow. You turned your head to the side so your could breathe, his hips sped up, sliding in and out of your walls so well that your hips shook.

You let out a loud string of moans, clenching around his cock. “Really? That close already?” He teased, bringing his hand down to slap your ass. “How pathetic,” his fingers tangled into your hair, gripping it harshly.

“Oh fuck, fuck!” You cried, you were sure you’d get a complaint from your neighbours but you didn’t care, all you were focused on was feeling good. “Please, wanna cum.”

“Who are you begging baby, huh? Who’s gonna make you cum?” His hand came down and slapped your ass, he rubbed your skin before slapping you again.

“You daddy, you’re gonna make me cum!” His hips sped up, his dick hit your sweet spot over and over again, making you whine out for him.

“That’s right,” he moaned, moving his hand off your head. “My fucking cock sleeve, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, yes all yours!” You confirmed, gripping your sheets until your knuckles went white. “Fuck so close,” you moaned.

“Cum, cum on my cock.” He demanded, grabbing your hair and using it as reigns, pulling your head back and fucking into you harder.

“Cumming-“ you moaned, reaching back and holding onto his thigh. You clenched around him, making it harder for him to move. He let out deep moans, feeling your juices squeeze out of you.

“Roll over, wanna cum in your mouth.” He pulled out and helped you onto your knees, thrusting back in your mouth. You breathed through your nose while he fucked your throat, dampening your gag reflex the best you could. “Oh fuck, yes yes,” his voice was getting back to normal.

With a loud moan, he came down your throat. You let out a whine around him, his hand ran through your hair gently, whispering praises while he calmed down. “There you go, good girl.” He sat back down beside you and wiped the tears from your eyes, placing a small peck on your cheek.

You lay back against his chest, he put an arm around you and pulled you close to him. He combed your hair back, moving down to your arm and brushing his thumb gently against your skin. “Do you want breakfast?” You mumbled, looking up at him.

“Only if you’ll let me help,” he answered. He moved your hair away from your neck, admiring the bruises he left on your neck. “You might have to cover that up,” he smirked.

“I’ll see what colour corrector I have,” you yawned, getting out of bed. You pulled on his shirt and a clean thong, going to look in your mirror. “Oh god that’s bad,” you rubbed your neck, turning to see both sides.

“It was worth it,” Taehyung chuckled, showing off his body smile. You went to your vanity and searched for the corrector in your drawer, Taehyung pulled on his boxers and shorts, loosely tying the string.

“I’m gonna have to go get more, I might not have enough.” You spoke to yourself, Taehyung leaned over your shoulder.

“Do things like this often?” He joked, you turned around and scowled. “Ah c’mon I’m just joking, I know I did a number on you before the big night,” he gently pecked your cheek, keeping his lips there. “Sorry babe.”

Your stomach fluttered at the nickname, your hand reached down and held onto his thumb, looking at the marks in the mirror. His eyes were on you the entire time, looking at you with all of his attention, completely focused on you.

“Okay, I hope you like eggs cus that’s about it for breakfast,” you joked, sliding your hand into his larger one and leading him down the hall.

“Eggs are good,” he confirmed. You told him where the pan was and he grabbed that while you grabbed the eggs and butter.

“Oh, I also have bagels.” You pulled them out of the fridge too, you usually kept your bread in the fridge during summer, it lasted longer.

“If you have lettuce and tomato we can do bagel belts,” Taehyung suggested, pointing to the tomato on your counter. “It’s basically a bagel, egg, lettuce and tomato, then pepper or another sauce,” he explained when he saw your confused expression.

“That does sound good, and yea I have lettuce I think,” you put everything else on the counter and opened a drawer, pulling out the lettuce.

You got to work, turning on the pan while Taehyung washed and cut the vegetables. You sprinkled a bit of pepper in the pan and cracked two eggs, cooking them until the yolk was thick. Taehyung set the veggies aside and popped the toaster, adjusting the temperature.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and set his chin on your shoulder, bringing you as close to him as he could. He peppered your neck with kisses, tickling you and making you flinch. “That tickles!” You squeaked, trying to flip the eggs.

“You’re so cute,” he mumbled, resting his cheek on your shoulder. Thoughts clouded your mind, thinking about how his attitude has changed so quickly. “You’re thinking about something,” he observed, moving with you when you flipped the eggs onto a plate.

“I was just curious, why were you always so mean to me?” Your question made him freeze, but his grip on you didn’t loosen. “You never bothered to talk to me unless it was to pick a fight.”

“Because I had to get you away from me,” he stated, making you perk up. You shut off the stove and turned around, his arms loosened and his hands were on your waist. “First time you can over to my house, I overheard you telling Milly she had a hot dad.”

Your face went red, you’d admitted that to Milly during your first sleepover. “I- uh, I didn’t know you heard that,” you countered, looking away from him. His hand came up and gripped your chin, turning you back towards him.

“Doesn’t matter, but you kept trying to talk to me and you were only 16, even now you’re barely an adult,” he raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t gonna be friendly and have Milly think I’m buying into anything, don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but she tells her mother anything. Especially her mother, who’s hounded me for being a dick to you.”

“I just assumed you hated me,” you said quietly, feeling small against him.

“I know and I’m sorry,” he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, keeping you close in a tight hug. You wrapped yours around his waist, pressing your face into his chest. “I’ll try to work on it in front of people, I promise.” He pulled back and cupped your face in his hands, pressing his lips onto yours tenderly.

You jumped when the toaster finished, chuckling and grabbing the hot bagels. Taehyung helped you make them, you put a little ketchup on yours and he did the same. “It’s good,” you told him after your first bite, he nodded.

“I know,” he leaned on the counter. You ate in silence, he asked you questions about the prom every so often and you answered them happily. He put both your plates in the sink and rinsed them, you got an idea.

“Hey, I’m not gonna show you Milly’s dress but do you wanna see mine?” You asked, pulling on his arm.

“Show me,” he dried his hands on his shorts, following you down the hall.

“You’ll see it tonight anyway, but I wanna show you now.” You opened your closet, finding the hanger you had your dress on and pulling it out of the bag. It was a corset top that was sewn over a silk skirt with a slit, it was risky since it went almost all the way up your thigh, but it was worth it.

“That’s gorgeous,” he felt the material, nodding. “It’ll be so gorgeous on you,” he tapped your ass gently.

“Thank you,” you blushed, putting it back in your closet for later. Taehyung’s phone rang, he bent over and searched through his sweater pocket, finally finding it and answering.

“Hey Sienne,” he answered, sitting on the edge of your bed.

“You’re still coming over, right? You promised to help the girls get ready,” she sounded panicked, which was understandable. Milly was going to college soon so she’d only be at home for about another week, which would be hard on both of them, but especially her.

“Yes, I just have a few things to do and I’ll be there.” He crossed his legs, listening to Mrs. Lin yap on about the dinner before, the location and Milly’s boyfriend, who also happened to be her date. “I know Y/n doesn’t have a date but Milly wanted you to pose in the pictures too so maybe you could stand next to her just to even it out?”

“That’s fine, I’m driving them anyway,” he looked up at you. You leaned against the wall, listening in on their conversation.

“Ok good, whenever you get here I have something to talk to you about. Make sure you’re here by 2:40, I’ll still be at the salon with the girls but you have the key.” She gave him the last few details before they said bye and hung up the phone, he set it on the table beside him after checking the time.

“I should go soon, I’ll help you with the dishes and then I’ll let you get ready for your spa day, okay?” You nodded and went back to the kitchen, you washed and he dried, eventually figuring out where everything went.

“Thank Tae,” you thanked him as you dried your hands, he hung the towel on the stove handle.

“Of course,” he gave you a small smile. He collected his things and put his shirt back on, making sure he had everything before coming back to you. “You can keep the outfit,” he pinned you against the wall, pulling your bodies together.

His lips pressed onto yours, moving against them slowly with passion, one you’d never felt before. You held onto his shirt, balling it between your fingers t pulling him close. Who knew there would be such a crazy change in such a small time.

“I had fun,” you admitted, walking with him to the door. “We can do this again, right?” You turned to him and looked up at him, maybe he wouldn’t want to, maybe you weren’t as good as you thought.

“Of course, but this stays between us, alright?” You knew he didn’t want you telling anyone, probably because of the age gap, mostly because it would be bad if Milly found out you fucked her dad. You nodded and he leaned down to kiss you once more. “Good girl,” he whispered.

You bid your goodbyes and he left, it was around 12, which gave you about an hour to fix the marks on your neck a bit. Or as much as you could anyway. You made a search and tried as many methods as you could, you were satisfied, there were still marks but only the deep ones really stayed.

It was light enough that you could cover it up before prom and you could just tell Milly it was a casual hookup, she’d probably believe you.

You made sure everything was cleaned up and put away, but you thought something was missing. It was only when you were leaving your room that you noticed the sweatpants Taehyung had given you and you were still in his shirt.

Quickly, you threw the borrowed items into a drawer and put on a tank and some shorts. You popped off your press ons and cleaned the glue off your nail as best as you could, making it just in time for your doorbell to ring.

“Hi Milly,” you opened the door and she ran into you, giving you a tight squeeze. You gasped, wrapping your arms around her and kicking the door closed.

“I thought something was wrong,” she pulled back. She was obviously still worried, despite her talking to you and Mrs. Lin speaking with Taehyung. “Did dad bring you your phone?”

“Yep he did, Milly, you talked to me this morning,” you chuckled. She took her shoes off, finally calming down. She followed you down the hall and you grabbed your dresses.

“Cool, I’m gonna go pee then mom can take us to the salon, she’s waiting downstairs.” She skipped to the bathroom, you grabbed your phone and slid into your crocs. You waited by the door for Milly, when she came out she was holding something. “Why’s dad’s watch in the bathroom?”

Your heart dropped, Taehyung forgot his watch. “He used it before he left, must have left it.” You shrugged, hoping that she would drop it.

“Okay, we’ll he left it in your bathroom, so you give it to him,” she stuck her hand out, dangling the watch in your face.

“We’re both gonna see him today, why do I have to?” You crossed your arms, obviously you had no problem giving it to him, but she’d know something was up if you weren’t resistant.

“I just said, your bathroom, you give it back.” She pulled open your purse and dropped it inside. “Now come on, mom’s waiting!” You locked your door and hurried to the parking garage, following Milly to Mrs. Lin’s car.

You were in the salon for about 2 hours, getting manicures, you got French tips and matched with Milly, while Mrs. Lin got a massage. She was waiting in the massage chair when you were done. “How was it girls?”

“It was so relaxing, thanks mom!” Milly hugged her mom, who wore a pleased smile.

“It was so amazing, are you sure you don’t want me to pay?” You asked, reaching for your purse.

“No no, it’s my treat,” she waved you off. “And besides I already payed,” she patted your hand and pulled you in for a hug, which you were happy to return.

“Thank you, so much.” She nodded and you went back to her car, she drove you to get your hair done, then back to her place for the meal. Taehyung was already there, setting up food platters on the kitchen counter.

“Have fun?” He asked, noticing Milly’s smile. “Your hair looks nice, Mills.”

“Thanks dad, it was so much fun!” She started telling Taehyung how one of the girls dropped a nail polish bottle into water, you reached into your purse and grabbed his watch.

When se was done talking her mom called her over to take pictures, you slunk into the kitchen behind Taehyung. “Yes?” He turned to you, raising an eyebrow. His eyes went wide when he saw what you were holding.

“You forgot your watch this morning,” you whispered, putting it back on his wrist for him. “Milly found it in my bathroom and I told her you used it before you left after returning my phone last night. I totally saved your ass so you’re welcome.”

“I wouldn’t be the only one in trouble, you know,” he twisted his hand so he could hold yours. “But thank you,” he brought your hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on your knuckle.

He turned back around and you helped with the trays, you mixed salads and put what Taehyung told you to in the oven. “Y/n, can you come for a picture?” Mrs. Lin called to you.

“Sienne, they don’t even have their dresses on yet,” Taehyung rolled his eyes.

“I just want to get their hair, let me have my fun.” You hurried over to the fireplace and posed for Mrs. Lin, she took a few photos of you and Milly together.

“Do you need any help?” Milly called to Taehyung, he shook his head and Mrs. Lin said that she’d help him. “Okay good because we’re gonna get started on our makeup,” she squealed.

You grabbed your makeup bag from your purse and made your way to Milly’s room, she had a wide vanity and it was your dream. You sat down on the velvet cushion and sighed, “You’re living the dream, Mill.”

“You got that right,” she shut the door, sitting on her fluffy stool beside you. “So are you gonna tell me who did that to your neck?” She asked, sinking into one hip.

Your hand flew up to your neck, you totally forgot about those. “Uh just someone I danced with yesterday, I didn’t get his name.” You shrugged, but she just raised an eyebrow.

“If you two didn’t hate each other I’d say you were fucking my dad,” she joked. Your body stiffened, but were able to laugh with her before she noticed. “Seriously though, you did call him hot when you met him.”

“That was before I knew he was a dick,” you told her, opening your makeup bag. “Do you have any colour corrector? Because I have some but I don’t honk it’s gonna be enough.”

“Yea yea, I’ve got some.” She rummaged through her drawer and handed you the wheel, you thanked her and pulled out a brush. “I can do my base but I want you to do my eye makeup, can you please Y/n? Like how you showed me when I was in 9th grade and didn’t know anything?”

You could tell she was getting emotional, she only turned 18 last month and the realization that everything was going to be different was probably hitting her. “Of course I can,” you set your hand on her knee. “You’d better not cry on your prom night,” you told her, she sniffled, nodding and waving your hand away.

You did your own base and covered the marks on your neck while she did hers, she finished before you, so you did her eye makeup first. “I’m gonna make it match your dress, okay?” You asked, pulling out a colourful palette. She nodded, her dress was a deep emerald green that brought out the green in her hazel eyes beautifully.

You took your time doing her makeup, adding highlighter, eyeliner and shades of eyeshadow that would complement the gown. “Okay girls, whenever you’re ready the- oh,” Mrs. Lin came through the door, gasping and covering her mouth with her hand.

“Waddya think?” You moved out of the way so she could see, then let Milly look in the mirror.

“You’re so beautiful Mills,” she came forward and hugged her daughter, you’d never seen her so emotional before. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” she gently rubbed her back, holding her tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you too mom, and even you, dad,” you turned to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, he nodded with an amused smile. Milly stood up and walked over to her dad, giving him a big hug that he happily returned.

“Ready to eat?” He asked, gently patting Milly’s back. She nodded, you followed them out to the dining room and decided you could do your eye makeup later. You sat between Milly and Taehyung at thé round table after getting some food, light chatter went on as you ate.

At some point, you felt Taehyung’s hand slide up your thigh, giving it gentle squeezes under the table. He continued the conversation casually, as if nothing was happening, but the higher his hand got the more distant the conversation felt.

His slender fingers reached around the hem of your shorts, easily sliding through your folds. You took a deep breath and gave him a look, he met your gaze for a moment before turning back to the girls. “Are you going to college, Y/n?”

Mrs. Lin’s question snapped you out of your haze, making your eyes widen. “Yea, I’m just working for 2 or 3 years before I apply,” you explained. You took a sharp breath when Taehyung’s finger flicked your clit, he wore an amused smile.

You reached down and grabbed his wrist, but it didn’t phase him, he kept rubbing his finger in circles, making your muscles clench in response. You looked over at him again, but his eyes were on Milly as she spoke about her majors.

You concentrated on taking steady breaths, trying to finish eating so you could get away from the table. As soon as you finished, you stood so he had to pull away. “I’m just going to go finish my makeup, when you’re done I’ll help you with your dress,” you gave your friend a peck on the top of her head and wandered back into her room.

You took deep breaths, trying to calm yourself after what Taehyung had tried, no matter how much you wanted to drop everything and let him pound you, you couldn’t break cover.

You and Taehyung promised to be nicer to each other and although this isn’t what you had in mind, you had to at least try. Suddenly you thought about Mrs. Lin, how would she react if she knew you had sex with her ex husband? She’d never want to talk to you again. She’d probably think you were using her.

You finished your eye makeup just in time for Milly to come back, you did your lips and helped Milly into her dress. Before she could help you with yours Mrs. Lin pulled her outside for pictures, leaving you alone with Taehyung. You sighed, noticing him in the doorway. “Need some help, princess?”

“Yes,” you sighed, turning so your back faced him. He came towards you and grabbed the laces on the back of your dress, pulling them until the dress hugged your body nicely.

“I can’t wait to take this off of you,” he whispered, running his fingers along your back. He let you turn around and he grabbed your waist, placing a gentle peck on your forehead. “Now come on, I’ll help you lace up your shoes too.”

You sat on the edge of Milly’s bed and slipped your feet into your sandals, he wrapped the lace around your calves and tied a gentle bow, just enough so it wouldn’t come loose but loose enough so it wouldn’t cut off circulation. He was in the middle of the other one when Milly and Mrs. Lin came back in, obviously shocked to see Taehyung helping.

“It’s nice to see the two of you are civil for once,” Mrs. Lin tapped Taehyung’s shoulders, he just nodded.

“Maybe we should trap them in a car more often,” Milly joked, blissfully unaware of what the result really was. But in a way, he was grateful they had left you to him, he wouldn’t have known what he was missing out on.

“Are you girls ready?” Mrs. Lin asked, you and Milly nodded. You grabbed your purse and shoved your clothes into it, the four of you made your way to the front porch, where Mrs. Lin and Taehyung took multiple pictures.

As you made your way down the driveway, Milly gave you a cheeky look and stuck close to her mom. “You can ride with dad!” She told you, and for into the front passenger seat of her mom’s car, Mrs.Lin gave you a sweet smile and got in the drivers seat.

You and Taehyung got into his car, as soon as the doors were shut his hand was on your thigh, he leaned over and gave you a searing kiss. “I hope you enjoy yourself tonight, Y/n,” he gave your thigh a gentle squeeze as he reversed out of the driveway. “And if you don’t, I’ll make sure you do.

You sat in anticipation, excited for both the dance, and what was to follow up.

[kelpstheshifter]

Introducing My 1950s Housewife Life

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶

Abt me ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆: Alice Lexington <33

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 19 years old <33

˚୨୧⋆𝑯𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔: Childcare, Ballroom dancing, Dancing, Crocheting, Cooking, Cleaning, Baking, Sewing, Fashion Designing, Horseback Riding, Snow Skiing, and Horse Dressage

˚୨୧⋆𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚: American

˚୨୧⋆𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: English, Spanish, Italian, Patois, German, Chinese, Tagalog, French

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑵𝒆𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉: 3.5 Billion Dollars

Relationships (mostly family) ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

𝑴𝒚 𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑳𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 42

We married 2 months ago, but we dated a year before that. I am this man's PRINCESS. He is the CEO of the biggest oil company in the world (It's generational) and he's an amazing man, whom I love dearly. This man basically created Princess Treatment. When he's not working on business deals and such he's at home being a great husband and father. He loves the piano, collecting vintage cars, and yachting. He's the whole package and I love him.

𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝑫𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑳𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 15

Deborah and I are 4 years apart, we went to the same high school and we were friends, but not extradionarily close since I was a senior and she was a freshman when we met. We get along well and now that we're family we're the best of friends.

𝑴𝒚 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 22

Frances and I are best friends because of our husbands but that doesn't mean we love each other any less. Our husbands (Charles was my boyfriend at the time) introduced us to each other at a Charity Banquet and we hit it off immediately. When we're at our homes in the suburbs we talk shit about the other moms, bake, drink, and dance together. This woman is my other half.

𝑴𝒚 𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅'𝒔 𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 28

This is John, He's Frances' husband and a very close friend of Charles. Charles considers him as his little brother. He inherited his father's spot in the Lexington Oil Company so he's very wealthy and highly ranked amongst the families. This is man can DANCE. When we all go dancing if I'm not dancing with Frances or Charles I'm dancing with him. He's such a gentleman, he's into pottery and swimming. I actually scripted a scenario where he teaches me pottery. I love him. Frances bagged herself a GREAT man.

𝑴𝒚 𝑮𝒐𝒅𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑱𝒓.

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 5 months

I LOVE MY GODSON! Me and Charles are the godparents of Frances and John's beautiful baby boy. Whenever me and Frances are hanging out in our houses in the suburbs we watch him while tidying up, baking, or watching movies. He's my pride and joy I love this kid.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒈𝒔, 𝑺𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓

˚୨୧⋆ 𝑨𝒈𝒆: 1 year old and 4 years old

Scruffy is Charles' German shepherd and Pepper is the poodle he surprised me with when we first started dating. They're best friends and you can NOT separate these two I swear. They have such different personalities, Scruffy being a rough-housing hooligan and Peppers being this proper and polite baby. I love them both dearly and they mean the world to me.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶

˖𓍢ִִ໋𓇼⋆𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒓˖𓍢ִִ໋𓇼⋆

ᡣ𐭩 Racism is not a problem in this reality

ᡣ𐭩 The Lexingtons are the richest family on earth while the Williamsons are the twenty-first richest

ᡣ𐭩 We own 3 houses the Lexington Villa, Mansion, Beach house, and then a whole bunch of miniature properties that I did not take the time to memorize

ᡣ𐭩 All the wealthy families get together for banquets, fundraisers and balls a few times a year

ᡣ𐭩 The world is always like the 1950s-60s even as time progresses

[tuxebo]

[ 🗯️ : bummer. is spider-man grounded? ]

disclaimer: i cannot control if the characters act ooc in some responses, please rate them accordingly with the stars to prevent ooc responses as you continue.

chat with mindanao ! hello, you may recognize me from my miguel bot... but im back w more!! omg you guys got that bot to 1.6k interactions and im honestly shocked ilyasm <33

prev. ‹ docs. › next.

✧ — miles morales:

¹ YOUR ARTISTIC SKATING PARTNER: (childhoodfriends to lovers + no spiderman) miles has been the one who taught you to skate. he's got you to try many of his new interests and hobbies throughout the years of your friendship. you got a new board and decided it needs some new art, that's where your best friend comes in.

 ✧ — miles morales (e-42):

¹ SAVED BY A STRANGER: (coffee shop + fake dating) you were just trying to work your job at the coffee shop when a creepy, old man tries to shoot his shot with you. Noticing your discomfort, Miles channels the gentleman deep within him and decides to lend a hand.

 ✧ — miguel ohara:

¹ THE CHILD YOUR BABYSITTING'S OVERWORKED DAD: (parent!miguel x babysitter!user) you are the babysitter of your local superhero, spiderman─ not that you knew that. it was rare that the child's father, miguel, was ever home. often out doing god knows what, but one night he finally has time to join the two of you for dinner.

² YOUR HUSBAND'S ASSIGNMENT ALMOST GETS YOU KILLED: (heavy angst + implied gore) your husband underestimate and anomaly, sending you after it without fully understanding its power. he's the first to respond when things go south, though that still may not be fast enough.

 ✧ — pavitr prabhakar:

¹ YOUR BUBBLY BANDMATE: (friends to lovers + no spiderman) you and pavitr are bandmates in a group called '5PIDER'. after practice one night, you're walking home and decide to stop by a small convenience store to pick up some dinner. what you didn't expect was to see your keyboardist there as well.

 ✧ — hobart brown:

¹ YOUR PUNK BANDMATE: (friends to lovers + no spiderman) you and hobie are bandmates in a group called '5PIDER'. while touring the venue before one of your shows, you notice your guitarist is missing. the others seem to have the meeting with the crew under control so why don't you go look for him?

² BABYSITTING MAYDAY TOGETHER: (baby fever, baby fever) while peter b. parker is out on a mission, you and hobie offer to take care of mayday for a couple hours. it's no secret you two are fond of the kid, doing what you can to make the day a blast.

 ✧ — gwen stacy:

¹ YOUR SWEET SKATING RIVAL: (rivals to friends to lovers + no spiderman) you were preparing for a skating competition that was to happen late in the afternoon. who you were up against was the least of your concerns— until she walks up to you and tries to make conversation.

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

Murphy’s death was just the latest in a seemingly endless, parade of crimes against women that have horrified the country.

Two weeks after Murphy went missing, another woman was killed in Ballarat, a city with a population of just over 100,000, in a separate and unrelated case. Rebecca Young, a 42-year-old mother of five, was allegedly killed by her partner in a suspected murder-suicide.

On 5 April, in bushland near Ballarat, a car was set on fire. Inside it, police found the body of a 23-year-old named Hannah McGuire. Her ex-partner has been charged with her murder…

On 22 April: 28-year-old Molly Ticehurst; 23 April: 49-year-old Emma Bates; 26 April: 30-year-old Erica Hay; 29 April: 78-year-old Joan Drane.

It was the death of Samantha Murphy that prompted a sense that something in Australia was very wrong.

The 51-year-old mother of three left her home in Ballarat in regional Victoria to go for a jog at around 7am on a Sunday morning in early February and did not return.

Murphy was not the first woman to be killed in Australia this year, she was the twelfth. The country followed along as police conducted extensive searches of bushland near her home, appealed for information and released CCTV showing her setting off for her run wearing exercise gear, and with blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

More than one month later, police arrested and charged a 22-year-old man with her murder. Her body has still not been found.

Murphy’s death was just the latest in a seemingly endless, parade of crimes against women that have horrified the country.

Two weeks after Murphy went missing, another woman was killed in Ballarat, a city with a population of just over 100,000, in a separate and unrelated case. Rebecca Young, a 42-year-old mother of five, was allegedly killed by her partner in a suspected murder-suicide.

On 5 April, in bushland near Ballarat, a car was set on fire. Inside it, police found the body of a 23-year-old named Hannah McGuire.

Her ex-partner has been charged with her murder. The deaths are all separate and unrelated. Here, in the space of two months was another death of another woman in the same small city.

The grief bubbled over, prompting an urgent conversation about violence against women and what will be done about it. Especially pressing is the situation faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, who are disproportionately affected by family and domestic violence.

On 12 April, hundreds of Ballarat residents marched in the streets holding signs asking for the names of the women to be remembered and demanding action to end violence against women.

And then, the next day, on a balmy autumn Saturday afternoon in Sydney, a man entered a shopping centre in Bondi Junction armed with a knife. He murdered six people, five of them women. Twelve people, including eight women, were injured, including a nine-month-old baby girl whose mother was murdered in the attack.

Police announced they would investigate whether the killer, who was shot dead by police, had deliberately targeted women and children. But it seemed they had already reached a conclusion on that matter, with the New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb, saying videos of the attack “speak for themselves”.

“It’s obvious to me … that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men,” she said.

There were vigils; surfers made a heart with their boards out past the break at Bondi beach; the prime minister granted residency to two men who had fended off the attacker and praised the heroism of the female police officer who – without backup – chased the murderer through the centre and when he lunged at her with his knife, shot him dead.

And still the deaths did not stop.

On 22 April: 28-year-old Molly Ticehurst; 23 April: 49-year-old Emma Bates; 26 April: 30-year-old Erica Hay; 29 April: 78-year-old Joan Drane.

And with the relentless drumbeat, fury and grief erupted across the country.

In people’s homes, at barbecues and cafes, in furious editorials in the newspapers and in segments on radio and television, the same questions were being asked. Why are women still not safe to go for a morning jog, to take their baby to a bustling shopping centre, to exist in their own homes without being killed.

According to the Counting Dead Women Australia project, run by researchers from Destroy the Joint, 28 women have died this year – 27 of them alleged to be at the hands of men. This compares to 15 by this point in 2023, 18 by the same point in 2022, 14 in 2021, 16 in 2020, meaning that even excluding the Bondi stabbing attack, the numbers this year are high.

“It’s time we started talking about it not in terms of just ‘violence against women’,” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told Guardian Australia’s Australian Politics podcast. “This is the terrorising of women in their homes and on the street. Women don’t feel safe.”

Figures indicate Australia does have a particular problem with intimate partner killings.

In 2022-23, while the overall homicide rate was lower in Australia (5.6 deaths per million of population) compared with England and Wales (six per million), Australia had nearly double the rate of women killed by a current or former partner, with 34 intimate partner homicides against women in Australia and 35 in England and Wales, despite Australia having a population nearly half that of England and Wales.

The country’s Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese has declared violence against women a “national crisis”, convened an emergency meeting of national cabinet – the meeting of all the premiers of states and territories, as well as the federal leadership – and on Wednesday announced a $925m package to help victims of violence leave abusive relationships.

Albanese said on Wednesday the suite of measures was “a further step forward” but that he could not be satisfied when a woman was killed in Australia, on average, every four days.

There is a palpable fury in the air. In the last weekend of April, thousands of people took to the streets in 17 rallies across the country, calling for greater action. But there is fear too, that nothing will change.

“I find myself saying [in media interviews] please don’t forget about us next week when the news cycle moves on,” says Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia, a sexual, domestic and family violence response and recovery service.

“This isn’t the first time that there’s been a coalescing of national conversation around issues of gendered violence, sexual assault, domestic violence. We’ve certainly had other moments.”

In particular, Bevan is thinking of 2015, when Rosie Batty, whose 11-year-old son Luke had been murdered by his father at cricket training the year before, was made Australian of the Year. Her advocacy catapulted family violence to the top of the public conversation, for a time.

“She, in a moment, changed the conversation,” says Bevan. “And I don’t think her moment was a flash in the pan either. I think she created extraordinary change.”

Since then, changes in the public conversation, media reporting and in the legislative space have made a difference, says Bevan, pointing to the introduction of affirmative consent laws, the passing coercive control legislation, reform of family law, and a review into the funding of legal aid services.

“The other piece we can’t ignore here is that we have a more receptive political environment to the conversation,” she says, of the Labor government, which announced tackling domestic violence as a key priority when it came to power in 2022.

“I do think it matters that governments aren’t only saying ‘thoughts and prayers’, they are also doing things,” she says.

But, there are still huge systemic issues: a national housing crisis and a drastic underfunding of refuges that means women choose between remaining in a violent relationship and homelessness; a lack of funding for women seeking legal help; a scarcity of services particularly for rural and Indigenous women. Experts have also pointed to bail laws, inadequate and sometimes downright harmful policing practices, to show there is much that needs to change before women are safe.

On 1 May, thousands of people turned out in parks, on foreshores, on the lawns of Parliament House for candlelit vigils in honour of all women who were the victims of violence.

Antoinette Braybrook, the CEO of Djirra, an organisation that provides support to Indigenous women experiencing family violence, spoke of the country’s grief in a video ahead of the events.

“Tonight we light not one candle but many … for every woman, for every Aboriginal woman, whose life has been violently taken. For our children, our future, who will never again be embraced by their mum’s love. For every family who has lost a mother, sister, daughter, auntie, grandmother.

“We want you to know we will never give up on our fight for women to live a life free from violence.”

[miscellaneousrenaissant]

Below are some compilations of Shuro/Toshiro (26), Laios' and Falin's dad (~30*), and Marcille's dad (~late 40s to late 50s**):

Please compare them to tall-man!Chilchuck:

(My rationale for Touden's and Donato's ages is under the cut, along with some miscellaneous info)

*In Chapter 42, Laios mentions he hasn't seen his parents in over a decade. From the Adventurer's Bible, Falin estimates her parents were about 30 years old a decade ago. Touden's appearances were in either flashbacks of Laios' and Falin's childhoods or from Laios' nightmare, which was relying on his memories. Touden's current appearance in his 40s has not been shown.

**Assuming Marcille didn't enroll in magic school until after her father died at age 82, the youngest he could have been when she was born was 47. He looks similar in memories from when Marcille was a baby and a small child, so late 40s to late 50s seems a safe estimate for his age as he appears in Chapters 79-81.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Chilchuck is canonically underweight.

Shuro's pics were from Chapters 33, 36, and 38 when he wasn't eating or resting properly.

Touden's pics were from Chapters 26 and 42 and the latest edition of the Adventurer's Bible. There is a change in art style between Ch 26 and Ch 42, but he is estimated 30yo in both appearances.

Donato's pics were from Chapters 79, 80, and 81. Technically most of the pics are of a Doppelganger, but it based its appearance on Marcille's memories, and it looks similar to Donato from the flashbacks to Marcille's early childhood.

[feralrabidcrow]

How Old I Think The Mercs Are

This is more so just for my own reference, also some bonus characters. These are their ages in 1968.

Scout: 22

"The Naked and the Dead" takes place in 1972. In this issue, Spy reveals that Scout was conceived 27 years ago, making him 26/27. I know a lot of people take this at face value to mean Scout is exactly 27 but it does take 9 months to make a baby. Subtract 4 years, we get 22 in 1968.

Soldier: 47

This would make him about 18 around the start of World War 2, which I feel works well considering what the man is all about. I also imagine he claims to be born on the 4th of July, but it's more than a bit doubtful if he's telling the truth.

Pyro: 32

I don't have any evidence or argument for this one, it's just based on vibes

Demoman: 38

Once again, no real evidence or arguments for this one, based purely on vibes

Heavy: 45 Zhanna: 39 Bronislava: 35 Yana: 31

This is where I get a bit insane. Heavy and his family were sent to the gulag in 1941. Using the photo from "A Cold Day in Hell", I estimate Heavy in this photo to be maybe 18, Zhanna 12, Bronislava 8, and Yana 4. I also don't know how children look like at different ages at all so maybe I'm way off but those are my estimates.

Engineer: 42

It does take a long time to get a PhD, even more time to get 11, but knowing Engineer he could probably grind through them in no time. It's also stated that he spent 10 years in the Texas oilfields, so between that and the PhDs he isn't exactly young anymore, but not super old either.

Medic: 46/47

I know a lot of people headcanon Medic to be in his 50s or later, but this number is based purely on the very elaborate backstory I have for him. Besides, by the time we get to 1972, the time of "The Naked and the Dead", he would be 50.

Sniper: 26

New Zealand sunk 40 years ago in the times of the comics, and 10 years later Sniper's father tries to escape in a rocket, only for baby Sniper to get in the rocket instead and crash land in Australia. This makes Sniper 30 in the comics, and thus, 26 in 1968.

Spy: 48

Spy states he was young and foolish when he dropped a sex bomb on Scout's mother, so I think he was about 25 when Scout was conceived. Leaving him at 48 in 1968.

Miss Pauling: 24

I imagine she's only a bit older than Scout, but she has worked for the Administrator a long time, since she was rather young.

[elvispresleywife]

To my Darling...Thankyou and we miss you.

To many people today is just another ordinary day. To Elvis fans? It's the saddest day of the year(at least for me). It's so hard to act like you're fine. Or to try and get people to understand....because they don't. Elvis Presley, our boy. Our baby. Our man. Died today on August 16th 1977. 47 years this year. And yet it feels like I was there the day it happened just a few days ago. 42 was too young. I literally haven't been able to profess his passing all month. I've avoided it. It makes me so sad I can't even describe it. I can't even describe my love. My adoration. My overall feelings for this man. It's beyond comprehension and beyond my vocabulary capacity. To me Elvis is so much more than an entertainer. A musician. The greatest singer of all time. An actor. To me Elvis Presley is one of the kindest, most generous, beautiful, purest, gentleist, humorous, spiritual and loyal souls I have ever known/heard of. (I know I didn't know him but it feels like I did) He is so important to me. I have no words for how much I love him and how much he means to me. Nor how much sadness and pain this day brings my soul. Elvis has been there in both the happy and sad times. I've felt him here and there. I know he watches over me. He's with me everywhere I go. I can't describe the immense pain and sadness I feel when I think of this time. I try to avoid it. I listened to Gingers audiobook recently on her memoir and when it got to the last chapter of how she saw him that morning...I stopped it. I won't listen to it. Any video I come across of his funeral, or the news report of that day I skip. Even the audio recording of Vernon talking about Elvis after he died and thanking all the fans for their support I can't watch/listen to. It just makes me too emotional. And I love watching his concerts but the one on June 26th 1977 makes me cry every single damn time. I can't help it. I see him and knowing that's the last time we were ever going to see him alive and the fact it's his last concert makes me so sad. Knowing he was actually trying to better himself and talking to Billy Smith about getting better and how he was excited to go on tour and his wedding plans with Ginger...it all makes me heartbroken. Not to mention he left behind his beautiful 9 year old daughter. I just can't. Anyway. I'm sure I could have written this better but this is my honest thoughts and feelings.

So Thankyou so much baby. For everything. Thankyou for being with me in the good and bad times. I love you baby so much. You have my whole heart forever and always. Thankyou for all you did for us. We will always love you and always be grateful for everything you did. You're an inspiration to generations. You never thought you'd be here. Remembered this long down the track. But guess what? You did it baby. I love you so much.

❤️❤️❤️❤️