#I was once mistaken for an eight year old | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kmomof4 · 3 months ago

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To Sir Graham, With Love Ch. 8

And we're back!! Picking up a week into their marriage, it's about time for a row, don't you think? Thank you for coming on this journey with me! I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

Once again all the love and hugs to @jrob64 and @whimsicallyenchantedrose for their betaing expertise and the same to @motherkatereloyshipper for her gorgeous artwork above!!! I still get so tickled and filled with the warm fuzzies when I look at it!!! Please give her all the love!!!

And once again, happy birthday to @snowbellewells for whom this fic was written!!! Love you, babe!!!

Summary: After a year long secret correspondence, twenty-eight year old spinster Ruby Jones decides to accept Sir Graham Humbert's offer of a visit to see if they might suit for marriage. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that he was the father of twins, and they are not thrilled with Ruby's appearance.

Rating: M (smut and mentions of physical abuse)

Words: Almost 6300 of 68k

Tags: Red Hunter Fic, Birthday Fic, Inspired by Eloise Bridgerton's Story, Smut

On ao3 From Beginning / Current Ch

On Tumblr Prologue Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615

@donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells @djlbg

@lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @anmylica

@laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter

@ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie

@soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thisonesatellite

@jonesfandomfanatic @elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones @mie779

@kymbersmith-90 @suwya @veryverynotgoodwrites @myfearless-love

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Regardless Belle, I do not think you should have run off.

– from Ruby Jones to her older sister Belle, the Duchess of Gamwell, during her brief separation from her husband just weeks into their marriage

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruby sat in her office, the ledger book open in front of her. She was supposed to be working on the household accounts, but every time she tried, the numbers swam in front of her eyes and her mind wandered back to the last time she and Graham had made love. Well, every time they’d made love, really. They’d been married a week now and if she wasn’t mistaken they’d been intimate fourteen times - at least once each night and most mornings as well before they were called upon to face the day ahead.

Just the thought of all the ways Graham touched her, kissed her, took her to the heights of ecstasy had the blush rising on her cheeks, though there wasn’t another soul around to witness it. And even if there was, they couldn’t possibly know what she was thinking. Could they? Perhaps the blush would clue them in, or the fact that they were, indeed, newlyweds.

It was truly wonderful to have a husband who was so enamored of her, who desired her to the degree Graham did. They rarely saw each other during the day - he had his work in the greenhouse, and she had hers inside the house - but come nightfall, he’d pounce like a man starved.

He said he hadn’t felt passion for Jacinda, but she had a bit of trouble believing him. Graham was a man of hearty appetites and he was always trying new things, positioning her in new ways, teasing and tormenting her until she was begging - though for what, for him to stop or keep going, she wasn’t quite sure. A woman would have to be half dead not to respond to his touch.

But there had to be more to marriage. She knew there was more to marriage than just the activities in the bedroom. She didn’t remember much about her parents' union, but she’d been observing her siblings' marriages for years, and she longed for the same gentle affection and comfort level for herself and Graham that she saw between her siblings and their respective spouses.

The marriage may have come about very quickly, but she still didn’t really know her husband. She knew that he was kind and honorable and that his rather reserved exterior hid a depth of passion that took her breath away. Literally. But aside from what she’d learned about his father, she didn’t really know anything about him. She’d tried to draw him out in conversation, asking his opinion on things relating to the house, but he’d always just shrug and tell her he trusted her and she should do whatever she thought was best. It was enough that she sometimes wondered if he’d married her for no other reason than to obtain a housekeeper. And a bedmate.

She rose from her desk, deciding that she’d go talk to him in the greenhouse. There was no reason she couldn’t; he hadn’t said anything about her not joining him while he worked. Perhaps he’d be pleased if she asked him about it, and if he gave her any indication that her presence was a bother to him, she’d leave immediately. But then she heard her mother’s voice in her head.

Be gentle. Don’t push. Be patient.

She sighed and turned back around and sat down. It went against every natural inclination and took more willpower than Ruby thought she possessed to do so, but she did it anyway. She then sat on her hands, as if that would keep her from changing her mind again.

This was not her. She’d never been able to sit still and smile while she did so. She was meant to be moving, acting, doing, questioning, exploring. But also bothering and pestering and giving her opinion to anyone and everyone who would listen.

Ruby sighed. Put like that, she didn’t sound like a terribly attractive person. She sighed again. She couldn’t stand just sitting here doing nothing any longer. She was supposed to be doing the accounts, but she knew she wouldn’t, so she’d just have to find something else to occupy herself. She’d follow her mother’s advice and not seek Graham out at the moment, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t seek out the children.

That was it. She may be Graham’s wife, but she was also Ava and Nicholas’ mother, and if anyone needed interfering in their lives, it was them. Ruby climbed the stairs already ticking off in her mind things about the twins that needed seeing to as soon as possible. They needed a trip into town to see the dressmaker and tailor - both children having outgrown everything in their wardrobes - she needed to procure tutors for them to prepare Nicholas for Eton, and was it too early for them to learn long division?

She opened the door to the nursery and stopped short, her mind taking a moment to catch up to what her eyes were seeing. Nicholas’ eyes were red, as if he’d been crying and Ava’s chin trembled, both of them breathing with little hiccups like one does when one is especially upset.

“Is something wrong?” Ruby asked, looking at the children who stared back with wide imploring eyes. “Nurse Ratched?”

Nurse Ratched’s lips twisted into a sneer tinged with smugness. “They are sulking because they were punished,” she informed Ruby.

Ruby nodded and looked back at the children. It took no imagination whatsoever to see them doing something requiring punishment, but there was something wrong here and Ruby couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“And what are they being punished for?”

“Disrespectful speech.”

“I see,” Ruby sighed. Again, she could see it clearly, in fact, she’d scolded the children herself many times for the same offense. “And what punishment was meted out?”

“They were rapped on the knuckles,” Nurse Ratched said, her back ramrod straight.

Ruby inhaled sharply. She didn’t hold with corporal punishment, but she was quite sure Nicholas would be facing the same type of punishment at Eton. Her brothers all had, after all. She wasn’t naive enough to believe that any of her brothers hadn’t endured rapped knuckles several times over the years of their educations. But Nicholas wasn’t at Eton yet. And the look in their eyes shouldn’t be seen in the eyes of children.

She took Nurse Ratched aside. “I understand their need for discipline, but if you must do it again, I will ask you to do it more softly.”

“If I do it softly,” she hissed indignantly, “they won’t learn their lesson.”

“I will be the judge of their learned lessons,” Ruby replied sharply, bristling at the woman’s tone. “And I am no longer asking. I am insisting. They are children and you will be more gentle.”

Nurse Ratched sniffed and nodded her head once sharply, signifying that she would obey, but didn’t agree with Ruby’s interference.

Ruby turned back to the children and spoke where they could now hear her. “I’m sure they’ve learned their lesson for today. I’ll be taking them for a short break now.”

“We were practicing our penmanship,” Nurse Ratched huffed. “We can’t afford to take any time off, especially since I’m acting as both nurse and governess.”

“A situation that I mean to address with all possible haste,” Ruby assured the woman. “For today though, we will be sure to practice the children’s penmanship.”

“I do not think…”

Nurse Ratched snapped her mouth shut when Ruby speared the woman with a glare. Ruby was a Jones, by God, and she knew how to handle recalcitrant servants. “You need only inform me of your lesson plans.”

“We were working on M, N, and O,” she informed Ruby. “Both uppercase and lowercase.”

“I see,” Ruby replied. “I’m quite sure I’m qualified to see to their lessons in this area of scholarly pursuit.”

Nurse Ratched’s face turned red and she looked like she wanted to say something, but wisely held her tongue.

“That will be all, Nurse Ratched,” Ruby said, turning back to the children and smiling brightly at them. “Do enjoy your free time. I’m sure you don’t get enough of it playing double duty as you are. But please return to see to their lunch.”

Nurse Ratched nodded and, head held high, left the room. As soon as she was gone, both children flung themselves at Ruby, wrapping their small arms tightly around her waist.

“There, there,” she soothed.

“We like you better than Nurse Ratched,” Ava said, though her words were muffled into Ruby’s midsection.

Ruby wholeheartedly agreed with Ava’s sentiment, finding it hard to like anything about the woman, and she vowed to find a replacement for her as quickly as was possible. She wouldn’t say anything to the children about it, though, for fear it would either get back to Nurse Ratched and she’d resign - leaving them in quite a pickle indeed - or it would increase the children’s disobedient and disrespectful behavior.

As she sat them both down to practice their penmanship, she looked at Nicholas’ knuckles. They didn’t appear to be abused, but one was rather red. She needed to speak to Graham about this, and about Nurse Ratched. As soon as possible.

~*~*~

Graham hummed to himself as he carefully transplanted a seedling. Just a formless little tune, but it brought to mind a profound truth. He was happy. Well and truly happy.

Before he’d married Ruby, he’d worked in his greenhouse in absolute silence. He’d never felt like humming, or whistling, or singing to himself. But now music seemed to be all around him - the pitter-patter of the rain on the greenhouse roof, the wind whispering over the fields, the birdsong of the resident fowl that resided in the trees and around the lake.

He was more relaxed. The knots of tension that he constantly held in his back and shoulders finally dissolving. Marrying Ruby was quite simply the best thing he could have done. He’d daresay it was the best thing he’d ever done.

It was such a simple thing, to be happy. It wasn’t that before his marriage he’d been unhappy, but he certainly hadn’t had this sense of well-being encompassing all of his waking hours, as if life was good and meant to be enjoyed and that the same sense of well-being would be there for the foreseeable future. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that. Probably when he was away at school, engaging in scientific enquiry for the first time, and far away from his father’s rod.

Ruby had completely changed his life, and it was difficult to remember the details of his life from before she’d entered it, other than his guilt over his children. That he remembered the details of with perfect clarity. But even that was now gone. For the first time since becoming a father, he knew he’d done the exact right thing for the twins. He’d never been a perfect father. Hell, he’d been a barely adequate father, but he’d found them the perfect mother. No wonder he was so relaxed! He could come to his greenhouse and not worry. He knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that the twins were well cared for and he could carry on with his work without a thought to their well-being. It was paradise.

And if Ruby sometimes looked at him as if she had something else she wanted to say, or wanted him to say or do something different, then he just chalked that up to him being a man and she being a woman and he would never understand women in general. Truly, he should just be grateful that Ruby almost always said exactly what she thought and what she meant so that he didn’t have to guess what she was thinking. He’d never been good at guessing games.

Damn, he thought, looking down at the bulge developing in his trousers. He was going to have to stop thinking about his wife in the middle of the day. Unless he wanted to try and find a way to make it back to the house in his condition and find her quickly.

But then, as if his thoughts had summoned her, she poked her head in the greenhouse door. Graham glanced around the greenhouse and cursed himself. Why had he constructed the entire damn thing of glass? He was going to have to install a privacy screen if she was going to visit him regularly.

“Am I interrupting?”

Graham thought about her words for a moment before answering. She was interrupting, actually. He was quite in the middle of something, but he found he didn’t mind it in the least. Which was very surprising. In the past when someone interrupted him, even someone whose company he enjoyed, he’d have trouble hiding his irritation. But now, with her, there wasn’t a trace.

“Not at all,” he finally replied, smiling. “If you don’t mind my appearance.”

She scanned him up and down, her lips lifting in a smug smirk and heat filling her eyes. Graham preened under her blatant appreciation and felt his cock swell even more. But she sobered just as quickly, and her clear concern jumped across the space between them and was more effective in cooling his ardor than a dunk in the cold lake would have been.

“What’s troubling you?”

“It’s Nurse Ratched,” she said. “I don’t like her.”

That got his attention and he set down his spade. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, “but I don’t like her. There’s just something about her.”

“Well, I can’t terminate her employment because of a feeling.”

“I know.” Ruby’s lips thinned, a sure sign she was irritated. “She rapped the children across the knuckles.”

Graham sighed. He didn’t like the idea of someone striking his children, but on the other hand, it was only a knuckle rap. It was no different than what happened in schoolrooms across the country.

“Did they deserve it?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I wasn’t there. She said they spoke to her disrespectfully.”

Unfortunately, he had no trouble believing Ruby’s recounting of Nurse Ratched’s assertion. The look on his face obviously communicated his thoughts to his wife and she sighed.

“I know. But when I entered the nursery, something wasn’t right.”

Graham leaned back against his workbench and tugged Ruby’s hand, pulling her against him.

“Ok, then why don’t you look into it?”

She pulled back from him, her mouth dropping open slightly, her eyes widening in surprise. “Don’t you want to look into it?” she asked.

Graham shrugged then buried his face in her neck. “I’m not the one with the concerns,” he murmured into her skin, placing a tender kiss to her pulse point. “I’ve never had cause to question her care for them, but if you do, you should by all means investigate.”

“But you’re their father,” she breathed, even as she tilted her head back allowing him more access.

“And you’re their mother,” he said, raising his head and looking into her face. “Besides, you’re much better at that sort of thing than I am.” Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were still troubled. She was thoroughly intoxicating, and if he could just get her to stop talking, he was sure he could maneuver her into the bedroom where they could have much more fun. “I trust your judgment,” he said, honestly. “It’s why I married you.”

The mixture of desire and anxiety in her eyes sharpened suddenly and she stiffened in his arms. “It’s why you… what?”

“Well,” he said with a shrug, as he pondered how he might touch her with this many layers of clothing in between them, “this too.”

She wrenched herself away from him. “Graham, stop!”

What the devil?!

“Ruby?” he asked cautiously, for Ruby was clearly in a temper, and if there was one thing he knew about women, it was that a man should tread very carefully when one was in a temper. Even if he had no idea what it was. “What is wrong?”

“What is wrong?” she asked, her eyes flashing dangerously. “How can you ask that?”

“Perhaps because I don’t know what is wrong?” he replied, his own temper rising.

“This is not the time,” she grit out, her brow furrowed and mouth in a straight line.

“To ask what is wrong?”

“No!” she very nearly shrieked, with a small shake of her head. It’s a wonder some of the glass around them didn’t crack. Graham took a step away from her. Self-preservation was very important, after all. “To do this!” she cried, waving her arms around indiscriminately.

Graham looked around them, thoroughly bewildered. She was motioning to his workbench, the flowers, the pea plants, everything.

“Ruby,” he said, keeping his voice low and even, “I am not unintelligent, but I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Her arms dropped and her mouth fell open in shock and Graham knew he was in trouble.

“You don’t know?!”

“I am not a mind-reader, Ruby.”

Ruby took a deep breath and speared him with a glare that could have frozen the Thames. “It is not the time to be intimate.”

“Well, of course not,” he agreed. “We haven’t a bit of privacy. But we could go back to the house,” he suggested, a smile tugging at his lips at the thought.

“That is not what I meant.” Her teeth were clenched and her lips barely moved, and Graham took another step away from her. Self-preservation was of utmost importance after all.

“Very well then,” he said, crossing his arms. “I give up. What do you mean, Ruby? Because I assure you, I haven’t a clue.”

“Men,” she muttered on a forcefully exhaled breath.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The glare she sent him that time would have shattered the frozen Thames into a gazillion pieces.

“It was not meant to be.” Her frigid tone quite effectively brought his wayward thoughts and body back from where they had wandered. He leaned back against his workbench in a casual posture meant to irritate her.

“Ruby,” he said, “please try to afford a modicum of respect for my intelligence.”

“It is difficult,” she snapped, “when you show so little of it.”

That was it. “Why are we even arguing?” he exploded. “One minute, you’re warm and willing in my arms, and the next, you’re screaming like a banshee.”

“I was never warm and willing in your arms,” she shot back.

Graham’s world completely tilted on its axis. It was as if everything he knew, everything he relied upon was gone and he was completely adrift.

Ruby must have seen the shock on his face, because she quickly spoke again. “Today, Graham! Just now! Not all the time.”

He sagged in relief, even as anger surged through his veins.

“I was trying to talk to you…” she began.

“You’re always trying to talk to me,” he interrupted. “Talk, talk, talk.”

Now it was Ruby’s turn to look shocked. “If you didn’t like it, you shouldn’t have married me.”

“As if I had a choice,” he said. “Your brothers were ready to castrate me. And it’s not that I mind you talking, it’s just you don’t need to do it all the time.”

“You are insufferable,” she said. She took a deep breath and started again. “I’m sorry you find my propensity for speech so offensive, but I was trying to talk to you about something important, and all you wanted to do was kiss!”

“You’re my wife!” he exclaimed. “Of course I want to kiss you! What else am I supposed to do?”

“But it’s not always the right time, Graham! If we want to have a good marriage…”

“We do have a good marriage,” he said, surprise and just a little bitterness coloring his words.

Ruby huffed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course we have a good marriage,” she agreed, “but it can’t always be about… you know…”

“No,” he said, being deliberately obtuse. “I don’t know.”

Her shoulders dropped and she just stared at him for a moment before speaking. “Graham, don’t be like this.”

Graham said nothing and simply crossed his arms over his chest. Ruby closed her eyes, her mouth moving but no sound coming out. Dear God, she never stopped. Even now she was talking to herself.

“What are you doing?” he asked finally.

“Trying to give myself permission to ignore my mother’s advice,” she admitted, her eyes still closed. Graham shook his head. He would truly never understand women. He continued to stand there watching her until he’d nearly decided to leave and allow her to continue talking to herself in private. “Graham,” she finally said, “I very much enjoy what we do in the bedroom…”

“Well, that’s nice to hear,” he grumbled, still too irritated to be gracious.

“But our marriage can’t be all about that.”

“That?”

“Making love.” Ruby blushed, clearly uncomfortable with their frank speech.

“It can certainly be a great deal about it,” he muttered.

“Graham, why won’t you discuss this with me? We have a problem, and we need to talk about it!”

A problem? A problem? He was convinced their marriage was perfect, and she had the audacity to say they had a problem?!

“We have been married one week,” he ground out. “One week. What do you expect from me?”

“I expect you to talk to me! To listen to what I have to say!” she exclaimed. “Without trying to always get me in the bedroom!”

Her words brought him to a screeching halt. “Do you know how long it's been since I’ve been with a woman?” he asked, moving toward her, deliberately crowding her and using his size to intimidate her. She shook her head. “Eight years,” he ground out. “Eight long years. So please forgive me if I’m enjoying our physical relationship a bit too much for your liking. I’m simply having a ripping good time after a very long dry spell.”

And with those bitter words, he left.

Ruby remained where she was for another hour after Graham left. Just staring off into space. All she could think was What had just happened? One minute they were talking - well, arguing actually, but the argument was civil and quite reasonable, she thought - and the next he was out of his head with fury.

He left. He actually left her. Alone. Walking away from her in the middle of a discussion - oh, very well, she thought, rolling her eyes, argument - leaving her here in the middle of the greenhouse, her mouth hanging open in surprise and her pride rather pricked. How could someone walk away in the middle of an argument? Nothing, to her knowledge, warranted that kind of response from him.

But the worst of it was the fact that she didn’t know what to do. Ruby always knew what to do. In any situation she faced. She may not always be right about what to do, but she was never at a loss of what a situation called for. And now, she realized that it was much better to be doing something - even if it was the wrong thing - then to have no inkling of what to do.

And if that wasn’t enough, she just couldn’t banish her mother’s voice from her head. Don’t push. Be patient. But that was just it. She hadn’t pushed! She’d only come to him with a concern about his children. Was it so wrong of her to want to actually talk about that rather than racing off to the bedroom? Perhaps, if they never enjoyed physical intimacy together, but they did! They had just this morning!

No one could say they had any problems in the bedroom. No one.

Ruby sighed and leaned back against the workbench. She’d never felt so alone in her entire life.

She wanted her mother.

No, she didn’t. Her mother would be everything her mother was - kind, wise, and tender with her - but that conversation would leave Ruby feeling like a child rather than the adult she was.

She wanted her sister, Belle. Belle would know exactly what to say to Ruby in this situation. But she was too far away in London. Ruby had made her bed when she’d married, and now she had to lie in it. But Emma was close. Only an hour away. And if they weren’t sisters by blood, they were sisters by heart.

Ruby glanced outside. The sun was hidden by the clouds, but she was quite sure it wasn’t far past noon. She could journey to My Cottage, have a visit with Emma, and be back before supper.

Her pride might not want anyone to know about her misery, but her heart wanted a shoulder to cry on.

Her heart won out.

~*~*~

Graham tromped over the grounds of Romney Hall viciously yanking weeds from the soil. And since he was in an uncultivated area, nearly everything could be classified as a weed, if he were so inclined. And he was so inclined. He was angry, and he was frustrated, and he was cross, both at himself and Ruby, and he was more than inclined to yank every green and growing thing out of the earth and leave it where it lay. He wanted to kick and maim and destroy.

And he was a botanist.

But after an entire afternoon of this, he found a rock to sit on and just dropped his head in his hands.

What a muck he’d made of things.

What a bloody muck.

And the truly ironic thing was that he thought they’d been happy.

He’d thought their marriage was perfect, but she’d been miserable. Well, not necessarily miserable, but not happy. Not like he was happy. Or maybe she’d been a little bit happy, but not caught up in blissful rapture, as he had been.

And now he had to go do something about it. And he’d never been good at that - asking questions, figuring out the problem, and deciding what to do about it - with people anyway. It was just the sort of thing he always bungled up.

But, he didn’t have a choice now. Bloody hell. She was going to ask him about his feelings. Didn’t she know that men didn’t talk about their feelings? Hell, most men he knew didn’t have any! But yes, she was going to ask him about his, and he was going to have to talk about them. As painful as a heart-to-heart discussion would be, he was going to have to bite the bullet and do it. He’d probably muck things up even more, but at least he could say he tried.

Or maybe he could just take the easy way out and apologize. He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d be apologizing for, but it would appease Ruby and make her happy, and isn’t that what he wanted?

Of course, he wanted his wife to be happy. He didn’t want her to regret her marriage to him, not even for a moment. He began trudging back up the hill toward Romney Hall, rehearsing in his mind what all he might say to her.

But it was a moot point when he arrived in the entryway and Gunning informed him that Ruby was gone.

“Gone?” he parroted, his brows nearly rising to his hairline.

“I believe she went to her brother’s.”

“You believe…”

“I’m quite certain, Sir.”

“Which brother?” he asked, quite proud of the steadiness of his voice.

“The one who lives close by.”

“Did she say when she planned to return?”

“No, Sir.”

Graham cursed under his breath. Surely she hadn’t left him. As stubborn as she was, she just didn’t seem the type to bail out so quickly.

“She didn’t carry a bag with her, Sir.”

Oh, well, that was good news. His butler felt compelled to assure him that he hadn’t been abandoned by his bride. “That will be all, Gunning.”

The man gave a brief nod before leaving. Graham stood there in the entryway quite at a loss of what to do now. He wasn’t going to chase Ruby. If she needed some time away from him, by God, he’d give it to her. He turned toward his office where he could fume in peace, when he spied the grandfather clock at the end of the hall. It was just past three. Time for the twins to enjoy an afternoon snack.

Ruby had told him on multiple occasions that he needed to spend more time with the twins. What better time to do it than the present? And whenever Ruby returned, he’d be able to tell her that he’d done exactly as she thought he should. That would surely make her happy with him.

He quickly turned toward the stairs and took them two at a time until he arrived at the third floor landing. The twins inhabited the same nursery he’d grown up in, with the same squeaking floorboard underneath the window and the crack that looked like a duck in the ceiling above their beds. He assumed it was still there and as such, he should inquire of his children what they thought it looked like. If anything. George thought it looked like a pig, though how his brother could say the duck's bill looked like a snout, Graham would never know.

A sound from the nursery brought him to a sudden stop in the hall, only a couple of doors down from the room. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he knew he didn’t like it. He stood still and listened carefully.

There it was again.

A whimper.

Graham’s mind immediately went to Ruby and her words earlier about Nurse Ratched. He crept forward, noticing the door was cracked just a bit, holding on with both hands to a rage that threatened to blaze out of control. He moved to the door and could clearly see what was happening in the split second before he burst into the room, nearly taking the door off its hinges.

“WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!” he roared.

Nicholas was curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking with silent sobs and Ava stood with her back to the room, her little hands braced against the wall holding herself still as Nurse Ratched reared back, a large tome held in her hands, but turning toward him in surprise before she could bring it back down on Ava’s back.

Before she could speak, Graham snatched the book from her hands and hurled it across the room.

“Sir Graham!” Nurse Ratched cried out in shock.

“How DARE you strike these children!” he yelled. “And with a book!” His voice shook with fury and the woman had the very good sense to keep her mouth shut instead of trying to justify her actions.

“And you did it where no one would see the bruises,” he seethed, his voice lower now, and deadly. He turned his blazing gaze upon the woman who cowered before his wrath. “How many? How many children have you beaten, making sure to leave your bruises where no one would see them?”

Nurse Ratched finally found her tongue, but her words were laced with fear. “They spoke disrespectfully. They had to be punished.”

“Get out of my house.”

“You told me to discipline the children as I saw fit,” Nurse Ratched protested.

“And this is how you see fit?” he growled through clenched teeth. It took every bit of self-control he had, but he kept his hands at his sides. He wanted to go back and grab the book and use it on her the way she’d used it on his children, but somehow, he was able to restrain himself. He had no idea how. “Using a book?!”

The children cowered in the corner, as terrified of their father in such a state, he presumed, as they were of Nurse Ratched. It made him feel sick for his children to witness him so close to completely losing control, but he could do nothing to rein himself in.

“There was no switch,” she replied haughtily.

Wrong thing to say. Graham’s skin grew even hotter and a red haze descended over his vision. There had been, once. The hook where it had hung by the nursery door was still there. Graham had burned the switch the day of his father’s funeral. He had to stand in front of the fire and watch it turn to ash, not satisfied to simply toss it into the flames. He’d needed to see it destroyed, utterly and completely.

And now he thought of that switch, thought of the hundreds of times it had been used on him - the pain, the indignity, of all the effort he’d made not to cry out. His father had hated crybabies. Tears only meant another round with the switch. Or the belt. Or the riding crop. Or if nothing else was available, his father’s hand. But never a book. His father must never have thought of it.

“Get out,” Graham said, his voice so low it could barely be heard. When Nurse Ratched made no move, he shouted this time, “Get out! Get out! GET OUT!” He didn’t know where it was all coming from. Somewhere deep inside, no doubt, never tamed, but held down only by sheer force of will.

“I need to gather my things!” she cried.

“You have one half hour,” he said, lowly. “If you are not out of my house in exactly thirty minutes, I will throw you out myself.”

Nurse Ratched hesitated for a moment at the door. “Have it your way then,” she said, her eyes now focused on the children and blazing with anger and hatred. “They are nothing but little monsters, anyway. Ill-tempered, misbehaved…”

Did the woman not have a care for her own safety? Graham’s control hung by a thread and it was only when he took a step in her direction, that she finally fled.

He held himself still for long moments after she’d gone. Trying to give himself time. Time to bring his breathing and heart rate back under control. Time to let his blood cool. Time to steel himself for what he was dreadfully afraid he’d see in the eyes of his children once he turned around. He was dying inside. Guilt surged that he was the one who’d hired that beast, that monster, to care for his children in the first place and he’d been too busy avoiding them and pushing them away to see that they were suffering.

Suffering the same way he had.

He slowly turned.

And when he did, the twins both hurled themselves at him, forcing an oof out of him as they both collided with him at the same time, their little arms wrapping around him as if he was their only anchor when their ship was adrift and sinking.

“Oh, Daddy!” Ava cried, using an endearment she hadn’t used in years. He’d forgotten how sweet it sounded. Nicholas buried his face in Graham’s shirt so he wouldn’t see him cry.

Oh, but Graham could feel it. The tears soaked through the material in no time and he felt the tremors in his son as the sobs he’d so valiantly fought, finally broke free.

His arms went around his children and he held them close. Held them tightly. “Shh, shh,” he soothed them. “It’s alright. I’m here now.” They were words he’d never before said. Words he’d never imagined saying. Who would have thought that only his presence was required to make everything better? “I’m sorry,” he said, his own eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sorry.”

They had told him they didn’t like their nurse. And he hadn’t listened.

“It’s not your fault, Father,” Ava said.

Obviously that wasn’t true, but the sweet forgiving spirit in his little girl made the tears break free and roll down his cheeks.

“We’ll find you a new nurse,” he promised them.

“Like Nurse Johanna?” Nicholas asked, his sobs dissipating into sniffles.

“Someone just like Nurse Johanna,” he assured them.

Nicholas looked up at him, his eyes filled with hope and sincerity. “Can Miss… Mother help to choose?”

“Of course,” Graham smiled, tousling his hair. “I would expect her to be quite put out if she wasn’t involved in the selection. She has a great many opinions, after all.”

The twins both giggled.

Graham’s smile widened. “Ah,” he said, “I see you know her well.”

“She does like to talk,” Nicholas said hesitantly.

“But she is terribly clever!” Ava interjected.

“Indeed she is,” Graham agreed.

“I rather like her,” Nicholas said.

“As do I,” added Ava.

“I do, too,” Graham said, making it unanimous. “I’m glad you do, because I believe she is here to stay.” As am I, he thought.

He’d spent years avoiding his children, worried he’d make a mistake, worried about losing his temper. He’d thought he was doing the best thing for them, but he’d been so very, very wrong.

“I love you,” he choked out. “You know that, right?”

They both stared at him - their eyes wide and unblinking - as they nodded.

“I love you so much,” he said, kneeling before them and drawing them both into his arms. “I will always love you.”

~*~*~

Final chapter will be up Tuesday night or Wednesday. Thank you for reading and sharing! I'd love to hear what you think!

#to sir graham with love #krystal writes #art by motherkatereloyshipper #birthday fic for marta #red hunter fic

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d1ana-m0nd · 2 years ago

Text

╭─► ❝The Servant: Umbrella Academy's Servant❞

Five Hargreeves × Female! Reader || Written by Diana (d1ana-m0nd)

➢ Description : It's a well known fact that Sir. Reginald Hargreeves adopted 7 children to save the world from it's impending doom. Though, the number of children will change from 7 to 8 once a close friend of his, Rita Rossweisse was on her death bed and requested him to take in her child, who fortunately was born on October 1st 1989.

➢ Word Count : 8,098

➢ Links : Masterlist && Character Profile

Chapter 2: Run Boy Run

Today was a day like any other, you were double checking the number of plates, meals, and utensils on the table, in case Miss Grace missed something. Though that rarely happens since she is a robot and all. Although she never said it out loud, you knew that she gave you this task to give you a sense of purpose and fulfillment. After all, you couldn’t really help around the house because you were too small - you could easily be mistaken as an eight year old thanks to your height - so you could not help around the house as much as you would like to, the only way you could help around the house was through little things.

As you were busy prepping the table and double checking, Grace carefully placed a vinyl CD on a record player. It whirred and spun the disc for a few seconds till the narrator began voicing a detailed guide on how one must carefully trek a mountain.

"Have you double checked everything Y/N?" The robot asked with a smile, which you reciprocated with both a nod and a smile.

"Yes, Ms. Grace, everything is in order."

"Alright, I'll be calling the others over for breakfast, don't hesitate to join them if you are hungry." She offered whilst she gestured to the vacant seats on the front row seats, enough seats for you and Pogo.

"It's alright Ms. Grace, I already had my fill earlier." You politely declined, as you silently shivered at the idea of sitting besides Mr. Hargreeves; you would most likely lose your appetite before you could open your mouth.

Grace acknowledged your words with a nod and proceeded to ring the bell. In a hurry, you rush to the right side of Mr. Hargreeves’ chair to set it in place before he sits down. On cue, the numbers came flooding into the dining room, they all stood behind their assigned chairs awaiting for the head of the household's orders.

As the Monocle showed up followed suit by his unnerving presence, though everyone was used to it at this point. He then stood before the table, barely glancing at his children nor uttering a greeting instead his lips uttered a command, "Sit."

In synchrony, they sat down then chowed down on their breakfast. However, the others were busy with other things besides eating like: how Allison and Luther were making googly eyes at each other, Diego carving something on his chair's armrest, Klaus secretly making a blunt, Ben reading a book as he ate, and then there was Five who looking at his father, voicelessly requesting his attention - this mere action alone caused you to raise a brow, it was odd - though you knew one thing, you and Vanya knew that something was about to go down.

In your attempt to intercept, you were about to go to Five’s side to ask what was wrong but before you could take another step, he stabbed the table followed by the sound of ceramics and utensils jumping in surprise, catching the attention of the other numbers and the head of the household himself.

"Number Five?"

"I have a question." He stated with a smile, that smile always brought trouble and everyone knew that. In spite of everyone knowing that look, the others continued on with whatever they were doing, as though Five's concern was merely a leaf among the piles of leaves bound to be blown away by the wind.

“If you have a question… wouldn’t it be better you ask the Monocle after breakfast? He will only increase the punishment and training you have to endure if you don’t obey the rules.” You mused to yourself.

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules," Reginald gestures for you to reiterate the rules for the numbers - especially for Five - but, as you were about to open your mouth, Five talked over you. Albeit, it is annoying that he acts as though you didn’t exist but you already knew that was bound to happen… You just didn’t understand why he didn’t like you.

"I want to time travel."

“Ah, that makes more sense.” You internally groaned as the puzzles began to fall into place, he’s always been the impatient type. Of course he would ask for guidance in the most inconvenient times…

"No." The eccentric billionaire firmly declined as he went on with his meal.

"But, I'm ready. I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said," Five abruptly stands up then teleports to his father's side. "See?"

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn." The head of the household spoke in riddles but anyone who liked metaphors or riddles knew what he meant, you can never know the other side of the unknown.

“I’d be damned if he didn’t understand this.” You rolled your eyes at the thought of the brown-haired boy with how openly arrogant he is in everything he does.

Five looks away momentarily trying to process his words but his shoulders dropped indicating he gave up. "Well, I don't get it."

"Hence the reason you're not ready." This remark made the younger male’s face scrunched up in fury. Why was the old man so against time traveling? Was it because no one knew what would happen? Is it because no one was brave enough to face the future we set ourselves up with?

You notice from the corner of your eye that Vanya is shaking her head. Although you did not have telepathy, you can base from her facial expressions and body language that she was begging Five to not do anything reckless. The angry boy in school shorts saw his sister’s attempt but disregarded it.

"I'm not afraid." The boy stood his ground, his way of showing that he was not going to falter to his father’s wishes.

"Fear isn't the issue." The Monocle stated as he paused himself from eating, "The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable."

Five scoffs silently in response to his father’s words. The boy hated how he was right but he’s not going to listen to him anymore, he’s not going to be a puppet like everyone else here in this family.

"Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore." The old man said as he resumed eating his meal.

From Vanya’s seat, she looks at Five desperately, as if silently begging him to follow through with his father’s orders but he walks away instead. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing because they were shocked, unsure of how to react, they had never thought or acted upon the idea of opposing their father’s wishes.

"Number Five!"

"You haven't been excused!"

"Number Zero I order you to go after him, make sure to remind him that the punishments he will be facing for his misdemeanor will be severe." You nodded and bowed to the head of the household, then ran after Five.

You ran for the door before it could fully close and hastily opened the gate. The person you were after was a few steps away from you, ready to experiment with his powers. Before the boy could activate his powers, you grabbed onto the sleeve of his blazer, which stopped him from whatever he was doing.

"Master Five, your father is requesting for you to finish your breakfast. Now isn't the time for you to experiment with your abilities. You will have more time to explore them after the meal." You repeated the head of Hargreeves household's words, though they weren't the exact wording since you paraphrased it, because you believed his original phrasing was harsh.

The boy in school shorts slowly turned to you with a familiar scowl on his face, almost mirroring his father's signature look. "You infuriate me."

He took slow steps towards your direction, his eyes not leaving your figure. It felt like you were a deer in headlights willingly awaiting for your death to come. Oddly enough, you kept your composure, externally unbothered but internally dreading what will happen next.

"All you ever do is follow that old man like a puppet, you can't even think for yourself and you speak as though you are following a script." He spat, his words seething with anger but for what?

"I have no use for you, so go back to your box." Five ended with a glare and walked away as though he was satisfied with the damage he had done to you.

Tears lurked the corner of your eyes, every time he opens his mouth you always find yourself crying. Were you the problem? You didn't understand why he was so mean to you and why Vanya cared for him so much. However, you knew you couldn't cry, you didn’t deserve to cry. Plus, you'd give him the satisfaction of hurting you, so it was best to keep it all in. Bottling it up is the only way...

Reluctantly, you came back to the house empty handed.

Unbeknownst to you as you walked away, the satisfaction Five would have in hurting you would be short-lived. Five took huge steps to time travel, with each time he used his powers, the atmosphere and environment of the street he walked upon changed with every step of the way.

"Not ready my ass." Five sneered as he walked away from the mess of a household he used to live in.

For once, he felt like he was free from the shackles his father placed onto him, just because he had finally proven the old man wrong and he could live life how he wanted it to be. The old man was only preventing him from reaching his full potential. He can only hope that from this point on that he continues to prove him wrong.

However, the third time he traveled to the future, he was presented with a different future he had in mind. Everything he once knew lay in ruins, a wasteland of rubble and debris. Remnants of what was once a home or a business are what was left of the city. A once-great civilization now reduced to nothingness.

Five stood amongst the rubble devastated by what the future had become. It was now a world of despair, a place where hope had been lost and the future was uncertain. Out of desperation, Five ran to where he once came but all he saw was rubble, no sign of salvation within sight.

"Y/N!" No one responded.

"VANYA!" Silence.

"BEN!" Not a word was uttered.

"DAD!" Quiet, except for the sounds of fire crackling.

"ANYONE!" The deafening silence was making the child mentally mad, the sound of his own heart beating in his ears and erratic breathing made it difficult to focus.

Frenzied by the future he encountered, he tried to use his powers to undo his mistake, "Come on!"

The boy's powers fizzled as blue energy spilled out of his hands but it didn't work, he was still stuck, "Shit."

He didn't understand why, but the brown-haired boy immediately lost hope. The realization of him being stuck in this future caused his knees to buckle. Five watched the house as he grew up in flames, as the voice of his father saying "I told you so," echoed in his head.

ㅤㅤㅤ❲ T H E ☕ S E R V A N T ❳

"I survived on scraps, canned food, cockroaches, and anything I could find." Five chuckles at the thought of his hardships while you on the other hand couldn't imagine living life like that. You don't even think the others would have what it takes to survive that kind of environment.

"You know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf life? Well, it's total bullshit." He added.

Vanya frowned, "I can't even imagine."

"You do whatever it takes to survive, or you die." The boy said, you could even hear a smidge of sadness in his tone, "So, we adapted. Whatever the world is, we found a way to overcome it."

"We?" You and Vanya questioned at the same time.

Every time Five brought up the apocalypse, he always made it a point that no one survived. So who was this other person? If he says that no one survived then why would there be another survivor? Was he experiencing the effects of time travel or was he that desperate to be sane that he had to project a human onto something?

The brown-haired boy brought the mug up to his lips, but he looked displeased by the lack of taste. "You got anything stronger?"

"Why is Five avoiding mentioning the other person? " You hummed to yourself as you downed the drink. It didn't make sense why he'd hide the other person's identity unless they are detrimental to him in some way, but how?

Obediently, Vanya refills the drink with Vodka and Five effortlessly downs it in one go. From one glance, he already knew what was going on inside your heads.

"You both think I'm crazy." He accused you guys, which caught you off guard and stopped your line of thinking.

"No," Vanya stammered as more words came out of her mouth. "It's just… it's a lot to take in."

"Quantum physics is difficult to understand especially if it hasn't been put into study so it would be understandable we would still be digesting this information…" You tried to reason with Five, which he somehow deemed as reasonable.

Frustrated, Five's nostrils flared as he inhaled plenty of air. "Exactly what don't you understand?"

"Why didn't you just time travel back?" The violinist repeated the question others used earlier.

Five scoffs then sighs, "Gee, wish I'd thought of that. Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice and never acorn-ed."

"You think I didn't try everything to get back to my family?" Everyone in the room went silent, especially you.

You felt guilty for assuming he didn't want to go back home. After all, everyone in the household had no problem saying they would leave the house and it would be a dream come true if they did. You presumed that Five felt the same way, like he had attained freedom the moment he shook you off his trail but, apparently he didn't… Maybe if you had been persistent in pursuing him, then he wouldn't be suffering right now. By any chance, did he secretly wish you had stopped him from time traveling to the apocalypse?

"If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse, how come you still look like a kid?" The petite girl reiterated one of the questions that was asked earlier.

The boy in school shorts scoffs, "I told you already…" He sighs then begins to refill the mug with more alcohol. "I must have got the equations wrong."

"I mean, Dad always used to say that time travel could mess up your mind. Well, maybe that's what's happening?"

Your eyes widened at Vanya's words; the fact she was ballsy enough to say that Five had gone mad right to his face was something you didn't hear everyday nor even witness. From the looks of it as well, the boy himself was offended by his sister's statement but tried to hide it from her.

"This was a mistake, you're too young." He walks away from both you and Vanya, "Too naive."

Before he could walk out the door, the violinist grabbed his wrist, coincidentally recreating a past memory you had with Five, "No, Five… Five, wait!"

The boy in school shorts stopped by the door as he slowly turned his attention to his sister. On the other hand, you felt like a leftover, something that's meant to be given attention later, what the hell were you supposed to do?

"I haven't seen you in a long time, and I don't want to lose you again." The petite girl pleaded, her grip on his small wrist tightened, "That's all."

"And you know what, it's getting late, and I have lessons early and I need sleep, and I'm sure you do, too." She excused but you all knew no one was buying it.

Vanya then began to prep the couch for you guys, whilst helping her gather pillows and blankets for you and Five. Though you doubt that you would be able to stand sharing a couch to sleep on with Five.

"Here."

"We'll talk in the morning again. Okay? I promise." Vanya pleaded before she began heading to her room. "Night."

"Night." Five reciprocated her greeting, his eyes following Vanya as she headed to her room.

You did not know what to do… After you had just digested the information he gave, you had the sudden urge to hug Five but; you knew that you couldn't because he would probably find it awkward and you were not his sibling; you were not obligated to comfort him if he practically deems you as a stranger. Though at the back of your mind, something was nagging you to comfort him somehow.

As your thoughts of comforting the boy were internally eating you away, in the midst of your panic you incidentally saw that one of his hands rested beside his thigh as he restlessly drummed his fingers against the couch. Out of instinct, you placed a hand on top of his, his muscles became tensed at the gesture.

"What are you doing?" Five looked you in the eye, trying to figure out what you were up to.

You gulped then avoided his gaze, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"For not stopping you."

His once tensed muscles relaxed at your words followed by his signature scoff, "That's one way of driving yourself crazy."

"I should have been there to stop you like your father told me but the moment you told me I was just a puppet… I- I stopped thinking and let you go instead. If I had continued acting like one, none of this would have ever happened… you wouldn't be suffering right now."

"I used to do that." Five said with a sad smile as he looked out the window, "I used to blame myself for not listening to the old man or for not letting you drag me back into the house but, then I reminded myself that I made that choice. It's a learning experience now, it's not something I can undo. The only thing I can do now is prevent the apocalypse."

Your clammy hands found themselves playing with the frills of your dress, unsure what to do with them. You didn't expect - actually, never expected - him to comfort you nor for him to accept the past. It felt so weird hearing something mature come out of Five's mouth, especially knowing how arrogant he is.

Out of nowhere, the boy took out an object wrapped in cloth from his pocket, he carefully unraveled the cloth and revealed a glass eye. He rotated it to the back to show the serial code, the batch number and the company it came from.

"I'm guessing that this eye belongs to the person responsible for the apocalypse?" You quipped more at ease after you opened up your feelings.

"Possibly, it's the only lead to the mastermind." He said, stood up then quickly shoved the eye back into his pocket.

"You're leaving? What about Vanya?" You asked, not wanting to leave her hanging by a thread, unaware of you and Five's departure.

The boy in school shorts merely rolled his eyes at your words; Vanya was the only thing that you could think of even after he told you the apocalypse was nearing. Back then, he would have found this habit of yours annoying, considering how you always doted on the violinist but, after what he went through, it felt like your doting felt refreshing and nostalgic for him.

"We'd only be wasting our time here. Unless you want to stay behind?"

In the end, you guys end up leaving Vanya's apartment through the front door this time. After asking around, purchasing a map, splitting up numerous times and almost getting lost, you guys finally managed to find the company where the glass eyeball came from. From the outside, it looked like a sleek corporation office. Whilst from the inside, the building follows the same vibe as the exterior. It was mostly white, and the walls were made of glass, nothing out of the ordinary, it's what most people considered “modern'' in this day and age.

You stood by the boy in school shorts who was holding onto the glass eye like it is his lifeline; To be fair, it is humanity’s lifeline. If you guys do not identify what caused the apocalypse nor end it then it is the end for everyone. So you could not blame him for carrying it with utmost care. While at it, Five is taking paces back and forth as his eyes wander around the lobby until a doctor that was passing by finally took notice of you guys’ presence.

"Uh, can I help you?"

Five smiled then showed the eyeball to the older man, "I need to know who this belongs to."

"Where did you get that?" The doctor’s eyebrows furrowed as his tone changed. Which took you by surprise, “Why’d he lose his composure all of a sudden? ”

"Why do you care?" The boy shot back, which made you internally slap yourself because you knew his response just arose suspicion from the doctor. You had to make an excuse quickly!

"He… I mean, we found it at a playground, actually." You said with a sheepish smile, but the doctor didn’t seem to buy it.

"Uh, it must have just…" Five clicks his tongue, "Popped out." He ended with a smile. To everyone, that smile seemed harmless but you knew that smile was anything but harmless.

"We want to return it to its rightful owner." You added with a smile, but it became more sheepish instead. You can only pray that the doctor and the receptionist just thought you were the awkward one.

"Aw… You kids are so thoughtful." The receptionist wore a small smile.

"Yeah, look up the name for me, will ya?" The boy dismissed the compliment, wanting to get to the point immediately.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but patient records are strictly confidential. That means I can't tell you-"

"Yeah, I know what it means." Five butted in as his eyes narrowed at the doctor.

"But, I'll tell you what I can do. I will take the eye off your hands and return it to the owner. I'm sure the owner of the eye will be very grateful, so if I can just -" The doctor's hand is out in the open, ready for Five to place the eye on but, the boy beside you merely glared at the hand.

"Yeah, you're not touching this eye." He threatened, his eyes hinting the peak of his anger was on the verge of pouring out.

"No, you listen here, young man-" Before the doctor could finish speaking, Five grabbed him by the collar which made him grunt, his eyes widening at the “young” man’s actions, "No! You listen to me, asshole. I've come a long way for this. Through some shit your pea brain couldn't even comprehend, so just give me the information I need, and I'll be on my merry way."

Before the older man could speak, Five interrupted him, "And if you call me 'young man' one more time, I'm gonna put your head through that damn' wall."

"Oh, dear." Both you and the receptionist mutter, though you more or less expected this from Five.

Despite the fear coursing through the doctor’s veins, he softly requests for the receptionist to call security to which she complies to.

Not wanting to cause anymore trouble, you approached Five and patted his shoulder and whispered, "We should get going…"

Five reluctantly let the man go then leave the building with you in tow. You both head back to the Umbrella Academy to try and find another way to get information on the lead. Leaving behind a confused receptionist and a doctor terrified of the 'younger' generation.

As you guys headed back home, Vanya woke up to find her apartment lacking you and Five’s presence, panic filled her then she began looking for you guys everywhere in her apartment building but found no one. Despite her uneasiness to return to the academy, it was the only place she could think of as to where you guys would return.

In the end, she sucked it up and went back, the violinist arrived at the academy, only to find it empty. She found it rather ironic because of how loud the decorations were compared to what she was hearing. The petite girl couldn't even hear Grace nor Pogo, where the hell was everyone?

"Five?"

"Y/N?"

Out of desperation, she heads upstairs whilst screaming. "Are you upstairs?"

"Five? Y/N?" The petite girl takes a turn to go to where their old bedrooms were located.

As she arrives at Five's room, she met a familiar face, relief washes over her. "Oh, thank God."

"I was worried sick about you guys." She admitted a hand ready to be placed on Five's shoulder but she noticed something odd. "Where's Y/N?"

"Sorry, we left without saying goodbye."

Vanya raised a brow at this, it was rare for Five to acknowledge Y/N's presence. Even when he talks, the boy usually goes out of his way to exempt her, it's usually the servant who bothers to use pronouns like 'we' or corrects him but this time, he acknowledged her presence. It was rather odd… perhaps they were getting closer?

"No, look, I'm the one that should be sorry." Vanya sighs a hand on her chest. "Yeah, I was dismissive, and…"

The boy in school shorts walks closer showing to his sister that he is willing to listen.

"I- I guess I didn't know how to process what you were saying like Y/N said. And I still can't, to be honest." She added, her gaze elsewhere most likely ashamed to show the regret in her eyes.

"Maybe you were right to be dismissive." Five exhales through his nose, "Maybe it wasn't real after all."

He turns and approaches his dresser to examine the decoration he had left behind years ago. "It felt real. Well… like you said, the old man did say time travel could contaminate the mind."

"Then maybe I'm not the right person for you to be talking to. Look, I used to see someone. A therapist. I could give you her information." Vanya suggested, as she rummaged through her sling bag ready to write down the number but she stopped midway through when Five gestured for her to not continue further.

"Thanks, but… I think I'm just gonna get some rest. It's been a long time since I got a good sleep." Five declined her offer.

"Okay." The violinist sighs as she retreats her hand from her sling bag then walks away.

The boy was about to follow her to check if she was going to leave the academy. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by items clattering, followed by you falling on your knees while Klaus comes out of the closet, take that as you will.

"Remind me again why I had to be shoved into a closet?" You muttered, wiping away the sweat that accumulated on your forehead. "Especially with Klaus."

"That's so… touching, all that stuff about family and Dad and time. Wow!" Klaus rejoiced with his hands up, though it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic.

"Master Klaus, we just got Vanya off of our trail. I'd suggest lowering your voice if you don't want her coming back." You suggested but your suggestion only fell into deaf ears.

"I'm moist." The Seance declared, you guys were unsure if he was declaring that he was moist from sweat.

The arrogant boy took one look at Klaus' outfit, only for a displeased look to settle on his face. "I thought I told you to put on something professional."

"Unfortunately, that's the closest we can get to something professional with Master Klaus' closet." You sadly admitted, as you silently helped yourself up, since everyone seemed to be busy with themselves.

Five sighs then checks to the hallway to see if Vanya was still there. "We'll raid the old man's closet."

The curly haired male rolled his eyes, "Whatever, as long as I get paid."

"When the job is done, you'll get paid." You reassured him.

"Okay, but just so we're clear with the finer details, I just gotta go into this place and pretend to be your dear old dad, correct?"

"Yeah, something like that." Five confirmed about to make his way to Master Hargreeves room but Klaus' next question made everyone stop in their tracks.

"What's our cover story?"

"Master Klaus, I don't think a cover story is necessary for this scenario…" You muttered knowing full well your words would fall into deaf ears again.

"I mean, was I really young when I had you and Rosey? Like, 16? Like, young and… terribly misguided."

"Master Klaus, whatever roleplaying ideas you have is best to be kept behind closed doors for now because this is not the time for your shenanigans." You said firmly this time, but your words were not heeded.

"Your mother! That slut... Whoever she was, We met at the disco." Klaus chuckles, then he proudly looks at you both. "Okay? Remember that."

Five played along with Klaus' antics with a simple nod, though it was clear he wasn’t taking Klaus’ shit seriously. On the other hand, you felt like this was only the beginning of hell for you. Albeit you were more used to being surrounded by tamed people like Luther, Allison, Ben, Vanya and Five. Klaus was a different case… the walking contradiction of a man, who flew higher than the icarus yet he never reached the sun.

Suddenly, an idea popped into the seance’s head followed by him snapping his fingers. "Oh, my god, the sex was amazing."

"What a disturbing glimpse into that thing you call a brain." The boy remarked with a revolted look on his face.

Klaus placed a hand on his chest, his face laced with an offended look. "Don't make me put you in time-out."

Once Klaus was finished with his shenanigans, you three headed to Reginald Hargreeves’ room and raided Reginald's closet - though it was mostly you and Five doing the work. You were the one responsible for looking for a decent outfit whilst Five was in charge of looking for the dress shoes. Klaus was mostly responsible for filling in the silence with his usual “outrageousness”, as Five would kindly put into words.

Out of nowhere, Five's heart raced as his mind began playing tricks on him, blending the boundaries between reality and illusion. In his perception, he observed the chaotic scene before him, the world had transformed into a desolate wasteland, reminiscent of the apocalypse. Amidst the devastation, he witnessed a familiar (H/C) young girl in a Victorian maid outfit, your body convulsing as you reached out desperately, attempting to grasp the sky itself.

Fear and urgency surged through the boy's veins as he rushed to your side. Ignoring the dangers that surrounded them, he knelt down beside your trembling form, his hands trembling as well. Out of desperation, he shook you gently, attempting to snap you out of whatever trance you seemed to be trapped within.

As you slowly turned your gaze towards him, your eyes filled with worry, the Five's heart sank. He could see the pain and confusion reflected in your eyes, mirroring his own inner turmoil. The sight of the steel piercing your abdomen only made his stomach twist.

Worried etched onto your facial features as your voice awakened Five from his hallucination. "Are you alright Five?"

The whole room went silent at your words. That was the first time you called him by his name without an honorific, even the usually head-in-the-clouds Klaus caught onto your slip up and started giggling like a little girl. On the other hand, the boy was shell shocked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but we have better things to do! Which is me getting my 20 bucks." Klaus interjected but a wide smile engraved itself into his features, it's a common sight to see a smile on his face but, this time it felt like it was alluding to something you didn't like.

"There was no 'moment' I was going to ask Y/N about the villains the academy used to face while I was gone." Five excused but Klaus knew otherwise, the way his 'little' brother reacted just now was similar to how he reacted when he wasn't high: Scared, desperate, and depressed.

"Are you sure? You looked pretty startled." You placed both of your hands onto Five's shoulders, asking for his reassurance.

"You called me by my name without an honorific. Of course I would be startled." He lied whilst he redirected your attention to your slip up.

"I… I did?"

Klaus sat up straight then placed a hand on his chest, "I'm wounded and betrayed by you, Rosey! To think we've been together since childhood, I didn't even leave your side for the last 17 years yet, you called him -" The Seance points to Five. "- without an honorific first! Instead of me! Oh, the world is truly coming to an end."

"I don't think you should be joking about that after what Five told you…" You muttered but the boy beside you pats your shoulder as though to tell you it was alright.

"As I was saying," Five adjusted his clothes then sat on an armchair, acting as though he didn't experience an episode. "While I was gone, did a villain named White V show up? Or something along the lines of that?"

You tilted your head, this name didn't feel familiar whatsoever. "I don't recall a villain named White V… maybe they will show up soon?"

"Same here but I do remember most of the villains being different colors besides white." Klaus mused.

"You know I didn't mean it literally Klaus."

"Just thought it would help!"

Trying to change the subject, Five turned his head to you and then asked, "Did you find something decent for this lunatic brother of mine?"

Once you raised a thumbs up, it was everyone's go signal to get ready then head back to the doctor's office to pester him once again.

ㅤㅤㅤ❲ T H E ☕ S E R V A N T ❳

At the moment, you three were back in the office. Klaus sitting down with a bored look on his face while you sat beside him patiently. Five, on the other hand, is standing impatiently pacing back and forth, whilst the doctor kept up a professional facade right in front of you three despite what occurred earlier.

"Like I said to your son, earlier. Any information about the prosthetics we build is strictly confidential. Without the client's consent, I simply can't help you." The doctor reiterated.

"Well, we can't get the consent if you don't give us a name." Five tries to keep his cool by gritting his teeth to prevent any unsavory words from flowing out.

"Well, that's not my problem." The man in lab coat merely shrugged which irked Five even more to go through with his promise earlier.

"Sorry, Now, there's really nothing more I can do, so-"

From this point on, your attention is taken away because you heard your phone ring. You look down and read who the notification was from and immediately open your phone.

Just as you finished chatting to Vanya, you heard the impact of a fist coming into contact with skin and Five grunting in pain. Without warning, Klaus tried kicking you in the stomach as well, but you narrowly dodged it but, in the process of trying to dodge it, you were sent rolling backwards. Whilst you two were busy groaning in pain, Klaus decided it would be a good idea to hit himself with a snow globe.

The curly haired male groaned then yelled, "God, that hurt!"

Doctor hastily grabs the telephone. "I'm calling security-" But the seance wrestled it out of his hand.

"What are you doing?"

Klaus gasps dramatically. "There's been an assault in Mr. Big's office, and we need security, now. Schnell!" The phone clatters as Klaus slams it carelessly back into place, his gaze now focused onto the doctor.

"Now, here's what's gonna happen, Grant."

"It's… Lance."

"In about 60 seconds, two security guards are gonna burst through that door, and they're gonna see a whole lot of blood, and they're gonna wonder, 'What the hell happened?' and we're gonna tell them that you… beat the shit out of us." Klaus explains as he manipulates his voice and face to look as though he was appalled and scared of what Lance had 'done'.

You were oddly impressed and scared of Klaus acting skills, while Five seemed proud he chose the right person. Either way, it felt like things were going to turn out how Five wanted it to be but, it seemed like this was too easy for your opinion…

"You're gonna do great in prison, Grant. Trust me, I've been there. Little piece of chicken like you. Oh my God, you're gonna be passed around like a…" Klaus rotates his hips. "You're just- You're gonna do great. That's all I'm saying."

"Jesus, you are a real sick bastard." Lance grimaced at the curly haired man who claimed to be you and Five's Father.

"Thank you." He accepts the compliment as he spat out the glass that was in his mouth.

Once the whole mess was somehow covered up, the Doctor began skimming through the files to look for the glass eyeball. In the end, he couldn't find the glass eye including the information of the owner. He concluded the search by stating the glass eye isn't even manufactured yet, then asked how you guys managed to get the eye.

"I knew it was too good to be true…" You thought to yourself, as you all went back to square one… "Where to now? " Is what you'd ask Five but you doubt he knows what his next lead is since the glass eye was all he had.

"Well, this is not good." Five muttered, his disappointment becoming more prominent on his face.

"I was pretty good, though, right? Yeah. What about my consent, bitch?" Klaus chuckled proudly, you would have cheered on Klaus if it weren't for the fact that you knew now was not the time for that. Five would probably wring you and Klaus' necks just because he's in a bad mood.

"Klaus, it doesn't matter." The boy snapped, his hands stuffed into his school boy shorts.

"What? What? What's the big deal with this eye, anyway?"

"Master Klaus, we already told you, there is someone out there who's going to lose an eye in the next seven days." You reiterated as Five added. "They're gonna bring about the end of life on this Earth as we know it."

The boy in school shorts was about to walk away with you in tow to try and find another lead but, your strides to the different direction were put to a stop by Klaus' words.

"Yeah, can I get that 20 bucks, like, now or what?"

"Your 20 bucks? " Five repeated as he slowly turned to Klaus, his rage on the verge of exploding as more words came out of Klaus' mouth.

"KLAUS READ THE ROOM FOR ONE SECOND! " You internally screamed as you hastily went to Klaus' side ready to shield him from getting punched.

"Yeah, my 20 bucks."

"The apocalypse is coming, and all you can think about is getting high?" Five was seething while you were on the verge of slamming your face onto the pavement.

"Well, I'm also quite hungry. Tummy's a-rumblin'." Klaus imitates a stomach growling then smiles at Five but, the boy isn't too pleased about it.

"You're useless."

"You're all useless!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. You knew that he said it in the heat of the moment but, you were all trying your best to help him…

Klaus noticed your change of demeanor then tried to shift the subject. "Oh, come on. You need to lighten up, old man."

Five sits on the stairway in front of the prosthetics building. Trying to silently think of a plan B but, the seance just had to open his mouth. Five swore if he brought a stapler he would staple Klaus' lips closed.

"Hey, you know, I've just now realized why you're so uptight. You must be horny as hell!" He laughed then added, "All those years by yourself. It's gonna screw with your head being alone."

"If you want to let the stress out, why not ask Y/N for help?"

"Y/N seems like she'd be good in bed, if you're the type to have a corruption kink and all. I wouldn't be surprised if you have one because you seem the type-" Klaus snapped his finger, "And, andd~! She wouldn't get arrested for dating you."

You wanted to die on the spot as more words came out of Klaus' mouth. Even though talking about sex should be normalized, you weren't used to the exposure of it. Neither were you taught on how it works besides the basics.

"Well… I wasn't alone." Five admitted, a rare smile on his face becoming more visible as he reminisced about his significant other.

"Oh?" Klaus looks surprised as you, both numbers - you and Klaus - looked at Five in disbelief.

"Pray tell."

"Her name was Delores." Five looked longing into the distance, as he fidgeted with his ring finger. "We were together for over 30 years."

"Thirty years? Oh, wow!" The curly haired man chuckled. "God, the longest I've been with someone was… I don't know, three weeks. And that's only because I was so tired of looking for a place to sleep."

"We need to find Delores… She could be of help in figuring out what caused the apocalypse. But, is she even in this time period? How do we get in contact with her? " You pondered, your head was clouded with questions.

You didn't notice Five spontaneously grabbed your wrist then you guys are suddenly teleported inside a taxi. Surprised by the turn of events, you and the taxi driver gasp in unison.

"Don't stop, just keep going." Five commanded as he rolled down the taxi window and mockingly saluted Klaus.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What about my money?!" Klaus screamed running after the taxi you guys were in.

Against Five's will, you threw a 10 dollar bill outside the window. "That should be enough for food! Don't waste it on drugs!"

ㅤㅤㅤ❲ T H E ☕ S E R V A N T ❳

You and Five stood right in front of Gimbel brothers whilst it rained. The droplets stain your clothes and make the clothing cling onto your skin. As you were about to pick the lock, Five stopped you midway through, to which you raised a brow at his actions.

"Are we going to use your powers? Shouldn't you be resting with how much you've used them?" You expressed your concern, only for your concern to be thrown out the window by the person who you expressed your concern for.

Five's brows were stitched together. "What do you mean we? I'm the only one going in."

"I… but why?"

"For starters, I already told you yesterday that I'd be the one dealing with the mess but you didn't listen to my orders. You could've been killed!"

You flinched at his words but tried to defend yourself. "You were about to be killed as well, that's why I intervened."

"Stay here. If anything else happens, call the police then go home by yourself, I don't need to lug around your weight." The boy stated as he teleported into the building before you could even interject.

Reluctantly, you wait for him from a nearby building whilst waiting, you witness two people enter the store. You were about to follow them as Five's back up when you heard gunshots but, you recalled Five's orders, and instead chose to rush to the nearest telephone booth to call the police. Once the police arrived, you wait for Five to exit the store and met up with him in the next corner then escorted him back home.

Unbeknownst to you guys, Allison and Luther were busy talking about Grace and Y/N until you guys show up and pass by them. They stop to see that Five looked beaten up whilst you carried the top half of a mannequin. Hopefully, they don't ask where you got it and what you intended to do with it.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Allison voiced her concern as she went to your side to check if you had any bruises as well.

"Thank god, they aren't asking about the mannequin." You sighed in relief, grateful that they didn't question if you guys committed theft. To be fair, if you would have known Delores was a mannequin you would have just bought her or bought a look alike and dressed it up as her, rather than being chased by the police.

"Are you okay? Can we help?" Luther tries to put a hand on Five's shoulder but the boy caught Spaceboy's wrist midway.

"There's nothing you can do."

"There's nothing any of you can do."

ㅤㅤㅤ❲ T H E ☕ S E R V A N T ❳

As the boy in school shorts began investigating the remnants of the Umbrella Academy, he saw a gloved hand holding onto something round. He ran over to where the hand was poking out and grabbed it. It was a glass eyeball, freshly taken out of someone's eye socket. Five tried to remove some of the rubble to see if the person underneath it was someone he knew, and he was right. It was Luther.

Whilst trying to look for any more clues, Five stumbles upon other familiar faces, one by one he sees his dead siblings: Allison, Diego, and Klaus. Everyone he grew up with was dead, he had lost all hope for mankind. However, amidst the devastation, he witnessed a familiar (H/C) young girl in a Victorian maid outfit, your body convulsing as you reached out desperately, attempting to grasp the sky itself.

As you slowly turned your gaze towards him, your eyes filled with worry, the boy's heart sank. He could see the pain and confusion reflected in your eyes, mirroring his own inner turmoil. The sight of the steel piercing your abdomen only made his stomach twist.

He hurriedly and carefully removes you from the steel that pierced you. When your eyes landed on him, you wore a small smile.

"Five… Huh, I must be dreaming." You said chuckling though, it turned into a coughing fit instead.

"No, this is the real me, I'm not dead." The boy reassured you by touching your cheek, which led you to cry. The warmth of seeing someone in your last moments made you want to be greedy and hold onto life just a little longer but, you knew you didn't have the strength to do so.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Five wanted answers quickly, he wanted to save his family somehow, knowing who did this might relinquish the pain he feels right now.

"White V…" Those were the last words that trailed off your lips. In the end, the pain he felt was going to last for 46 years in isolation.

➢ Taglist : @igotanidea @incapableofanything @kumioon @buuhsworld @stray-npc @sunsunhe @instabull @theredvelvetbitch @yoashh @keowthedino @danis-stuff-is-here @sol3chu

➢ Note : If your username is highlighted blue that means I cannot tag your blog. I suggest you either follow my blog and turn on your notifications or you turn on your subscription to the masterlist. Also, "Reblog to support your favorite writer" divider belongs to @/benkeibear

#❲💎✨❳ : land of fanfictions #❲ ✓ ❳ : published #allison hargreeves #ben hargreeves #diego hargreeves #five hargreeves #luther hargreeves #five hargreaves x reader #the umbrella academy #tua #tua x reader #five hargreeves x reader #klaus hargreeves #pogo #grace #❲ ☕ ❳ : The Servant : Five x Reader #victor hargreeves

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bella-atz · 1 year ago

Text

welcome!

✩ timeline: after pirate king era

✩ summary: bella and ateez meet for the very first time.

A petite and delicate seventeen-year-old trainee dressed in cozy clothing strides her legs to a place she calls her “Second Home.”

Every day, Bella would spend most of her afternoons and nights in the KQ Entertainment building. Plus, she does her schoolwork and studies in the practice room to manage time and her rest. At some point in life, Bella’s family was concerned about her choosing this pathway. Despite admitting the challenges to her loved ones and the hardships of becoming an idol, Bella kept going. She doesn’t know how long it’ll take or where she’ll end up, but she hopes for the best.

KQ Entertainment is a peculiar place, according to Bella. It originally was a marketing business that turned into a record label. They successfully accepted plentiful artists who have been in the industry for years. Not to mention, KQ recruited eight boys and created their first group. Now, they are rising stars.

ATEEZ has been getting the world’s attention like magic sparked into people’s lives.

Unfortunately, Bella wasn’t as close to the group. She had seen their faces and their stellar talent but never knew them personally. However, it’s all going to change. Two months after ATEEZ’s debut, the group will be welcoming someone.

Bella attended a meeting with KQ’s big boss and had a long discussion that would impact the company and the K-pop industry. The boss allowed her to debut with ATEEZ. Of course, Bella was baffled for a lot of reasons. In other words, she wasn’t sure if it was safe. Having only one girl is going to raise eyebrows for many. However, to Bella’s surprise, from what the boss told her, all eight agreed to have her be part of ATEEZ.

So, today, she’ll be seeing the guys.

Once she says hello and bowing to the workers, Bella can feel her nerves running wild. Before arriving, the teenager keeps questioning if they will like her or think she is awkward and strange. Bella has to eventually develop communication skills because it’s a tough world to survive. The girl enters the elevator to take deep breaths and relax.

Good thing she is a formal person. It’s not that Bella finds herself to be dull. She was raised in a household with manners and being immaculate. Most importantly, she doesn’t want to make a fool of herself.

As Bella exits the elevator, she heads to the practice room. “Hm. Maybe I’m too early.” The girl figured because she noticed the darkness from the outside. Her hand grabs the knob to open the door. She switched on the lights to have the room bright as day. Instantly, eight handsome, cute, and beautifully bared-faced guys in warm outfits yell at the top of their lungs.

“WELCOME TO ATEEZ BELLA!”

Lost for words, the girl has her eyes widened owlishly and mouth gaping. The guys couldn’t contain their laughter at her adorably shocked reaction. Bella can see they all have party hats on, decorations layered in the room, and a snack table with a delicious cake.

“Hyung, I think we broke her,” Wooyoung whispered to Hongjoong.

“Ouch!”

The captain smacks the boy, who is pouting like a hurt child.

Hongjoong clears his throat and goes up to Bella. “Sorry that we scared you. We didn’t know a better way to make a surprise.” He apologizes so politely. Bella shakes her head. “N-No! You didn’t! I thought it was going to be simple and formal.” Her expectations are the complete opposite.

The guys glanced at each other and started chuckling. It takes them back to when everyone got together, one by one. Most of them had friendly attitudes, but they soon learned they weren’t normal. In a good way, to not be mistaken.

San comes forward with a big, bright smile and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “We thought it would be too lame to do the typical greetings. So, why not throw a party? Also, it’s okay to drop the formalities because we’re family here.” The young man with cute, deep dimples tries to convince Bella that she doesn’t need to shy away from her true colors.

Bella looks at their sweet smiles. The atmosphere has become fuzzy and warm. She is also feeling a bit emotional. Bella breathed, “Okay, I’ll try to be myself.” She said. All of them cheered. Soon enough, she and the guys form a circle on the floor to talk about themselves, like an ice-breaker.

“So, what is your position in ATEEZ, Bella?” Yeosang asked the girl.

Not just him, but the rest are curious to know. Bella responded, “Our boss put me as lead vocalist and maknae. I’ve been singing since I was very little and I am thankful that my appa introduced me to K-pop.” She tells them a piece of her background.

“Ooo~ vocal buddies~” Wooyoung playfully nudges Jongho. The now second youngest shyly smiles. Bella and the others laugh at him merrily.

“Wait, maknae? How old are you?” San was so straightforward that it kind of surprised the members. Though Bella didn’t mind answering. “I’m 17.”

At once, they gasped at their new maknae. She is a baby! Their baby!

When getting done with the introductions, Bella can see that everyone has a unique personality. But overall, they are super kind and caring. She witnessed them helping each other give out food because she and all of them were starving. Bella predicts she’ll have the time of her life in ATEEZ.

“Oh! Bella, look what we got for you!” Yunho exclaimed happily.

He and Mingi pulled her arms to drag her to the snack table. They showed her a cutely baked cake of My Melody. “For me?” Bella questions the two.

Mingi nods earnestly. “Yep! We actually made it, and if it’s not good, then it’s okay to get upset.” He is so blunt that Bella starts laughing. Her laugh is so mellifluous that the guys thought an angel from heaven graced their ears.

She shakes her head. “I’m sure it’s tasty! Thank you so much!” The new member of ATEEZ sincerely appreciates the whole lovely celebration.

#ateez 9th member #ateez addition #ateez female member #ateez female oc #ateez female addition #ateez oc #ateez added member #9th member of ateez #ateez ninth member #ateez extra member #kpop female oc #kpop addition #kpop added member #ateez x oc

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egginfroggin · 8 months ago

Note

What happens to baby Emmet now that he's home ? Chaos, right ? Did he return home the same way as the original ?

He comes back about the same way, yeah, only this time he has Akari and Rei with him and isn't as injured. They get dropped in the middle of Gear Station, and either find or are found by Ingo.

Ingo recognizes Emmet pretty much immediately, and vice-versa. Mildly inconveniently, this only confirms to Akari and Rei that the two are related, and does nothing to specify.

Cue the two of them basically going, "Oh, thank the Seas, you know him. Are you his father?"

Needless to say, Ingo was expecting nothing about this entire thing, least of all being mistaken for Emmet's father, of all things.

There's definitely a level of general chaos going on after that because Ingo needs to be given context for literally everything about this situation (who are you two, where on Earth did you come from, why is my brother less than half the age he should be), Akari and Rei need to be caught up on the fact that, yes, this is the future (why is everything so shiny, why is everything so loud), and Emmet -- honestly, Emmet probably just wants to lie down, so maybe his shenanigans are put on hold for a bit (he falls asleep perched on Ingo's lap, having latched onto his neck for a hug and then passing out).

They wind up settling down in a currently-unused office. Ingo takes the rest of the day, and then the rest of the week, off.

Once he finds out why Emmet is how he is, plans are immediately set into motion to go to Sinnoh. Much chaos happens in the interim, because there are reunions to be had, introductions to be made, also Emmet has gotten his required nap and is ready to Cause Problems, as he does.

(Ingo has never been happier to drag Emmet off by the collar for pestering someone)

Arceus gets yelled at. Very loudly. The llama is certifiably verbally reamed and is then strongarmed into fixing Emmet's age. But quickly changing an eight-year-old to be three times his physical age would be extremely stressful, and probably bloody, so Arceus settles for a more gradual, if still uncomfortable, change.

(They don't leave Sinnoh just yet. No, they go just far enough from the temple to find a place to sleep and no farther, because if this doesn't go well, Ingo refuses to waste time traveling any further than is absolutely necessary to "negotiate" with Arceus again)

Thank you for the ask, Anon! I hope to make some more art for this silly little variant soon, after I've finished some other stuff. I hope you have a wonderful day! ^^

#asks #anon asks #subway boss emmet #subway boss ingo #submas #wtst #best of intentions au #let me tell you. arceus's plan is to have emmet's age be back to normal by the following morning #and the mental image of the twins or ingo finding him just. dead asleep. back to being an adult #is VERY HEAVILY inspired by the end of 'The Days Eater.' an episode of natsume yuujinchou #like just. ough #thank you anon!

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tojisbbg · 2 years ago

Text

♥ 𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 ♥

❝there's nothing you could do or say, i can't escape the way i love you. i don't want to, but i love you❞

♡ manjiro sano ♡

a/n: back at it again with the sad mikey shit :p

content: bonten arc!mikey x timeleaper!reader (y/n), angsty (lol as usual), hurt with comfort (yay!), mentions of suicide and suicidal talk, enemies to lovers (?), mikey just needs some love bruh, not edited as always.

...

“what the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” you screamed in fury, drenched in blood that was mostly not yours. you walked inside the living room of the very expensive penthouse you resided in along with eight other men. you saw the silver haired male sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine in his hand, unhinged from your loud outburst.

“you’re staining the carpet.” mikey brashly commented, watching the blood drip down your body and form puddles on the floor and getting on the carpet. this only made your blood boil even more, you were trying to have a serious conversation with him about how your whole team just got annihilated and he cares about the damn carpet??

“i called you at least fifty times to give me backup, there was a fucking bomb explosion you shit for brains! everyone is dead and i would’ve been dead too if i didn’t go out for my smoke break.” your voice trembled, tears welling in your eyes that threatened to spill in front of the emotionless man in front of you. the sight from earlier was horrific, screams from people you worked with being heard, blood and guts flying everywhere.

it was something you’d see in a horror film.

“tough luck for them. go take a shower and clean your mess up.” he ordered, gulping down the red wine in the glass in one go before heading towards the grand staircase.

“do you- are you not at least feel a little bit of remorse? they died because the people they counted on let them down. they’re dead for fuck's sake, manjiro!” you bellowed at his back, quickly wiping away the tears that accidentally slipped out. mikey turned around, giving you a bitter smirk as he inched closer to you, making you take a few steps back.

“should i go there? use my magic powers to bring them back to life? should i, y/n?” mikey sarcastically asked, mockingly batting his eyes.

“that’s not wh-”

“then what the fuck do you want me to do, huh?!” this time, he was the one screaming in your face, a vein popping in his neck. your eyes widened, throat becoming dry as this was the first time that he raised his voice at you.

both you and mikey disliked each other, never once getting along with each other. for starters, you hated him for how he disregarded izana’s death, treating your best friend’s name as some kind of taboo thing to be said around the house. not to mention that he stole izana’s whole look, making your hatred even worse towards him as you couldn’t help but mistaken mikey for izana at times.

you, too, died on the day izana was shot. however, it wasn’t on the scene, as kisaki and hanma took you down before you could even reach the place. next thing you know, you’re ten years into the future in some abandoned alleyway.

after figuring out your situation, you did some digging and research to find kakucho. you later did, as the wanted posters plastered all over the city gave it away. kakucho was ecstatic to see his old friend once again and begged mikey to have you join bonten. at first, the short little smurf strictly declined, not wanting to add in another member of tenjiku inside bonten.

to be fair, you didn’t wanna join bonten either. you were tired of living as delinquent and jumping from gang to gang. you wanted to live a simple life, in a small apartment, work a nine to five job and have a cat.

but things didn’t go as you planned.

“they had families too. parents, wives and kids. those people deserve to know what happened to their loved one because of you.” you tried to reason.

“i’ll have koko send out a message to their families.” mikey bluntly answered, making your jaw drop from how absurd he could get.

“a message? you think that the life of their loved one, who’s now gone, is worth just a message?” you questioned, shocked and refusing to believe that what your ears were hearing was a lie.

“look, i don’t have time for this shit. if you wanna have a sappy little group therapy session or something for them, then do it on your own time as you please. i’m leaving.” mikey harshly spoke, his voice laced with agitation.

“what if it was sanzu? ran, rindou, koko or even kakucho. what if i was in there, mikey?” you spoke, but your words came out as a whisper, yet it rang loud in mikey’s ear.

“as i said, tough luck.” he spat out before turning his heels, walking away to his room.

“you fucking piece of shit! yeah, go crawl into your little hell-hole like you always do.” you bitterly said, yet none of the words faltered him as he continued to take the steps upstairs.

“y/n?” you heard the familiar worried voice behind you, turning around to be met with the scarred man who had the haitani brothers trailing behind him. you broke down into tears, stepping a little back to make sure that he doesn’t touch you and get blood all over him.

“what’s wrong, are you hurt? you’re covered in blood! let me see, y/n.” kakucho sternly said, walking closer to you.

“no, your clothes will get ruined.” you sniffled, making him scoff as he pulled you into his chest, the warmth of his body comforting your conflicting feelings.

“it’s okay, y/n. everything will be okay.” gentle fingers stroked your back soothingly, as you drenched kakucho’s suit with blood and tears.

“they’re all dead! it’s all because of me and that stupid little shit. i couldn’t save them, kaku.” you choked on your tears, shoving your face deeper into his chest. kakucho let out a heavy sigh, hugging you tightly.

“you did everything that you could, y/n. you know it, i know it, the whole world knows that. stop blaming yourself.” he calmly responded, but you shook your head in denial.

“no, if mikey sent backup, they would’ve been alive now.” your hand clutched onto his button-up, feeling your knees growing weak.

“you know we can’t go over the boss’ orders, y/n.” kakucho gave you a sad smile as you peered above, the pads of his thumbs wiping away your tears.

“i hate mikey.”

“come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.”

---

it’s been about a week since the incident, kakucho ordered you to take a small break to recover and get your mental state back in check. over the course of week, the executives were pretty busy and were rarely seen at home, sometimes too tired to even make it back home and they ended up sleeping at headquarters.

strangely enough, after that whole argument you had with mikey, you haven’t crossed paths with him this entire week. to which you didn’t complain, it’s not like you wanted to see him either.

“you guys heading out early again?” you chewed on one of the waffles kakucho prepared for everyone, hearing him hum in response.

“yup, the haitani’s haven’t been home for like a week and i don’t think they could come back until next week. koko’s been buried under paperwork too, but i forced him to go sleep at home last night. he should be heading out an hour or so after me though.” kakucho explained, making you groan in annoyance.

“that means it’s me and this huge empty house once again. it’s so boring!” you whined, making him chuckle as he squished your cheeks.

“you got mikey.” he answered, which wasn’t wrong, but it’s not like you both liked each other.

“are you kidding? him being home and not is the same thing. hey, how about i come to work and help you guys out. you know, so that we all can finish early and come home sooner and be happy! teamwork makes the dreamwork you know.” you gave kakucho the best puppy eyes you had, only to be flicked on the forehead as you winced in pain.

“nice try, but no. stay home and rest up, also, check up on mikey. i know you don’t like him, but he’s going through a lot right now. you know that today’s izana’s death anniversary, right?” kakucho softly spoke, making you quiet down as you nodded.

“of course i know, i’ve been trying to forget it though. it still makes me sad, you know?” you let out a heavy sigh.

“mikey’s younger sister, emma, died on the same day as izana. his older brother’s death anniversary was last week as well. mikey needs someone, y/n. we tried to warm him up, but every year, he pushes us away. it’s your turn.” kakucho gave your a small smile, watching you in concern at the same time as you tried to process this new information he just spewed out at you.

“how is he still alive? after losing so many people like that, i would’ve killed myself. i mean, in all honesty, i was in a really dark place after izana died. i don’t think i’d even be here without you, kaku.” you said, an overwhelming feeling of sadness coming over you from hearing that about mikey.

no wonder why he’s so cold, sad, mad and lonely all the time. he’s still coping, even after all these years.

“he’s going through that now, so be his kakucho. i’m running late, so i’ll head out soon. i’ll message you later.” he ruffled your hair before untying his apron and heading up to his room.

soon after kakucho left, you decided to hang around the living room area and watch some tv. koko woke up soon and ate brunch, to which you accompanied him as you both gossiped together, giggling like a bunch of sassy teenagers. you bid the long silver haired male goodbye, locking the door behind you as you glanced at your phone.

it was almost three in the afternoon and there was pretty much no leftover that were left in the fridge. you decided to make lunch since there was still you and mikey in the house, you assumed that the others would just be eating out or getting takeout.

you cooked a quick meal of rice and curry, plating a dish for yourself as you sat down and ate alone. the silence inside the house was deafening, and you couldn’t help but reminisce the moment you spent in tenjiku. it was always a loud house, full of pranks which you devised with the haitani and your poor victims would always be kakucho and shion.

sometimes it would be izana, but that was only for you though.

you held a special place in izana’s heart, no one understood him better than you. you didn’t mind serving him and you were ready to go to the very end for him, but now he’s gone. which is why it almost felt as if you no longer had a purpose to live or keep on going.

you washed your plate after clearing it up in no time, deciding that you should bring up some food for mikey. you were growing a little worried on if he was even alive or not. he never stepped out of his room unless he needed to go to the bathroom or occasionally came down to eat when no one was there.

you knocked on his door a couple of times, but there was no answer. you scoffed, getting annoyed as the hot plate from the steaming food burned your hand.

“i’m coming in, asshole.” you said loudly, twisting the door nob, only to be met with darkness. you’ve never been inside of mikey’s room before, the familiar scent of his soft vanilla fragrance meeting your senses.

“jesus, are you a vampire or something?” you joked, switching the lights on, your eyes examining how his room was neat and tidy. you saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, facing the window as his back was towards you.

“mikey?” you called out, yet he never responded. you furrowed your eyebrows, setting the plate of food down on the dressing table. you walked to him, tapping his shoulder yet he didn’t budge.

“mi-”

his head turned around and you almost let out a scream from horror. mikey’s face was as pale as a ghost, lips chapped as his eyes were red and puffy, streaks of dried tears on his cheeks as dark eyebags formed under his eyes. you saw pictures in his hands and you recognized that one of them was izana’s while the other photo contained a tall man with black hair and a blonde little girl.

“get out.” mikey lowly whispered, eyes full nothing but despair.

“mikey, you’re not okay. just talk to me, i’ll listen, i promise.” you begged him, your heart shattering to pieces as you’ve never seen him in such a terrible condition before.

“please, get out, y/n.” your name rolling off his tongue sent chills over your body, you wanted to break down in tears in front of him. respecting his request, you quietly left, shutting his door.

you went to your room, silent tears streaming down your face as the image of mikey’s condition was engraved inside your mind. you felt sick, like the lunch you ate an hour ago was about to come back up your throat.

you decided to take a short nap, hoping that perhaps it would clear your mind.

---

a loud strike of thunder startled you, making your eyes shoot open as you breathed heavily. your room was lighted by the dim light coming from your lamp. you glanced at the clock and saw that it was only five in the afternoon.

you got off your bed, slipping on your slippers as you let out a yawn. feeling thirsty, you headed towards the kitchen. as you walked past mikey’s room, you noticed that the door was slightly opened and there was a cold breeze coming through, sending shivers down your spine.

you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, clearly remembering that you closed the door of his room before you left. you walked towards his door, eyes peaking inside and you saw the man nowhere inside his room.

inviting yourself into his room, you walked inside and noticed that the sliding glass doors to his balcony was opened. you walked closer and you saw him sitting dangerously on the rails, making your heartbeat increase.

“mikey!” you yelled as you rushed inside, watching the man turn his head to look at you, dull eyes piercing your soul before giving you a small sad smile. he pushed himself off, making your eyes go wide.

“NO!” you screamed in panic, quickly leaning over the edge and grabbing his hand. mikey gasped, now hanging in the air from the tall penthouse nearly twenty stories high.

“why are you doing this, mikey?! have you gone insane??” you grunted, trying to keep your grip on him as tight as possible as your hands became slippery from the rain.

“just let me die, already. i want to have some peace for once in my life, not go through anyone’s death or cause it, i want to be free. please, let me go, y/n.” mikey begged, his face drenched with water, the wind blowing against his hair.

“i won’t let you go, mikey. i need you to be here! i want to see that stupid little face of yours everyday i wake up for my morning coffee, or when you hog the tv remote. i’ll save you, no matter what! i’ll keep coming back to you in any shape or form to save you.” you cried, your tears falling on his face as you saw his own eyes swelling.

“save me, y/n.” he croaked, tears pooling in his eyes before falling down his face. suddenly, you felt your hands loosing grip, making you yelp.

“mikey!” you bellowed, watching him slip and falling.

---

“NO!” you rose from your bed, heart beating erratically as you felt like you just ran a marathon. cold sweat drizzled down the sides of your head, the familiar sound of thunder making your heart drop.

you scrambled out of your bed, running towards mikey’s room, ditching the idea of knocking as you barged inside. you were relieved to his windows closed and the balcony door shut, as the man was tucked away in his bed, fast asleep.

you softly closed the door, letting out a breath of relief. you glanced at the clock and saw that it was well past midnight. you tried to piece together exactly what the fuck you just dreamed of.

you heard shuffling sounds coming from downstairs, peaking from the stairs to see kakucho sweeping the floor. your lips curled upwards, heading down as quietly as possible, wanting to surprise the zoned out man.

“boo!” you giggled, closing your palms on his eyes, startling him.

“you little shit.” kakucho breathed out, chuckling afterwards as he pinched your cheek.

“thought you weren’t gonna be home anytime soon.” you cocked an eyebrow, sitting on the sofa while watching him settle the broom down before taking the empty spot next you.

“yeah, well, i had a bad feeling for some reason and decided to come home.” he shrugged, and for some reason your throat felt dry.

could this all be a sign that something terrible was initially supposed to happen today? everything seemed off.

“it’s so strange. i actually woke up from a bad dream just now.” you let out a shaky sigh, leaning back and sinking in the sofa.

“what did you see?” kakucho asked, intrigued to hear about your dream.

“i saw mikey trying to kill himself by jumping off from his balcony. i swear, it felt so real.” you said, voice wavering in fear and anxiety as the scenes kept replaying in your mind. kakucho gave you a concerned look, taking a hold of your hand.

“did you check up on him after waking up? is he still alive?” he asked in panic, and you quickly assured him that mikey was fine, to which he finally relaxed.

“i can’t tell if what i saw was a vision or not. i’m so scared, kaku. what if-” you paused, trying to recollect your thoughts.

“what if something like that actually happens and i couldn’t have prevented it even after knowing.” your eyes glossed with tears, making kakucho’s heart swell with ache.

“nothing like that will happen, y/n. we’ll make sure mikey is okay.” the scarred man assured you, pulling you into his embrace as he stroked your hair.

“did you go to see izana?” he asked.

“yeah, i gave him his annualy nagging for dying before me. that stupid jerk.” you mumbled, making kakucho chortle.

“still mad at him, huh?” kakucho smiled, seeing your eyes glimmer.

“yeah, i miss him.” you said with a sad smile, feeling kakucho’s breath hitch.

“yeah, me too.” he replied.

---

the next few days the house was embraced with a familiar silence, the executives on a very important mission to europe came up. this left you and mikey alone once again. you were getting bored of watching the same old shows and movies.

you decided that you had enough of this cycle of hate and awkwardness, storming upstairs as you barged inside of mikey’s room. you found the man busy on his laptop as he casually laid on his bed, not even bothering to look at the door.

“don’t you know how to knock.” mikey snickered, eyes still not shifting from his screen.

“get up.” you demanded, standing at his door with your arms crossed over your chest.

“and who are you to order me around? as far as i remember, i am your boss.” he gave you a small smirk, getting under your skin.

“yeah, well it would’ve mattered to me if i actually gave a shit. so, stop being a stubborn asshole.” you scoffed, walking to his bed before harshly grabbing his hand, dragging him off his spot.

mikey yelped, quickly sliding his laptop off of his lap as he was forced to stand up. you dragged him downstairs as he looked at you with utter confusion.

“where the hell are you taking me? let me go, y/n.” mikey protested, trying to loosen himself from your grip, but you tightened your hold on his hand instead.

“somewhere that’s outside of your room and this house. you and i both need some air.” you shortly answered, shoving him out the main door as you locked it behind you. you saw him watch you with an unamused facial expression, not moving from his spot.

“what? you want me to carry you outside too?” you taunted, making him roll his eyes.

“you’re seriously annoying.” he grumbled, turning around as he walked towards the elevator.

you remembered that sanzu told you a couple of days ago how there would be a carnival that would be held near the beach today. you decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to lighten mikey’s mind and hopefully bring you both closer.

maybe not as friends, but hopefully mutuals.

the walk there was quiet, but it was short. the colorful lights beamed, screams of people of all ages being heard from all corners.

it delighted your to know that finally you were able to hear screams of joy and not of pain or agony.

“it’s so loud.” mikey mumbled under his breath, following you as you both walked through the entrance. you saw the little kids riding the merry-go-round, seeing their smiles and laughs lifted your soul.

maybe there is some good in this world.

“don’t you wish you could be a kid again?” you sighed, sitting next to mikey on the bench he was resting on.

“not really.” he answered, eyes strictly focused on his hands.

“mikey, look in front of you.” you said, but he didn’t budge. you scoffed, grabbing his face and forced him to look.

“don’t you see? there’s more to life than just being coped up in grief, sadness and loneliness. look at those teenagers on that rollercoaster, they look so happy and free. yet, there hearts might hold some tragedy.” you explained, giving him a small smile as his mouth fell agape.

“i don’t understand.” mikey spoke, yet his words came out like a low whisper.

“that girl with the blue hair might’ve lost her mom earlier this year, that boy might be recovering from childhood trauma from a neglectful family, and that other girl might be dealing with a family divorce. we’ll never know because even they are trying to move past those things. life is too short, we don’t know who’ll die next or not.” you placed your hand on his, feeling him flinch a little under your touch, his gaze shifting to your face.

his hands felt cold and clammy, slightly shaking. mikey couldn’t register this feeling in his chest, it felt like he was being suffocated.

“you think i don’t want to? i just can’t stop, it’s like my mind doesn’t have a pause or delete button.” he admitted, not wanting you to let go of his hand.

“then let me help you.” you gave him a mischievous grin, making his brows furrow.

“huh?” he asked in confusion, before letting out a yelp as you pulled him out of his seat. you both ran towards the big rollercoaster that you saw the group of teens riding on earlier.

“hope you’re not scared of heights, sano.” you teased, making him scoff.

“of course i’m not, i kill people for a living you know? a little height doesn’t scare me.” mikey defended, making you giggle as he sounded like a little kid trying to prove himself otherwise.

“whatever you say so mr. tough guy.” you mocked, trying to egg him further. the workers there led you and mikey to a cart for two, strapping you both tightly in.

“alright everyone! th-”

“excuse me, could you just check our straps again? this feels a little too loose.” mikey interrupted, as someone walked forwards and tugged on the straps.

“sir, you both are all set to go.” the lady smiled, making mikey give her a nervous one back.

“you could always hold my hand if you’re scared, you know.” you whispered to him with the ulterior move of mocking him.

“shut up, i’m just making sure that we both don’t have our dead bodies delivered to the penthouse by the end of the night.” mikey quickly said, looking away from your eyes as he glared at the employee for making him look stupid.

“alright everyone, the ride will start in five seconds! hold tight and enjoy the ride!!” the employee announced, making everyone squeal with excitement.

the rollercoaster began to climb higher and higher, until the people below you looked like tiny dolls walking around. your heart rate increased, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you approached the peak.

“fuck, i didn’t realize it was this high.” you heard mikey breath out, turning your head to see him with his eyes screwed shut. you grabbed his hand, holding him tightly as he opened his eyes, looking at you.

“i got you, sano.” you smiled, before the ride dropped with an incredible decceleration. both you and mikey screamed, watching the white haired male’s screams eventually turn into laughs.

his smile was precious, so beautiful if you would add. you saw how his hair flew in every direction as the ride threw you both in loops and turns. yet, he never stopped smiling, his fingers interlocked with yours.

“holy shit, that was insane.” mikey’s eyes glimmered, full of light as he carded his hands through his messy hair.

“i know right, can’t believe the invincible mikey is afraid of rollercoasters.” you joked, making him throw a glare at you.

“tell anyone and i’ll kill you.” he lazily threatened, before his eyes landed on the bumper cars.

“let’s go on that!” mikey outbursted, grabbing a hold of you as he dragged you to the bumper cars.

mikey and you sat in different cars, and because he’s a little shit, he chased you to bump into you. the whole time if was you screaming in panic as he got close to you, followed by fits of giggled from both of you as soon as you would collide.

“see, i’m such a pro.” he sassily commented, making you roll your eyes.

“i want funnel cake.” you pointed at the stand that sold the sugary treat, making mikey tilt his head in confusion.

“the hell is that?” he questioned, making you gasp.

“you never had funnel cake?!” you said in disbelief, and to your horror, he shook his head.

you and both rushed over to the stand, ordering one as you thanked the man. you took a piece and placed it in your mouth, humming in bliss as the taste of powder sugar and deep fried batter welcomed your taste buds.

“open.” you held a piece in front of his mouth, to which he accepted your offer, taken aback from the taste.

“that’s pretty good.” mikey said, taking a few more.

you both continued to navigate your way through the carnival as time passed, the sun beginning to set. mikey played a few of their games, winning a huge ass bear as you jumped in excitement.

“your girlfriend must be very happy.” the worker chortled as he handed mikey the big stuffed animal.

“oh, we’re n-”

“here.” mikey cut you off, placing the stuffed bear in your arms before stealing the plate of funnel cake, walking ahead. the worker looked at you with a smile to which you reciprocated one.

“it’s getting pretty late, we should head back.” mikey cleared his throat, averting his gaze from yours.

“let’s ride the ferris wheel before we go, it’s on the way to the exit.” you suggested and he hummed in agreement.

you both reached the ride, giving your last ticket to the employee before the door to a cart was opened. you sat down with the stuffed bear in your lap as mikey took the seat in front of you.

“enjoy the ride! our fireworks will begin shortly.” the worker said before starting the wheel.

“it’s my first time in years coming to the carnival.” you said with dreamy eyes as you peered out, seeing that you both were slowly going up.

“yeah.” he bluntly replied, not being able to take his eyes off of you. mikey never realized how beautiful you were, how your eyes would sparkle with adoration for those whom you cared about yet it held so much depth.

“you still mad at me?” mikey asked, making you look at him with a questioning look.

“for?” you asked.

“you know, the other day where the mission got fucked over.” mikey said with a soft tone.

“yeah, i was really mad. i wanted to punch you in the face so bad, but, i got over it.” you assured him, giving him a warm smile.

“i said a lot of stupid shit and was a real big asshole. i’m sorry for that.” he apologized, his voice sincere and warm.

“it’s okay, it’s in the past now.” you said, playing with the fur on the bear. you saw him sigh in relief, becoming more relaxed from your answer.

“that week was just hard to get through. it felt like it would’ve never ended.” mikey spoke, gazing out the window as he watched the people outside.

“i know, mikey. which is why i need you to know that you’re not alone. you could always talk to me, i’ll be your person.” his eyes softened from your words, throat burning as his eyes began to sting.

“i watched every one of them die in front of me, and i couldn’t do anything. this wasn’t supposed to be the life i planned to live. shinichiro was supposed to have his bike store established, emma getting married to ken-chin, and izana-” mikey choked out, your breath hitching as the name of your dead best friend rolled off his tongue.

“i’m sorry.” mikey quickly blurted out, watching your eyes become glossy.

“i know how it feels to feel hopeless, lonely and consumed. that’s how i ended up in bonten. after losing my parents, i needed a purpose to live, to which izana gave me in tenjiku. after he died, it felt as if my life no longer mattered. he was my best friend, my person.” tears streamed down your face, as mikey’s fingers gently wiped them away.

“but, i know he wouldn’t want to see me like this. you have to live for those whom you’ve lost. your sibling wouldn’t want to see you lead a miserable path. i found my purpose and you need to as well.” you took his face in the palms of your hands, stroking his cheek as you looked at him adoringly.

“my purpose is you and my loyalty to bonten. this is the life i want to live in, hearing you nag at me all the time. i want to wake up every morning to the smell of kakucho’s breakfast, go on batshit crazy trips with the haitani’s and haru, get spoiled by koko and the list goes on forever.” you honestly spoke, watching how his eyes softened, never realizing how much the guys meant to you.

“but how? tomorrow isn’t promised to us, how could you live a life in constant fear?” mikey asked with a shaky breath, making you sigh.

“you’re right, but you have to realize that fear will shadow you in everything that you’d ever do. this ferris wheel could suddenly break and kill everyone on it, including us. you just have to take the risk.” you reasoned, making him hum in agreement.

“i guess.” mikey mumbled, giving you a smile that warmed your heart.

“i’ll help you find your purpose, let me be your person, mikey.” suddenly, the fireworks went off, and the tension within the cart felt like a magnetic field. you didn’t realize when your face was a few inches away from mikey’s.

you could feel his breath close to your face, eyes falling on his lips as you couldn’t hold back anymore. you placed a hand on the back of his head, pulling him into you as you felt his soft lips on yours.

the taste of the sweet funnel cake resided on his lips, making you deepen the kiss. mikey’s hands found home on your waist, indulging in your touch that fogged up his senses.

your whole body felt feverish as mikey’s hot touch sent your body on fire. the white haired male’s face was warm and red, your lips never stopping any movement as you both continued to kiss desperately.

you both pulled away, breathless as the fireworks show continued.

---

the next few weeks following that little date you and mikey had, you both hadn’t spoken a word to each other. every interaction with him was painfully awkward as you would often bump into him which would result in a very silent two second eye contact before you both scurried off.

yet, you both still showed affection to each other through silent actions that didn’t require complete confrontation.

you would cook meals often since the other guys were rarely home, once again leaving you and mikey together alone. you would make sure to plate food for mikey and place it in the fridge so that he’d warm it up later and eat it.

in return, mikey would place a new dessert in the fridge for you to try from his favorite bakery that he went to every day for his daily taiyaki.

today for some odd reason, mikey hadn’t touched his breakfast or lunch as the food remained untouched in the fridge. you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, going up to his room as you knocked a few times.

“mikey? i’m coming in.” you alerted him beforehand, opening the door, only to step into an empty room. you snooped around for a little, trying to see if he left a note or anything but nothing was found.

as if on cue, your phone buzzed in your pocket.

mikey: thank you for everything, y/n. please take care of bonten for me.

your eyes kept reading the words over and over again because it seemed as if they were dancing around. you mind couldn’t process what you read, panic rising inside you.

you called him about twenty times, yet it would go to his voicemail. you cursed under your breath, feeling helpless. even if you were to call one of your friends, it wouldn’t be any help because they were scattered in different cities around japan right now.

you tried to think of places that he might be in, but your mind was blank.

well, there was one place but the chances of him being there was very slim. yet, you silently prayed to whatever god there was up there that mikey would be there.

you arrived by the amusement park, shivering as the bipolar weather promised that it would snow soon. you walked further in as you were now on the boardwalk right above the beach. you went down the wooden stairs, stepping onto the soft sand.

you looked at all directions to find mikey, yet your efforts were fruitless.

it was too late.

tears welled in your eyes, your heart clenching in pain as you felt your whole work come crashing down. the beach was empty, it was only you who was there.

suddenly, through your blurry vision, you made out a figure with silver hair walking towards the waves in the distance. without any hesitation, you picked up your feet and bolted.

it had to be him, it just had to.

you nearly tripped, but as of right now, you didn’t care about anything.

you quickly wrapped your arms around him, stopping him from walking further in to be consumed by the waves.

“please, don’t do it, mikey. please, i beg you, i’m here now.” you sobbed on his back, feeling him becoming stiff.

“y/n?” mikey gasped, not believing that it was actually you.

“i won’t let you die, mikey. you can’t leave me!” you cried, feeling him turn around to face you.

“how did you find me?” he asked, still in shock at how accurately you knew him.

“my heart led me here.” you answered, looking up at him with glossy eyes. his face was pale, lips slightly chapped, cheeks rosy from the cold.

“y/n..” mikey whispered, stroking your wet cheek as you cried harder. he bit his tongue, trying to prevent himself from crumbling at the sight of your tears.

“no, please, just don’t say anything.” you placed a finger on his lips, hushing him as you silently sobbed, your heart aching.

“i tried, y/n. i tried so hard to not fall apart, but i can’t. i think i’m beyond saving at this point.” his voice cracked, making you shake your head in denial.

“i’ll pick up your pieces and put you together. i’ll save you, mikey.” you promised, holding him close to your chest, afraid of loosening your grip on him in fear of losing him.

“how do i stop letting this guilt eat me alive? i killed my siblings, i run a criminal organization and all of this is just proof that i have no purpose in life to continue.” mikey responded nonchalantly, voice dry as ever and sharp, lacking taste.

“you need to forgive yourself, though your siblings’ death wasn’t you fault. let me be your purpose, mikey.” you looked at him with hopeful eyes, watching a tint of pink dust over his cheeks even more aggressively than the cold.

“huh?” he blinked in confusion and you offered him a shy smile.

“wake up every morning for me, live your life to the fullest for your siblings, and work on becoming the best version of yourself. you still have many, many, and so many years ahead of you in life. you can’t give up now, i won’t let you. i need you to spend those years with me.” you spoke with glimmering eyes, the sunset kissing your face as you looked at the man in front of you.

“you..” mikey breathed out, not being able to find the right words to form a sentence. without thinking twice, he cupped your face and pulled you in for a kiss.

you smiled against his lips, having your answer.

“even if i fall apart in this darkness, i want you in my arms forever. i love you, y/n.” mikey peppered small kisses all over your face, making you giggle.

“i love you too, ‘jiro.” you responded, leaning in his touch.

you knew that you couldn’t escape from the way you loved him.

381 notes · View notes

melonminnie · 2 years ago

Text

Becoming the villains family x reader but what if Tristan never managed to find you? ( version 2)

-I don’t know if this is considered part five tbh I’m just really bored and need to pump out fics before I start school I forgot what age Lloyd was when he killed the count but they 18 n 14 here!

Even after searching through the entire empire, Tristan still couldn’t find the 10 year olds sister, he had promised her that he would find her, hell he even went to count Cortez’s house but he denied that she was there.

The male didn’t have the guts to tell aria he wasn’t able to find her, when he finally did say it, the look of disappointment quickly washed over her face.

Fourteen year old aria tried convincing Lloyd to find her sister, she believed strongly that nothing had happened to her, everyone was able to tell how hopefully she was that you’d end up fine, she wanted you to end up fine.

Of course aria never gave up the little hope she had for you, she even decorated an entire room for you, each year she’d change it to fit your age, Lloyd was maybe going crazy that his wife was so hopeful over a possibly dead family member.

“Aria shouldn’t you-”, “no I’m never ever giving up on her” she interrupted him, “she’s my only family member” she added Starring at the newly decorated room, this was the millionth time.

Aria was now four years older, which means she was eight teen, she held onto Lloyd sleeve, “Can you please just once.. can you try finding her” she whispered her eyes darting to the floor.

The black haired boy sighed, “fine”he lifted her chin, “but this is the last time I’m taking her for dead if I don’t find her this time”

And so he travelled to the counts house, Lloyd had agreed for one reason, that was to kill the count while he was at it.

When arriving to said destination, Lloyd quickly got rid of any person he had found troublesome or annoying, to quickly get things done with.

He quickly did a quick search of the house, did once, then twice, then thrice.

he didn’t find a single person who fitted the description given to him,Not in the kitchen nor the maids room, surely he couldn’t have sold you off?.

Lloyd wasn’t able to find traces of children clothes nor food, even teenage ones, nor was he able to find birth certificates, or any sightings of you.

it was like you simply didn’t exist.

As much as Lloyd wanted to give up, he couldn’t, he couldn’t go back and explain to aria what she had heard of a hundred of times threw out the years.

And as he was lost in his thoughts, he’d heard a sound of something falling, it couldn’t be mistaken, he’d surely killed anyone in this place.

did a maid manage to escape?, perhaps a knight?.

Lloyd slowly drew out his sword and starting walking in the direction of the sound, inching closely towards it.

The boy sighed in relief when he came across a pink haired girl, maybe around 13years old?,Nonetheless she looked young.

The room was filled with silence, clearly from her expression, she didn’t expect him to still be here.

She’d thought he’d long been gone.

The two somehow came to a mutual agreement in the silence that she is arias young sister.

He quickly helped her from her crawling position, her arms were very thin, he though to himself.

“Do you even eat?” He mumbled to himself.

The abrupt question slightly made name freak out, sense well, she doesn’t even know who he is.

“Does soup count?”she clearly had a bad thing with eye contact sense she looked terrified.

Lloyd somehow felt familiar with this situation, as if he’d faced this before.

“No that’s liquid” he sighed as he held onto her arm, walking her out.

The silence between the two was uncomfortable.

Once they both settled inside the carriage, it became even more awkward.

Any question Lloyd would ask, was met with silence.

He soon got the hint that she was somewhat terrified of the older boy.

Truthfully, Lloyd didn’t expect to find her.

But luck was on Arias side today.

“Sorry I’m bad with conversations” the girl voiced out, “I can tell” The black haired man replied.

“Yeah..”

“Yeah”

Soon after the pair arrived at the valentine mansion, getting passed the barrier.

Aria was waiting patiently for at least Lloyd, of course with you!.

She soon saw the familiar carriage driving to the entrance, she took it as Lloyd arriving so she quickly ran down to greet him.

Lloyd had gotten out of the carriage by the time aria had arrived.

Arias heart was beating fast, so fast, because of the hope he’d found her younger sister.

When the two saw each other, Aria smiled slightly before mouthing to him.

‘Did you find her?’ That’s what Lloyd was able to make out.

To tell the truth, the black haired boys heart was beating fast for a different reason.

“Aria..”

“?”

“The only thing I was able to find was your sisters corpse” he said, The conversation he had shared with what he thought was her sister, was just an illusion.

She’d been dead for a while, considering that he found her bones and not her flesh.

The pinkette began tearing up. ‘Did you at least find her corpse?”

“It’s in the carriage” he replied.

It was probably tearing aria apart, to find her younger sisters corpse, which looked like she’d been dead for a very long time, Aria felt guilty.

And she probably would for the rest of her life, knowing that if someone had at least given them a hint.

You wouldn’t have died, you body wouldn’t have been found in this scenario.

The universe was against her younger sisters happiness in this life.

So the girl could hope.

That if other lives or versions of her do exist, you would live with her, and that they would’ve been able to find you earlier , Tristan would bring you back with only scratch’s, and then she’d make the entire world know of your name.

Only then would she ask you one question, “are you happy?”

If so stay happy, because in this life you weren’t able to have that

This is shit I’m sorry🫶🫶🫶

#-Azuwritess #becoming the villains family #manwah #manhwa #fanfic #yandere #yandere Manhwa x reader #manhwa x reader #historical manhwa #tristan x reader #the siren #Becoming the villains family x reader #yandere x reader #platonic

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abbatoirablaze · 8 months ago

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Surrogate Luna, Chapter 25

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: angst, mentions of loss of limb, homophobia, gay relationship (mm), mentions of murder plot, murder, mention of rape.

“I need an audience with alpha Barnes and his Luna.”

Nat gave Sam a wary look, and turned to her sister, who was shaking her head from her place at the other side of the doorway.

“Sam, I know that you are a friend, but-“

“Exactly, I’m a friend. So, let me in to talk to Bucky and Cinna,” he growled, projecting his aura outwards, “I received information about Steve from one of the people still in the pack who’s stayed on Sharon’s good side so that he could feed me updates on my actual alpha. And Cinna and Bucky need to hear it!”

“How about you tell us this, information, and if it seems worthwhile, we tell our alpha!” Yelena suggested.

The beta sneered, baring his teeth at the she-wolf, and Natasha stepped between the two, “calm yourself down, beta.”

“I have dire information about my alpha, an alpha that I know Cinna and Bucky are still in love with,” he hissed, “information that could save his life, should they take me up on it!”

“What do we care of an alpha that has no bearing on our pack?”

“You stupid she-wolf, let me through!”

The door opened behind the set of sisters and the older beta. Clint’s brow was raised, and he had one hand on the door handle, while the other was casually reachingfor his arrows, “it’s starting to get loud out here. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Finally, someone that will listen to reason,” Sam grunted, throwing a glare at the sisters, before turning his attention to the sigma, “I’ve got friends still within the Rogers pack, and I’ve been informed that Sharon is going to make an attempt on Steve’s life. I need to speak to Alpha Barnes and Cinna.”

From within the room, Cinna looked to Bucky, who while trying to remain composed, had let a bitterness rise into his scent.

“Bucky…”

The young pup, who was once smiling, was trying to contain the anxiety in his scent as Steve tugged on his hand , “Bucky?”

His eyes snapped to that of his mate.

Steve, though only a year younger, was much smaller than himself. The ten-year-old was often mistaken for seven or eight, despite being a ten-year-old alpha. And while they were both alphas, they’d been caught kissing behind an oak tree where a delta warrior had been walking past.

Bucky proudly took the younger wolf’s hand, the eleven-year-old alpha glaring at the much older delta, “don’t speak in an ill manner about my mate, delta!”

“Bunch of queers,” he growled, glaring between the two pups, “your fathers should beat some sense into ya. Both alphas. Both boys. You’re disgusting!”

“I said don’t speak about my mate!” Bucky growled, projecting his aura outward as he sneered at the delta, his teeth baring. The delta twitched, and his eyes widened. He was surprised that the young pup was affecting him.

He stumbled back, falling into a kneeling position.

And while that would have satisfied most other wolves, Bucky and Steve could hear the delta continuing to discuss his disgust at the romantic entanglement between the two pups.

The scene was so uncommon that even amidst the summit going on about them, a crowd of other wolves had looked at them with interest.

“APOLOGIZE!” Bucky hissed at the man, continuing to project his aura.

The delta growled, the pain racking his body as he continued to submit to the child, “Fuck you, you faggy little mutt! Fuck you and your faggot mate! I’m not apologizing for shit!”

“I SAID APOLOGIZ-“

“BUCKY!”

Bucky stopped projecting his aura outwards as his own father, as well as Steve’s, came into view.

“Father…”

“What on earth is going on here?” Alpha Barnes growled.

“This is supposed to be a peace summit!” Alpha Rogers joined in.

Both Bucky and Steve looked away from one another. Bucky dropped his partner’s hand.

“WELL?” Alpha Barnes bellowed, turning his attention between Bucky, Steve, and the delta from his pack, “SPEAK!”

“My alpha…your son…he-“

“HE WHAT?”

“He’s a queer!” the delta spat, spitting at the ground in front of Bucky, “saw him and the other alpha boy kissing behind a tree. Fucking kissing!”

“He’s my mate!” Bucky said firmly, “Steve is my mate!”

Alpha Barnes and Rogers looked uncomfortable as they shifted their attention between their sons. The two alphas had always known that their sons were close, but they both always chose to ignore just how close Steve and Bucky were.

“Steve?”

“James?”

Bucky could feel the disappointment in his father’s voice. Just as he could feel it in Steve’s fathers. Neither one of them were an omega. And if they mated one another, that meant unless they took on a female, there would be no heirs for either pack.

His stomach turned.

While being gay wasn’t illegal in his or Steve’s packs, it was still frowned upon if you were a warrior, or a future alpha of the pack.

He knew that by proclaiming Steve to be his mate, he was going to deny any obligations to create an heir. Or at least, that’s how it would look to other wolves within both packs.

“I love him, father.” Bucky said firmly.

His father’s jaw twitched, and he looked at Steve, “and you, son?”

“I-Bucky is my mate, Alpha Barnes. I love him!”

“Disgusting!” the delta growled.

“It seems that someone would be challenging your mateship, young alpha!” Joe Rogers smirked, hoping to scare the young pups away from their love, “is that something that you two are willing to stand for?”

“Then let them!” Bucky replied firmly, “I will never stop loving Steve. He is my mate!”

“Alpha Barnes…” Joe Rogers smiled, “you know what a challenge to mateshp means…”

“Delta, are you challenging my son’s mateship to young alpha Steve Rogers?”

The delta gave a sickening smirk as he nodded, his nostrils flaring, “it’s unnatural is what it is. And I refuse to let my future alpha mate another man…it’s not right!”

“Delta…be smart with your words,” Bucky hissed, knowing where it was going, “if you challenge my mateship to alpha Steve, I will show no mercy.”

“And I will end you. There will never be a time where my future alpha is a fag!” he hissed, “royalty or not. I will not stand behind it.”

“Death trials!” the eleven-year-old proclaimed confidently as he once again took Steve’s hand in his own, “if you challenge my mateship, then I will challenge you to the death trials in accordance to the Barnes pack!”

“Your death warrant, kid!”

“Alpha…”

Bucky felt a phantom pain in his arm, and he whimpered, remembering the first time his relationship with Steve was questioned.

While he’d managed to beat a full-grown adult at a death trial, he’d lost his arm in the process.

And Steve had made it clear to him that he wasn’t going to let the alpha lose a part of himself every time someone questioned their relationship. He’d broken up with him shortly after, leaving Bucky angry over his love for the other alpha.

“Steve made his choice…” Bucky muttered sadly, “he made his choice years ago…”

“Alpha…”

Bucky frowned at the sadness in his luna’s voice, “Cinna…Steve-he-he’s not the same Steve I knew when we were pups. He’s not the same Steve that you’ve gotten to see. He’s under Sharon’s thumb. The only similarities are that he abandoned both of us when he got scared to stand up for his love.”

“He’s our mate, alpha…”

Bucky could feel the sadness filling the room and he closed his eyes, nodding to Clint, “let Sam in so that we can hear him out.”

He felt Cinna clutching onto his arm and he sighed, “Thank you, alpha…”

“I have not promised anything, Cinna…I’m merely hearing Sam out,” he pointed out, “you may not like the answer that passes from my lips just yet.”

The door opened further, and Sam was shown into it, a solemn look on his face as he bowed ever so slightly to the alpha and omega.

“You have asked for the presence of myself and my mate,” Bucky said in a low, firm tone, “What news do you have, Sam?”

“A spy from Sharon’s inner circle…she’s loyal to the Rogers pack,” he admitted with a frown, “I was told that Sharon plans on killing Steve after his next rut. She’s drawing her power from him, but she’s going to remove her mark on him and kill him now that neither you or Cinna have come for him.”

Cinna gasped, and Bucky pulled her close.

“W-why would she kill him now?” she asked nervously, “he-he’s been with her for years. It’s been months since the summit and-“

“He’s outlived his use to her.” Sam pointed out, “she’s all but imprisoned anyone left loyal to Steve. The Rogers pack is all but wiped out and she’s claimed the lands for the Carter pack. And the news of your pregnancy has hit. She knows that you and Bucky have no more ties to Steve, and have chosen to move on with your lives without him. Part of her had been holding out hope that by keeping Steve around, she would weaken the two of you. She is tired of keeping him a POW when he has no use.”

“Bucky, we have to help him…”

Bucky’s jaw twitched but he said nothing.

“I wouldn’t tell you if I knew that either of you had moved on, alpha Barnes…”

“You may leave…” Bucky said firmly, looking to the door.

“Bucky, what are we going to-“

“Omega…we will discuss this later!” Bucky muttered, taking his leave of her, “I-I need to think…alone.”

Steve snarled at the woman before the door was wholly open. The rings of yellow turning amber around his eyes as he started to go feral.

“Oh, come on now, Steve,” she smiled as she sauntered into the room and closed the door behind her, “don’t be like that.”

He growled, refusing to speak to her. She took another step into the room, and he tried to lunge at her, but was caught by the chains around his neck.

His back hit the ground with a heavy thud, and he was immediately coughing. Rolling to his side he groaned.

“There’s no point in trying to fight me,” she reminded him, “I have all the power here, Steve…”

“Go to hell!” he spat, attempting to fight away the baser instincts while he shook, “GO AWAY!”

“Aww, but Steve, I came bearing a present!” she smiled. She knocked on the door and it opened. An omega from his pack was tossed in. She fell to the floor and Steve’s head snapped up.

“NO!”

“She’s here for you to use, Steve!” Sharon smirked, “might as well use her. I mean, you’ve been in a rut now for nearly a week…and we both know the longer you hold out the worse it will be.”

“Alpha!” she whimpered, looking up at him.

Steve’s heart broke.

He had made a promise, sealing the traditional oath when he had become the alpha of the Rogers pack, that he would protect his own. But here a young omega was, roughly nineteen or twenty. He could spot the marred chemical burns from Sharon’s people undoubtedly removing the mating mark on her neck.

He’d vaguely recalled who she was, knowing that her mate was among one of the first warriors of his that Sharon had killed.

She was dirty and looked exhausted.

Broken even.

“Just kill me!” she begged him, “please kill me, alpha…I-I don’t want to live any longer…not under this she-wolf…her lieutenants-they-”

But she had stopped herself, sobbing against the dirty rags she wore.

“What did you do to her?” Steve roared angrily, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PACK?”

“This one in particular?” Sharon smiled, before launching a kick to the omega. She whimpered and fell to her side, and Steve saw the bruising on her thighs as the rags she wore slid up her legs, “well, let’s just say she’s one of the girls that takes care of my warriors and thanks them for their service.”

“Alpha…”

Steve’s stomach turned.

“You’re a monster!”

Sharon cackled and kicked the omega again, pushing her closer to the nearly feral alpha, “come on, Steve…my boys say she knows how to take an alpha’s cock…cries a little at first, but I know when you get started, you won’t even notice…that hindbrain will take over and you’ll lose control, knotting the little bitch. And before you know it, you’ll be gutting her because she’s not your precious little CInna!”

“I WON’T HARM MY PACK!” Steve spat, his shakes becoming worse as he tried to fight off what Sharon was saying would happen. His hindbrain was coming alive, and he knew that it was only a matter of time as the tremors worked harder on his hands.

“You’re not as strong as you once were, Steve,” she laughed, pushing the omega into Steve’s area. He pushed himself back, away from her, and Sharon continued to kick her closer, until she was almost into Steve’s area herself, “take her, Steve. Fuck her and then kill her. DO IT!”

Steve looked down to the sobbing woman, feeling the wolf starting to come forward as his own willpower bent to her exposed aura. He closed his eyes, and looked away from the woman as he felt his claws coming out of his hand.

He screamed in anguish as he tore into the hardwood floors.

“I’m so sorry!” he sobbed, as his hand reached out, and screams filled the room.

Chapter 26

Tag List: @lohnes16, @prokey16, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @teambarnes72, @mrsevans90

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thatstormygeek · 2 months ago

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The problems with her campaign are mostly problems that take years, rather than months, to fix. It sure would be nice if the Democratic Party network had the type of networked media apparatus that the Republican Party network enjoys. It sure would be nice if the party had spent years building local organizing capacity at the grassroots level across swing states and the south (Give us forty-eight more Ben Wiklers and Stacey Abramses, please!). It sure would be nice if the billionaire class hadn’t bought up all the media networks, and if the courts hadn’t repeatedly decided that the law is for little people, and if government was still mostly in the business of trying to improve peoples’ lives. But you campaign in the short-term and then (try to) govern in the medium- or long-term. Over the course of these few months, there aren’t many decisions the Harris campaign has made that I think they should meaningfully regret. I’m not sure how to feel about all the Liz Cheney, cross-partisan-coalition events. It’s clear that the Harris campaign is betting that they can create a permission structure for Nikki Haley voters to cast a ballot for a Democrat. That makes me nervous, because I'm old enough to get a strong Charlie-Brown-and-the-football vibe from it. Throughout my adult life, Democrats have tried to appeal to an imagined bloc of moderate swing voters. It rarely seems to pan out. But I can also see the sense of it here. They’re basically targeting two clusters of voters — Republicans who voted in the primary, are therefore high-propensity voters, and have already voted against Trump because they don’t want to put up with his bullshit anymore, plus low-information moderates who generally just wish the parties could get along. If that sort of message was ever going to work, this is probably the election to try it.

People, en masse, just don’t believe that the economy is in good shape right now. That’s a comms problem for Harris/Walz. You can’t have the candidate insisting “no, no, the public is mistaken. Things are great right now.” That kind of gaslighting is not exactly a winning message. The state of our media infrastructure surely doesn’t help. Elon bought Twitter and turned it into a Republican propaganda and misinformation network. A handful of billionaires own most of our major media outlets, and they do not appreciate that the government is sometimes looking at their cool merger ideas and saying “no.” This, again, is a medium-term problem. You solve it by rebuilding the regulatory state and building your own media institutions over the course of years, not months. Seth Masket has summarized the state of the race as “people want change but MAGA terrifies them.” My personal hunch is that people want change because we have collectively never dealt with the pandemic. It was a once-in-a-century global catastrophe. No one was prepared for it, no one has dealt well with it, and our political leaders do not have the moral authority to address it.

#us politics #dave karpf

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wildestdreamsblog · 2 years ago

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Something about it felt like home somehow

Pairing: Mafia!Nick Fowler x Reader

Summary: You were only meant to be a pawn in his kingdom…until he made you queen.

Warnings: Violence, Yandere behavior, Obsessiveness, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, Breeding kink, Sexual themes, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

Masterlist

Chapter 1

“What are you doing here?” The young Nick looked puzzled to see you. As the future leader of the empire, he had different training and education than the normal child his age. He was homeschooled due to the danger of the outside world. At eight years old, he could speak two languages fluently, and was starting to learn how to write in Chinese. He was also cultured when it came to art and literature. He even had his own instructor for his posture, teaching him how to walk as if he was the prince himself, how to hold himself during luncheon and formal dinner, and how to behave as if he had blue blood running through his veins. His father had declared when he was merely learning how to crawl that no child of him would be mistaken for a barbarian. That being said, he was also being taught how to hold a knife properly, which gun to pick for whatever reason he needed to, and how to protect himself using his own body.

The irony, he thought.

Which brought him to his unanswered question; what were you doing in his training room?

“What is she doing here?” He asked his trainer, Alarick, his eyes never leaving you. The last time he saw you was two weeks ago. He would admit that you looked better now. You looked healthier, the bruises had faded and your bones were no longer protruding dangerously. Yet, you looked angrier than before.

He noticed that you were wearing the same training clothes that he was wearing. Your hair was in a ponytail, baring your irate face at him.

“She’s going to be training with you from now on,” Alarick stated as he looked at the two children in front of him with an amused smirk. He could already feel the headache coming. See, Nick was an only child. And although his father was an authoritarian through and through, his beloved mother gave him everything his heart desired. His father was hard on him in total opposite of his mother. Nick had almost non-existent friends, saved for Theodore’s only daughter, the beautiful Eris. He was surrounded by adults all his life and he never knew how to act like a child his age.

And thus, he never knew how to share.

“Why? She’s only going to slow us down-“

“Don’t act tough, tiny child. I saw you ran away from your family dog just minutes ago,” you sneered at him. You really did see him and it was comical seeing him ran away for his life from a chihuahua.

You wouldn’t have brought it up if he hadn’t tried his little act. Perhaps, it was your time on the streets that made you not take anyone’s shit. You had to be tough, or else they would eat you alive. You had survived just fine then, you would survive even better now.

You would bleed first before anyone could ever lay their hands on you. Not even this little, brat boy standing in front of you could hurt you.

“Wh-what? No I didn’t!” Nick sputtered, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment. “He was chasing me!”

You nodded, your expression bored. “Okay. I also definitely didn’t see you running away from the cat yesterday.”

Nick’s relationship with you was bumpy and shaky at first. It didn’t help his little pride that you kept beating him at practice combat. You never held back your punches, your fists and legs were precise that it angered him enough to ask you after training the reason why.

“What are they feeding you over at Theodore’s?! Why are you SO. FREAKING. STRONG?” He bellowed at your seated form on the floor. It was almost a month since the two of you started, and yet he never managed to beat you. Not even once.

You watched him as you drank from your water bottle. You found him amusing, although your face betrayed none of your emotions. He was huffing in front of you, his small hands balled into a fist.

“I’m angry,” you answered him nonchalantly, watching him become confused with your response.

“What?”

“I’m strong because I have too much anger in me,” you explained to him slowly. And you truly believed that. How else would you explain the burning pain in your heart every night? How else would you explain why you couldn’t breathe each night?

Nick blinked at you slowly, processing what you said before sitting beside you. “Are you angry because of the bad kids who hurt you before?”

You shrugged your dainty shoulders. “Partly.”

“And the other part?”

“I miss my mom.”

“Where is she?” Nick ask in confusion. If you missed her so much, why did you not go to her? In his young mind, the solution was simple. Whenever he wanted his mother’s attention, he would simply go to her. Why couldn’t you? “Why don’t you go to her?”

You turned to look at him, your voice empty as you said, “Because she’s dead.”

He realized that he disliked the hollowness he found in your eyes. In his world, what he wanted, he often got. He knew he couldn’t do anything about your mother. He couldn’t bring her back. But the other thing that angered you, he could do something about it.

He would do something about it.

He did something about it.

Because came the next training, he showed up sporting a busted lip with a satisfied smirk on his face. When you asked him about it, he told you that they couldn’t hurt you anymore.

That night, you slept without any terrifying nightmares.

That night also changed the dynamics between the you and Nick. Of course, the two of you did not train the whole time. There were days when he would hang out with you on the grounds, basking on the warmth of the sun. Whenever Eris was done with her endless classes similar to Nick’s, she would join the two of you. You liked her, you decided once you got to know her better. She was softer than you and Nick. Eris’ voice was like a melody, and her smile was like the sun. She didn’t treat you as though you were below her. Truthfully, she treated you like her own sister.

Yet, you knew you weren’t there to be her sister. You were brought here to protect her, to be her shadow, to take a bullet for her. That was precisely why you were training with the mafia heir himself.

“I swear, you two are like joined to the hip or something,” Eris teased as she sat down on the grass. She was like a princess with her long hair and dress tucked demurely underneath her.

“He’s the clingy one,” you mumbled from your nap, your arm blocking the sun.

“She’s the clingier one,” Nick shot back before flashing his signature smile to Eris. “How’s your classes, princess?”

Eris rolled her eyes, “They’re endless. I wish I could hang out with the two of you.”

“They’re the worst, right?”

She nodded sadly before she looked at the two of you. “But I do like the power knowledge gives me,” she stated before looking thoughtful. “If you aren’t to be the leader, what would you want to be when you grow up?”

Nick grinned before answering smugly, “With my looks, I can be a model.”

“You can’t,” you protested sleepily. “You’re small.”

“I’m only eight! Mother said I’ll still grow taller! JUST YOU WAIT! I’LL BE TALLER THAN YOU!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at him. It was the highlight of your day whenever you saw him annoyed. He was easy to irate. It was true, though. You were taller in comparison to Nick and Eris precisely because you were older than them by two years.

“Sure, you will, tiny kid.”

You flashed him your smile before chuckling with Eris. Nick’s cheeks were red with embarrassment and annoyance.

“I really will! And by then you cannot and must not call me tiny!”

“Okay,” you answered with smile on your face.

He huffed and looked at you with indignation. “Fine. If I won’t be a model, I’ll be an engineer.”

You finally sat up before stretching your limbs, “You’re bad at math, though.”

“Really?! Then are you good at math? What’s 7 plus 87, then?!”

“95!” You answered confidently.

“It’s 93!”

Eris watched the two of you with disbelief in her face. “You’re both bad at math. It’s 94,” she corrected the two of you with deadpanned voice.

You both looked at her, blinking owlishly before you counted using your fingers.

“What about you? What do you want to be when you grow up Y/N?”

Your eyes twinkled, “Florist.”

“Really?” Nick asked in disbelief. You, the strong yet bad at math friend of his, wanted to become a florist?

“Yes. I wanna arrange flowers and own a shop and sell them and become rich.”

“If that’s the case, we’ll be your first customers,” Eris pronounced, fully believing in your dreams.

“From now on, I’ll call you petal,” Nick chuckled teasingly, he couldn’t yet wrap his head at the fact that you wanted to do that. He couldn’t imagine you doing that, to be honest. It was so far from your strong personality.

“No. Do not call me that!”

“Too late, petal!”

“I will beat your ass, you midget-“

Nick turned to Eris, fully ignoring you. “What about you, princess? What’s your dream?”

“My dream?” Eris repeated before looking at the sky with a sweet smile on her face. “My dream is to rule the world,” she said softly.

Next Chapter

#nick fowler x y/n #nick fowler x you #dark nick fowler x reader #mafia nick fowler #soft!dark nick fowler #nick fowler x reader

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imeternallylove · 9 months ago

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Don't grow up, it's a trap - Brian May; pt.1

Pairing: Brian May x Reader

Warning: none

Word: 2.7k

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The nightmares gradually disappeared for Brian and Betty. Miss Y/L/N wasn't giving them enough money that he could afford to waste it. The boy strives to be as thrifty as feasible; sometimes his sister describes it as worse than stingy since he attempts not to spend any money at all.

Brian is still quite considerate, and he is frightened of being perceived as an avaricious kid who is greedy for the money of his benefactor. He reprimanded Betty, his naughty sister, several times; however, her staying by his side inspires him to persevere in difficult times. And now she begged for a pricey new Ken doll to be part of her Barbie collection because the one she had was outdated, which is totally nonsense for him.

Their father and mother now live someplace in the UK, making use of work in return for money for rent in a small room that was previously used as a hiding spot for escaping creditors. The kids only had to hope for their call back to be certain whether their parents had stayed healthy.

What was it like to face terrible times? Brian, of course, has vivid memories of what happened. If he were a money gabber, seeing a cheque and useful supplies in Miss Y/L/N's shopping bags on a monthly basis for two years wouldn't be shocking to him. It was because he was too empathic, and he and his sister couldn't refute the fact that they were too young and undoubtedly helpless at times.

And then Miss Y/L/N surprised him once again. One day, after he returned home, he spotted a present package wrapped in ordinary cream-coloured paper and fastened with a white ribbon.

An eighteen-year-old lad stood in front of his house, unwrapping what was inside. His younger sister appeared on either side, holding stuff for him, until they both widened their eyes in shock. It was immediately apparent that within were collections of books from Brian's favourite experts in astronomy and then he noticed the man doll, which had the name 'Ken' printed on the vibrant pinkish packaging box set laid aside.

Well, if he wasn't mistaken, it was a Barbie doll man, as his sister had been chanting for lately. Betty shrieked and yelled throughout the house as he moved his attention to her, while the cheeky sister snatched the pink box from his grip and began to play with it. The older May only grinned sheepishly since he was still stunned by Miss Y/L/N benevolence, and he began reasoning that it was more than enough.

The young man took the white card and flipped it to see what was written. Its mild fragrance made him feel pleasing right away. Brian had no idea that letters might make someone feel better. Even though he had never met the owner of the black ink, who penned a brief note expressing.

'Happy birthday, and I hope you both love your presents.'

Yes, definitely. Miss Y/L/N is overly nice to them.

Two or three years later, the rotary phone marked the formal start of conversation between him, his sister, and their benefactor. It appeared awkward starting out; every word that he spoke was reviewed before deciding whether it was appropriate for him to talk to her. He avoided allowing her to be disappointed if Brian acted unpleasant one day.

Talking becomes less stressful after a while has passed. Brian never imagined his benefactor would be paying attention to all the weird things that went on in his day at college, or at the library, or at the lab, or- at his house. Before going to bed, he promised to repeat the story again the following day, and the next day, and every single day after that.

From the time he used to only work as a part-time teacher, Brian has gone back with his old lady, Red Special, to showing on the tiny gig on music that he loved again. The boy with black, thick curly hair felt like he was back in kindergarten, trying to get the attention of his parents when she mentioned it would be superb to see him perform music with his handmade guitar on stage with his pals.

Brian craves to know what Miss Y/L/N looks like, but he lacks the nerve to approach her more closely enough to ask. The boy feared that she would reject him and feel disgusted about his silly fantasies. Will it be terribly naive? Will she think that he's nosy? His pals chastised him for being absurd about the worries he had. At the end of the day, Brian doesn't even ask her out; all he wants is to get to know her. Is not it?

On this particular school fair day, nineteen-year-old Brian May and his friends prepared an astronomy and scientific project booth, complete with a neat suit and long, courteous tie. To accommodate everyone who attended the event—mostly professors—the room was set up into four sizable groups and arranged in various locations.

Brian believes that today is another enjoyable day, whether it is spent with parents or students from different colleges.

"This is a joke; it's bloody hot." With an understanding look, the tallest boy gave his groupmate, who was whining about the humidity, a pat on the shoulder. Without taking a break from his security duty, Dave had been at the booth since the morning, leading each visitor through the project they had been working on and researching for weeks.

Even though the astronomy and scientific booth wasn't as well-liked as the others, they still had great fun listening to their extensive lectures about their subject matter. The boys were thrilled, even if it felt like they were speaking to no one or that only a handful of people were listening.

On the table was a printed rating sheet that booth attendees could fill out and comment on. When Brian noticed that someone else was now observing on the research board, he grabbed one.

"Hello, Miss. Please take this." Making a turn, a woman of adulthood grinned, grabbed her evaluation form, and held it. She bows to him first, then Brian bows slightly in manners while her grin continues to highlight her exquisite features. After reading the evaluation report for a few minutes and scanning his eyes, the boy lifted his head to look at the board once more.

“May I ask who drew this?”

Brian smiled broadly and replied, "It's me; I draw it all." Nobody has mentioned the naiveté he slathered onto his drawing since the morning. The first is this woman.

When she grins, all the boy can see are her eyes, which narrow to a single, curved line, and her voice, which sounds familiar. "You know, it's kinda cool. It looks fascinating when used as a drawing."

Brian listens as she speaks to him; her voice is soothing, like a lullaby. Her petite hand, making an attempt to give him an explanation in her own words. He captures sight of the expensive watch clung to hers and extracts a pen that had become lodged in her skirt's pocket.

Her eyes snapped up, peering directly into the boy's, and for a moment, Brian felt like a deer caught in the headlights as he watched her begin to write on the top of the paper he had given her moments before. Her lips parted, causing his mind to explode. "Your arts are easy to understand. I like it a lot."

In a move to lessen the shame he feels, Brian scratches the back of his neck. "Thank you. But I think it still looks absurd." He pointed at the magnum opus, which he had spent countless hours curled up on his back and drawing, and wiped the tip of his nose apologetically. His pals, though, agreed it was ridiculous. despite the fact that the periodic table should have the graph placed on it.

"Absurd?" When she recounted what he had said, Brian was taken aback. She gave him an icy smile after recognising that what he had said was far more foolish than what he had actually done.

He took a deep breath, gazing attentively, and the evaluation was positive when she marked the page. He felt relieved by it. Brian said, gawkily smiling, "I sometimes say stupid things like this." Gazing at her face, he realised that she was likely ten centimetres higher than him, partly because of the height of her stiletto heels.

Oh. She is so small. In that white lace collared black minidress, it made her seem so smaller.

"What makes you feel so negative on yourself? Now tell me what you are good at..." The older woman questioned as she lowered her gaze to his shirt level and read the name tag on the shirt, "Mister May?" Just before getting back to eye contact with his.

The way she looks truly appealing, the way the way how envious he is of her gorgeous straight ginger hair with a bang is so gorgeous and he only had ugly black curly hair, and the way her scents remind him of a fairytale—Brian can tell plainly from being this close.

With bafflement, the boy swiped and gestured to the board and himself. "Me? orㅡ or the project?" The small woman started chuckling at his foolish expression before realising that, and she responded in jest. "I'm talking with you. And, yes. I mean you."

Brian answers her dramatically, trying to clear his throat and gather himself back together. "I'm good at playing guitar, I think. I formed a band and wrote a few songs but still in the process."

"What else?" She flashed him a nod while folding her arm across her chest, and her captivating eyes encouraged him to keep going.

"I can cook."

With a broad smirk and a faint whisper, she asks. "Oh, what's more?"

"I'm single."

The thing he had been saying had stunned him. As soon as Brian noticed he'd done something dumb again, he glared at the woman, who appeared to be equally startled as Brian.

"Is that what you called 'good'?"

"Oh, I have no idea, maybe it will work out well." Sheerly, he scratched the back of his neck. Unbelievably, he knows this woman across from him is going to think Brian May is an idiot for sure.

But all she does is glance upward at the board once again, still grinning. "You're the opposite of what teenagers want—girlfriends."

"I find it difficult to like people. I think that living this way is better than dating someone." How come from science projects become a love story? When did it change? Isn't it time for him to explain what's on the board?

"There're a lot of things waiting for you to find out. Don't miss out because you're satisfied with what you already have." Brian watched the older woman bend down and put a check mark on the score sheet again.

"Like… dating someone?"

"Dating is just another chapter in life; if you really don't want it, there are plenty of other things to do."

"Then I will try to date someone from today on."

She started giggling at Brian, then her eyes sparkled, flashing all around, and since he always overslept in order to keep an eye on the skies at night with the dynascope, Brian reasoned that her eyes may be brighter than the moon.

The boy noticed something had been concealed there, inside her lovely eyes. And he didn't have any idea how to guess it at all. "Uh, I mean- 'starting to think about it.' I didn't think much beyond that."

"Don't waste much time; you can't go back to youth once you grow up."

Brian stood silent while having the conversation. It was almost like the remark from just seconds before was replaying itself in the back of his mind. He's thinking, in line with her statements, which could be accurate, that he hasn't done many of the things that teens ought to do.

He straight away recognised that Tim asked him to join to record additional songs, which he wants to, but unfortunate that he has a lot on his plate, and the band may already be recording without him.

“Hey! Bri! Come here, mate!”

As the boy shifted his gaze towards the source of the sound, he saw that four pals were now standing, discussing.

"I'll handle this. I don't know what the hell is wrong with Richard's group, they need you to help them." Dave scowled and gave a disgusted shake of his head.

Brian glanced at the woman, who continued concentrating on the board. It seems likely that the scoring evaluation will soon be finished. He may most likely return in time if he only takes a little diversion to see his friends before returning to her. She grinned and gave a nod as the boy lowered his head briefly.

The boy turned around roughly a few seconds after he had started discussing booth setup with another group of pals. When he spotted that the woman he was leisurely talking with had left, his two legs remained still, unhappy.

"Is she gone?"

"Oh, just now." Dave handed the score sheet to Brian, whom he acknowledged before seeing the results.

The boy had a sudden numbness across the entirety of his body after he noticed that this evaluation's owner's name appeared.

Y/N Y/L/N

34 years old

"You know, it's kinda cool. It looks fascinating when used as a drawing."

"Hey, Bri?"

"What makes you feel so negative on yourself? Now tell me what you are good at."

"What's going on, mate?"

"There're a lot of things waiting for you to find out. Don't miss out because you're satisfied with what you already have."

"Brian?"

"Don't waste much time; you can't go back to youth once you grow up."

'Oui! Brian!"

Dave yelled after his closest friend, who bolted outside of the room without saying anything. Brian is rushing among the huge crowd of visitors to the fair.

His heart pounded in his chest; it was beating stronger than ever. The boy repeatedly brought it back, not expecting it, but each time he did so, it reinforced Brian May's desire to meet his benefactor at least once.

He remembered telling her that he was attending a college event today and that he had set up a science booth a few weeks ago. At the time, Brian was jokingly inviting her to come visit him and his sister here.

If that woman was Miss Y/L/N, the conversation that just happened… reveals that she already knows who he is.

A tall, slender boy made his way through the crowd again. Where is the woman with ginger curls and a black velvet minidress right now? Brian's close attention was drawn to the person he had been dying to see for years.

Brian began running again, with the throb of his heart. He glimpsed the back of the woman, who matched Miss Y/L/N, moving gracefully past the mass of people. The boy's gaze was fixed on her, a woman he wasn't certain was who she seemed to be.

"Miss Y/L/N??"

The boy grabbed her arm and twisted her around towards him; only it made him displeased to see that the woman frowning at him was not the woman standing in front of the scientific booth, conversing with him.

Brian bends his head in apology. He lingered in that posture without looking up, and he ended up missing out on the opportunity to meet her.

His muscular hands raised his hair, eliciting a weary grumble. How often has he told himself not to expect it?

"Excuse me," and before Brian could turn around, he felt a finger poke into the middle of his back.

"I believed that you were just shouting out my name."

Brian finds himself wondering stupidly how quickly his heart is pumping by standing towards the woman he'd been talking with next to the board earlier, with a beaming grin on her face. The boy shifted his gaze away from her to see Betty standing next to her, chuckling at the silly face he had made.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mister May."

oh hai, im new for this hehe

#brian may #brian may x reader #brian may imagine #brian may headcanon #freddie mercury #john deacon #roger taylor #bohemian rhapsody #bohemianbri

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