#Hank in tiny shorts I would draw this but I have no TIME I’m going insane

[mooseonahunt]

He gets it. And I’m imagining it so hard.

[earnestly-endlessly]

*flies in like magneto* can i get some exes to lovers™?

Do I have some exes to lovers fics for you? Yes I certainly do. It seems that the cherik fandom loves some exes to lovers cherik and I don't blame anyone because this ship really calls for all the angst. I hope you enjoy this list.

Exes to Lovers AU

Bound – FuryRed

Summary: Is there anything worse than someone else’s wedding? Well, perhaps your sister’s wedding- where the groom just has to invite his boss and that man just happens to be your ex-boyfriend; a person you had an extremely passionate and tumultuous relationship with that ended badly.

Charles hadn’t seen Erik for a year by the time Raven had told him about the wedding. He wasn’t looking forward to the occasion, particularly when Raven explained that they would be celebrating the event with a two-week extravaganza at a luxury hotel, meaning that Charles would be forced to spend a whole fortnight with the man who he’d given everything to; the man who had ultimately broken his heart…

Preheat to 350 (just for you remix) – ikeracity

Summary: Charles realizes he's in love with Erik. But there's one tiny little problem: he just broke up with Erik.

Thread Through a Needle – Black_Betty

Summary: Erik and Charles are broken up. Neither of them want to be.

Carry Me Anew (Frost & Darkholme Remix) – kianspo

Summary: While working as a model for Raven and Emma's clothing line, Erik experiences a strong attraction to his shoot partner. These things happen, except Erik has a boyfriend, who does not take this at all well.

Linger like a tattoo kiss – ikeracity

Summary: Six months apart gives Erik a lot of time to think about what he really wants.

(Erik's POV from Carry Me Anew (Frost & Darkholme Remix) by kianspo)

Symphysis – ikeracity

Summary: After Charles and Erik broke up four months ago, Charles convinced himself he'd never see Erik again. But life has a funny way of bringing people back together.

Call/Response – phalangine

Summary: Charles and Erik have a real conversation for the first time since breaking up. Charles is looking to avoid confrontation. Erik is not.

Regression Therapy – Fantine_Black

Summary: O, God, he’d made a terrible mistake. Whatever he’d expected to find here, Erik was still Erik, a man he’d moved continents to avoid. In retrospect, that felt like a rather good idea…

Four years after Charles walked away from Professor Lehnsherr, the two meet again for a drink.

Because things are better the second time round, aren't they?

Forever is Only a Drunk Dial Away – bettysofia

Summary: Charles is sad and drunk and stalking Erik's Instagram.

Shop Space – Caradee

Summary: Charles and Erik break up but still meet at their favorite coffee shop and manage a completely friendly relationship. The kids who work the coffee shop don't understand it, Charles' overprotective twin brother doesn't understand it, and even Charles doesn't understand it. Then, Erik shows up with a new date, someone who seems to be everything that Charles is not.

How will the Professor handle the surprising heartbreak that comes seeing Erik with someone else?

Mutant House at Dead Kings College – mabyn

Summary: When it comes to romance, Charles has terrible timing.

Can You Feel My Heart – FuryRed

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr hates Charles Xavier.

It’s as true as the words written on the wall in the bathroom at the university that Erik attends. Erik sees them one day- accompanied by a crude drawing of Erik and Charles glaring at each other- and recognises the truth of the sentence, and smiles.

He hates Charles.

Probably…

Believe (One More Time) – luninosity

Summary: For the prompt, Charles and Erik dated during college and had a bitter break-up right before graduation. It's five years later and they both meet again at their class's reunion for a weekend. Someone was even stupid enough to have them room with each other for the weekend...

Old Flame Burning – TurtleTotem

Summary: It's ridiculous for Charles to dread meeting the best man at his sister's wedding, just because he shares a name with Charles's ex. It's not as though it could possibly be the same Erik.

Don’t speak to the bartender – Wild_Imagination

Summary: Logan is a bartender, it's a gloomy evening, and in his bar there's someone with a broken heart. But this is not a movie.

Right?

Somewhere I’m Going & Have Never Been Before – Yahtzee

Summary: In late December 1984, Charles falls victim to the terrible pandemic sweeping across the globe. He's sick, probably dying, and utterly alone in an isolated cabin...until he's not.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland – TurtleTotem

Summary: Charles hasn't seen Erik since their devastating breakup ten years ago. He's certainly the last person he expects to run into at a Christmas lights display.

Lean On Me – SpiritsFlame

Summary: Ten years ago, Charles and Erik split up, dividing their six kids between them. None of them expect them to meet at summer camp. And no one could have predicted the results.

It was a yellow umbrella spring – ikeracity

Summary: Three years after Charles left for Oxford, Erik discovers that Charles is coming back to New York.

Second chances are wonderful things.

My heart above my head – annejumps

Summary: Emma thinks her coworker Erik and her friend and fellow telepath Charles should get together. No one expects things to get so intense so quickly.

The Edge of What Doesn’t End – populuxe

Summary: When a mysterious object appears on the moon, Moira MacTaggert calls in two experts with very specific mutations to investigate.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, after years of breaking up and getting back together again, those two experts have finally broken up for good—and they’re the last people in the world who should be stuck together on a spaceship.

Exit Wounds – LemonadeGarden

Summary: It's been eight months since Charles and Erik had a fight that broke apart their marriage. When a mutant rights protest goes awry and Charles begins to get sick, past memories and present obstacles begin to blur the lines of their ideological differences.

Alternatively: Charles and Erik learn how to fall in love again in troubled times.

Note: Unfinished

11 Days, 8 Hours and 12 Minutes (or Bruises, Stupidity and Anger Management) – ximeria

Summary: For six months, Erik and Charles have been the disgustingly happy couple of the school. Considering their pigheadedness and general communication skills (or lack thereof), things are bound to go boom at some point.

Moon Song – ikeracity

Summary: Werewolf AU. When Charles is captured by hunters, Erik and his pack go after him. It turns out there might be some room for redemption left for both of them after all.

I will Never Stop Loving You – swoopswoop

Summary: Erik and Charles split up three years ago but Erik never really got over it and then one day when the man who walked out of his life three years ago is walking down the street towards him, Erik sees an opportunity to mend fences.

Please leave your message after the tone – ikeracity

Summary: Spending his evening getting shitfaced and pining over Erik seems like a totally productive use of Charles's time. Luckily, it turns out to be a better idea than it sounds.

When the Spell Breaks – kianspo

Summary: Erik, a high-profile lawyer with a successful career, meets a 21-year-old grad student in a bar, and within a few short months marries him. He and Charles are blissfully happy, until Erik's boss runs a background check on Charles and discovers he's been cheating on Erik. Charles denies everything, as there was no affair, but Erik doesn't believe him and throws him out. As Charles tries to figure out how to survive and stay at school that he can no longer afford and makes a lot of bad if not plain dangerous choices, Erik has to fight his own battle of discovering the truth and winning Charles back.

We have not touched the stars, nor are we forgiven (the things you love don’t last remix) – hllfire

Summary: Charles hands Erik the signed divorce papers, but Erik has changed his mind. Too late, it seems. All he can do is go forward with the divorce.

A year later, Charles comes back, and Erik can't help but wanting to see him. The only problem is things don't go like Erik had planned.

Suddenly There’ll Be a Blizzard (Let it Snow Remix) – kianspo

Summary: Charles was never at his best while jetlagged, but locking himself out in a snowstorm while barely dressed might be a new low. The last thing he expected was to be rescued by his high school nemesis, the man he hadn't seen in over ten years, who might have broken his heart for good once upon a time.

Write this number down (you can call it anytime) – pocky_slash

Summary: When Erik upsets his children, they have a habit of running away from home--and straight to Charles' school for cookies and consolation. Charles doesn't mind the visitors, but as they appear more and more frequently, he realizes that sooner or later, he and Erik are going to have to talk about what happened on the beach and what it means for their future and the future of Erik's children.

All we do is break up (and make up) – Stuckyl0v3r

Summary: "So instead of making the most out of this next months, because you don't know where either of you is going to end up, you decided to stay away from each other to get used to the feeling?" Hank summed up, stopping in front of the class. Charles nodded his head confidently and beamed at him, but somehow his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, something like that."

Well, that was the most idiotic plan Hank's ever heard.

Three wheels of cheese and a Great White – ximeria

Summary: Charles and Erik were friends with benefits in college.

They went their separate ways and 18 years later, they run into each other in New York.

The sex was never a problem back in college - and sex was all it had been. But now Erik is a divorced father and Charles has admitted to himself he needs more than just sex in a relationship. So in their usual round-about way they try to navigate becoming friends after so many years. The whole quest is aided by Raven, Edie, Wanda and Pietro (and a large number of shark jokes).

[oh-for-fic-sake]

It’s A Match Chapter Two

Masterlist

Summary: as you and henry become closer he lets his family know there may be a new woman on the scene. And you surprize him by moving a little quicker then he had thought. Not that he is against it. He is all to eager to move along to the next step.

Warnings: RPF, Swearing, Angst, Heated Discussions, Fluff.

A/N: here is chapter two, this will only be a short fic maybe there or four chapters but i hope you all like it. This is just me writing down my fluffy fantasy.

Taglist: In Reblogs.

'Shes a big fluffy teddy bear, and loves hugs, even if Shes crushing me~' henry froze hands quivering nervously over the keyboard. You replied? You actually? Holy shit! He bit his lip sitting up straighter with a grin and smoothed his hair back. He wasn't sure why it made him so happy but? He had a reply, and actual reply from a person! A woman!

Now what?

He wracked his brain and frowned. What does he say? Does he ask questions or just talk about dogs? He didn't know all he did know is that he had messaged a complete stranger and she had messaged back.

'I can imagine moving her must be hard work if she's comfy'

'Yeah but on the plus side she's always warm~ a huge hot water bottle'

'A numb but warm set of legs then😂'

'Absolutely! That sounds like the talk of a man who's been there?'

'Yes I have an American Akita, a very snuggly boy that gives me atleast one dead leg a day😅'

'Aww I love Akita's, I was going to get one but them Amii sort of fell into my lap, and has stayed there ever since'

'Big or small a lap dog is a lap dog'

'Definitely😂' Henry paused. Shit what does he do now? Does he just ask questions? Explain a bit more about himself? Both seemed a little too juvenile... And it was scary... Awkward he wants a nice chat, for conversation to flow naturally. He didn't want to fuck up. There was another ping as you typed another message.

' I have to say I'm surprized I got a message on here, only been on here for a few days😅' henry was thankfull, you wasn't going to judge. You were both in the same boat. Both nervously talking to a stranger in the hopes of there being something more. It made replying a little easier, he hoped that things would get less awkward after breaking the ice.

'Really? I made mine today... not sure about all this new online stuff but will figure it out'

'Well I'd say your doing alright,  at least you had the courage to message someone, i made the profile then chickened out😅'

'I almost did, your the first profile that caught my eye'

'Was it Amii?'

'No, as cute as she is you lacked a duck face selfie, and you look very sweet and have kind eyes' henry froze after sending the message. Shit, shit! That was fucking cheese! Cringe and just a fuck up! He quickly wracked both hands through his hair and cursed trying to think of a way to get out of this but nothing came to mind... And then he saw it the tiny y/n is typing... At the bottom of the screen, he winced dreading the reply he was going to get. He bit his lip worried he hopes he hasn't tripped at the first hurdle.

'Thank you that's kind of you to say. And is a missing duck face that strange?🤔'

'Every woman has a duck face'

'Well I do not have a duck face'

'Really?🤨'

'Well not a good one 😅My duck face is sub par more a fish face, call me guppy😂' he chuckled, you did have a sense of humour which was good. He liked making people laugh and not having them take everything so seriously, it meant he could relax and let loose. To just have fun! He heaved a big sigh unconsiously petting Kal as he sat up and leant on his leg. He quickly began typing once more finding it easier chatting with a stranger with each message.

'🤣🤣 I got to admit I'm not sure what to talk about, this is my first time🤔'

'Well that makes us both online virgins😅lets start with the important things shall we?' Henry froze panicking. 'Oh god! Oh god! What ere you going to ask?!' He thought watching the little dots on the screen holding his breath dreading you'd ask for picture or something. He was put out of his misery with a tiny ping sound and your message popped up. He threw his head back and laughed outloud seeing the all important question.

'Who's your favourite superhero?' You were definitely a geek girl, just like he wanted. He bit his lip and typed without needing to think of the answer.

'Superman, afterall he is the grand daddy of all superheroes. You?'

'Oh your not gonna like this~ I love batman🤗' henry smiled at the screen and leant back wiping his mouth trying to massage the ache from his cheeks. He really was grinning ear to ear just from speaking to you so... Unguarded he was just being himself and it was freeing!

'Oh no!😱can I ask why?' He typed quickly not wanting you to think he was going to keep you on read? Was that what they called it nowadays?

'He proves that at 30 you can have a dramatic goth early midlife crisis and that regular assholes can be heroes too, all you need is money🤗🤗'

'🤣🤣 oh god! You know I never thought of it like that!' henry shook his head laughing out loud as he replied

'But you'll be happy to know supes is number three on my list'

'Well he makes the top three so that's salvageable😆'

'Yeah... Two is Captain America though'

'Rich goth with issues, man with an expensive tea tray, then supes got it 👌👍'

'Omg yes!😂that's sums it up beautifully🤣' after that the conversation moved on which he was a little thankful for. Not that he disliked geeking out but... it'd be easy for him to slip up on that subject. Luckily though he didn't have to think of a change of topic as you began chatting away casually about your day and he did in return before long the conversation was over too soon as you stated you really had to get on with filling out these payslips. So the chat drew to a close with promises of speaking tomorrow.

And you kept your promise. For the next week you both spent your evenings chatting away at one another becoming fast friends. That was when he decided to let his family know in the new weekly face time zoom chats.

He looked to the screen fidgeting as his family spoke amongst themselves trying to find the right moment to break the news. But his mother had noticed and asked him out right, leaning closer to the screen watching him worriedly.

"Henry? Are you alright your looking nervous?" The others stopped speaking at the question and henry heaved a sigh nervously twisting his fingers.

"Yeah yeah I... I just have some news... Is all" he said swallowing trying to find the words. He was worried, it had been a while since he'd tried to introduce someone new into his life and his family. He didn't want to alarm them but... he wanted to forewarn them that he was on his way to hopefully sharing his life with someone.

"News? Oh its nothing bad is it?" His younger brother asked, but his oldest paused straightening up with a smile already guessing his brother had taken his advice.

"No nothing bad... Its really good actually... I'm sort of... well I'm speaking to someone online... A woman"  he stuttered rubbing the back of his neck and called Kal onto the sofa with him stroking his fur trying to calm himself and fend of the huge grin that seemed to spread across his face everytime he thought of you.

"You did it?" His eldest brother called out clapping his hands excitedly. A ripple of confusion washed over the others and they frowned looking to one another unsure what had happened between the two.

"Did what love?" His mother finally asked not understanding what her sons were talking about

"I made an online dating profile" he said plainly drawing gasps from everyone.

"Oh gosh love are you okay? Your not being hounded are you?" His mother jumped immediately concern etched deep in her features. His father looked uncomfortable-hell they all did! Each worrying over him. He wasn't surprized they had seen fans both love and hate on him and his partners.

"No mum its fine-better then fine I'm really carful... I've covered my ass and no one knows its me, she doesn't know" he said trying to placate his family but instead he was rewarded with disappointed faces, tutting and small, cringing hisses. Fuck.

"Oh god Henry you haven't made a fake profile? Tell me you didn't- please tell me your not lying to this poor woman" his father scolded sternly. His dad may not be up to speed with all this new age online dating shenanigans but he did know that it was wrong to lie to a potential partner. Just thinking that one of his boys were doing just that left a bad taste in his mouth. If he could he would clip his son around the ear!

"Well no not exactly- its me and I'm myself on there I just... changed my name to Hank... And crop my photos so she can see me but not recognise me that's all! I swear I'm not lying or-or anything!" he explained willing then to understand but with the deep sighs and unimpressed looks he got it would seem they didn't understand or approve.

"Are you sure about this? What will she think if things get serious and then this young lady finds out you've been lying?" he father spoke up again wanting to hash this out. Henry faltered for a moment, he worried about that too. He was frightened that you'd get angry and leave him without even giving him a chance!

"I'm not lying, I just? just omitting certain details about my life, I'm being me I'm showing her the real quirky geeky side of me- this is? Its my one shot! The only chance I'm going to get to have someone look at me, not what they can get out of me... I'm not going to blow it or hurt her... if we get to that point then I will explain things- she'd understand she's really thoughtful and is logical" henry pleaded trying to convince both himself and his family. He cant ignore it, he was worried and had been telling himself over and over you'd understand. But he also knew it could really shake you up. But what he was doing wasn't wrong! It couldn't be helped, he thought they would understand!

"Well I hope so because you could break her heart son... And I want you to understand that, this woman could fall for you. You could really upset her when she finds out" his father finally spoke drawing the issue to a close not wanting to argue, but he still wanted henry to know what ever happens was his own fault good or bad. Not everything ends with a happy ever after, but he didn't need to voice that out loud. Henry knew, they all did.

"I know dad, I've only been speaking to her just over a week anyway, for all i know she will ghost me or something" henry nodded calming a little not wanting to fight but still it was clear to everyone henry hadn't appreciated the lecture.

"Ghosting?" he mum perked up trying to diffuse the situation not wanting this to blow up. Tensions were high and no one needed a family spat at the moment.

"Its when someone stop talking to you and ignores you for no reason" his brother revealed explaining the term to his parents. They both ahh'd in realisation but were still a little tense. So his younger brother spoke up deciding to try and be more supportive to him. And henry was thankful.

"Well how about you tell us about her henry. What's you lady freind like? What does she do?" henry quickly grinned forgetting the irritation. His family watched the sudden change as henry got the chance to boast about the woman who had caught his fancy. It was sobering to see, he was glowing with pride and excitement, overjoyed from just thinking about this mystery girl.

"She's just? God where do I start? Shes amazing and funny and wholesome... She doesn't live too far away- Shes pretty much on my doorstep! Shes really funny and nice we talk everyday and have soo much in common its amazing we like the same music and tv and just- everything! Its like talking to a female version of myself! And Shes a fan too" his family all seemed to warm to the idea of this woman until his final remark. Everyone paused. And so did he, what was so wrong about her being a fan? Why was that a red flag for them and not him?

"A fan? Henry... are you sure she doesn't know? If she's a fan she might know and be... making her answers more favourable" henry bristled at that and visibly leaned back brows furrowed and eyes glowing, showing as much anger as he dared show his mother who had spoken out against you.

"What? No! No she doesn't mum she hasn't got a clue- Shes not a fan of mine per say but? She likes my work, she's a huge lover of DC and fantasy so has seen the Witcher and she loved it! Shes really just like me! Is that really hard to believe? That there are women like me? That enjoy the same things?" what had started as a panicked explination quickly became heated and sour. His words slowly becoming uncharacteristically venomous. But Marie Ann new it was just him getting defensive, he was frightened. He had this silly belief he was an abnormality, that his interests will make him forever alone. The thing that did stand out was just how defensive he was about you. A woman he'd probably not even met yet, someone he was only chatting to. It wasn't like henry to take to someone soo quickly. It made her hopeful, that he really had found someone, found his soulmate. But she was a mother and couldn't help worry over him, no matter how old or huge her boys got they were just that. Her boys. And she will always feel the need to look after them.

"Henry please don't get angry, I didn't mean to upset you but... I worry" she said slowly trying to calm him before he got himself into a tizzy. She could see much more then he wanted her too. And right now he was anxious, probably questioning himself over this woman and the way he was approaching her. She could only hope her son was right and had covered his ass and that this woman was as understanding as he said. Otherwise henry was about to get a wakeup call like never before. It wasn't everyday a well known actor fakes a dating profile. It'd be a media shitstorm that he may not recover from.

"I.. sorry I didn't mean to- y/n isn't like that I... I just know alright she isn't after anything" henry apologized smoothing back his hair taking a huge breath and leant back once more relaxing.

"So why don't you tell us a little more about her son? You've been speaking for a week so must know a little more then her name and were she lives?" she said moving on wanting to coax more information about the woman.

"Well she has her own successful business that caters to dogs, walking, grooming and rehoming and is a kc registered breeder. Shes thirty years old and... Absolutely stunning- and no she hasn't filtered any photos either...wait here! See?! Isn't she beautiful?" Henry gushed quickly bringing up your profile picture he had saved on his phone and holding the phone to the camera. He heard a few compliments but could still see the worry in his family. He understood but he just new. He new that you were real, that you were honest and everything you said you were. You were blunt and didn't have time for games, you said life's too short for that crap. And he agreed.

"You have a photo saved already?" henry faltered at the question that had followed a round of compliments and quickly pulled his phone back flushing embarrassed he hadn't even thought of how that would look

"I.. w-well yeah... I'm gonna ask for her number soon and want a photo for my phone... We decided to stick to messaging for a while first and" he tried desperately to dig himself out of the hole he'd just unceremoniously swan dived into. But his brothers burst into laughter making whipping motions making him flush and shrink further. They were definetly going to busting his balls for this. But with a quick shake of his head he continued to gush about you wanting to side step this whole premature photo saving incident.

"she doesn't have Instagram or snapchat... she's just... I can't explain it she's just funny and sweet and genuine... I really like her.. I could easily fall for her" silence reigned after his admission and everyone saw just how serious and devoted henry was to trying to make this relationship work. His mum nodded with a smile, this was just a watch and wait scenario. This woman would either make or break her son, and all she could do was hope to god it was the former.

"Okay then love. I'm happy for you henry just be careful okay?" she finally drew the curtain on the subject and everyone sighed in relief.

"I will, I promise but you have nothing to worry about, I just wanted to let you guys know that i might have someone for you to meet in a few months" henry said eagerly, like a small boy waiting on Christmas eve. He was full of life and enthusiasm. It was nice to see this side to him again, she'd dare say he was well on his way to being loved up! Smitten.

"And we look forward to it henry, but take your time. There's no rush just enjoy yourself" one of his brothers spoke up jumping in on the conversation wanting to make it clear they all had his back whether this ended good or bad. For now they were happy for him.

"I will, we decided were wont meet for a while and just see how things go for the time being but... I have a good feeling, she's everything I've been looking for I'm really excited" henry preened trying to pace himself, he didn't need to be daydreaming in a family face time. Luckily he was pulled from the edge of his own fantasies by another question.

"You said she had a company?"

"Yeah here I'll send you the link its called Puptown! She's actually handled Kal a few times, I send him there for his nails and teeth" henry said quickly sending the link to his brother. He wasn't stupid they were going to look you up, they were worried. He might aswell sent them the link. There was a tiny bio on there of you- the owner on the staff page that had all the staffs qualifications and roles on there.

You moved through the groom room Amii was curled up under your desk fast asleep as you began taking a stock list. Recently you'd been getting more and more white dogs in for their groom so needed to top up on the bright white shampoo and it was tick season soon so had to double check you had all the tick removal forceps, and ear powder- lots of ear powder the poodle clients had doubled over lock down after all the new puppies bought in lockdown. Every dog deserves a professional groom. But poodles needed them.

"hey boss! You doing another check?" Mandy called as she hoisted a tiny black poem into the bath. Bella a regular and very few people could actually groom her out of the five staff only two of you dared to try. And you didn't blame them this dog was a tiny savage, but the trick was not to show fear.  

"yeah, trying to prepare for summer already, you know i think this will be our busiest yet especially with lord whiskey." you muttered nibbling the pen and moving a few bottles about. Flea treatment and some dry skin conditioner were quickly added to your growing list.

"lord whiskey?" Mandy asked louder over the sound of the shower instantly Bella began snarling like the hell demon she was. On walks and about the place she was a little soppy loving lap pup, but when it came to bath time? Different dog. You cant help thinking she had a bad experiance before she came here. You sighed and placed the pad and pen down standing along side the bathe and began petting the tiny dog.

"yeah they are the vet clinic for lower incomes... They want to set up a new clinic and have reached out" you explained you had to admit the request came out of the blue and you hadn't had chance to tell everyone yet. The staff meeting was on Friday.

"that would be good!" she said slowly wetting the snarling prom that was trying her absolute hardest to frighten you both off. But alas she was no great wolf, but a teeny cute little raging fluff nugget, and to her utter dispair neither you or Mandy found her scary at all. Even if she was trying to foam at the mouth.

"yeah that's what I thought, having a vet on site... We're still talking but if everything goes acording to plane we will have the mobile vet out front while setting up the small clinic... I was thinking in the old groom rooms? They had water and electricity already and its a littl out of the way so the unwell puppets can be separate from the healthy customers" you shrugged moving around Mandy to help tend to your most vocal customer.

"so business will be booming?" Mandy said moving to rinse underneath the small feral beast. You giggled and stood Bella on her back legs as she seethed but in between her savagery she was actually licking at you, showing a hint of the sweet girl she really was. You pet her praising her promising chicken treats and snuggles afterwards. You might even pop Amii in with the others in the small day care pen. Bella liked laying on her using the huge dog as a fluffy bed.

"yes hopefully, i mean were not taking anything for them, they are a charity but hopefully we will get a few visits in the shop? And the more people know about us the more likely they are to use us!" you said you had been weighing up the pros and cons about the new venture. More people visiting the premises, more footfall in the shop and hopefully you can draw enough people to have a little pet café. Your business was right on the edge of the huge woodland park you'd always wanted a small café that serves both animals and people you want a little empire to become a franchise company and give the little guys a chance.

"And how about you? Any luck on the online dating front?" she asked with a small smile. You sighed you half regretted telling her about it. Mandy has been with you since the beginning, she was your first employee and most trusted freind. And she has been hounding you about your love life for a while now. She wants you to take a step back from Puptown and find some time for yourself, and now that the business was established and ticking over nicely it was the time to do it.

"Ooo! Oh my god your blushing!? Bitch spill!" she squealed excited as you flushed and looked away not answering her. And by doing so answering her at the same time.

"I'm talking to someone~ Hank.. He is... Funny and charming we've been chatting each night for about a week" you revealed quietly making her beam at you. Thankfully Bella chose that moment to make a mad dive over your shoulder but you managed to catch her and pop her back into the tub.

"ooo yes get in girl, you have been pouring too much into this company! Its about damn time you focused on yourself" sandy began as she washed Bella lathering the pup with a rather expensive de-sheading anti tangle shampoo.

"Please don't start, I'm doing it now and that's what matters. He is... He messaged me first and things are going good and that's where I'm going to leave it okay? I will update you as we go... I promise" you said releasing the now wet pup as Mandy began rinsing her down. You stepped back to the shelves full of half empty bottles of product. needing to change the topic to avoid daydreaming and fucking up your orders. As great as the wholesaler was this was still expensive stuff and you didn't want to unbalance the books and get more then you needed.

"Oh Bella?~ baby girl its so bad isn't it? Being brushed and washed and massaged? Then getting yourself a blow out and having a nap in the nice cosy play room?" you called over your shoulder condescendingly at the pup who was still snarling out her displeasure. She really was a little brat in the bath.

Another week passed and you were lazing around the house having a duvet day, snuggled in bed with Amii on your lap. Normally your days off were all housework and finalizing orders or paper work but this week was different. With lord whiskey agreeing to taking the old groom room you decided to finally get an extra set of hands in management to take care of paperwork. It was strange at first but worth it. You now hade someone else to rely on, not that you didn't have managers to help out before but now you had a full time employee that's whole role was to take care of the business side and alleviate the pressure. So instead of the normal made rushes and mountain of paperwork you were in bed chatting away with henry.

He had just finished his work out and was relaxing, having a cool down before having yet another painfully boring sounding meeting with his own bosses. You sympathised. Practical work was the bomb! But the theory and paperwork kicked everyones asses. Risk assessments can eat shit! I'm a person and can asses the risk and decided to do it, why answer to a tick box system? But then again everything needed a tick in a box nowadays. You shuffled about grunting as Amii played dead on your lap so you couldn't move her from the comfy slump she was in over your thighs pinning you down.

'Soo you said you game?'  was the message that changed the subject, thankfully choosing to move on from speaking about work.

'God yes, when I can'

'What do you play? Sims and stuff?'

'depends if I'm on pc or xbox I'm more into fantasy and historic rpgs, but if I'm on my switch its little farming sims sometimes I branch out to things like shooters but not often, I like the big immersive fantasies!'

'So you really do mix and match are you playing anything atm?'

'I'm doing a re-run of skyrim with a load of mods just to spice things up. And just restarted Witcher wild hunt again'

'You like Witcher?'

'I adore it, Witcher skyrim and dragon age are my all time favourites, do you? Sorry I realise I'm just takeing over, I just get excited, I never really talk about this stuff 😅😅'

'No, no its fine I'm the same, I never really get to geek out anymore with work and stuff. I'm happy to have the chance, and I do love the Witcher too fantasy is my thing😄' henry paused for a moment. Should he? I mean you just said you were replaying it... Would it be big headed? To ask what you thought of the show? Of his performance... I mean it'd be an unbiased view, you wasn't going to try and butter him up you still didn't know it was him.

'So you've watched the show on Netflix I presume?' he typed and pressed send quickly before he lost his nerve.

'Absolutly, I binge watched it a few times.😅'

'You liked it? I know a few people didn't' henry couldn't help but dig a little deeper, he desperately wanted you to have enjoyed it.

'I loved it, but I think it was easier for me to watch bc I new what was roughly going on before hand. Most people that struggled thought it was going to be an easy watch? Like got'

'Oh come on, there must be something you didn't like?🤔🤔'

'😞okay you got me, I was a tad disappointed with geralts eyes you can do the toxic eyes and cat eye potion at least give me a teeny cat eye just a smidge🤏🥺'

'Yes I see what you mean, their could have been a little frame of it but there are always sacrifices when going from books to the big screen 😅'

'But henry's portrayal more then made up for it! That man was on point! I was so happy when they anounced it was him playing Geralt there was no way he was going to fuck it up!' henry stopped breathing. You liked it? You actually like him playing Geralt? His heart swelled and he laughed out loud for some reason you enjoying his work just... It meant the world to him! He was over the moon. Quickly his attention was drawn to his tablet again as another message pinged on screen.

'And I have a little fan theory over the whole eye issue😏'

'Hit me with it I'm all ears'

'Geralt has complete control of his eyes right? And is a softy deep down so my idea was he is always holding his pupils open so he doesn't scare anyone'

'🧐that is brilliant! It makes so much sense! 🥰🥰 its also nice to know I have a little conspiracy fangirl on my hands😁'  henry frowned heart clenching as you went quiet, he waited and waited minuets seemed like hours. His mind immediately jump to conclusions terrified you had caught him, that you'd figured out just who you were speaking to. Sweat formed on his brow as he frowned praying he hadn't got a little to close to home and given himself away. Then the dots appeared. You were typing.

'So I was wondering I know we agreed not to at first but since we've chatting every night I thought we could maybe exchange numbers? Only if you want to! No pressure. I'm just excited' henry slumped, melting into his seat. Thank fuck for that! His relief quickly became excitement at the prospect of hearing you! Actually speaking to you properly having an actual phone call? Fuck yes!

'😊😊I was actually trying to find the time to mention it myself, i know its only been three weeks but it feels much longer.'

'Omg thank god! I thought you would think i was rushing you😅here xxx xxxx xxxx' henry was quick to pull out his phone and type the number in, not wasting any time in creating your contact info into his phone book. And whislt doing that also replied to you putting you at ease.

'No not at all, I'm excited I cant wait to hear you🥰'

'Oh god don't build your hopes to high I don't have the most attractive voice it may be the deal breaker😅'

'I doubt that anything could put me off you love, your gorgeous, smart, funny, kind everything I could of dreamed of and soo much more'

'I'm glad its not only me Hank, I have to say I was frightened by how quickly we have become friends, but I suppose it makes sense we are two peas in a pod' henry grinned reading the message and nodded to himself pressing the small green call button and held the phone to his ear feeling confident as he re-read your last message.

You hummed nibbling your lip, chewing it nervously after giving out your number. You couldn't help your mind dredging up all the horror stories of Ted bundy-esque creepy ass psycho killers, luring in prey on the internet... Fuck you were a bigger girl so easy to sweet talk. You whined and snuggled into the massive furry lump on your lap, lacing your fingers into the dogs thick fur. Petting her as your over active imagination conjured scenario's that could end up with you in a eight foot hole in someone's basement ,being told to 'put the lotion in the basket'. Jesus Christ. But it was fine right? He wasn't weirded out or anything? He seemed happy. You were sensible, or at least you thought you were.

You yipped at your phone suddenly vibrated in your hand, you almost threw it across the room. The screen lit up with 'unknown number' you swallowed eyeing the device then nodded answering the call heart beat thundering in your chest your breath picked up you made to speak but couldn't quite make sounds, unable to force the words to roll off your tongue. There was a deep chuckle, gorgeas and rumbling even if it was quiet.

"You have no reason to be frightened darling I'm just as eager to move on" you gasped as the thick voice spoke in slow syllables, calling you by the nick name he had taken to calling you. You'd asked a few girls at work about it, worried things were going to fast. But they had calmed you down saying it was his way of avoiding being freind zoned. You had to admit the cute little names always made you grin and blush, but this? God this was better then anything! His low timber and slightly more eloquent accent uttering the name sent a shiver up your spine.

A surprizing reaction in all honesty, you'd never really thought about voices much, never had a voice kink or really thought anyone could have an attractive voice. Well not a real voice anyway, sometimes characters on tv with low raspy voices got you going Geralt and Alcide to name a few. He almost sounded like the former if you thought about it... Just more refined? A regal soft lilt.  It was definetly a voice you could listen to all day, this man could read you a bloody take away menu and you wouldn't even gruff at the extortionate prices. You wet your lips and dug your fingers into the warm dog in your lap breathing deep, filling your lungs with air trying to ease yourself and draw in some courage.

"O-oh your? Really there? Really.. real?" you stuttered slowly. You chided yourself for sounding so silly, so childish. But you couldn't help it you felt completely unprepared. Which irritated you because it was you who'd offered your number, what were you expecting him to do with it? Use carrier pigeon? Of course he was going to call you.

"I'm most definitely real love" he spoke again with a small chuckle, he was clearly amused by your flustered question. You blushed and squirmed on your seat trying to breath quietly, you didn't want him to hear just how on edge you were.

"Oh gosh that's.. wow I cant even, I don't know what to say" you huffed trying to think of something- anything else you could focus on rather then the absolute sex that was his voice, then he spoke once more

"Now, now don't be shy love, I want to hear you, your voice is just as I thought it'd be" henry tried encouraging you wanting to hear you and revel in your sweet voice, wanting to commit it to memory.

"Oh? And what's that then?" you asked trying to be playfull but in all honesty you wasn't hitting the mark, you were to nervous. You'd never really thought about your voice, was it attractive? Or too high? Deep? I mean you were normal, you spoke normal and if anything sounded common.

"Pure and delicate, playful and charming all in one just like the woman it belongs to" henry's breathing hitched as you giggled. The sweet tinkling laugher warmed his heart and made him huff out a chuckle himself. He was so happy he could have cried. It was just so overwhelming to hear you finally, to put a voice to the amazing woman he was slowly falling inlove with. He sometimes grew wary thinking you were too good to be true, that you were a catfish yourself. But here and now he knew. You were as real as him and all it did was solidify his resolve, he was doing the right thing. He was falling for a genuine woman. A real woman with no strings attached, and with any luck you were feeling the same.

"well I think I just found my mans flaw~" you giggled once more blushing under the weight of all the compliments. He was really smooth, smoother then you'd thought and that was saying something.

"really darling? Care to enlighten me?" he quipped playfully you usual banter and teasing between you both flowing just as effortlessly as it had when messaging each other.

"your clearly deaf! Well have no fear, i will talk a little louder and learn some sign language for you~" you laughed out loud he joined you low echoing chuckles that sounded as if they came from a deep wide chest. It was enough to drive you mad with lust, but that may be the new found voice kink brewing.

"well its nice to know you are so committed to your man and his disability love" suddenly you froze and trembled panic and anxiety washed over you clogging  your wind pipe at his words... Fuck!

"oh god- no I? Your not really deaf are you? I'm sorry I didn't mean to make fun-" you began apologizing not quite picking up on his sarcasm. Henry was quick to cut you off and stop your guilty rambling.

"No love I'm not deaf I was just pulling your leg" his voice was strained as if he was trying not to laugh at you, but you couldn't really say anything. You were the one nervously crack jokes then immediately trying to take them back. Stumbling your wat through the very first real conversation with a man you were crushing on. God you were such a dweeb!

"oh Jesus you scared the crap out of me" you heaved a sigh wanting to bury yourself into the covers and hide despite knowing he couldn't see your glowing face.

"I apologize darling, I have only the purest of intentions... Well maybe not that pure~ but I don't want to scare you" he grinned when you gasped at his little flirtatious comment. And he wasn't kidding, he found you incredibly attractive and wanted to do all manner of very filthy things with you. It didn't help when you were sending him photos of you drenched nipples hard and drawing him in like a moth to a flame. You probably hadn't even noticed that and he was thankfull for it because you wouldn't have sent it otherwise. It was his favourite photo, apparantly it had been a husky escape from the bath as you switched his lead to another hook.

"your fine, I'm just a little nervous is all" you huffed finally somehow managing to sort yourself out and think clearly overcoming your excitement and nerves.

"I understand but just remember its just me love. So have anything else planned for today?" henry hummed sweetly before giving you a chance to change the topic, you'd never know it was because he was barely holding himself together. He was almost bursting at the seams wanted to laugh and cry and shout all at once. He was completely overwhelmed with joy and relief and wanted to listen to you as much as he possibly could.

Both you and henry then began the nightly ritual of phone calls and texted all day. He even had a new nick name. Puppy. And he couldn't be more thrilled you'd said it was because he made tiny cute puppy whines when you teased him. But he didn't care, he would happily be your puppy anyday!

The weeks became one month, then two and before you knew it you were one week shy of three months. And that was when it happened. Those fateful words left his mouth as he spoke to you just before bed. He had asked to meet, he was certain and confident he wanted to meet you and take this further, and he hadn't really planned to ask it just happened.

"So your really letting lord whiskey in your old groom space? That's incredible, I'm so proud of you for letting them in love. It says volumes for you and your business, that its not all profit driven" henry spoke down the phone as he stirred his tea getting ready to go up to bed.

"I mean it just seems right... No matter the income everyone should be able to get medical care for their animals. And I'd be lying if I didn't hope some people will come into the shop or realise that we are here and come back for our facilities." he smiled at that. You wasn't just trying to make a great profitable business, you cared and wanted to give everyone a reasonably priced alternative to pooch care. And he was right behind you, he loved that you were trying to give owners the chance to spoil their fur babies without breaking the bank. In slashing your prices you'd attracted more customers and been making a great profit, so much so that you could afford to just give away your old groom rooms to the charity for free.

"shop? You have a shop?" he pondered padding about the kitchen giving Kal his nightly biscuit treat and motioned for him to take it upstairs. Which he didn't need to do, Kal new the jig and was already carrying the treat to the stairs.

"yeah it opened last year? The year before maybe? Its small but here with food and treats a few toys and leads... I try to use smaller businesses the brands that you wont see in the bigger shops" you said slowly and he heard a small yawn and rustle of paper. You had said you were packing up and heading to bed for the night soon.

"I may have to pop over with the bear~" he teased coyly humming to himself as he sipped his tea.

"pop over? I.. Well you could I suppose?" you hummed quietly, henrys eyes almost popped out of his head were you inviting him to ask you out? He coughed quickly trying not to choke on the mouthful of tea and then rocked his head from side to side. I mean he could come over and see you.

"I'm only ten minuet's away darling, Kensington... I've actually used your grooming service once or twice getting the bears nails and teeth done"

"oh?! I didn't know that." you said trying to picture the owners of the akita you saw, but honestly? You had soo many customers now it was hard remembering everyone, that and you wasn't really front of house now, you had more and more to deal with back of house, even with the new manager.

"well you do now sweetheart... So? Do you want to meet up tomorrow?" he asked placing his tea down in favour of crossing his fingers hoping he had read your signals right.

"Yeah of course I'm covering for walking duty tomorrow... So I can't really do anything in the morning or early afternoon" henry fist pumped and grinned faking a silent shout of victory as he managed to wrangle a date.

"That's fantastic actually... I could meet you in the park? I'll bring the bear with me and we could walk the dogs and grab a coffee or something?" he said somehow managing to quell his excitement enough to arrange the date properly, placeing a hand on his heart as it beat wildly. The realisation that he could see you- meet you face to face!

"Yeah that sounds like a brilliant idea, will noon be alright? That's when we do a switch over and go back to feed the dogs in day care so I'll have an hour lunch break" you said stuttering a little when it began to sink in that this was happening!

"Its a date I will see you tomorrow at noon love" Henry anounced eagerly suddenly tomorrow couldn't come soon enough!

"See you then puppy, good night sweet dreams" you said needing to hang up and squeal into a pillow or something.

"sweet dreams love" as soon as he hung up he was already scrolling his phone selecting the number he was after and called in a tizzy.

"Piers?! Piers! I'm? Oh god- were meeting tomorrow and fuck- I'm freaking out already! What do I say? What should I wear- kal's coming too do I put his halti on or just his collar- fuck I don't know what to do!? Please help!" he yelped down the phone to the unsuspecting man drawing a deep sigh from him before he began talking him down.

[givemethatgold]

Fix’er Upper Pt. 8

Pairing: Frankie Morales x F!Reader Warnings: none? Length: 2.1k Notes: I’m sorry, Cyn, I know I said there would be smut but I was just enjoying the slow burn too much. And I just feel like these two NEED this. Not me nervous to write about his p in her v, nooope. Also, I’m wine drunk and did not spell check this bitch, have fun with that. Divider by @firefly-graphics

Series MASTERLIST

The day of the fair had finally arrived and you woke with more than a little excitement churning in your stomach. Multiple meetings at the community center had given you a chance to meet more of the town's population and you'd gained a deeper appreciation for them. Small towns afforded very few entertainments, which had resulted in some of the older kids, driven by boredom, getting into trouble. Minor things like graffiti and trespassing, but the community knew if they weren't careful that things could escalate. So, instead of making the kids feel judged or harshly reprimanded, the town was working towards better programs and facilities to keep them busy.

It was an unseasonably beautiful Autumn day, the kind that carried memories of Summer on the warm breeze. Knowing that cold and snow were just around the corner, these "second summers" made people act a little more recklessly and freely than they usually might. You had a feeling that the crowds tonight were going to be bigger and rowdier than anyone could have hoped for.

Jacquie had stopped by later to offer you a ride to town but you had just sent your baking with her, insisting that you wanted to enjoy the sunshine and bicycle in.

Once you'd entered the main square you were blown away by the effort from the town. Banners, balloons, streamers, and posters were everywhere. A stage for musical acts and a ticket booth had been built and donated by Hank's Hardware, food carts selling anything and everything you could deep-fry were scattered down every road. Carnival games had been set up in rows down multiple, closed-off, streets, as well as people setting up face-painting, balloon animals, and a smaller version of the Saturday Farmer's Market. The high school football field had even been converted to a tiny amusement park with a Ferris Wheel, carousel, and swing ride.

It was still early, and there was still a lot to do before the fair would be open, but the excitement was already palpable. After making sure your pies had been marked down for the auction, you beelined for the water gun race game that you and a lovely woman named Heather had been assigned to operate. 

Too preoccupied with making sure you had the water tanks filled, the pumps were working, and your ticket box was in place you didn't notice how some of the other volunteers were acting strangely, making sidelong glances and meaningful head nods. 

Nothing seemed amiss once Heather had joined you. In fact, you were getting along with her so well the two of you had already made plans to meet for coffee the next day.

Soon, the fair was in full swing. The games booths were a popular stop with families and you were having the time of your life cheering for every child who tried their hand at your game. 

Eventually, there was a natural lull in the festivities as fair-goers drifted from the games towards the food and live entertainment. You were just suggesting making a quick snack run when Heather's phone rang. 

"Sorry, one sec, it's my husband," she grimaced, holding her finger up to stop you from leaving.

In a bid to give her a modicum of privacy, you tallied up the tickets and bunched them into coils for easier counting later. Heather's normally calm voice rose in pitch and urgency, drawing your attention back to her in time to see a look of alarm and annoyance cross her face.  

"What do you mean, burned? Like, burned burned? There's smoke?! Oh, honey, what on earth..." she paused, listening to her husband's voice some more, giving you an eye roll that clearly said 'Men. They're hopeless' and interrupted whatever he had been saying. "Alright, alright. It's slowing down here so I can run home."

Putting her phone back in her purse, Heather turned to you with a huff. "He's burnt dinner, and it sounds like my skillet is toast, too. I'm sorry to do this to you but I need to run to the store and bring dinner home. I've got the only car, so they're stuck."

Assuring her you could manage on your own, you shooed her away and told her to take her time.

Walking backward to wave goodbye, Heather kept spouting numerous apologies and promising she'd make it up to you on your coffee date. Giving one last smile she spun around and immediately ran into old Mrs. Crawley who was being escorted by no other than a very bored and trapped-looking Frankie Morales.

"Oh! Mrs. Crawley! So sorry!" She began, steadying the white-haired octogenarian, "I'm being called home, ditching my post, gotta run, bye!" With that, she was gone, weaving her way through the crowd of people.

Mrs. Crawley had glanced over at you when Heather had mentioned having to leave and was currently shuffling her way towards you, Frankie in tow.

"Frankie, be a dear and help this beautiful lady out while Heather is away."

It wasn't a question but you still felt the need to speak up, giving Frankie an out if he wanted it.

"I can manage-"

"But what about your-"

You'd both spoken at the same time and stopped mid-way through to let the other go first. Mrs. Crawley broke the silence instead.

"My hip is feeling much better, and I think I'll just make my way over to the bandstand," she gave Frankie a meaningful look accompanied by a rather sharper-than-expected slap to his cheek, "alone."

You both watched her walk over to the stage, stopping to wave at Jacquie and Agnes where they were organizing the bake sale.

"What on earth is going on," you thought to yourself while staring daggers at Jacquie from across the street. This had zero effect on her, she was just sending you lewd winks and had the audacity to give Mrs. Crawley a thumbs up. That conniving little-

"Emmmm... hi."

His voice, sounding uncertain and shy, brought your attention back to Frankie. Taking a moment to soak in his presence, you noticed how worn down he looked. "Good," thought the petty part of your brain, but she was easily squashed by the rest of it appreciating the rest of him.

Tight jeans hugging his thighs, the buttons on his shirt working overtime where the material pulled across his back and chest, his hair was long and getting shaggy but when you saw the curls peeking out from under his baseball cap you had to fight the sudden urge to run your fingers through it.

Your eyes traveled up his neck, noting the way his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, and across his face. He'd trimmed his beard, filthy thoughts of how it would feel on your skin flashed in your head.

Finally meeting his eyes with your own, you had to take a breath before replying.

"It's nice to see you, Frankie." Your tongue darted out to wet your lips, drawing his gaze "I guess we should talk-"

You were cut short by rowdy laughter and a crowd of people bustling onto the street, another wave of ticket-holders were coming to try their luck and win the huge teddy bear prize each game boasted.

For the next hour, you were kept too busy to talk more than what was necessary for running the booth. You used the time to gather your thoughts and make a list of what you wanted to say, how you wanted to say it, and how you were going to start the conversation casually.

Frankie wasn't sure how he had ended up as Mrs. Crawley's crutch. One minute he was dropping off a crate of fruit for the apple bobbing contest and the next he was walking at a snail's pace listening to the old woman reminiscing about her long-dead husband. 

She was sweet, and he didn't mind the slow meander around the square. No, it was the subject matter that had bugged him. After his divorce was finalized and his daughter was taken from him, which he could see now was the right thing to do at the time, Frankie had accepted the fact that he was alone.

Just him, his trees, and the memories of what he did to end up this way.

Then, you had come along. The first woman to catch his attention in five damn years. It wasn't just your beauty, or your easy smile, or the curves of your body. It was your goodness, your innocence, your ability to worm your way into everyone's hearts and not even know it. 

Listening to Mrs. Crawley and the love she had shared made his chest ache, knowing he'd never deserve it himself he still found himself longing for the same. The first moment he had laid eyes on you, it was like a movie about his life had played in flashes in his mind. The meet-cute at the market, romancing you with thoughtful dates like picnics and driving up to the city’s museums and theatre. Getting married, growing the business, then growing your family. It had all played out in a split second but the impression it had left was immeasurable. 

Then, he'd opened his mouth and ruined the moment. Crashed into your truck and ruined the moment. Spooked and burned you, ruining the moment. Gained your trust, broke down your walls, and then left like a coward in the morning and ruined it.

Shaken by his inward reflecting when Mrs. Crawley was jostled, Frankie froze in place once his eyes were directed to where you stood. You were glaring over his shoulder and refusing to meet his eyes, understandably, yet he still felt his chest contract with the hope you'd look at him and smile. 

The way your gaze had eventually taken him in, once he'd been abandoned by a suddenly spry-looking elder, had flared that longing back into a roaring flame. The sudden need to work the booth gave him plenty of time to plan his speech: begging for forgiveness and admitting to the way he felt. While his mind was busy planning his speech, his heart was bursting at how comfortably and effortlessly the two of you worked with each other, like you’d been doing it for years.

Heather returned, strolling over with a barely concealed smile on her face, not looking at all like she'd just come back from a domestic emergency. This whole town could win an Oscar for their performance tonight, it was mildly humiliating but you knew they were acting out of love.

She thanked Frankie profusely for standing in for her and wouldn't take no for an answer after suggesting the two of you go and enjoy yourselves for a bit. Glancing at Frankie you shrugged your shoulders and made a face that said "why not?". He smiled and nodded back, grabbing your bag and slinging it over his shoulder before joining you on the bustling street.

You walked in comfortable silence for a while, relishing just being near each other and absorbing the jubilant energy surrounding you.

Frankie bought you cotton candy and you made him belly laugh when you showed him the few bottles of cider you'd smuggled in your bag. Seeing the way his face lit up, how he exposed that delicious neck when he threw his head back, hearing the joyous rumble from deep within, sent a realization slamming into you so suddenly it made you stumble.

You loved him.

You might not be in love with him, not yet anyway, but there was a lightness and a warmth in your heart and he had put it there.

Frankie had grabbed your arm when you had stumbled and when you didn't pull away from his touch, his hand slid down your arm and his fingers wove their way through yours.

Walking like this, hand in hand, you found yourselves at the rides.

"I've never been on a Ferris Wheel," he admits to you, craning his head upwards to stare at the top carriage.

Dragging your eyes away from his neck, again, it took your brain a moment to acknowledge what he’d said. "What?!" You expressed with mock horror, already making your way toward the ride’s gate, "Then let's remedy that!"

"I'm- uh this is stupid," he was barely moving with you and adjusted his hat, a nervous tick you'd noticed, "I'm scared of heights."

This admission stopped you in your tracks.

"Frankie." You deadpanned, gripping his hand and pulling on it to emphasize your words, "You're. A. Pilot."

He groaned and you were sure you could see a blush creeping up from beneath his collar, "I know! I know. It's just that, up there?" He stops with a sigh, gazing at the stars wistfully, "I'm in control. I trust myself."

"Do you trust me?" You ask him softly gripping his hand between the both of yours.

Frankie gazed at your face for a breath, not in a way that made you think he was hesitating, it was more like he was pausing so you knew the full weight of his words.

"I trust you with everything."

PART NINE

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[the-wintershade]

a feeling | rain (2)

pairing: connor (rk800) x reader summary: Connor discovers something about you that doesn't add up while you, Connor, and Hank get a lead on the deviant and move to intercept. (plus some fluffy moments cause why not?) wc: 4.8k+ genre: fluff, 

Rain: series — 01 | 02 | 03

“Here, take your shoes off at the door.” The door to your place beeped as you typed in the code, 5961, and gives with a soft click. Connor followed closely, his LED a quizzical yellow as he was excited to regard the way you decided to decorate your apartment. He has read that the way humans furnish their living space says a lot of the character of a person, what they like and dislike, who they are. It feels to him as having the knowledge of a telepath and it is thrilling.

He walks with small, short steps as if he is a child being introduced to a room full of strangers. He is not tense, actually quick relaxed, ambling into your kitchen without a hint of stiffness. His eyes fall onto your living room and he will not lie in the fact that he is a bit disappointed. Your living room and its decorum are quite muted.

There is a large dominance of the color guy with small accents of white and black here and there. The only bit of color the living space holds is your blue mug sitting on the table. His eyes take in the other parts of your place that are visible; a medium sized flat screen, a bookshelf that is partially full, and a painting on the wall, it is in black and white of course, but there is the slight tint of gold if you look close enough. It is not all what he expected from you, from someone with so much vibrancy about them, with so much light.

You turned to find him looking about the place with a faint crease on his forehead and his head minutely slanted to the right. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking, why was it so bare? Why didn’t you have more things? Why is it so bleak? You would know, you’ve asked yourself the same thing and the answer tended to change every time your brain tried to create a response.

“Is there anything I can get you?” You questioned, leaning on the counter. You tried to draw him out of those thoughts.

His LED blinked a bit before he was able to turn and look over his shoulder, giving a tiny smile. “No, Officer (y/l/n), I’m fine.” He looked at the ceiling, the light fixtures (nothing special), and the smooth paint of the walls. “I was just observing your apartment.”

You chuckled as you moved to sit on the sofa, your keys jangling as they hit the island’s countertop as if that wasn’t obvious. “Well do tell, how’s the view?” Spinning a bit, you raised your arm, gesturing to everything in the room.

He took a minute to think, his eyes never leaving yours. “I think that the tones are a bit muted, I’d have expected more color from you.” He nodded his head forward as he said the last part, trying to convey his feelings gently.

You weren’t disappointed nor hurt by his statement, it was the truth. You wanted your apartment to be that way, it made redecorating that much easier. If you found pieces that were of a monotone persuasion, you could add in accent colors and different colored throws without making a big hassle about it. Plus, it was great for feeling aesthetically pleasing.

“I’ll take it.” Your feet guided you to the bookshelf and you plucked a volume from the many on that line. You hadn’t been able to get out to the bookstore yet, but you were thrilled to see what kind of stories the local bookstore would hold.

“If it’s not too much to ask, why so monotone?” Connor’s voice rang through the stillness of the apartment, its pitch bouncing off the walls a bit. You cradled the book in your hands before moving to sit on the sofa, falling down with a small rush of air expelling from the cushions. Letting your fingers graze over the tops of the pages, you met his widened eyes, his previous question lingering on them.

“It makes redecorating easier.” You hummed. It was the truth, well, partially.

“Do you part take in that often?” He moved a bit closer, opting for the loveseat to your right.

You chuckled before an uh slipped out. “Not, really.” Your eyes glanced around you as if the answer would be written on the coffee table. “Just sometimes,” your hands played with your book cover. “Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery.”

Sighing, you found him watching you with a high level of interest. It was a little startling. You have never seen him so intent on what you’ve said before, it wasn’t even that interesting. His LED was whirling, however, the only object indicating the words you had said had hit their mark. What he was thinking so hard about, you had no idea, but you knew this was strange behavior, even for him.

“I’m not sure I understand. You said you don’t redecorate often and then you proceeded to say that sometimes you need a change of scenery, doesn’t that mean that you do alter what you find attractive in your living space often?” He did that head tilt thing again.

“Well, if often is about once a year, then yes,” you nodded setting your book down. “I do it often.” You stood and proceeded into the kitchen and prepared to cook your close to growling stomach something to eat. The sound of pots and pans clicking against each other was the only thing that filled the silence of the apartment for a beat and then you heard Connor’s voice fairly close.

“Officer (y/l/n), I know a substantial amount of recipes. Would you like me to recreate one for you?” His voice was closer, you could hear his socks on the wood flooring, moving now within an arm's reach.

“No, that’s alright Connor. I’ll manage.” You slid over to the fridge, grabbing a few items before closing the door and turning back to the pots on the stove. Your seasonings at the ready you prepared a meal and let the water in the small pot coming to a boil, watching the tiny bubbles rise to the surface of the water.

Connor was at a loss. It seemed in the time here, he had failed to attain any source of information that would be helpful in his mission to get to know you. All of the questions he asked were answered with a vague response, one that prompted more than five more inquiries to take the place of the one before. Perhaps, you were a much more complex person than what he initially expected.

There was this quality, one he could not pinpoint, but one that drew him to you even more. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and the only way he could do that was by asking deeper questions. He would figure you out, even if it killed him.

“Officer (y/l/n), can I ask you a personal question?” He leaned onto the island and you turned to see those warm brown eyes lingering on yours. Here we go. Whenever he asked a “personal question” Hank had returned either fuming or with a pleasant attitude, which one would it be today?

“Sure, Connor.” You crossed your arms over your chest, leaning back into the counter behind you.

“What happened at the house, today?” He tried to read your reaction, in case he might have pushed too far, but your expression remained neutral, enough that prompted him to continue with his follow up. “You had this look in your eyes, one I’ve never seen.” I was worried about you.

Your eyes dropped and your posture changed a bit. It went from relaxed and loose to standing up straight and a bit rigged. Connor knew he just touched on something you were not comfortable speaking about, Lieutenant Anderson would display similar reactions. He was getting ready to back peddle but you started talking.

“I…” You turned, flipping the eye of the stove off so the water wouldn’t boil over. You sighed. “I apologize. That wasn’t like me at all, I don’t know what happened, I just - I just reacted, I know that probably frightened you.” You dumped the pasta into the water and turned the eye back on, adding a pinch of salt. “I didn’t mean to get like that, it’s just - nevermind.” You let the corner of your mouth tilt up a little before bringing it back down.

“It won’t happen again.” You nodded at him, looking at him directly in the eyes.

Connor was not sure what he was more afraid of; the fact that you might never open up to him or the fact that there was a part of you hidden so deep inside you were scared to let come to light. He was well aware of the fact that you did not have full confidence in him, but the hesitation that laced your voice meant he was getting somewhere and he would keep going, keep pushing till you opened up to him. He wanted you to trust him, he wanted it more than anything.

For now, he watched you throw together a quick and easy chicken alfredo.

...

You had insisted that he stay and Connor took pleasure in the fact that he could conversate with you on many different topics. He had a hunch it might be as a result of all the books you spent your time reading, but he was not one hundred percent sure.

Eventually, the both of you made your way to the couch, sitting next to each other, nearly touching. Connor watched you flick through the television in an attempt to find something that would peak your interest. He was not watching the screen, he was watching you. In your concentration, your forehead furrowed, eyes wide open, trying to capture everything so your brain could keep up with the information it received.

“Is everything alright, Connor?” Your eyes never left the screen. You must have noticed him watching you so intently.

He flushed a light blue, somewhat embarrassed you had noticed so quickly. “Everything is fine, Officer.” Smiling a bit, he moved his eyes to the screen.

Software Instability ^^^^^^

...

It did not take you long before you were fast asleep, your head lolling to the side. Connor was still caught up in the movie you had chosen, a fast-paced action thriller, Equalizer, before he noticed your slumbered state. Your head easily slid over to your shoulder and the touch of it had rather startled him.

“Officer (y/l/n)?” He said, moving his attention from the television to the weight of your cheek upon his shoulder. Upon taking in your sleeping state, he was struck again at how fascinating you were. Your face was a mask of calm and peace, very different from that of the previous night. The very fact that when humans slept it wiped all of the emotional stress and worry on their face and made them look similar to what he would compare to an angel still shocked him. However, there were noticeable differences between your facial expression and Lieutenant Anderson’s. You were soft and delicate, a beautiful culmination of features, an angel in the literal sense and Lieutenant Anderson was relaxed, but still tense even when resting, a sort of strain that his face still held, like a type of emotional weight he could not escape even when he dreamed.

Connor had no idea what dreaming was like, the closest thing he had was when he would meet and talk with Amanda in his head. It was not a dream but he was not conscious of what was happening around him, similar, he would like to think, to the action of dreaming. He wondered what his dreams might be filled with; a list of never-ending ones and zeros, playback of what he saw earlier in the day, or maybe what he found pleasing to the eye, his most favorite moments. Your soft breaths drew him back into the now, the exhales gently moving the fabric of his jacket, pressing it further to his shoulder.

He knew that you had to either be tired enough or comfortable enough to fall asleep while he was there next to you, but he liked to think it was the latter, hoped it was the latter. His fingers reached out to brush a strand of hair that had fallen over your face back behind your ear, just as he had seen the people on the television do. He did not completely understand why it was such a soft, touching gesture when observing it on the screen, but doing it now, he understood its gentleness and intimacy. His fingertips barely brushed against the smooth skin of your cheek but it was enough to feel a connection, to feel as if he had just touched the most precious item in the world.

Smiling to himself, he located the blanket draped over the back of the couch and gave it a small tug. Using his arm that did not support your snoozing frame, he moved the blanket so it covered you completely. He was afraid to move you for the possibility he could wake you and from the little bags underneath your eyes, you were not sleeping very well to begin with.

Connor did not want to pry too much as seeing your previous reaction to his personal question, but one was lingering in the back of his mind. Why was the name under the apartment, Larkyn Cavallion? That was not your name. He did not mean to discover that detail, but when you gave him the address, everything connected to it popped up, including the name of the tenant. He did not want to say anything and the fact that you had a key meant that you did, in fact, live here, but he could not help but worry over the fact that you chose to cover up your identity.

Connor hoped he could make more progress with you, he wanted to help in any way he could but you had to open up first. He hoped that him spending time with you would help you feel more comfortable, hoped that it would allow him to be worthy of whatever emotional turmoil you would confide in him about, but until that day, he would make sure you knew how much he cared for you because the simple truth was, he did care for you - a lot.

Software Instability ^^^^^^^ [9 EVI]

...

The next morning you awoke asleep on the couch and the smell of bacon drifting to your nose. Connor had generously cooked breakfast, something you hadn’t had the chance to do in years, let alone wake up to it. You dragged yourself off the couch and apologized for falling asleep on their movie watching. Connor didn’t seem to mind, a small grin took over the corner of his face as he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of your groggy figure.

“Do not apologize, you were tired.” Connor spoke as if he’d read your mind. He moved back and placed a glass of orange juice in front of you.

He watched you eat eagerly, waiting to see your reaction. His LED moved to yellow as he studied your facial expression.

“This is really good.” You said between reaching for your glass of orange juice. “Thank you, Connor.”

Relief pumped through his veins, “You’re welcome, Officer.” He stood and moved towards the door, slipping his shoes on.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Where are you going?”

“I thought you might find it uncomfortable if I was in the apartment while you got dressed, I was going to stand outside the door.”

“Connor,” You deadpanned, “I’d feel even more awkward if you stood outside my door like some bodyguard. You’re welcome to watch something while I finished getting ready, it’s only going to take ten minutes, just sit on the couch.” You rose from your chair and went behind him, giving him a slight push to the sofa. “Sit,” You pressed his shoulders down, forcing him to flop on the sofa. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Connor was at a loss, that was the first time you have ever touched him in a playful manner. Maybe he was getting somewhere. His LED returned to a warm blue and a similar color bloomed on his cheeks.

...

Connor drove the two of you to a lead on the crime scene he had received word of, a comfortable conversation filling the car. It was a long car ride, about an hour to be exact, and to be completely frank, you weren’t sure why this was under DPD’s jurisdiction any longer, but you didn’t mind spending more time with Connor. You talked about the different departments and various cases the two of you worked on.

“...there was this one android I was chasing, I had to cross a highway to get to it and it had a little girl with her. I didn’t catch her but I know what she looks like. I remember the Lieutenant was furious with me after I returned back to where we’d started.” Connor kept his eyes focused on the road but his LED went about halfway yellow.

“Hank cares about you, you know.” You looked at him.

“I am a machine, if something happened to me, there would be another machine to replace me.” His LED moved towards yellow even more.

“Connor, we don’t want another machine, we want you. The you we’ve known for a long time now, the you we trust. I know you feel like you can’t die, but to us, you are alive. If something were to happen to you, we’d take it as hard as if a human died. You should think higher of your importance to us.” You patted him on the shoulder before moving to look out the windshield.

His LED went blue.

Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^ [9 EVI]

The conversation died as soon as the both of you laid your eyes on a large warehouse. Hank pulled up around the same time the two of you did, his expression just as confused as yours.

“What the hell?” Hank shut his car door and meandered his way over to the both of you.

“Lieutenant, I don’t understand. There are many places for a deviant to hide but I was not aware this was one of them.” Connor spoke out, his LED yellow.

“Me neither, Connor.” Hank looked over at you. “You doing alright?”

You smiled and nodded, “I just needed some sleep, that’s all.”

Hank seemed satisfied with your answer as he turned back to face the warehouse, a hard look passing over his features. “Welp, standing here doesn’t solve anything.” Pushing off the car, he started moving in the direction of the building’s door. “Let’s have a look.”

...

It took twenty minutes of scouring the large enclosure before you found anything and even then it was a bit of fabric, nothing drastic and not enough to confirm it was the deviant you were searching for. Now, walking through the large space for the third time, you were scanning behind a bunch of crates for the sixth time when you heard Connor yell.

“Lieutenant, Officer, I believe I’ve located something.” Hank and you exchanged a glance before moving to inspect what Connor had uncovered. He was crouched over whatever he found, blocking your view. You dropped down by him, placing a hand upon his back to steady yourself.

“What’d you find?” You looked at him, but he was already looking at you, brown orbs gazing at you with something hard to pinpoint. Surprise? Confusion? Either way, you removed your hand and placed it on the ground. His eyes shifted. They were still on you and once again, you were at a loss. Bafflement? Discouragement? Disappointment?

Hank cleared his throat, “Connor.”

Connor blinked and returned his focus to the ground. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“What did you find?” Hank annunciated exasperatedly.

“Right,” He held up his pointer and middle fingers. “I found a trace of blue blood, I believe it is the deviant’s.” The air moved by your head. The sound of shattering glass echoed a few feet behind you.

“I think we found him,” Hank spoke up, drawing his gun. You drew your own but Connor had already taken off after him.

“Hank, call the department.” Your feet were already moving.

“Where are you going?”

“To help Connor!” You moved towards the direction you had last seen him, the wind whooshing by your ears. Your feet propelled you forward, faster than you ever thought possible. Connor was close behind, his jacket flapping in the wind. The deviant jumped a gate.

Connor climbed it with ease. You, on the other hand, had never climbed a gate in your life, so that was not going to work. “Connor! I’m going to work around, I’ll converge on you!” Connor paused, shocked you tagged along.

“Okay!” He dropped to the other side and you took off.

...

It took a bit of maneuvering, a bit of tree dodging, a bit of getting scratched by low hanging branches, but eventually, you broke clear and circled around to a clearing. The grass crunched underneath your feet. You saw a man in a dark jacket following a figure in a green hoodie. That had to be them. You corrected your trajectory and ran straight for the hoodie.

Green hoodie was moving. You weren’t that far behind. Neither was Connor. You didn’t shout, it would draw too much attention, just kept running. Pumping your arms faster. Breathing harder. The world moving faster than you could process it. Green hoodie found a building along the route and ducked into it, his figure no longer visible. The two of you came to a halt. You were breathing hard, but Connor obviously showed no signs of difficulty.

“Officer, your heart rate is spiking, are you okay?” He moved a little closer, but you held up a hand.

“Connor, it’s called cardio. I’ll live.” You smiled. “Let’s go get this guy.”

You drew your gun into both of your hands, keeping it taunt with your arms. There was only one way in and you were going in gung-ho, it would be faster than trying to wait it out. Connor followed you closely, not letting you move more than a footstep away from him.

“Officer (y/l/n), I believe I should go in first.” He moved a bit in front of you, forcing you to slow down.

“Connor, I have the gun. I’d feel better if I went first.” He did not like this answer as his LED moved to a blinking yellow.

“Please, Officer, let me enter first.”

“Connor…”

“I’m an android, if I go in first, it might not be as alarmed and I can talk it down.” He looked at you with wide, pleading eyes. Why he was so nervous, you still didn’t quite understand but it was a good idea, you couldn’t deny it.

You let out a sigh, “Fine,” Connor’s LED moved to a blue and a contented grin captured his face. “But, one indication of something going wrong, I’m shooting.”

His features steeled, determination taking over his face. “Okay.”

You walked up to the door together, this time you were close on his behind. Craning his head over his shoulders, he found your eyes. “You ready?”

Nodding, you gestured for him to proceed. “You first.” Right before he threw his shoulder into the door, you put your hand on his shoulder. “I’m right behind you, Connor.”

His eyes did that thing again and a warm expression took hold of his features. Then he tore his eyes off yours and forced the door open. You heard movement, but didn’t force your way in with Connor; he needed to do this alone, no matter how much you hated it.

“Hi, I’m Connor. I’m an android sent by cyberlife.” You’d have smiled if this wasn’t such an intense situation. “I’m not here to hurt you, I want to help you.”

“You can’t help me!” The deviant’s voice rang clear to you behind the door. “No one can!” The pitch of the deviant’s voice worried you, he was obviously sensitive and unstable. Deviants react like humans do and if you were in his position, you’d be ready to start throwing things.

“I know you don’t want to believe that, but trust me, we want to help. We all want to help.” There was a pause and you could hear your heart pounding in your ears. “What’s your name?”

“Gregory.” His voice cracked.

“Gregory, we just want to talk. We know your owner was abusive, we just want to help make things right.”

“You don’t understand! You don’t understand what it’s like to be abused, to be treated like you're nothing!”

“Grego-”

“No! This ends now, maybe then you’ll know what it feels like.”

You didn’t wait any longer. Gun drawn, you moved through the doorway and right in front of Connor.

“Officer (y/l-” His LED was a furious red.

“Gregory put the weapon down.” You leveled the muzzle with his shoulder. You didn’t want to kill him but you would injure him if you had to, you would do anything to keep Connor safe. Gregory was hesitating, it was clear from the red of his LED and the way his arm was shaking, but he wasn’t calming down. That same frustrated and angry look captivated his eyes as they fell to the floor. Then they moved to you.

Everything happened in slow motion. From the way Gregory’s eyes changed, you knew without a doubt, he was going to fire that gun, but you needed to move quicker. You zeroed in on his shoulder and was about to pull the trigger when suddenly, Connor was there. He grabbed you around your waist and threw your weight to the side as a bang echoed off the walls. You weren’t sure who fired, but the fact that the android was still standing meant you had either missed or not fired at all. Connor cradled your body as you both hit the ground, the impact rattling your bones.

You didn’t have the time to question if you sustained any injuries, you needed to disable this android. Finally, aiming for the second time, you took your shot. It landed. You gave out, letting your head hit against the concrete floor. Closing your eyes, you took a couple breaths.

You felt a warm hand upon the side of his face, “Officer (y/l/n),” His voice was laced with worry and you didn’t need to open your eyes to know his mouth was turned down with a frown and his eyes were opened wide, scanning your face. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

A dull throb came from your non-dominant arm and you grunted a bit as you tried to move. He let you go a little so you could adjust your position, but he didn’t let you go all the way. His hand shifted to hold the back of your head. You pressed your arm to your side and came back with your finger covered in red. Blood.

You looked at Connor’s shoulder and saw wires and sparks and blue blood. “Oh my God, Connor, are you okay?” He looked down at the hole.

“I’m fine, Officer, I am replaceable.” He smiled at you, a gentle pressure now lingering on your neck.

“Connor, you aren’t replaceable to me. You remember what I told you earlier? You matter. You matter to me, do you understand me?” His figure loomed over you, your noses almost touching and his face paused in an expression of confusion and happiness.

“Officer (y/l/n), I can be replaced. You,” He smoothed a bit of your hair back. “Cannot be replaced. If you died, you could not return. Your life is more important than mine.” He cocked his head, his eyes becoming that of a puppy dog.

A warm feeling set in your stomach as you saw the way he watched you. You closed your eyes and pressed your foreheads together. “Your life is just as important to me, you reckless idiot,” you breathed out, letting the feeling of your pulse kill the pain in your arm.

Connor did not know how to receive this display, but he enjoyed having you near. His LED was a warm blue as he kept his chocolate orbs on you.

Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 EVI]

[pebblysand]

OF CRYSTAL ROSES (EXTENDED AUTHOR’S NOTE OF CHAPTER VI. OF CASTLES)

-- TO READ THE CHAPTER ITSELF, SEE HERE ON AO3 --

well, well, well. here we are. spoiler alert, gryffindors make plans they don’t stick to, lolz. all the good intentions in the world, i had. study, i said i would. yet, here were find ourselves, eighteen thousand words later. this appears to be how i roll. slept about five hours last night, too, so apologies if i’m slightly non-sensical/rambly. this chapter ought to be sponsored by deliveroo and teapigs tea, a brand of tea that appeared in my local supermarket a few moths ago and that i steadily refused to buy because - can tea really be worth this much? low and behold, once you’ve tried it once, it appears to be addictive. i’ve, while writing this chapter, worked my way through about four packs of their different teas - they are just this good. i have a job interview tomorrow so wish me luck in gaining employment which will hopefully fund my expensive habits.

now, before we get into the nitty gritty of the chapter, itself, i just needed to say this: i cannot thank everyone enough for the incredible response on last chapter. i’d kind of grown accustomed to getting a couple of reviews for each of them and to writing in my little corner of the internet but boy, you guys are bloody legends! i am so overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone who commented, kudo-ed and generally gave love to this fic in general. i really didn’t expect such a response and it’s meant the world to me. i think it’s probably also the reason why i’m posting so early because i kept being like, god, i can’t leave this many people waiting in this cliffhanger hell. i think this chapter ends on a more positive note (although, i’ll let you judge), one that might be more conducive of a few weeks’ wait (more on that below), haha.

this being said, as i explained on here before, i come from very tiny fandoms where basically everyone knows each other and the number of people reading would usually fit in my flat. the fact that over 80 people are now subscribed to this fic just blows my fucking mind. you’re all magnificent and i love you. i try to respond to all the comments so let’s keep chatting if you feel like it (although, no pressure - comment if you want to, but do know that it makes me very happy when you do :)). you’re all fabulous and i wish you all the best!

anyway, spoilers for castles, chapter vi under the cut.

guys, guys, guys, i am so tired. i’ve spent four days editing almost 20,000 words and my brain is fried. but, we are officially at the halfway point of this story, yaaaay!!! my plan, at this point, is that we’ll have six chapters on each side but even if i do end up splitting this one later (more on this below) i’ll end up with seven chapters on each side so either way - yay to the end of act 1!

i think that’s also why i tried to turn this chapter around this quickly. to me, i always kind of saw this fic as having two parts. part 1: the immediate post-war aftermath with the heartache and the love-fast/burn-fast start to harry/ginny. part 2: a slow and actually healthy rebuild of their relationship, and of the world around them. i have genuinely been writing towards that last harry/ginny scene in this chapter for months. it feels like such a relief to finally have that weight off my shoulders. and i actually do think it’ll allow me to focus on study later. act one is finished, and act two can wait a bit, i suppose.

now, obviously, given that i already apologised last time, part of me still wants to apologise for the length of this chapter, even more so, actually. it sits at about 18,000 words which, by nanowrimo’s standards, is over a third of a full book, wtf. yet, you guys also said last time that you didn’t actually mind long chapters, so perhaps i shouldn’t beat myself up too much?

as i said in the a/n, this is a little bit of different set up than chapter v. though. i know exactly where to split this. as you’ve probably seen by now, there’s a very natural split point after harry has his breakdown on the couch with ginny, before Christmas properly "starts." the reason i didn’t split this one there, though is: a) selfish: i needed to get this out. stop working on it. i need to study. when it’s out, i’m not thinking about it anymore. it would have been a bit non sensical to split this just for the sake of it and post two chapters at once, which means i probably would have held onto the second part for another couple of weeks, and fuck that. additionally, b) you may not have noticed this but: the chapter titles rhyme. why did i bring this additional difficulty upon myself, i do not fucking know. especially because i will soon run out of one-word construction materials to draw from, lol. as a result, though, i need an even number of chapters to close out this story and because i’m sort of planning six chapters from now to the end (more on that below) i can’t really split this one right now. like, if i end up with another overlong chapter in the next few months, i probably will take that opportunity and go back and split this one, just for readability. but at this stage, at this stage, because i don’t know how many chapters i’ll have for act two (six or seven), i’m keeping this chapter like this for the time being. i kind of hope i end up with seven chapters on the other side and am able to split this one down the line, but we will see. in the meantime, my most sincere apologies to the folks who read fanfiction before bed and it’s now 4 am by the time you’ve finished this. i’ve been there before, believe me.

from a personal standpoint, though, i have to say, this chapter (compared to the last one) was incredibly easy to write. i think i’d spent so much time imagining and writing these scenes in my head as kind of a culminating point for the first half of the story, that it quite simply poured out. i did have a little bit of an everything is shit crisis yesterday and today, but sure look, that always happens. overall, i am quite happy - i think - with the end result.

now, when i say "easy to write" i mean, technically, easy to find words to write down what was in my head. i do not mean: easy to write on an emotional level. oh boy. i’m generally not a crier. i have been asked, a number of times, by people who said my writing made them cry: do you cry when you write, too? and my answer was always ‘no’. i don’t judge, but i’m just not that kind of person. i know people who cry every day but personally, we are in the middle of a pandemic, my father recently passed away, i’ve lost my job and am studying for an exam my life is pretty dependent upon, and i haven’t cried in months. yet, i swear, there were a couple of times, both writing this and editing it, when i had to step away from the screen because i could feel a lump in my throat. that had never happened to me before. i didn’t, like, bawl or anything but god i felt it. i don’t know if it’s because it’s my first time killing an oc, someone who was really mine but boy. giulia. i kept trying to find ways not to kill her, or apologising to her. to me, she’s tom’s last victim and that really, fucking hurts. if you’re hurting too, i don’t really know what to tell you. i’m sorry, i suppose. her death was needed for … plot purposes, lol. god, i’m the worst haha.

re:harry/ginny: i must say i really like where they end up, at the end of this. i had planned this to a certain extent. i was always under the impression that they would talk over christmas, but not get back together. however, the reason why they weren’t getting back together, in my head, was initially quite different. i initially didn’t have ginny dating someone else. i think i mentioned i was toying with the idea in the a/n for last chapter, but at the time i wasn’t truly sold on it. then, i ended up writing the scene i’d originally planned for them and it didn’t quite fit. what i’d planned, at the time, felt rather ooc for ginny when actually on paper. on the other hand, harry, under my fingertips, kept trying to kiss her and i kept hitting the delete button. i swear, i know it sounds weird to people who might not be writers but sometimes, your characters really do seem to have their own agendas. when i caved, let him kiss her, then the scene took on a different meaning, and, i hope, a better one. i think something clicked there and it feels like a good place for act one to end. obviously, they’ll get back together cause this follows cannon so you know, not much suspense there. it’s more about the how than the what, to me.

re:ginny’s letters: this idea came to me a while ago, actually. i was thinking that they’d need to talk about what happened last year, but i was kind of struggling on the how. having character a tell a story to character b is always a bit difficult, in writing, because it can quickly end up being boring. like, when ginny tells harry about christmas last year and lupin, in this chapter, telling that in dialogue is already rather long an laborious, and it’s overall such a short story. for harry, it’s easy. i’m in his head so he can just say ‘he told her about the hallows’ and the dialogue can be about their reaction, rather than the events itself. but ginny, she needs to share facts, as well as feelings. and doing that through long monologues just didn’t appeal. first, it’s quickly boring and second, it’s also kind of ooc. she’s not giulia, you see.

i did entertain the idea of completely skimming past it. ‘she told him about last year and he was horrified.’ - moving on. but, i don’t know, that didn’t feel quite right either, because i think they need to exchange, and talk, and that just felt like a copout. also, to be honest, it’s a very difficult story to tell. like, i’ve seen people in fics being like ‘so, harry sat down all of the weasleys and told them everything the trio did in seventh year,’ and i’m like that’s so difficult, though. sitting someone down and telling them all about your trauma, with little preamble, just setting it all out there, i can’t imagine ginny (or, frankly, most people) actually doing that, you know? we reveal bits of ourselves bit by bit, not all at once.

then, it hit me: she’s a writer, isn’t she? at least, she is canonically in first year, with not only the diary but also the poems, then writing for the prophet. obviously, the diary thing would have riled her up a bit but i do think in the end, she would probably have been like: no, i won’t let him take writing away from me, you know? so yeah, letters. daily letters. you won’t see all of them in next chapter, but probably quotes from the most important ones, things that harry reads. that’s where he gets his facts about her story last year, and then they can focus on their feelings about it. fab! something to look forward to, haha.

now, re: the future. as i said, we are entering act two. act two will gradually become more "fun" and fluffy, i suppose, but i won’t lie, we will be keeping the same happy/sad vibe that a lot of you have commented on with this fic. it exists for a reason (as i said, life is about sex, but it’s also about funerals). as i said before, this fic is, above all, an exploration of what ‘all was well’ actually means.

this being said, this isn’t an 8th year fic. there is a very specific future pov from which this fic is being narrated, and that’s in october 2027 (i know, precise). obviously i have 28 years to get through in act two so that will affect the way that the timeline is designed. it will obviously be more spread out, especially in the later chapters. this being said, while i have about a million of ideas for all the space in between and a very clear view of what the last chapter will be, the exact layout of each chapter is still slightly blurry. i haven’t sat down to put all my ideas in chronological order yet, as well as into some sort of chapter structure, which is also why i can’t really tell if it’ll be six or seven chapters in the end. all of this to say, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done.

this means that, as i said in the a/n, i don’t think you’ll get next chapter until at least, may. please don’t think that this means i’ll be abandoning this fic or anything, it’s just that i’ll be doing work you probably won’t see. i’m probably going to take the rest of march off writing to study (bar maybe a roar-series Harry&Hermione friendship one shot? maybe) then take april to plan and write as much of the next chapters i possibly can. ideally, by the end of april i can have a first draft of the whole thing. i desperately want to write as much as i can now that I’m jobless in the hopes that when i do find a job (again, interview tomorrow, pray for me), i can just have editing to do at the weekends. but we all know i relate to harry on a very deep level when he says ‘when have our plans ever worked, anyway?’ so we will see, haha.

anyway, these were all the thoughts off the top of my head, re: this chapter. if you have any questions or other things you’d like me to ramble about, feel free to send in questions, my ask box is always open. i know i probably think about this fic (and hp) way too much but i’m an extrovert and my hobbies used to include travelling, pints at the pub, dating and, well, there’s none of that anymore, is there, lol? the uk has stolen our vaccines (fucking brexit) so here’s to being obsessed with fictional worlds i wish i could live in for a while longer,

i will now go and endlessly refresh my email for reviews and kudos, like the attention seeking basic bitch i am haha.

have a fab evening, everyone!

[wheres-everyone-going-bingo]

*slithers into your inbox like a snake* Yancy teasing reader in a dress pls *slithers out of your inbox*

Performance

Pairing: Yancy x Male Reader

Warnings: smut, swearing

—————————

We all sat in the cafeteria, waiting for the guards to say it was okay to go to rehearsal. Every Thursday we had to rehearse, and maybe add a new verse to, the greeting song. It was mandatory that we got it right each time as we didn’t want to come off as unwelcoming to the new inmates.

-----------------

“Yancy says he’s got something new for us this time” Bam Bam told the group as he drank Shit Hole Hank’s wine.

“Yeah it’d be nice to do something other than the ‘break out’ song for once” Tiny added, poking her food with her fork.

“Wonder what he’s got in store for us this time” I said, keeping my eye on the guards, waiting for the signal. After some guesses around the table of what Yancy could be planning, the guards told us we could go into the theatre room now. There was an ungodly amount of metal chairs being scraped against the floor as all the prisoners stood from their seats.

We surrounded the stage, waiting for Yancy and his instructions

“So I’s been hearin’ that youse have been gettin’ a bit bored of the greetin’ song” Yancy spoke over the speakers “So I’s got somethin’ different for youse” The curtains drew back and Yancy stood in a short black dress on centre stage. There were a few surprised gasps from within the crowd, although I was speechless as my eyes grew wide. Yancy started to sing a song from some obscure musical, while circling his hips. My eyes followed the movement of his hips, as he did a slut drop, making eye contact with me as he ran his hands up his legs. He made his way over to me, swinging his hips still, he had a smirk on his lips, he could tell that my pants were feeling tighter than they did a few moments ago.

The lights came on as the instruments and Yancy’s voice cut off. There was an eruption of applauds throughout the room, even a few whistles. Yancy came to the front of the stage, bowing dramatically, he jumped off stage to come and greet me.

“Hey Y/N” He put his hand on my chest “did youse like my’s performance?” He leant in, his breath brushing against my ear.

“You come with me now” I ordered, picking Yancy up and throwing him over my shoulder, not caring if the others saw us walk off to our cell together.

------------

I pushed open the barred door, throwing Yancy onto the bed.

“Wow Y/N, I knews this would get youse all hot and bothered, but I’s didn’t expect this from youse” Yancy spoke, propping himself up on his elbow as I drew the curtains around our cell that were provided after scarring some poor patrol officer. I walked over to Yancy grabbing his neck

“Now you listen to me pet” Yancy squeaked out a moan as I applied pressure to his throat “You don’t go showing off what’s mine. Got that?”

“Y-yes” Yancy spoke, fidgeting in his spot

“Yes, what?” I growled into Yancy’s ear, nibbling it

“Yes, master”

“Good boy” I praised as I readjusted my position so that my leg was in between Yancy’s. He started to grind against my knee, grateful for any kind of friction.

“I need you” he whined, clawing at my pants, trying to get my cock free. I grasped Yancy’s wrists as I leant over to the bedside table, pulling a pair of handcuffs out. I locked them around Yancy’s wrists and the bed rest, Yancy pulled against the restraints as I slid off his boxers, making sure to leave the dress on. I wrapped my hand around Yancy’s cock, pumping it a few times

“Oh fucks, please, please, justs fuck me” Yancy groaned, bucking his hips into my hand. I pushed his hips down with my hands

“You’ve got to stay still, or I won’t let you cum” Yancy whined at this, trying to control himself. I stroked his cock from base to tip excruciatingly slow, Yancy furrowed his brows trying not to squirm under my touch.

“Y/N please, stops being such a tease, fuck”

“You’re the tease who started this darlin’” I started to focus my touch on Yancy’s tip, swirling my finger around it “Showing your body off to everyone, hmm? You’re for my eyes only, you got that?”

“Yes, I’m youse’s, only youse’s. I’m youse’s property, youse owns me. Please justs fuck me” Yancy begged, his body trembling from need. I pretended to consider the thought, as I stood there stroking my chin. “Fuck, please justs get inside me’s already” I smirked, looking down a Yancy, he was all tied up and pretty for me. I decided to just give him what he wanted as my own erection was becoming too much to handle.

I pulled down my pants, grabbing the lube from the same draw that the handcuffs came from, I coated my fingers with it. Inserting a finger into Yancy, I started to pump in and out, eventually adding a finger, making sure he was slick and stretched. When I was certain he was ready, I moved Yancy to line up with me, I pushed into him.

“Fuck!” Yancy shouted, fingers curling into fists.

“I want you to moan my name” I ordered, thrusting in and out of Yancy.

“Y/N, Y/N fuck, Y/N!” Yancy was getting louder and louder with every thrust. “Oh god, fuck Y/N, I’s gonna cum!”

“Scream my name Yancy, I want everyone in this prison to know who you belong to” I groaned

“Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!” Yancy screamed, I grunted feeling Yancy go limp as he reached his high, mine following soon after. “God Y/N youse always make me feel so goods” Yancy panted, as I picked up the key to the handcuffs, unlocking them.

“Same to you love” I smiled at him, massaging the bruises I left on his hips.

[blackaquokat]

The Song You Might Have Been (Chapter 2)

Link to Chapter 1

A/N: Fun fact, Legal Eagle used to be slang for “lawyer,” hence the DA’s nickname. 

You will also notice, this chapter, that I am taking blatant inspiration for a subplot from Shawshank Redemption. Because it is absolutely something my DA would do. And also, there is a scene here that I once wrote in response to a prompt. 

Anyway, thanks for the feedback so far, everyone! I appreciate it so much! 

Enjoy!

--

Apparently Yancy has set up a guard rotation for you at mealtimes in collaboration with his nightly watch. 

Today, instead of Jimmy the Pickle, a slim bearded man who introduces himself as Sparkles McGee (you’re curious about the story behind that nickname) joins you at your table. He’s a little more chatty than Jimmy was, constantly going on about the local prison gossip. Who is sleeping with who, which jobs are preferable, upcoming birthdays of inmates and guards. He doesn’t seem to expect any kind of response from you, which works out just fine, because you have nothing to contribute. This might be handy information to have in the future anyway.

When it’s yard time again, however, Sparkles splits off to his group of inmates at the corner. Just as you’re about to go spend another hour lost in thought or maybe doing some exercises, Sparkles comes back and drags you to his posse. 

He introduces them one by one: a young woman who looks simultaneously bored and ready to kill, “Tiny”; a younger man with a hisp of a goatee and mustache, “Bam-Bam”; a pale, lanky man with gears tattooed to his temple, “Heap-Ass”; and a larger bald man, “Shithole Hank.” The last one is apparently the man to go to for hooch wine, and every time you’re offered a sip, you make a hard pass. Your excuse is a preference for whiskey or lime and gin. In reality, you just haven’t gotten desperate enough for alcohol to drink it out of a toilet.

Once the introductions are made, you once again just sit back and listen as the crew converses amongst one another. With the amount of gossip you catch during that time, you manage to construct imaginary cases in your head where this evidence is used in support of various litigation lawsuits.

It’s a real eye-opener for you, how little of a life you had outside of work that this is the most you can come up with to occupy yourself outside of reading a book.

Speaking of…

“Is there a library here?” you ask during a short lull in the conversation.

The group blinks at you in sync. 

“Um.” Bam-Bam shakes his head. “There’s a book cart with a small selection, and a room about the size of a closet, but that’s about it.”

Your brow furrows. “Is this another case of Warden Murder-Slaughter’s ‘rehabilitation over punishment’ slogan falling flat on its face?”

Tiny snorts. Sparkles shrugs.  An idea forms in your mind.

“Um…” Shithole Hank leans towards Sparkles. “Should we be worried about that look in their eye?”

“Only if it gets us in trouble.”

You decide to ignore that exchange. “Would you guys like to have a proper library?”

This draws some intrigue from your companions. Tiny in particular looks interested in this proposal. 

“How the hell would you manage that?” Sparkles demands.

You cross your arms and try for a confident smile. “You don’t go through years of law school without learning how to figure out contracts and loopholes. If I can talk with the warden, I’d like to at least see what I can do.”

You cut off when you see the group staring behind you with wide eyes. You turn heel to see one of the guards looking you up and down. Rex, your mind supplies. This is Rex. 

“If you want the Warden,” Rex growls, “I can take you to him. But you gotta do something for me first.”

Shit.

----

“What do you mean youse done talked with the Warden?” Yancy demands when you stroll into the cell that evening.

“I wanted to ask him what steps I needed to take to get a bigger library implemented here,” you respond with absolutely no shame whatsoever. 

The meeting went surprisingly well. You’ve got a rough idea of how to go about this, now that you know what the problems are. Even better, you actually did find a copy of Murder on the Orient Express on the cart, so a double-win for the day. You crawl on top of the bedsheets and crack the novel open.

Yancy leaps down from the bunk and glares down at you. “And youse didn’t think to inform me of this plan of youse’s?”

You lift your brow without looking away from the book. “I didn’t think you’d be opposed to the idea of making your home a little more homey by having a more updated collection of books.”

“Of course not--”

“Then what’s the problem?” 

There’s a huff and a growl before Yancy climbs back into his bunk and falls into it more aggressively than necessary. You think that’s the end of it until his head pops down. “What makes you think youse can just waltz into here and demand youse’s luxuries?!”

Ah. Okay, you see where he’s coming from. 

You shut your book and set it down. “Look, I know I’m a prosecution lawyer, but I’m not completely heartless. Yes, I would like a larger collection of books, but don’t the rest of you want more to read too? You look like you’ve been here long enough to read all of those three times. I mean, Rex brought me to the warden in the first place just because he wants a better poetry collection to pick from. He asked for specific authors and poets.”

Yancy does not deny this. 

You continue, “Besides, just because you’re in prison doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to expand your horizons, literature-wise that is. I know books helped me growing up, imagine what they’ll mean to everyone in here.”

Yancy continues to stare at you, utterly baffled. “Youse quite the enigma, Eagle.”

“For...what? Caring?”

He shrugs. A weird sight to watch from someone who’s upside down. “Not for caring, per se. But more...the ‘doing’ part.” He disappears into his bunk again. “Here’s hopin’ it won’t be for nothin’.”

“What do you mean?”

“You think youse the first person to ask for more books, Eagle? There’s a reason that collection hasna been updated since the war. Nobody’s seen it through to the end. They gets discouraged.”

You purse your lips, fingers tapping against your book. “I would think you’d have realized from my reputation. I don’t quit.”

There’s a chuckle above you. A genuine one. “That’s what I’m countin’ on, Eagle.”

---

Yancy is right. There’s a reason the collection has barely grown since the prison opened up.

No one on the outside wants to fund the damn thing. 

That doesn’t stop you. You start writing letter after letter after letter to the state legislature asking (demanding and borderline threatening, really) for the funds needed to make a bigger library. Thanks to your work in the government, and after a quick phone call to Damien to confirm (while he also updates you on the progress on your case), you know exactly who to contact. It gives you something to do. Something really meaningful. It helps to pass the time and helps to keep from feeling helpless about your own situation. 

It also gets you a whole different kind of attention from the inmates.

After Week Two of your letter campaign, Tiny speaks up. You’ve started sitting with Yancy’s posse since they adopted you into their group outside of protection detail. “You really think you can get a library here?”

Seeing as Tiny has barely made a sound in your presence before, this takes you completely by surprise. As well as the rest of the table. You recover quickly. “That’s...what I’m hoping for.”

Tiny’s head ducks, her fingers tapping against one another. “Um...if you do…”

“Yeah?”

“Can we make requests?” she eventually blurts out. “For books we’d like? I mean, do you think we could get children’s books?”

You put down your fork and offer her your full attention. “Did you have a specific one in mind?”

“The Velveteen Rabbit.” Tiny tugs at her braid. “My grandmother used to read it to me.”

You’re overwhelmed with the sudden urge to protect Tiny with your life. Even if you’re pretty sure Tiny has killed at least three people since she was imprisoned and could absolutely kill you if she wanted to. “If that book isn’t included in any delivery we’re given, I will annoy the legislature until they do. Sound good?”

Tiny smiles at you. A small, genuine one. It renews your motivation and you end up writing two letters that evening, in preparation for the next time mail comes along. Next thing you know, other inmates (and even a few guards aside from Rex, much to your surprise) have requests for books they would like available.

Oddly enough, it’s the letter writing and the book requests that finally drive you to ask Yancy how you go about ordering contraband.

“What the hell do youse need contraband for?” He’s sitting cross-legged in the top bunk while you’re trying to draft your next letter on the slab sticking out from the opposite wall.

You hold up the golf pencil you’re using with frustration. “Because these are driving me up the wall. They are terrible. And the quality of the paper here is a nightmare too, it smudges way too easily.”

“So what? Youse want pen and paper?”

Your brow lifts. “That not a lethal enough order?”

Yancy’s smile is borderline feral in its delight. “Youse a lot more interesting than I thought you’d be, Eagle. The guy to go to is Heap-Ass. He’ll get you anything you want. For a price.”

You really don’t like that tone of his. “And? What’s the price?”

“Depends.”

“I don’t do sex favors. Or assassinations.”

“Nah, he’s not that twisted. It’ll either be a chore switch or cigarette packs, somethings in that nature, you know?”

You twirl your terrible pencil between your fingers, feeling a little more hopeful. “That I can definitely handle.”

---

You’ve always known, on an intellectual, common sense level, that prison brutality is absolutely a problem. It’s something you learned in law school from the professors who cared about teaching the kind of scenes law students would actually have to address in their lines of work.

It’s an entirely other experience to watch a rookie guard get too into his job and beat the shit out of a prisoner whose only crime was walking a little too close to the bastard.

Your gut instinct is to run forward and help, somehow. A stupid instinct that would have gotten you killed or at least tossed into the infirmary on a permanent basis had Yancy not grabbed your arm to stop you.

“Hold up there, Eagle.” He pulls you back, a glare fixed on the brutal scene before you. “No need for two of ours to ends up with broken wings, youse hear me?” 

You swallow back your righteous anger and force yourself to calm down. It’s not right, it’s not right, and the justice lawyer inside of you is itching to make it right somehow–-

Yancy must see your conflict and anger. He puts a hand on your shoulder and mutters into your ear, “No worries. Me and the others ain’t gonna let this stand. We’ve got our own system in place here.”

That night, you pretend to be asleep when you hear that rookie guard scream for help. You don’t look to see what happens, who does it, or how, and the next day, when the warden summons you to ask if you know anything to explain why the guard’s body was found in the laundry room, you tell him as much.

When you see Yancy later, he seems almost impressed at your lackadaisical reaction to what took place. “Thought you were all about the law, Eagle?”

You lean on the wall next to him and look out across the yard, watching the other inmates mingle together. “In the absence of the law, I’ll take what justice I can get.”

You can almost feel Yancy’s approval. “I can appreciate that.”

--

Link to Chapter 3 here!

Thank you for reading! Please relbog/comment! If you want to be tagged/untagged for the rest of this series or this pairing, please leave a message in my inbox!

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[iamvegorott]

A Lifetime Chapter 4

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PenPal

“You can’t send a child to jail!”  “No child would do this! He’s lost his right!” “He was abused!” “Lock him up! Lock him up!” 

Yancy woke up with a scream clawing its way through his throat, tears flowing down his cheeks. There were some grumbles of protest from the other prisoners but they soon quieted down.

“Yo, Yanc, you good?” A soft voice asked from the cell next to Yancy’s. “Did you have another bad dream?” 

“Yeah,” Yancy answered after swallowing. “It’s all good, though.” 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“Nah, go back to sleep.” 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah.” Yancy heard the person, a girl his age named Tiny, hum with some worry before her bed squeaked, telling Yancy she had laid back down. Yancy sighed and rolled out of bed, he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. 

He’s been ay Happy Trails Penitentiary for several months. Warden Murderslaughter worked a deal to allow Yancy to stay here during his trails and when his final one happened last week, he was sentenced to life here. They sent a child to a life in prison. Yancy wasn’t shocked, he knew it was going to happen and Murderslaughter helped him prepare for the verdict. Murderslaughter was there a lot more than what Yancy would expect from a warden but Yancy liked it. The closest thing to a father he’s had his entire life and he seemed to understand Yancy.

Yancy also liked being in jail more than back at his house. He ate three times a day, the showers always had hot water, there was a large library he could read as much as he wanted and there was even a tv. There was a good group of prison mates that were just like him, young and arrested for crimes with complicated stories. There were mostly adults, but they all were protective of the ‘youngins’, the ones Yancy’s age. This place was different than Yancy expected jail to be, something was off about it but he wasn’t going to complain. 

Yancy spent the hour or so before morning call went off reading by flashlight. He mostly read comic books, taking his time to look at every detail in the pictures. Someone took hours and hours for each page and Yancy didn’t want to miss any of it. He also used them as reference for when he would try to draw. No one’s ever seen his art and he was too scared to ever do so. 

When the bell went off, telling the inmates to wake up and get dressed, Yancy slipped on his shoes and waited for one of the guards to open his cell’s gate. After stepping out of his cell he gathered with a group of fellow youngins that had all become friends over his short time there. 

“Do you want to play basketball during rec time?” A boy that everyone called Sparkles McGee, or just Sparkles, asked Yancy as the group of four went to the cafeteria. 

“Sure. Me and yous can go against Tiny and Bam-Bam.” Yancy said. 

“That doesn’t sound fair.” Bam-Bam protested.

“Yancy, you and your friends come over here.” A large man, Jimmy the Pickle, said with a wave of his hand. Yancy’s seen him around but has never heard his voice till now. Yancy looked at his friends and they just shrugged at him. He swallowed thickly before going over, hoping Jimmy was a nice adult as well. 

“Yeah?” Yancy asked, yelping a little when he was suddenly pulled into the front of the line. 

“This kid’s thigh is smaller than my wrist, give him some extra,” Jimmy said to one of the cooks. 

“Here you go.” The woman working handed Yancy an overflowing tray of food. 

“You don’t eat much and I don’t like it,” Jimmy stated as he got his own food. “You four come and sit with me and Shithole Hank.”  

“Okay.” Yancy wasn’t sure what else to say as he waited for his gang to get their breakfast. 

“That’s a lot of food,” Tiny said when she saw Yancy’s tray. “Are you going to be able to eat all that?”

“I don’t think I have a choice.” Yancy weakly chuckled and lead the others over to where Jimmy and Hank were. 

“Eat that all up cause I’m gonna help you bulk up even more,” Jimmy said to Yancy after they sat down. “I can tell you’re strong and I’ll make sure you stay that way and get stronger.” 

“Thanks. But why?” Yancy asked.

“Heard about the bags of fucks that were your parents and I never want you to feel weak ever again,” Jimmy stated. 

“What about me?” Bam-Bam asked.

“You’re a smart kid, work with that,” Jimmy said with a chuckle and a slap against the thin kid’s back. “I’m not tryin’ to be harsh, you gotta work with what you got. Yancy here’s already got good muscles for his age, you’re smart, Tiny’s a slick and quick gal and Sparkles knows how to make a distraction. Work with what ya got.” 

“Mail!” A man shouted out as he came into the room. “Jimmy, Hank, Tiny.” The man listed off the names as he handed them their letters. “Yancy.” 

“Yancy?” Yancy repeated his own name as he was handed an envelope. “I have mail?” 

“Give it a read.” Jimmy chuckled. Yancy hesitated for a second before opening the envelope, finding a letter inside:

Hi Yancy, I saw your trail on tv and wanted to let you know I’m on your side. You seem like a cool guy. I can only imagine how lonely it can get in jail when you’re only thirteen so I thought I could be your penpal of sorts.  I hope you’re willing to write back -Illinois

“Illinois? I was written to by a state?” Yancy said out loud when he was done reading.

“It’s probably a pseudonym,” Bam-Bam said. “A fake name so people don’t know who they are.” 

“Why would they use a fake name?” Tiny asked. 

“They’re taking a risk sending a letter to a convicted felon, they’re probably thinking they’re being safe,” Bam-Bam said. 

“Are you going to write back?” Sparkles asked. 

“Yeah, I think I am,” Yancy said with a smile.  

x~x~x

Howard sat at his desk, staring at the blank sheet of paper. He’s been wanting to write Yancy ever since everything started but he never knew what to say. What do you say? 

Maybe he should try being someone else? Be the person he’s always wanted to be? It’s easy to hide behind writing when no one knew who you were. He could be that smooth and suave guy, he could be brave enough to say things he could never do in person. 

“Dear…no.” Howard quickly erased the word. ‘Dear’ sounded a little too…formal. “Hi, Yancy.” Better. Howard wrote a quick letter, making sure nothing in there gave away who he was. “I hope you’re willing to write back, signed…” Howard paused. Signed who? Who was he? He didn’t want to be Howard anymore. Howard started to chew on his pencil and he lifted his hat, looking at it as he thought. His eyes went wide when he looked inside of the hat and he knew who he now was. 

Illinois 

—————–

Tag List (Let me know if you want to be added): @devon-rever-860 @m0th-dude @thesinginggal @rainymae523@disneyamoo@salmonisforthebagel​ @antibeaneverybody​ @adverseflyer909​ @madallice329​ @rebastone​ @ninazappy @thedarkeningdusk​ @aoimatsurika@windymischeif @mirrored-calamity @yurmimi @thevampireauthoress @wingz16

[fatandnerdy30]

The Itsy Bitsy Spider 6

Peter scuffed his foot on the glass table as Pepper and Mr. Stark talked with Bruce, and the man looked back at him, squinting with a sad smile. "Yeah, I'll help build something for him, but couldn't you do it by yourself?" Wait, why could the boy suddenly hear them all the way over there? He then felt weird.

Tony smiled. "I haven't seen you in so long, I miss you!" "Plus, I think he wants you and Peter to bond," Pepper said. "He's terrified of you, and he hasn't even seen the Hulk. But, what he's been through, I wouldn't want to be around doctors, either." She made a face. "Yeah, all right. I'll see what I've got here to make him something." The man stood and headed for the door. "Hey, Peter. Nice to see you again." He frowned when the boy flinched, looking pained. "What's wrong?" Tony took a step towards the boy. "Your voice...it's too loud.." Peter groaned, holding his ears. It seemed as if his entire body was going haywire at the moment. He didn't even see the hand coming at him, but when the fingers touched his torso, the boy reacted, grabbing the man's hand and bending his fingers back in a painful position. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!" Bruce struggled to get his hand away from Peter, but it seemed like the boy had it in a vice grip. He tried a different approach, trying to keep himself calm and calm the kid down at the same time. "Peter," he whispered. "Peter, calm down...no one is going to hurt you here...Peter, it's okay. I'm going to help you. I just need you to calm down, okay. Open your eyes, come on." His technique was working and he could feel the boy's grip loosening, until he was able to pull his hand away. "Are you okay?" Pepper and Tony stood on both sides of the boy, a look of concern on their face. "What happened?" Tony looked down when he saw Peter flinch and knelt down. "Hey, Pete, talk to me." Peter's head was pounding and every part of his body was screaming at him to get away. "I...I don't know..." he sobbed, curling up. "Help me.." "Okay, short stuff, we're gonna have to go into the lab fully, though." The boy nodded and Tony knew at that point something was wrong. Carefully, he slid Peter into his hand, wincing when the teen rolled to the middle of his palm. Quickly he walked towards the table Bruce was set up on, waiting for the doctor to set up a towel to place Peter down. "Okay, kid, Bruce is gonna take a look at you. It'll be okay." Banner came close, bringing a magnifying screen over the boy. "Pete, you need to calm down, you're giving yourself a nosebleed." He was worried that boy was going to have a heart attack with the way his blood pressure must have been raising. "Come on, bud.." "Peter," Tony slid his hand over the teen, resting his thumb over his chest. "Pete, feel my heart, listen to my breaths....easy...." He purposefully breathed loud, watching his thumb rise and fall to see if the boy followed his breathing, which he did after a moment. "Good job, kid. Just keep it up." He turned to Bruce. "What do you need?" "Um," Banner was looking between Tony and Peter, only seeing his friend like that with Morgan. "A new blood sample, definitely." He grabbed the thinnest needle he had and quickly swabbed the boy's arm, wincing when the smell made his face go pained again. He didn't have time to program a bot this time. "Sorry, bud. Okay, a little stick." He slid the needle into where he could see the blue of a vein, sighing when blood started flowing, and a second later he pulled the needle and quickly brought the sample to look at under the microscope. "Tones," he said, voice apprehensive. "Friday, project." The room darkened and Friday showed a hologram of what was going on under the scope. "What the hell?" Tony watched as the blood cells mutated right in front of his eyes. "Enhance to a molecular level." Friday enhanced the image. Peter's DNA was changing more than it already had. The DNA strands before them were suddenly twisting and reforming, healing itself before his eyes. It was amazing to watch. "What's going on?" A tiny pained voice asked.Tony looked back to Peter, who had calmed down, but still shaking under the man's hand. "Hey, hey, Pete, you okay?" Peter nodded. "Y-yeah....I don't know what happened.." "Your healing, how long would it take to heal a bruise?" Bruce asked, his mind working a mile a minute. "It takes usually twenty minutes from what I've seen...bruises are easy when they're simple. When they broke bones, that took two days..." He was so tired... "Don't go to sleep on me yet, kid." The billionaire remembered seeing the bruises on the boy's arms when they rescued him. "So, then it must have been that morning that they gave you an IV?" The teen nodded, his eyes closing, his face pale under the magnifying lens. "Do you know what they gave you?" A shake of the head. "Okay, it's okay, Pete...You can rest now." He accepted the corner of a paper towel from the doctor and placed it over Peter's bleeding nose until a few seconds later, the bleeding stopped on its own, which Tony thought was impossible. "Thanks, Mr. Stark," Peter slurred and his eyes closed, a small snore coming from him a moment later. "That...that was scary," Banner sighed. "No kidding." "What just happened?" Pepper came from the corner, concern on her face. "I mean...what just happened?" Tony lifted his hands. "It would appear the injection Hydra gave Pete here took a few days to take hold, and that caused a mutation in his own DNA." He looked to Bruce, who was studying the microscope, as if he'd forgotten Friday was projecting the results. "Tony...I know what they gave him, I would know it anywhere.." he pulled away, his eyes going to the hologram. "Gamma radiation...they mixed a spider's DNA string with gamma radiation.....It's hard to tell what spider, because the radiation takes it over. I can't believe he survived what those bastards did to him..." He took his glasses off, his face sad and angry at the same time. "Just calm down, Brucie. Take a breath, the kid is okay, just breathe. You don't wanna turn green with Peter in the room." Pepper went to him, placing a hand on his back, and when she wasn't rebuked, she rubbed circles on the doctor's back, soothing him with hushed words. "I'm okay," the doctor breathed after a few minutes. "I'm good, I'm good...I just...I hate thinking of anyone in the hands of those..." he took a deep breath and looked at the tiny boy on the table, watching his face in the lens. "At least he's okay now. I'll try and figure out how to undo the...the only way I can put it is the shrinking, as childish as it is to say." Banner smiled and shook his head. "And also I'll try to get in touch with Hank Pym again, see what he has to say." Tony nodded, and looked to Pepper, who was already holding Peter in her cupped hands, brushing the hair from his face with her thumb. "Okay, let's go get this kid to bed. He can take a shower after he wakes up." He wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and they stepped out, only to be greeted by a smiling Morgan. "Hi mommy! Hi daddy! Mommy, what are you holding? Can I see it? Daddy, look at my drawing! It's of the team!" Morgan dropped her bag to the floor and dug through her bag. Pepper stepped back, covering Peter. "I have to go for a minute. When I get back, how do you feel about cookies and milk before you start your homework?" The little girl stopped rummaging, her face lighting up."Yes please! Daddy, can you help me? You're super smart." She gave the man big doe eyes, which she knew her daddy couldn't say no to. "Okay, let's go." He grabbed his daughter's hand. "This is your fault, you know," he told Pepper, who smiled as the man was led away by the six year old. Pepper quickly went to Peter's room, laying the boy on the pillow, seeing how his body sunk slightly into the surface. "Have a good rest, sweetie," she whispered. She wanted to kiss his forehead, but was afraid of hurting Peter. So, she just kissed her fingertip and brushed it along the boy's hairline. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Morgan couldn't sleep. All day she'd been full of energy, but everything she did did nothing to get rid of the energy, and it was starting to bug her. She wanted to go into her daddy's workshop with her plastic tools, and mimic every move, but it was too late and she knew her daddy would yell. So, she got up out of bed and padded to her dolls, quietly taking the ones that didn't talk out and brought them to her bed. She wanted to turn on her music, but she couldn't ask Friday to block the noise from her room. She'd done that once when she was experimenting with the toilet, and her daddy had told Friday to never let her do it again.   So, she silently went playing with her dolls, but soon her stomach grumbled. She'd had two slices of pizza for dinner, the team all around her at the table, but she found it weird that her dad had left the table with a slice of pizza, then came back a few minutes later without it. Morgan couldn't think on a empty stomach. She needed a snack. Putting her dolls aside, she padded out of her room. "Miss Morgan," Friday's voice was loud. "What are you doing out of bed?" "Shh!! Friday, I wanted a snack. I'm hungry." "Your father will not be happy to learn that you are out of bed at this time," the AI whispered this time. "He doesn't have to know," she called up to the ceiling. "Please, Friday? Just this once? And it's the weekend!" "There are some carrot sticks in the bottom drawer." Morgan smiled and ran to the kitchen, grabbing her snack, grabbing a few when she looked down the hall curiously. "Friday? Who else is here?" "It is just your family, the avengers and Peter." Who was that? "Where is Peter staying?" "Down the hall, Miss Morgan. I am waking Mr. Stark." "No!" She ran down the hall, opening each door, but there was no one in any room...maybe they were invisible! She went through again, calling into each room until a watery voice answered. "M-Mrs. Stark?" "No...I'm Morgan Stark. Are you Peter?" She couldn't see anyone. "Are you invisible?" "What?" The boy laughed. "No! I'm just...tiny, I guess." Morgan raised a brow and walked into the room and there laying in the middle of the pillow was a tiny boy, the size of one of Morgan's dolls, his face scrunched up in fear. "Hi," Morgan called softly. "You really are tiny." She crawled onto the bed, being careful with her new friend. "Are you a fairy? Or, were you a doll that Daddy brought to life?" She reached out her hand.Peter scurried back when the child's hand reached toward him, his senses screaming at him that this was dangerous! "Morgan Stark, what are you doing out of bed?" Both kids gasped, Peter sagged in relief to see Mr. Stark standing in the doorway, a stern yet worried expression on his face. "I-I wanted to get a snack, but then I though about where the pizza from dinner went, so I looked in the rooms and found Peter." She frowned and looked at the ground. She was only curious.Tony sighed. "I see...and how did you know his name?" He came to stand by the bed. "Friday?" "You never gave an order to not tell anyone who asked, Boss." Peter struggled to sit up in the softness beneath him when suddenly his hair stood up and he rolled away from the hand that was reaching out to grab him, surprising both him and Morgan, who stared at him with a smile. "That was really cool."She was lifted away suddenly by Mr. Stark, who gave her a stern look. "Morgan, you could have hurt Peter if you had grabbed him. He's here under the Avengers protection, so that means that he is off limits." Peter didn't like being talked about like he wasn't even in the room and he frowned. "I..If she doesn't try to pick me up, she can come and talk to me. I don't mind." Morgan smiled. "See Daddy? He said I can come see him." Mr. Stark shook his head and looked to Peter. "You have no clue what you've done," he joked. "But, if you want her company, I won't say no. Just do what he says, Morgan. He may not look it, but he's older than you." He gave the boy a scared look as he turned and smiled. "Come on, back to bed little miss. I'll be back, Pete." The boy watched them leave the room, and wanted to tell the man not to leave. That he was scared...but, a few minutes later, Mr. Stark came back to sit on the bed. "You okay?" He glanced at the kid. Even though Tony had had the boy for only a couple of days, he felt protective of him. He could blame the parent thing, but he knew that wasn't it. Once you got to know Peter, it was impossible not to love him. Is this what having two kids felt like? "Yeah, I'm okay." Peter lied, wiping his face. He felt his senses blare again, but he moved too late and he was scooped up by the billionaire and brought up to the man's face, where two large eyes studied him. "Hmm....sure. What was this dream about?" Tony got up and started walking, exiting the room. He knew a nightmare when he saw it, and knew the boy had been having them since the first day. In a way, he was glad Morgan had gotten to him first. Normally when he got there, the kid was already asleep again, nightmare over. Well, tonight he was going to hopefully make them stay away. Peter let out a soft sigh, blush reddening his face as his hand pushed his curls from his eyes. "I was back in the lab....there were people all around me, but...this time, Dr. Banner was there." He shivered and held himself, but Mr. Stark must have noticed, because the next he knew, he was curling his hand around the boy, creating a cocoon of warmth. "It's stupid, I know," the boy laughed. "Nothing you've said has ever been stupid, kid. Trust me, I've known some pretty stupid people." I've had this dream before, Mr. Stark...it's nothing really." Tony ignored the boy an walked to his and Pepper's room, shutting the door behind him. "Wh-what are we doing in your room?" Peter asked, looking around. He'd never been in the man's room. "Well, it's late, I'm tired, you're tired. We're going to sleep." He slid into the bed as quietly as he could as not to wake the sleeping Pepper, but it seemed she was awake. "What's wrong?" she glanced at Peter in her husband's hand, concern filling her face. "Peter?" "It's nothing, honey. Just a little nightmare, that's all. Go back to sleep." Peter gasped as the man laid down, not having a chance to grab on to something before falling to the man's chest. He sat there dazed for a moment. "Mr. Stark, I'm okay, really. I can sleep in my own room." He looked into Mr. Stark's face with a serious expression, his body moving up and down with the man's breathing. He wasn't a baby. He could handle a bad dream, and he went to tell the man that, when the man opened his mouth. "Hush," Tony told him, closing his eyes. "It's sleep time." Peter huffed and started looking for ways to get down, when he felt his body react before he could even think, rolling out of the way of the hand coming at him. "Mr. Stark!" he squeaked, feeling the man chuckle. "You're tickling me," Tony lied and brought his hand up again, slower this time, letting the boy see it lower. "Now lay down." Peter shook his head. This was completely embarrassing! Then, out of nowhere a finger knocked the boy down and he turned to see Pepper smirking, her manicured hand going back to her side. "See? Even Pepper wants you to lay down." Tony brought his hand up before Peter could move, covering him, feeling his fingers over the boy like a weighted blanket. And it wasn't as bad as Peter thought. The minute Mr. Stark's hand covered him, he felt the anxiety and fear of the dream going away. Under him, the man's heart beat thundered, but it was comforting to Peter. Something touched his back and at first he fought it, but Mr. Stark's pointer finger had started rubbing his back, the digit firm and comforting. Slowly the boy felt his eyes closing, when the door opening brought them all to attention, but when they saw it was only Morgan, the adults relaxed. "What is it?" Pepper asked sleepily, opening her arms for her daughter to crawl into. "I wanted to tell Daddy I'm sorry for finding Peter...hi." Morgan waved at Peter, who laid on her father's chest, smiling when he waved back. "You found Peter?" Pepper asked. "Were you looking for him?" The girl shook her head. "No, but I found him. Can I sleep in here, too?" Tony was about to say no, when Pepper brought the girl up into the bed and he sighed, but smiled. "Sure, I already have a kid the size of a mouse on my chest...what's one more titan, huh?" Pepper chuckled as Morgan got settled and brought her arm across all three of them, her hand covering Tony's. "Good night," she whispered, but all she heard was breathing and she smiled, drifting off herself.

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

@letsbeinspiredby @sparrowrider @6inchicon @carttorchdeatth

[connorssock]

Hey thank you again for the story on ao3 with soft Gavin. Not to be a bother but I need more XD Hank/Connor/Gavin/Nines. Maybe Gavin being hurt and hiding it from them because he’s a big tough guy who really just needs cuddles. Especially from Hank. Also loved you managed to write Hank and Nines being cute together (so rare in fics ) I know you already filled my request but if you have any spare time?

So uhhh….this kind of became 5.5k of word vomit? Which didn’t quite end up with traditionally hurt Gavin but there’s drama and angst in there. And Gavin does get put through things yet again. Oops. Hope you still like it!

Alone Yet Part of a Whole

Thing had been so simple. Hank and Connor were a couplewhile Gavin and Nines were one too. Nice, easy and paired off as the worldexpected people to be. Which was why Gavin couldn’t fathom why he had to puthis foot in it. Why he had to mess everything up with a weird late nightconversation when it was all dark, he was curled up against Nines’ chest andhis tongue loosened.

“So you and Connor aren’t brothers?”

“Not in the traditional sense, no. He is my predecessor, weshare a few basic design functions but that’s like saying you and a chimpanzeeare related.”

Gavin snorted at that.

“And who is the chimpanzee between the two of you?”

“Connor. Obviously.”

It was said so flatly that Gavin was helpless to do anythingbut laugh.

“Okay, fine. Since you’re not brothers then I feel you cananswer this age old question that many before have asked: would you fuck yourclone? Because you and Connor are basically the same here, you’re betterequipped to answer it.”

It wasn’t a question Nines deigned to answer but Gavindidn’t take it as discouragement. Instead he hummed at the image.

“You know, it would be pretty fucking hot,” he added.

Behind him Nines froze and Gavin stilled, worried he’d saidtoo much or upset Nines.

“Is that so?” Nines rumbled against his hair, voice pitchedlow. “Should I assume I have your approval?”

It was Gavin’s turn to freeze then he grinned, Nines couldcertainly take a bit of teasing so he easily agreed that his consent was givenwhen it came to Connor.

He should have expected it to bite him in the ass. At firsthe was blissfully oblivious, happy that Nines seemed to want to socialise andsomehow they’d ended up at Hank’s house for dinner. The meal itself was simplebut the company was entertaining. Nines and Connor seemed to be sniping at eachother without relenting; riling themselves up to the point their LEDs were botha solid red. It didn’t warrant any intervention though, they were grinning awayand even Hank seemed to be chuckling away.

For his part, Hank was a delight all things considered. Atfirst Gavin had worried that maybe there’d be some animosity between them butwhen he’d stepped through the door Hank had offered him a hand and a smile.

“What do you say to putting the past behind us?”

And that was that. There were a few hiccoughs, awkwardsilences where neither Gavin nor Hank quite knew what to say, but thankfullyConnor stepped in on those moments and got the conversation flowing again.

Once the meal was over, Connor and Nines cleared the table whileHank and Gavin sat in a partial food coma. There was the soft clatter of dishesbeing scraped, mugs being rinsed and Hank’s eyebrow rose. Most of the noisesfrom behind Gavin stopped until Connor let out a soft giggle. The sound ofkissing filled the room and Hank cleared his throat, cheeks a ruddy red. Theintrigue was too much and Gavin had zero regrets turning around, only to seeNines pinned against the counter by Connor as they kissed. He’d been right, itwas hot.

“You okay with this?” Hank’s question drew his attentionfrom the two making out and he forced himself to look over.

“Sure,” he shrugged and tried to seem casual about it.

At no point did Gavin expect Hank to grin widely and mutter“sweet” before his eyes were drawn back to the little show. By then Nines hadworked a hand under Connor’s shirt and was drawing little panting huffs of airfrom him between kisses.

As quickly as they started, they stopped and turned to thetable with impassive faces, almost like they were expecting a backlash and theydidn’t want to betray the hurt it was going to cause.

“Well, that was quite a show,” Gavin cheered instead andHank lifted his glass in agreement.

That at least got the two smiling and they turned to serveup a pie as dessert. Perhaps Gavin read a little too much into the way Ninespoured cream over his slice before serving it up, but after seeing hisboyfriend make out with Connor, it was kind of expected that his mind would bein the gutter.

When they said their goodbyes for the evening, Connor presseda small peck to his cheek and Hank gave him a bear hug that was surprisinglynice. Meanwhile Nines gave Hank a kiss on the cheek before moving onto Connor.While their kiss was short, Gavin was certain that he slipped a tongue inthere.

Dinners with Hank and Connor became more of a regular affairafter that. Gavin snickered at his poor choice of words because it wasn’t anaffair if all parties were consenting. Perhaps he’d been a little taken abackwhen Nines straddled Hank’s lap for a kiss after dinner one night, but hecouldn’t really complain when he found himself with a lapful of Connor not aminute later. It was surprisingly easy; their little android swapping didn’tneed talking about. Everyone was happy and if sometimes Gavin caught Hankstaring at him with hunger, well, even that wasn’t an unwelcome development.

There was only one tiny issue but Gavin thought he had ahandle on it. The past had a nasty way of clinging to the recesses of the mindand tainting everything. Some evenings, while they ate, Hank would drink abeer. Just a single one, no more and nothing stronger either. Gavin thought hecould deal with it, didn’t make any kind of mention to it, even to Nines. Hewas an adult who knew the past was the past, it had no bearing on the currentpart of his life and if Connor said Hank’s drinking was okay, then Gavin wasgoing to be okay with it.

Still, when after a meal that had Hank sitting next toGavin, bottle of beer half empty on the table, he had a moment of doubt. Theireyes had met while Nines was quietly pulling the cupcakes from the oven andConnor was busy with Sumo. Hank’s eyes flickered down to Gavin’s lips at thesame time Gavin’s flickered to his. The small shrug accompanied by a lopsidedsmile had Gavin leaning in to meet Hank’s lip. It was nice, soft plush lipsagainst his even as the beard and moustache tickled a little. Opening up to thekiss was the easiest thing Gavin had ever done and he welcomed the first swipeof tongue against his.

The taste of beer coated his tongue, clogged everything upwith memories he didn’t care to remember in the moment. It didn’t matterthough, Gavin was rearing away from Hank, stumbling off his chair and backingaway in a panic.

“I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he had tears gatheringin his eyes even as three pairs of eyes turned to him.

He couldn’t ignore Hank’s look of disappointment, Connor’s confusionor Nines’ frown. Gavin felt he’d let them all down, broke their unity. Onceagain he was the odd one out, the outcast who didn’t fit in.

“I should go,” his voice was a hoarse whisper and before hecould hear any reply, he dashed out the door.

He ran, didn’t know where he was going but he needed an out.The sound of pounding feet behind him, along with his name being yelled didn’tstop him. He needed to let Nines have his happiness with Hank and Connor. Ninesdidn’t need him to pull him back; segregate him just because he’s too goodhearted to leave Gavin. His lungs burned, his side spiked sharply with everybreath and his muscles were ablaze. There was nobody around them and Gavinslowed until Nines caught up to him and grabbed his shoulders to spin him onthe spot.

“Gavin,” Nines breathed and tried to meet his eyes.

“Go back to them. Be happy.”

The tears that had threatened earlier trickled down hischeeks. Gavin made no move to wipe them away; Nines already knew he was brokenso there was no need to hide.

“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

Words clogged Gavin’s throat, he tried to push them out butnothing squeezed through the tightness and his mouth moved silently as he triedto get them out. He didn’t expect Nines to pull him into a crushing hug andjust hold him.

“Some six years back,” Gavin finally managed to croak out,“I had a boyfriend.”

Nines squeezed his arms tighter around him in encouragementand didn’t make Gavin look at him as he spoke. It was a small gesture, but onethat Gavin really appreciated.

“He liked to drink. Actually, he was a functioningalcoholic. And I couldn’t cope with that. So I ended things with him.”

How Nines could understand what he was mumbling into hisshoulder was beyond him. But it seemed that Nines somehow could still makesense of it despite the snot and the tears.

“When I left, he did what he did best. Got drunk beyondcomprehension and decided to come and find me. Got in his car to drive over. Hewrapped the car around a lamppost like a pretzel.”

“Oh Gavin,” Nines sighed into his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“The irony is,” Gavin laughed a little, “he was fine. Gothis licence taken away but he wasn’t injured. But I can’t do it again. Alcohollaced kisses, not knowing what you’re getting home to. I just can’t. And I knowConnor said Hank isn’t like that anymore but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Nines held him closer, let Gavin’s tears soak into his shirtas they stood on the sidewalk in the dark.

               The nextday, Gavin anticipated things to be awkward at work. He glanced towards Hankand Connor’s desk guiltily and snatched his gaze away when Connor looked hisway. Shame and worry burned his cheeks which didn’t get any easier when a coffeecup was gently placed by his elbow.

“Nines contacted me last night,” Connor’s voice was low soonly Gavin could hear it, “and we understand.”

Absolution was as easy as that. Gavin gulped down his drinkjust so he could have something to do that wasn’t crying with relief. When hegot a text from Hank that evening for an invite to dinner, he sought out Ninesand silently wrapped his arms around him for a long time.

“I don’t want to get in the way of anyone’s happiness.”

Those were the first words out of Gavin’s mouth afterdinner. Three sets of eyes looked at him; nobody had seemed inclined to bringthe elephant in the room to attention so he’d done it himself.

“Look,” Gavin sighed, “all I’m trying to say is that Ninesis his own man. I’m okay to share him if he wants to continue what he’s gotwith you guys.”

Hank cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable but neitherof the androids looked to be in a rush to reply.

“I’m guessing you and Nines already talked about this?” Hegot a nod in response. “Connor and I talked too. I get it that you’re notcomfortable with alcohol and I won’t insult you by making wild promises. I don’twant to be in the way of your happiness either, okay? So if you, Connor andNines have a thing going on, I’m okay with that too.”

That was unexpected and Gavin could only nod gratefully. He’dbeen expecting a polite rebuff at best, maybe even Hank getting angry andfrustrated at not being trusted. Instead, there was only acceptance and anoffer of a way to work around his hang-ups in a way that kept everybody ashappy as possible. Part of Gavin wanted to badly to be able to trust Hank, tohave the four of them become what they’d been building up towards so slowly.But each time he thought of kissing Hank, he could still taste the beer, seethe pictures of the car wrecked, hear angry words hissed at him, feel theshattered remains of plates bounce off his skin from where they’d been flungagainst the wall behind him too hard. Gavin wasn’t sure what he could do tobelieve Hank that a single beer was all he needed. That Hank simply enjoyed thetaste of the drink.

In the end, it didn’t matter though. The others had acceptedhim as he was and the least he could do was return the favour. There were somenights that Connor came over by himself –usually when Hank was working late.Much the same way as when Gavin was on night shifts without Nines, he had nodoubt that Nines wasn’t home alone.

The thing was, their little arrangement worked. Dinners werestill fun filled and lazy kisses were traded but never between Gavin and Hank.Most of the time they had Connor and Nines sitting either side and they playedfootsie to keep themselves entertained while food was eaten by the other two.They enjoyed each other’s company, teased and jested when the mood took. Evenbetter, all signs of alcohol had disappeared from the table and, if Gavin’soccasional foray into the fridge was to be believed, from the house itself. Itwasn’t a topic he wanted to get hung up on though, so Gavin never mentioned itand neither did anyone else.

Life went on like that. Cases came and went, they laughedand stressed about them, had each other’s backs when needed. Soon, it was timefor the annual ball to honour the emergency services. Each year a differentdepartment hosted it. Last year it had been the fire services, this year it wasthe police’s turn. They’d hired a hall, organised the bar and everything seemedto be going according to plan. The vast majority of the precinct was expectedto attend, including androids.

Oddly enough, over time, Gavin and Hank became firm friends,which was something even other people at the precinct noticed. There wererumours about the four of them which they brushed off with ease then giggledabout over dinner.

One evening Gavin was home alone, Nines was working the lateshift along with Connor so he had a quiet night ahead. Of course it was just ashe’d settled down on the couch that his phone buzzed.

You got a minute? H.

Gavin tried to roll his eyes rather than grin at themessage. No matter how much he’d insisted that Hank doesn’t need to sign histexts, he still got the “H” at the end of each one. It was only when Gavin sawa message crop up on Nines’ terminal from Hank that he realised the signing offwas something reserved specially for him. The affectionate teasing which led tobickering had become a comfort as Gavin call Hank and “old man” while he gotcalled “young whippersnapper” in turn.

For you? Oh alrightthen. –G

Because two could play at that game. He expected Hank tocall him, not for another message to come up almost immediately.

Mind if I pop up for aminute? H.

Sure, place is a messbut I’ve seen yours in a worse state. –G

It only took about ten minutes for Gavin’s doorbell to ring.He let Hank in and settled back on the couch with a sigh.

“Door’s open!” he yelled after the knock and he craned hisneck to watch Hank let himself in. There was a nervous yet excited air around himas he approached, not even bothering to take his shoes off.

“So, uh, I won’t take up much of your time. I just wanted toshow you something,” he fidgeted with something in his pocket nervously.

Briefly, it reminded Gavin of Connor and his coin but thatwas a stupid thought. Hank didn’t need any kind of recalibration, let alonewith a coin. Instead his mind drifted to other ideas. What else could fit in apocket that was small enough to be played around with? A cold weight settled inGavin’s chest at the thought of their roundabouts relationship dissolvingbecause Hank wanted to get married. Maybe he’d gotten two rings for Nines andConnor to avoid any jealousy. It wasn’t like android-human marriages were legalin any sense really, so to be engaged to two of them at the same time wasn’tany less legal in the eyes of the law. Doing his best, Gavin smiled encouraginglyat Hank even as he tried to swallow down his own fears.

“It’s something I’d bother Connor with more,” Hank wasrambling, “but he’s at work. And well, I got it tonight. And I really wanted toshare it with those I love so-“

Hank broke off there and pulled his fist from his pocket.After a moment’s hesitation he held it out to Gavin who reached up, puzzledbeyond words. A small, purple token fell in his outstretched palm and hewatched the way Hank was flushed with embarrassed pride at it. He looked at thetoken which, in golden writing, proudly declared “2 years sober”.

“That’s-” Gavin was at a loss, he looked up at Hank, “that’sgreat. Well done!”

He smiled then and watched the matching grin blossom on Hank’sface.

“Yeah, well. That’s all I wanted to show you really. I’mgoing to head home, didn’t have time to eat before the meeting today.”

“Stay,” Gavin’s voice was soft as he passed the token backto Hank. “I’m sure I could rustle up something for you. You could always pickConnor up on your way home.”

They ended up sitting on the sofa for the rest of the evening,shoulders pressed together as Hank munched on the sandwich Gavin had puttogether for him. Occasionally his hand would stray to his pocket as though hecouldn’t quite believe the token he had stashed in there.

“Hey, so I have a question,” Gavin finally mumbled.

“Shoot.”

“Your token, it says 2 years,” he trailed off at that,uncertain how to ask without offending.

“So how come I was drinking beer not six months ago?”

Thankfully Hank had enough wits about him to figure outGavin’s question without making him suffer more. He chuffed out a little laugh.

“It says sober and not tee total. I know, most people cutout not back but…I really liked the taste of beer. But I haven’t had any sincethat night. So I guess it’s about six months tee total too.”

Gavin didn’t know what to say to that. He nodded mutely andswallowed hard at the idea that Hank gave up something he’d enjoyed for him.Even when he’d so dramatically rejected him earlier.

“Connor and Nines know. I didn’t know how to bring it upwith you without making it seem like I was pressuring you,” Hank pulled hisfingers along the plate to swipe up the last couple of crumbs to distract fromhis discomfort.

Silently, Gavin pressed into his shoulder with a bit moreforce in thanks. He wasn’t certain what he could say to that either withoutsounding like a fool. Almost thankfully, Hank’s alarm rang through theapartment, signalling it was time for him to go pick Connor up.

“Anyway, thanks for the sandwich and the company,” Hankpushed up from the sofa and took the plate to the sink. He stood by the doorwith an awkward smile, hand on the handle.

“Thanks, for everything,” Gavin offered with a half-smile.Things had never been this awkward between them and it felt wrong. The way Hankfidgeted by the door, as though he’d had something more to say set Gavin onedge.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he grumbled and reached for Hank,pulled him into a hug that was at first stiff and uncomfortable until Hankwrapped his arms around him in turn.

“I’ll see you on Friday evening for dinner, yeah?”

“Sure, bring those tiny biscuit things you sometimes make? I’dbeen dreaming about them,” Hank mumbled into his hair and Gavin laughed.

“Get going, Connor will be home before you at this rate.”

               OnFriday Gavin took two batches of the requested cookies much to Connor’schagrin. While he did his best to resist controlling Hank’s diet and beingimposing, he still cared about his wellbeing so the contradiction between thetwo often made his LED spin red.

Dinner held a new crackle of energy that fizzled betweenthem with each gentle tease and touch. The looks Hank and Gavin exchanged weren’tmissed by the other two and very quickly their seating arrangement had changedso they could be next to each other. There was a hint of smugness that radiatedfrom Nines and elation from Connor that was contagious and it further fuelledthe mood between them. At long last, even dessert was finished; Hank lookeddelighted by the small mound of Gavin’s baking and even Nines nibbled on one ofthem contemplatively.

“These are fucking great,” Hank mumbled happily with hismouth full of biscuits.

“Yeah well, someone did request them,” Gavin smiled easily.

Their eyes met and for a moment it was all silent before heglanced away with a small flush. Thankfully rather that comment, Connor subtlypulled Nines away towards the sink to tidy away. It gave Gavin and Hank amoment of false privacy as the two by the sink shamelessly peered their way.Thankfully Gavin missed the moment Nines slapped a hand over Connor’s mouth,too caught up in the way Hank’s lips felt under his.

Thing only got easier from then on. Sure, there were momentsof awkwardness and giggles, especially when Connor walked in on Gavin on hisknees in front of Hank unexpectedly, but on the whole it was like they wereliving in a bubble. At home, they were at ease with each other, comfortable ina way none of them knew they could be.

               It wasthe Emergency Services’ Ball. All four of them were moderately nicely dressedby their relative standards. Gavin had even put a suit jacket over his t-shirtwhile Hank toned down his shirt to something only moderately migraine inducing.They walked in together, jostling and laughing as people greeted them.Thankfully it wasn’t jam packed, people were broken up into little clusters,some even dared mingle rather than the usual divide of groups dictated by theirprofession.

First off though, they needed drinks to keep their handsoccupied. Nines signalled to the bartender, an android who nodded at thewordless order. Pretty quickly, two thiriums, a sparkling water and an orangejuice appeared in front of them.

“Cheers,” Gavin raised his glass and took a sip.

While they were together, they weren’t joined at the hip.First to drift was Hank when he spotted Fowler and he waved the others goodbyeto have a chat. Soon after, Connor and Nines were drawn into a group discussionwith other androids about working rights and comparative human limitations thatmeant humans needed more recuperation time than them. It left Gavin alone atthe bar as he sipped his drink.

Just as he was getting ready to find Tina and Chris who he’dwaved to earlier, three men approached.

“Hey there, Gavin, right?” one of them asked.

He looked vaguely familiar and Gavin tried to remember wherehe’d seen him before. Finally it clicked.

“Rhys! Down at the fire station. We met at the arson scenedown by the docks, didn’t we?”

“You remembered! These are my friends, Stu and Dean. Thoughtyou looked a little lonely so we came to be friendly. Can we buy you a drink?”

Without waiting for Gavin’s response, Rhys was alreadysignalling the bartender for “the same again for my good friend here.” Thedrinks kept coming, conversation flowed easily, it was nice to be able to chatmindlessly about not quite work. Every once in a while Gavin bought a round tooand relished the company.

He’d lost track of the drinks, whose turn it was to buy around. Even the conversation around him began to blur. His head felt heavy, itwas too warm and drinking so much had caught up with him.

“Excuse me,” he slurred, “bathroom.”

Words were difficult to force out, his tongue felt thick inhis mouth. With some difficulty he pushed himself off the barstool and theworld tumbled.

“Woah there,” Rhys’ voice was loud in his ear. “Had a bittoo much to drink, haven’t you?”

Gavin tried to protest, shrug the unwelcome hands off hisshoulder and waist but he couldn’t lift his arms. He tried to speak out butwords eluded him as he staggered.

“Rumour has it; you bend over for any dick, be it plastic orflesh. We just wanted our turn on the DPD bike.”

The words sent a chill down Gavin’s spine, he didn’t wantthat but coherent thoughts eluded him. A burning fear along with “no” floodedhis senses but he was powerless to string together a simple sentence.

Across the room, Hank glanced up from his conversation withFowler. He spotted Nines and Connor in their little group and smiled at howhappy they looked. The bar stool Gavin had been slumped on was empty and hisnewfound friends were nowhere in sight either. It made Hank frown; he liked tokeep a quiet eye on those he cared about. Movement caught his eye towards theback door; a group looked like they were stumbling drunkenly for some freshair. However, a second glance and only one of them seemed to be absolutelywasted while the other three were guiding him out. In a chilling realisationHank watched as Gavin tried to squirm out of the grip one of the group had onhim, face twisted in confused worry.

Instantly, he was picking his way across the hall, pushingpeople out of his way to reach the group before they set a foot outside. Herounded on them with a few meters to spare.

“Everything alright gents?” he asked, as casual as possible.

“Everything just fine. Poor Gavin here can’t hold his drinkthough, so we taking him for a bit of fresh air.”

Part of Hank was relieved to see Connor and Nines slinkingup behind the group, flanking them.

“Gavin’s been drinking?” Hank’s eyebrows rose in disbelief.

“We can take him from here,” Nines stepped up and smoothlyreplaced Rhys as the main support for Gavin.

“Hey now, we were just trying to help!” Rhys protested evenas Gavin wriggled in Nines’ grip.”

“Hank,” he whined pushed against Nines’ hold and futilelystruggled towards Hank.

Nines released him and in a stumble Gavin crashed againsthis intended target. Instinctively, Hank wrapped his arms around him, pulledhim close and a surge of protectiveness blazed through him. Their little scenewas already drawing stares and Connor disappeared into the crowd with his LED awild red. The more people who paid them attention the better. Nines’ LED was asolid red too and androids gathered around them. It made Hank think of the timeConnor had explained that when distressed, androids could send out a beacon torequest assistance and any available android who was willing to help wouldconverge on the signal. Humans dotted the crowd too, drawn in by the potentialspectacle.

“What’s he been drinking?” Hank asked forcefully.

The three opposite him gawped, trying to find the correctlie.

“Orange juice, the bartender has only served Detective Reedorange juice,” Connor piped up from behind them, eyes slanted in a hard glare.He stepped towards Gavin. “I need to obtain a sample to confirm my suspicions.”

He didn’t give Gavin or Hank a chance to protest, grippedGavin’s chin gently and pressed lips against his. A tongue licked against Gavin’sin a quick flick and Connor was drawing away again, LED flashing between yellowand red.

“Well?” Fowler was the one to question him this time. He’dwandered over in the hopes of helping prevent the brawl he’d been halfanticipating all night.

“Flunitrazepam. More commonly known as rohypnol.”

Gasps went up around them and Hank pulled Gavin closer asworst case scenarios flooded through his mind. The what ifs of not noticing, orrealising too late that he wasn’t in the hall. Going in search for him and findinghim in the alley the back door led to.

“Bathroom,” Gavin whimpered into his shoulder and Hankstraightened.

“Get him home safely,” Fowler nodded. “Nines, Connor you’retoo close to this case. Let others handle this.”

The two androids sneered, cuffs already in hand but steppedaway when Miller, Collins and Chen moved in to arrest the three instead.

“I’ll get the car,” Nines seethed while Connor glared at thegroup.

At Gavin’s soft whine, Hank broke out of his reverie andscooped him up. A trip to the bathroom gave Connor and Nines enough time to getthe car to the door and they could get home safely.

The car ride was silent; Gavin was slumped against Hank, feelingsafe in his warmth and bulk. He dozed fitfully, not quite aware of hissurroundings but content in the knowledge that if Hank was there, things weregoing to be okay.

               In themorning, Gavin woke with a groan. His head was pounding and he had no ideawhere he was. The bed under him was soft; it didn’t have the tell-tale lump byhis hip which would have meant he was home. Next, he realised that he wasn’talone. There was a wall of warmth in front of him, an arm slung over his ribsand he himself was doing his best impression of a clingy octopus. A leg over ahip, one hand curled against a chest while the other arm was haphazardly clingingto a half hug.

“How you feeling?” the chest he was curled into rumbled.Gavin hummed in discontent as the sound ramped up his headache.

“Take these,” another voice from the foot of the bedwhispered.

Hands helped Gavin sit up and the whole world swayed gently.A glass of water was pushed towards Gavin along with a couple of pills which hetook without question. He let the half empty glass be taken from him.

“I’ll take over for a bit,” Connor murmured and helped Hankup from the bed.

Immediately, Gavin missed the warmth and the comfort, mindhazy about what actually happened last night. He couldn’t find himself to carein the moment as Connor pulled him closer and rubbed his back, lulling him backto sleep.

Outside the bedroom, Hank took a deep breath. He’d spentmost of the night with Gavin curled around him, clingy and whining whenever he’dtried to leave. His back hurt, he needed a shower and maybe a nap. DespiteNines and Connor sitting with them and reassuring him they’ll keep an eye onGavin’s vitals, Hank couldn’t find it in himself to fall asleep. The slowsteady breaths Gavin drew were not as frequent as he’d liked. He couldn’t helpthe worry that flooded him; the need to make sure Gavin was okay with his owneyes even when he had two androids promising they’d make sure Gavin got throughthe night okay.

“Here,” Nines’ voice was soft in his ear as hands pressedfirmly against his shoulders, eased the knots away with borderline painfulsqueezes.

Hank sighed as the tenseness all but melted out of his tiredmuscles. Cuddling with a half aware and needy Gavin throughout the night washard work it turned out. As though Nines could read his mind, he huffed out alaugh.

“Take a warm shower; it will help you feel better. Then backto bed with you, I’ll have breakfast ready on the bedside table.”

Hank nodded mutely and dragged himself to the bathroom.Steam curled through the air when a pair of arms wrapped around him frombehind.

“Connor,” he rumbled and got a peck to his shoulder inreward.

“How did you know it was me?”

“I’d know you from anywhere. I love you, remember?”

“I love you too,” Connor replied and reached for theshampoo. He helped Hank wash even as he stole kisses from his every now andthen. By the time they were clean and back in the bedroom, Gavin was sat up inbed, Nines behind him like the world’s most unimpressed pillow.

Things should have been awkward, Gavin glanced away fromthem with a blush but Connor wasn’t having any of it. He dove onto the bed andignored Nines’ scowl as he tried to keep the bowl in his hand from spilling itscontent.

“How you feeling?” Hank asked as he made his more sedate wayonto the bed.

“I don’t think I’ve been this hungover since the first weekof the academy. What the hell happened last night?”

“You got roofied,” Nines said and Gavin stilled in his arms.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Hank agreed, “sorry we almost didn’t realise untilit was too late.”

“I’ve had an update from the precinct. The perpetrators havebeen detained, questioned and will be sentenced in a couple of weeks. You willnot need to give evidence,” Connor’s voice was low even as he wriggled closerto the other two and butted his way into the cuddle. He stuck an arm out andpulled Hank into the pile with no resistance.

Gavin looked over at them, face inscrutable until he smiledsoftly.

“Thanks guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you all.”

Nines squeezed him into a tighter hug.

“And we wouldn’t know what we’d do without you.”  

[caktusjuice]

Fiend and Fell - Chapter 1 of ?

Fandom: DBH AU: Haunted ( by @tiny--queen ) Ship: HankCon | Hannor

Plot: Haunted au. Connor being Haunted by an evil spirit/demon called Amanda. He dedicates his life to hunting demons but never was able to get rid of his own. That is until he meets Hank a retired priest who started researching the occult after his son died in mysterious ways

Beneath the rubber of the tires came the crunching of the gravel drive when Connor pulled into it and parked his car. Google maps had not offered a preview of the location or what it looked like, which he thought strange on its own. He had almost thought about aborting the plan all together, maybe it was just some con act. The guy sounded legit over the phone though and Connor had decided to go through with it. In any case he wasn't sure what he had been expecting to find, but it certainly hadn't been this.

A rundown church, a small chapel, those were things that had made sense. No, what stood there was an old rickety house, the windows were boarded up and the gutters had seen better days, some plies of the siding were just barely hanging on. The porch was of some concern. He wasn't sure if it would really hold him upon stepping on it. It looked rotted almost. And the truth was that if he had not spent the last three hours traveling from Detroit to Grand Rapids with the smell of rotting meat in the car the entire time, then he would not have ever considered stepping out of the car in the first place.

Nevertheless he did, drawing his seat belt back and opening the car door without ever taking his eyes off the house. He approached, snow crunching beneath his boots and then the creaking of the untrustworthy stairs of the house. He made his way up the porch as quickly and lightly as possible only to find that the body of said porch was not much sturdier. This was when he realized that the door was in just as bad a shape as the rest of the place, and it looked like it would fall off it's hinges at any time.

He knocked on the frame instead.

Father Anderson had been a young preacher when he had started out, ordained after marriage and had aided and lead several exorcisms and retired early due to personal reasons. At least that's what the review had said, of course all of that could have been a huge lie, in which case Connor had wasted three hours of gas for absolutely no reason. What could he say, he was desperate to try anything at this point.

He was beginning to think no one was going to answer the door when suddenly it was thrown open and a man with a beard poked his head out, an accusatory look on his face. It seemed Connor's night was not yet free of putrid smells because a wafting aroma of booze and sweat came pouring out of the house. Father Anderson seemed to catch Connor's rotting scent as well because his hand had moved up to cup over his nose.

"Holy shit, Kid. You got rotting steak in your pockets or somethin'?"

"Are you Father Anderson?" Connor asked, looking the man up and down. This man hardly looked like a priest, or even a retired priest. His shirt was stained with what Connor could only assume was alcohol and who knew when the last time this guy used a comb was. If he were to be brutally honest the unkempt beard wasn't doing much for the man either.

"Yeah," the man said, brow crinkling. "What's it to yah?"

"I...I'm Connor, we talked over the phone briefly. I asked if you were experienced in exorcisms and cleansings and you told me yes. I've come to get help."

"Fuck," Father Anderson choked, looking the other up and down. "Connor? Jesus H. Christ, I didn't mean rush out here and bang on my door in the fuck all hours of the night."

"I need help," Connor tried again.

"You need somethin', that's for sure. But I can't get it for you. Where did you say you were coming from?"

"Detroit."

"Fuuuuck," there was an obvious exasperation to be found. "I don't know, Kid. Just...find a hotel or something to set in for the night. Get a shower cause you smell like shit, and go home."

There was an irony to be seen in the statement of the way Connor smelled. Pot calling the kettle black. Connor would have pointed this out perhaps if he weren't in such a desperate state.

As Father Anderson stepped back to close the door Connor gave a screeching sound, not entirely unlike an animal in pain as his hand shot out to stop from being turned away. He rested it firmly on the door so it could not be slammed on him.

"Please! Please! I need help, I've been being tormented by a demon and I don't know how to get rid of it. I need help."

He kept repeating this, hoping to drive some point home, hoping to gain some sympathy from the man. Anderson only sighed, his hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose. He shook his head and sighed with no small amount of irritation.

"Listen, everyone thinks they have demons. Most of the time it's just your mind playing tricks on you, a little depression. A hot shower and good therapist are the best things for you. I'm sorry, but I can't help you kid... Night."

This time when Connor blocked the door there was enough force to shove it back and open a ways. The man behind it curled his lips and furrowed his brow. It was a look that met somewhere between anger and surprise. He aimed this at Connor, as though to dare him to try something like that again. Connor only huffed, hand firm to keep the door in it's spot and he looked up to the man with a little more detest now.

"I. Need. Help."

"What you need to do is get the fuck off my porch a-" the words fell short.

Connor had unzipped his coat with one hand, pulling up his sweater and the top he wore beneath it. His skin prickled in gooseflesh as the cold November air rushed over it. But what caught the eye were the long thick gashes in Connor's side. They were an inch deep each at the very least and they looked to be festering, discolored and swollen. The split skin at the edges of them curled back in a way the seemed unnatural.

"Fuck," the priest choked. "When did..."

Connor breathed hard, locking eyes with him.

"I got them in the car on the way here. I almost veered off the highway."

The man stood, staring at them with unease and awe combined. He nodded his head after a moment and stepped back into his house, pulling the door wider as though to make room.

"Okay, okay, Kid. You win. Get in here before you let all the heat out."

Connor was - to say the least - surprised that this place even had heat.

He stepped in, hoping to find something, anything to help him now.

[scatcatz]

Affection by Decimals

Chapter 8 - A Kiss with a Fist

Summary: Gavin continues being an ass. Mild violence.

"Surprise!" Shouted all the customers at Jimmy's Bar. Hank froze in disbelief.

"What the. You asshole!" He bumped Connor's shoulder.

"You said we were having a quiet evening! Not this!" He gestured to his coworkers. Connor tried to hide a smile.

"I said we were going to celebrate your birthday at the bar. I didn't lie." Hank was about to punch Connor's shoulder again when she called out to Hank to join them at the booth.

"Hank, this was all our idea. Come sit down already! We have a drink for you." The big group of coworkers had split into several manageable groups. Hank and Connor walked up to her.

"I knew you were a bad influence on him. Should’ve went with my gut and stayed home." He complained.

"And miss all this, Hank? We can't let you slide home at least not before a toast." She handed him and Connor a shot. Hank sighed and raised his glass.

"Happy 54th birthday, Lieutenant!" The group of friends chinked their glasses together in the air and quickly downed their drinks. Even Connor who had his own shot made of thirium.

Hank sets down the empty shot. "Stop reminding me how old I am. Jesus." The group laughs at him.

"Go have fun on your big day Lieutenant." She joked. Hank brings his pointer finger up and makes a circle in the air.

"Woo" He said half halfheartedly as he walked to the bar table conversing with the other group of friends. Connor looked back to her noticing her glass empty.

"I thought you didn’t like drinking alcohol." He sat down beside her and across from Chris.

"I do. Hate cinnamon flavors too. Horrible combo. Bleh." She made a disgusted face which caused Chris to laugh.

"You should've just given it to me. I'll drink it. So how did you convince Hank to come here?" Chris asked.

"I suggested we have a drink here. Even though he has been trying to cut back, Hank misses being here. Perhaps its holds some nostalgia for him. It is where we first met." Connor pondered at the bar table where Hank sat.

"Or its within walking distance from the station." Chris smiled.

"Or that." He smiled back at Chris but suddenly scowled when he saw a familiar face walk through the door. Chris noticed the change.

"Hey, you're idea is just as valid." He tried to reassure Connor but realized he had been ignoring him. He turned around to follow his gaze.

"Hey Gavin! Didn't think you were coming." Someone in the back said. Despite all the changes that happened over the past year, Gavin still disliked him. Connor's only course of action was better off limited. Gavin sauntered up to the booth looking at her. His arms slightly out. "What happened to my invite?"

"I only invited Hank's friends. I didn't know you guys were that close." She replied.

"We're not!" Hank yelled over his shoulder. She shrugged. Her point already demonstrated.

"I'm going to get another drink. Want anything?" Chris was also not too fond of Gavin.

"No thanks. We're not big drinkers here." She said for both of them.

"Suit yourself." With that Chris walked away from the situation that was eventually going to happen. Gavin stepped a little closer.

"Surprised you came out. I guess shut ins need air sometimes too." His voice acted like its usual condescending self.

"Do you just thrive off of peoples misery or are you that miffed you weren’t invited?" Her snarky voice said back. He raised his hands up.

"I'm just here to have a good time is all."

"Great, the bar is over there." She pointed across the way which Gavin looked over then back.

"But the fun is over here."

"He's just trying to get a reaction out of you. If you ignore him long enough, he gets bored." Connor stated. He could make a manual on this. Gavin leaned onto the table.

"So smartass would think. Do you know better than this toaster or does your toy make all the decisions for you?" Connor's hand slid over hers holding it tightly under the table. Her eyes stared knives at him.

"Enough, Gavin! I'm sick of all the shit that comes out of your mouth." Hank pulled him aside and released him to the other side of the bar. He mumbled a few select words before he walked over to the back.

"What an ass." She whispered.

"A total ass." He added.

"Haha. There’s something funny about the way you swear. Like I don’t quite believe it means the same thing." She squeezed his hand back causing him to smile at her.

A few hours flew by without incident but that was all she could take from all the rowdy festivities.

"I stayed a significant amount of time, I believe. I'm gonna say goodbye to Hank then leave. Are you planning to stay longer?" She asked.

"Yes. I would like to talk to Hank some more. We get so involved with cases that sometimes we forget to just have a casual conversation."

"Okay, don't stay up too late." She sneaked in a brief kiss then walked up behind Hank giving him a quick hug. His lips still tingled from the warmth. He snapped out of it when he heard her voice getting louder. His ears picked up on the words being exchanged.

"How much did you tell your little love sick puppy, huh?" He side stepped into her path.

"Get out of my way, Gavin." She stood still staring straight at him.

"What, cant handle a conversation with another human? Something that isn’t obedient." He continued to agitate her.

"No, I just hate you Gavin."

"Did you miss going to the Eden Club so much that you just brought one home?" He stood over her trying to intimidate her.

"Fuck off!" Her body had gone rigid. Hands curled in tight fists. A couple of people started noticing the ruckus and chattered to themselves.

"No human could deal with your reclusive behavior so the best you could get is an emotionless android!" A sharp slap pierced through the room turning heads. Gavin chuckled as he straighten up. Connor's body stiffened. He had never seen her so furious. Despite all the eyes watching their argument she spoke. Her voice was shaky but intense.

"Connor... is a better person than you. Not because he was made that way but because he is driven to being a better person. That’s why I love him... and not you." Connor felt something powerful swell inside of him and it made him shiver. She stride past him to the door. Gavin's hand seized her upper arm jerking her back towards him. He heard her gasp in pain as he yanked her close to his face. Her eyes squeezed tight in torment. The high pitched breathing of her lungs. She was scared.

That was when something snapped in his head and his body went cold.

"Gavin enough!" Hank had jumped to her side trying to separate them. Connor's feet hit the ceramic tile alarmingly fast. Moving straight at him, his mind had one objective.

His hand locked onto Gavin's wrist while his forearm pressed into the arm's joint. She instantly slipped out of his grasp as he yelled.

"Fuck you! Ahhh!" Gavin's arm was locked in Connor's hold. He stared straight into Gavins eyes as he incrementally applied more and more force into his elbow drawing it out as long as he could.

"Connor! You made your point. Stop!" Hank tried prying Connor away but his focus was as impenetrable as his build. 'He will never hurt her again. He must suffer.' The thought ran threw his circuits. Overwriting any kind of function. 'Never again.' He felt a tiny crack when Gavin's arm bent just beyond its limits. Gavin continued screaming at him.

"Get him off!" His face twisted in agony. A group of people were on Connor and Gavin now trying as hard as they could to defuse the fight. His dead eyes were unmoving to Gavin's pleas.

"He's had enough. Let go, Connor!" He blocked out the sound. He wasn’t done. 'Never again.' Chanted into his blood.

'Never again.' The thought drowned him until he felt her soft hands cup his face to her. Her sweet voice called his name. His machine like mind tried to ignore her.

"Connor! Listen! You're scaring me!" His hands bolted away as Gavin dropped to the floor. He allowed himself to be guided into the bathroom but he didn’t remember much in passing.

"Look at me, Connor." His mind was racing but he managed to find her eyes. "Breathe with me. In and out. In... out." Her chest raising and falling too painfully slow for his attention. His eyes darted to her arm and scanned the red stripes. Gavin's fingerprints were branded into her bruised flesh. His hands desperately gripped the sink and dropped his eyes to the floor. He let out a short frustrated scream. The sink cracked under the tight clenching. He flinched when he felt her fingers caress his arm. She carefully kissed his shoulder.

"I'm okay. You're okay. Just stay here with me." They remained still for several minutes as he collected his thoughts. He lifted his gaze to look at her familiar face. She silently smiled back watching over him as he worked through his overwhelming anger.

"I couldn’t hold myself back when he grabbed you. He had no right saying those things let alone touching you. I wanted to rip his arm off so badly." Her hand rubbed the top of his.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue." She quietly spoke. He released another heavy breath. The muscles in his hands loosened a little bit more after recalling her words from earlier.

"I'm so proud of you. Everything you said to him even in front of all those people. When you said you loved me. I felt so... I felt..." He blew a steady stream of air out his mouth. That buzzing feeling was surging inside him again. Her face blushed slightly and her eyes darted away.

"Oh yeah, I was pretty hot headed back there but I don’t think anyone cares about that now." She winced as she looked back at him.

"It meant everything to me." He said longingly. His hands came up to hold the back of her head. Tilting her upwards. Her mouth parted slightly and he burst at the seams.

"28." He warned.

"Huh? 28?-" He tightly pressed into her lips smushing his nose into her cheek. He didn’t move an inch. Just pressed. Her hands snaked up his chest and clutched his jacket. They stood perfectly frozen in the middle of the bathroom like all they needed was each other. He left her lips but couldn’t move away. The feel of her quick breath tickled his skin.

"Feel better?" She gave him little Eskimo kisses as a grin began to spread across his cheeks.

"Yes. Much better."

"Okay then. I'm going to leave for real this time before either of us make a bigger scene." Her hands straightened his jacket then his hair.

"I should go with you." His hands rubbing each other nervously.

"No, go talk to Hank. He'll want to check up on you. Don't let what happen ruin your night." Connor began to nod.

"Okay. Please message me when you get home. I don’t want anything-"

"Of course. I really doubt Gavins going to start shit now. I'll see you later, dear. Take care of yourself." She gave him one last kiss before leaving the bar. He felt relaxed once she got into a taxi. Hank was seated at the counter finishing his drink. Connor sat next to him wondering what to say.

"He'll be alright. Better be. I'm not filing a report at my own party." Hank turned to him.

"I'm sorry about that display. I didn’t mean to make your night more stressful. This party was suppose to cheer you up."

"Hey, Gavin’s an asshole. I lost count how many times I wanted to punch his face in but its not worth getting yourself in trouble ya hear?." Hank stares at him. Making sure he listens carefully.

"Yes, I realize that now." He stares down at the counter brooding. What was he suppose to do? There was no way he could just sit there and watch.

"But I get it. I would've probably done the same thing given your... ya know." He gestured to all of him.

"No, I don't." Connor tilted his head. Hank swirled the brown liquid in his glass and smiled.

"You guys are getting pretty serious huh?" He took a sip.

"I don't understand what you're asking. We both take each others well being very seriously." Connors fingers were tapping the counter trying to connect Hanks thoughts.

"No, what I mean is you've been with her for a long time is all." His arms opening and closing while his body swayed in the chair. Connor cautiously stabilized him.

"We've been keeping each other company for 9 months, 1 week and 3 days perhaps longer depending on the terms."

"Oooh yeah, the Christmas party, I remember. That’s when you started counting it?" His pointer finger wagged as he finished his drink.

"I had seen her before at the front desk but that was the first time we had a conversation." Connor's focus began to drift away the more he thought about their first real meeting. The first time she laughed. How shy she was and how far she has come.

"Huh, no shit. It has been a awhile." Hank placed a hand on Connor's shoulder which snapped him back to reality.

"I'm glad you're happy, kid. She's a nice girl who apparently isn’t afraid to slap an asshole either. Sure did look satisfying." Hank chuckled as he slapped Connor's back.

"Yeah. She's really special." Connors smile widened even more.

"Oh Jesus, you've got it bad, son." Hank laughed.

"But might I suggest you stop here before you regret it tomorrow." Hank begrudgingly took out his wallet.

"Oh, I've got this one." Connor slipped Jimmy some cash.

"Yeah, alright. Fine. But no more mushy stuff. I cant even look at your goofy face right now."

"Got it."

Connor and Hank had some time to catch up before he assisted Hank home, pet Sumo, and then turned in for the night. Despite the party crasher, Hank still had a good birthday.

[nortexnord]

An ocean. A lake. A lump. 

“I had no idea it would look like the ocean,” I marvel to no one in particular—not even the man at my bedside.    

“A lot of people say that,” he replies pleasantly and continues with his task. Swirl, click. Swirl, click. I watch his progress on the wall-mounted TV before me. Ripples and rills silver their way across the screen. Sometimes darker figures that resemble the shadows of trees on water play at the picture’s edge, then scram. The image stirs in me primitive adolescent memories of summer camp, of moon on water.    

“Actually, it looks more like a lake,” I announce, pleased to have found the right point of reference. Of course, this is silly. What I’m actually looking at on the screen—what he is looking at on a tiny computer to my right, what I have spent weeks trying not to look at (or palpate, or sleep on)—is my left breast.    

“That it’s painful is actually a very good sign,” the doctor tells me. “I know it seems strange, but it’s hardly ever a cancer when the mass hurts.”  Naked from the waist up, I ponder this. The definite article—a cancer—I think, is weird. That pain is a positive is weird, too.    

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been stretched on this paper-draped table, alternately watching boob TV and the doctor’s face. I study him for micro-expressions that might hint I’ll be dead tomorrow. I study the TV for anything that looks like a fat tuna or a submarine or a whale in the lacustrine depths of my breast. Whales don’t belong in lakes any more than lumps do in my tenderest, most female parts. I am gazing at his face, considering sea life and his stylish glasses, when suddenly he stops. He presses the ultrasound wand in his right hand to the swell of flesh below my left aureola.    

Swirl, click. Click. Click. I draw in a deep breath.   

This is the second time today that a kind person in a white coat has gotten me topless and plied me with electronics. Appointment one was for my heart. It took longer to attach the electrodes—10 of them—to my body than it did to execute the test. I’d waited for nearly two hours to lay on that table, so that it amounted to only five electrodes per hour and a two-minute exam felt disappointing. The time leading up to it, however, was significant. 

The waiting room for the cardiac ward was filled with old men and women dozing in wheeled hospital beds. Some of them nearly dangled off their unlikely chariots, dangerously close to the floor. I eyed them over the top of my book, not reading, and watched to make sure that they did not fall. They looked so alone in this silent, grayish place. I wondered who had wheeled them out and left them. I worried that that person had forgotten. I worried that these tired old bodies would be alone forever out there, after the ambulant patients had all gone home, after the lights were turned out. The idea of being alone hurts my heart these days although it didn’t used to.     

“No,” the doctor says and inhales through his nose with a confident frown. He shakes his head in that taut way that communicates a false alarm. I release the breath that I have been holding, feeling the tension race out through my fingers and limbs. I must make a noise, too, because he looks away from the screen now, fixing me with a concerned blue gaze. And he sees me.     

“You’re okay Süße,” he says very softly.    

That I have been very topless for the last half hour is not new. That I now feel very naked is. Before I know it, I’m crying. The doctor coos something in German, moving to do the only thing that he can do. He hands me a hank of soft paper towels I use to wipe my left breast of the chilly ultrasound lube. I sit up and clean up, caring very little that this kind man is watching me cry topless.    

“It’s very scary,” he says. “I know. But I see nothing we need to worry about right now. You’ll come back in three months and we’ll look again. And if you are worried between now and then, you can call me. Okay?”    

I nod and dress. I am grateful for his warmth—I am grateful for any warmth—but he has misjudged my tears. They are only partially driven by the fear that something unknown and mean has been growing in me. I am sad because in that moment I had been so grateful just for him looking at me. I am sad, too, because I had also cried earlier when the EKG technician noticed me fumbling with a necklace clasp and swept unobtrusively in, clucking in a motherly way, to help.    

“I have stubborn ones like this, too,” she’d said, making short work of the tiny clasp. “I don’t know why they even make them so small. One can hardly expect to do this alone!” 

In the absence of an intimate partner, the tenderness of strangers feels too big to hold, too large and looming a gift. How can something so little feel like so much?    

I leave the doctor’s office and step out into a spring that is too cold. I text a friend. I text two, then three. Four. I tell them I’m not dead, and probably won’t be tomorrow.    

“How are you feeling?” they text back, one by one.    

“I’m in pain,” I tell them. “But I’m told that’s a good thing.” 

I get on the train and go home. That night I remember the old people in hospital beds, alone. I curl onto my left side in my own bed and wince. It’s good that it hurts, I remind myself. It means you’re not dead. I fall asleep. I dream of lakes and whales. I dream of being touched.

[nicolejones412]

Colors Part 8

A Charles Xavier Soulmate AU

Pairing: Charles Xavier x reader

Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here. Read Part 3 here. Read Part 4 here. Read Part 5 here. Read Part 6 here. Read Part 7 here.

Summary: Everyone has a soulmate, and there is one color that they can’t see until they meet their soulmate, and that is the color of their soulmate’s eyes. For Charles Xavier, this is difficult, because his powers have filled in the blanks, and he can see all colors. He assumes that he’ll just know when he finds his soulmate. Should be easy for a telepath, right?

Warnings: Angst maybe? definitely, injuries, near death experience, violence, attempted rape, mentions of torture, death

A/N: Sorry (again) it’s taken me so long to get this out. But, here you go! Let me know what you think! (Sorry not sorry)

FIC:

1983 

You closed the door to your truck as you walked to the employee entrance at your current job. You were working at an aquarium in Texas, and it definitely was the busy season. You just did some feeding and some demonstrations, but you never talked on the microphone. You didn’t want to risk drawing too much attention to yourself.

It was incredibly hot. Middle of July, and today you were working with the sea lions. on your way to change clothes, you groaned as Cameron, a co-worker who clearly didn’t understand that you weren’t interested, jogged to catch up to you.

“Hey Jen! How’ve you been?”

“Fine, same as yesterday.”

“Well, looks like we’re working together today.” He leaned against the wall, blocking your path to the locker room.

“Yeah, I noticed.” You tried to go around him. He blocked you.

“Go to dinner with me,” he insisted. 

“Look, Cameron, I’m flattered, but, believe me. I’m not the girl for you.”

“Oh, come on. Let me decide that for myself.”

“I’m not interested.”

“It’s just dinner.” He scoffed. “What? Is there someone else?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Cuz you spend all your time here-”

“He’s dead.” Cameron stopped short. “He proposed, got drafted, and got shot.” You knew you had him now. “See you out there,” you said as you shoved your way past him.

You sighed once you got to the locker room. Great. Another lie to keep up.

The day went by smoothly. Cameron left you alone for the most part. You volunteered to stay late that night and lock up. You did this a lot. It’s why you got this job. You loved being near the water.

Just when you thought you were alone, you heard a door open and close. 

“Who’s there?” you called. You’d already changed into your street clothes, but you’d gone back up by the sea lions pool, just to have a few moments before you had to go back to your apartment. 

“What are you doing out here?” Cameron asked, coming out of the shadows. You sighed. 

“Just needed a minute to think.” Cameron hummed and sat down beside you. You took not of how close he was and the fact that his hand was almost touching yours. 

“I’m sorry. About earlier,” he said, real sympathy in his voice. You sighed, trying to seem emotional. “What was his name?”

“Charles,” you sighed, your voice actually thick with tears. You almost didn’t feel him move his hand on top of yours. 

“I can help you,” he said. You were suddenly hyper-aware of how close he was to you. “I can help you move on.” 

Suddenly, Cameron had all his weight on you, and you were on the ground as he pulled at your clothes. You tried to fight and scream, when, on instinct, you reached for the water in thee tank. You wrapped a bubble of it around his head. His eyes widened as he gasped filling his lungs with water. He loosened his grip on you, and you shoved him off of you, and he was dead quickly.

“Well done, my child,” an unfamiliar voice said behind you. You turned to see four people-well, mutants. One was blue, one had wings, one had white hair, and the other was-

“Erik?” you asked. His eyes were full of sorrow and anger.

“Come with me, my child,” the blue guy said, “and no one will dare try to harm you again.”

“And those who have harmed me?” you asked. He looked from the body to you. 

“They will pay.”

As Charles led Moira into the mansion, he stopped short when he saw Raven. He was so excited. She’d come home. Maybe you would, too. Then she revealed her true motivations.

“You still sound just like him. Just like Erik.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Raven said. “He’s resurfaced.” She paused. “He had a wife and a daughter. He killed them along with a handful of policemen.”

Charles sighed. “The whole world will be looking for him.”

Raven leaned forward. “But you can help me find him before they do.”

You looked around as the ball of energy around you disappeared. You were standing in the middle of a desert.

“Where are we?” you asked.

“You know where you are. This is where you were imprisoned.” You turned around to see a building about a hundred yards away.

“Why have you brought me here?” 

“To help you get justice.”

“There’s a reason they kept me here. There’s no water out here.”

“Oh, but there is, you just have to find it.” He took your hand. “You’ve already discovered that you can control the water in pipes, lakes, oceans, even living beings, but now reach out. Out into the air.” You suddenly felt it. There wasn’t much, but it was there. The higher you reached, the more you could feel. Tiny droplets formed in the air. 

He took your other hand. “Now reach deep into the ground.” You reached out. “Deeper. Deeper.” You smiled when you felt it. You pulled water from the ground and the air.

“Now, bring everything they’ve ever used against you to the ground!”

You reached out across the desert, and after a few moments of silence, you shouted, and water ripped through the building, coming from inside, above, and underneath. Soon the building was gone.

And everyone inside was dead.

“Moira, I’m going to have to ask you not to tell anyone about this,” Charles said as he, Raven, Hank, Moira, and Alex entered Cerebro.

“I’m not even sure what this is.” 

“It’s Cerebro,” Raven said. “The new model.”

“Yeah, I based the color off of-” Hank stopped, making eye contact with Raven. “It’s not important.”

Cerebro powered up, and Charles explained to Moira.

“These are all the humans, and these are all the mutants. I’m connected to all of their minds.”

“The CIA would kill for this,” Moira gaped. 

“I know they would.” Charles concentrated a bit more. “Where are you Erik?”

It didn’t take Charles too long to connect with his old friend. 

“Charles?” Erik asked. 

“My friend, I am sorry. I feel your pain and your loss.”

“You think because you can see inside my head you know how I feel?”

“Erik. Listen to me. I can help you.”

“I don’t need your help anymore.”

“He’s not alone,” Charles said, straightening up.

Archangel turned to Apocalypse. “What is it?”

Charles you thought.

“The answer.” He paused. “Thank you for letting me in.”

“Charles!” Hank yelled.

“I’ve never felt power like this before.”

“What’s going on?” Alex shouted.

“Someone’s taking over Cerebro,” Hank explained, trying to shut the machine down.

“Why?” Moira asked. 

“To connect.” Hank continued to try anything he could to shut Cerebro down, but nothing was working. Finally, he tried to take the helmet off of Charles, but it shocked him and Charles started screaming.

“Alex! Destroy it! Destroy Cerebro!”

“Seriously?”

He screamed again before looking at Alex. “Wreak Havok.”

Finally Cerebro stopped, and Charles passed out. Hank and Alex pulled him out into the hall, where five figures were already waiting.

“Erik?” Raven said.

“Y/N?” Hank gasped.

Erik reached out and pulled Charles toward you all and Archangel shielded him with one of his wings.

The last you saw of them before teleporting was Alex running at you, ready to fire.

Read Part 9 here!

Tagging:

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I’m sorry if I missed anyone! If you’d like to be tagged let me know! (And if I’ve tagged you and you’d like to be removed from the list, feel free to let me know as well!)

[writebethany]

Does Vega ever ask Astra about Krypton? And what's Astra's reaction to the first time she has a tiny Kryptonian toddling at her at full speed happy to see her?

Previous parts

When Astra gets home later on her day to work late, Vega always comes charging towards her, shouting Ieiu! at the top of her lungs. Astra’s reaction is always the same, a swelling of her heart and warmth suffusing her being. She smiles and catches Vega as the little girl launches herself at Astra. It’s been their routine practically since Vega had just learned to walk. She feels as if there will never be any moment in her life that will ever match the moments where Vega runs to her, always happy to see her. That first time, will always stand out the most, though. She remembers almost crying after scooping a toddling Vega into her arms and holding her tight, knowing that she was doing something right if her daughter was happy to see her even after a short trip out to the grocery store. Now that Vega is older, just starting third grade, Astra wonders how long she has left of excited greetings, but she doesn’t trouble herself with that now.

“Inah, how was school today?” Astra asks, walking into the apartment further to see Alex finishing up dinner.

“It was good Ieiu, we had our times tables test today and I got it done before anyone else did. Then during reading time I finished the third Harry Potter book and Mommy had the fourth one all ready for me when I came home.” She bounced excitedly in Astra’s arms. “And Jenna invited me over for a sleepover this weekend, can I go?”

Astra looked over at Alex, communicating silently in that way that they had developed over the years. Vega had a good grip on her powers and they had no problem letting her go out with her friends and their parents, but she hadn’t stayed overnight anywhere just yet. She was starting to get that age, though, where sleepovers would be a very common event. They could wait a little longer, make sure that Vega was really ready to go, but that didn’t seem right. Vega was ready to go now. Both Alex and Astra nodded at each other.

“Sure, darling one, you can go. But I need Jenna’s mom’s phone number and address before this weekend, do you think you can get that for me?” Astra asked.

“Yeah, I can message her right now. Mommy can I have your phone?” She floated out of Astra’s arms and over to Alex who handed over the device and then she was typing away. “Oh, Ieiu, we got assigned a project in class today to map out our family tree and bring in a story from each side of the family. I already asked Mommy and she helped me set up everything, but can you help me after dinner?”

Astra swallowed. That would be difficult considering she was from a different planet, keeping everything normal enough so that no one would look twice at her little girl. She hadn’t kept it a secret from Vega that she was from Krypton, she even told her little harmless stories that held more laughter than pain, but when Vega asked herself about Astra’s home planet, Astra couldn’t control what was dredged up and she almost always came away from the exchanges aching for home. She wouldn’t ever deny Vega the information, though.

“Yes, I can do that, darling one.”

“Cool.” The phone in Vega’s hand vibrated. “Oh, here’s Jenna’s address and stuff.” 

Astra took the phone and memorized everything with a glance. “Good, now go wash up for dinner.”

“Ieiuuuuu, do I have to?” She whined.

“Yup, get to it munchkin,” Alex said, pushing the floating girl towards the kitchen doorway.

Astra set the table quickly and dished out a huge portion for herself, a smaller one for Alex, and a decent sized one for Vega. She inhaled the scent of basil and oregano and Italian sausage and smiled. Lasagna was always a good choice for them considering it was cheap to make and filling. Alex slipped beside her to finish up everything, laying a kiss on Astra’s cheek. 

“Welcome home, babe.”

Astra smiles at her and kisses her cheek as well. “It’s good to be home.”

Dinner passes easily, and the table is cleared with the efficency of two super speedy Kryptonians and before Astra really knows it they’re sitting down with Vega’s project in front of them, pictures of Alex and Astra already pasted in along with Kara, Jeremiah, Eliza, and Hank. Astra isn’t sure what she’s going to do about pictures for her parents. There are none, not anymore. But she picks up a pencil and pulls the paper towards her and starts to draw her parents.

“Your grandparents’ names were In-Ze and Vora Das-Xen,” she starts slowly, keeping her eyes on her drawing. Her parents are not an easy subject. “They were both well respected on Krypton, not quite on the level of the House of El, but they were up there. Their marriage was arranged like most of Krypton, but I believe they grew close as the years passed. By the time my sister Alura and I were born you couldn’t really tell that they hadn’t married for love, at least not on Krypton.” She took a deep breath. “My mother was not…the easiest woman to impress. She was a member of the Religious guild and as such saw anything that wasn’t obviously touched by the will of Rao as beneath her. My father was a hard man as well. He was a member of the High Council and never much liked me because my birth had jeopardized that position.”

Astra finished one picture, that of her father, staring at her from the paper with the hard eyes she always remembered, frown on his face, in his Council robes. She wrote out “Inze Jackson” beneath the picture. The name fit him well enough she supposed. She moved on to her mother.

“Twins were almost unheard of on Krypton. The Council viewed Alura’s birth as normal but mine as an aberration, rather arbitrarily. I was born second, that was their reasoning. They questioned the genetics of my parents and if they hadn’t been fit, which then led them to question if my father was fit to lead. My mother viewed it as a bad omen from Rao himself. It was not easy to grow up in such a house.”

She looked up to meet Vega’s eyes. “I’m so glad you never have to live in a household like that, darling one. I’m so glad that your mother and I love you to the moon and back.” She reached out and moved a piece of hair from Vega’s eyes. They were serious, listening to everything her mother told her quietly, in a way beyond her years. 

“The only bright spot was my sister, who believed none of that. And here is the story you may take to school with you.” She smiled slightly. “Since Alura and I were identical, from a very young age we realized that we could switch places without anyone knowing. We did it for years and years until we were thirteen years old or so when we were finally caught. My parents were actually going to take me out with them to meet with some family friends, but I didn’t want to go, I didn’t like the friends. Alura didn’t mind them and volunteered to go in my place if I completed the math homework that she had been told to stay behind and finish. I agreed because math was much better than those friends, for sure, and so my day was rather uneventful until my parents and sister got back and then there was yelling. I found out later after Alura had come back to our room that she had stomped on the foot of one of my father’s friend’s older boys because he had started to tease her by calling my sister stuck up and prissy and a know it all. Of course she didn’t take kindly to that considering he was making fun of her to her face and that’s when the foot stomping happened. And then she launched into a speech about how she wasn’t stuck up or pissy at all, and that was when my parents walked over to see what the commotion was about. They put two and two together and realized that Alura wasn’t me and then of course hauled her back home. Nothing really came of it, though, she was yelled at, we were told to stop switching places, and that was that.”

Of course they hadn’t stopped, but the next time they were caught wasn’t so innocent. She reached up and stroked her white streak that from that next incident, to make sure they could pull no more switches. She took a deep breath, the ache in her chest flaring, thinking about her sister.

She finished the picture of her mother and moved on to sketching one of Alura herself. “If your teacher asks why there are no pictures, tell her that everything was destroyed in a house fire, ok darling one?”

Vega nodded once before floating over and hugging Astra hard. “I’m sorry Ieiu.”

Astra hugged her back. “Oh, darling, I’m not, not really. It got me here. It got me to you. And given a chance I would do it again. Because I love you that much and I love Mommy that much.” She pulled back. “That isn’t to say that it wasn’t hard, but sometimes, the best things are the ones that you have to go through a great deal to get, do you understand?”

“I think so,” she said after a long moment’s thought. “But only sort of.”

Astra lips quirked up. “I think that’s how it should be for now. Someday, however, you will know, not just yet, though.” She finished up Alura’s portrait and wrote below it “Alura Zorel” beneath it and with that she slid paper away from her. “Now, why don’t we go start the third Harry Potter movie now that you’ve finished your homework?”

Vega smiled and nodded. “Ok, that sounds cool. I’ll go put it in.” She shot off without another thought.

Astra sighed and looked back at the family tree in front of her. She felt raw and exposed, but she hadn’t lied to Vega. She would go through it all again just to get here, even if the thought of everything that got her here made her shiver and ache. She placed another paper on top of her parents’ faces and stood up. She wouldn’t have to relive everything, though. This was her now and this was what was important. She got up and walked into the living room.

next part