#Grown ass man talking about having a lunch packed by his mom

[finnwaif]

comic for today

[mayssa-m]

I really don’t like talking about this type of stuff but I use this app to write my thoughts on it so I can get back one day and read

Lately ouf financial state has gotten worse, now we’re probably at our worst ever, thought it was the covid period of time turns out there’s worst, my father does not work anymore, my mom still has the same work so nothing changed on her side, so our source of income is from my mother’s hustling, crazy to think about the fact that usually it’s the man working and providing for the kids and the woman takes care of the household, well my mom does both, as any mom nowadays does, my father has no source of income, is staying home all day long and isn’t doing any effort to figure shit out, cus how is mom going to feed the family, buy groceries for all of us, fuel the car, buy clothing, and basically all the necessities including paying rent, along with the effort of cleaning the house, cooking and packing our lunch for school, cooking lunch in dinner so when we get back home tired we find it ready, buying us clothing (which is very rate by now), how is one human being supposed to be able to take care of all of this, plus on top of that shes still paying her car, how is your wife providing and doing everything while you’re sitting down, consuming only, you don’t even make your breakfast, don’t do you bed, you wake up directly open the tv, start watching your phone while using the tv on as a decoration, so you don’t even think about the electriciky, find your breakfast ready, you get back to sleep wake up and sleep again like a thousand times while the tv is still on, your turn the volume off to not disturb you, mind you the tv is still on all’g with the phone you sleep again you wake up eat your breakfast, get out of bed and leave it, leave your dishes on the table or the most he could do is bring it to the kitchen so you can’t do the simplest things such as your bed or brekfast or washing the dishes from what your wife made you this morning before going to work

what triggered is seeing my mom struggling a lot financially to the point weekend is over my mom couldn’t get any money to buy groceries for this week especially that we got school, she used the last bit of my savings to buy something last night, I woke up this morning supposedly to take transport to go to school and find no money at all from what I’ve had, I call her she tells me she couldn’t find anything to do, the car was signaling for a refuel on saturday, its monday morning my mother was going to cancel going to work due to her afraid that her car would stop on her way to work, she still took the risk, with all that its 12:21 pm my father still hasn’t moved out of bed, he’s been scrolling on his phone while the tv is on while my mom is figuring sht out, it’s embarrassing you’re a grown married man with kids and a family behind you and cannot provide the bare minimum, and it’s not like you’re getting out everyday trying, you’re not even trying on top of that you complain about sht when you’re not providing anything, even your kids do more than you, the days my mom doesn’t work early in the morning she would bring us school, ofc she’ll still wake up before all of us to prepare breakfast and pack our lunches, bring us to school and then get back home make lunch for us when we get back from school a his ass is still sitting in the same spot, you can’t do the bare minimum not only doing the slighest effort to get us to school, can’t you think this is too much for my wife i should be embarrassed of myself, you can’t even think to help getting us to school so that she’s got time to get ready for work, cook lunch and clean the house since you can’t even do that, it’s disgusting and embarrassing and this hate is not coming from that it’s an add up to the other 99% that caused me to think like that about him, never would I have ever thought I’d be thinking this way about my father, but I’ve been quiet and admiring for too long all he’s been doing, the cat is in the window meowing for like 15 minutes while you’re sitting down on the phone, you can’t even walk across the living room to open it, it’s sad. I’m saying this because it’s gotten worse and I’m not letting everything he’s done in the past go away, I’m not forgetting him switching up when we’re around people, including his side of the family meaning his siblings, he only looks for attention, that’s how desperate he is, I don’t know what he’s trying to prove, you’re trying to prove you’re the man of the family when you don’t even work in the first place you should be embarrassed, if you were strong as a man you wouldn’t have to prove shit, it should all come naturally, treating your family including your wife who works for you like you’re her kid you come in front of your family and treat her like shit, I wouldn’t get into details but your behavior has been disgusting several times, you may act very logical 10% of the time and switch up the other 90% i don’t recognize you anymore at this point what’s the point of having a father, I don’t feel sht anymore for you, nothing I lost all feelings i don’t hold grudges, ive loosened up but it gets to me, idk why im talking like that rn but

He’s been home for the past two weeks while everyone’s calling him and being worried for him just because of his teeth, my mom got her two wisdom teeth removed and still went to work, came picking me up from school and did everything while she was in pain she’s gone through so much with her teeth as she would get something fixed and wouldn’t be able to go back the next time as she wouldn’t have money to keep taking care of it on top of that the problem would worsen, and she still gets up and does everthing, attention is a hell of a drug, seeking attention is all you’ve wanted anyways so it’s not anything new, using a tooth problem as a way to get attention and love from people is not it, knowing well most of them genuinely care about him and have a false picture of him, he’s a really bad person overall and is simply worsening the state of our family, he would do nothing and still complain, it’s like you’re not paying for something but keep critisizing. My mom’s health has been degrading those past years and as her oldest child i notice a lot about her but i remain silent, i might seem heartless but i feel and see everything and silently take decisions on my own in order to help her out, at this point i really don’t know what to do anymore, starting off with the simple everyday tasks my mom does yoi could at least help her out to not speak about cleaning up the mess after yourself which is a must not a favor, so is taking care of us and then you ask yourself why don’t i get the same love from my kids as the mom, why do they treat her great but not me, that’s always playing victim which is a sign of being a weak man man up and think of your consequences since you never think you could be the wrong one, I don’t know who you think you are but as the one of the children I can confirm what mom does is

[rendevousz]

mum?

mother figure!nat x fem!teen!reader

avengers x reader

req by @teenwonder ; i absolutely love the entire teams adoration for reader skfksngnsf its so cute! could i please request one a little more nat based? maybe r treats and loves nat like a mom but nat hadn’t noticed that before, and the whole team is like listing examples of how and why 🥺🥺🥺

summary: the four times you needed nat and the one time she admits that she needed you too.

warnings: blood, a random attack out of nowhere because i'm not creative, inaccurate writing of medical situations because i have no idea how those things work, also let's just pretend bruce was around during iron man 2 when tony still had palladium in his arc reactor, also inaccurate descriptions of palladium effects bcs i just...don't know much about palladium pls forgive me thanks, and idk any hospitals in new york/manhattan or even the states LMAO so uh bear with this, and last but not least, my inability to write good endings

word count: 5426

notes: that's a long ass warning nevertheless pls do enjoy this fic <3

"i'm going now, bye!" you bid the team who were having breakfast together, walking out of the common area.

"bye, cupcake! don't get into trouble, don't do what i'd do and definitely don't do what i wouldn't do." tony advised and you rolled your eyes because tony says that to you every morning before you leave for school.

"wait, don't forget your lunch!" nat stands up from her seat and grabs your lunch that she had packed, from the kitchen island, bringing it over to you. "thanks, nat!" you grabbed it, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

nat smiles at the action, turning around to walk back to her spot on the table, only to find the team staring back at her with knowing looks.

"what?"

"you know, you only need to sign a couple papers and the kid's all yours." tony states matter-of-factly. nat snaps her head towards the man, an incredulous look on her face. "what are you talking about?"

"we all see the longing looks on both your faces. she's dying for you to call her your daughter and you, her mother." clint explains and the others nodded in agreement.

"that's nonsense. she has wanda too," nat reasons, sitting back down. "i'm pretty sure she sees wanda as a sister considering how much she drags wanda with her whenever she's causing trouble around the tower." steve raises his brows at the redhead who was in denial.

"she sees you as her mother, nat. just accept it," wanda tells her, taking a sip from her glass. "really? name me one time she showed it." nat challenges them, not knowing that they've been watching your interactions with her for the longest time.

"you have no idea what you just got yourself into, romanoff," clint chuckles, cracking his neck and knuckles as if preparing for a fight.

"remember new mexico?" he smirks and nat only frowns, trying to remember.

i.

"no!" you screamed, dropping down to the ground. you didn't care that you scraped your knees doing that, the only thing that mattered was the overwhelming feeling of grief engulfing your whole being. tears streamed down your face as you looked at the debris on the ground, the remainder of what used to be standing in front of you; a building. blown up, now in ruins.

clint, bucky and steve watched you break down in front of them, their hearts breaking at the sight in front of them as well as the fact that their teammate had been caught up in the middle of the explosion.

"y/n/n? come on, tony's team called for back up. we gotta go," steve tried to get you to stand up, failing when you kept your ground. you screamed when he tried again and their hearts clenched at the heartbreaking sound.

"we can't just leave her! please, we have to find her," you cried, clinging onto steve's body as he ran his hand up and down your suit-cladded back to soothe you. "y/n/n, we can't. the whole place is in ruins now," he didn't want to say it but he had to. he had to in order to get you to leave. "she's gone."

"she can't be gone! she can't just leave us! we need her! i need her, stevie.." you cried into his chest and he had to control himself so he didn't cry right then and there too.

he looked up to see bucky looking at the two of you guiltily, tapping his wrist to indicate that they were running out of time. steve had no choice but to carry you in his arms, getting you to leave the site against your will. but you were too weak to fight back now. "what am i gonna do without her now, stevie?" you asked quietly.

"we're gonna be okay, y/n/n," he tells you, sitting you down on a chair and settling down next to you as clint flew the jet to your next location. the atmosphere was tense and you could tell everyone, too, was sad about this.

"what if we're not? what if we're not gonna be okay, stevie? i know i won't be." you wiped the tears streaming down your face despite the fact that your face still wasn't drying up any time soon.

"because nat wouldn't want to see us like this. she'll be angry if she sees that we're risking people's lives just because of her." he says truthfully.

"we're landing, guys." clint announces and the team prepared for another round of fighting. steve turns to you, wiping the tears on your face as he made you look up at him. "now let's save some people and make nat proud, yeah?"

you nod at him sadly, preparing your weapons. all of you got out the jet and the second battle of the day begun. boy, were these people unlucky because they were on the receiving end of your fury.

you were busy taking down a group of guards alone when you heard a familiar voice. "y/n, behind you!" and you turned just in time to take down a guard who was aiming at you.

you didn't even have time to register your shock of seeing the redhead because more guards came at you two. you guys fought alongside each other until all the men were taken down.

"nat?" you breathed out. "yes, bub?" she answers as you both carefully walked over the knocked out men. she was taken aback when you slammed into her, hugging her the tightest you ever did since you met her.

"please don't ever do that again." you mumbled into her chest. she was about to ask you what you meant when she heard you sniffling. figuring out it wasn't the appropriate moment to ask, she continued to just hug and comfort you in silence.

"wait, that was why she cried that day? because she thought i was in that building when it blew up?" nat asks after steve finished the story. "i never found out why because she never told me."

"yeah, you should've seen her when the building exploded. completely shattered my heart, dude." clint states, remembering the broken down state you were in that day.

"wait, did you guys not grief over my supposed death then?" nat glares at clint, bucky and steve. "in our defense, they were about to blow up about a hundred people, we didn't have much time to process the whole situation." clint tries to convince his best friend, only to receive a glare again from her.

"alright but just because she cried when she thought i was dead, doesn't mean she sees me as her mum. i'd cry too if any one of you guys died," she states, still in denial.

she did love you like how a mother would love her child. but she didn't want you to feel that she was forcing the title onto you. after all, you had so many other adults around you, who's to say that you saw someone else as a parent figure instead of her? she didn't want to make you uncomfortable.

"woman, are you serious?" sam exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. "need i remind you that the girl sacrificed her life for you?"

ii.

"nat, watch out!" you stood right behind her where the man was about to attack her. you gave him a harsh kick to the head and that was all it took for the man to go unconscious.

the redhead turned around, not having enough time to comprehend what had happened before you dropped into her arms. you two were lucky the last of the men had already been taken out.

"bub? what's wrong?"

at this point, you were fully leaning against her. she was holding up your whole weight, hands wrapped around your middle to support you. that was when she felt it. the familiar thick substance on her fingers, leaking from the back of your suit.

her eyes widened, pulling one hand away from you to look at it. red. her breathing picked up as one of her hands felt around your back, finally feeling the handle of a knife sticking out from your back.

your eyes were already drooping by now and she lightly shook you awake, careful to not hurt you. she lowered you down and you were both sat on the floor now.

she presses a finger to her ear and you could hear her voice echo in your ear from your own comms. "can someone come please," she paused, exhaling shakily. "y/n's down."

if it had been any other person, she probably would be bringing them to the jet by now but it was you. she didn't know what came over her but when she saw that you were injured, it was like her whole body shut down. her knees felt weak and she couldn't bring herself to move.

"hey, hey, keep your eyes open. can you do that?" she asked gently and you nodded weakly. "bub, why did you do that?" she cried softly, moving your hair away from your face as you leaned sideways against her. the action caused your face to be smudged by your own blood from her hands but she didn't care as she caressed your cheek.

"he–he was gonna hurt you. i–i couldn't..." you paused a while, the pain getting too much for you to bear. "y/n, don't strain yourself. you need to stay awake," she tells you as tears streamed down her face.

"rather me than you," you whispered. nat's eyes widened at this. "don't say that, bub." she scolds gently.

you smiled weakly at her. "i've grown too dependent on you, nat. it's to the point that i," you coughed and nat worried that you were straining yourself but you continued. "that i'd rather die than live without you. you probably can go on with life without me but i can't without you. i need you, nat." your eyes closed and nat panics, shaking your body.

"y/n?! bub?! stay awake, please, they're coming!" nat cries out loud, holding onto your limp body.

"did we not agree to not mention that to me anymore?" nat glares at sam for bringing that up.

the night of that incident had been one of the worst nights for nat. she sat by your bed all night after you had been treated. she had been the first one you saw after you woke up. she had been the one you broke down in front of after you admitted the full reasoning behind your actions. she had been the one who opened her arms for you to make yourself at home in.

"i'm sorry but you must be blind if you can't see how really she sees you for the past years," bucky states. nat turns to him with a glare. "you don't know what you're talking about."

"oh really? who does she call whenever she has a really bad nightmare?" bucky questions rhetorically with his eyebrows raised.

iii.

"no, please, don't!" you begged, asleep and thrashing around in your bed. quiet whimpers turned into heavy breathing as you plead for your life in your nightmare. "please," you whispered, inhaling and exhaling harshly.

FRIDAY, noticing the amount of distress you were in, alerted the closest person to your room, that being bucky who was returning from a late night trip to the kitchen for some water.

he quickly went into your room, only to see you shivering and thrashing around in your bed. "doll?" he approaches slowly, finding you still asleep, though sweating a lot. nightmare, he realised.

"doll? wake up," he gently shakes you and you immediately jolt awake, breathing heavily as you register what was going on. "it's okay, it was just a nightmare," he soothes you, holding you close as one hand rubbed up and down your back while the other held your head to his chest.

none of that helped as you were still in the same state as you were when you woke up. "are you okay?" he asks, worried. "nat... i need nat.. please i need her," you whimpered, shaking in his hold. you were having trouble breathing.

"FRIDAY, get romanoff."

within minutes, nat arrived, looking panicked and disheveled like she had just woken up, which she just did. "what's wrong?" she asks bucky, approaching you two.

"she was having a nightmare and woke up and i think she's having a panic attack. she asked for you," he informs her and immediately moves away when she approaches, so that she could take his place.

"bub? it's me," you look up to meet natasha's pretty green eyes. "you're okay, bub. can you tell me five thing you can see?"

you looked away from her eyes, looking around your room. "i–i see my book on my nightstand, my lamp, my jacket on the chair, my laptop and the painting on the wall." you told her after some difficulties.

"good, that's good. four things you can feel?"

"i feel the socks on my feet, my fluffy blanket, the pillow i'm leaning on and your hands around me."

she smiles softly at you. "three things you can hear?"

"i hear your voice. a–and the faint noise from the ac and i can also hear bucky's breathing." you look up at the man and he smiles sheepishly at you, standing around awkwardly. you gave him a small smile back.

"two things you can smell?"

"i can smell my own shampoo..and my room's air freshener." you told her more calmly now, feeling the panic attack already going away.

"one thing you want to taste?"

"i wanna taste wanda's blueberry pancakes." you pout and the two adults couldn't help but chuckle. "you can have them in the morning. right now you need to sleep so you can have the energy to devour them tomorrow, okay?" you nod at the woman as she tucks you in.

not long after, you fell asleep. she then presses a kiss to your forehead before leaving with a less worried bucky now. and sure enough, the next morning, wanda made you blueberry pancakes.

"okay, so what? we all need someone to help us through panic attacks?" nat rolls her eyes. "did you miss the part where i came in and tried to help but she specifically asked for you? she needed you, nat."

"guys, i... i love her with my whole heart but she has all of us. i don't wanna make her feel like she's restricted to only one of us. you all love her too," nat reasons.

"yes but she doesn't have anyone to call her mum and frankly, i think you'd be perfect for it." wanda encourages the older woman.

"i—" before she could continue, her phone rang loudly and she thanked whoever it was that called her because now she didn't have to make up excuses about her doubt of becoming your official mother.

iv.

she looks down at the caller id, sighing when it was you, meaning the team had more against her now. of course she didn't mind you calling her, you could call her when she'd be asleep after a mission and she'd still pick up with a smile on her face. but it was the fact that the whole team could see how she softened when she realised it was you who called that bothered her. she really didn't want them to let her have hopes that you'd accept her as your mother.

"bub?" she said into the phone and half the team smirked at her while the other half gave her knowing smiles. "aren't you supposed to be on your way to school?"

"yeah but uh are you busy right now? i um, i need you."

nat immediately stands up, worry etched onto her face and the team frowned at this. "what happened? are you okay?"

"you know how i told happy i wanted to walk to school today? yeah, i just remembered why i don't walk to school anymore."

"what do you mean? what happened? are you hurt? did someone hurt you?" she bombards you with questions out of worry. at this point, the team had also stopped their chatter and teasing looks, equally worried for your well-being.

"yeah, i am. wait, maybe not. i mean, i was just being dramatic but uh, i tripped on who-knows-what and now i have a sprained ankle. i can't walk now so i'm standing in an alley right now so i'm not in the way of people. can you come get me?"

nat sighs in relief, thankful that it wasn't anything that she was thinking of. "you are unbelievable, y/n." she chuckles in disbelief at your clumsiness. "can you tell me where you are? i'll come get you now. i'll have the school know you're not coming today." you told her your location and she immediately leaves after telling the team what happened to you.

you were expecting nat to call again, to tell you she was around the corner but instead you heard a whoosh of air beside your head, followed by a crack sound. your head followed the sound, eyes widening when you saw that a dart had struck the wall beside your head. you looked ahead, trying to see where that came from.

if it hadn't been for your fast reflexes being an avenger for the past few years, you probably wouldn't have ducked in time when another dart came flying right for your head. "what the hell?" you grunted, staying low but still looking around for the source. you squinted when you looked up, the sun blazing but you managed to catch a glimpse of a man on a rooftop nearby. he had blonde hair and was dressed in all black, donning a same coloured mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

"you had one job! how could you miss her twice?!" the blonde hears his colleague hiss in his ear through the earpiece. "i'm sorry! i'm no hawkeye, how was i supposed to get her in one try?!" he scolds back.

"you didn't even get her in two!"

"shut up and just let me work! you're distracting me!"

"hurry because i see the redheaded one nearing the alley. boss'll kill us if he finds out we didn't get her in her vulnerable state."

"i'm trying, i'm trying!" the blonde closes one eye, his sight now locked on your crouched state. he saw you move once you saw him and he cursed under his breath, his weapon following your movements. "she's moving!"

"just take the shot and be done with it! you have to go now!"

and shoot he did. after he shot the dart gun, he immediately fled but it wasn't like you were going to be able to chase him down or anything. a scream left your lips as a dart pierced through your skin, right under your shoulder.

you dropped down to the ground, right in the middle of the alleyway. you cried when you felt the burn in your flesh. you had been stabbed multiple times before with much bigger objects so why did this feel different?

"y/n?! is that you?!" you heard nat's voice yell from a small distance away. "i'm here," you croaked out, feeling your body grow weaker at an alarming rate.

"oh my god, bub, why are you on the ground? it's dirty, c'mon let's get you up. which foot did you sprain?" she places both her hands under your arms, pulling you up on your feet before accidentally dropping you back when you let out a shriek, crying out in pain.

"oh my god, did i hit your ankle? are you okay?" nat assumed that your tear-stained face was because of your sprained ankle but then you wheezed, your eyes drooping the longer she stood there.

your right hand slowly reached across your left shoulder, the butt of the dart sticking out of your skin now in between your shaking fingers. nat's eyes followed your hand movement's, a gasp leaving her lips.

"y/n, what happened?!" she panicked but before she could even get an answer from you, you had already blacked out. her eyes widened, knowing it was the dart because why else would you pass out that quick from a simple penetration in the shoulder. you had dealt with much worse than that and she knew your tolerance level.

she took off your bag, careful to not move the dart. she then placed her hands under your knees and behind your back, easily picking your unconscious body up and rushing back to the tower.

when she arrived, she was met with many confused yet concerned looks from the tower staff, seeing the black widow, rushing in with the youngest avenger unconscious in her arms. they had seen you leave the tower for school about half an hour ago so they knew something must've happened on the way.

"get bruce in the hospital wing. tell him it's urgent." she tells the woman working the front desk, hurrying into the elevator and telling FRIDAY to get her to the floor she so desperately wanted to arrive at quicker. black lines appeared on the left side of your neck, slowly spreading to the right side and she assumed it was from that damned dart in your left shoulder.

"natasha! what's wrong? they said it was an emergency," the doctor spoke in a panicked voice when nat entered, immediately going quiet when he saw you in her arms, neck lined with seemingly black veins.

nat laid you down on the surgery table, frown growing when black lines steadily spread to your arms now. though she was too worried to think, she managed to at least tell bruce what was outwardly wrong with you.

"dart. left shoulder." she blurted, incapable of forming proper sentences now that she had seen more of you. the black lining your skin got her speechless and anxious. bruce got ready with medical gloves, removing the dart from your flesh before analysing the pattern of your skin. it looked familiar.

"FRIDAY, get tony down here. it's urgent."

"bruce, please, what's wrong with her?" she cried, tears now freely streaming down her face. she didn't cry much in front of anyone but when it came to you, you always managed to get her to do just that.

"hey, what's going on? FRIDAY said there was an emergency here, who's hurt?" nat heard tony's panicked voice but she didn't make an effort to reply. her gaze was fixed on only you.

tony's jaw dropped, frowning when he saw you on the bed, upper body covered in black lines. "what the hell happened?!"

tony stepped beside bruce, taking a closer look at your skin. his frown deepened. "wait, it looks like.."

"yeah, looks exactly like when you had palladium instead of vibranium in your arc reactor."

"does that mean—"

"palladium's been running through her veins for about twenty minutes now. FRIDAY, how high is her blood toxicity level?" bruce asks, sampling a drop of your blood from when he took out the dart.

"53% and it is still steadily increasing."

"tony, at the rate it's going, if she's not treated in the next fifteen minutes or so, she'll.." bruce pauses, not wanting to say it out loud.

"no, she just needs lithium dioxide. that's how fury and i cured your palladium poisoning, tony." nat finally speaks.

"SHIELD probably has them but they're all the way in dc. they're not gonna reach here in time," tony states solemnly, reaching over to move your hair out of your face, looking down at you sadly.

but he was immediately pulled aside, nat grabbing his collar and looking him straight in the eyes. "you have your stupid iron suits that can probably travel faster than the speed of sound if you try. you can go down there yourself and get the damn thing. i swear to god, tony, i'm literally going to destroy those stupid suits myself if you don't put them to good use." nat threatens, glaring at the billionaire.

tony's eyes widened, the genius having not thought about nat's idea yet. "yeah, yeah, you're right, i'll go now."

he left immediately and nat approached your bed hesitantly, not wanting to see the black lines making home on the skin on your upper body. "do you think tony'll make it back in time?" she sniffles and bruce's worried frown on his face softened. "of course he will. he won't let anything happen to y/n. we won't let anything happen to y/n." he assured her.

there was nothing they could do now but wait for tony to come back with the lithium dioxide. nat sat beside your bed, hands gingerly grasping one of your own. despite the black staining it, nat held it to her face and her tears rolled past the back of your hand.

bruce decided to give her some privacy, opting to inform the whole team of the situation instead of standing around idly.

nat pulled your hand away from her face, rubbing her thumb over the back of it, crying even more at the sight in front of her. "y/n, please. i've never told you this but i need you." she pauses, breathing in shakily. "i've always needed you and i'll always need you. you can't leave me, please. you said i could go on with life without you but you're so wrong, y/n. you're the reason i'm still here and you're the reason i still want to be here. if you're not here then it's as if i have no reason, no purpose. i need you, y/n. so much more than i'd like to admit. heck, probably much more than you need me. so please, don't leave me. i can't do this without you." nat sobs out, watching the patterns on your skin spreading and growing bolder.

at this point, the whole team had now gathered outside of the room, watching nat cry over you. they wanted so bad to get a closer look at their beloved baby avenger but they respected nat and instead, waited for her to finish talking to you. once she stood up and looked around, bruce knew she was done so he entered, followed by the team.

"status, FRIDAY?" bruce asks, sampling a bit of your blood again. "blood toxicity at 96% now."

the team looked your unconscious body in apprehension, some crying and some worried out of their minds.

"goddamnit! where the hell is stark?!" nat growled. her eyes were now puffy after having spent the last half an hour crying. the team had never seen her lose her cool like this but they figured why.

as if on cue, tony's iron man suit crashed through the windows of the room but he couldn't care less. his main priority was to get to you quickly. in his hand was a silver briefcase that he passed to bruce.

bruce opened the case before wasting no time in plunging the syringe containing lithium dioxide, your supposed cure, into you. immediately, the black patterns on your skin started disappearing. it was slow but noticeable. it started from the tips of your fingers, going up towards your neck.

everyone sighed in relief, and to tony's surprise, nat hugged him tightly. "thank you. you have no idea how much this means to me." she whispers. tony pats her back gently. "hey, i care about her too, okay? of course i'd do this for her. any one of us would."

nat smiles at him when she let him go, turning back to you and almost crying out in joy when your skin had finally turned back to normal. she let the medical assistants set your bed up and handle your sprained ankle before going back to sit by you. the team left her alone with you once again.

it was only about an hour later did you wake up, squinting when bright lights shone down on you. you moved around but you felt hands around your left and you heard a familiar voice.

"and remember when you dragged wanda to pull that prank on me with you and after you did, i grounded you like i was your mum or something?" you hear her chuckle, still not noticing that you've woken up.

"i didn't mind, though. frankly, i don't think i would ever mind if you continued acting like my mother or something," you spoke and she immediately tore her gaze from your hands, looking at you, now wide awake.

"bub!" she hugs you so tightly you didn't think you could breathe. you still returned the hug though, laughing. "i was worried you might still have some palladium in your bloodstream."

"wait, palladium?" you asked her in shock. "yeah, the dart that got you in that alley, it contained palladium. it's highly toxic so we used lithium dioxide to counter it. speaking of the dart, i'm going to find out who did this to you and they're never going to see the light of day for putting us through all of this." nat says, disturbingly calm.

"yeah...you do that," you tell her, slightly scared. "but palladium? in my blood? how cool is that? i had literal metal in my blood! i could've become like tony but like...palladium woman or something." you said excitedly.

"you do know we already have metal in our blood, right bub?" nat questions in amusement. "oh." you say dumbly. "and palladium don't belong in our body and you literally almost died because of it." your mouth opened but no words came out.

"speaking of, can you please not do that again? i really thought i was gonna lose you." she whispers, stroking your hair. "oh yeah, of course. i'll just announce to the whole world to not target the youngest avenger," you joke, smile dropping when nat gave you a stern look.

"nat, being part of the avengers at my age undoubtedly means i'll be a target for the bad people out there, but i don't care because while i get to kick ass, i know all of you have my back when it's my ass that's kicked. and i think that's the best part of being an avenger; the sense of security i get having you amazing people as my teammates." you tell her honestly and she smiles softly.

"oh come here you," she pulls you in for another hug but this time it's better because you could still breathe. you make yourself comfortable, snuggling into her.

"did you mean it?" she asked and you look up at her in confusion. "mean what?"

"when you said you wouldn't mind me acting like your mother."

"of course i do, you're like the mother i never had. i wouldn't even mind you being my actual mother." you say without a second thought, eyes widening when you realised what you had said. you swore under your breath, knowing you've just made it awkward between you two.

"i– really?" despite the teams efforts to make her see the truth, it was much more meaningful when she heard you say it yourself. "y–yeah.." you admit sheepishly.

"then you wouldn't mind if i actually adopted you?" she asks carefully, gauging your reaction. your jaw dropped, eyes going wide once again. "are you serious?!"

"yeah." she smiles at you fondly. "no! of course i won't mind!" you hug her tightly, tears forming in your eyes. you had gone all your life without parents so this was a huge thing for you. not only were you going to finally have a mother, but the most amazing woman you knew was going to be your mother.

"mum?" you tested the title, smiling when she acknowledged it. you were now crying in joy.

"hey, don't cry." she soothes you, running a hand up and down your back. "no, no, i'm just so happy. this is the best day of my life." you tell her. "me too, bub."

you stayed in her arms until you fell back asleep, nat tucking you in before going back to sit down on the chair. she looked down at you fondly.

sure, she was scared of the big step she was about to take with you but she had you with her and she knew that was enough. "i love you, y/n." she whispers, planting a kiss on the side of your head.

taglist <3

@amourtentiaa @rqmanoff @abitofeverythinggg @andreasworlsboring101 @cay-writes-fan-fiction514 @teenwonder @sevenmorningstars @fleurlovesbucky

[ceruleanchillin]

5 Day Stay

| Or, Angel down bad for a week |

Angel x F!Reader

Warnings: language, infidelity, Angst (?), lil bit chili spice at the end

Mon:

Angel felt he was too young to consistently feel so bone-tired, yet that’s how his day had been ending for weeks now. Sometimes it was all he could do to get off his bike and make it to the door, only to have to rest his head against it to prepare to make it to the couch and collapse.

Tonight was one of those nights, and he wanted to be dead to the world until it dragged him back into it.

It was the smell of mixed spices that hit him first. It felt like he was in suspended animation, and slowly being released as different things started to register to him.

His TV was on, someone was rummaging through his kitchen, and music played faintly from his desk. Thinking back to the last time an unwanted guest was in his kitchen, he placed a hand on the holstered knife fastened to his back.

The fridge door closed, and you appeared in the window, eyes focused intently on whatever you were cooking on the stove.

He exhaled, feeling like complete shit. It only spoke to how weary his mind was that he could forget you were staying with him for the next week. Especially after the conversation that led to it.

“I don’t know Angel…really I can afford a motel for a few days.”

“Here? Rusted-through pipes will be the last thing your landlord is worried about when you bring back bedbugs and shit.”

Your eyes had widened at that, but still you brought up the thing that had been chained to your hesitation. “I mean….do you think it’s ok to do this? After we…Nails..Ang-“

He remembered a flash of irritation, more so at himself than you, when you said that. “Yes querida, fuck. If you’re so scared, I most likely won’t even be there the way things are going. Nails is out of town til’ next weekend…”

“Relax Ignacio.” you had cut your eyes at him, and he’d felt his dick jump like it did whenever you gave him attitude. “I’m just not trying to be a problem.”

Your voice calling his name brought him to the present. He caught the last part of your statement, that you didn’t know he’d be back.

“Yeah, we got in earlier than expected.”

“While you’re standing there like a weirdo, let me shame you real quick. How does a man in his thirties still have the kitchen of a frat boy?” You leaned on the sill of the divider. “You’re lucky I already knew you were sad in the kitchen. I had to bring my own tagine.”

He stepped into the kitchen, his stomach coming alive with interest. “One, I don’t know what that is, two, I can’t help it if the kitchen isn’t my preferred room of work.”

He peeked over your shoulder, but the unique pot kept him from seeing what you were making.

“Neither is the bedroom, unless that work is piling up dirty laundry.” you stuck your tongue out at him and turned back to your simmering dish.

“Ha ha. Dinner and a show, she does it all folks!” he collapsed at the table, the day catching back up with him. “Should put your ass on the club’s payroll. End the cashflow problem real quick.”

You turned to him, concern etched on your face. “I heard from Hank about that…sorry. I know now isn’t a great time for that at all.”

Things got awkward like they always did when you referenced the recent changes of his life. He wasn’t sad about getting another chance at fatherhood, this one more tangible than the last. However, he wasn’t entirely sold on everything he’d accepted along with it, and he was pretty sure you at least suspected that. It threw the previously comfortable confusion that was your relationship off track when it was touched on.

“No, it’s not.” was all he could manage.

It was quiet for a beat, the simmering of the food and quiet Neo Soul the only sounds.

“Well,” you started, turning off the burner. “At least you don’t have to eat like a ‘we got food at the house’ meme for once.”

He laughed, a genuine and needed laugh. “Ok, you know what? Keep talking about my pantry stocking skills, and I might take it personally.”

The rest of his night went that way. Anytime you and Angel got together, things were just…easy…better. You spent the evening eating in front of the TV (Angel getting all the way to thirds for what turned out to be olive chicken and roasted potatoes), trading jokes, and going over the finer points of Golden Girls. Angel learned you took it very seriously, and mocked you for being “old”.

It wasn’t until you were nodding off, and he was left with his own thoughts, that he realized he hadn’t enjoyed coming home this much since he moved in.

Tues:

Angel had dreamed he’d been back in his childhood home, but as a grown man. There was music coming from his parent’s room, and when he got to the doorway, his mom was at her dressing table. She hummed along to the soulful seventies music and smiled at him from the mirror. She said something, but he couldn’t make it out, and woke up in the frustration.

He jerked up from his position on his stomach, and slowly came to. With a grunt he wiped his hand down his face, glancing at his phone to find it was six in the afternoon.

It then occurred to him the music wasn’t just in his dream, it was coming from his bathroom. He got off the couch and followed the sound.

“Hey coma head.” you grinned at him from where you were doing your makeup.

He shook his head, trying to let go of the last vestiges of the dream, and how eerie the scene before him was.

He focused instead on the nightmare of products and alien looking tools surrounding you.

He kind of liked the mess, even if he couldn’t see the counter anymore.

“Hey hurricane Ulta.”

You made a face that was a cross between being amused and suspicious. “You sleep in your jeans and buy your shirts in pack form. Don’t act like you know what that is.”

He made a face of mock offense. “That’s so classist.”

This time you paused completely in you what you were doing and twisted your body to meet him. “Uh oh…let me find out you’re actually learning something from EZ.”

“Angel Reyes can know something about something, damn.”

You laughed, lowering your hands from where you’d been lining your eyes to avoid a mistake. “I’m only teasing you Angel Reyes.”

“Looks like you plan on teasing more than me. Some clown is gonna get his hopes and tiny dick up for nothing.”

“There’s this new club in the city that Belinda’s getting us into. It’s bad luck to buy your own drinks on the first night at a new place.” you adjusted the bodycon mini-dress for emphasis. “You doing anything?”

“Club shit.” he started picking through the products, sniffing them every so often. “Then I think I’ve got a call with Nails at some point.”

“You think?” you popped his hands when he got too close to the good stuff, or the things you were using currently.

“Yeah..I think.” he shrugged, only realizing how short he sounded when you winced.

He didn’t know why he got so annoyed when she was brought up around you. He wasn’t like that with anyone else, and he knew you were only trying to support his incoming changes.

“Ok..”

Awkward silence settled in before he found the words to break it.

“Why do you wanna know? You want me to be that clown?”

“Never.” you pinched his cheek, tone pure saccharine jest.

He muttered in Spanish, stepping around you to the toilet.

“Angel!” you exclaimed.

“What?! It’s my bathroom, I have to piss.”

“You better never make me angry Reyes, I could end your whole Casanova game with ease."

Wed:

“You holding on a little tight there mami!” Angel called over his shoulder with a laugh. “You said go fast."

“Shut up!” you giggled, but he wasn’t lying.

You’d asked Angel to take you to work on his bike since even though you spent so much time with bikers, you hardly got to ride one. You were going to the same place anyways. He had been all too happy to shake up his commute, but your speed challenge took it over the top.

He didn’t know how you were up so early, he personally felt like the bags under his eyes were like a PEZ dispenser. You’d gotten in at two am, and still got up with him at eight.

He loved watching you in the morning, you managed to be cheerful without being obnoxious, and it worked better than coffee for him.

He loved how much he was learning about you.

As he pulled onto the street beside the cafe you’d asked him to stop at, he felt your arms uncoil from around him. He may have pretended to shift just to make you pause and hold him a few seconds longer, but he wasn’t going to acknowledge that.

“I didn’t scream, and I’m not shaking, so you still have to buy my breakfast.” You unclipped your helmet, grinning the whole time.

You looked so pretty to him, with the sun hitting your eyes and hair just right. He could catch you at just the right moment, and you’d look so gorgeous, he struggled to believe you were real.

He cleared his throat, afraid his voice would crack if he didn’t. “Fair enough, come break my pockets then.”

You laughed, squeezing his chin and pointing out his pout. “You don’t even have to tell me once sir, I know my worth.”

Once inside, he trailed after you to the counter, using your head like an arm rest when you reached it. “That’s good.”

“Boy!” You swatted his hand away, and it was his turn to laugh at your adorable pout.

“New bet,” he stepped around you while the customer ahead of you wrapped up. “If I get your entire order just right, you buy lunch.”

“Deal.” you leaned on the counter, eyebrow raised at him in challenge.

Angel knew the best part of his day would be watching your expression go from smug to shocked out of the corner of his eye. He nailed every pastry, the iced coffee, and their preparation with ease.

The simultaneously impressed and amused barista looked to you for confirmation. She got a shocked nod in response.

“I know my worth too mama, so don’t skimp on lunch.”

“Fair enough.” You shook off your shock as you repeated his earlier words and shrugged. “Can’t complain I guess. I trained my work husband too well.”

He scoffed loudly, and the two of you went back to swapping smart ass barbs while he tried to ignore the lingering dip his stomach did when referred to him as “husband”.

Thurs:

Angel was a grown man, with years of grown man experience, yet he was sitting on the edge of his bed feeling like a teenager again.

The end of your stay was nearing, and every time he thought about you going back home, he felt weird. He was pretty sure that’s why he’d been a little snappy and annoyed easily at the club the past couple days. He just wasn’t ready to delve into that too much.

Regardless, he had to admit you had some growing effect over him. All morning, while he should’ve been resting and preparing for a charter visit, he was fighting off hard-ons thanks to you.

“Can I borrow your kitchen for the day Angel?” He mimicked your voice in a nasally mocking tone. “I’ll save you some when I’m done baking.”

He’d thought nothing of it when you asked the night before. Really didn’t even feel like you had to at that point.

He realized why when he saw that the desserts you were making for your friend’s brunch were elaborate as hell. The effort took all your attention, and unfortunately for him, his too.

You were baking a lot more than dessert and didn’t even know it.

Now he was hiding in his room, fighting off arousal he knew wasn’t appropriate. You weren’t his and he wasn’t yours.

That didn’t change the fact that you in a short silk lounge set, singing in French (how the hell did you know French?), doing domestic things in his home, did it for him.

He ran a hand over his hair, still damp from his cold shower, and forced himself to finish getting dressed. He had to be ready to face a room of dangerous bikers and prove his patched in worth. He couldn’t be thinking of weird little fantasies and parallels to his parent’s marriage.

He must’ve zoned out again, because you startled him enough to almost make him hit his wardrobe.

“Oh my god Angel try this! I think I did magic.” You excitedly thrust a red cookie his way.

Angel took the offered treat, and found it was a red velvet cookie. “It’s fucking good mi dulce.”

“Really?” You looked so hopeful, so beautiful, that he would’ve lied if the situation called for it.

“Yes, but you know you kill it in the kitchen.” He turned away to put on the flannel he’d fished out.

Now you were in his personal space, smelling amazing, and all his senses were under attack. He couldn’t trust Angel jr. at the moment.

“Baking is different. It’s a whole thing for me...I go all in.”

“I noticed your little Broadway production in my kitchen.” He kneeled down, pretending to look for his shoes as something to do while you were there.

“Don’t shame me.” You pressed your foot into his back, gently pushing him. “It makes for better results.”

‘shit.’ He cursed mentally at the contact.

Luckily, he heard you turn to leave the room. “Oh, EZ said to tell you to hurry up or pick up your phone.”

He rose up once you were gone and checked his phone. Sure enough, he had several missed calls and texts from Gilly, Coco, and EZ. He cursed aloud this time and finished getting ready, determined not to get distracted again.

Of course, his boys having to physically come in and get him when he did just that destroyed that promise.

Fri:

It had come down to the last night of your stay with him, and what he thought was a favor to a good friend, turned out to be more for his benefit.

The hell with the club seemed so far away when he was home now, and he’d laughed more times that week than he had the previous few months total.

Tonight though… Tonight had him so in his head he didn’t know if he was coming or going.

You, sensing something was going on with him, had invited EZ and Felipe to dinner. He didn’t know how you got the latter to agree, his dad had never even been in his home before, but you did it. It went over a hell of a lot better than the last time they tried it too.

The missteps that reared their head when his family tried to talk to each other at length were mitigated by you. You were the perfect buffer, able to get them to engage with you and then each other.

He saw his family in an unfamiliar, but favorable light. His father was actually enjoying his time with him in his house. He knew that night wouldn’t have happened if not for you.

Now, as he distractedly dried the dishes you’d washed, listening to you hit all of the high notes in Loving You, it hit him.

‘She should be my wife’ the thought came so quick, and was so loud he almost jumped, confused if it came from him or someone else.

“Hey dishwasher-less!” you nudged him with your hip. “Move those hands.”

“Why can’t we be a thing?” he blurted.

You dropped the silverware you’d been washing, eyes wide and focused on him. “Um..excuse m-…what?”

He knew that wasn’t the most tactful way to introduce his thoughts to you, but it was his way. Fuck…he didn’t even understand them fully himself.

“You heard me querida,” he put the dish down on the counter, turning to you. “When I stayed with you that weekend that my head was all fucked up-“

“Angel.” your tone made it a warning, but he kept going. He was never afraid of a challenge.

“I was inside you so much that weekend I forgot that’s not how I came in this world. I can’t believe I’m saying it out loud, but I felt home cause I was with you-”

“Stop it!” you hit the sink, rattling the contents.

“Fuck that!” he shouted back, startling you both. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a calmer tone. “Fuck that. Why can’t we talk about it? Why couldn’t we talk about it then?”

You didn’t say anything, but he saw your chest heaving with adrenaline, and realized you were just as affected by the conversation as he was.

“You just decided it didn’t matter and put it in this space we can’t touch now. It’s all fucked up!”

“Because,” you hissed. “If you remember, it was all over that Adelita chick, and I don’t know what kind of hold she has or had over you, but it was deep.”

He cringed at that, and turned his attention to the light fixture over your head, unable to meet your heated gaze.

“Whatever feelings I have for you Angel, I put them away in a place where I can still be your friend and keep things in perspective.”

“Feelings you have for me?” he latched on to the lack of past tense, hopeful.

You inhaled sharply. “You are having a baby and just got engaged. What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing..I mean a lot, but nothing to do with this. I know-“

“I know,” you pushed away from the sink and reached up to cup his cheeks. “That you’re scared Angel. You’re scared, because you’re gonna take two steps you’ve never taken before at once, and you’re trying to sabotage it.”

He shook his head, taking your hands from his face and holding them tightly in his own. “No..mi dulce, no. I’ve been struggling with this all week, longer if I’m being honest. Tonight sealed it.”

You snorted humorlessly, looking around the kitchen as if something in the room would help you get through to him. “I cook you some big boy meals, and treat your speakers to some musical taste, and you’re ready for vows?”

“Don’t put this all on me. Tell me you don’t feel it. Right here and now, to my face.”

He watched your expression soften, and let you put one hand back on his face, your thumb gently stroking his cheek. “Ok, I can’t do that, but I also can’t just fall into a situation with you either.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “We both know we didn’t just fall into anything. We sat here and let it build and didn’t say shit, and now I have to. This week just made it too real not to.”

He placed his forehead to yours, his own hands cupping your face. “Please…”

He watched you have an internal battle by your changing features before you finally leaned into him. The moment you did, his lips were on yours.

He knew it was more than just a kiss a few seconds in. Everything he’d felt that the previous week was alive and confirmed between you too. He could feel you telling him you had moments like his own.

He palmed your thighs under your sundress before grasping them tightly and lifting you up. He placed you on the counter while you two separated for air. Your chests heaved in unison, and neither of you had to say you wanted the other touching you again before it happened.

He gripped your hair, tilting your head back for access to your neck. The smell of vanilla and cocoa butter surrounded him as he worked his mark all over your skin.

Your legs wrapped around his waist, and you pressed yourself against his jeans.

He hated he couldn’t feel the heat he knew was emitting from your core through the thick material of his jeans, and slid his other hand up your thigh to your panties.

Your entire body twitched when he ran his fingers over you through the thin cloth. It wasn’t just hot it was soaked.

“You need me that bad mami?” he pulled away from your neck, satisfied with his work, and beginning to work at his jeans.

“And quick.” you breathed into his ear, your tone and the sensation making him shudder.

The ache against his jeans didn’t need to be told twice to find its way into your heat. He slid your panties to side and pressed his thumb against you. You jumped, whimpering your need again, and he pulled your panties way from you.

You’d gotten them around one ankle before he was inside of you, and they were no longer your focus.

You clung to each other so tightly there’d be evidence on both of you.

In the quiet, he wondered if your mind was racing with the same thoughts that his was. What now? How do we get this again?

He pressed kisses to your cheek just as he started to move. You inhaled, your nails sliding down his back. Not quite catching the skin, but enough to set him on fire all the same.

He mapped out a rhythm by your whimpers and how you grasped at him until he crafted the right one.

This was the conversation he’d needed. Every thrust from him, every cry from you, every bit of give and take to heighten the other’s pleasure. The two of you were admitting that everything that was between you was deeper, realer than you’d wanted to admit. He loved you, and you loved him, and you were engraving that on one another.

The flirtation, the way you could be yourselves around each other, the heatless jabs. Good friends was always a ruse.

Your face was buried in his neck, and when he felt dampness he knew came from your tears, he hiked your legs higher, moving deeper.

You cried out so loudly it echoed in the kitchen, drowning out the soft crooning of an eighties songstress.

“I know baby, I feel it too.” his voice was choked by the threat of tears of his own.

He’d never been here before. Not with Adelita, not even close with Nails. He was terrified. Terrified for it to end because he never felt so good. Terrified for it to end because it might never happen again.

“Angel..” your voice sounded so small, but it was strong enough to anchor him back with you. “I’m close, I’m so close.”

“Let go,” he encouraged. “Let me have it querida.”

Your body seized up with your release, his name the only thing he caught in your unintelligible babble.

You clenched up repeatedly in the aftershocks, and that drug him over the edge with you, biting your shoulder.

His vision tunneled, pinpricks of pleasure traveling up and down his spine. Your hands smoothed up and down the area, and he realized it was because he was shuddering.

He gripped the counter for support, pulling back slowly. He was searching for a way to ask if he’d changed your mind, but the act hadn’t made words for his thoughts any easier to find.

It didn’t matter, before he could even speak you stopped him. Your eyes were glazed over with tears that had nothing to do with pleasure this time.

“That was all that I can give you Angel. It’s not right, none of this is, but it’s all I can give you.”

AN:

Am I the only one who wishes she had reference photos for their home/club layouts? Lol, it’s such a weird non-factor thing, but still. From memory, I’m pretty sure Angel only has one bedroom though.

No shade, no hate but this was partially inspired by how over Nails Angel looked when she was putting her back into it….🥴

I played with a few canon-timeline things + knocked the dust off my smut writing ability (I’m going under my humiliation rock now, no calls plz)

[libraryofloveletters]

hi! so i came across your blog just a couple days ago and i love your fics! if possible i have a request for an eddie diaz and buckley!read fic? it might sound like a weird idea and it might not follow the time line. but the reader is a buckley, her and eddie slept together and they were about to start dating. then his wife comes back and the reader leaves la because of that reason. she then comes back 3ish years later with a daughter. her siblings know it’s eddie’s baby and tries to get the reader to tell her, but she doesn’t want to. then eddie some how finds out (you can pick how) and then he tells her that he wants to be apart of both there lives. and one last thing, can the daughter be names stella? (i hope this isn’t to detailed!)

thank you and i hope you have a great day! 😊❤️

Build A Home With Me

Eddie Diaz x Buckley!Reader 

Warnings: fem!reader, slight insinuation of cheating, mentions of pregnancy, secret keeping, sibling teasing, alcohol and consumption of

Category: Angst and Fluff, lil mix of both :) 

Word Count: 5k

Author’s Note: First of all, thank you for the sweet words! I loved this request and I loved writing it! I hope you liked it!! <3

---

“What time are they going to be back ?” Eddie gets up off the bed, you shrug and grab your phone. You watched as Eddie got dressed, somehow this man always looked perfect. “Y/n ? What time are they coming back ?” he stops in front of the bed, the sound of the front door unlock causing the both of you to look towards your bedroom door. 

“Well, I guess now” 

“Y/n!” he half whispers, half shouts. “They’re going to kill me” he says, leaning down and tossing your clothes at you. “Not they Eddie, Buck. Buck’s gonna kill you” you laugh. 

“Y/n ?! We’re home!” your sister shouted from downstairs. You were currently staying with your sister, Maddie, while you came to visit LA. She was kind enough to let you stay with her because frankly, your brother could be a pain in the ass with all his routines. 

“Coming!” you shout back, Eddie grabs your arm as you go to open the door. “My shoes are downstairs” he looks at you, “okay and ? Come down and get them” 

“They're down there” his eyes go wide, the idea of your siblings seeing him was absolutely outrageous to him. 

“Eddie, I'm a grown woman. I don't think they’ll care.” 

“I do! I have to work with Buck, do you know how hard it’ll be if he’s upset about this ?” 

“Would you relax? He’s slept with 90% of my friends. Let’s go” you grab Eddie’s hand and pull him down the stairs with you. “Why are you walking so loud fu-” your brother stopped in his tracks. 

His little sister and his best friend. Holding hands. Coming down the stairs. 

Together. 

“Ed- how- wait what ? Since when?” Buck didn't know if he should be upset or congratulate them. “Buck, what’s wrong?” Maddie walks into the living room to see the 3 of you by the stairs. 

“Oh hey Eddie, wanna stay for dinner ?” 

Buck looks over at Maddie, she didn't seem surprised about the fact that their little sister just came down from her room with Eddie. “Did you know ?” Buck asks her, “I mean yeah, the walls in here aren't exactly thick” she laughs. Eddie’s face was a mix of shame and embarrassment. Buck didn't say anything, he just left the 2 of you by the stairs with Maddie. Eddie looks down at you and glances over to the direction Buck headed in. You shake your head and grab his hand again, giving it a little squeeze. 

“Come on guys, dinner’s going to get cold” Maddie smiles, walking towards the kitchen. The two of you follow her to the kitchen. Dinner was quiet, just talk about work and if you plan on moving out to LA which was still undecided as of now. Maddie asked you to help her get another bottle of wine, leaving the guys at the table together. 

“How long ?” Buck slouched in the chair, taking a sip of his beer. Eddie couldn't remember the last time he felt like this, he knows Buck is his best friend but right now, Buck was y/n’s brother and not his best friend. 

“A few days after you introduced us at the station” 

Eddie watched Buck. He was doing the math in his head, Eddie’s fingers drummed against his knees under the table, Buck looked over at him. “That’s almost 4 months” 

“It is” 

“And you didn’t tell me”

“Buck, man, she didn't want anyone to know” 

“Yeah she’s always been a private person” Eddie gave him a slight smile. “Did you introduce her to Chris ?” 

“Yeah, a few weeks ago. They really like each other” 

Maddie’s voice interrupted their conversation. “I have pie, who wants?” she turns to the fridge, the men give her a mumble which she takes as a yes. You make your way back over to the table, standing behind your brother’s chair. 

“So?” your hand rested on his shoulder, his hand comes up and pats yours, he glances over his shoulder and smiles at you. 

“Really ?” you smile at him, he nods. You lean down and kiss his cheek. Eddie watches the two of you, you remind him a lot of his relationship with his sisters when he lived at home. Maddie comes back to the table with a few plates in one hand and a pie in the other. 

“I should get going” Eddie stands from his seat, “Oh are you sure ? You don't want to stay for dessert ?” Maddie asks him, he shakes his head. 

“Thank you but I should get home to Chris” he comes around the table and pats Buck’s shoulder on his way over to Maddie. 

“Thank you for dinner” he gives her a hug, she wraps her arms around him.

“Anytime, come by anytime and it doesn’t have to be just to sleep with her,” she laughs, “you can just hang out if you want” 

“Hey, I'll walk you out” you reach for his hand, Eddie follows you to the door. He stepped outside, the cool air blowing into the house, you leaned against the door. 

“How long until the team knows?” you ask, he chuckles. “Maddie’ll tell Chim, Chim’ll tell Hen, she’ll tell Athena and then Bobby’ll find out” 

“So let’s give it two days ?” 

“2 days.” 

The two of you are just standing there, looking at each other, not saying anything. Eddie grabs your hands, “can I tell you something ?” 

“Anything” 

“You know how I'm trying to get Chris into that new school ? And I went for the interview” 

“Yeah, did everything go okay ?” 

“Yeah no, everything’s fine. It’s just that, uh- well you see,” 

“Eddie, spit it out” 

“They want to interview Shannon” he looks at you, your face is unreadable. Eddie’s brows furrow, he’s trying to read your expression. 

“His mom, right? Did you tell her? Because if that’s what it’ll take to get Chris in, you should tell her” 

Eddie sighed, a feeling of relief washed over him, “I thought you’d be upset” 

“Why ? It’s for Chris plus, nothing’s going on between you guys, right ?” looking at him, you were now trying to read his expressions. 

“Nothing’s happening, I haven’t seen her in years”  

Eddie gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. You smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. “Go home now, they're probably wondering where I am” you whisper to him, Eddie’s hands come up to your face. 

“Goodnight y/n”

“Good night Eddie” 

--

Anger, sadness, you didn't know which one you felt the most of right now. 

Eddie stood across from you, the two of you were in the living room of his house. Initially you had come by to spend the day with him and Chris, and to see how the interviews went. Upon arriving, you realized that Chris wasn’t home, Eddie told you that he was out with Shannon for lunch. 

“I didn’t- no, let me explain.” he looked over at you, taking a step over to you. You stepped back, you didn't want to be near him right now. 

“Explain then.” 

“She was feeling vulnerable, she felt like what happened to Chris was her fault and she was crying. She was blaming herself and felt horrible for leaving. I was just trying to comfort her.” 

“you couldn't comfort her without kissing her ?” you spat, your words laced with anger.

“Y/n, I didn't mean too. I pulled away, she kissed me” he tried to defend himself. 

You asked him the impossible question, the one he knew was coming, the one he didn't have an answer too. 

“Do you still love her?” you looked over at him, his answer would determine the rest of this relationship. 

“I’ll always love her, she's Christopher’s mother.” 

“Eddie, yes or no. Do you love her ? It doesn’t matter if she’s Chris’s mom.”

Eddie didn't say anything, he just stood there. You nodded, running your hand through your hair. Picking up your bag, you pull something out of your bag. Eddie watched your every move, he could see the hurt on your face, he truly never meant to hurt you, that was never his intention. Stepping towards him, you shove the picture frame from your bag to him.��

“This was for you” you say, Eddie looks down at the frame. It was a picture of the 3 of you. The 2 of you had taken Chris to the zoo one weekend and taken a few pictures, it was a picture from that weekend in one of the colourful frames from the gift shop. 

“When did you -” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

Eddie followed your steps to the door, he watched you walk out on him. Once you go to the car, you look back at him, “You know, I hope things work out between you and Shannon, for Chris’s sake. He deserves to have both of his parents in his life.” 

Once again, Eddie doesn't say anything. He watches as you get in the car and pull out of the driveway. He watches you drive down the street, he watches until he can no longer see you. 

On the other side of the city you sat in the car. How do you tell your siblings that you ended it with Eddie because he kissed his wife? It’s not that you didn’t know he was married, he had told you but he also told you that it didn't even count to him, she wasn’t around. 

Was there even something to end ? 

The two you aren’t exactly exclusive nor did you ever say that you weren’t dating. Maddie and Buck were both at work, you took the time to go inside and pack up your things. You didn't want to leave like this but you couldn’t bring yourself to tell them in person, simply for the selfish reason that it would hurt you and to see Buck’s face when you have to tell him why you’re leaving would break you. You took all these things into consideration when you wrote the letter to them. 

To my Buck and Maddie, 

I love you both dearly, let me just start by saying that. I’m sorry that I had to leave so suddenly and with no explanation. There’s nothing here for me, at least not what I came in search of.

The two of you are my whole world, you know that. These last 5 months have been some of my favourites but our time has come to an end, at least for now. I promise I’ll come back and visit soon but I can’t stay here, not right now. I need to leave, to get myself together. I know what the two of you are thinking right now (I’m a Buckley too, don’t forget that) that you can help me get myself together but you can’t.

The reason why I’m leaving is Eddie. Well, not entirely, he didn’t tell me to leave but I feel like I should, for his sake and for Chris’s. As you both know, Eddie and I have been seeing each other but we never made it official, we just - well I just assumed we were. I went to see him today and he said he kissed Shannon and he still loves her, he “always will” so I told him that whatever we had is over and that I hope things work out for him and Shannon because Chris deserves his parents in his life, together, if they can make it work. I couldn’t tell you this in person because it would hurt, hurt me and hurt the both of you. Please remember it was my choice to leave, don’t take it out on Eddie (especially you Buck) he didn’t do anything wrong, I knew he was still married to her. If anything, I was the other woman and I don’t know why I allowed myself to get sucked into that.

Regardless of what happened between Eddie and I, don’t let that change the way you treat him. He’s a good man and he deserves happiness. I’ll find mine too, even if it’s not with him. I love you both, I’ll call you when I get home.

All my love,

Y/n.

---

*4 years later*

Buck’s birthday was this weekend. He didn’t have plans but in Buckley fashion, Maddie wouldn’t let his birthday go uncelebrated. Hence why you found yourself wandering the terminal at the airport, waiting on your brother to pick you up. 

“Uncle Buck!” the little girl shouted and sprinted down the terminal to the man in the green shirt. “Stella!” he shouted, meeting her halfway and picking her up. You made your way over to your brother, “hey birthday boy” you smile and pull him in for a hug. “Hey you, you know it’s not my birthday yet right ?” 

“I know, can't I be excited ? I missed your stupid face” 

“Oh thanks” he rolls his eyes playful, he’s carrying Stella with one arm and pulling a suitcase with the other. You tugged the other suitcase alone with you as the 3 of you make your way over to the car. Buck gets Stella strapped into the car suit and then gets in. Halfway through the drive, Stella falls asleep, she kept insisting on staying up the entire plane ride and kept talking about how excited she was to see her aunt and uncle. The car ride was quiet for the most part. Buck asked how your flight was, he caught you up on his life, you told him about Stella’s first day of school. 

“Who’s coming tomorrow ?” 

“Maddie and Chim, Hen and Karen, Bobby and Athena,” 

“Bobby and Athena.. as a couple ?” 

“Yeah, they got married”

“And neither of you told me?” you smacked his arm, he whined.

“Hey! I'm driving! anyways, Eddie and Chris are coming too” 

That’s who you really asked the question about, you wanted to know if you’d be seeing him tomorrow. 

“How’s Chris ?” 

“He’s good, he’s grown up a lot since you last saw him.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, you watched as the cars passed by and you couldn't help but think what could have been if maybe things had ended differently. Buck carried a sleeping Stella up to his apartment, you followed him with the luggage. Chim opened the door, Buck went to carry Stella up to his bed so she could get a proper nap. Chim helped you with the luggage. 

“Y/n! it’s so good to see you again” he hugs you, you smile. “It’s good to see you too! I missed you guys. Where's the boss lady ?” you follow Chim’s glance to the stairs, Maddie was giving Stella a kiss as Buck took her up. 

“Mads!” 

“Y/n!” 

She came down and pulled you into a bone crushing hug, “god I missed you” 

“I missed you even more” 

After everyone was situated, Maddie began naming off jobs. “Chim, cake and balloons tomorrow, pick up is at 2. Y/n and I will decorate, Bobby said he’s got most of the cooking done and Athena will help him. Hen and Karen offered to get a banner, I just said yes because who doesn't love a banner?” she laughed, you, Buck and Chim exchanged glances. “And Buck, you just be ready.” 

“As for right now, boys we need beer.” she said, the two of them standing there, looking at each other cluelessly. 

“Go! That means go!” you say, Buck groaned and dug his keys from his pocket. 

“I forgot how bossy the two of you are together” he teased, you pushed him towards the door and they headed out. 

You and Maddie were sitting on the couch, planning out the last minute details. “Stella’s gotten so big” she says, flipping through the binder in front of her. “Yeah, she keeps surprising me everyday” you chuckle. 

“She looks a lot like him” Maddie glances at you, the smile drops from your face and you nod. 

“His twin, she acts like him too. The same pulled together emotions, she’s a fighter just like her dad” 

“That’s good” 

“No I mean, she really is a fighter. She hit some kid for taking her snack” 

Maddie and you ended up in a laughing fit as you tell her the story. Sometime later, the sound of little feet pattering down the stairs caught your attention. “Auntie Maddie!” your daughter shouted as she straight to her aunt in the kitchen. “Hi sugarplum!” Maddie picked her up and gave her a hug. “I missed you” she says to her aunt, Maddie smiled at the little girl, “I missed you too” 

Chim and Buck come in a few minutes later, you were laying on the couch watching tv and Maddie had Stella up on the counter, they were having some sort of dance party in the kitchen. “Who’s this pretty girl with you?” Chim asks Maddie as he walks over to him. 

“This is Stella, my niece, she looks like me that's why she's pretty” Maddie tells him proudly, you roll your eyes at her comment and you hear Buck groan. “Shut it, you're just jealous you’re not hot like me” she gives Buck a look. 

“Stella, this is my boyfriend, Chim” Stella takes a seat on the counter, looking at the man for a few seconds before saying anything. “Are you a firefighter ? Like uncle Buck?” 

“I am, how’d you know?” he asks her

“Magic,” she giggles 

“I might have to hire you for my next party then,” Chim jokes, “it’s very nice to meet you Stella” he lifts his hand to give her a high five, Stella pulls him into a hug instead. 

The 5 of you have dinner before Maddie and Chim head out. You, Buck and Maddie were in the kitchen going over something and Chim sat with Stella on the couch. He was teaching her how to play some video game Buck left on, “uncle Chim?” the little girl called to him, he smiled at her and the fact that she called him uncle Chim.

“Yeah?” 

“This game is weird” her face screws into a weird expression, Chim laughs, “it is, isn't it ? How about we go see if Buck has ice cream ?”

Before he could get up, Stella had already ran off to the kitchen, Chim trailing behind her. Stella tugged on Buck’s hand, he looked down at her, “Do you have ice cream ?” 

“In the freezer, do you need help ?” 

“Nope”

She let go of his hand and waddled off to get the ice cream from the freezer. You lifted her onto the counter and opened the container for her. Your back was turned for a moment to get her a bowl and a spoon, turns out she had already found a spoon and was eating straight out of the container. Sometime after that, Buck decided he was going to bed, Stella didn’t like that idea so she followed him up the stairs and began bouncing on the bed. 

“Stels, come on, I'm tired” he told her, he watched the little girl bounce up and down on the bed. 

“No! I'm not tired, come bounce with me!” she shouted, Buck sighed. 

“5 minutes okay ?” Buck gets up on the bed with her. 

You were in the kitchen with Maddie and Chim, “excuse me for a minute, let me go get her before she kills Buck with her energy” you left them in the kitchen by themselves. 

Chim turns to Maddie, “Stella’s dad didn't want to come down for the party?” he sees how Maddie tenses up for a moment. 

“Uh, her dad isn't really in the picture” 

“Oh, does he know about her?” 

“No” 

The conversation drops, Maddie stands by the window and Chim makes his way over to her. “You know, she looks a lot like Eddie” he looks over at Maddie, her focus on something outside the window. “Maddie ?” 

“She’s his daughter” 

“He doesn’t know?” 

“Y/n left LA right when his wife came back. She found out she was pregnant a few weeks later. She had me and Buck, she didn’t want to drag Eddie into it.”

“Shannon died, Maddie. She could have told him.” 

“That’s exactly why she didn’t. He just lost his wife, she didn’t want to drag Stella into a messy relationship, Eddie needed time and she gave that to him.” 

“Do you know if she’s going to tell him ?” 

“I don't know, but that’s not our decision to make. What you heard here, stays here. Promise me that” she looks over at Chim, she loved that man with her whole heart but he wasn’t exactly the best at keeping secrets.

“I promise”

--

Turns out you can plan a party in a week. 

Everyone had arrived at Buck’s place, everyone was scattered around the apartment. Bobby and Athena in the kitchen with Karen and Maddie, Chim and Hen were by the tv with the kids, Buck was still upstairs trying to find something to wear. Stella ran over to you as you came back down from the kitchen. “Mom, look!” she pointed at the cake that was on the table, “I see it sweetie” 

“Can I have some pleaseeeee?” she looked up at you, “a little later, you gotta let Buck blow out the candles first okay ?” 

She ran off to go play with Nia and Denny. Someone knocked on the door but no one else seemed to hear it, you walked over and opened the door. 

There he was. 

“Y/n!” Chris wrapped his arms around your waist, you leaned down slightly and hugged him. “hey buddy, how are you ?” 

“I’m good, I missed you” 

“Awh, I missed you too” 

You could feel Eddie’s eyes burning into you as you and Chris walked into the apartment, he followed the two of you. Stella came running back over to you. “Stella come meet someone” you called to her, she stood beside you, looking up at Chris. 

“Who’s that momma?” 

“Chris is uncle Buck’s friend’s son, now you play nice okay ? I don't want trouble” 

“I'm Stella!”

“I’m Christopher!”

You crouch down beside her and point to Eddie, “that’s Christopher’s dad, Eddie, why don’t you say hi?” Stella marched up to him, she leaned her head back and looked up at him. “Hi!” she smiled at him, Eddie looked down at the little girl in front of him, she had to be around 3 or 4, she had brown hair and the same smile he did. Eddie glanced at you and then back to Stella and once at Chris. 

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Hi Stella, I'm Eddie” he smiled at her, she gave him another smile and made her way over to Chris. She began telling him about the plane she took to come see her aunt and uncle, the two of them walk over to Nia and Denny together. 

Standing up, you and Eddie are now looking at each other. “Hi” he steps closer to you, you don't move. “Hey” you move slightly closer to him.

“How have you been ?” 

“Good, you ?” 

“I’m okay, can't complain” 

“You never do. Want a beer ?” 

“Sure” 

Eddie follows you to the kitchen, you pull 2 beers out of the fridge, handing one to him and opening the other for yourself. Standing across from him, he asked you “how old is she ?” 

“4″ 

“How come you never told me you had a baby ?” 

“We stopped talking after I left, I wasn’t going to call just to tell you that. I figured Buck would have told you.” 

“He didn’t” 

Right on cue, the birthday boy came down the stairs. “Wow all of you are here for me ? I must be so special” 

“You know you are” Maddie pokes his cheek. Buck went around to say hello to everyone, he started with Eddie. You took that time to leave the very awkward conversation you were having with him and made your way to the kids. 

--

Chim dropped the bottle in the trash and headed to the fridge for another one, the party was well underway and everyone was having a good time. Well, expect for Eddie. He couldn't shake the fact that Stella looked so much like him. “You want another one?” Chim asked him, setting the bottle beside him on the counter. “Yeah, thanks”

The two men stood in the kitchen, chatting about work and just catching up. Chim had a slight buzz going and he kind of let the secret he wasn’t supposed to tell, slip.

“How’s your kid?” he leans back against the counter, looking at Eddie.

“Chris ? He’s good”

Chim shook his head, “no no, Stella”

The bottle nearly fell from Eddie’s hand, he looked at Chim. “What do you mean Stella ?”

Chim realized what he said, he turned the other way and began walking. “Chim!” Eddie grabbed his arm, “what do you mean Stella ?”

“I've already said too m- oh Maddie’s calling for me, bye” Chim walked off and left Eddie standing in the kitchen by himself.  Eddie looked over at the little girl sitting beside Christopher, she looked like him, there was no denying it. She had his smile, the same brown hair, she even had the same hazel brown eyes. You were walking into the kitchen when Eddie grabbed your arm.

“What ?” you look at him.

“I need to talk to you”

“Let go of my arm and maybe we can talk” you push his hand off of your arm. Buck made his way over to the kitchen, he could feel the tension. “Is everything okay ?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine Buck, Eddie’s just gonna come with me to get the candles from the jeep, right, Eddie ?”

“Yeah, we’ll be back in a few”

The two of you stepped out of the apartment and walked down to the parking lot. You did forget the candles in the jeep so it wasn’t a total lie. “Is she mine?” Eddie blurts out, you turn to face him. “Is who yours?”

“Stella. Is Stella my daughter ?”

“How’d you-”

“Chim let it slip”

You groaned, Maddie must have told him. It wasn’t a big deal that she told him, it was a big deal that Eddie knew.

“She is.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“It didn't make sense too”

“Y/n, she’s my daughter! of course it makes sense to tell me!”

“You had just gotten back with Shannon, I didn't want to drag you back into something you didn't want. I’ve raised her for the last 4 years and I'll continue to do so, it doesn’t have to change now because you know she’s yours.”

“Shannon’s- she’s dead.”

“I know, Buck told me, I'm sorry.”

Eddie let out a sigh, his hand ran through his hair. You stood in front of him, the two of you in the blistering heat, having a conversation you never planned on having.

“She wouldn't have stopped me from being in Stella’s life”

“I know.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Eddie, you had just lost your wife when Stella was born. It didn’t seem like the right time to come to LA and tell you I had a baby, your baby.”

“What about after that ? It's been 4 years y/n”

“Eddie, come on. Would it have made a difference ? It wouldn't have fixed anything. I would have still just been some girl you slept with.”

Eddie looks at you, his expression softened, “is that what you think ? that you're “just some girl” I slept with ?”

You didn't answer him, you didn't have an answer for him. There were so many times you had wanted to call Eddie and tell him about Stella. When she said her first word, took her first steps, her first day of school. You wanted to share all those times with him, like a normal family.

“Y/n,” Eddie stepped towards you. “You were more than just some girl. You always said that Chris deserved to have both of his parents right ? And he did but what about Stella ? Doesn't she deserve that too ?”  Eddie’s arms wrap around you, your hands on his chest.

“She does,” you sigh, “I can't just tell her your uncle’s friend is your dad, Eddie.”

“So we’ll take it one day at a time. I want to get to know her, and you. I want you back in my life, in our lives.”

“Eddie, I have a life, a job, Stella has school. We can't just leave everything.”

“As I said, one day at a time. I want this to work, don't you ?”

“I do”

“How about we get lunch ? Or dinner? The 4 of us. If you feel like this is something you want to do, you want us to try and make things work, for the kids, we can. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Eddie pulled you into a hug, things felt at ease for once, like a weight was lifted off your shoulders, you weren't carrying a secret anymore. You never meant to give in so easily but Eddie had this hold over you, one you couldn't shake, regardless of how much time you spent apart. You ended things because of what happened between him and Shannon in a parking lot and here you were, making up with him in a parking lot.

Talk about full circle.

--- 

taglist: @mikaelson-emma @ssa-volturi @advicefromnixxxx @keenmarvellover @venusrosepetal

[chucklegigglechortlesnort]

MY B O Y S :( Yaku get your ass back here. I miss you. I love nekoma too much. could I request manager for Seijoh?

YESSSSSSS IVE THOUGHT ABOUT THESE WAY TOO MUCH CAN YOU TELL???

Seijoh Manager Headcanons:

Alright so by SOME miracale you manage to sneak your way into being Seijohs manager, which the whole team is pretty surprised by.

Save for maybe Oikawa - who got you the position - or Iwaizumi.

I say this because there’s literally NO WAY, with Oikawas reputation, that they let just some random person be manager for the sake of making goo goo eyes at him all through out practice.

They made this mistake during his first year and it didn’t take long for them to learn their lesson.

So the only way you’re manager is if you’ve known Oikawa your whole life and therefore are aware of how annoying he is, or if you’re related to him. Let’s go with the former. Because I love the childhood friends cliche that’s my SHIT.

So if you’ve known Oikawa since childhood, you’ve definitely known Iwaizumi since childhood. Therefore, the coaches let you on the team not only because Oikawa knew you, but Iwaizumi put in a good word for you as well.

Doesn’t matter if you have other hobbies or interests in clubs, Oikawa is dragging you into this whether you like it or not.

You’re already familiar with the third years upon taking up the manager position, so they’re not too intimidating. Matsukawa didn’t really talk to you much at first but you both bonded over poking fun at Oikawa and a mutual love of memes.

You have a photo of oikawa sneezing where he looks absolutely atrocious that you “accidentally” sent into the group chat once. Makki and Mattsun use it religiously as a reaction image. Oikawa hates it.

You don’t talk to your fellow first years too muc, except for Watari, who’s pretty friendly. Kunimi doesn’t seem to interested in conversation and Kindaichi visibly tenses up whenever you try to talk to him, so you figured you’d have the coming years to bond with them.

Oh, and did I mention? You get invited to all the Seijoh sleepovers.

Since you’ve been friends with Oikawa your whole life, sleep overs weren’t a new thing for you. His whole family knows and adores you and you have your own seperate room at the Oikawas so your parents aren’t worried about you sleeping in a room full of teenage boys.

These sleepovers are absolute chaos

Every sleepover cliche you can name? You’ve done it. Pillow fights? Check. Often ends in bruises and ice packs. Nerf Gun wars? Iwaizumi always wins. Mario Kart? Makki plays dirty. Monopoly? Who will land on board walk this time? Trick question the answer is Mattsun. Wii sports? That’s your shit. Oikawa never wins at anything. He hates it. But he does build the best pillow forts, courtesy of all his practice with Takeru.

You’ve definitely heard every one of these boys rip ass. Even Oikawa. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. If you think for one second that they’re gonna hold it in because you’re around you’ve got another thing coming hon. Once you’re all in a private setting together all bets are off.

Jealous fan girls definitely bombard you with questions of what it’s like to be around “Oikawa-senpai” all the time, and say how lucky you are to get to be around him every day. Oh the things you could tell them, you could ruin this whole man’s career. Some even come up to you for advice on how to ask him out?? And that’s never something you know how to answer.

Kyotani’s strange respect for Iwaizumi is one of the most baffling things you’ve ever seen. You’ve tried to figure it out but honestly you don’t think you ever will. He’s an enigma and avoids you at all costs. prolly bc you’re a girl and he’s intimidated by you lmao

He still respects you tho. More than he does oikawa at least HA

By the middle of the year Kunimi and Kindaichi are progressively warming up to you and you now have a first years group chat and sit together at lunch at least twice a week. Kunimi seems to gravitate to you more than Kindaichi but you don’t push it.

You are team mom. Oikawa jokingly got you and Iwaizumi matching mom and dad sweatshirts that say “Team Mom” and “Team Dad” on them. Iwaizumi refuses to wear his but you’re more willing to play along and will wear it when you go out with the team for ramen after games.

Iwaizumi wore it to one of the sleepovers once and you forced him to take a live picture with the both of you showing off the sweatshirts.

It’s now your lock screen background and he grumbles every time he sees it.

He seceretly loves it. Good luck getting him to admit it tho.

Oikawa has a pic of you asleep on iwa-chan’s shoulder with the sweaters on and he thinks it’s one of the most adorable things in the world. The best part is, Iwaizumi wouldn’t stop him because he was too worried about waking you up, so he just sat there and let it happen. What a sweetheart. Oikawa thinks himself a master comedian.

One upside to being seijohs manager is that fuck boys stay the hell away from you. They just automatically assume you’re dating Oikawa which is bothersome to an extent, but if it keeps the thots away you have no reason to complain. Even those that don’t think that are usually too intimidated to approach you because your friend group is essentially the seijoh volley ball team.

However a downside is that you never really know who’s befriending you for the sake of trying to get closer to oikawa which is a bit of a bummer. You’ve grown pretty skeptical of your peers and sadly your friends outside the volleyball team are far and few between.

That’s okay tho because they fill up a huge hole in your heart and you couldn’t ask for a better, or more entertaining group of people to surround yourself with.

It was a huge hit when they didn’t make it to championships though and it was even worse watching the the third years leave never having achieved their goal.

You knew you’d always have oikawa, he was basically family to you and by default you’d always have Iwaizumi. But Mattsun and Makki were going on different paths, and despite knowing them for only a year they had effectively made their way into your heart.

Oikawa is the most dramatic about it though, pulling you into a bone crushing hug and refusing to let go of you despite all your protests.

There’s one last goodbye sleepover for the whole team, Iwaizumi even wears his dad sweatshirt one last time for the occasion. There’s mario kart and wii sports, monopoly and nerf wars, and no one is able to sleep that night, not even Kyotani.

It’s a bittersweet goodbye and you didn’t expect to be this emotionally moved by the end of the year.

You keep in constant contact with oikawa and iwaizumi following their graduation (which you attended) and make sure to spend lots of time with them as well as mattsun and makki whenever they return for breaks. There are still sleepovers with the five of you, but the rest of the team as well as the new set of first years are less inclined to participate now that oikawa isn’t the captain anymore.

Oikawa still visits the team every once and a while to pester Yahaba about his role as captain, making sure he was doing a good job filling his shoes. He’ll even participate in practices and teach whoever’s the new setter how to cater to their spikers. It’s pretty wholesome to witness. Makes you miss the old days.

Ngl I don’t know how i’m feeling about these, but I can’t think too much about it or I’ll chicken out on posting :/

~tre

[addicted-sunshine-blog]

Brahms x Reader

NSFW- NFF. Reader is wearing a skirt and lip balm, but other then that is mostly gender neutral.

I should really be doing my math homework.

anyone know how to do calculus?

It had started out simple enough, really. You had moved to the UK- freshly graduated with a Masters’ in Biology (one of the degrees that would let you get a jobs in almost anything- your mom had promised) And were ready to take on the world with all the new and exciting career opportunities that awaited you. But days soon turned into months and when the employment opportunities remained stagnant, you sought employment in other forms. 

It had been a simple job posting that caught your attention- a nanny job in the UK; Live-in, full salary, taking care of a young boy of about 8 years old, named Brahms. You had always considered yourself good with children, they brought smiles to your face and joy in your heart, and while you hadn’t had much experience as a nanny, (previously only working in day care, only being with them for about 6 hours a day.) You saw that there weren’t any other people who applied and figured that it didn’t hurt to apply. Quickly forgetting about it, you had applied to several other childcare options before calling it a day and going to bed.

When you woke up the next day to 3 missed calls and 2 emails from the Heelshires, you were surprised to say the least. They had eagerly accepted your application and had asked you to start as soon as possible. Taken off guard but ecstatic at the prospect of finally being able to make some money, you pushed aside a notion of this being too good to be true and responded with enthusiasm.  A week later you were packing your bags and waving goodbye to the little inn you had been staying at and taking a 3 hour drive into the great British countryside to your new life.

______________________

When you pulled up to the estate, you were in awe at the beauty before you. Well manicured lawn, iron fences in elegant curves, stone work that was right out of a fairy tale book for someone who had grown up in the suburbs. Shaking yourself out of your stupor you had unloaded your car and steeled yourself to meet the parents.

 The story had broken your heart- You had pieced together that something awful had probably happened to the real Brahms, and this was how the parents coped. It was simple courtesy that lead you to stick to the routine the parents had set, knowing that they had entrusted you to a very important task in their minds. Under their watchful eye, you took care of the doll for about a week. You had considered this a sort of ‘trial run’ in their minds (after hearing how the last nanny, also from the US, had called them crazy and refused to care for the doll, you didn’t blame them) and you suffered through every prod from Mrs. Heelshire on how to do things ‘properly’, assuring yourself she was just a concerned, traumatized mother who just needed peace of mind. Soon enough, the week was over and the Heelshires left to go on holiday; and it wasn’t until they had pulled out of the drive that you realized they hadn’t mentioned when they’d be back.

 ______

It had been a month of living with Brahms before you had assured yourself that everything was normal. ‘The houses creaked at night’, was an excuse the grocery boy had told you when you had confided in him- flippantly waving his had before changing the subject. (“It’s unprofessional” you threw back at him, miffed at being dismissed so easily, in response to his flirting.) A month of convincing yourself that this was all in your head- that this really was you just adjusting to life on your own. you found the routine the Heelshires had put in place helped, actually. It kept the day structured and short, and let you pass the time. (It wasn’t a burden, actually. You got to re-read old classics, and during music you’d practice sketching and drawing whatever crossed your mind. Even if you misplaced a few loose leaf sketches now and then- it was peaceful) A month passed in the blink of an eye- and before you knew it, you were celebrating a month anniversary with Brahms with a small cake you had asked Malcom to pick up.

It took a month and a day for you to see the real Brahms.

______________

The day had started like any other- you got up and followed the schedule to a T- and after a particularly nice reading session, you had found yourself kissing the doll’s cheek in fondness. Thankful for the peaceful life you were now living, and struck with a sudden rush of happiness- you gave the doll a hug. Noticing the smear your lip balm had left on his porcelain cheek, however, had made you realize how foolish you were being- so you quickly got up to get a napkin to wipe off the stain.

You had left a doll, and walked back to a man.

walking back from the kitchen, you clamped  down the jolt of shock telling you to run run run- you had frozen in place and engaged in a staring contest with the man- neither of you moving until he slowly lifted his had to point at his cheek- the same place you had kissed the doll- and said in a childs voice:

“I want another kiss, please.”

~~~~~~

After Brahms had officially met you a month ago- you had modified the schedule a little to fit the- well, man that Brahms had become. (the doll had mysteriously vanished, only to appear again when he wanted to disappear into the walls again)  Brahms was shocking in his own right- but you had felt more then a little relived that you weren’t actually going crazy, and that had helped you take things more in stride. Brahms still behaved like a child, so you kept a watchful eye over him most of the time. Brahms also loved touching you- it seemed like living in the walls had deprived him of some much needed human touch- touch you were happy to provide in exchange for Bathing and all around hygiene approval.

You had tried your best to bring Brahms to the present day- spending some of your weekly allowance on a much needed internet connection- and a tablet for Brahms to surf the web on. While he still had a mostly limited vocabulary, he could still read and write, and you gave him a few hours a day to surf the web to his heart’s content, answering any questions he might have had.

And then he had found porn.

It had been a major oversight on your part- forgetting to put a parent filter on the tablet- but it simply had slipped your mind between setting up an internet router on your own and reading up on how best to deal with a man who behaved like a child.  It hadn’t been until a few days ago that you were made aware of his knew knowledge.

You had been sitting at the table for lunch when he had spoken up

“I want to…. Fuck.” He had said, rolling the word around his mouth, getting used to it. You had immediately choked on your juice, coughing for a minute before asking what he meant

“Brahms! First of all you shouldn’t use that kind of language, and secondly how do you know about-“ you had cut yourself off, blushing, not wanting to say the word.

“Fucking.” He replied, almost cheekily. His eyes never leaving you, making you flush to the tips of your ears. Avoiding his eyes, You tried to explain that sex- (Not ‘Fucking’ you insisted) was for something between people who both wanted to- that there was a time and place, and that you absolutely should Not talk about it in public, with people you lived with. All the while, he stared at you, head cocking slightly at your explanation, but remained quiet.

“….Okay” he had said quietly, finishing his breakfast before going to the study for music time while you finished dishes.

That conversation had led to you being on edge, knowing that Brahms wouldn’t fully drop it- not until he got what he wanted. But after a few days of quiet, you assumed he had grown bored and moved on. 

______________________

Brahms had entered the kitchen while you had been making lunch- nothing out of the ordinary, Brahms liked to watch you cook. You had been cutting lettuce for a salad when Brahms had approached, slightly starling you before you settled back into the chopping rhythm. (him initiating the contact was good, from every article you had read, and you didn’t want to dissuade him) It wasn’t until he had settled close behind you, leering over your shoulder, that you had decided to speak up.

“Brahms, Honey, are you okay?” you asked, trying to calm yourself. When he didn’t reply, you steeled yourself and kept chopping, trying to hurry up and finish lunch so you could have a table between you and Brahms again.

You jumped when you felt hands on your hips, followed by the press of cool ceramic against your neck.

“Brahms!- What” you exclaimed, gripping the knife and edge of the counter, trying to control your racing heart.

“I want to- Fuck.” He said, enunciating by squeezing your hips in hands.

“Brahms!- I told you that-“ before being cut off by his hands running up your sides and squeezing your chest

“You. Want to fuck you.” Brahms said, now pressing his hips into yours, trapping you against the counter. You were in shock, unaware of what to say to dissuade this situation, and a little turned on by being treated so roughly.

“Brahms, we can’t, I’m in charge of you and your parents-“ you tried to reason, trying to shift away from him, Before being cut off by him pressing you into the counter, forcing you to move the bowl of lettuce before you or have your head shoved into it. With a clatter, the knife falls into the sink next to you, along with the bowl. His chest rumbled over you, one hand slipping up from your chest to press down on the back of your neck, pinning you to the counter.

“No.” he said, before laying his chest on top of you before slipping his hand up your skirt. Cursing yourself for wearing a skirt today of all days, you tried to sound firm when you say “Brahms, No. This isn’t okay and-“ but were cut off by a rather harsh roll of his hips.

“No. I’m in charge. I want to play.” He said, before flipping up your skirt and rolling his hips into yours, rutting into your ass with desperate little sounds escaping him.

Trying not to let yourself be carried away- (it had been 2 months with little to no contact with the outside world, and even then, it had been months before that since you got laid. And in all truth, the situation was straight out of one of your fantasies.) you reached out and tried to push his hands off of you, tried to flip your skirt down and take control of the situation- but were swiftly cut off by a bruising force on your wrists, pinning them to the counter while Brahms showed his displeasure with you by biting your shoulder- causing you to gasp out, letting out a high wine at the pain and effectively stopping all protest you might have. You could forget at times how inhumanly strong Brahms was- but in this situation it only amplified the desire that had been coiling in your gut since he had put his hands on your hips.

Brahms seemed satisfied with your submission, and licked your throat and shoulder in a way that seemed sloppy and primal- and made you shiver and the raw need that came off of him. When you didn’t protest he moved to biting- and you could feel him biting bruises and sucking them into dark marks all along your shoulders, yanking your shirt collar to the side to go even further.

He quickly rutted into you, not even bothering to remove any clothes in his way. You were lost in a sensation of hands- roaming up your body, squeezing your hips, roughly grabbing your chest- and were only brought back to the present when Brahms hips started to stutter against yours, until finally he crushed your hips in his hands and stilled.

Oh my.

[yikesharringrove]

I'm thinking about Steve is forced to work for his father because he can't get in any college. So he's in the company as his secretary, and he is treated like shit. So he's going to submit some papers for his father's Boss Billy Hargrove and when he sees the Man he can only think about the words Power and Dominate

We’re gonna combine some schtuff.

Anonymous asked:

Hmm What about Steve meeting Billy who’s this rich business man because he wants to work for him. There’s a lot of sexual tension when they’re talking and then they end up fucking 👀👀👀 (++ Daddy Kink)

This is modern, but it’s not totally mentioned.

On ao3 too.

Porn

“Steven, I need you to take these up to the eighth floor.”

Mr. Harrington dropped a stack of files on the corner of his desk.

After Steve didn’t get into college, his father pretty much forced him to work at his office. He had, of course, downgraded the original offer, moved him from Company Representative to fourth-floor secretary.

He has to file things, take messages, and do everything for the entire floor.

By the time he looked up from the message he was taking, his father was already down the hall, halfway to his office.

“No problem, sir.” He huffed, picking up the stack of files, heading to the elevator.

The eighth floor was the executive floor, where the bosses of the bosses were.

It was clean, and quiet, the woman in the desk positioned the same way was smiling prettily at him.

“Can I help you?”

“I have these files from the fourth-floor form Mr. Harrington for, uh,” He looked at the post-it on top of the manila folder. “Mr. Hargrove?”

“Third door on your left.” Steve nodded, hefting the stack to the corner office, the big one. He had to shuffle awkwardly to knock on the door.

“Come in.” He pushed the door, nearly dropping the files in the process.

He had to shuffle with them to get them back in his arms before looking up.

His breath hitched when he saw the Mr. Hargrove.

He was in a bespoke suit, a dark sleet grey over a crisp white shirt, a dark red tie. His chest was broad, his arms thick. His hair was short, but curly and wild. But his eyes are what truly got Steve, a gorgeous bright blue.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Steve Harrington. I have, I have the files you requested from Mr. Harrington?”

Hargrove smiled at him, standing up and gesturing at the chair on the other side of his desk, relieving Steve of the stack of files.

“So, Steve Harrington, huh? That you’re father who works down on four?”

“Yes, sir. I’m the fourth-floor secretary.” Billy raised his eyebrows at him, nodding slowly as he settled on the edge of the desk, facing Steve.

Steve was staring at his thighs, so fucking thick in his slacks. Steve wanted them to crush his fucking head. Hargrove leaned forward over Steve, placing each hand on either armrest.

“See something you like?” Steve’s eyes went wide as he looked back at Billy’s face.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hargrove, sir-”

“Please, call me Billy.” He fucking purred it at him, made a chill run down Steve’s spine. He smirked, his tongue poking out between his teeth. “Why’d he put you at a desk? If he was gonna pull strings for his son, you’d think he’d make you a higher up.”

Steve looked down at the floor, he could feel his face getting hot.

“I was supposed to be a rep but I, I didn’t go to, to college so this was the best he could do.” Billy pulled back, frowning.

“You don’t need college to be a rep. You just need to be good at schmoozing. Kissing ass. You’re pretty enough to make it really work for you.” Steve glanced back up at him as he went around his desk, filling out a memo. “You’re under me now. I want you up on eight, you’re gonna start repping.” He pulled it off the pad with a flurry, heading out to give it to the floor eight secretary.

Steve had no idea what in the fuck had just happened.

“Your father should be getting that soon. Let me take you out to lunch. Celebrate your big promotion.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think I understand.”

“I just promoted you. You’ll report directly to me now, but you’re a representative, gonna be out making connections.” Steve just blinked.

“But, why?”

“I like you. I can see potential.”

Billy took him to some nice place a block down from their building, a place with a separate menu for all the fancy scotch they had. Billy tried two, Steve got a lemonade.

Lunch was nice. The food was excellent, and Billy was wonderful company, would tell Steve you’ve GOT to try this and feed him bites of his own food from his own fork. Steve was hot under the collar the entire meal.

As Steve transitioned to working under Billy, their lunches remained consistent, meeting up each day unless one of them had an important client they were meeting with.

Steve was okay at his job, could chit-chat well with potential clients, did a good job of getting them interested enough to meet with someone higher up to hammer out details. He made connections, but he had no passion for the work, wasn’t all that savvy at it, and straight-up wasn’t even totally sure what the company even did.

But he stuck it out, wanted to be able to see Billy every day, to tell him what he’d accomplished during the week, have Billy smile at him and tell him he was good.

Steve may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he knew enough about himself to understand a few things: 1. When a hot, beefy guy tells him he’s good, that really fuckin’ does it for him. 2. He wants said hot, beefy guy to tell him he’s good while doing, other activities. 3. He has serious daddy issues.

He realized the third one when he woke up one night in his small apartment, from a dream in which Billy was just like, taking care of him, was holding him and telling him that’s he’s precious, sat him down and reminded him to eat, made sure he drank water. There was literally nothing sexual about it, but he still woke up sweaty and panting, the word daddy on his lips.

And then came the Christmas party.

It was for the whole company, to celebrate the holiday, and a booming fiscal year, a reward for a job well done, an incentive for a continued job well done.

Steve was drunk.

He had necked about five lemon drop shots early on, had topped it all off with a few beers and more cocktails.

He was in Billy’s office, trying to get his shit together enough to call someone to give him a ride home when he heard the door open.

“You okay in here?” Billy was smirking, leaned against the wall next to the closed door, smirking as Steve’s head lolled over on the back of the chair.

“Heyy, Bill!” Steve giggled to himself. “How's your Christmas party?”

“It’s not looking quite as fun as yours in here.” He dropped into the chair next to Steve’s. “You need a lift home?”

Steve’s eyes were big as he looked at him.

“Yeah. I would like that.”

Billy’s car was sleek, vintage, and gorgeous. Steve was sitting low in the passenger seat as Billy navigated the way to Steve’s little apartment.

“You wanna come in?” Billy had to help Steve walk to the door of his apartment, had to help him with the keys at each door. “I want you to come in.” Steve slapped at the wall a few times before finding the light switch.

Billy smiled at the cozy little studio, the soft bed in the corner, covered in pillows and blankets, the squashy couch against one wall, the fridge covered in pictures and letters.

Steve was struggling out of his nice clothes, wiggling his way awkwardly into pajamas, slamming into the bathroom to poke at his eyes until he got his contacts out. When he returned, in a too-big t-shirt, soft little shots, and these big amazing glasses, Billy was very nearly in love.

“You want a drink?” Steve opened the fridge. Billy peered inside over his shoulder, seeing a six-pack of beer, a bottle of mustard, one-half stick of butter and an avocado.

“What in the hell? Aren’t you like a grown-up? What is this fridge?” Steve just turned around, looking at him blankly.

“You do know I’m like, barely twenty, right?” Billy blinked.

“You said that you didn’t go to college.”

“I meant I didn’t get in to college. I really fucking stupid.” He grabbed a beer, settling himself on the couch, tugging a blanket onto his lap. It looked hand made.

“You’re not stupid at all. I work with you, I know how smart you are.” Steve just shrugged. Billy joined him on the sofa, taking the beer out of his hand and taking a drink. “But you’re seriously that young?”

“Yeah, turned twenty like, a week and a half ago.” Billy choked on his beer.

“I didn’t even know it was your birthday? Why the hell didn’t you say something?” Steve shrugged.

“Didn’t want to make a big deal outta the whole thing. My dad forgot about it, so why cause a stink.”

“Your dad sucks. I’ve worked with him for the past six years, and I can’t fucking stand him, can’t really imagine him as a parent.”

“That’s cause he wasn’t. He and my mom would leave me alone in the house most of the time. She would travel and he had an apartment out here by the office. The house was in a small town about two hours south. He would come home every few months, tell me I was stupid, and an embarrassment to him, and be on his merry way.”

“I’m sorry, Stevie. My old man was really awful too. Second I graduated high school, I was outta there. Left him a letter telling him that he’s an awful person, that I’m a big ol’ homo, and that I never want to see him ever again. It was fucking amazing.” Steve had inched closer to him on the couch, his knees pressed into Billy’s thigh under his blanket.

“I wish I could do that. Just tell him every way he’s been a horrible father, that I don’t want to work at his stupid company.”

“Then quit.” Steve gave him a Look. “I’m serious. If you don’t like it, then what’s the point?”

“I need money. Fucking look at this place. My dad cut me off when I didn’t get into college, said my salary was the only money he would be giving me anymore. I’m fucking broke.” Steve sniffed.

Billy reached up, stroking his jaw with one hand.

“I’m so sorry he treats you the way he does. You’re so precious, deserve the fucking world.” It sounded like Steve’s fucking dream, the one with Billy looking at him softly, taking sweet care of him.

Steve leaned forward, catching Billy’s lips with his own, keeping it slow and gentle.

“Stay. Stay the night with me.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Baby. You’re drunk.”

“Don’t wanna have sex yet, just wanna sleep with you. You look like you’d be a good cuddler.” Billy laughed lightly into the kiss.

“I’m an excellent cuddler, Pretty Boy.”

Steve slept so fucking peacefully wrapped up in Billy’s strong arms, the heat of his body pressed against his back.

He woke up to the smell of coffee, the sizzle of eggs and bacon. Billy was standing over the stove, wearing stolen clothes and cooking him breakfast. Steve plastered himself to his back, pressing a kiss to Billy’s neck.

“Where’d you get all this?”

“I went to the grocery store. Because I’m a grown-up.” Steve bit his neck lightly in retaliation.

“I’m kind of a grown-up.”

“Yeah, but you just need to be taken care of a little bit more.” Steve went red as he loaded up his plate, eating quickly. “I could do that. Take care of you.”

Steve looked up at him, mouth full of scrambled eggs, open just a little bit.

“What do you mean?”

“I wanna take care of you, Stevie.” Billy used one foot to move Steve’s chair, scooted it until Steve was facing him, leaning down into his space. “You ever thought about findin’ yourself a daddy?”

Steve’s face began going hot. Of course he had fuckin’ thought about it, ran his fingers over his cock while choking out Daddy to images of faceless, Billy-esque men in his fantasies.

He nodded.

Billy grinned, wide and sharp.

“Get undressed. Get on the bed.” Steve stood on shaky legs, feeling like a newborn deer, just learning to walk. He stripped slowly, never once breaking eye contact with Billy. He sat on the bed, legs spread a little, arms by his sides. “Do you want this, Steve?” Billy was moving slowly towards him, had turned off the stove as he left it behind. “You can say no at any time. Can tell me to fuck off and I won’t mind, won’t judge. Do you want this?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Billy was standing in front of Steve, placed two fingers on his chest, pushing him back slowly.

“Pick a word. One you’ll only say if you want me to stop. Tell me your word.” Steve’s eyes darted around the apartment.

“Tangerine. Tangerine is my word, Daddy.” Billy leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Now let Daddy take care of you.” Steve was spread on the bed, his legs open to Billy. “Good boy.” Steve whimpered. Billy smiled at him. “You like that, Baby? Like being a good boy for Daddy?”

“Yes, Daddy. Wanna be good.” Billy smiled. He settled on his knees between Steve’s legs, leaning forward to lick up Steve’s cock. He flicked his tongue against the slit, making Steve’s breath hitch.

He cried out when Billy took him into his mouth. He sank down all the way to the root, Steve’s cock bumping against the back of his throat. He pulled off, leaning down to mouth at Steve’s balls, making his back arch.

Steve threaded one hand into Billy’s hair, just holding onto the soft curls, free of the usual product he used to tame them in the office.

Billy was looking at him through his long lashes, moved his attention back to his cock, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked, curling his tongue along the underside of his cock.

His mouth was hot, was velvet soft around Steve. He pressed until his nose was in the hair on Steve’s pelvis, he didn’t even choke as his cock slid into his throat.

“Daddy, Daddy I’m gonna cum.” Steve tugged softly on his hair, whining and writhing and he drew closer and closer.

His back arched as he choked, cumming in Billy’s mouth, gripping his hair roughly.

“Fuck, Daddy. Made me feel so good.” Billy pulled off his cock, pet up Steve’s shaking thighs as he smiled up at him.

[ezratm]

      * chicago’s very own ezra calhoun has been spotted on madison avenue , with a striking semblance to brandon larracuente ! you may know them as @calhoun or hitting the front page of tmz as calhoun curse ? the neighbourhood singer calls off third engagement in as many years . according to tmz , you just had your twenty - third birthday bash . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re imprudent , but being astute might help you . things that would paint a better picture of you would be a beat up telecaster slung over your shoulder , a clenched jaw as you try to play nice ( and fail miserably , ) a sharp tongue hiding the fear of ending up alone . ( cis man + he/him  ) +  ( teddy , 18+ , she/her , cst. )

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 : homelessness mention , drug mention .

𝟎𝟎𝟏.  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒  :

ezra  is  the  eldest  of  five  ,  half  of  his  siblings  having  a  separate  dad  and  the  other  half  being  unsure  of  who  their  dad  is  at  all  .  their  mom  has  never  stayed  with  a  guy  for  longer  than  a  few  months  ,  a  year  being  the  usual  cut  off  before  it’s  onto  the  next  or  revisiting  the  old  .  either  way  ,  this  level  of  dysfunctionality  makes  a  lasting  impression  on  ezra  .

the  revolving  door  of  guys  telling  him  “ call  me  dad ”  left  him  with  the  feeling  that  perhaps  he’d  never  be  able  to  rely  on  another  man  in  his  life  ,  stepping  up  to  be  the  man  of  the  house  much  before  he  ever  knew  what  that  role  entailed  .  he  finds  his  mother  passed  out  far  too  often  ,  laughter  shared  over  dinner  yet  the  billowy  white  wisps  leaving  her  mouth  from  a  small  glass  pipe  on  the  balcony  when  she  thinks  he’s  not  watching  .  he’s  the  one  helping  siblings  with  homework  ,  packing  shoddy  lunches  with  whatever  food  stamp  goodies  they  can  get  their  hands  on  ,  making  sure  everyone  gets  to  the  bus  on  time  while  his  mother  is  semi  -  conscious  in  their  bathroom  .

there’s  guy  one  that  lasts  ,  daryl  who  enters  when  ezra  is  13  .  he  sends  ezra’s  mother  into  a  spiral  ,  enabling  her  past  the  point  of  daily  function  and  rendering  her  a  full  -  blown  junkie  while  he  mooches  off  the  little  savings  she  managed  to  scrape  together  .  ezra  acts  out  to  all  hell  ,  a  plague  of  any  classroom  he  inhabits  ,  mouthing  off  as  if  to  blow  off  the  steam  from  a  home  life  that  forces  him  into  silence  .  he’s  a  tyrant  in  the  classroom  but  a  savior  at  home  ,  where  a  wisdom  beyond  his  years  leads  him  to  show  up  to  his  siblings’  parent  -  teacher  meetings  as  the  only  “  grown  up  “  in  their  lives  who  truly  gives  a  shit  .

he’s  17  when  a  row  so  horrifying  with  his  mother  ,  siding  with  a  man  practically  dragging  her  down  to  hell  ,  forces  ezra  onto  the  streets  for  some  sort  of  reprieve  .  he’s  heartbroken  to  leave  his  siblings  but  finds  some  comfort  in  the  next  eldest  girls  being  equal  parts  brilliant  and  responsible  .  as  a  final  fuck  you  to  the  man  who  ruined  his  only  source  of  stability  ,  he  steals  daryl’s  most  prized  belongings  :  among  them  ,  a  limited  edition  signed  nirvana  cd  ,  and  a  rosewood  martin  acoustic  guitar  ,  more  suited  for  display  than  use  considering  the  price  .  

he  hops  from  shelter  to  bench  to  shelter  throughout  most  of  california  and  doesn’t  talk  much  about  what  he  has  to  do  to  survive  .  with  all  the  time  in  the  world  to  lounge  about  ,  he  learns  how  to  play  guitar  from  other  street  buskers  in  exchange  for  protection  in  numbers  ,  and  before  he  knows  it  ,  he’s  able  to  afford  a  long  term  hotel  in  los  angeles  by  playing  on  a  busy  corner  .  he  sings  as  if  his  life  depends  on  it  ,  and  at  times  ,  it  does  ,  but  before  long  ,  he’s  being  recognized  in  the  bus  station  he  plays  in  .  he’s  18  when  someone  posts  a  video  of  him  singing  “  creep  ”  by  radiohead  on  a  corner  which  sends  him  viral  ,  a  talent  agent  quickly  taking  him  off  the  streets  and  shoving  him  into  a  recording  booth  .  they’re  based  in  chicago  ,  and  fly  him  out  ,  cementing  his  love  for  the  city  that  gave  him  his  break  .

he  brings  along  a  couple  of  lads  he  had  met  on  his  travels  ,  some  fellow  vagabonds  ,  some  simply  guys  he’d  met  throughout  his  time  in  la  ,  and  before  long  their  debut  ep  “ i’m  sorry ”  catapults  them  to  radios  and  a  local  tour  .  by  the  time  their  full  length  album  drops  ,  the  neighbourhood  is  one  of  the  world’s  biggest  international  touring  acts  ,  a  push  of  indie  meets  pop  with  grunge  and  hip  hop  influences  .  

ezra  calhoun  ,  a  true  rags  to  riches  story  ,  indulges  perhaps  a  bit  too  heavily  in  the  lifestyle  he  has  suddenly  been  thrust  into  ,  becoming  something  of  a  media  frenzy  for  his  unpredictable  nature  .  sternly  keeping  his  personal  life  out  of  social  media  but  writing  open  -  hearted  love  songs  to  each  conquest  he  lands  (  as  well  as  being  a  rather  high  -  profile  serial  philanderer  ,  )  he’s  a  curious  contradiction  ,  stumbling  about  onstage  with  eloquent  penned  lyrics  yet  stepping  offstage  and  being  caught  up  in  every  scandal  in  the  book  .  shattered  engagements  ,  cheating  scandals  ,  drug  busts  ,  sloppy  performances  ,  ezra’s  more  and  more  a  liability  with  a  short  fuse  ,  risking  almost  as  much  for  the  team  behind  him  as  what  he’s  worth  .

he  doesn’t  try  to  use  his  past  as  a  sob  story  to  fuel  him  moving  forward  ,  but  anyone  who  knows  what  he’s  seen  growing  up  can  see  how  it  takes  hold  of  him  in  adulthood  .  he’s  every  bit  a  mess  as  what  his  aesthetic  would  make  him  seem  ,  destructive  to  a  fault  and  with  a  mouth  on  him  that  gets  him  in  as  much  trouble  as  it  gets  him  out  of  .  though  he  is  as  responsible  of  a  brother  as  his  siblings  could  have  asked  for  ,  his  notoriety  now  is  credited  to  the  chaos  he  causes  seemingly  just  for  fun  .

truly  little  to  no  moral  compass  as  at  this  point  ,  he  tells  himself  that  he’s  been  through  enough  shit  that  he  deserves  whatever  indulgences  he  chooses  to  give  himself  .  he’s  a  hedonist  through  and  through  ,  a  philanderer  as  if  it  keeps  him  breathing  ,  and  a  naturally  addictive  personality  ,  ezra  is  all  points  of  a  powder  keg  ready  to  blow  .

𝟎𝟎𝟐.  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘   :

ezra  has  one  degree  of  separation  before  he’s  got  a  superiority  complex  ,  readily  staring  down  anyone  who  crosses  his  path  with  unflinching  eye  contact  and  a  flexed  jaw  .  everything  to  him  is  a  confrontation  and  one  he  makes  an  effort  to  come  out  unscathed  by  .  if  it’s  not  his  biting  wit  fighting  his  battles  for  him  ,  he’ll  engage  in  a  fist  fight  ,  though  he  hopes  to  make  that  his  last  case  scenario  .  he  goes  off  his  mind’s  whims  and  desires  and  does  so  with  little  prudence  for  the  sentiments  of  others  .  slack  jawed  and  eye  rolling  ,  ezra  is  a  bad  attitude  with  little  to  lose  ,  and  has  a  habit  of  butting  heads  with  those  who  stand  in  his  way  .  

people  point  out  the  interesting  dynamic  of  someone  so  aggressive  also  being  the  one  who  pens  albums  packed  with  love  ballads  .  between  sex  jams  and  bare  -  alls  detailing  the  sentiments  he  feels  over  connections  he  has  ,  ezra  may  seem  hidden  away  emotionally  but  is  really  more  prone  to  reveal  his  feelings  than  most  .  he’s  disconnected  and  aloof  at  first  when  simply  entertaining  himself  ,  but  truly  engages  with  only  a  few  who  can  get  him  to  tap  into  that  vein  of  passionate  energy  that  keeps  him  from  being  a  useless  waste  of  space  and  create  something  beautiful  .  if  he  can  sense  the  energy  taking  a  negative  turn  ,  he’s  every  bit  the  kind  of  smart  ass  to  get  the  last  word  in  and  end  up  in  a  street  fight  over  it  (  something  he’s  no  stranger  to  given  the  brand  of  guitar  he  so  proudly  carried  with  him  during  his  time  on  the  streets  .  )

he  seeks  out  whatever  makes  him  feel  good  and  seems  to  still  be  hiding  whatever  hole  was  left  by  his  mother’s  abandonment  ,  of  whom  he  hasn’t  talked  to  since  he  left  home  .  he’s  in  constant  contact  with  his  siblings  ,  but  this  isn’t  enough  to  quell  the  resentment  within  him  from  the  loss  of  his  one  sense  of  stability  .  this  explains  his  long  string  of  failed  relationships  and  a  tendency  to  act  on  impulse  ,  setting  fire  to  whatever  good  thing  may  come  to  him  (  although  with  his  tastes  ,  he  doesn’t  often  chase  the  good  things  .  )

𝟎𝟎𝟑  .  𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒  :

link can be found in the source 🤍

[lithalwrites]

There Was Only One Bed

“How was your trip?” Yaku asked Kuroo, stirring his drink.

“Aren’t you curious?” Kuroo asked with a smirk. “You never cared about how my trips were back in high school.”

“Yeah, because you never went on any, you shithead. And I’m bored, so there’s that.”

Kuroo clutched his chest, pretending to be offended. “We meet up to hang out after a whole year and you treat me like this, Yakkun? You break my heart.”

“The hearts of people like you don’t break this easy.”

“C’mon, Kuroo-san, tell us about your trip!” Lev said, bouncing excitedly in his seat. He was still as excitable as ever, even in his third year.

“Why are you here again?” Yaku asked Lev, arching his eyebrow.

Lev pouted, and Kuroo watched in amusement as Yaku instinctively patted his head as if he was a puppy. “I wanted to see both my dear senpai.”

“How sweet,” Kuroo said. “Are you sure you wanted to see both of us?”

Lev nodded a little more forcefully than needed. “Now tell us about your trip!”

Kuroo sighed and put on a show of giving in. “Fine. Since you want to know so badly, I guess I’ll tell you.”

“You know, maybe we’ll ask Kenma instead.”

Kuroo laughed. “We all know how that’s going to go. I’m your best bet if you ever want to know what happened.”

“Fine. Continue,” Yaku said.

“So last summer, I found this amazing deal for really cheap airline tickets to Canada, and I decided it would be an excellent opportunity for me to go practice my English. And Canada seems like a nice enough place to visit, plus I figured I deserved a break, so it was really a no-brainer. And because I’m always nice and think about my friends, I asked Kenma if he wanted to go with me.

“He said yes, on the condition that I’d do all the planning, because he trusts me, and also because he was way too busy with the freelance project he was working on to actually be able to help me. Obviously, the major reason was the fact that he trusts me and not how busy he was. (“Obviously,” Yaku rolled his eyes.)

“Anyway, I planned our trip out in a lot of detail, because the cheapest round-trip tickets were for a month, and I was going to make the most of that month away from school and work and everything. My mom was a little skeptical when I told her about this plan, but she eventually came around to it. She knows she can trust me to be responsible (“More like she can trust Kenma to keep your ass in line,” Yaku muttered.).

“So when the time came for us to go, we had one large carrier between us, plus our carry-ons, mine mostly containing things we’d need, and Kenma’s containing his laptop and gaming consoles. I told him he wouldn’t get a whole lot of time to game while we were there, but he ignored me and packed them anyway. I suppose it was a good thing he did that, but I’m getting ahead of myself in the story. All will be revealed in good time.

“The flight was very long, mostly because we had two layovers, and one of our flights was very delayed because of the weather. By the time we landed in Toronto, we were both very tired of being inside planes and airports, and just wanted to sleep.

“When we got our passports stamped at the airport, the border agent asked us what we were visiting for, and she looked very surprised when we said we were there for a vacation. She said it was an interesting time for us to visit Canada, and wished us luck. I think she also mentioned something about warm jackets, but I didn’t really catch most of it. She was speaking pretty fast. Anyway, after that, it was time for us to get our baggage and head to the hotel. Baggage claim was uneventful, and we got our bag pretty quickly.

“I suggested we take public transport to our hotel, but Kenma glared at me and so we got a taxi instead. The taxi driver was a very nice and very talkative man, but he spoke way too fast for me to understand what he was saying. He didn’t seem to mind that I barely said anything for the whole ride. (“The thought of you staying silent for any considerable length of time sounds like a dream,” Yaku snarked.)

“We got to our hotel without a problem, and it turned out to be fairly decent. It was clean, which was pretty much all we hoped for, really, for the price. We stayed there for the two weeks we were in Toronto for, and then I went and picked up the car I had rented. Kenma was a little wary because they drive on the right side of the road, but I was confident I could do it. It would save us all the hassle of public transport, and we could easily bring our luggage with us, so really, it was a pretty solid idea. It’s not like I get the chance to drive a lot here, so I didn’t think the adjustment would be that big of a challenge.”

At that moment, Kenma walked up to their table, and slid in next to Kuroo. “Hi, Yaku-san, Lev,” he said. “Was he telling you about our trip?”

“Yes, and it’s been pretty standard so far. A logical progression of events,” Yaku said. “Kind of boring, not going to lie.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it gets more exciting after Toronto,” Kenma said, shaking his head slightly. “Did you order for me?”

“Of course,” Kuroo answered. “I told the server to wait though, but it’ll be here soon now that you’re here. Okay to continue the story?”

“Yeah, can we skip to the good parts?” Yaku asked.

“Yaku-san, you have to be patient,” Lev said, surprising everyone there. “What? I can be serious,” he said defensively, when everyone stared at him, Yaku turning half in his seat in his shock.

Kuroo laughed. “Clearly. How you’ve grown. I’m proud of you, kid.”

“You sound like an old man,” Kenma said.

Kuroo chuckled, and put on his story voice again. “Where was I? Ah yes, the car rental. I successfully managed to pick up the car, but I hadn’t realized how terrible traffic in Toronto would be. Well, let me tell you, it was pretty bad. It’s a good thing I’m patient, or it wouldn’t have worked out very well. Once we were out of Toronto, it was fine though, and we were soon off to Niagara, because I had heard the falls look great when they’re frozen over.

“I didn’t know if they’d be frozen though, because there didn’t seem to be a lot of snow around. Nor was it extremely cold, and I wondered if all the stuff about how cold Canada is was just an exaggeration. The drive to Niagara started off fine, and I decided to stay off the highway because I wasn’t really used to driving at all, and didn’t want to start off with driving really fast. Kenma agreed with that decision, but maybe it was so he’d be able to play Pokemon Go more conveniently.

“Funnily enough, the only real prep he’d done for this trip was to purchase a roaming data plan that worked in his favour. (“What a Kenma thing to do,” Yaku said with a smile. “I like to have internet access at all times,” Kenma said.) Anyhow, the trip takes around three hours if you don’t take the highway, and when we started it looked a little cloudy, but we didn’t pay it any mind.

“Turns out, we really should have. About an hour or so into the drive, it started snowing real hard, real fast. Which probably explained why there was so little traffic on the roads. The visibility was so poor that I had to pull over at the side of the road before we got into an accident.”

“That sounds really scary,” Lev said, looking a little concerned. “How long were you in the car for?”

Kuroo looked at Kenma, who shrugged. “I think it was about two hours. We ended up getting back on the road while it was still snowing, just not as much.”

“We had to crawl along at a snail’s pace, because the road was covered with snow, and I wasn’t sure if the tires on the car were suitable for snow. I hadn’t really thought to ask at the rental office, which was an oversight on my part but it was too late to lament that. Since we weren’t very close to our destination, I asked Kenma to look up any motels nearby, and I’ve never been more thankful for his insistence on having a working internet connection.”

“There was a motel fairly close by, thankfully,” Kenma piped in, before taking a bite of his apple pie.

“So we decided to call ahead to confirm that they had a vacancy. Kenma dialed, and then put it on speaker so I could talk to them. They informed us that they had had a sudden influx of people coming in and that most of their rooms were taken, but that they’d probably still have one or two left by the time we made it. They couldn’t promise to hold the room for us, which is reasonable. They couldn’t just turn other people seeking shelter from the storm away. Since we were only a few minutes away, we decided to stop by and hope that they still had a room left for us.

“So that’s what we did. We pulled into the motel parking lot, which was pretty full, and thankfully the sign still said ‘vacancy,’ so we went in to the office to try our luck. There were a couple of people ahead of us still, and when we got to the front, we were told that there was just one room left. We didn’t really have a choice but to take it, so we did. I casually asked the owner how long the snow storm was supposed to last, and he looked at me a little strangely and told us that there was a lot more snow coming. The region was under a blizzard warning, and people were being told to stay indoors. He also told us that they offered breakfast in the mornings, but couldn’t really offer us lunch or dinner, and that there were a couple vending machines that we could use.”

“I told you we should’ve gotten more snacks,” Kenma said disapprovingly.

“Yes, you did, and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. We did have some snacks, though,” Kuroo said.

“Yes, but not nearly enough. And most of them were healthy,” Kenma said with disdain.

“Kenma, I’m not going to apologize for healthy snacks. It’s a good thing they were healthy, particularly since we didn’t have much else to eat,” Kuroo said. Kenma huffed, but didn’t answer. Yaku watched the exchange with interest, and Lev just seemed excited to get back to the story.

“The room wasn’t very large, but it was a room and it was clean, and there was a bed to sleep in, so we were happy. We were still pretty tired, what with jet lag and all, so we decided to turn in early and then take stock of the weather the next day.

“Well, the next day didn’t look any better, and everything was white when we looked out the window, so we had to accept that we could be stuck at the motel for a while. Hopefully not for too long, since we had less than two weeks left of the vacation.”

“This isn’t very exciting, still,” Yaku commented.

“Patience, Yakkun,” Kuroo clucked his tongue. “Learn from Lev.” He ignored the glare Yaku leveled at him.

“We were inside for three days straight, subsiding on snacks and the breakfast the motel provided. I spent most of that time reading, or watching Kenma play games. I even played a little, but I was really bad at it, and Kenma didn’t want me to take over the console for too long. On day four, we had a fight.”

Kuroo paused for dramatic effect, and Lev filled the silence with a shocked gasp. Even Yaku looked surprised. Kenma rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t call it a fight.”

“It was as close to a fight as we’ve ever gotten,” Kuroo amended, but Yaku and Lev remained shocked. “I woke up to find Kenma already awake, sitting on the chair, playing a game. I asked him if he’d slept okay, and he gave me an annoyed look before he said he’d slept just fine, but he’d have slept much better if someone hadn’t left crumbs in the bed. I refused to believe that I was the culprit behind the offending crumbs, but Kenma held firm, and I got a little annoyed.

“I was also very tired of the breakfast they served us every morning. I know it was stupid to complain because they were doing their best, but I was still tired of it. Plus I was getting antsy from being cooped up in the room. So I decided that it would be a great idea to go out and find us something to eat, since it wasn’t snowing outside.

“Kenma didn’t look happy when I told him I was going out to the nearest grocery store, which wasn’t all that close, but he didn’t say anything other than to drive safe. I think he also wanted to be free of me for a little while.

“I made it to the store, and took my time picking out things we could eat with only a microwave and a kettle at our disposal. I can’t have taken that long, but by the time I was done, it had started to snow really hard again. So I had to stay in the store and hope it would subside soon.

“It let off a little about thirty minutes later, and I decided to try to get back before it started snowing again. I didn’t get very far before I found myself caught in a blizzard, the visibility practically zero. At this point, I was pretty freaked out, and my phone had turned off because it was too cold, so I was relying on my vague recollection of the directions to the motel.

“Well, the snow stopped about ten or so minutes later, and I found myself kind of in the middle of nowhere. There were trees on both sides of the road, and I have no idea how I got there. I didn’t remember taking any turns, but I must have at some point, because I didn’t remember coming this way. I tried to turn my phone on, but it stubbornly refused, and I didn’t even have a charger on me to plug it into the car.

“I contemplated turning back, but then I saw a house tucked away in a small clearing, and someone was out shoveling the driveway, so I figured I’d go ask them for directions. I stopped the car, got out, and called out to the person. It was a man of indeterminate age. He could’ve been my age, or five years older or younger. I couldn’t tell.

“He seemed nice enough, though, and when I asked him if he could direct me towards the motel, he said he was actually heading out that way, so I could just follow his car. That seemed like a great enough idea, so I thanked him and waited until he pulled his car out on the road. It was a very old car, but looked like it was in great shape for how old it must’ve been. He drove fairly slow, so I could easily keep behind him.

“By this time, it was starting to get dark because winter, and I hoped we’d be back soon. I hadn’t been able to text Kenma about what had happened, and I didn’t want him to worry.”

“How did you feel about that, Kenma?” Yaku asked Kenma, eyebrow raised.

“I was very worried,” Kenma said. “It was out of character for him to be that late and not send a text. He didn’t answer my calls so I figured his phone must’ve died, but still.”

“Sorry about that,” Kuroo said. “I should’ve taken my charger with me. Anyhow, this car led me straight to the motel like I had been promised. He pulled into the parking lot ahead of me, and I followed a few seconds later. But when I pulled into the lot, I couldn’t see his car anymore. It was like it had vanished into thin air. I honestly felt a chill down my spine at that moment, and I’m pretty sure I was saved by a ghost that day.”

“Really? You told us this whole long-winded tale and turned it into a ghost story?” Yaku asked, eyes narrowed in disgust. “He probably just left via the other exit.”

“There was no other exit, though. That parking lot only had one entrance and exit. There’s no way he could’ve left without me seeing him. It was bizarre. I can’t make you believe me, but I’m convinced he was a ghost. A nice one, luckily for me, but a ghost nonetheless.”

“That’s so cool!” Lev said, excitedly flailing his arms. “I want to meet a friendly ghost. Yaku-san, let’s go to a haunted hotel and stay there.”

“Not a chance,” Yaku said. “And don’t tell me you believe the ghost story.”

“I do. My grandma tells me stories about ghosts she’s seen in Russia all the time. They’re real,” Lev said sagely. Yaku didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to Kenma.

“Do you believe the story?” he asked.

“Yes,” Kenma said. “I saw the car pull in and fade away, so.”

Yaku stared at Kenma, as if trying to gauge if his leg was being pulled, but couldn’t make up his mind. He let it drop.

“That’s probably why Kenma didn’t yell at me, if I’m being honest. He told me he’d swept the crumbs off the bed, and that I was an idiot to have gone out when the weather was like that, and a bigger idiot for not even taking my charger. The end.”

Lev clapped. Yaku didn’t.

“So,” Yaku said slowly. “I can’t be sure, but from your story it sounds like there was only one bed in your motel room.”

“That’s because there was,” Kuroo answered easily.

“Oh,” Yaku said, and stared at them.

“Wait, why is that imp—ohhh,” Lev said, as it clicked. He laughed. “This sounds like a romance novel where the main characters are forced to share a bed in a hotel. Did that incident bring you closer together and spark a romance between you?”

“Lev!” Yaku said, looking both curious and scandalized at Lev’s audacity.

Kuroo laughed, and Kenma smiled. “It didn’t need to spark something that already existed,” Kenma said, amused at the shocked looks on Yaku and Lev’s faces.

“Wait, since when?” Yaku asked.

“End of high school,” Kuroo answered.

“There was only one bed that time too,” Kenma added.  

[mxtantrights]

✹ 　 PART THREE (DAMSEL)

HAWKINS, INDIANA

OCTOBER 31, 1983

It's not just regular Thursday afternoon. No, this is no mere mortal Thursday. It's Halloween! One of the few times of the year where I feel a twinge of happiness. I mean, Christmas is cool and all but when will you ever hear a scream and think good things?

On halloween you will.

However-

This is halloween in Hawkins. It's never been done before and I have to set the bar. Well at least for myself. I wanna dress up for tonight and scare some kids. As I am growing older I have grown to realize that scaring the shit out of little kids can be funny on the one day that it's mandated.

"Jessie!" The teacher calls out.

I'm a bit startled but I remain still, and just glance her way. "Sorry."

"Jessie would you mind telling the class what has your attention besides the trail of tears?"

Yes. I really would mind. I really really would mind. I am so not into being called out. What kind of shit is that? So I'm dozing off in class, it's U.S. history, it's not being told correctly anyways. But I won't get mad. I don't like confrontation with- adults.

I'll just have to answer her.

"Uh.." I trail off and blow raspberries with my lips until I can think of something on the spot. "Halloween."

There are fits of chuckles in the back of the classroom. But that doesn't mean it was funny to my teacher, Ms.Sean. She dares to flash a fake smile at me and circle her desk for something. I see her reach for something- a paper, most likely. She picks up one and then walks it over to me, placing it on my desk.

"I don't think Halloween was on our latest quiz."

Uh-oh.

I look down to see the bright red F. Great. Just great. Well I can't bring this home. If my dad or my mom finds out about this they will tear my ass in two. I will not hear the end of it from them. They'll probably punish me.

I say nothing and just place the quiz under my folder.

Ms.Sean takes this as her cue to walk away.

"Maybe if she took more time studying than doing her hair she'd keep up." A scrawny voice from the back said.

The classroom erupted in 'ohs' and whispers. I turned around in my seat to look through the back to find out who said it. And sure enough, a girl with a turtle neck and the farrah fawcet hair to match is holding a particularly evil smirk.

And here we fucking go.

I wasn't gonna be mad. I really was just going to swallow any snarky comments, any comments at all. I was going to sit here like an amazing behaved teenager and take my punishment or public school call out.

But now, oh boy.

If I don't nip this in the butt now, it'll roll. Roll right into a snowball that follows me until I'm graduating senior year. Or at one of these dances, or the next class. I'm not gonna let this spiral. Dayton taught me better than that.

"I really like your costume Trina, but you might give someone a heart attack."

The class really loses it after that. Ms.Sean has to calm them down as I turn back in my seat. I don't need to see her dumb-struck face. That comment didn't rub me the right way, I've got to keep my eye on that one.

As the class chills out, I can see that Ms.Sean is trying to hide a smile on her lips. She clears her throat in another effort to hide it and it works.

"No more disruptions. Back to the lesson...."

-

I set my lunch bag down in front of Jonathan as he mumbles a quiet 'Hi'

"Hey, whats up?" I ask him

But he just shakes his head and shrugs. He bites into his sandwich.

It must be one of his moods.

For the two months and change that I've known him, Jonathan Byers has these days where he just shuts down. I don't know if anything is causing it or if it's just because he's like that. And I don't even know him well enough to pry into his business.

I just know enough to leave him alone.

"So I know you do this thing where you like to keep quiet or minimal, do you mind if I just talk a little bit?" It's very- blunt to say the least to ask him this, but he's like my only friend here. Besides Nancy but I don't talk with her much.

I watch him carefully as he nods his head.

"Okay so I was in history today and this girl made a snarky comment about my hair and my grades. And I wouldn't say anything back home, because you know back home I knew everyone and we were all on good terms. But I had to say something back." I rant a bit. Then I realize that he's actually becoming interested in what I'm talking about, so I hold off a bit.

"Well what did you say?" His mouth is still a bit full with food.

I smile and shrug, since I have brothers I'm used to the piggish behavior. "I told her that her costume might give someone a heart attack."

He goes back to nodding. Oh did he not get-

"She wasn't wearing a costume Jonathan."

He looks at me with wide eyes. And then he begins to laugh. And then I join in. Then we're both laughing. And it hits me that I don't see him laugh like this in this school. He doesn't do much here besides go to class, sulk, avert his gaze from others.

I've seen him laugh the few times I go to pick up my brother from one of the boy's houses.

I push off the thought when he holds his hand up to his chest to stop laughing.

"Ah man, what'd she say to that?"

"Nothing, Ms.Sean decided to resume class. Thankfully."

He nods, but this time he seems a little brighter. I guess thats what friends are for.

My hand digs into my lunch bag and takes out the sandwich I made myself this morning. There was no way I was letting either roof my parents make me something. They'd call a slice of cheese between two slices of bread a meal.

Dayton was the one who looked out for me in cases like this. We went to he same high school together. Sometimes he'd just pop up at my lunch table and swing his lunch over. Or he'd pack another sandwich for me.

I miss my brother.

Not surprising, but it's something.

I take another look at my friend to see if he's dozed off again, but he's not. He's looking dead ahead at something behind me. And the face he has on his face means that it can't be good. Slowly I turn in my seat to steal a glance.

It's the girl I replied to in class.

I watch her take a seat with her friends. And they are joined by Nancy. Nancy Wheeler.

I must've been staring too long because she- Nancy- looks over at me. I don't 'know what to do, to smile or to wave or to do nothing, to just turn back around. I do none and keep watching. In a few seconds the girl- my new nemesis? maybe- looks in my direction too.

And she does something alright.

She gives me the finger.

-

The doorbell rings and I run to get it.

I'm on door duty this year. Mickey is at Will's house. Him and the rest of the boys are playing D&D like usual. It feels like that's all he does nowadays. Not to take it away from him though, I'm glad he's got friends.

But with him gone so much, my parents are surely gonna be on me a bit more. Not with my grades though. I made sure to rip that up as soon as school ended and throw it away in a trashcan that wasn't mine. Kind of paranoid about it, yeah I know.

Anyways, tonights dinner was an indication of my parent's peek interest.

They asked me how I was doing, if I was making new friends, how my grades were doing. Then my mom asked about how the job was going. It wasn't really going though. Yes I went and got an application but I didn't submit it.

It's been sitting in my drawer for a few nights now.

If I take that job then I'm really not gonna have time for my music. There is no way I can get away with blasting the radio in my room and try gin to strum along to the songs after nine pm. I barely get away with it now.

And if I don't make time for my music, then I'm really just a nothing. I'm not doing too good in school because I want to make something out of myself with music. And If I don't practice that then I just won't be doing too good all around.

You know what's also not too good? Whoever's kid is at my door.

I look at the young boy who seems on the verge of crying. "Are you okay little man?"

He looks to me with those wide cartoon eyes. And it ties in with his costume, the kid from E.T. The kid's got the basket in his hands and I really do want to take a peek inside and made sure E.T. isn't actually in there.

"My alien needs candy to survive." He quips.

Laughing I grab the bucket from the table beside me and give him like five different kinds of chocolates. He deserved it.

The boy smiles, thanks me and begins running away.

I thought I was gonna scare kids this year. But my parents told me they don't want to be 'the bad house' on the block. I guess even adults deal with peer pressure and social hierarchies. What was I gonna do, disobey them?

To their face? No.

I'm already doing that with my grades.

I shut the door and head back to the dinning room. My parents are watching some old people movie on tv which leaves me all by my lonesome. Which I would like if it weren't Halloween. I thought my night would be more entertaining than this.

The phone from the kitchen starts ringing. And I'm running again.

I pick it up after the second ring. "Hello?"

"Jess? it's me."

"Dayton? isn't it like early there in Stanford?"

"Yeah-just, don't alert mom and dad alright. I didn't even mean to call-"

"Okay I won't, but why are you calling?" As soon as I ask him it's like the line foes dead. I sure thought it did because I begin beating on the receiver. "Hello?!"

"Keep your voice down alright!"

"The reason for your call brother o'mine?"

More silence from him, but I can hear him moving around. "I'm- no just forget it. I didn't mean to call."

"Well you did anyways, so that must mean something..." I trail off thinking he might just say what's on his mind but he doesn't. Which is weird since he's always talking, that's why he's going to law school. "I miss you."

He sighs on the other end.

"I miss you too dude."

"Okay, so then let's leave it at that. You miss me, that's why you called."

I can hear him a bit of movement and a short laugh. "Thanks."

"Goodnight, or early night or whatever."

"Goodnight Jessie."

[aria-laughs]

Real talk..(needed to vent, feel free to not read this if you don't like long rants)

When i was 11 years old i had already been through my fair share of crap. Coming from a "broken" home with little money, a depressed mother and an absent father. At that time i remember being bullied as a biproduct of my sister stoping one of her classmates (a 13 year old girl) from traveling half accross the contry to meet her 19 year old boyfriend who she'd met online for the first time.. under the pretence that she was traveling to visit my dad with my big sister. This all ended with the police stoping the train and picking the girl up before she reached her destination and everyone didn't have to suffer through the ordeal with a minor being raped or worse by a yound adult in a strange city..anyway. when the summer ended and we (me and my two siblings) gor back home, all these rumors spread about us and school became tricky. I got used to it tho, i had my friends and i quickly learned to keep close to teachers whenever i was alone. At the home front my mom became sick and the kids got a lot of grown up responsibilities. It was okay too.. kids get used to a lot, and today im a wizz in the kitchen and i clean with the best of them.

My mother had a temper, and would hit us when we did something wrong. I remember trying to cover for my siblings as much as possible, trying to shield them from the worst of it. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my mother. She's been through hell and her sroty is worse than anything i've ever heard of. I understand what happened when i grew up and i love her because she allways did her best.. but i haven't forgiven her for making my home unsafe. At 11 years old one of my teachets notised that i had a hard time with my schoolwork. They couldn't get me to focus on my work and i was distracted by anything. I remember the letters mixing up as i read, and it became impossible to do my homework because no one could see the letters moving like i could. The teached contacted my mom and my stepfather and told them he'd talk to a specialist about me maybe having ADHD. The next week my mom dropped me off at the specialist and i got tested in every subject known to man. As usuall i exelled at language, history and music. But everything else was a bit off, i remember hearing him telling my mom that it couldn't be HDHD because my memory was too good. But refered her to a doctor for more tests. The ordeal took another week before my mother came to pick me up at lunch one day and told me we had to go to the hospital.

I had a thyroid condition that firsly was almost non-exsistent, and secoundly was unheard of in someone my age. They took blood, and sent me to get an MR and CT. When all the tests came back, we got the good news that i wouldn't die if they treated it quickly. But since i was still waiting for normal bodyparts to arrive, and hadn't gone through puberty yet.. he had no idea where to start. I don't remember the name of the medication, but i remember taking 15 a day. 5 in the morning, 5 when i got home from school and 5 before bed. I took them and 39 minutes later i was sprinting to the bathroom puking my guts out. This obviously didn't work in the long run and by the end of it i was so skinny you could see my teeth through my cheeks. They changed my meds and i stopped with the hurling. Instead i gained about 30 kg in the first 6 months and looked like a beach ball on legs. And as a kid being bullied, this wasn't that fun. Let me remind you that this had been going on for a while and tho my mom did what she could.. the was depressed and didn't see how bad it got for me and all the responsibilities i had at home made me dissapear in the day-to-day of it all. Alone and scared as the bullying became physical I panicked and stoped taking my meds, and all my symptoms came back. I would sleep for 14 hours and wake up exhausted. I'd go full days without getting hungry and i'd get moodswings and get real clumsy. My family got used to this and the symptoms stoped being symptoms and started being "just me".

So now i'd wake up and have to care for my siblings, go to school without lunch for myself because i had to make it for my siblings, or forgetting to shower because i had to remind my brother to do it. I get off the buss and get my ass kicked on my way to the classroom. Some days i'd get through it and come home to start dinner for my family, and other times the bullying sent me to the ER to get stitched up (i didn't have to make dinner on those days). This happened often enough that the doctor knew me by my first name, and instead of "how did you hurt yourself?) I'd get "Again!? When the nurses came to get me. One day i slept for 16 hours and my mother confronted me about my weightloss and asked if i'd been taking my meds. I came clean and a few hours at the doctors office and one frustrating car ride later. I'd promissed to take my pills again, but by that point i had ruined my body enough to never get better. So at 15 years old the doctors decided that they'd treat my thyroid with radioactive iodine. This worked great and killed the thyroid gland, making me dependend on meds for the rest of my life.

For anyone who don't know, the thyroid gland is responsible for your bodys metabolism. This means everything... your metabolism is a part of every funktion of every organ in your entire body, tho we usually think about how fast you burn fat because this is what we see on the outside.

We did our best, and we got through it. I had a safe place with my best friend and his family. And i'd escape there as often as i could. His mother would remind me to take my meds, she'd let me shower at their place and when she realised that i never ate at school she started packing lunch for me to send with her son every day.

I don't think i'd survive and be the person i am today without them. I remember the day i finally told them what was going on at home when i grew up, at this point i had grown up and moved away from home. I had started opening up to people i trusted and understood the power of talking about my problems. i never ment it as a "why didn't you see".. im thankful for my life, even the bad pars, but i needed them to know how much they saved me. To understand how much i love them all. I'll keep their reactions to myself, but i'll tell you that i have never felt more treasured in my life.

I was 22 years old the first time someone told me that I never deserved the abuse at home. I was 25 years old when i told my mother i forgave her for the physical stuff, but that i couldn't forgive her for stealing my feeling of home and safety. And i was today years old when i wrote it down for anyone to see.

I've been taking my meds for about 17 years now, but I have yet to actually get a normal metabolism. My last stunt was that i suddenly didn't need that much medicine so my metabolism speed up to lifethreatening speed and i had to endure panic attacks, dizziness, lack of consentration and shaking so bad that i almost quit school and almost sent me into a brainfailure (yes thats a thing) over the summer. My doctors paniced and reduced my meds so much that i didn't get nearly enough. This ended with me loosing weight, not eating, shaking, being sick and passing out all over the place, and almost sent me into a life threatening coma as my body overcompensated for the loss of thyroid hormones. My dad said something i've never heard my family say before. We were eating dinner last weekend and i was having a bad day when he told me "its painful to watch you struggle like this". And i almost cried, this was the first time in forever that a parent told me that they see me. And now i'm finally starting to get back to where im used to.

I have skipped a lot of stuff that happened. Some things i don't think i'll ever talk about, and some things that are too personal or too painful or too stupid to write down. But i needed to work through the new stuff, to reflecr back and to realise how close i came to loosing my life again this year. How lucky i am that i not only held on for dear life, but that with all the crap i felt. All the sickness and panic and everything. I managed to finish this semester at school. I managed to survive again, and im 6 months away from reaching my goal of allways being able to help when im needed. I am so proud of myself for getting to where i am today. And im so thankful!!

[zen3to5]

J/H 5-06: Over the Hills and Far Away

This was an interesting case, the one page-one rewrite of Season 5. I really like this episode as it is, and I think it's one of the best of the fifth season - overall, and for J/H. But because of the rewrites done to "Eric's Naughty No-No," Hyde's dilemma about fidelity here would be redundant. So, I've come up with something else for him and Jackie in this timeline...

(Following production order, we assume that episode 5-05, "Ramble On," played out as we know it, without changes.)

FF.Net AO3

***

SHOW TITLE   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN - NIGHT   Suppertime. RED, HYDE, and ERIC are at the kitchen table, with dinner laid out before them. KITTY, with a last tray of food, scurries over and takes her seat.   KITTY: Okay. So, is everyone ready for our big trip to the University of Wisconsin?   ERIC: Yeah, Donna and I have it all mapped out. She is going to buy a tight sweater with a big red “W” on it, and I am going to watch her wear it.   Red looks up from his meal, glares at Eric.   ERIC (cont’d): (to Red) And then we’re gonna buckle down.   KITTY: Steven, honey, are you sure you don’t want to come with us?   HYDE: No thanks, Mrs. Forman. I’m not the college type. I get my learnin’ on the street.   RED: (to Hyde) That reminds me – all the beer’s coming out of the house. All the wine, too. Anything with alcohol, I’m moving out of here tonight. So if you somehow cut yourself while we’re gone, pack it with ice and hope to God you reach the hospital in time.   HYDE: You’re thinking of what happened last New Years’ Eve, aren’t you?   RED: See there – you’ve got the smarts for college.   KITTY: (to Eric) Well, I just can’t believe my baby is all grown up and visiting college. (beat) I am so freaking old!   ERIC: And menopause makes another unwelcome appearance at the dinner table.   Kitty starts fanning herself.   The patio door opens, and DONNA enters the kitchen. Eric stands to meet her.   ERIC (cont’d): Hey, there’s my favorite co-ed. Hey, you all packed for visitors’ weekend?   DONNA: I can’t go. My dad is making me visit Marquette instead. He thinks it’s a better school ‘cause it’s private. Oh, and ‘cause it sounds French.   ERIC: Well, you know what? We’ll just go with you. I mean, if it’s a better school, then I belong there too. Right, Dad?   RED: No. State schools are cheap. That’s where you belong.   ERIC: Well, what if, like, you took out a second mortgage on the house?   Red and Hyde both laugh.   RED: Not for you, dumbass.

MAIN CREDITS   BUMPER   INT. DONNA’S BEDROOM - NIGHT   Shortly after dinner. As Eric watches, Donna packs for visitors’ weekend.   DONNA: I have a bad feeling about this weekend, Eric. Nothing good can come from us visiting different schools.   ERIC: Well, yeah, but there’s an upside. Two days apart... I mean, when we get together, it’s gonna be electric, baby. Like a thunderstorm.   DONNA: Eric, I’m serious. I mean, what if we actually end up going to different colleges and we’re apart for four years?   ERIC: Well, then, come semester break, you’d better board up your windows, ‘cause guess what? Here comes Hurricane Eric.   DONNA: Board up my windows? What are my windows? And, whatever they are, wouldn’t you want them open?   ERIC: Mmm.   Donna tries to keep packing, but Eric moves in closer.   ERIC (cont’d): Look, Donna, all I’m saying is that I think we can get through anything. I mean, we go to different schools now and we’re fine, because our love is strong. Like a big, burly bear. So zip up your tent, ‘cause guess what? This bear has claws.   DONNA: Again, wouldn’t you want my tent open?   ERIC: Mmm.   BUMPER   EXT. FORMAN KITCHEN - DAY   The next morning, pre-trip. Red and Hyde stand by the sink, sipping sodas. Eric comes in from the living room, dressed for the road with a backpack slung over his shoulders.   RED: Hold it, Son. Now, before we hit the road, we need to have a talk about that horrible thing that’s taken over your mother.   ERIC: You mean her change of life?   HYDE: I thought we were calling it the lady parts problem.   RED: It goes by many names. Now we’re dealing with a tricky enemy here. I haven’t been this frosty since Korea. And, just like a commie, it can jump out and attack you at any moment.   KITTY (v.o.): Red, honey?   HYDE: Incoming!   ERIC: Retreat!   Hyde rushes down to the basement while Eric breaks for the patio door. They clear out just as Kitty enters from the living room.   KITTY: Red, um, you know, I’ve been a tad bit moody lately. So, um, if you don’t want me to go on this trip, I’ll understand.   RED: Well, you know, honey, there’s really no need for you to go.   DONNA: I knew you didn’t want me to go! Well, I am going whether you like it or not! (Stars fanning herself) Why is it so damn hot in here? It’s like... it’s like we’re living in Hell!   She storms back out into the living room.   RED: You can say that again.   He sighs and nurses his soda.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - DAY   A truncated gang all share the couch – Hyde, JACKIE, and FEZ. WACKY RACES plays on the TV. Jackie’s eyes, however, are on Hyde, and she sits in as coy a pose as she can.   JACKIE: So, Steven, you have the whole house to yourself this weekend.   HYDE: Yeah, but the Formans are all on edge dealing with all the menopause crap, so I’m playing it safe. We’ll have to take the party on the road. (to Fez) All set, buddy?   FEZ: Ten-four, amigo. I got the jumbo size this time.   JACKIE: (to Hyde) What is he talking about?   HYDE: Saturday night, man. We cruise around, stop by the high school, and throw eggs at the football practice.   FEZ: And then I spend most of Monday running from the football team. Their catch rate is down – I’m really building up my speed.   JACKIE: What? Steven, don’t you remember last week? You finally called me your girlfriend.   Hyde shrugs; he doesn’t get it.   JACKIE (cont’d): We’re officially a couple now.   HYDE: All right. So?   JACKIE: So, don’t you think we should spend Saturday night together?   HYDE: Hey, you can come if you want. They’ve caught us on the field a few times. We could use your high kicks.   JACKIE: I don’t want to spend our first official Saturday as a couple fighting the football team with Fez.   FEZ: Oh, Jackie, you know there is a good chance I’d be with you wherever you two went for your Saturday night.   Jackie and Hyde both turn to glare at him; he pulls back to his end of the couch as far as he can.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY – DAY   Concurrent with the previous scene. Eric and Red finish packing up the Vista Cruiser as Kitty comes out from the kitchen, dressed for the trip.   KITTY: Red, honey, you know, I’m sorry about our little spat. The last thing I wanna do is ruin our trip.   RED: Oh, sweetheart, that’s okay.   He smiles, gives her a quick kiss. Kitty giggles and goes into the Vista Cruiser.   ERIC: Wow. Mom certainly cheered up.   RED: Don’t be fooled. She’s a ticking time bomb.   They start around the car when KELSO comes running through the garage, an envelope stuck onto his jacket.   KELSO: Hey, wait up!   RED: What do you want?   KELSO: The explanation’s pinned to my lapel.   Red takes the envelope off Kelso and opens the note inside.   RED: (reading) “Dear Red, Mr. Kelso and I are unable to take Michael to UW. Here’s thirty dollars so he can go with you.”   He checks the envelope; it’s empty.   RED (cont’d): (to Kelso) Where’s the thirty bucks?   KELSO: Oh, I bought this electronical football game.   He holds the game up.   RED: I swear to God, Kelso! You make Eric look like Einstein!   Eric pulls a “touched” face, puts his hand on his heart.   ERIC: Thank you, Daddy.   KELSO: (scoffs) “Thank you?” Einstein was ugly.   He and Eric move to get in the car as Red rolls his eyes.   CUT TO:   EXT. OPEN ROAD - DAY   The Vista Cruiser speeds down the highway. Red and Kitty sit up front, Eric and Kelso in back. The noise from Kelso’s football game fills the car. Kitty tugs furiously at her collar.   KITTY: Oh! It’s like a sauna in here. I wish you all didn’t have to breathe so much.   ERIC:  All right, Kelso, you heard the lady. No more breathing.   KITTY: (to Eric) No, I didn’t tell you not to breathe, I told you not to breathe as much. There’s a difference!   RED: (sighs) Eric, how far are we from the exit?   Eric glances out the window at the mile markers.   ERIC: Um... we just missed it.   RED: Dammit! You’re supposed to be following the map. What the hell are you doing back there?   Eric holds up the map – folded into a crown.   ERIC: Making you a crown, ‘cause you’re king of the road!   He pops the crown on his head, then clutches at his stomach.   ERIC (cont’d): Whoa. That last soda’s made it through. Can we pull off to use the bathroom?   KELSO: First and goal!   RED: When’s the next damn exit?   ERIC: Bit of an emergency here.   KELSO: Touchdown!   KITTY: Would you all just shut up!   She cranks the A/C and takes a few deep breaths, as the men all do their best to pretend not to be there.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN – DAY   Eggs, eggs, and more eggs! Seven full cartons of eggs cover the kitchen table. Hyde and Fez stand around the table and inspect the eggs, all grins. Jackie leans against the island, pouting.   FEZ: (to Hyde) This is going to be a good one. The new halfback, Hunter Williams, poured tomato sauce down my pants during lunch on Thursday. Well, Hunter, let’s see how you like egg yolks all over your ass.   Hyde cackles, looks over at Jackie. She looks away.   HYDE: What, first you’re not coming, now you’re giving me the silent treatment? (to Fez) Talk about your win-win.   They both laugh. Jackie starts for the door to the living room. Hyde sighs, catches her by the arm, and turns her around.   HYDE (cont’d): Come on. This’ll be fun. We’re gonna be trespassing, vandalizing school property, and sticking it to the Man. It’s everything I’ve been trying to teach you, honey.   Jackie is not amused.   HYDE (cont’d): Jackie, this is what I do on the weekends, okay?   JACKIE:  Steven, we’re a couple now. Weekends aren’t just about what you do. They’re about what we do, together. And there’s a ballroom dance class at the rec center tonight, so you get rid of those eggs and put on a clean shirt!   HYDE: Ballroom dancing? I’d have to punch myself in the head just for walking into that class. Look, I made my plans, and I told you you could tag along. Are you in or out?   Jackie glares up at him; he glares back. She pushes past him and strolls out the patio door.   Hyde sighs and sits down at the kitchen table, where Fez is still counting eggs. He holds one up and nods approvingly.   FEZ: This one is for the quarterback. What he did, I am too much of a man to say. But when this egg reaches the place it is meant to reach... oh, he will know.   He stands up straighter as Hyde puts a hand over his shades.   CUT TO:   INT. DORM HALL – DAY   The University of Wisconsin campus. Visitors’ weekend may have drawn a lot of kids and parents, but it hasn’t inspired any spirit of cleanliness; Animal House would be proud of the state this place is in. Rock music wafts through the halls for good measure.   Red, Kitty, Eric, and Kelso enter through the front door. Eric and Kelso wander off immediately while Red and Kitty assess the situation from the doorway.   RED: What the hell kind of college is this? Barefoot hippies playing frisbee, barefoot hippies singing songs to trees...   Eric and Kelso find a section of wall to lean on, a section that happens to have a poster for CPR instructions.   KELSO: Man, this place is awesome. (points to poster) Look, they even have dirty cartoons on the wall.   ERIC: Kelso, those are CPR instructions.   DONNA: Wow, I’ve done CPR a lot.   A particularly filthy-looking college student approaches Red and Kitty, offers his hand – this is TED.   TED: Hi. I’m Ted, resident advisor.   He shakes Red and Kitty’s hands in turn.   KITTY: Hi.   ERIC: Why don’t you folks have a look around, and I’ll show the boys where they’re gonna be staying.   He crosses to Eric and Kelso. Red and Kitty start looking around in the opposite direction and find students passed out on couches.   RED: I don’t know about this place.   KITTY: I’ll say. It’s the middle of November. I don’t see any Thanksgiving decorations.   Over by the wall, Ted leans in and drops his voice.   TED: Visitors’ weekend is great. We always have a big dorm party. Tons of booze, tons of chicks.   Eric and Kelso share a grin and a high-five.   ERIC: Man, this place is great! It’s too bad Donna couldn’t make it...   A BOMBSHELL BLONDE, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her middle, walks past them.   ERIC (cont’d): Oh, my God, would you look at that?   KELSO: We just saw college butt! On a girl!   Of course, this is the time when Red walks over.   RED: (to Ted) Hold it. Girls live here too?   TED: Yes, sir. We’re co-ed.   ERIC/KELSO: Oh, yeah!/All right!   RED: That’s it! You’re staying with us at the motel.   He starts toward the door. Eric runs after him.   ERIC: Wait! Dad, wait. Think of what a valuable experience this could be for me. I mean, this is my first step into the real world. (claps Red’s shoulder) I’m your little bird, Dad. Give me wings to fly.   Red looks at Eric’s hand on his shoulder; Eric pulls it away.   RED: Butch it up and get in the car.   Eric sighs and obeys.   Kelso has wandered over to the girls’ restroom and cracked open the door.   KELSO: Excuse me, this is your CPR coach. I’m gonna need to check your lung capacities. (over his shoulder) That means their boobs.   He stops when he sees Red, not Eric, over his shoulder. Stone-faced Red takes Kelso by the arm and pulls him away.   FADE TO BLACK   COMMERCIAL   BUMPER   INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT   The Formans’ hotel for the weekend. Red sits on the edge of the bed with a map of UW while Eric and Kelso lie on cheap cots. Kelso is back at his football game.   RED: There’s got to be at least one all-male dormitory on this campus. Ah! Here it is, right between the chapel and the school of interior design.   Kitty, ready for bed, enters from the bathroom, just slightly tense and unsteady.   KITTY: Boys, um, I realize that, uh, I may have been a little irrational today.   KELSO: A little?   KITTY: SHUT UP! (takes deep breath) So, um, maybe now is a good time for me to explain a few things to you about menopause. And, um, lucky for you, I’m a nurse, so I can use the proper terms, like epithelial lining and uterine wall.   Eric groans, flips around, and buries his head into his pillow. Kelso just keeps playing his game. Kitty takes two small bars of soap from her robe pockets.   KITTY (cont’d): Okay, so, um, now, say these soaps are my ovaries. Okay, um, about a month ago, they stopped producing...   She loses her train of thought, thanks to the noise from Kelso’s game.   KITTY (cont’d): They stopped...   The game gets louder, and she loses it again.   KITTY (cont’d): Stopped producing...   And once more.   KITTY (cont’d): Oh, that’s it!   She reaches over, snatches the game from Kelso, and tosses it out the window.   KITTY (cont’d): (to Kelso) What is wrong with you? Were you dropped on your head?   Kelso gapes up at her; he’s never seen Mrs. Forman like this.   KELSO: Yes, I was. And up until now, everyone had the good grace not to mention it!   His bottom lip quivering, he throws himself down into his pillow.   Red sighs and stands.   RED: Okay, boys. Time to leave.   ERIC: YES!   He and Kelso scramble off the cots and out the door.   BUMPER   EXT. ROAD – NIGHT   Somewhere in Point Place, the El Camino cruises the streets. Hyde is at the wheel, Fez in the passengers’ seat, a bag loaded with egg cartons in his lap. “Pump it Up” by Elvis Costello plays on the radio. Hyde wears a deep frown, Fez an impatient mug.   FEZ: We’ve circled past the school three times already. We missed the end of the JV cheerleader practice. Let’s park this mamma and do this thing!   HYDE: Whatever.   FEZ: Oh. You’re still upset about Jackie.   HYDE: What the hell’s her deal, man? Before we were together, I brought her along on a few nights like this and she was up for it. So, now that we’re an “official couple” or whatever, she doesn’t wanna have fun?   FEZ: (tsks) Oh, Hyde. Poor, poor Hyde. Cool as you are, you know nothing of women.   Hyde gives Fez a dirty look, but he persists.   FEZ (cont’d): You made plans for the weekend without even consulting her. You cannot do this with a girlfriend. That’s a big step for you two. You do not want to do something special with your lady?   HYDE: I don’t know, man. I mean, I’ve been showing her the ropes on all this stuff for a while now, and I just figured -   FEZ: Hyde, have you been trying to make Jackie a-cool? (shakes his head) She is her own woman, orphan boy. You think whatever you want to do, if you snap, she comes? That is trouble. Just you wait, Henry Higgins.   HYDE: “Henry Higgins?”   FEZ: You know, from My Fair Lady.   Hyde stares blankly, not a clue what Fez means.   FEZ (cont’d): It was the school musical this year. I was Dancer Number Three.   More blank stares.   FEZ (cont’d): You told me you went to see it, you son of a bitch!   He turns away in a huff. Hyde sighs and turns the car around.   BUMPER   INT. DORM HALL – NIGHT   Ted’s promised party. As “Wheel in the Sky” by Journey blares over the radio, college students and visiting high schoolers dance, sample the keg, and make out. Kelso has a STATUESQUE BLONDE pinned up against the wall, near the CPR poster.   KELSO: (points to poster) I see UW has a pretty good CPR program. That’s gonna be my major.   She rolls her eyes at him and walks away.   Eric walks up the hall with a STRAWBERRY BLONDE, mid-conversation.   ERIC: So, I told my girlfriend, “we can go to separate schools.” I mean, people do that all the time, right?   STRAWBERRY BLONDE: Yeah. I mean, my boyfriend goes to school in New York, and we’ve been together for three years, and we’re in love now more than ever.   ERIC: Of course you are. And I bet, when you two get together, it’s like a thunderstorm, right?   Ted walks up behind them and snakes an arm around the strawberry blonde’s waist.   TED: Hey, pretty lady.   She leans into him, and they start making out.   ERIC: (to blonde) Excuse me, hello? Didn’t you just say you had a boyfriend?   SRAWBERRY BLONDE: Yeah. But he’s not here.   She takes Ted by the hand and leads him away.   Eric, dazed, crosses over to Kelso, who is once again looking into the girls’ bathroom.   ERIC: Did you just see that? I told Donna we could go to different schools, and I was extremely wrong, and... man, if she doesn’t hate Marquette, we’re screwed.   KELSO: Who cares, Eric? There’s a bunch of these college chicks sharing a shower!   He turns back to the bathroom. Eric throws his hands up and walks away.   BUMPER   INTERCUT - INT. MARQUETTE/INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT   A row of payphones on the wall. Donna is on one of them.   DONNA: Eric? Is everything okay?   Eric, on the other end of the call, sitting by the nightstand while Red sits near the head of the bed and Kitty on the end. Kitty tries to hold in tears as she watches television.   ERIC: (into phone) Yeah, everything’s fine. I just want to see how you like Marquette. And, can I just say, if that snooty switchboard operator’s attitude is any indication of the Marquette experience, then I can only assume we’re crossing Marquette off the list right now.   DONNA: No, actually, it’s great. Okay, they have this English professor. He wears a beret and wears a corduroy jacket, but he listens to Zeppelin!   ERIC: Uh, yeah, well, UW has a vending machine, so... (beat) Donna, I love you.   DONNA: I love you too. Bye.   She hangs up, walks off.   Eric sets the phone back on the receiver just as Kitty breaks out into full-on tears.   RED: (to Eric) You gonna cry now too?   KITTY: You know who had a real family? The Waltons. We’re just three strangers sitting in a room!   She tosses her tissue aside and heads into the bathroom.   ERIC: Donna loves it there. I don’t know what to do.   RED: (to Eric) There’s nothing any of us can do. We’re all screwed. You think I like being stuck here, nursing my lunatic wife back from the brink? Hell, no. But we can’t control what happens to us. Even if, by some stroke of luck, you actually hang on to Donna, eventually she’s gonna turn into that. (points to the bathroom door) And then, a few years later, you’ll die.   ERIC: (beat) Okay, thanks for the bedtime story.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT – NIGHT   The basement is empty, the lights all out. The lock clicks, the basement door opens, and Hyde and Fez step in, hitting the lights as they enter. Fez still has his bag of eggs.   They make it halfway to the couch when Jackie comes out from Hyde’s room.   JACKIE: Hello, Steven.   Hyde and Fez both jump. Fez throws his bag up, and it lands behind him with the sound of many cracking shells.   FEZ: Ai.   Hyde looks over at Jackie.   HYDE: Jackie? Did Forman finally give you a key?   JACKIE: No.   HYDE: Then how’d you get in here?   She holds up a bobby pin and wiggles it around before placing it back in her hair. Hyde shrugs and takes a step toward her.   HYDE (cont’d): Look, Jackie, I know you wanted to spend Saturday night together, and I kind of blew you off, so... we’re not doing the egg thing, so if you wanna go -   JACKIE: No, no, Steven. Look, you are an independent man set in his ways, and you’ve never had a girlfriend before. You’ve never been shown how to obey one.   Hyde shakes his head, “are you kidding me?”   JACKIE (cont’d): But I’ve thought about it, and I think I’ve found a way we can spend Saturday night together that combines what you like and what I like.   She goes to the record player and drops the needle. “Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet comes on. Jackie smiles up at Hyde and begins dancing in place. He shrugs and nods.   HYDE:  Not bad.   JACKIE: I know, right? And...   She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small paper bag. She tosses it to Hyde, who knows exactly what it is.   HYDE: This is my stash.   JACKIE: Yeah, I thought you’d have a better hiding place for it than an old shirt pocket.   She dances her way over to Hyde, stopping right in front of him. He looks down at her, grinning ear to ear.   HYDE: I think a special night deserves a special treat.   CUT TO:   MONTAGE. SET TO “BALLROOM BLITZ.”   A) FORMAN KICHEN - Hyde, in Kitty’s silly-looking oven mitts, mixes up a big bowl of brownie mix. Jackie, at his side, sticks her finger into the batter and gets a taste.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): It was like lightning...   B) FORMAN KITCHEN – Hyde lifts the finished tray of brownies out of the oven as Jackie watches (as best she can) over his shoulder.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): Everybody was fighting...   C) FORMAN KITCHEN – Overhead on the kitchen table as Hyde slices the brownies up.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): And the music was soothing...   D) FORMAN KITCHEN – Hyde and Jackie each have a brownie. They link arms, smile at each other, and each take a big bite.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): And they all started grooving...   E) Extreme close-up on Jackie’s eyes, then Hyde’s behind his shades, as the “special ingredient” kicks in.   F) FORMAN KITCHEN – Hyde and Jackie sit together, their heads leaned against one another, their mouths set in spacey smiles, as the walls spin around them with the effects of the brownies.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah!   G) FORMAN KITCHEN – HIGH SPEED. HAND-HELD. WIDE ANGLE. Jackie and Hyde stand before an open freezer, taking shots of whipped cream straight from the can into their mouths.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): And the man in the back...   H) FORMAN LIVING ROOM – HIGH SPEED. The couch, the coffee table, and Red’s chair are all shoved back out of the way, leaving room for Hyde and Jackie to do a wild dance all over the floor.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): ... Said “everyone attack” And it turned into a ballroom blitz!   I) FORMAN BEDROOM – HIGH SPEED. Jackie sits at Kitty’s nightstand, admiring her reflection. She has on Hyde’s sunglasses. He enters the room, surprising her. He lunges when he sees her with his shades, but she jumps up, dodges, and runs out of the room, giggling, as Hyde gives chase.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): And the girl in the corner Said “boy, I wanna warn ya...”   J) FORMAN BASEMENT – HIGH SPEED. Hyde comes charging down the stairs with Jackie slung over his shoulder. She still wears his shades. They race right past Fez, who has been standing around in the basement for this entire montage. They almost make it to Hyde’s room when he sets Jackie down. The two of them run to Fez, each grab an arm, and shoo him out the basement door. Hyde locks it behind him. He and Jackie nod and shake hands before he picks her back up and carries her to his room.   BALLROOM BLITZ (v.o.): “It’ll turn into a ballroom blitz!” Ballroom blitz! Ballroom blitz! Ballroom blitz! Ballroom blitz!   BUMPER   EXT. FORMAN KITCHEN - DAY   The next day, late afternoon. The Vista Cruiser rests in the parking lot. Red and Eric unload the car as Kitty steps out and stretches. She’s all smiles, in a wonderful mood; she’s the only one.   KITTY: What a wonderful weekend! We should go away more often!   Laughing, she heads into the house. Red, looking one step from death, turns to Eric.   RED: They’ve gotta make a pill for this.   He follows Kitty inside.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN – DAY   The place is a mess. The mixing bowl is out with the spoon inside, the decimated tray of brownies is still on the table, the whipped cream can is on the floor, and bags, boxes, cans, and pans of half-eaten snacks are everywhere.   Red and Kitty just start to take it all in when a yawning Hyde comes up from the basement in an open bathrobe and sweatpants.   RED: Steven! What the hell is all this?   Hyde freezes mid-step.   HYDE: (beat) The folly of prohibition is what it is! You take away beer, you see what happens.   Red rolls his eyes as Kitty takes another wide-eyed look around the room.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY – DAY   Eric finishes unloading the Vista Cruiser. Donna comes up the driveway.   DONNA: Hi.   ERIC: Okay. I know you love Marquette, and you know what? I’ve made my peace with that. So if that means that we’re going to go to separate schools, and drift apart, and make out with guys named Ted, then that’s just the way it’s gonna have to be, because you’re gonna get menopause, and I’m gonna die, and we can’t control anything that happens to us!   DONNA: (beat) I’m not going to Marquette.   ERIC: Well, then, never mind.   They sit down on the open back of the car.   DONNA: I mean... Eric, I loved it, and when I was driving home, I was so excited to tell you about it. And then the drive took forever. And I realized that’s how far away I’d be from you all the time. And I don’t want that. So I’ll just tell my dad I want to go to UW with you.   ERIC: Donna, you have no idea how happy you just made me.   DONNA: Eric, this is gonna be great! We’re gonna be together all the time!   ERIC: Ooh. Um, you’re not gonna get all clingy, right?   DONNA: (laughing) Shut up!   ERIC: No, come on, I’m gonna be a big college man.   DONNA: Uh-huh.   ERIC: I’m gonna need my space.   They share another laugh and scoot closer together on the car.   FADE TO BLACK   CREDITS   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN – DAY   Another day. Kitty dries the dishes by the sink while Red watches her from the island. Kelso enters through the patio door, another envelope pinned to his jacket.   RED: (to Kelso) What do you want?   KELSO: Once again, the explanation is pinned to my lapel.   Red takes a note from the envelope.   RED: (reading) “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Forman, please give Michael thirty dollars for the game you threw out the window and broke. Signed, my parents.”   Kitty lets out a big laugh and retreats to the living room.   RED: (beat) Well, you made her laugh. That’s worth thirty bucks.   He pulls out some bills and drops them into Kelso’s envelope.   END.

***

The only additional change we should assume for Season 5 in this timeline is that the changeover to 1978 happens in episode 5-10 [according to production order], "The Crunge."

Well, we made it into Season 5, and we're past the point where there are any major continuity issues to address. The goal of keeping the Zen story going after "Jackie Bags Hyde" and syncing back into the show's established timeline is met, and so we're done here.

...Or are we?

[linkispink1995]

Better as friends (18) worlds worst dinner party

Previously

Series Masterlist

Chapter warnings :language, mentions of alchohol, mentions of being abandoned (barely)

A/N : this chapter gives a little glimpse into Alison's backstory and it's the first time I've written anything like it , so let me know what you though

~~~~

It was a cold and icy Christmas eve in Indianapolis one of the coldest winters the city had ever seen , the streets were beautifully decorated and the children all asleep as the awaited the highly anticipated jolly old St. Nick. Except one , in the Martin home there were two daughters Beatrice the oldest who had a long day including a nutcracker performance and making cookies with her mother and younger sister Alison. Alison was the youngest daughter unlike her sister Beatrice she the more creative and artistic one who preferred to be inside and color which was something she was very goo at especially for being five. Alison quietly creeped down the stairs before peeking into the formal living room where the beautiful decorated Christmas tree was. Since Mrs. Martin takes pride in how her home looks , seeing that there were no gifts and the stockings were still empty Alison tiptoed into the kitchen for a small glass of water only to find her mother sitting at the kitchen island. The same kitchen island they would eat blueberry pancakes and decorate ginger bread , but her mother didn't look like the same woman who was cheering and applauding her first born at the ballet earlier or the one that would read the night before Christmas by the fire place as her daughters fell asleep on the father's lap. Instead she had mascara running down her cheeks and a glass of wine in her hand and wasn't even acknowledging the dog that the girls had woken up to last Christmas with a bright red bow on him. What made it worst was she was practically devouring Santa's cookies , Alison frowned before saying "mommy". Kathrine didn't even turn around she just stayed quiet in the dark kitchen before saying "what Alison" Alison spoke again saying "where's daddy" her mother responded "he left to get food for the dog, but that was hours ago". Alison frowned saying "oh well is he gonna be home before Santa comes" Katharine placed her wineglass on the counter before laughing , laughing so hard almost falling out of her seat. The kinda laughter you would only hear from her when her daughters came inside covered in mud including the dog or when one of the girls pick socks got in the washer while washing her husband's dress shirts. She then turned in his seat before walking towards the stairs saying "oh Alison don't you know there is no Santa , it was your father and judging by the fact he's not here there will be no Christmas". Alison frowned before watching her mother walk up the stairs leading to the master suite leaving Alison all alone on the last Christmas eve they'd spend as a family...

Steve's P.o.v

"Alison" she looked up at me saying "what" I responded saying "I'm going to dinner with my parents tonight do you wanna go". She shook her head before I added "are you sure" she nodded before pecking my cheek saying "have fun though" I nodded before shrugging off her quietness. Alison was never quiet was something bothering her , should I stay but my father pulled me aside at work today telling me that my mother wanted me over for dinner and Alison was welcome to come but it wasn't as required as my presence. An Alison was excited about dinner until a few minutes ago , I realized after meeting her parents that Alison wasn't very fond of family gatherings especially holidays. As I made my way to my parents house I couldn't help but think what was so pressing , and the thoughts of Stewart and Y/n showing up yesterday were still fresh in my head especially the fact that I had packed Jackson's bag and made sure the blanket was in there. I pulled into my parents driveway to see both my parents cars and now I knew why my mother wanted me over for dinner, my sister was here. I kicked around some of the gravel trying to relief the stress of having to see my sister, but I knew she didn't know about Alison and that my parents were probably giving a nasty review on her and I knew she'd take Y/n's side over mine just cause. I knocked on the door before opening it to see the front door was unlocked , I removed my sport coat I wore to work before walking thru the dinner room to see my parents and my Sister. My mother quickly walked over to me engulfing me in a hug before my sister walked ove brushed my hair causing to roll my eyes and my mother to say "be nice you too". It had probably been two years since I last saw my sister and I could already feel suffocated by the awkwardness before she spoke saying "so baby brother" I rolled my eyes at the awful nickname she'd been calling me since we were kids almost worst then the nicknames Alison had for me , I mean I loved those. My sister continued saying "what's it like working for the old man" I shrugged saying "okay I guess" she then added. "How've you been" I nodded before returning the favor with the awful nickname saying "fine how about you Polly pop" she rolled her eyes saying "yep your still and ass". My mother spoke before saying "Polly , Steven that's enough , I swear you kids haven't aged past five" my sister and I rolled our eyes before sitting down for dinner.

It was after dinner when we eating my mother's peach cobbler when dad asked "how's Y/n doing these days" I rolled my eyes saying "fine". Polly spoke up saying "hey sorry about missing his birthday work was crazy but I sent something to Y/n" I rolled my eyes as my mother asked "how's work Polly" she nodded saying "fine , hey listen do you know where nana's ring is I know a place in Indianapolis and I thought I'd get it cleaned". Mom shrugged before dad spoke up saying "it's in the cabinet in my office" I sighed saying "actually I had it". Dad huffed saying "had it , you idiot you lost it" I shook my head saying "no I know were it is I just don't have it". Dad huffed saying "I swear if it's on Alison's left hand you'll be-" I cut him off saying "no dad I gave it to Y/n , she has it". Mom gasped saying "you were engaged" before I could respond Polly spoke saying "who the hell is Alison" mom responded saying "don't let me get started on her". I sighed saying "Alison is my girlfriend and yes Y/n and I were kinda engaged it's a long story and she's keeping it for Jackson". Polly chuckled saying "good thing cause he'll probably get married before you" I rolled my eyes as my dad said "what do you mean kinda engaged" I shook my head saying "it's a long story I'm not getting into it". The table remained quiet before mom spoke saying "Steven I was talking to the girls at lunch and I just can't seem to remember what it is Y/n does for a living". I signed saying "well one you could probably talk to them about my actually girlfriend and Y/n works for Matt's dad and that's all I know cause I really don't care". My mother sighed before dad asked "how's that Paterson kid" I responded with "fine him and Coleen are having a baby I guess". My mother responded saying "I thought Y/n was with Matthew" I shook my head saying "no mother Y/n is with Stewart". Polly laughed before saying "Stewart Graham , oh that has to suck for you" mom huffed saying "language Polly" polly continued her laughing fit before my father spoke saying "well what did I tell you-" my mother cut him off saying "were not talking about this at the table", my father shook his head saying "no Jenifer I'm not going to baby him like you do , he's a grown man so here it goes. Your mother and I don't like Alison " I sighed as he added "she's no good something is off there and from what I overheard at the birthday party , what she said to the woman who stuck around when you were being a little asshole the same girl who gave you that little boy. Now from what your mother tells me it's not an easy task but she did it and this is how you repay her by bringing someone like that around". I huffed saying "you know you Y/n and everyone else needs to get over it cause I like Alison a lot and you all can just deal with it". Dad shook his head saying "maybe you should start wearing your glasses again son cause you are so blind I'm telling you she's not who she says she is" I rolled my eyes again saying "dad could you just try to be happy for me and for Jackson" he responded saying "not when your being stupid and don't think throwing his name around makes you look innocent". I huffed before finally losing my patience with my family , I got up from the table before walking towards the front door as my mother asked "where are you going" I huffed saying "getting away from you monsters" mom responded saying "we are your family". I shook my head saying "no your not , my family is Alison and Jackson I'm done with you people" I slammed the door before getting to my car,

Feedback is appreciated , stay safe and let me know what your thoughts were and please don't plagiarize my work.

Taglist @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @queenofthehairharrington @charmed-asylum

[cybernightwanderer]

“ My Reiki and Yoga New Free Soul Brother - Once an abuser manipulative thieve , money driven leach “

Well thats a big tittle to describe one person entirely. So my ( midle ) brother across my kid years and then teenager developing to adult, my brother was an interesting person. For example, in school my brother would pretend he didnt know me , and if i even dared to aproach him he would shame me in front of everyone, even thought they already knew i was his sister, i was bullied a lot in school so at the start i tried a few times reaching out to him , specially because i didnt have any friends and id always be alone. This motherfucker who was already a teenager completly dismissed me , BUT would actually seek me out or talk to me when he needed lunch money because he already “ spent his”, funny enough hed get mine to eat coz he didnt wanna use his, and if i didnt gave him even though i hadnt eaten , he would guilty me badly , and being the kid that i was , my brother was everything to me , even tho he didnt gave a shit about me.

So in consequence i started drawing a distance line between me and him, at home id start to distance myself and ignore him. And he started getting like a really attention whore, hed always annoye me , and force me to hangout, and i didnt he would threaten me or do some shit at the house and blame me for it , because my mother at the tinniest shit at home would beat the crap out of me , so me being the little kid that i was tired of getting beatings for no random reason , id play along. My brother would literally antagonzie me and scare the shit out of me while so. Everytime my family went anywhere , for example the beach, id try to go to the water alone for some peace this motherfucker would sneak behind me and try to drown me as a joke , like every 5 minutes, id yell in panic and my mom wouldnt do shit, eventually id end up actually chocking on water and  hit my head on the sand and cry the rest of the time. So yeah FUN ! Did my mom do anything ? ofc no , “ hes just playing around “. I had BD collections that id buy with my lunch money that sometimes id save up, disney movie cassettes and so on. Sometimes id have snacks in my room to eat when studying or something. My brother, being a full grown ass teenager that he was , would steal everything without me even catching a glimpse of it. My brother would “ borrow “ things without asking then hide them because he wanted. I had two final fantasy collectible caracters that i spent my leftover bday money on, and my brother would take it as his own. Yes because whatever birthday money i got wether it be 50 euros or even 20 from my grandma or aunt, my mom would take it “ borrowed” for herself with no justification, shed always say “ Ah lend me i need it  / or / I always buy you clothes and everythings, i buy you food , you owe me this , thats the minimum you could do / “ or / she would just take it without me knowing , she would inspect my bday gifts and take it before hand , the problem is that my grandma or aunt would always after if i was gonna save it up and id ask what and they would question what i did with the money and i would ask what money and blah blah , you get where this is going.

OH and if i didnt give my money the money she would beat me up ! wich is funny asf. My brother literally sold all my things behind my back, my original BDS, MY FUCKING POISON IVY STORYLINE BD, my disney cassetes , my collectibles, and my snacks he would steal and eat. If i had saved up money hidden, first he would try to borrow it and guilty me with the “ im such a good brother to you , you cant even lend me money ? i will pay you back, trust me “ ... ofc he never payed me back , but every two weeks he woul do this shit. And if i by any chance didnt gave him , hed just steal, or sell my things, wich regardless of me lending him , he would do it anyway. Fast forward to my early teenage years, i had to start working , i quit school because we entered that internet deth with my moms company, wich my brother also contributed to but let the blame to me ofc, i was already the punch bag of the family what is one more thing. My brothers were always my moms “ babies “ even tho one was already a full grown ass man and the other was already on his way. My brother did nothing at home , didnt take the dog outside, didnt take out the trash, didnt make food, didnt wash the dishes, didnt clean the house, basicly sit on his ass all day playing video games and eating, and selling my shit for money. My brother was unemployed for 3/4 years in between those i studied and worked at the same time , and did all the house chores, even if i had to walk the dog as 2/3 am after work i would have to, even tho my brother was in bed all day. My mom would literally yell at me and make my life a living hell and threaten to hit me if i didnt do it or even dared to complain. I would get home trying to study , trying to recorver at school ,and she would yell non stop until i didn every house chore, wich i would only manage to finish at midnight or later, and then id be too tired and unmotivated to do anything so id just sleep, and id always get late to class thanks to that. When my brothers started working, it was at my dads wearehouse, where i was forced to work too. Id work 8 to 10 hours , sometimes more, because we got payed by publicity stock packs, each pack was worth 1 euro, wich also 1 pack took 1 hour and 15/20 minutes to make. So if i wanted to make the day worth anything i had to rush , no eating breaks or pee breakes. My hands at the end of the day would literally be filled with newspaper and printed paper ink and dirk, and tons of cuts and sores , that would be leeched in paper ink, wich make it hurt even more at the end of the day, and was really hard to take it out. My brother would take breaks every 30 minutes to smoke , be on his phone or even go to bathroom or eat randomly, i wouldnt stop the 8 hours straight, and when i actually had to go to the bathroom or eat something because id get sick, my brother literally stole packs from me, or try to “ negociate my help for X “, the thing about my brother is that hed always try to negociate something , ofc it was always entangled for his own benefit and not both.

So it was like this my brother came up to me all excited and say “ oh if you do this to help me , ill split the profit that way we will make more and will be less exausting “ stupid like i was id always give in, specially because if i didnt  hed steal anyway.... Hed always change his methods and works, and guilty me if i didnt do it, so id always have to do so. If i didnt hed just change the pack registration list either way, without me even seeing it, and fake my signature, i only found out we had to sign an official paper a few months later when my dad asked, before that my brother would always tell me to note them on my phone then send the numbers by the end of the week, and since he was the bosses son , every one backed up that story ofc.  Eventually when i started to get older , i cut ties with my brothers and dad. And my ( midle ) brother was constantly trying to reach out and play nice and shit , also he was still working at the wearhouse . Anyway , fast forward when i got unemployed after the 5 star hotel due to rape attent and shit like that, i was unemplyoyed for 4 moths?! My brother tried to reach out , and even came home before my mother to try and persuade me to enter one of his schemes, i explained to my brother that i didnt have any money and that i wouldnt believe anymore of his stupid schemes and blah blah. He swore he was only trying to make up to me , and the plan was , i would pretend to work at my dads  wearehouse, but i would just be there 2 times a week and he would give me a cut of the protfit, coz if he didnt want my dad to hire some random slow guy, so he set up to do a two persons work, and give me 30 % of the monthy rate and all i had to do is show up a few times for my dad to see i was there, and then go home. That motherfucker insisted for 3 days straight promissing it wasnt a scheme and that he was serious this time. OBVIOUSLY THAT DIDNT HAPPEN OBVIOUSLY- with the last 10 euros i had, i bought train tickers to the wearhouse, the first week he actually stick to his word, a few days later the shit started, he actualy forced me to deliver shit and stuff. Wich for me was really difficult because its when i started to develop hernias, and the pain was too overwhealming, and that fucker didnt care and still forced me to, eventually i told him i was out , and found out he still used my name in his shit plan  and pretended i was still working there to my dad for two whole months , and then begged me to lie to my dad on the phone, hed literally call me before my dad trying to get me to lie, and promissing the money, and hed ask my mom to pressure my to help him. What could i do??!! what happend after you may ask? did my brother gave me the money? OFC NO ! NO! He gave me 115 euros of the cut , and he made 996 euros to himself. And told me it was only for the days “ i actually worked “  NEVER IN MY LIFE  I VERBALLY EVER SAID TO ANYONE , FAMILY OR NOT  “ I hope you die, you are shit , you are nothing to me , seriously i hope you die “ and acually meant it and wished it. For the first time in my life i actually wished so hard for my brother to just die. I was done, i was officialy done , i had never been so done with someone. I was officialy done with my family. I blocked my dad on everything, i told my dad to fuck off. I told my older brother to fuck off. I told my middle brother to go die. And the last person was my dying grandma who was a snob ass piece of shit who only gave a shit about me when i was a little girl ( because its only cute when they r kids  ), to stop trying to call me and told her to just go and die. She literally sent me a voice message of 5 minutes crying beggin me to see her, and i just told her to go and die, its not because she is dying that is gonna erase the fact that she didnt gave a shit about me after i actually grown. And the fact that i did this apparently scared the shit out my dad and brothes, specially because i did it so naturally. AND TO THIS DAY I DONT REGRET WHAT I SAID AND I STILL DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT HER. OH AND PLOT TWIST SHES NOT DEAD NOR WAS SHE DYING, LAST YEAR SHE TRIED TO SCHEME MONEY OUT OF MY MOM, AND BEFORE THAT SHE WOULD ALWAYS TREAT MY MOM LIKE SHIT AN CALL HER NAMES, FUNNY ! Now they try to sneak into my life really AGAIN ... ffs Since the end of last year, apparently my brother turned into reiki and yoga and shit and is now driving a motivational fuck page for people who wanna “ grow spiritually and open the third eye “ and is trying to reconnect with me again, obviously i cut him off before he could even talk to me. So he spent 3 months or so , coming here and trying, and since he didnt get anything since january and february hes trying to manipulate me behind my mother, my mother is venting to my brother about me being closed off to them , and my brother is DIAGNOSING ME AS A PROBLEM, BECAUSE HE IS SO WISE AND ENLIGHTED... WTF??? diagnosing me??? ur not a fucking therapist you asshole ! The other day i heard him tell my mother in the living room , that “ SHE CANT LIVE LIKE THIS ITS VERY TOXIC FOR HER, SHE HAS TO TALK TO YOU AND BE A BETTER SISTER AND DAUGHTER SHE NEEDS TO BLAH BLAH YOU NEED TO KICK HER OUT IF SHE IS LIVING OFF YOU  “ WHAT THE FUCK?? im living off my mother?? the woman that forced me to give her more than half of my paycheck, thats doesnt give me privacy or respect and that literally threatned me if i ever tried to leave that she would chase me down???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR SEND ME TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL????!!!! ... My older brother is doing the same, keeps trying to get me to go visit his kid, and to meet his kid, keeps trying to get my mother to see pictures of the kid or to call them. They keep trying to guilty me “ oh you cant take it out on the kid, its not the kids fault , he needs to know his aunt, you are his family “ BITCH FAMILY?????? FAMILY??? family doesnt mean shit. Yesterday even sent photos of his kid trought a new number LOL. I actually did went to the kids birthday, first time a few months ago, and guess what , my brother still the NO ONE ASKED- OPINIONATED asshole he was about my whole life, he literally takes one glimpse of me and judges my whole life and starts yelling shit at me ...ofc thats not gonna happend again. People dont change. People. dont. change. PEOPLE DONT CHANGE ! BITCH ?? WHAT? WHO THE FCK?? HOW THE FUCK??? In conclusion my brother is still the same piece of shit he was , and now even more narcisistic, and manipulative, he cant get what he wants from me , so now hes resourting to my mother again. I NEED TO LEAVE THIS HOUSE, I NEED TO LEAVE THIS FAMILY OMFG. Funny enough he does this shit then tries to get me to go to his house to celebrate his birthday because he “ MISSES ME AND THE OLD DAYS” ???? OLD DAYS OF YOU MENTALY ABUSING ME ? NOT TO MENTION THAT YOU ALMOST BROKE MY ARM BECAUSE I WOULDNT LEND YOU MY COMPUTER 3 YEARS AGO????? my mom literally told him we were gonna go there without even asking me if i wanted or even if i was gonna go. LOL, shes trying to emotionally manipulate me with older pictures of me and him , and games we would play together LOL. OMFG PLEASE SOME ONE, I DONT EVEN KNOW I NEED TO DIE OMFG... I CANT TAKE THIS FAMILY ANYMORE.

[poeticandvaguelysweet]

Prompt #248 - Maisie Gets Her Period

@all--the--dancers and I have talked about this for so long + I know someone on twitter asked me to do this as well. So, here I am finally. I started it ages ago. 

Maisie gets her period and Owen is the only one home. He has to face the reality of his kid not being a little girl anymore. 

AO3

‘Rise and shine, brown-eyes, we’re going to be late.’ Owen sang as he waltzed into Maisie’s room and threw open her curtains. It was rare for Maisie to lie in. She was up with the birds most school days, already swinging her legs from the kitchen stool as she shovelled cornflakes into her mouth. The girl, in all her shining glory, would turn the coffee machine on and have the bread for Owen’s toast waiting in the toaster.

The fact that she was not up, nor dressed, showered or fed was not lost on Claire who had pointed it out to Owen with a knowing warning that Maisie had a test at school she couldn’t miss today. He had been worried then, hands warming around a mug of coffee he had to make himself. ‘C’mon, Mais. We gotta go. You want toast or cereal?’

She grunted at him; face shoved in her pillow. Owen stared at her. Maisie never grunted at him. ‘What’s going on?’ He asked, concern lining itself across his face. Owen sat, perching himself on the edge of her bed as his hand reached out to squeeze her shoulder.

It took exactly two seconds for the tears to well and spill from Maisie’s eyes. Her body pulling in on itself tighter. ‘It hurts!’ She wailed, fidgeting with unrest.

Maisie didn’t play sick. Where Owen was sure she would one day learn to take advantage of his weak heart, he knew today wasn’t that day. ‘What hurts?’

He watched her flip from her stomach to her back, blankets rustling over her body, her mouth open in agony. ‘My tummy.’ She cried; arms clearly wrapped over her stomach as she pulled in on herself.

‘You just woke up, what have you done?’ He had given her a cheeky extra serving of ice-cream when Claire wasn’t looking last night, but if that was going to cause Maisie problems they would have been woken by it in the middle of the night. He felt fine and as far as he knew, Claire felt fine, so it couldn’t have been the food, could it? Owen pulled at her blankets, tugging them away in the hopes of ceasing her fidgeting. He barely got the blankets past her knees before he was stopped, startled by the blood-red patch seeping into her light-coloured sheets. ‘Oh, Maisie.’ A sigh dropped from his lips as his heart clenched before it picked up a beat in panic.

Claire was gone. She’d left for work twenty minutes ago which meant she was well within the early morning traffic. This was Claire’s job. She was the one in charge of teaching Maisie about periods. Maisie was only eleven, so far as Owen knew, Claire hadn’t even thought about talking with her, let alone actually told her about the joys and wonders of the pubescent female body.

The sound that came from Maisie could only be described as a mournful sob when she saw the sticky red covering her legs and soaking through her sleep shorts. It likely wasn’t as bad as it looked, she had tossed and turned and withered in agony so much she had only spread it further. At least, that’s what Owen thought. He didn’t actually have all that much experience in this area. He warmed Claire a heat pack and rubbed her back, fetched her painkillers when she asked. That was the gist of his knowledge. He knew what tampons she preferred and how to predict her period was coming by the things she craved and what mood swung towards him rapidly and irrationally.

This was out of his depth.

‘I’m dying.’ Maisie wailed, sounding half shocked as she tried to sit up and pull her knees to her chest. ‘Daddy.’ Her voice warbled, desperate and scared before Owen wrapped his arms around her middle and scooped her up like she was nothing.

‘You’re not dying.’ He told her quietly. ‘It’s okay. This happens.’

‘It’s never happened before.’ She sobbed, so quick to assume her life was over. He didn’t blame the girl. She did come into this world unnaturally and with that came a whole blank slate in regard for what to expect.

His hand swept over her back, wide and comforting as he held her, rocking her softly. ‘You’re not dying, Mais.’ He wished so much that he could take it away for her, hurt so she would feel no pain. ‘It happens to girls, okay?’ He tried for soothing. ‘Even Claire.’

‘Claire?’ Maisie sniffled, tears still streaming in a steady force down her cheeks and onto his shoulder.

‘Yep. Every month.’ He walked her slowly, but surely, to the master bathroom. Owen set Maisie down in the bath, wincing when she whimpered, her hands clinging to his shirt. ‘Hey, you’re okay. Just need to get cleaned up alright?’ She let go, fingers unfurling slowly as she sat back and watched him turn the taps. ‘I’m going to go call Claire, alright? And get you some fresh clothes. I’ll be ten minutes.’ She was old enough to know when to turn the taps off and how hot was too hot for her skin. He knew he could trust her to clean the blood off of her body and hang tight until he came back.

His heart was hammering out of control, it felt like he had run a marathon without training. His head was all over the place, thoughts jumping here and there on how to handle this situation without Claire present. Maisie got her period. Her period. Naturally, he was the only one home.

Owen was a grown-ass man who wasn’t scared of a period. He just didn’t know what to do to help her. He called Claire’s number, listening to the dial tone while he begged her to pick up.

‘She has to go to school, Owen. It’s math quiz day and she is plenty prepared.’ Claire answered, voice a little hollow thanks to the Bluetooth connection in her car. It made him smile to think she knew what he was going to say before he said it––in part.

‘What if she’s got her period and she’s currently convinced she’s dying.’

‘Owen––‘

‘I told her she’s not dying.’ He interjected, covering his bases before she demanded he go calm their daughter down.

‘Fuck.’ Was all she said, line quiet with nothing but car noises. ‘Eleven is too young, Owen. It’s too young, isn’t it? Is that normal? Surely kids aren’t getting their periods at eleven––I was thirteen.’ She rambled; the same sort of coping mechanism Owen had adopted.  

Owen shrugged, knowing full well that Claire couldn’t see him. ‘Unless she’s bleeding and howling in pain for another reason, in which case I will meet you at the hospital.’ He tried to joke but fear caught on to the last of his sentence, choking him. She’s okay, he had to tell himself. Eleven-year-old girls don’t get anything but their periods or the flu.

‘Owen, I don’t have anything at home for her. She’s––I’m not giving her tampons. She’s eleven.’ She would have to go to the store, which added a further delay between Claire and getting home to them. ‘Okay, ah. Can you get her a heat pack––not too hot, don’t burn my daughter, please––and some painkillers?’ She rattled off her list like he didn’t know the drill and yet Owen was oddly comforted by the reassurance that his thoughts were in the right place. ‘Oh, and Owen! Elevate her ankles, it should help with the pain.’ He nodded, telling her he understood. ‘Text me if we need anything else. Tell her I’ll be home soon.�� It was almost as if he could hear Claire’s heart break over the phone, her words wet as she disconnected to focus on the busy roads.

He fished out Claire’s heat pack from the cupboard in the laundry while also grabbing a fresh pair of pyjamas for Maisie while he was there. With the wheat pack in the microwave, Owen went on a hunt for clean underwear. There was plenty for Maisie sitting in the to be packed away pile in the laundry but they all made him stop. They were all white, or similarly coloured in a fabric too light for a girl who had currently bled right through a pair. He didn’t want her to damage her cute little girl knickers with their puppy images and little stars. He needed those to stay sweet and innocent, away from this momentous step into womanhood. Owen wasn’t ready for the little girl they took in a little over two years ago to grow up. He was still in a blissful easy parenting stage of treating her like his baby and now the beginnings of a teenager were staring him down, dark red in her bed linen. He would have to go in there and strip it off her bed before it dried or seeped into her mattress.

The buzzer rang, telling him the wheat pack was thoroughly warm and ready to help ease Maisie’s pain. He pulled the medicine box down from the pantry, retrieving a box of pain killers from within before he plucked Maisie’s drink bottle from where it sat beside her packed lunch on the bench. With everything in hand, Owen returned upstairs and to the whimpers that followed from the bathroom.

‘I’m sorry, Mais.’ He cooed at her, chest tightening as she turned wide and pained eyes on him. There were fresh tears on her cheeks, proof that she had been crying while he was gone. ‘I’ve got some pain relief’ He shook the box before popping a pill out and handing it to her alongside her drink bottle. Owen was grateful in that moment that Maisie had no qualms about swallowing pills. ‘Give that half an hour, okay? You should start feeling better by then. You can hop out if you’re ready.’

‘What if I get blood on everything?’ She sniffled, her eyes on Claire’s fluffy white towels hanging from the towel rack.

‘Don’t worry about it. And hey, Mom’s on her way home.’ He gave her a supportive smile. ‘You going to be okay to get out?’ His eyes were on her shaking hands on either side of the tub, concern suddenly overwhelming him. Could he leave her alone unguarded and trust that she could dry and dress herself?

She gave him an uncertain nod. ‘Okay, well, I’ve got to get you some underwear but I’m going to be right outside the door.’ He was leaving it open a crack, for his own sanity.

Owen turned to the large dresser that occupied space in the master bedroom. He didn’t want Maisie ruining her clothes, but he was more than okay for her to ruin his. Without hesitation, Owen pulled a pair of his boxer briefs out from the drawer and handed them to Maisie through the crack in the door.

New underwear. He sent Claire a text.

Darker colours? Won’t show blood. He elaborated, hoping that there was something of the kind available in Maisie’s size. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember what the kids’ underwear section in Target looked like.

It took a little longer than usual for her to dress, while he sat on the end of the bed with one of Claire’s hair ties around his wrist and the heat pack a little too hot in his hands. ‘These are too big.’ Maisie frowned at him; face still pinched in pain while she held onto the waistband of his underwear.

‘I know, c’ mere.’ She stepped towards him on shaky legs, spine bent forward as if she couldn’t straighten it. He took the waistband and pulled it until it sat firm around her waist before he curled the excess fabric and tied it off with Claire’s elastic. ‘That’ll do until Claire’s back. Here.’ He handed her the heat pack like she might know what to do with it. Maisie took it, holding the rectangle in her hand, smiling sweetly at the dog pattern printed on it. ‘You put it on your tummy.’ He showed her, moving her hands until it touched her abdomen. ‘Or on your back. Takes some of the hurt away.’

Sensing her want to stand no longer, Owen picked Maisie up again, easily lifting the girl and holding her for a minute before he put her down in the centre of his and Claire’s bed. Maisie curled herself into a ball, arms wrapped around her middle, holding the heat pack to her stomach as she made herself as small as possible.

‘I just want it to stop hurting.’ Maisie cried, the sound reaching right into his chest to stop his beating heart.

He sat on the bed beside her, large hand rubbing at her back. ‘I’m trying.’ Owen heard his throat crack. ‘You need to give it a few minutes.’ He wished he could do more, but this was all Owen was capable of. In solidarity, Owen stretched himself out alongside her, willingly forgetting about her soiled bed linen that desperately needed to be thrown in the wash. Maisie moved as soon as he was comfortable, wiggling until her body was tucked against his side, her tears hot through the fabric of his shirt.

She only lasted a minute, unable to keep still or get comfortable, before she was climbing on top of him, the heat pack burning between their bodies as her head found comfort on his chest. His hands did what they could, rubbing soothing circles up and down her spine, trying to alleviate at least a little of her pain.

‘Why is this happening to me?’ She wailed, hand rubbing at the side of her face that wasn’t sitting heavy against his shirt. The words were caught in his mouth; Owen didn’t know how to explain this to her. He understood the mechanics and the reason but he was falling short of an explanation that didn’t make him feel completely awkward.

He would hold her, rub her back, fetch her endless heat packs and pain killers, but Owen Grady was not explaining the ins and outs of periods to his eleven-year-old. That was why Claire was on her way home, already torn to shreds with guilt that she hadn’t prepared any of them enough for this.

‘Mom will be home soon.’ He soothed, focusing on the movements of his hands as he listened to her whimper. He did everything he could do, now it was Claire’s turn. ‘She’ll make it all better.’

***

He didn’t know how long it took for Claire to get home, but it felt like hours. Maisie hadn’t stopped crying. She was quieter now, no great big sobs but small sighs and a steady stream of tears. Owen was confident that the girl was drifting in and out of sleep, not pain-free enough to snooze uninterrupted but exhausted enough that she couldn’t help herself.

When he heard the sound of Claire’s keys dropping to the bench downstairs, Owen’s chest lifted. He listened to his heart skip in his chest, excited just to see her let alone receive the support he so desperately needed. His heart sung for Maisie; Mom’s here to fix it now. His hand rubbed across the small of her back, small motions, firm and fixed. He almost woke her in anticipation, fingers itching to poke the girl and send her running towards her mother. He couldn’t do that. It took her so long to find some peace the last thing he wanted was to disrupt that.  

He inhaled the smell of Maisie’s strawberry scented kids’ shampoo, clinging to the dark locks on her head as his ears strained for sounds of Claire in the hall. She appeared almost without warning, her feet were noiseless, careful and quiet as she padded down the hall before stopping in the doorway. Owen watched her heart break, face dropping into a mournful frown once she spotted Maisie and Owen. He could see it, the crack of her heart, willingly dividing itself in two for her hurting daughter.

‘Oh, Mais,’ Claire sighed, quiet and careful as she tiptoed to her side of the bed. The mattress moved under her weight, welcoming Claire into the cocoon and sanctity they built in a desperate move to make Maisie’s life pain-free. ‘Oh, baby.’ Claire’s hand dropped to Owen’s head, her fingers skating through his hair but her eyes were on Maisie’s face, staring as if she could look right through her. ‘Hey, sweetheart.’ Her voice changed pitch, smile pulling slowly across her cheeks as her hand moved from Owen’s head to Maisie’s. ‘Daddy said you weren’t feeling well.’ She cooed, brushing the hair out of Maisie’s eyes. Easily, Claire laid herself out alongside them, tucking herself under Owen’s arm where she could be with Maisie.

Maisie nodded against his chest. ‘It hurts.’ She whined, body tensing once again, the pain in full force now that it was at the forefront of her mind. ‘I’m bleeding.’ Maisie told Claire, seeking out the same reassurance Owen had given her that she wasn’t dying.

Claire gave her a funny little frown. ‘That’s one of the unfortunate parts of being a girl.’ Her hand reached for Maisie, swiping a soothing stroke down her back, fingers gracing Owen’s on the way past. ‘I got you something.’ It was a heat pack of Maisie’s very own, shoved inside the plush body of a light brown rabbit. ‘Do you think you can get up for me?’ Her fingers were gentle, barely there between Maisie’s shoulder blades, eyes warm and intent as she looked at the girl.

Maisie was hesitant. He could feel it, her hands clung to his shirt for a second before she gave a small nod and shakily sat up. She shuffled to the end of the bed slowly, her hand still holding Owen’s before her feet dangled off the end then jumped to the floor. She couldn’t stand up straight, the intensity of her cramps had her bowled over, arms wrapped around her middle, spine unwilling to cooperate with her usual straight stance. Owen wanted to pick her up, wrap her in his arms and let her stay in bed until this was all over. But he knew what Claire was there to do and it had to be done sooner or later. If he wanted to lessen his load of blood-soaked clothes, it would have to be sooner.  

Claire was frowning, heart still visibly breaking as she watched Maisie shuffle to the end of the bed. They had been fortunate that in the years they had Maisie she was rarely sick or injured but it made those moments extra tough. Owen and Claire didn’t like to see her hurting. She deserved more than that.

‘I’ve got it now, Dad. You did good.’ Claire kissed his cheek, her hand patting his chest before she jumped up to follow Maisie.

He knew Claire had it from here and yet Owen couldn’t help but sit on their bed and stare at the closed bathroom door. He was waiting for Maisie to cry out or Claire to holler, both of them needing him for something. Maisie’s hiccoughed little cries were bouncing around in his head, keeping him anchored to the spot. If she needed him, he would be right there.

The door cracked open, making Owen jump; ready to be whatever she needed. Claire poked her head out, ‘can you get me some underwear please … that aren’t yours.’

‘But hers are going to get ruined.’

‘Owen––‘ Claire sighed as she pushed a small but patient smile across her cheeks. ‘––You can’t protect her from everything.’ She pulled herself out of the doorway so her hand could find his stubbled cheek. ‘I know you want to, but this is life. It was going to happen eventually.’

‘It could have held off another year.’ Claire nodded, unable to disagree.

She gave him a shrug, there was nothing they could do now that it was here. ‘I know.’ Claire mumbled with her lips pressed against his, her kiss tender, apologetic and thankful for his patience. ‘She’s still our Maisie.’ Claire reminded him, feeling like the mood was turning far too mournful. ‘She’s just pubescent Maisie. Nothing we can’t survive.’ Her fingers tapped his cheek, it wasn’t going to be easy.’

‘We’ve lost so much time with her.’ She knew how badly he would like to wind back the clock or to change the fates of their lives. He watched toddlers in coffee shops and on the beach with a certain kind of longing in his eyes.

Claire kissed him again, fleeting but reassuring. ‘She’s not going anywhere, babe.’ They had the rest of their lives to spend with her. Nine years was a lot to miss, but Claire was certain they made up for it. Owen had saved her life, Maisie was indebted to him and forever attached.

‘Mom?’ Maisie called from behind her, still waiting.

‘Can you go get the underwear for me, please?’ It was crucial to make sure Owen felt useful. He had done so much for Maisie already. Not only was Owen a great dad in general, but he had held down the fort on this problem until Claire was able to get there.

He had done his job, now he was left to the sidelines; fetching the things they needed upon request. He grabbed a pair of pale blue underwear from Maisie’s dresser and her favourite sweater from the drawer beneath it. Owen returned as quickly as he could, handing the underwear through the door to a waiting Claire. He sat on the end of the bed, staring blankly at the closed bathroom door while his hands mindlessly fiddled with the fur on Maisie’s new heat pack.

Maisie stepped through the bathroom door on shaky legs, Claire right behind her looking a little better than she had before. Owen felt something in his chest lift, relief flooding through him just to see her. She looked lighter, walked with a little more confidence despite the heavy weight that still pulled down from her shoulders. Owen opened his arms to her, Maisie stepping right into his embrace, her head falling on his chest. ‘Feeling better?’ He asked, large hands rubbing at her back.

She gave him a small nod. ‘It still hurts.’

‘I bet.’ He kissed the top of her head. ‘You wanna go watch a movie?’ He scooped her up at Maisie’s nod, hoisting the girl up into his arms. Maisie accepted the movement easily, arms wrapping around his neck and her knees tight on his waist.

‘Owen.’ Claire warned on a sigh, unsure if the words were for his back or the ridiculousness of his actions. Maisie didn’t need to be carried. They both turned to look at her, Maisie’s head sitting under Owen’s chin, identical looks on their faces. They needed this. Maisie was suffering and Owen wanted to feel like he could help if only in a little way. Claire wanted to argue, wanted to tell Owen that his back would not forgive him and that the exercise, no matter how little of it, was good for Maisie. She held her tongue. Instead, Claire picked up Maisie’s discarded heat pack in an attempt to make herself useful. She would warm it while they bickered over what teen movie they should watch.

In the meantime, Claire would call Maisie’s teacher to reschedule her quiz before succumbing to The Hunger Games for the sixth time that month, sandwiched between Owen and her daughter.