#I was supposed to go visit my godmother with my mom today

[deviousdayz]

I hate today

[c-optimistic]

for your happy prompts ask, perhaps kara is a documentary film maker who follows ceo lena around for a doc and ends up falling in love with her by learning a bunch of little things she finds out during filming? also p.s. i absolutely adore your writing even when it tugs at the heartstrings. thank you for writing what you do! it makes my day everytime i see an update or get an email

She wasn’t allowed to see Lena Luthor until she’d signed so many papers that, if stacked together, would be taller than she was. She wasn’t even allowed to touch her camera around Lena Luthor until the woman herself, CEO extraordinaire, had personally vetted Kara out.

“You know,” Kara said as casually as she could, finding herself nervously adjusting her glasses when Lena’s cold gaze fell on her, “I usually have a whole team with me when I do this.”

“And I agreed to this on the condition that only one nosy filmmaker follows me around, not a whole team.” Lena’s reply was like everything else Kara had learned about the CEO thus far: she was blunt, a little harsh, tone and eyes cold and emotionless. She gave nothing away, not in her walk, in her mannerisms, in the ridiculously healthy food she ate, in the way she spoke to her employees or board members. She was cool, detached, wickedly smart, and utterly composed. “And I must approve the final result,” she added, gesturing to the mountain of paperwork Kara signed.

(Kara sighed internally, a tiny part of her sure Lena was a robot.)

“But it’s everything, right?” Kara clarified. “A total look into your life, no holding back?”

“You may follow me around to your heart’s content,” Lena said, leaning back in her desk chair, studying Kara intently.

“May I ask, Ms. Luthor, what made you agree to this, when you’re usually so distrustful of the media?”

Lena gave Kara a smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “What made you ask to do this when you know I distrust the media?”

Lena hadn’t answered, so Kara knew she didn’t have to either, but she felt it was important to establish some kind of rapport with the woman she’d be following around for the next few weeks. “I’m of the opinion that things are rarely as simple as they seem from the outside, that’s all.”

“Well,” Lena said, looking pleasantly surprised and offering Kara a grin (a real one, one that touched her eyes and transformed her face), “perhaps that’s why I agreed to you doing this.”

x

“You’re one of Ms. Luthor’s closest friends, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Since before your daughter was born?”

“Yup.”

“So would you say you know her quite well?”

“Sure.”

“Do you plan on answering any of my questions with more than one word?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. So, in one word I suppose, how would you describe Ms. Luthor to a stranger?”

“Flawless.”

x

The rules of her arrangement with Lena were rather simple. For the next several weeks, Lena consented to having Kara around from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep. In return, Kara was not allowed in certain meetings at L-Corp, was not allowed to bring her camera with her at all when Lena went down to R&D, and if Lena asked for her to stop filming at any point, Kara was bound to immediately do so and erase any footage she may have inadvertently captured.

For the first two days of the arrangement, it was actually rather boring. Lena was awake before the crack of dawn, she didn’t acknowledge Kara’s presence as she made coffee and toast (though she did push a cup and a plate towards Kara), and then spent the next fifteen or so hours in her office, sifting through papers, answering phone calls and responding to emails, and forgetting meals. It wasn’t until the third day that Lena’s routine changed slightly.

She received a phone call at breakfast, and whoever it was caused a bright red blush to bloom on her cheeks. Kara zoomed in slightly on Lena’s face as she answered the call. “Now’s not really a good time, Sam,” she began, falling silent at whatever this Sam was saying on the other end. Lena’s eyes flitted over towards Kara, but to her surprise, she didn’t ask for Kara to shut off the camera. “That sounds terrible,” she said, sounding truly apologetic, something about her countenance changing. She seemed softer, more open, calmer than Kara had seen her yet. “And Ruby was so excited too.” Lena fell silent once more, nodding almost as if unaware of it. “I agree with her,” Lena suddenly laughed, still nodding, “it’s not fair at all. But there’s no way I’m not going to visit. Do you want me to bring anything?” Lena laughed again, and Kara wondered if her camera was capturing the change she was witnessing with her own eyes. “As if I could forget Ruby’s chocolate.” A pause. “Give her all my love.” Another pause, a tiny smile on Lena’s lips. “All right, I will. Bye.”  As she hung up, she looked over at Kara, as if daring her to comment, everything about her shuttering at once.

“Who was that?” Kara asked, not really expecting an answer. To her surprise, however, Lena’s eyes flitted to the camera and she let out a soft, resigned sigh.

“That was my CFO, Sam Arias,” she answered, her tone a complete 180 from what she was using on the phone. She studied Kara for a moment and must have read something on her face, because her shoulders deflated and she motioned towards her phone. “Sam is my best friend. Her daughter, Ruby, is my goddaughter. We were supposed to go to the animal shelter today.” Lena smiled softly, almost as if unaware of it. “She’s finally convinced Sam she’s responsible enough for a pet. It’s actually—” Lena stopped suddenly, her eyes shifting to the camera once more, any warmth that had managed to leak out dissipating at once. “In any case, she’s sick. So we’ll have to reschedule.” She waved her hand towards the camera. “Can you turn that off, please?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Kara said quickly, making a show of turning the Camcorder off and setting it aside. “Is something wrong?”

Lena shook her head, leaning against her kitchen counter as she eyed Kara with something like curiosity. “You know, I’ve seen all of your other work,” she said after a moment, frowning at Kara like she was a puzzle she couldn’t figure out.

(Had she? Seen all of Kara’s work? A part of Kara was curious as to how, after all, most of her stuff was tucked away in a closet back in Midvale, waiting to be opened up and viewed during Christmas, when Alex would laugh at the films she’d made in high school about how the boys’ sports teams were unfairly given more attention than the girls’. The others were projects for her degree and one or two failed attempts to get a real production company to take the risk on her.

In fact, if not for Cat Grant’s decision as ‘The Queen of All Media’ to get involved in filmmaking, funding a project from a no-name creator, Kara wasn’t even sure she’d have the film she was making now.)

“Oh,” she said inarticulately, not quite sure how to word what she was really thinking. How rich did you have to be to be able to bribe anyone into giving you anything?

Lena nodded carefully, her face a perfect mask. If not for the way her eyes followed Kara’s every movement, Kara would’ve even thought that Lena was bored. “You’re very fond of certain themes. Hope. Love. Endless optimism in the best of humanity.” She said it like it was a bad thing. And it was suddenly Kara’s turn to lean forward on the opposite end of the counter, feeling her head tilt to the side questioningly.

“Is that what you got from my films?” she asked, genuinely curious.

Lena seemed wary of the question, standing up straight and crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “Isn’t that what you intended?”

“You know,” Kara said slowly, “I don’t actually believe in all that creator’s intent nonsense. I think we search for parts of ourselves when we consume art. So if that’s what you got from my films, that says more about you than it does about me.”

If anything, this seemed to offend Lena. “So you’d deny having any sort of intent with your work? What about making something with meaning?”

Kara laughed, shaking her head. “That’s not what I mean, and besides, who says art has to mean anything?”

“Of course art means something,” Lena argued, narrowing her eyes at Kara. “What’s the point of doing it if it doesn’t mean anything?”

Kara shrugged easily, giving Lena a small smile. “I disagree. I think art says something. But meaning is up to the people who consume it.” She picked up her camera and pointed it at Lena without turning it on. “Doesn’t matter what I intended to say with my films, you got meaning from it. So I’d say there was a point in making it, don’t you think?”

Lena eyed her for a moment, apparently not liking that Kara wasn’t giving her an answer, wasn’t telling her what she was trying to say with her work. But then, after several long seconds, she relented, letting out a chuckle and shaking her head. “Well, fine,” she said, her smile touching her eyes. “As long as you don’t try to say anything silly like hope, love, or endless optimism in the best of humanity with this film.”

“I’m afraid I can’t change who you are, Ms. Luthor,” Kara said softly, turning her camera on and effectively cutting off any response Lena may have had.

(And when she looks at the footage weeks later, she’ll freeze that frame, breath catching at the look on Lena’s face: the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows.)

x

“Do you spend a lot of time with your godmother?”

“Oh yeah, loads! She’s great.”

“What sort of things do you do with her?”

“I mean, normal stuff? She takes me to get ice cream all the time. The other day, she rented that new horror movie that came out and watched it with me when I stayed over. My mom went nuts when she found out.”

“So you like her?”

“No, of course not. I love Lena. She’s my aunt, you know? She’s family.”

“And if you had the chance, what would you want the world to know about her?”

“That she cares, so much. And that she’s funny and super smart and helps me with homework and after my mom she’s the very best person I know.”

x

The visit to Luthor Children’s Hospital was, as far as Kara was aware, unplanned and in fact gave Jess a great deal of anxiety. For her part, Kara was mostly frustrated and annoyed, wondering if this film was worth it at all. Because Lena Luthor seemed to be asking Kara to turn off the camera more and more, especially when her day deviated at all and she was forced to leave her office.

(Walks in the park, lunches with her goddaughter, a touching moment with the child of one of her employees...all locked away somewhere in Kara’s memory, but destined to remain there instead of on film, where it should be.)

She huffed a little bit as she leaned against the wall, watching Lena walk quickly towards the group of nurses and doctors. She didn’t say anything when Jess joined her, a contemplative look on her face. “She always does this,” Jess told Kara after a long silence, rolling her eyes fondly. “She’ll cancel meetings last minute because she heard one of the kids in the hemoc ward has finished treatment or that they’re out of toys to give to the new patients.”

“Why isn’t there any press if she does this often?” Kara asked, turning to Jess but watching Lena out of the corner of her eye. She was talking to one of the doctors now, looking comically out of place with her designer clothes while surrounded by colorful artwork by kids that littered the walls of the Children’s Hospital.

Jess fixed Kara with an unimpressed look. “You’ve met her, right?” she asked rhetorically. “She goes out of her way to hide these visits. She says that she has to keep it under wraps because she wants to keep it about the kids and not her. But I think the truth is she’s just worried people would mistreat the kids and their families for allowing a ‘Luthor’ within ten feet of them.”

“Oh,” Kara said dumbly, a little stunned by the new information, and feeling guilty for her thoughts earlier. “That’s...awful.”

“I’m not telling you this for nothing, you know,” Jess continued, frowning at Kara. “She’s been avoiding lots of her usual charitable work since you’ve been around. The whole point of this was to get everyone else to see the real Lena Luthor, but she’s ruining it by being humble and noble.”

(Kara wanted to groan, roll her eyes, or better yet go over to Lena herself and shake her until she understood what Kara’s job was.

How was she supposed to make a documentary about Lena Luthor if Lena Luthor was so determined to hide herself away from the world?)

“What would you have me do?” she asked, not voicing her frustration, though it seeped into her tone anyway. “We have a deal, and she doesn’t want me to film these things.”

Jess shook her head, looking terribly unimpressed by the answer. “Don’t you have artistic integrity? Would you allow anyone else to boss you around and tell you what you could and couldn’t film?”

Kara looked over at Lena, who was now smiling at a young boy who had ambled up to her with his mother and infusion pump stand in tow. She watched as Lena actually dropped to her knees to talk to the boy, nodding vigorously at whatever he was saying. After a long moment, she turned back to Jess and shook her head. “No,” she said finally. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

And after Jess had given her another significant look before walking off, Kara raised her camera and began to film.

x

“Mr. Spheer, you’re an ex of Lena Luthor’s, right?”

“Ah, I see this documentary is quite personal. Are you sure that Lena is okay with this sort of thing going into her movie?”

“Well, it’s my movie. But she’s free to ask me to take things out.”

“Fascinating. Yes, I am Lena’s ex. I was quite brokenhearted when she broke it off to move to National City.”

“Oh, she broke it off?”

“So curious, Ms. Danvers. Perhaps you’re interested in something beyond a mere film?”

“W-what? No, that’s—please be serious, Mr. Spheer—”

“It’s Jack to you, my dear. What else do you need to know about Lena? Her favorite flowers are plumerias, her favorite food is—”

“—oh that’s really not necessary. If we could just focus on who Lena is as a person. A friend. A former girlfriend?”

“Hmm, yes. Well, just imagine your perfect woman, Ms. Danvers.”

“Oh, um, I—”

“—exactly, you see Lena. That’s an universal experience, I’m afraid. Lena is simply...too good for this world.”

“So you’d say the treatment she gets by the public is unfair?”

“It’s unfair how much people attack pineapple on pizza, Ms. Danvers. The way they speak of Lena without knowing her? That’s a pure travesty.”

x

They were about ten days into filming when Kara saw Lena relax for the first time.

She was using the word ‘relax’ rather loosely, of course. Lena didn’t do what Kara did after a long week—put on a pair of sweatpants, order loads of junk food, and watch so much Netflix that it eventually felt the need to ask her if she was still watching. In fact, Lena’s idea of relaxing was more work. Just, fun work.

She was dressed in jeans and a blue shirt, knees pulled up to her chest as she sat at her desk, mumbling under her breath as she did whatever she was doing. (She hadn’t bothered to explain to Kara, had just sighed and acquiesced to the presence of the camera in her home office.) Perched precariously at the tip of her nose were a thick black pair of glasses, her hair falling to her shoulders in gentle waves.

She looked different. Softer, somehow. Gone was all the trappings of a badass CEO, and all that was left was a clever (and beautiful) young woman, working on the things she loved in her spare time.

Kara zoomed in slightly, focusing on Lena’s face, on the furrow between her brows, her lips twisted in concentration. There was something there, something different, and Kara just wanted to—

“Is that camera heavy?” Lena asked, looking up suddenly, a curious expression on her face. She was good at that, the polite looks, gently asking for more information. Tiny eyebrow raises, nearly imperceptible softening of her eyes, lips quirked the slightest bit, all intended to disarm her quarry, making them drop their guard long enough that they give everything held close to their chest away.

“Not really,” Kara answered, grinning at Lena. This made the other woman blink in surprise, clearly not the response she was looking for, that expression on her face shifting suddenly, becoming more calculating. “I work out,” Kara went on to explain, shrugging easily, careful not to jostle the camera. “Besides, it’s not that heavy, I think about five pounds.”

“What kind of camera do you use?”

“Oh, it’s a Panasonic AG-HVX—” she cut herself off. “It’s not that interesting.” Kara adjusted her glasses and made sure Lena’s face was still in focus. Somehow, this made Lena’s tiny smile reappear. She stood up and circled her desk, and Kara was forced to back away to maintain focus.

“You love filming, don’t you?” Lena asked, and Kara blinked, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“Ms. Luthor, as I’m sure you’re aware, this film is about you.”

If she thought this would in any way cow Lena, she was wrong. Lena just grinned, looking like she’d somehow won something.

“Do you know what I don’t understand?” she said with faux casualness, crossing her arms and tapping a finger against her elbow. “Why would you, someone Cat Grant speaks so highly of, be willing to agree to this assignment? Something most people wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.”

Kara frowned, not thinking as she responded. “It wasn’t assigned, Ms. Luthor. I pitched the idea. I wanted to do this.” Lena’s words sank in a moment later. “Wait. Cat Grant spoke highly of me?”

“Why?” Lena asked, no longer smiling.

Kara blinked at the change in tone. “Why what?” she asked, genuinely confused. This was, apparently, the wrong answer, because Lena chose that moment to begin pacing in front of her desk, looking more than a little bothered.

“I don’t get it,” she said as she paced. “I tried to figure it out, looked into you, into your work. I thought maybe you were doing this to build fame, but I’ve seen your work and even without a movie about the last Luthor, I have no doubt you’ll be very popular—”

“Oh, that’s nice of you, thank y—”

“—then I thought maybe you have a vendetta against my family and just want me to look bad,” Lena continued, barreling over Kara’s words and ignoring her entirely, “but the only connection between you and my family is your cousin, Clark Kent, and he’s the journalist who broke the story on my brother, so if anything I should dislike you—”

“That’s not exactly...Clark and I aren’t—”

“—so I really need you to explain it to me. Why did you want to make this film?” She paused her brisk pacing as she asked the question, meeting Kara’s eyes with a fierce look, one Kara was infinitely glad she was capturing on film. Because this, this glint in Lena’s eyes, was why Kara wanted to do this.

“Do you remember the speech you gave when you came to National City?” Kara asked, and judging from the way Lena’s eyebrows rose in response, she was rather thrown by the question. “Because I do. I watched it maybe a few dozen times. All those horrible questions, all the absolute certainty that you were like your brother, and you kept your head up and you promised to prove them all wrong, to make up for what he did.” Kara sighed, shutting off the camera and setting it aside gently. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I was...interested. I wanted to see more.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Did I meet your expectations? Disappoint you? What?”

Kara smiled, unable to help it. “Does my opinion on you really matter?”

“Do you always answer a question with another question?” Lena shot back, eyes narrowing.

Kara’s smile just widened and she began to gather her things, preparing to leave for the night. Impressively, Lena didn’t question her further, just watched her then followed her to the door, looking rather cross. Pausing briefly to adjust her glasses and the strap of her bag, Kara turned suddenly and met Lena’s eyes. “You exceeded them. My expectations, that is,” Kara added when Lena offered only a quizzical look in response.

For a moment, Lena didn’t react, then that same look from her office—the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows—overtook her expression, and she let out a laugh.

“Well, good then.”

x

“You went to boarding school with Ms. Luthor?”

“I don’t think that’s public knowledge, how do you know that?”

“Um, Ms. Arias told me about you. She mentioned your relationship with Ms. Luthor is unique.”

“Well, Sam would know, wouldn’t she?”

“Ms. Rojas, if you don’t want to speak to me, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine. Look, Lena and I have been estranged for a while now. I...I did something to break her trust.”

“So would you say that Ms. Luthor is difficult to get along with?”

“No, I’d say that Lena values things like honesty and trust, and—you know that Austen novel? With the man who says that once you lose his good opinion, it’s gone forever?”

“Pride and Prejudice?”

“Exactly. Lena is like that.”

“Ms. Luthor is like Mr. Darcy?”

“No, she’s classic. No matter what’s going on, she’ll endure.”

“So...you were the one difficult to get along with?”

“Have you ever thought about taking your work to a whole new level, Kara? How do you feel about virtual reality?”

“Oh, um, I don’t have particular thoughts? But I’d love to know yours about Ms. Luthor. For the film.”

“She won’t believe this, or that I’m saying it coercion free, but Lena is...a visionary. More than that, she’s just a decent person. Which is more than most of us can say, don’t you think?”

x

After their conversation, Lena opened up dramatically.

(Well, dramatically was a stretch, but considering how closed off she’d been before, the difference was rather drastic.)

Kara filmed Lena’s visit to an animal shelter, capturing the way her fingers gently ran over the fur of the dog that immediately trotted over to her, placing its head in her lap. Lena had then explained that she went to shelters often, just to volunteer, as she was unable to adopt for fear of not having time to give the dog the attention it deserved.

Later that week, Lena let Kara stay later than usual, putting on some music as she got to cooking, going as far as to teach Kara the basics of the dish, laughing when Kara admitted that her skill in the kitchen was limited to making sandwiches. At one point she grabbed the camera and set it aside, dragging Kara into the kitchen, giving instructions and lessons as she swayed her hips to the music.

(It was silly, it was lighthearted, it was fun, and Kara couldn’t help it.

She forgot she was there to make a film.)

And as the days and weeks dragged on, when Lena showed off her skills at the piano—apologetically explaining she hadn’t had time to really play in months—or when she told Kara about her very ‘nerdy’ stamp collection or even when Lena seemed to ignore there was a camera between them and she began to talk about her day and her hopes for the weekend, Kara forgot that it was a job. She forgot that she was supposed to be making something, paying attention to more than Lena’s smile or the way her eyes lit up whenever she mentioned work she was particularly passionate about.

Somewhere along the way, Kara cared more about the opportunity to spend time with Lena than she did the film itself.

More worryingly, that realization didn’t even bother her.

x

“Why filmmaking?” Lena asked one morning, pushing coffee and toast towards Kara with a tiny smile. The camera was still in its bag, untouched since Kara had arrived nearly an hour earlier. “Why not journalism like your cousin?”

“My cousin and I,” Kara began awkwardly, adjusting her glasses, “well, our relationship is a little strained, I guess.” She didn’t need the slight tilt of Lena’s head to know that Lena wanted her to keep going, to explain further. She let out a soft chuckle and rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “Um, so my parents died when I was twelve. And Clark sort of...left me? I went to live with the Danvers instead, and they bought me a camera for my birthday.” Kara grinned at the very memory, still able to feel its weight in her hand, the eyepiece against her eye. “It was one of those old camcorders, do you remember? The ones with the tapes? I drove them nuts, filming literally everything. I don’t think they ever saw my face for the first few months I was with them, it was constantly behind the camera.” She didn’t explain why she wanted to document every moment with her new family, but judging from the way Lena’s eyes softened, she understood anyway. “From there it became serious. I started making films. School projects, etc. Now I’m here.”

“Why documentaries? Why not something like...oh, I don’t know, action movies?” Lena prodded, looking curious, looking interested, looking like the answer mattered.

Kara just shrugged, suddenly not able to look Lena in the eye. “I guess there’s a part of me that wanted to take after Clark.”

x

“How long have you been working for Ms. Luthor?”

“Um, this December will make seven years.”

“As her assistant, you have remarkable access to her. What’s she like?”

“Driven, ambitious, works way too hard. I don’t think she’s ever taken a holiday or even a break...but um, maybe don’t say that in the film.”

“Artistic integrity, remember? She works hard, that’s clear. But what about personally? Her relationship with you and the other employees? What kind of boss is she?”

“She cares a lot. A few years ago, before Lex Luthor, well. You know. Before all that, LuthorCorp was facing serious losses. Mr. Luthor wanted to just get rid of entire departments, but Ms. Luthor said the research was vital, and more than that, the researchers were important. She convinced her brother to keep them on—she won’t admit it, but it was more than being persuasive. She paid for it out of her own pocket.”

“So you’d say she’s charitable?”

“No, she’s passionate. And she fights for the things she believes in. Ms. Luthor likes to say that charity implies pity, and she doesn’t do anything out of pity. She just does what’s right by people.”

“Some would disagree, they’d argue that LuthorCorp, and by extension its new iteration, L-Corp, don’t care about people, but about profits. Do you think that’s a fair assessment of the company you’ve devoted seven years to?”

“Look. I get it, people are suspicious of L-Corp because it used to be LuthorCorp. But it’s not just a name change. When Lena took over, she gutted her company. There’s not a single program left from Mr. Luthor’s time as CEO. L-Corp is all Ms. Luthor.”

“So if L-Corp is Ms. Luthor, who is Ms. Luthor?”

“She’s a woman who’s been hurt all her life, Kara Danvers, and whose only goal is to keep as many people as she can from hurting too. Sometimes I just wish she realized she doesn’t deserve to be hurt anymore either.”

“Oh.”

“Also, I don’t care about your artistic integrity, that last bit does not go in the film.”

x  

One afternoon, when Kara was dangerously close to dozing off on the couch in Lena’s office—camera turned off and set aside, not really needing more footage of Lena working at her desk—Lena suddenly jumped to her feet, an excited gleam in her eyes.

“They’ve done it,” she said, the smile forming on her lips so wide that Kara found herself smiling back.

“Done what?” Kara asked, fairly sure this would lead to Lena’s refrain of ‘that’s company business and I’m afraid you’re not privy to that information’ but instead, Lena looked at her appraisingly, then rolled her eyes.

“If I allow you to bring your camera in R&D, do you swear not to film my ongoing projects?”

“You’re going to let me film in R&D?” Kara said excitedly, jumping to her feet and grabbing her camera.

“Kara, do you swear?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Ms. Luthor. I absolutely swear.”

And the next thing Kara knew, she was filming in the one place she’d been told was off-limits, capturing the lab and Lena talking to her researchers animatedly about the advancement they’d made in gene therapy, not entirely surprised when Lena shoved the scientists towards Kara and urged them to brag about their achievement—while also warning them to be as vague as possible—and then sank into the background, clearly thrilled to have her scientists as the center of attention.  

And later, when Lena decided to actually take a lunch hour as a ‘reward’ for the great strides L-Corp had made, she took Kara along, bought three different appetizers, and smiled her wide smile before she said, “It’s Lena, by the way. Just Lena.”

Mouth still bulging with the three potstickers she’d practically inhaled, Kara couldn’t manage much more than a nod, but later—when she was alone—she tried saying the name aloud, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

x

“Mrs. Luthor—”

“It’s doctor, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Dr. Luthor. You adopted Ms. Luthor when she was four, is that correct?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for this nonsense. I consented to this interview only to say one thing: Lena was always the more clever of my children, but she’s foolish and soft, and this silly film is yet another example of that.”

“You agreed to meet with me to just say...that. Okay. That’s um. Fine.”

x

As the weeks dragged on, Kara had little reason to continue filming. Her deadline with Cat Grant was fast approaching, and she had more than enough footage. All that really remained was editing, of putting the final pieces together. But she found herself filming anyway.

Every day, she’d make her way to Lena’s apartment, making flimsy excuses about how certain footage was no good, or had been corrupted, and that she needed retakes of Lena doing ordinary things (like reading the paper, cooking dinner, or talking about her day). She knew that Lena could tell her excuses were just that, but mercifully, Lena didn’t seem to want to call her out on it, merely gave soft reminders not to stay up so late every night to edit (the ‘you could just as easily stop wasting your time here and be editing during normal hours’ going unsaid).

(Jess had rolled her eyes when Kara came by L-Corp and Lena mentioned offhandedly that Kara somehow hadn’t gotten a shot of Lena entering her building in all the time she’d shadowed the CEO, and wasn’t that odd?)

But what Kara knew, what made her stretch out these moments as long as she possibly could, was that once the final product popped into existence, once she showed Lena and got her okay to send off to Cat Grant, that was it.

No more Lena.

And that terrified her.

(So she gathered more footage, fruitlessly hoping that the final product would never be ready, dragging her feet at every step.

She edited, studying Lena’s every expression, tried to pinpoint the exact moment she’d started to fall for the not-so-detached CEO extraordinaire, and wished it didn’t all have to come to an end.)

x

Two days after Kara had sent Lena the finished film, she got a curt email from the CEO herself with only three words: come see me.

Jess gave no indication about how her boss was feeling when Kara arrived, merely stared evenly at Kara and gestured with her head for her to just go on in. When Kara tried to ask her, Jess shook her head, pointed at the door to Lena’s office, and made a shooing gesture.

“It’s odd to see you without a camera,” Lena said when Kara sat down across from her, trying to keep her hands from fidgeting.

“It’s odd to be in here without a camera.” Kara took a deep breath. “Did you watch it?” she blurted, unable to keep it in. “What did you think?”

“You’re really fond of certain themes,” Lena said, then she raised her eyebrow. “You also filmed quite a bit when I had asked you not to.”

“Artistic integrity?” Kara tried, and Lena...laughed.

“I don’t know if I agree with the way you portrayed me,” she said slowly as her amusement faded. “You took a lot of liberties.”

“I was very faithful to the subject of the film, Lena.”

“What do you think you were trying to say?” Lena asked, waving off Kara’s comment.

“What meaning did you get from it?”

Lena studied her for a moment, as if she was trying to read Kara’s mind. “I’m not some selfless genius, Kara.”

“Is that what you think the film is saying?” Kara asked her, not rising to the obvious bait. “Like I said, Lena. I was very faithful to the subject of the film.” For a long moment, Lena didn’t respond, and Kara felt the worry she’d managed to push away since sending the film to Lena creep back in. “Does this mean you don’t approve of the film?”

“Hmm?” Lena said, distracted. “No, I’ve already sent it along to Cat Grant, giving my okay. Even though you broke our agreement, I can’t deny the final result was very favorable to me.”

“I wouldn’t have made something that wasn’t completely true,” Kara said, somewhat hotly, most of her irritation bleeding away with the knowledge that Cat Grant was in possession of the final product, that the rest was up to her.

Lena smiled, eyes soft, and she nodded her head almost incredulously. “No, you wouldn’t. I know that.” She cleared her throat, seeming a bit nervous. “But I was thinking. I’ve been missing our talks about your work, and I know you don’t like talking about what you’ve made, but perhaps you’d make an exception for me. Would you be willing to give me a private showing of your film? Give me all the insider secrets? I know your subject quite well, it would be a fun exercise.”

Kara’s heart slammed to a stop, the jump-started at the sight of Lena’s amused eyes, that tiny curve of her lips. “A private showing, huh?” Kara mumbled, feeling a little dazed. “I still won’t tell you what I was trying to say.”

“That’s completely fair.”

“But I suppose I could give you some insight on my thoughts.”

“Only if you wanted.”

“It may have to be more than one session,” Kara said, trying and failing to stop the spread of her smile. “There’s a lot of footage you know.”

“So it’s a date?” Lena asked, and Kara couldn’t help her eager nod.

“It’s definitely a date.”

[youresog0lden]

15 II Spencer Reid

Summary: It’s been 15 years since the murder of your mother so you take the day off, while back home your best friend is trying to find out what happened with the case completely forgetting that every day for the past 6 years he would come over and stay with you. 

WC: 3.2k 

Warnings: Angst, the mentions of death, panic attacks, the mentions of depression, ED (kinda), Murder, Stabbing, Violence, Crying, Vomit, The mentions of Heaven I think I could be wrong I might have said above. -But just in case-  I used y/n but used a last name so I could make the story easier just replace it. 

A/N: I definitely cried while writing this one. Please let me know what you think ! This is one of my favorites !  THIS IS NOT MY GIF

masterlist

Notes: Y/n/n = your nickname y/n = your name

Relationship: Spencer x Fem Reader (kinda)

"The song is ended, but the melody lingers on." ~ Irving Berlin

15 years ago. fif-teen. Today was the big day. I was 15 years ago. Since my mom was brutally murdered. They told us they never found the murderer. That they tried to find every piece of evidence that they could but, this person is a pro. Every year I take the night to try and help solve the case but nothing has come out of it.

"Hey Garcia." I chirped picking up the phone.

"Hey beautiful. I know it's your day off but we really need you on this case." she pleaded.

"I can't. I have to go." I say softly hanging up the phone. Every year on her death date I go to her grave to talk to her let her know that she's not alone. I tell her about everyone and everything. I tell her about Spencer. Even though if she was here now she would tell me to stop thinking about boys and that there a waster of time. I bring her her favorite flowers even though they take a week to get to me because there rainbow roses. Her favorite. She says there way to colorful reminding her of everyone of her kids, never a dull moment. So I take the day to thank her for having me for bringing me into this world. I made sure her grave was put in the Jane graveyard. I wanted her to feel at home with her mom and dad. I always leave crying but, knowing she's watching from above only makes me have hope that I will see her again. Right at the time I get up to get ready I get a call from a certain Doctor.

"Hello Dr. Reid." I joked.

"Hello Agent Jane." we laughed at the joke both of us made

"I'm waiting for you." at this point I almost immediately stopped laughing.

"Do you not know what today is?" I asked quietly.

"No. Am I supposed to?" he asked. Yes because I told you. I told you what happened. I told you the date. I told you how she was murdered but I guess you forgot.

"No never mind. Look Spencer I have to go." before he can say anything I hang up. I sit there looking at myself. Black jeans, boots, and a hoodie. I nod before grabbing my bag and the flowers leaving and a bag I packed since I was going home. I set my things down and make sure the flowers are secured. I back out of my parking lot and drive towards the highway. Hey sweetie I just wanted to let you know I love you. Please be careful tonight I love you more than anything. Her voice rang in my head like it did every year on her date. I remember getting the call in the morning after seeing it on the news. I took me months to finally get up and move around and it took me two years to finally go and see her. I was 18 when it happened. My brother was the only one home at the time.

He told me he came home from the football game to see her blood all over the house. Justin wasn't home at the time. Justin being my step-dad. He told me that she asked him to go get roses for there anniversary coming up so he did. I cried for weeks on end. I ended up being taken to the hospital because I stopped eating. I stopped taking care of myself. I couldn't physically do it anymore. I couldn't sit there in the house anymore. I ended up moving out and starting college like my mom would've wanted she was the whole reason I became a profiler I needed to find out what happened. I needed to catch this guy but, it was like he feel off the face of the earth. The case went cold and eventually everyone moved on. Even I did I was finally happy. I made family at work. Nothing could ever replace my original family but they were a close second. I made a best friend. Spencer Reid. Even though he didn't remember today I didn't blame him for it. He may have an eidetic memory but, work was one of the many things that flooded that pretty brain of his.

Eventually after being friends with him it's almost natural to develop a crush -if you will- on him. Almost like a wildfire I did. I couldn't help but love him and all of his quirks. He could make the moon smile if he tried. Hell even if he didn't try but when he did and he let out a laugh it was contagious. Everyone would laugh. He was the heart and soul of the team. His magic tricks, his lectures about why the girl and I can't have more than five shoots and three drinks when we go out. - I really think it's the dominance coming out in him - but he says he just cares about us and doesn't want us to complain to him about our raging headaches in the morning at work. Almost every year Reid would come over and help me through it. I would never actually take him to my moms grave he just stayed the night before and made sure I was okay every morning for almost six years. I hurt that he forgot but once again work probably effected that.

After what seemed to be about a three hour drive and two bathroom stops I pull into the graveyard surrounded by the Jane family church our great, great, great, great, great grandparents founded in. This is where our family was berried time after time. Taking a big breath I see the street lights surrounding the graveyard making it not look as deep and depressing. I grab the flowers and a water bottle moving out the car and into the graveyard. I take a deep breath walking and sitting down by my mom.

"Hey momma." I say softly looking down at her headstone. Cheryl Jane. Loving mother, Wife, and daughter. June 8th 1970- August 25th 2005. It's okay rest easy momma-bear you've done your work. Just at the read  of that my eyes start watering. "It's been a year. A lot has happened this year. Emily has been working our asses off. It seems like cereal killers never take the time off. I miss you more than ever. I know Brantly does to. He talks about you the most. It's really hard for me to. Even though you know that. Anyway I'm sure you want to know the constant loop of my life. Well here it goes. Mom I'm in love with my best friend and he's in love with his and I know that sounds confusing but here let me explain in. He may be mine but JJ is his. I can tell by the way his eyes get big when he hears her talk or how his smile is or how he blushes as she talks but I get why shes beautiful. He's so in love with her mom and, it hurt's so bad but sometimes you have to get through the pain. Derek left. He has a kid so he went to be daddy Derek with Savannah. We have a new team member. Luke Alvez he's cool. Emily is the new unit chief. Hotch had to leave for a while. Recently it's been hard mom. I've barley been wanting to go to work in the morning knowing he isn't mine. Mom, I know that if you were here right now you'd tell me." I take a deep breath tears running down my cheeks.

"Don't worry about boys Y/N. Life is way to short. Go out start loving yourself, not guys. Because if one thing is promised in life it's you'll always have yourself. That and, that no one ever makes it out of here alive. So stop wasting time on him and, trust me I'm trying. I really am. I just need you to be here to hold me while I cry in your arms. Mom I'm 33 and I still need to cry into your arms. Mom I thought I would have you until I'm old. I didn't picture you not being here to see me graduate college. I thought you would be here to see me have the kids you always wanted to see me have. You always talked about being a grandma. I thought you could walk me down the isle as I'm getting married in your dress with our family ring seeing your smile on your face. God I miss that smile so much and what I wouldn't do to see it again. Pictures aren't enough. I don't know how long it's been since Jasmine came out here to talk to you but she's married now. To this guy his names James. I really like him. I can tell he makes her happy. There expecting. I'm going to be a godmother and a aunt. I never thought I would be this achieved in my life. The only thing is-" I couldn't stop crying. It kept coming down in waves of sadness tears escaping like no other.

"Well there's quite a few only things but the first thing is I just expected you to be here when I tell everyone the news. I used to remember running into the living room telling you how much I wanted to move to London and meet a cute English boy and have a perfect life. Well the whole boy thing isn't working. -obviously- but I got offered a job for a secret agent task force that goes undercover all around the world and helps solves cold cases from all around. I have to let them know by next week all I could think about was my family, and how if I left how hurt they would feel we've already lost so many team members but at the same time this may be exactly what I need. I would still come and visit you every year. I promise. Pinky. But I don't know I have a lot to think about on my way home. I could sleep in a hotel tonight but I just don't think I want to do that. But anyways I love you lots momma-bear more than anything. See you next year." and with that I placed the roses on her headstone standing up noticing it was starting to get dark I quickly go to my car unlocking it and placing the keys into the ignition and looking at my phone seeing as I shut it off to be more with my mom today.

4 missed call for Spence

3 missed calls from Garica

2 text from Spence. Click to open it.

So that's exactly what I did I look at the texts.

"Y/N please answer me. I know what today is I'm so so sorry I forgot."

"I'm on my way. Please just tell me your safe." I text back with a quick "It's fine. I'm already on my way home. Just leave me alone for the night please." I turn off my phone once again before heading on my way home. Leaving the busy road to much calmer ones.

"Mommy." I called out walking around the house. There I stood in a blue Cinderella dress and her clear heals with this sassy attitude.

"Yes sweetie." she laughs looking at me taking out her clunky camera and snapping a picture of me.

"Mommy can you pwease help me talk this off." my four year old eyes flashed on her. She laughs nodding her head.  She helps me take off the dress leaving me in my hello kitty underwear and heals. She pulls out one of my pj sets and looks at me.

"Let's get you ready for bed. Yeah?" she says. I nod sticking my arms up. She picks me up taking me into the bathroom.

"Can we pwease use the hello kitty bubbles." I ask with puppy eyes.

"Of course my sweets." she kissed my forehead. She lets the bath fill up before putting me in there and bathing me. Kissing me on the head, the shoulder, the top of my back, the side of my head then, my nose. Every time a little laugh left my lips.

"Stop mommy it tickles." I laugh splashing the water. She gasps

"Mommy." I say sternly. She gives me a look before continuing

"Yes baby."

"I love you more than ice cream."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then I love you more than the sun and moon combined."

As the flashbacks come back so do the tears. I pull over to the side of the road before feeling my heart crack.

"Then I love you more than the sun and moon combined."

"Fuck." I yell sitting in my car all alone. My breathing increasing in seconds my hands shaking. I can feel the urge to get out of my car and puke. But I sit there trying to call myself. It wouldn't stop her voice, the memories. I grab my phone knowing only one person could even remotely help this but deciding against it I put the phone down. I bust my car door open before falling to my knees and puking whatever I ate this morning out. I didn't stop tho I couldn't but once, I finally do I stand up and go to my car looking for a bottle of water. Finding one a few seconds later I grab my to-go bag washing my mouth and and brushing my teeth with the water I had. I get back in my car which now my hands weren't shaking as much so I was good on driving. At a red light I turn my phone on waiting for it to start back up again. When it finally does I connect it to my speaker I quickly call Spencer. The phone rings for a second before hearing the uttermost thing.

"Hello." his voice sounded shakily.

"Spence." my voice broke. Fuck really.

"Y/n/n." he sighs realizing you.

"Spence I'm almost home do you think you could spend the night tonight I don't want to be alone." I whimpered out tears sliding down my face.

"I'll be there in ten with food ready for you." he almost said instantly. I nod knowing he can't see me before hanging up and making my way down the exit.

"Mom. Get out." I complained. I was 15 and I just wanted privacy.

"Come on sweetie talk to me." she sighs.

"No. Just leave me alone." I yell.

"Don't you dare yell at me I am your mother." she was now raising her voice. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"I wish you were never my mother. "

After saying those few words to her, I could see the heartbreak in her eyes. She did everything for me even when we didn't have money and it was just the two of us. Then at the time it was my mom, my sister, I and her husband Justin and his kid. I didn't mean to say it I was just mad and I always apologized for it still feeling bad for even saying it.

"I wish you were never my mother." The words were like ice. She stopped dead in her tracks. It still heart my heart when thinking about it. It still made me cry thinking about it. Which I already was but still it only increased it. I grab my bag walking into the apartment complex seeing Reid's car parked a few down from mine I knew he used the key I gave him to get into my apartment. God how much more obvious could I be. I walk to the elevator pressing the fourth floor taking my time up there. I open the door hearing his footsteps bring him into direct eye-contact. I drop my bad right by the door closing it as he held his arms open for me to walk into, so I did exactly that. I walk right into his arms. My arms latching around his neck his wrapping around my waist. I bring my head into his neck crying harder with each second the hug lasted. He doesn't say anything he just sways us back and forth letting us take in the moments. Enjoying having someones arms to cry in after a long day of crying by yourself. It felt nice knowing he was there if you needed him.

"Do you want to eat?" he asked. I nodded my head before sitting at my island. He hands me my bowl of Chinese food and takes his own setting it down on the side of me. I lay my head on his shoulder messing with my food with my fork. He notices it but doesn't say anything he just takes my hand way and holds it with his laying his head on top of mine. He took his head off mine and unlaced his hands before taking a deep breath.

"You need to go lay down you look exhausted." he says in a hushed tone.

"Can you come lay down with me." I say just as quietly.

"If you go get ready I'll clean up the kitchen then I'll come lay down with you." he says. I nod before walking a few steps forward before quickly turning around and turn into his embrace hugging him once again. I mumble a quick 'thank you.'  Into his stomach.

"I love you." I say once I finally let go.

"I love you pretty girl." he says softly using my nickname he gave me a while ago when I started using the nickname pretty boy because of Morgan. I walk into my room changing into a pair of shorts and his over sized Cal-tech t-shit. I brush me teeth once again and go into my room where he has changed from his normal dress pants into his flannel pants with a hoodie on. I smile at him smally but I could tell he noticed because once I did he flashed me an award winning smile holding up his tooth brush. I laugh lightly and walk to the bed letting him get in the bathroom. He walks out and get's on his side of the bed laying into it with me.

"Y/n?" he questioned.

"Yes love."

"I heard that they think the found the killer." he says. I sit up straight.

"What-" I questioned softly

"Emily said they found a note and a dead body confessing into killing your mom." he says just as softly.

"How do we know it's him?"

"He explained in the letter details only the person who did it would know his prints were found on a weapon that looks exactly like the weapon your mom was killed with and the blade matched and everything. Then we found a recording of him and your mom talking."

"When did you find this?"

"Today." I nod.

"So it's really him?"

"Yeah. It's really him." he says. I smile softly, our eyes finally meet. He grabs me pulling me closer to him. I take this as a sign and plant my lips on his. He doesn't kiss back so I pull away just as quickly.

"I'm-I-I'm so sor-" I was cut off by his lips on my once again finally feeling at peace.

"Our Life is made by the death of others."~ Leonardo da Vinci

[s-and-n-writes]

stolen smiles and little black lies

crimson and bluebell: part one 

summary: 

Marinette Rossi is tired of everything: from Lila's constant berating and Madame Rossi's preferential care of her 'angel-like' daughter, to how everyone at school (even Alya) seems to believe her evil stepsister over her.

It's like she's Cinderella, except without the fairy godmother and the happy ending. She doesn't even have a prince.

Or so she thinks.

Between the appearance of a new boy who seems to have captured her heart, and a gala run by her fashion idol Gabriel Agreste, Marinette hopes for an escape the constant ignorance, workload, and bullying she endures, and get a blissful life of her own.

With the help of one tiny god and a meow-velous partner, she might finally get a chance, but not everything is that simple.

They say ladybugs are lucky, so will being the elusive Ladybug bring Marinette the luck she oh-so-desperately needs?

quick links: 

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a/n: first chapter’s up! i hope you guys like it! if you wanna be part of the taglist for this, shoot me a message! :) 

It’s dawn when Marinette’s alarm rings.

The sun peaks through the attic window, frail rays treacherously passing through the glass as Marinette hits snooze for the third time.

She’s late, as usual, but that’s no surprise. 

By the time the sky swells with pink, and the silver stars littering the morning sky fade, Marinette’s alarm has gone off a fourth time, the shrill ringing and flashing salmon-red of the numbers cutting through the silence of the morning, as the girl in question finally wakes.

The pink sky changes into the warm undertones of peach and the rising sun peaks further out from the mountains when Marinette is ready. She ties back her midnight-blue locks of hair into twin tails on either side of her head with the two once-red bands she’d once found discarded in front of Lie-La Lila’s room. 

Lost, forgotten, discarded.

The words seem to sum her up perfectly. 

She heads down to the kitchen just as the peach sky cools into blue, the sun rising overhead to begin the new day, and she smiles as she gazes for a minute down the hallway window to the cobblestone streets below. 

The grin on her face quickly shifts into a frown once she heads into the kitchen.

Fortunately, preparation for breakfast finishes up quicker than usual, and the lovely smell of fresh-baked croissants waft through the house. Marinette takes this time to glance at her phone, a well treasured gift after months of working at the bakery. The phone is in no way one of the best, and certainly can’t compare to Chloe’s, but Marinette is happy with it, so the cracked screen and the faded case are overlooked.

It must be the croissants that make Madame Rossi to come downstairs, dark bags fresh under her eyes. Marinette feels sorry for her, knowing her long days and longer nights at the embassy, so she merely smiles as Madame Rossi sits into one of the dining room chairs, slumping gracefully on the cool-white tabletop. 

The embassy job pays well, though, and the house they are in proves that.

“Morning Madame,” Marinette says, pushing towards Madame Rossi a croissant laid delicately onto the new white plates. 

Lila’s mother is certainly her favorite Rossi, since Lila has some...tendencies that Marinette doesn’t like. Especially when they’re being used towards her, as they often are.

But even if Madame Rossi was the most tolerable of the Rossi family, Marinette knows that she has flaws. 

Madame tilts her head as she glances at the croissant, and then at Marinette, accepting the plate with a tired smile. 

“Good morning Marinette,” she says, nibbling gently on the croissant. “Have you seen Lila yet?”

Marinette bites her lip in frustration at the woman’s blatant love of her daughter. If Madame Rossi had truly wanted to see it, she would’ve found the holes in Lila’s fake personality years ago. 

 “N-no Madame,” she stutters. The topic of Lila always seems to make Marinette nervous, since the girl in question could be listening from anywhere. 

And since Marinette has had many an experience with calling Lila out, usually ending with purple-ish bruises covering inches of her skin, she does not want to make the same mistake again.

But it’s then that Lila appears in the living room, fake smile on par with the rest of her demeanor and carrying a small brown bag. Marinette notices how Madame Rossi immediately brightens: her skin glows, her eyes happily crinkle at the edges, and a smile replaces her forlorn frown.

It’s almost enough to make Marinette jealous. Lila has someone to lean on, someone who loves her, when she has no one. 

Marinette’s not blind. She’s seen how Madame Rossi looks when Lila comes into the room, versus her. She knows she’s adopted (as if the hair didn’t give it all away). It’s an unspoken truth in the family, and even if Marinette doesn’t know who her birth parents are, she supposes she’s ok with her family right now. 

Or at least, she hopes she is. 

Because she has no one else. 

Madame Rossi feeds her and clothes her, yes, but deep down Marinette knows she’s a burden; one that has to prove her worth to stay. It doesn’t matter that she works harder, or has a better personality, because Lila will always be painted as an angel in Madame Rossi’s eyes, and Marinette as the weight that the Rossi family shoulders.

Lila, however, is the variable that creates chaos for Marinette, as she spins and weaves lies like an intricate blanket to her advantage. Marinette is a pawn on her chess board, barely surviving as Lila throws obstacle after obstacle at her. After all, Marinette can still count the times Lila has been nice to her on one hand, even if the hand has no fingers.

“Good morning, Mother!” Lila greets, her perfect smile stretching across her face.

But Marinette had been there long enough. She always saw the flaws: the slight twitch in Lila’s eye, the scowl before the smirk, the smirk before the smile.

“Good morning Lila, dear, how are you? Did you get a good night’s rest?” Madame Rossi questions, the concern and genuine love clearly visible in her eyes. 

Marinette refrains from biting her already-bruised lip yet again, and walks towards the kitchen for a well-needed breath of fresh air. 

“I slept well, Mother,” Lila replies from the dining room, voice visibly louder to let Marinette hear, “Well, as well as I could, since Marinette’s snores drifted from the attic,”

“Oh dear,” Madame Rossi responds, turning around briefly to glance at Marinette with a look of despondency.

“I just get so tired when I don’t get my beauty rest. And God knows I need it, what with the insomnia the doctor diagnosed. I already look horrible!” Lila groans, adding in a perfectly timed yawn at the center of her sentence.

Ah yes. Marinette can perfectly remember the fake doctor’s visit, the fake doctor herself, and the fake insomnia Lila created.

“Lila, don’t say that about yourself. You are the most beautiful girl, and the best daughter. Insomnia is merely a setback that you can get over, just like anything else” Madame Rossi fondly says, “and as for your tiredness, perhaps you can take a nap after school today. Marinette can do your chores,”

Once again, Madame Rossi has perfectly catered to Lila’s needs, unknowingly belittling Marinette. After all, Lila is the real master around the Rossi household, dragging all others around like puppets on strings.

“Marinette, are you okay with that?” Lila questions, her eyes full of concern. If Marinette was new around the house, she might’ve allowed herself to believe her. But Marinette is not new; she’s been here for years, and she knows Lila too well. Her slightly narrowed hershey brown eyes and almost-sympathetic furrowed brows scream ‘do it or else!’, an obvious indicator that she has to agree.

Otherwise, things won’t end well...

“Yes, that is perfectly fine Lila, um, please go upstairs and rest,” Marinette says, adding on an ‘after breakfast of course’ after Lila subtly glares at her (likely thinking it’s a ploy to shoo her away). 

Lila smiles, and takes a seat at the large dinner table, crossing her legs and placing her hands over her lap. 

“Wonderful! Thank you Mother!” she smiles. “Now Marinette, where is my croissant?”

“Ah, uh, right here,” Marinette says, avoiding eye contact as she passes the croissant to Lila. Lila smirks in reply, and glances at her mother.

“So…” Lila pauses, considering how to proceed with small-talk, “how’s the er-the embassy?” 

“Doing well!” Madame Rossi smiles. “I actually have an event next week that I’d love for you girls to come to!” 

“Mom, I’m not quite sure I’m free…” Lila frowns. “But go ahead, tell me what it is,”

Marinette steps into the kitchen, listening intently as she brews a pot of coffee. The hot liquid nearly burns the pads of her fingers as she pours it into three cups, but it’s nothing she hasn’t felt before.

“Ah, well, there’s a gala that Gabriel Agreste is hosting,” Madame Rossi explains, taking a bite of her croissant.

“Gabriel Agreste, right?” Lila smirks, eyes training on Marinette, “I assume this is for, perhaps, new fashion designers? Maybe he wants to, um, I don’t know, scope out an intern?” 

The bluenette on the other side of the room twitches as she rubs her hands together, barely containing her excitement.

“Yes!” Madame Rossi grins, “You’re so smart Lila. Maybe we should move you up a grade-”

“Er-um, when would this be, um Madame?” Marinette cuts in. 

Madame Rossi raises an eyebrow. “Hold on Marinette. I’m not quite done explaining yet. No need to get so impatient,” 

“Yea,” Lila shrills evilly, glancing between her mother and her so-called sister as she quickly formulates a plan, “Hold on, Marinette. She’s just getting started,” 

There’s a double meaning behind Lila’s words, like the sharp edge of a sword being pressed against Marinette’s neck, quickly drawing out blood the color of cherry-red roses. It’s a warning, that Lila is the one just getting started, not Madame Rossi. 

Marinette chooses to shrink back, and stay silent in the moment, fear of Lila winning over her genuine excitement. 

Like always.

She’s used to it though. It’s ok.

Madame Rossi ignores Marinette’s suddenly startled breathing, and continues with her explanation. 

“The embassy has to get involved because this could make headlines, since Monsieur Agreste invited many of the world’s most famous fashion designers. If France gains tourists because of this, it could boost our economy,” Madame Rossi says as Marinette brings a pot of coffee to her. 

“That’s so exciting Mom!” Lila (fake) smiles. 

“I’m glad you think so!” Madame Rossi replies, “We have to host a two day program welcoming all of these people to Paris. Monsieur Agreste himself will be there! There’s, um, there’s a welcoming ceremony, then a formal dinner, and finally, oh uh, finally… actually I’ll get back to you on the last thing,”

“No prob!” Lila smiles. Marinette rolls her eyes in retaliation before Lila can see. 

“Anyways, I wanted to invite you girls! So many people are bringing their children. The head of the embassy’s bringing her daughter, my boss and her daughter and her son are coming, not to mention Monsieur Agreste’s son, and I thought-” 

“Hold on,” Lila interrupts. “Adrien Agreste will be there? THE ADRIEN AGRESTE?!”

“Yes, he will be,” Madame Rossi laughs, “Eager, are you?” 

“Er-no, he, well, he’s just, uh, really popular you know? It could really boost my career, in um, fashion designing,” Lila covers, smoothly altering her voice to sound desperate and longing.

“You want to be a fashion designer?” Madame Rossi smiles, genuine tears in her eyes. She wipes them away with the back of her hand and sighs, “You’ve never told me, darling!” 

“Never came up!” Lila laughs uneasily, paling as she clenches her fists to veil the irritation hidden inside her. 

Marinette’s lip has turned pale, a gash running through the side that she continues to bite. It’s a reserve for all her anger, mainly at Lila. She’d have to steal some of Alya’s preppy-red lipstick when she gets to school, to cover up the bruise.

“Lila, um, you don’t mind me asking, but who is Adrien Agreste?” Marinette cuts in, failing to follow the conversation. 

Lila doesn’t have to reply, since her mocking grin answers for her, and so does Madame Rossi. 

“Didn’t you want to be a designer, like Lila?” she asks, frowning disapprovingly. 

“I-uh, yes,” Marinette stumbles, picking at the edge of her shirt. It’s a new one that she just made over the weekend, one she can’t wait to show to Alya, but by how often she picks at the seams, the dress will dissolve into thin lines of string before school even starts. She walks over to the dining table and sits down across from Madame Rossi.

“Then you should know,” Madame Rossi says, pointing her nose upwards with a raised eyebrow. It’s often like this: the morning starts out with a kinder Madame Rossi, and as the day goes on, she continues to pile disapproving stares and hidden anger on her lesser daughter: Marinette. 

“Anyway, the whole program is next weekend, and I’d love for you both to come!” Madame Rossi says, clasping her anticipatingly. 

“Of course Mom. I’ll definitely support you. It’s a shame that Marinette can’t come though,” Lila pouts. 

Marinette’s fists both clench, her eyes widening at the prospect to miss a meeting with the famous fashion designer himself, “I-uh-” 

“Marinette, is this true?” Madame Rossi asks, raising a slight eyebrow, “Why?” 

“Some sort of field trip for art club, I think,” Lila cuts in, smiling sweetly at Marinette, “Right Marinette?” 

Lila throws a pointed look at the girl, eyes calculatingly tracing across her face. It was another warning, far more powerful than the last, a signal that if Marinette doesn’t follow, there will be consequences. 

But Marinette is tired; tired of the constant warnings, tired of the beratings, tired of the girl she doesn’t want to call her sister, tired of the woman who keeps favorites, tired of… well, everything. 

“Sorry, n-no,” Marinette stutters quietly.

“What?” Lila smiles, turning to raise an eyebrow at Marinette. Lila’s aura of masked evil radiates against her, pushing, pulling, threatening, hurti-

“I’m saying no,” Marinette , hidden confidence rising to the surface like shiny, opaque bubbles. “I don’t have an art club field trip. I’m free,”

If Lila snarls, Madame Rossi doesn’t notice, instead choosing to take a sip of her coffee and dusting her hands gently on her royal-blue blouse. 

“Great!” she smiles, “I’ll tell them that both of you are coming,” 

Unusual silence falls onto the dining room, broken only by Madame Rossi’s quiet humming. It’s atypical in only the fact that Lila never spares a moment by not talking to her mother; she often decides to leave or escape in a different way. 

The tension is thick, and every moment Madame Rossi looks away is another one that Lila uses to visually throw daggers at Marinette.

But Madame Rossi leaves before she recognizes the obvious shift of the room, pushing dishes in the sink and heading out the door with only a feeble au revoir! 

“Au revoir, Mother!” Lila calls back, smoke nearly coming out of her ears as she desperately tried to keep the anger out of her voice. 

Marinette’s confidence dissipates quickly as she regains her shyness and vulnerability. It’s a shame because it’s at that moment that Lila attacks.

“Listen, you filthy scum of a sister,” Lila sneers, clenching her fists. Marinette struggles to not shiver, to not show the telltale signs of fear.

It seems, however, that Lila already knows. 

“If it weren’t for my amazing ability to somehow tolerate you, not to mention my mother’s strange liking of you, you’d be gone, do you understand?” Lila hurls at Marinette. Marinette, despite her will to not break, flinches.

Lila smiles cruelly. “That’s better, Mari-brat,” 

She studies Marinette’s features. “Alright, fine. You can come to the whole embassy fiasco,”

With carefully timed smirk overtaking her features, Lila leans in close, inches away from Marinette. “But stay away from Adrien. He’s mine,” 

Lila backs away from the table, slamming her chair into it and cracking the edges of glass. Lila’s glass mug full of coffee lands on the floor, quickly  shattering into a million different pieces as the contents inside stain the carpet a less-than-beautiful shade of walnut brown. 

Marinette gasps, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth afterwards, and observing the damage.

“But don’t think I’ve gone soft,” Lila grins, “I guess you’ll be the one that tells Mother about how you tragically destroyed her glass table, and her carpet!”

Marinette knows that Madame Rossi will be furious. Even if the table isn’t as tragically destroyed as Lila had said, the coffee spill is sure to anger her. 

If she’s really mad, she might ground Marinette into staying at home the days that they went to the embassy, and while Lila frolicked with her idols, Marinette would be at home. 

But that’s not the highlight of it all. Marinette had almost thought that Lila was finally changing for the better. 

Almost. 

“Well, I’m off to school!” Lila says, continuing to smirk. “Have fun cleaning up the mess you made!” 

She leaves with a final look at Marinette, slamming the door behind her.

Based on the gleam in Lila’s eye, Marinette’s due for some black and blue sometime soon. 

quick links: | next chapter >

a/n: next chapter should come soon! if you liked it, perhaps like this post, or reblog, or comment :) enjoy your day! 

taglist: 

i’ll be tagging the people that i had tagged before, along with a couple others who liked the masterlist for this series. if you don’t want to get tagged, i’m very sorry! just shoot me a private message, and i’ll take you off the tags. if you do want to get tagged, just tell me with a private message or an ask and i’ll add you to the taglist. thank you! 

@reddragonofemeraldflame  @nomiegnome  @18markers @katbab @emmathedestroyer @bluesesameseed @cyborgcandy @karukofox21 @magnificentcrapposts​ @miraculouslylee​

[ianfrancis-blog]

Hi! This is my first blog and I would like to share my adventurous journey about my life. Let’s start. My name is Ian Francis Maranan. I’ve been living for 20 years since the day I was born on the 25th of October, year 2000. I’m currently living in the city of Calamba, province of Laguna. When I was younger, I was an introvert. I don’t like interacting with anybody other than my family. Many people don’t know the truth about me, not even some of my friends.

I am the fifth and last son of my biological parents. Yes, I am an adopted child. It is because of an emotional turmoil that my family was going through that time. Truth is during the whole duration of me being inside my mother’s womb, every single family member didn’t know that she was conceiving me. They only discovered it when my godfather heard my cry as a baby. The pregnancy was not expected nor my birth because it was just recent when my brother was born. During that time, my biological mom is experiencing a psychological problem so she’s been emotionally unstable resulting to our family facing financially insecurity. For everybody, I am the miracle baby. Despite the challenge that my biological family, there is still hope.

I was adopted by the eldest sister of my biological mom who is my Mama Dorie. She is one of the many Overseas Filipino Workers in Macau. She is still single until now so I’m very sure that I am the only boy in her life. Though I was left here by Mama Dorie with my Lola, Mama Dorie and Mama Gloria’s mom, we never failed to communicate with each other. I am really blessed, right? I have three mothers, a father and four brothers.

For 11 years, my Lola took care of me and loved me. I was in grade 5 then, but I can still remember how dark my days when she died. I really miss her. I miss when she brings me to school and takes me home every single day. I miss her ways of disciplining me. I miss her every Sundays I go to mass because it reminds me of her wanting me to grow up as a child who is God fearing. But I’m still thankful I had her for 11 years of my life and I would treasure those times and memories with her.

After the death of my grandma, I was left in the custody of my Tita Delia until I graduated grade school. Tita Delia is a day care teacher and the mother of my best friend and cousin, Benok. I had been a consistent honor student then. With the help of my biological brother, who is a licensed teacher now, I excelled in my studies. He’d been very patient with me every day so I guess I had to give back through a bit of recognition in school.

I graduated in grade six as the second honorable mention or top four of our class. That time, my Tita Delia was supposed to be with me on graduation but I was surprised when Mama Dorie showed up on the day of my graduation ceremonies. I was still in shock Mama Dorie and I claimed my diploma and academic awards at the stage provided. But that doesn’t end there; Mama Dorie brought me to Macau and Hongkong as a graduation gift.

After that, I continued my journey at the city of Makati. Mama Dorie decided to send me to my godmother’s house to live and continue my studies because things were a bit complicated when Lola passed away and no one will take care of me. Not even my brother because he needed to focus in his work to support the needs and finances of my biological family. So, I started studying in Gen Pio Del Pilar National High school in Makati as a grade 7 junior high school student. At first, I was really nervous. Imagine; you have been some kind of an introvert for years than suddenly you are in a new place with no acquaintance. Scary, isn’t it?

In spite of my shyness, I tried my best to have some friends in school and luckily, I gained a lot of them and found that extrovert part of me. Every holiday, I visit Laguna to have some vacation. I finished junior high school in Makati city. I experienced facing challenges and sharing memories as a student and as a friend. Although junior high school wasn’t a paradise, I still had great memories. I’ve gained a group of true friends which was formed during grade nine and grown at grade ten. We named ourselves “team hoCage”. We thought it was funny when one of my friends pronounced hokage as hocage and so we laughed and decided to use the word as the name of the group. I will never forget those treasured bonding memories that I had with my friends. At the day of our moving up ceremony, I thought it will be the last day I’ll see them; we hugged and promised that we will bond again. Now, even from afar, we still talk together through online communication.

Moving on, I decided to continue my studies in Laguna at an IT school named AMA Computer College-Calamba campus. Taking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand. For the last 2 academic years, senior high school has been very challenging yet fun for me. I’ve made new friends. I had come to learn to be more independent. It has been a year of learning as well. And though it was tough, I am grateful, especially to God, my friends, and family who have always been there to help and support me. I am hoping there will be more wonderful, exciting and blessed experiences to come in my journey through life.

For now, I am currently a student in second year at City College of Calamba, taking an IT course. I am grateful for experiencing college life, still in progress until I graduated. This period of time is not that easy as an adult. I'm always thinking about my future and whether I will be successful. Many responsibilities will come, so I should be ready to face them. Today, this pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful and that can cause strong emotions in adults and children. One of the major effects is education. Many students are struggling with their modules and online classes, and some of them are worsening their mental health conditions. I hope this pandemic ends soon.

Now, I’m focusing on the things I like. First on the list is my love for arts. I draw a lot. I love creating portrait and anime drawings. I wish to be recognized someday as one of the popular artists in the world. I also like taking pictures with my smart phone usually through selfies or groufies with my friends and taking pictures of sunset and post it on my Instagram or Facebook accounts. A lot of people say that I have skills in photography. Someday, I also wish to have a dslr camera. Definitely, my life will not be complete without sports. Badminton is first on my sports list which I started playing since childhood. Second is playing volleyball. I also love playing strategic games like chess and dama. I also dance and I consider it as my passion. I like watching hip-hop and urban dance videos because it really makes me happy. As a result, I’m become a fan of Matt Steffanina and Sean Lew for the reason that they are the great dancers and choreographers and that they keep inspiring the people in the field of dance. I’m also a certified music lover and I can’t live without it. I play music that fits me when travelling, feeling alone, feeling sad and feeling bored. Music is my source of happiness. Just by plugging the earphones, you can easily forget the world.

After all, I feel blessed and I’m thankful for the good things that had come into my life and for all my friends and my family who never fails to put a smile on my face. In life, we commit mistakes but always put in mind the things we learned from it. There will always be a bad days and problems will come into your life but never give up and always stick of the positive side of life! There will be a way to solve it and let our God guide you always.

I want to thank you for reading and I hope I made you smile :) Have a nice day! :D

[yandere-oppai]

My Alpha

Yandere! Omega! Kirishima x Reader

Forced Partnership (pt.1)

Words: 1700+

Warnings: Nsfw, mentions of non-con

Note: Note beta-read

The second part will be posted tomorrow. 

----

The social structures that came with a world of alpha, omegas, and betas were (in your opinion) complete bullshit. The idea of an alpha forcefully claiming an omega, and the omega preceding to “love” the fucker because of genetics? That’s just Stockholm syndrome with extra steps. It made you have a severe admiration for betas. They didn’t have to deal with their natural instinct. They could live normally. 

Though, you have to credit your mother for giving you this complex. Before your second sex characteristics came in, she assumed you’d be an omega. Afterall, Alphas, in general, were rare, and on her family’s side, there were no betas. She’d fill your head with how someday you’ll find an alpha to take care of you. Like that was every omega’s dream. You’d hear her go on about how your father was a strong alpha who was a godsend. Who chose her to carry his genes. And you believed her for a while. When you would ask her where he was, she’d look at you and say...

“He’ll be back for us soon”

It was when your beta godmothers (mom’s high school friends) visited did you realize just how cruel the world was. Mom had left you in their care while she went to buy snacks for the guests.  Your room’s vent carried sound. From the living room, you could hear their hushed whispers carry over. You couldn’t help but listen.

“She still hasn’t given up on finding him.”

“She can’t help it, it’s in her DNA. You know how omegas are. Loyal to their alpha.”

There was a pause, you assume they were thinking again. Probably sad thoughts. 

“But he’s not her alpha. It was rape, and nothing close to a consensual. It’s not fair…”

“Nothing in life is fair. Not all humans are created equal.”

Your seven-year-old mind couldn’t wrap your head around what they were saying. Rape? Non-consensual? Who were they talking about? Your mind ran wild. But by the tone of their normally upbeat voices, you knew what they were saying wasn’t a happy subject. And for some reason, it stuck in your head. And as you further aged (you weren’t sure when) you began to understand what they were talking about. That’s when you realized how evil alphas were and how vulnerable omegas are. You hoped and prayed that you’d end up as a beta. 

It was during your second year of middle school that your symptoms kicked in. You’d always been an athletic kid who enjoyed playing to the fullest. So after gym class, while you were changing with the other girls, you didn’t think much of your skin growing hot. Thinking that a broken ac was the cause.

“Hey, is anyone else hot. I think the a/c might need fixing!” you joke but didn’t receive a response. 

When you turned around you were greeted by some of your peer’s faces turned beet red. Those that had already gone through the change. It took one of your close friends coming up to you and stuttering out that you were going through a rut, that you finally understood. You quickly threw on the rest of your clothing and ran to the nurse’s office in tears. You’d become one of the things you hated most. 

----

“Where are you headed (L/n)-san?” Came the voice of one of the business course girls. You smiled and waved your hand.

“I just have to visit recovery girl before lunch. I think I might’ve pulled something earlier this morning,” you explained. The girls wished you luck on your way and you took off.

You’d never tell them the truth though. You kept a consistent schedule in when to take your represent medication. If you ever felt like a rut was coming on you’d rush to recovery girl to get the stronger medication. Today, you were 100% going through a rut. The pills you’d taken in the morning and during class could only do so much. It hid your scent and took away your symptoms, though only for about half an hour. They were the only ones you could get over the counter. The stronger stuff had to be sent in by parents and held in the nurse’s office. Taking too many could harm the individual. 

“Recovery girl? Are you in?” You called and made your way into the sweet-smelling room. She might’ve replaced the flowers she was using. Or tried out the aromatherapy you’d recommended for students. “Guess she’s not in right now?”

There was no little old lady to be found in the room. So you sat on the bed next to its twin, covered by the surrounding curtains. Some poor soul probably didn’t want to be disturbed. You sat for a bit, just enjoying the smell of what you assumed was honeysuckle and vanilla. That is until a pained groan game from the other side of the curtain. You ignored it at first, but another louder blanch made your worry grow.

“You okay over there?” You called. Only to receive a whimper in response. The noise for some reason made you incredibly unhappy. Almost like your stomach dropped in an instant. You stood up and began to open the thick curtain. “Hey, hope you don’t mind but I-”

The pleasant smell of the office finally made sense. Especially with the source of it staring directly at you with half-lidded eyes. His red hair coming undone from its paralyzed style. Skin slick with perspiration and tears. All coming together with his flush skin to give him even more of a sickly look. You knew what was happening, he’s an omega. An omega in heat at that. Another whimper from him broke you out of your frozen state and sent a quiver to your core. This wasn’t good, your pills were wearing off. And the redhead could tell by how your scent was responding to his. To hell with waiting for recovery girl, you would rather make a B-line for the dorm and suffer through the rut before you’d force yourself on someone. When you took an unstable step back the male’s eyes widen and he tries to sit up. 

“Alpha…” came his gruff voices, clearly exhausted from his heat. Again, the heat between your legs persisted. 

“Omega,” you responded almost automatically. Yet again one of the reasons why you hated biology.

 He gave you a smile and continued to stand up on unstable legs. You really wanted to run but your hormones were in overdrive. You didn’t want to stay but your legs were rooted to the floor a few feet from this guy. You tried your hardest to at most stand your ground and do nothing. Better than doing something you’ll regret. But when he stumbled you couldn’t help but catch him and give him some support. Again with the big grin.

“Alpha,” he once again mumbled. But this time he took advantage of the situation and nuzzled his head into your scent gland. You gulped, you needed to end this before things escalated. His growing smell was starting to affect you. 

“H-hey, wait,” you stepped back but kept your harms on his biceps to keep him up. He let out a whine at the lost contact. “Y-you don’t want this. And I’m not l-looking for an omega. So if you could jus-” you were taken aback when he suddenly launched himself hat you. Knocking the both of you back onto the bed you’d been sitting on earlier. 

His lips were on yours in an instant. Moving his mouth to an out of tune and sloppy rhythm. His teeth pricked at your lips in a plea for entrance. You wanted to shut him out, you really wanted to. But in an instant of weakness and hormone-filled lust...you parted your lips. In an instant, those desperate closed-mouthed kisses turned into a heated mutual passion.

Your tongue taking control in an instant. Exploring his mouth in a more aggressive way than he did. Teeth against teeth and bruised lips were all that could describe the moment. And when you felt a hardened length furiously run itself back and forth against your clothed nether region, you lost all semblance of control. You let out a guttural groan and grabbed the omega by the neck, pulling him away from your lips. His scrunched up eyebrows didn’t last long before you had flipped the two of you so that you were on top. 

As all alphas should be 

He let out happy mewls as you began to pepper his neck with love bites and rough kisses. Never biting hard enough to count as a mating mark. But with his hands curled up in your hair, trying to direct your mouth to his scent gland, it was hard to resist. 

“Alpha, my alpha…” He chanted like some kind of prayer. Which only egged you on. 

His gyrations picked up speed at one point, his hips finally finding their rhythm. The smell of slick and his vanilla scent were all that your senses could focus on. Making your head feel light and hazy. Like there was no better place to be but here. You continued to mark any exposed skin you could on his neck, leaving no territory left unconquered. And him doing the same for you. When you felt his whole body lock up and his eyes almost roll to the back of his head, you couldn’t help instinct. 

You bit down as hard as you could onto his neck. You were latched onto his scent gland as he rode out his orgasm. The poor boy got off just by dry humping you. How sweet. 

“Yours, I’m yours. Your omega. Your mate. My alpha! Mine,” he spoke in broken sentences. His focus completely lost in lust. 

The door to the nurse’s office opening is what prompted you to detach yourself from the now messy boy. His face and hair now matching one another. It was only then that you realized what you’d done. 

You jumped up and ran out of the office past recovery girl. You were in tears and completely ignored the sound of the boy you left on the bed. Still calling for his supposed alpha. 

I’m a fucking monster

[p-artsypants]

Longest Night (36) Visiting

Ao3 | FF.net

Waking up was slowly becoming Adrien’s least favorite activity. Of course, that was shortly followed by falling back to sleep. He was in a state of barely wakefulness, while also being too tired to sleep. His mouth was dried out and scratchy, and the tingling sensation of numbness had settled into his limbs.

Breathing was still difficult. He knew that the tube in his throat was supposed to be helping with that, but it just sucked. It all sucked. Everything hurt, and he felt disgusting, and his nose itched.

Was this his existence from now on? He didn’t know if he could bare it.

The doctor was standing in front of him. “Hi Adrien, how are you feeling today?”

How was he supposed to answer that? With a moan? A smile?

“Wink once for yes, and twice for no.”

Wink.

“Excellent. Now I know you’re uncomfortable, but we need to wake you up for a little bit. In about an hour, we’ll sedate you again.”

Oh so he wasn’t even sleeping on his own? Damn.

“Are you warm enough?”

Wink.

“Are you thirsty?”

Wink.

“Yeah, I’m sure your mouth is dry too. But you can’t take any fluids by mouth right now. You have a feeding tube in your mouth, and a nasotracheal tube in your nose so you can breathe. Then we have an IV for fluids. Because you’re thirsty, that’s a sign that I can up your fluid intake.”

Adrien closed his eyes, emotion building behind his eyelids.

He didn’t want this.

“We’re going to get some food in you too, while you’re awake. It might feel a little awkward because you won’t be swallowing on your own, but you have to eat.”

It not like Adrien could protest.

So food was forced down the tube in his throat by a pump. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped to ease the pain in his stomach.  

“There’s someone who’s been dying to see you. Well, he’s been here for a while, but he wants you to see him,” Said the doctor. “Are you up for a guest?”

No. He wasn’t. He didn’t want anyone to see him.

Unless it was Marinette. In which case, yes.

Wink.

Instead, a black blur floated in front of his face. “Hey kid,” Plagg greeted, with a soft voice full of affection.

Looking into Plagg’s infinite green eyes, Adrien felt a hurricane of emotions. Feelings of abandonment, betrayal, grief, and failure. Of sorrow and anger, confusion and hatred.

It was awful and unfair. Plagg hadn’t done anything wrong, and Adrien knew that in his head.

But trauma messes with the brain.

Adrien clenched his eyes shut, as tears leaked out.

“I missed you,” Plagg said, nuzzling against his cheek.

Where were you?! Adrien screamed in his head, I needed you!

“You’re so brave, Adrien.”

But Adrien didn’t want to hear it. He was so lost in his hurt, he couldn’t bare it. He swatted Plagg away, feebly.

The Kwami sunk to the mattress, staring at his charge. This was not the tearful reunion he expected. “Adrien?” He whispered.

The boy kept his eyes shut as tears continued to slip out.

The doctor carefully wiped his face. “Alright, that’s enough for today.” He urged.

Plagg disappeared, hiding somewhere out of sight, and that was just fine with Adrien.

“That wasn’t very nice, Adrien.” Gabriel scolded.

Ugh. He wanted to talk to his father even less. Especially right now. Why was he even here? Wasn’t he profoundly disappointed in him already? Was he a glutton for punishment?

“Plagg has been here all along. He’s been worried sick. I’ve been worried sick.”

Yeah right.

Adrien rolled his eyes and turned his face towards his pillow. This was unfair, having to listen to this, not being allowed to leave. Not being able to defend himself.

“Mr. Agreste,” the doctor interrupted. “Adrien’s heart rate is accelerating. We’re trying to keep him calm. Perhaps now is not the time for a lecture.”

“Of course. I’m sure he’s just confused.”

Confused? No, he was perfectly aware of what was going on. He was in a hospital, bound to a bed, and being prepared to fit right back into the peg he didn’t fit anymore. He could see it unfolding around him.

And it was maddening.

“I can see you’re feeling tired. Ready to go back to sleep?”

Please. Please for the love of God.

Wink.

“Alright. Just try to relax and take a deep breath, counting down from ten.

1…

2…

3…

Well it didn’t work, because here he was awake again.

“Good morning Adrien, how are you today?”

Again, he couldn’t talk. Hadn’t they just had this conversation? Perhaps not, considering the doctor had been wearing a blue shirt yesterday, and today he was wearing a red one.

Had he slept that hard?

“Are you cold?”

Wink wink.

“Are you hot?”

Now that he thought about it, he was stifling under these blankets.

Wink.

The doctor rolled back the top layer.

Again, he was force fed some unidentifiable substance through a feeding tube, and he was asked a dozen yes or no questions.

“I have some more visitors for you. If you’re up for it.”

Why not? It’s not like he was really given a choice.

But when Tom Dupain came into view, with a warm and tender smile on his lips, Adrien relaxed.

“Hey kiddo, look at you! You’ve got some color in your cheeks!” He said softly, brushing his thumb over his forehead.

That felt nice.

Sabine was up further by his head. “We’ve been with Marinette most of the time, but when the doctor said you were going to wake up for a little bit, we just had to come say hi!” She was lightly scratching his scalp.

That felt really nice.

Now these were parents. Always a warm welcome, full of hugs, ready to stuff him full of carbs. Whenever he had come over to Marinette’s house, they had both asked about his day, his well-being. It was everything he craved in his own father.

They were a comfort. The comfort of having a mom and dad around when you didn’t feel well. Though they couldn’t necessarily make the pain go away, the kiss on the head was soothing.

“Marinette’s sitting up now and eating on her own.” Sabine said, as she squeezed his hand. “Isn’t that just wonderful? She still sleeps most of the time, but that’s really good.”

It hurt to hear about his lady. Hurt to hear and not see.

“She came to see you a few days ago,” said Tom. “When you were severely unstable instead of mostly unstable.” He joked. “She really misses you.”

And he missed her. Even though they were mostly separated in the catacombs, she was still with him in experience. The fear for her safety, wondering if she was safe, it kept her close when he couldn’t be with her. Her voice from the adjacent cell, her hand in his...

What a horrible thing to bond over.

“She’d come see you every day if she could.” Tom insisted, “but the doctors want you both to stay as calm as possible. Especially you. But it won’t be long until we move you into the same room.”

Sabine swept the bangs from his forehead. “And Marinette is really looking forward to spending the Christmas season with you. Hot cocoa, cookies, evenings in front of the fire and watching the snow fall...”

All things he had seen in movies, but nothing he had emotional attachment to. Maybe having them around for the season would make things more bearable, but he doubted Sabine had any idea how unmotivated the holiday made him.

“You’re so strong.” Sabine whispered, before kissing his forehead. “You’re fading fast, but just know that we’ll be checking in on you when we can.”

Adrien felt a tear run down his cheek.

What did he do to deserve such love? Did they just love Marinette so much that it overflowed onto the people she loved? Was that what a parent’s love was like? Or what it should be like?  

With one last squeeze to his hand, they left. Their departure was foggy, as the drugs started to kick in again.

“Just sleep Adrien, you’re doing so well,” praised the doctor.

1…

2…

3…

And then he was awake again. And the process repeated himself. Hot? Wink wink. Cold? Wink. Blankets. Food.

Guest?

Wink.

This time, it was someone he was unfamiliar with. A woman with short gray hair, stout, Coke-bottle glasses.

“Well hello there, Adrien. Adrien Agreste, the one and only! How’re you feeling sweetie?”

Oh, so this was a fan then? Or perhaps another nurse?

“My name is Dr. Robin Zollar, I’m a board certified clinical psychologist, and I specialize in the treatment of physical and emotional trauma in youth. I’m going to be working with you and Marinette going forward.”

Her voice sounded so familiar to him. Who did she remind him of?

“I know it’s kind of a kick in the pants not being able to talk things out right now, but I just came to introduce myself and let you know I’m here for you.”

It was a cartoon character, for sure. An older woman in a cartoon...

“I’ll be keeping an eye on your recovery, and when you can talk, I’ll be right here to listen. And if you don’t want to talk about it right away, you don’t have to. I won’t judge, I’m just here to help.”

Ah yes. The fairy godmother from Cinderella. An odd connection, but it felt accurate.

“What you’ve both been through is extremely traumatic, and it’s one that no one else can sympathize with. From here on out, you’re going to have to learn what your new normal is. Don’t expect to get right back to where you were. You need to be patient with yourself and know your limits. Most of all, I want you to talk out what you’re feeling. Don’t bottle stuff up, though it might be easy to do so.”

What, no bippity boppity boo?

“You have a great support network here. It’ll be really easy to shut everyone out, but I recommend against that.”

A strong support network? Where was that network the rest of his life? When his mother died? Through all those years of grieving and neglect? When he asked for therapy?

Where was the comfort then? He had asked for help. And he had been told he didn’t need it. It took the trauma to be public to get help.

And that was bullshit.

“Is that something you’re interested in? Wink once for yes, twice for no.”

Wink wink.

The woman nodded. “Okay. Well, if you change your mind, your father will get in touch with me.”  

Yeah right. If he changed his mind, his father will ridicule him for it. ‘Why didn’t you take it before?’ He’d ask, ‘it’s been long enough now. You don’t need it anymore.’

But it’s not like it would help anyway.

The psychologist bid him farewell while he was lost in his thoughts, and soon he was put back to sleep again.

The next morning, while felt like a minute later, Adrien blinked his eyes open, seeing Doctor Boucher nearby.

But there was someone else too. A warm, familiar face that he hadn’t expected to see.

Nino.

Nino was smiling at him. Just a patient, friendly smile.

Adrien hated it. And he hated that he didn’t know why.

Nino rested a hand on his shoulder, rubbing a thumb back and forth over his collarbone. He comforted him while he was fed, and all his vitals were checked. Then the doctor backed off.

“Hey bro, you look like death.” He said it with a laugh, trying to make a joke. To loosen him up as always. To bring laughter and happiness to his dull, gray, lonely life.

“I mean, you look better than when you were brought here. Got a little color in your cheeks. Well, your face in general, I can’t really see your cheeks.”

Right.

“Chloe really wanted to come, but your dad was afraid she would jump on you in her excitement.”

That was probably true. He didn’t really want to face Chloe right now anyway.

Nino swallowed thickly, and when he spoke, his voice was filled with emotion. “I really missed you, Adrien. You’re my best friend, my brother…the best person I know.” He sniffed. “I want you to be happy, you know? I want…to help you. And I’ll do anything for you. You know that, right?”

There was a tickle on the back on his head. A memory locked away that was demanding to be recalled. A moment on a rooftop, standing in the drizzling rain. Nino on the ground, terrified, staring up at him with nothing but fear.

“Hey, hey dude…come on man…you didn’t know.”

Shame. That’s what he felt. He had hurt his best friend, though he couldn’t remember the specifics. But why wouldn’t be feel shame? The whole world saw him naked, crawling on the ground, wallowing in his filth and crying crying crying…

Wasn’t Nino embarrassed by him? Wasn’t he disgusted? Everyone else was.

He had to be faking it. Cutting him off like he wanted to would make him feel too guilty. That had to be it.

Who would want to be friends with him?

Nino kept talking, but Adrien didn’t want to hear anymore. So he closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

Eventually he left, by suggestion of the doctor, and the room went quiet.

Every once in a while, he’d hear the flip of a piece of paper, and the beep of a machine. Cracking one eye open, he saw his father reading a magazine. The lights were dimmed, and they were alone.

The doctor hadn’t put him back under for sedation.

Which meant he could finally rest without the jarring sensation of the scene changing every hour, but it also meant he had to fall asleep on his own. It also meant he had time to think. And only think.

His pain was low, but with each passing minute, it was starting to rise again.

It would be really nice to lay on his other side. Ugh, but he was too weak to even try.

God his throat was dry.

His father flipped another page. Why wouldn’t he just go home? Why was he here? Pretending to care?

A throat cleared, but it wasn’t Gabriel’s.

Adrien raised his eyes to the door, where a figure in black leather stood.

Adrien’s throat was already dry, and he almost gagged on his feeding tube.

“Relax, it’s just me.” Said the figure, becoming more visible.

Chat Noir had come to visit him.

Wait.

He rubbed his thumb over his ring finger, not feeling his Miraculous.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’m a hallucination born of a lot of pain meds and trauma. I don’t think the doc ever had a time to explain that to you.”

So he was crazy now?

“No, you’re not crazy. My visits will fade with time. But you have to talk somehow.”

To who? Himself?

“Yeah. Better than no one. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why Chat? Why not regular Adrien? It’s because you don’t want to be Adrien right now.”

True.

“But Chat’s always been your creative outlet. Your source of bravery, your fun side. Maybe you’ll listen to me better.”

Listen to him? What did he have to listen to?

“Your attitude stinks,” Chat said fiercely. “How dare you. You should be glad they can’t see your facial expressions. Nino was so worried about you, and you tuned him out! Tom and Sabine? They took time away from their own daughter, who’s hurt just as bad as you are, to come see you and to love on you, and you doubted them! Your own father, who has never showed an ounce of care for you in years, is here, right here!” He gestured to the man who was oblivious to the exchange. “He’s left his house, he appeared in public, and he looks like a hobo! Because of you! I know this isn’t going to undo all those years of hurt, but you have to acknowledge him. It’s not fair to him, and it’s not fair to you if you don’t.”

And when he wasn’t dying in a hospital? When Gabriel decides everything is fine now, and turns back into a robot?

“Then that’s his problem. Then you can say ‘screw it’ and be with Marinette.” He took a few steps closer and loomed over him, threateningly. Though he was a hallucination, Adrien feared he might actually get hurt.

“More than anything, you need to apologize to Plagg.”

Plagg abandoned him. No matter how many times he called for him, he never came. Not in the darkest places, in the longest nights…

“He was asleep in the ring! You can’t blame him for that! Don’t you know how much he loves you? He’s been with you every moment since you got the ring. He’s your constant companion, and he knows how to make you feel better. Why would you push him away?”

He promised never to leave Adrien alone ever again.

“That wasn’t his fault. You know that. I’m right here, telling you. And I am you. That part of you that Salo tried so damn hard to stamp out. That part of you that loves unconditionally, that gives second chances to those that don’t deserve it. The part of you that made you worthy of the Miraculous.”

Well, Adrien was tired of that part of him. It only lead to trouble.

“Deny me all you want, but I’m the foundation to your very being. I’m not going anywhere. This is who you are, Adrien. Accept it, or spend the rest of your life in denial and misery.”

“Adrien?” The small, timid voice of Plagg spoke up. “Are you still awake?”

The kwami floated into his vision, his limbs limp, his ears drooped, and eyes downcast. “Listen…I know…I know you feel like…” He sighed, unable to find the words. Adrien knew he was always bad with feelings. “I love you, Adrien,” he said finally. “You’re my favorite holder I’ve ever had. I would never, ever intentionally abandon you. When Salo took off the ring…I felt ripped away from you. I felt it. It was the worst feeling ever. Then I was alone in the ring, waiting. I didn’t know if you were killed or—“ Fat tears fell from his eyes as he struggled to continue. “And then I woke up, and I found you…and you were in surgery and there was all that blood—“ he dissolved into quiet sobbing.

Maybe Chat Noir had a point. Maybe everyone was right. Even if the only person, or kwami, gunning for him was Plagg, he would be unstoppable.

It took great effort, but Adrien raised his hand and wrapped his fingers around Plagg’s small body, stroking his head with his thumb.

“Are…are you still mad at me? Wink once for yes, and twice for no.”

Wink wink.

[chubbyreaderchan]

My Godson! | Sirius Black x godmom!Reader (godchild Harry)

(Y/n) had made a lot of mistakes after the death of her friends those thirteen and a half years ago. Today she was going to fix them. But to be far she also lost a lot that night. Her friends. Her husband who she knew was wrongfully accused, and in all honestly her mind. She thought she would never see Sirius again therefore when baby Harry was given to Petunia and Vernon instead of to her, well, she did not fight it. Instead, she ran off to America integrating herself into muggle society.

It was a mistake. She was so young. So, dumb. She cut herself out of most of the wizarding world save for a few letters to Remus. It wasn’t like she could send letters to Sirius. No, she wasn’t even allowed to visit him in those days. She was majorly depressed all those days. Instead of facing the problem she ignored it. Instead she ran away, got a bar tending license and tried to not think of little baby Harry.

And she didn’t. At least not until the beginning of the summer last year. It was the second of the month when she got a letter from Remus and a Daily Prophet. On the cover was her husbands face with a bold caption of “Escape from Azkaban”. That day filled her with many feelings. Excitement. Fear. What if she was wrong? What if he did do what everyone thought? What if she goes to find him only for him to be caught again... what if she does and meets Harry and poor Harry is... it was a difficult day.

“Are you alright?” Remus’s voice came from beside her as they waited to go into the Ministry hearing. (Y/n) nodded. At this point she barely knew young Harry. But she did know that she wanted him to live with her. It was going to be a tough sell, that she knew especially since she had just returned to the UK and had just started a new job and was still staying in Remus’s home. However, she hoped that the effort would be enough to secure him into her care.

“I’m nervous” she admitted. “Don’t worry” Remus patted his friend’s hand.

She glanced at her hand and remembered that letter he sent her that finally convinced her to go back to London. Her hands ripped open the yellowish paper.

“Dear (Y/n),

I am going to be teaching at Hogwarts. I cannot help Sirius. I can’t risk helping him. He’s going to need you here. Please, this is my last plead to have you come home. Sirius is going to need you. He might not be fully himself. And I’m afraid Harry May need you here as well

- Remus Lupin”

That was it. She tossed her bag and began making phone calls to receive a Visa, and her tickets all the way back to London. It would be at least a couple of months before she could leave in the end but it ended up aligning perfectly for her to stay in Hogsmead for the school year.

“Black” her name was called pulling her out of the past. It was time for her to fight for her godson. She knew it would not be the last time either.

Her heels clacked as the secretary, Remus and herself walked the hall into the small court room. It reminded her of the day she finally ended up in Hogmead. The Inn very rarely had guests stay for so long. Often it was ministry officials or student’s family staying to visit for holidays, not one staying until the end of the year. It also did not help that upon her arrival she was greeted by the Minister himself.

She was questioned no less about the location of Sirius and when the last time she had seen him was and so on. Followed by a visit from dementors. She thanked her stars that was also the time that Remus came to see her.

“Miss Black,” the woman at the main podium began the hearing. “You are wanting to take over the role of caregiver for Harry James Potter, correct?” She glanced behind her to see Remus’s reassuring face.

“Yes, in fact was supposed to be appointed his guardian from the beginning, seeing as Lily and James appointed me as such” she began sifting through paperwork to find the copy of Lily’s will that she had gotten ahold of during the fall. It had been a while since she last had to work with wizard laws.

Her second day in Hogsmead she had awoke to a scratching at her door. Her heart seemed to pound in her chest as she pulled the door open. A black dog sat at the door... no not just a black dog. She nodded him in and quickly shut the door and pulled close the blinds.

Her arms threw themselves around the dog.

“Sirius!” She whispered into his now human shoulder. His dark hair was long and his facial hair was long. He felt much smaller in her arms.

“I know” he whispered, kissing her neck softly. It had been so long since they had felt each other. Her tears spilled down her face into his dirty prison garments. The tears were completely silent.

“I didn’t do it. It was Peter” he whispered to her, hugging her tighter. She nodded.

“I knew you wouldn’t have done it” she nodded, her voice was weak. That was good at least she wouldn’t be suspicious.. “I’m sorry I didn’t take Harry” she said gently. “I wasn’t fit.” She admitted softly. He nodded. “I understand.” He kissed her.

“Why do you sound American?” He teased her kissing her again.

“Why didn’t you take Harry when they passed?” The wizard next to the woman at the center podium asked.

“I honestly was not mentally sound at the time.” She admitted to the court. “I would not have been a good fit. But now that I know his current conditions I know I would be better than what he has now” she urged. She felt a spark in her. Her fighter instincts were starting to return. They had been gone for almost fourteen years but now...

“Which I think is deplorable that the ministry would allow Harry to live in an abusive household. Why wouldn’t you have tried to contact me? Or Remus? Or anyone other than the Dursley’s?” Fire was burning in her chest now. A part of her attributed it to finally having access to her second half though it was going to be a secret for a long while until it can be proven that Wormtail was the true betrayer and was alive.

But she couldn’t tell poor Harry that upon meeting him. No, she felt he may not believe her. Especially since she was standing on the bridge waiting to meet him a few weeks into the school year. He didn’t even know he had a godfather or a godmother.

“Harry” Remus began upon meeting her with the young teen. “This is (Y/n). She was your mother’s friend” it took all of her not to throw her arms around him. The last time she saw him was when he was a baby. Hell, she used to watch him. Bath him. She had even changed a few of his diapers. Of course that was when Lily was alive and she was practically living part time at the Potters after the birth of Harry. A second mom James often teased her.

“Nice to meet you” he said reaching a hand out carefully. He clearly wasn’t sure of her. She didn’t expect him to.

“I suppose you wouldn’t remember me” she smiled. “The last time I spoke to you I think you called me ‘baaa’” A look of surprise caught Harry. Not many people talked to him about what he was like as a baby. He never really met anyone who had known him well enough during that time.

“Have you found a place to live yet?” Another voice asked on another part of the court. “That is pending. I have found a job however it may be a muggle job but it pays well and I have been waiting to see an apartme- I mean a flat near the Leaky Cauldron.” She had even asked for a job there but found that the muggle job offered her more. “I have high hopes for the flat!” She truly did. They even wanted to meet with her next weekend. She even invited Harry to see it that day with her.

Most of her year back home was meeting Sirius at night in the forest and spending time in the day with Harry at Hogwarts. They got on quite well, actually. That gave her so much hope. That was until a rough knock came and an invisible cloaked Harry was on her doorstep one winter afternoon.

“He was your husband!” He shouted. “He was my godfather! He was their friend!” She shut the door behind him. “What does that make you?!” He yelled at her. But (Y/n) stayed silent. She just allowed him to get out his frustrations.

Finally. “I’m technically your godmother” she admitted. “I was stupid Harry. I should have taken you with me to America.” His eyes seemed to brighten. “But I swear that’s going to change. I’ve grown a lot and I want to take you at the end of the year. I mean take responsibility” his eyes looked her over untrusting. “How do I know you won’t let Sirius kill me?” She paused thoughtfully “No one would ever hurt you, I swear it Harry” Harry stayed silent before agreeing. “I won’t let you go back to Privet Drive if I have to fight your Aunt myself” she joked.

“I see. It seems that you are still married to the escaped Sirius Black. How can we know you wouldn’t turn him over to him?” She smiled. “If I wanted to hurt Harry I would have taken him as baby and thrown him in a river somewhere” she sassed. “That boy was my baby. He is my baby. I will never let anyone hurt him as long as I have air in my lungs. I also will have the help of Remus and the Weasley’s” she fought.

“Please give us a moment for deliberation”

Fourth five minutes passed as she waited in the hall with Remus. It seems they had brought Mr Weasley in and a few of the professors from her time at Hogwarts before finally.

“We have discussed and agreed that you are indeed who is legally responsible for Harry’s well being. Starting immediately you will have full custody over Mr.Potter. A protective spell will be cast as soon as he is a home with you.” Her body felt numb and she threw her arms around Remus. She couldn’t wait to send a letter to Sirius and tell him everything. No, she couldn’t wait to show up at Privet Drive and take him home.

She could finally have her godson. She could finally have her family.

[its-r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s]

Call Me A Freak- Chapter 2: Mother Knows Best

Words: 1,870

Warnings: death threats, manipulation, physical and emotional abuse

Ch 1 | Ch 3

~ ~ ~

“You will go. You will find the Fairy Godmother. And you will bring me back her magic wand,” my mother snarled.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek. There had to be a way to convince her that this was a bad idea without just telling her that we didn’t want to go.

“The wand is pointless on the Isle. I don’t see why you’d even want it.”

She glared down at me from her throne. “It will work. After you break the barrier from Auradon.”

I felt my stomach drop. This was worse than I thought. This required too much responsibility on my end. Too much pressure. It was all too much.

She must have seen my unease, because she beckoned me closer. “Do you enjoy watching innocent people suffer?”

“Well, yeah,” I chuckled. “I mean, who doesn’t?”

“Well then, get me the wand!” she demanded before I had even finished. “With that wand and my septor, I will be able to bend both good and evil to my will!”

“Our will,” the Evil Queen added.

I could see my mother’s face drop in frustration, but she didn’t argue. “Our will,” she corrected herself. She had to put on a good face. If I knew my mother, she would just as soon get rid of her supposed “friends” and their children to seize power for herself.

She turned her stare back on me. “And if you refuse… you’re dead.”

I widened my eyes. “What? Mom-”

But she snapped her fingers in front of my face and silenced me. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She would do absolutely anything to get what she wanted, but was death just a threat? I was her last remaining child…

She leaned down to me and in a flash, her eyes had lit up with a sickly, emerald color.

My eyes reciprocated before I could stop them, caught in an intense staring contest with my mother. I was bound to lose. Her powers of persuasion were too strong, but I really didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to put my friends through something like this, when I knew they would get nothing in return.

My throat closed up. I was afraid. If I won this, she could simply kill me. Send me out back and have one of her guards crush my skull under his feet. I knew she wouldn’t even kill me herself.

“Fine,” I muttered, looking at the floor. I couldn’t let her see my face right now. It was too hard to veil my disappointment.

“I win,” she gloated.

There was a moment of tense silence. I don’t think anyone in the room had ever heard my mother threaten me with so much, especially not my friends, and they weren’t sure how to respond.

Most of the villains actually cared quite deeply for their kids. This did nothing to make them good parents, but they wouldn’t murder their children for disobediance. But Maleficent… she didn’t have a heart. She wasn’t just evil, she was unstoppable. And it terrified me.

“Evie!” the Evil Queen called behind me. Evie started to bounce over to her mother, as she continued, “My little evillette in training. You must find yourself a prince with a big castle.”

Evie’s face lit up. She worshipped her mother and her mother’s ideology. All Evie could have ever wanted from life was to sit on a throne, surrounded by servants, and riches, and reassurance that she was beautiful.

She giggled in excitement, but her mother shut her down immediately. “No laughing! Wrinkles!”

“Well, they’re not taking my Carlos, because I’d miss him too much,” Cruella cooed.

Carlos’ face morphed between confusion and hope. “Really mom?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. ���Who would touch up my roots, fluff my fur, and scrap the bunyans off my feet?”

His face dropped at the sentiment. “Maybe a new school wouldn’t be the worst thing,” he grumbled, but she shut him down from that thought almost immediately.

“Carlos, they have dogs in Auradon.”

“Oh no, I’m not going!” he insisted.

“Well, Jay isn’t going either!” Jafar cried from the other side of the room. “I need him to stock the shelves in my store.” He then proceeded to shuffle through all the Jay had stolen on our endeavor today.

“What is wrong with you all?” my mother shouted, regaining my attention. She walked down to floor level with us, grabbing my arm as she went and shoving me down into the seat next to her. “For twenty years, I have searched for a way off this island. For twenty years, they have robbed us from our revenge!”

I couldn’t help curling into myself as she yelled and threw me around. I stared down at the table, trying to calm myself, while she continued.

“Revenge on Snow White and her horrible little men. Revenge on Aladdin and his bloated genie!”

“I will-” Jafar started, in a fit of anger, but Jay held him back.

“Revenge on every sneaking dalmation that escaped your clutches! And I, Maleficent, the evilest of them all, I will finally have revenge on Sleeping Beauty… and her relentless little prince,” she said mockingly.

“Villians!” she shouted. They all turned to her, awaiting her command. “Our day has come. E.Q.,” she turned to the queen, “give her the magic mirror.”

The Evil Queen handed her daughter a small object, about the size of Evie’s hand.

“This is your magic mirror?” she questioned.

“Well, it ain’t what it used to be,” her mother responded. “But it will help you find things.”

“My spellbook!” Maleficent remembered. “I need my…” she trailed off, in thought, so the Evil Queen nodded behind her.

My mother flipped around. “Aha! The safe!” She ran over to what was, essentially, a refrigerator, containing her most prized possession.

“Come, darling,” she beckoned me. As I approached, she pulled it out, running her fingers over the cover. “It doesn’t work here, but it will in Auradon.”

Not two seconds later, there was a honking outside, signalling the arrival of our ride. She shoved the book into my arms and guided me out to the balcony.

As I looked over the edge, down at the dirty, crowded streets, I realized I was leaving the Isle. Really leaving. Not just daydreaming about a different world, where there are fields and clean air, but actually going there. Or… somewhat going there.

Whenever I had dreamed of a better world before, it hadn’t been Auradon. I knew that if I were in Auradon, things wouldn’t be better. They would be cleaner, perhaps, but not better. I could never fit into a place like Auradon. It was full of royal people who have learned all their lives how to be proper and just and despise those like me. And if I were truly there, it would mean shunning the Isle. It would mean leaving behind all that I knew and possibly having it turn on me, too.

No, Auradon might have inspired this fake world, but this fantasy of mine was perfect. It was made specifically so that I could feel peace.

“The future of the free world rests on your shoulders,” my mother told me, her arm still wrapped around me, forcing me to look between the shaky apartments of my city and at the green hills of Auradon.

I could just make it out across the ocean. It truly looked like a paradise for all. But my friends and I didn’t deserve paradise. So, what was Auradon going to be for us? Some sort of trap? Punishment? Hell?

“Don’t blow it,” she added, gripping onto my arm, like a threat.

I made eye contact with her and she sent me a tense smile, which did nothing to make me feel better, then turned on her heel and began to walk downstairs.

I hesitated for just a moment, before following her.

Once I had grabbed my bag and made my way downstairs, I took in the car. Many on the streets were swarming it, throwing rocks or banging on the windows. It was obviously a very strong car, to be able to withstand the fury of the Isle.

I lifted my bag in front of my face, to avoid getting hit, but a few rocks still managed to pummel my arms and stomach.

The driver didn’t get out of the car. Probably a smart move on his part. As far as I could tell, he was the first person from Auradon to ever visit the Isle of the Lost and the people weren’t exactly jumping to give him a warm welcome.

I set my bag in the back, along with Evie’s, Jay’s, and Carlos’s. As I shut the trunk, my eyes drifted behind me, and I noticed my mother had made her way back up to the balcony to watch us go.

This unsettled me more, and I looked away quickly. I pushed through the crowd of people and slid into the car, where my friends were already waiting for me.

The minute I shut the door, there was silence among us, aside from the muted yelling outside.

The car started with a jolt, taking us away from our parents. It was just a little too much for all of us. Jay and Carlos slowly started to gorge on the mountains worth of candy they had laid out for us, but neither of them talked. Evie watched as we drifted away from the central part of the Isle, the groups of people watching us lessening as we got farther away. And I was staring at the floor, trying to concentrate. I had to make a plan, someway to get us out of Auradon as soon as possible. Once my mother had what she wanted, I would be off the hook.

The wall between us and the driver slowly descended a minute later. Evie turned around curiously, but all the excitement vanished from her face as she saw what was going on. “Look!”

Attached to the Isle was a bridge. Supposedly it was what had brought all the villains over twenty years ago, but there was no going over it now. It was demolished the minute every villain was off Auradon soil, stranding them there.

We approached this bridge now, no other path to turn on, no slowing down.

“It’s a trap!” Carlos screamed, and my eyes widened. There was no way they had asked for us, just to drive us into the ocean, right?

We all called out in fear, grabbing hold of one another. But the deathly fall we were expecting never came.

With a look around, I came to realize that the bridge had reappeared. Or, at least, a bridge had appeared.

It was gold and circled around us entirely, almost like a tunnel.

“What just happened?” Carlos questioned.

“It must be magic!” Evie giggled from beside me.

I slowly started to realize that we were well past the barrier at this point. This bridge, or tunnel, or whatever it was, seemed to have opened a way for us to safely leave the Isle. And just like that, we were the first villains to get off the Isle in twenty years.

[rockyholic]

Violence Hurts More People Than You Can Ever Know.

So I was born on October 7 and I happened to be talking to my mom today, 4th of October. She suddenly remembers that her best friend died on the 4th years ago. She's saying this all matter of fact like but when she realizes how old her friend would have been if she'd lived she starts to lightly cry. She's pretty upset now I can tell it's something she purposely avoids thinking about because it's hard.

She tells me that herself and a couple of her friends all got into the same University back in Mexico but her friend was the only one that was in the same courses as her, for education. Becoming a teacher. My mom makes it clear that she likes her other friends but she was her best friend. My mom never liked the idea of teaching and was only going with the path her parents made for her, she ended up dropping out and marrying my dad and both immigrated to the US. They're still together and have 3 kids, 2 dogs, 3 properties. She counts herself as blessed. But her best friend is dead.

Her friend actually finished her education and became a teacher in their old hometown. My mom is done crying as she tells me more. Her friend was always a little on the flirty side but that's it, my mom says, she never lead people on or cheated or anything like that. Unfortunately there was a guy who seemed to have wanted more. She got a boyfriend and the guy didn't like that and one day he waited for her to leave her house and ran her over in his truck. She died. As my mom is telling me this she is now more visibly angry than sad. So to change the subject I ask her if this friend is the same women with that brother she told me about. She says yes.

So this is a relevant tangent please bare with me. A couple of years ago my cousin came out as gay to me and our other younger family and friends, not so much the adults. They're old school Mexican so he felt it best to keep it to our generation. It was tough enough with his own parents but it worked out. So my mom didn't know and long story short my brother, lets say brother B, accidentally outed him. Complete slip of the tongue oh shit moment. She was surprised and thought he was joking. So my mom asks my other brother, brother C. Brother C thinks it's ok because brother B confirmed. Cut to me with mom in the car. She asks me if my cousin is gay. I say no. She tells me that both Brother B and C said he was. I think it means it's ok to say so I admit that yes he is and that we don't want to tell the older family members, uncle's, aunt's grandparents. She asks why, I tell her we're not sure how they would take it since they come from very conservative and Catholic Mexico. She understands but is visibly hurt that we all think she would be like that. She says that she's known him since he was born, she's his godmother. She asks if we were expecting her to suddenly stop talking to him and not let him come over anymore or something. I say we just weren't sure.

She tells me about her lesbian and gay co-workers that she's friends with. I honestly didn't know. She tells me she thought I might have been gay and was waiting if I would come out and would have been supportive if I did. This surprises me and I ask why she thought I was gay. She reminds me of that one day that I casually, not so casually, asked her what she thought about gay marriage, rights etc.(my cousin had recently come out so I was curious what her thoughts were) I tell her I was asking because of my cousin. We had a good laugh, she promises to let him come out fully when and if he's ready. Then she says "You know I know someone else too."

End of tangent. She tells me that her very best friend who passed away had a brother. I ask if he died, she used past tense when referring to this brother. She says not really. She elaborates that one day when she was visiting my grandparents in Mexico a young and very beautiful woman came up to her. She recognized my mom and wanted to say hi. This women also found baby me very cute BTW and shook my little hands. My mom's mind was racing to looking for a name, though she recognized the face a little. The women says my mom was her deceased sister's best friend. My mom remembers her friend didn't have a sister but a brother. It all clicks into place and my mom is obviously shocked. Her best friend's brother had transitioned. The women wanted to thank my mom. My mom was confused as to why. The women says that besides her sister, who she misses every day, my mom was the only other person who treated him kindly and with respect. She had been bullied as a boy growing up called the F word and other nasty things. But not my mom. My mom was kind, and supportive. They talked for a bit and reminisced. The women had to go she was supposed to meet her boyfriend a while ago, she hugged my mom and baby me and said a final thank you.

My mom told me that while the women talked about her sister she looked incredibly sad. She also said that now as a women she could see a little bit of her dead best friend in her face. I wished I got to meet my mom's best friend she sounds like she was a great women a good friend and a great sister. I am worse for not knowing her kindness. There's also a wonderful women who survived a troubled past and misses her sister very deeply. And my mom who misses her best friend every year on the 4th of October. A couple of days before her first child's birthday, October 7.

[raybansandcoffee]

Adventure of a Lifetime: Chapter Four

You can find the first three chapters of Adventure of a Lifetime HERE. Sorry about the cliffhanger in the last chapter, I’m evil. I know.

*****

Fuck. How do I answer this? It's the dreaded moment I've faced doing this whole thing alone since we moved here. It's why I hated the Mommy groups. It's why I got awkward and abandoned the playdates. I didn't know where to even begin when answering this. I could lie, say that he was in LA and he saw the kids when he could. No one here would know. I could tell the truth but then I'd have to deal with all of them making that sad face everyone has been making at me for the last year.

"Umm..."

"You don't have to answer that. I get it. Single parenthood is awkward and people think that they can just ask every inappropriate and awkward question. I was out of line."

"You weren't. It's just a hard question to answer and something that honestly I haven't discussed with a single person since I moved here. We moved here in a really quick manner. And I haven't even felt okay opening up to anyone about it. But it's okay. I need to. It's been 342 days. It's time to feel okay talking about it. The kids had a wonderful Dad. One of the greatest people I've ever met. He was kind and funny and he loved them endlessly." I took a deep breath. "And their Mom. She was my soulmate. We did everything together. She was probably the most incredible human that ever existed. She knew just how to make you feel settled and safe in any situation, which was great because I'm anxious all the time. She loved being a Mom more than anything and she was the happiest I'd ever seen her." I remembered watching them walk out the door of my condo after dropping off the kids with me. They were so in love and ready to go celebrate their anniversary. The image of them kissing as the elevator across from my door closed is burned into my mind. I felt a tear slip down my cheek and quickly tried to brush it away. As he did every morning Axel reached his hands out and put them on my cheeks. "The kids aren't biologically mine. I was Ellie's godmother and just crazy Auntie Charlie with her cats. Until July 1st last year at 2:08 in the morning. My best friend and her husband died. They had been out celebrating their anniversary and surviving the first three weeks of parenting both of these babies. They got home and walked in on a home invasion in progress. The police told me that they died instantly so I at least feel okay that they weren't in pain for long. And honestly, that night was the happiest I'd seen them since their wedding night."

"Holy shit. I'm sorry. That is terrible. You really didn't have to tell me that if you didn't want to."

"It's okay. It's actually a bit of a relief. I haven't talked about Sam with anyone other than my family, our third musketeer Alex, or Sam's parents. They live in Reno, it's why I moved here. I wanted the kids to grow up close to some of their biological family. Sam and her husband Michael were both only children and his parents had both passed away."

"So from no desire to have kids to raising your best friends' two kids in an instant."

"Yup. I was babysitting the kids that night. We didn't want them to go back to the house and I couldn't have them in my one-bedroom condo for long. Alex and I sat down with Sam's Mom and Dad to go through the will and both of the kids came to me. I'd agreed to it offhand at one point when Sam was pregnant with Ellie and was serious about it but never imagined it would actually happen. You don't actually think something will happen to them both at the same time. Like maybe one of them but the other one would still be around. But I lost them both in one night and gained the kids."

"You are an incredible friend. For them to have selected you to be the guardian for the kids is a big deal."

"Yeah, I am constantly afraid I'm failing and that ghost Sam is going to pop up and yell at me for something like not giving her kid enough cake, she had a sweet-tooth. She also would totally haunt my ass if that was a thing. She was my writing partner. We knew the way the other person's brain worked."

"Writing partner?"

"Yeah, we met at USC at orientation. Turns out we had the same major. We went through undergrad and grad school at USC together. We write film scores. Or I guess I write film scores. Or I used to. In the last year, I've done the score for two short films but I'm in the process of doing my first full score without Sam which is weird."

"So how did you get from LA to here?"

"Like I mentioned Sam's Mom and Dad live in Reno. Our house was she and Michael's vacation home. The house we live in was theirs. Their will left a trust for me to take care of the kids, pay for their schooling, and cover our living expenses. With Sam having grown up in Reno they wanted to get a vacation home near her parents. They bought the place here shortly after they got married. The intention was to eventually make it their permanent home. With both of their work, they'd just to go LA whenever they needed to or Michael would be off wherever his current project was. The apartment above the garage was meant for me. Michael was convinced from the moment he met me that I was Peter Pan." I laughed remembering the first time he told me this. He was so serious about it and didn't break until the very end when he threw glitter on me like it was pixie dust and screamed at me to FLY! "I was never growing up and he wanted to make sure I always had a roof over my head if I needed it and a space for Sam and me to work together when we needed it. The house is way too big for the four of us living there right now. Having my little brother here for a while will help the house feel more alive."

"I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this but from what I've observed of Ellie and just today watching you with both of them, you've taken to motherhood well."

"Thank you. It was an awkward start. Never expecting to have kids and suddenly having an infant and a kid getting ready to start school was the biggest life change I could've imagined. Doing it not only alone but without my best friend made it even harder."

"Did they ever find who did it?"

"They did. His trial actually starts this summer. I'm trying to decide if I'm going back for the whole trial or if it's healthier for me to stay here. I've been working with the prosecutor back in LA. They want me there for a victim impact statement to speak on behalf of the kids. They've given me the option of doing it through a pre-recorded video or through a letter. I just worry about taking the kids back to LA because we don't really have anywhere to stay. I still have my place but I don't have anywhere to take them that will fit all of us comfortably."

"Did you sell their house?" I nodded.

"I did. Well, as soon as the LAPD was done with it. The trust they left would've only covered one of the properties. I couldn't imagine living in LA in that house. It was hard enough going in there to get the kids things. I needed to be able to take care of them so I had to go when it was still a crime scene. Honestly, it's an image I'm never going to be able to get out of my head. It was one of the most horrific things I've ever seen. They both worked in the film industry so we are fairly certain it wasn't a random home invasion but that they were targeted. I knew in my heart that Sam and Michael would've wanted the kids to be here and close to Sam's parents."

"That makes complete sense. I don't know that I could imagine living in a house with that kind of history. Especially with the kids. You have to do your best to take care of them. Do you get back to LA often?"

"I've been back to LA on my own when they take the kids for a long weekend or something. We all went to Stanford a couple of weeks ago to see Tony graduate from college. But I haven't taken the kids back to LA. I mean Ellie knows that Mommy and Daddy are gone and never coming back. We told her that a very bad man took them from us but they are safe now. I'll tell her the whole story at some point but at 5 she didn't need that. Axel won't have a single memory of his parents. I'm the only Mom this kid will ever remember." I hugged him tightly to my chest. "Someday I'll take them back there. Show them the places that mean the most. The place where their father proposed to their mother. The studio she and I practically lived in. Where they got married. But for now, this is home. Sam's parents opted to have them cremated so there's not a grave there to go visit which makes it a bit easier. We are having a memorial for them here at the end of the month to spread their ashes. Alex and her family are coming out along with my sister and her family. We are going to do exactly what Sam would want which is celebrate them. The memorial service when they died, she would've fuckin' hated it. I was too much of a mess to do anything for it really and so was Alex. Sam's parents weren't in LA when we needed to start planning it so my mother took over. I love my Mom but she's a mess, she's rarely even in LA anymore so it was weird. She planned something so opposite of Sam that honestly if she'd attended her own funeral she would've laughed her ass off at it. I did manage to get the ability to play a song the two of us wrote together for their wedding. I hadn't sung it since that day. I barely made it through but I did it. Sorry, I'm rambling. Outside of family and Alex, I haven't talked about Sam in a year. You opened the flood gates evidently."

"It's okay. Grief does weird things to us. You're doing a great job. If you want to keep talking about Sam you can."

"No, she'd yell at me for crying about her. Especially when I'm supposed to be making a new friend and playing with the kids. So tell me about you. What do you do for fun? I mean your life can't all be acting."

"It's not, that's for sure. When I bought this place it meant I had some projects to do, I spend time without Eva doing that. I'm also a musician."

"I noticed the baby grand. Living in LA I walked into a LOT of homes where that was purely for show but I figured that wasn't the case here."

"No, it's not. I am actually getting ready to go finish filming the last of stuff for the next Avengers movie before too long and I'm working on a film soundtrack actually."

"A film soundtrack, huh?"

"Yeah, I've voiced a character in an animated film and they are letting me do the music for it," he said. "Finally something all the kids in my life can see."

"That's freaking awesome. I'm just going to tell you, working on music for a film is one of the greatest feelings. I mean I write other music. But crafting the sound and then sitting in a theater and watching how my music gets integrated into a film is just an incredibly special feeling. You're going to have this almost otherworldly experience when you see the finished product with an audience. It's the greatest feeling in the world."

"I'm excited to understand that better." He smiled at me. "Looks like the Axe Man was tired." I looked down to see my little guy asleep with his head on my chest.

"Yeah. Thankfully this kid finally figured out how to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. I occasionally get a full night of sleep these days."

"As much as I want more kids I don't miss the middle of the night feedings, the sleep regression, the teething."

"Fuck it's a nightmare I never prepared for adequately."

"Mom! Are you getting the in the pool with us?" Ellie called.

"I will in a minute Ellie Bellie. I gotta get the Axe Man somewhere that he can sleep."

"I set up the pack and play that's still hanging around here in the bedroom down here. I also grabbed the old baby monitor I had so we can take it outside with us." Jeremy stood up and came over to take Axel from my arms where he was laying on my chest while I laid on a lounger. Once I stood up he led me through the house as I grabbed the bag of stuff for Axel. Jeremy gently laid Axel into the pack and play while I found the things I knew soothed him back to sleep if he woke up mid-nap. I kissed my fingers and pressed them against his forehead. "Ellie calls you Mom."

"She does. That was her choice. We talked about it for a while. I'd always been Auntie Charlie. When she started school she got anxious about the whole 'living with her Aunt thing'. I am their legal guardian and she knows she can still call me Charlie, she does sometimes. But the Mom thing is becoming more common, I think she wants to feel like the girls in school with her. It makes me happy and sad all at once."

"I'd imagine." He turned on the baby monitor and we left the room so Axel could sleep. "Alright, girls are the parents allowed in the pool now?"

"Yes, Daddy," Ava replied. I took my dress off and went to climb in the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jeremy pull his shirt off. I felt the breath catch in my lungs. I needed to remind myself that I was here for Ellie and not to drool over Ava's Dad all day. I headed to the stairs and entered most of the way before going completely under and swimming up right under Ellie picking her up on my shoulders. She squealed with delight. Her hands grabbed onto my head as she bent over to look into my eyes.

"I am having so much fun," she said quietly to me.

"I'm so glad Ellie Bellie. You deserve to have fun." I watched as Jeremy ran and jumped over Ava and into the pool. He splashed all of us and what followed was the sweetest sound in the world. Loud, roaring laughter from the girls. I held my breath and sunk down into the water letting Ellie get off of my shoulders. Jeremy came up underneath Ava lifting her up and throwing her a bit further into the water. Her laughter climbed louder and turned to a scream.

"Ava Berlin Renner, I'm coming to get you," Jeremy declared as he started to swim towards his daughter who was still giggle-screaming and trying to swim away from her dad. It was far too cute to watch. They shared so much joy between them and it was so visible. Even in the brief time I'd spent with them today, I could tell that they loved each other more than anything and that love was the easiest thing they'd ever done. That joy, laughter, and happiness were the tone of this house and their lives. Life wasn't always filled with joy and laughter for us. Most of the time it was filled with laughter that came from tears or lead to tears. I was watching these two beautiful humans that were now mine grow and knowing that the two most important people in their lives were missing out on the first steps, the first day of school, and would miss every other first and major life moment. I felt guilty every day for loving this role I was given because the circumstances were shitty and honestly, I'd never wanted this roll. It felt horrible to enjoy motherhood when it wasn't really mine. It was stolen from my best friend whose entire goal in life had been to be a mother and mine had been to make music that inspired people, set the scene for the greatest shot of a director or actors lifetime and changed the way people looked at female composers. I took a deep breath before hugging Ellery close to me.

"I love you, Ellie Bellie." I kissed her temple.

"I love you too, Mom." The tears that were burning the back of my eyes had clearly become visible. "Please don't cry. Today is going to be the best day ever."

"I know baby girl. I just don't want you to feel like today you have to say, Mom. Ava's Daddy knows."

"You are my Mom." God I hated how grown up this little girl had been forced to be. I kissed her again before looking her deep in the eyes.

"Do you remember that backflip we practiced last summer?" She nodded excitedly. "Want to try it?"

"Yes!!" I grabbed her two little feet in my hands as she put her hands on my shoulders. She bent forward, pressing her forehead against mine.

"Are you ready?" She nodded. "On the count of three. One...two...three." She plugged her nose as I pushed her feet out of the water sending her up into the air and watched as she started to tilt, tucking her knees to her chest and doing a backflip.

"Whoa!" Ava yelled as Ellie came out of the water. "That was so cool. Where did you learn that?"

"My Mom and I practiced last summer at my old house. We don't have a pool here so we haven't tried in a while."

"You did so great!" I said as I high-fived her.

"That was so cool, Ellie," Jeremy said as he also high-fived her. She was pretty proud of herself. The girls started to goof around with Jeremy as I floated on my back for a little while. Their laughter slightly being drowned out by the water. I felt relaxed, weightless, and like if I tried hard enough I could fall asleep like this until I felt my watch buzz on my wrist. I held it up in the air as the little green text bubble appeared with my brother's name below it.

I'm losing my mind. I'm packing my car and leaving today. Is that ok?

"Crap," I said out loud. I flipped over and swam to the edge climbing out of the pool and walking over to my cell phone. I knew texting him back would be useless so I called.

"Hey sis," he answered.

"What's going on, Tony?"

"I just can't take it. They don't understand the pressure they are putting on me. I'm going to crack if I don't leave. I got up this morning to Mom on the patio with one of her 'old friends.' It was that crazy bitch whose husband is on the Board of Trustees at Harvard. I was ambushed with talk of law school and my future and I just can't take it. I haven't really bothered unpacking since I got back from school so I'm just loading everything into my car and coming out. That's okay right?"

"It's fine but are you sure this is what you want? My life isn't what it used to be like, T."

"I know. You have the kids. You're doing the music stuff on your own. You and Savannah could honestly use my help."

"You can stay at my condo if that is a better plan for you."

"It's not," he replied. "I stayed there last weekend. She showed up Sunday morning at 7:30 to pick me up for church. Since when does my mother go to church?"

"I don't know. Probably since I became a mother. Her technically being a grandmother of five terrifies her. I also bet it was just so she could see if you were living in my drug den because you know your mother thinks I'm a drug addict or something."

"You're one of the most responsible people I know. But honestly, I can't do it. I can't be in the same city as her. Especially when Dad is as busy as he is right now. She's everywhere. I need out."

"Just drive careful. It's not a horrible drive but it's long to do alone. I've done it enough to know that. Also, there are a few good places to stop on the road and some to avoid. I'll send you the cheat sheet I have saved on my phone. Oh, and what do you want for dinner?"

"Well, I want Grandma's meatballs but I know you can't make that today."

"I can make it tomorrow. How does pizza sound tonight? Your niece and nephew are counting on pizza."

"Sounds perfect."

"Send me updates, be safe, and I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight, sis. Love you."

"Love you too, T." I hung up the phone and slumped down onto the lounger I'd been sitting on earlier.

"Everything okay?" Jeremy called from the pool.

"Yeah, just not sure we'll be able to stay as long as we planned."

"What's up?" he asked as I walked back towards the pool and sat down on the side so I could text my brother the list I told him I'd send.

"So I was evidently right and my brother had tried staying at my place. His Mom appeared in my condo at 7:30 Sunday morning to take him to church, no one in our family is overtly religious. Then this morning at their house she ambushed him with a friend of hers whose husband is on the Board of Trustees at Harvard about law school and his future. So he's currently throwing everything in his car and leaving LA to come here now. He wasn't supposed to come until next week. The studio apartment above the garage is so not ready for my brother to move in."

"Well how about we stay and have fun for a while longer here and then Ava and I can go to your place with you and I can help. Savannah can watch all of the kids and we can get your brother moved in safely and feed the munchkins pizza for dinner at your place."

"You're serious?" He nodded. "You're amazing. Thank you. I'm not sure what all he's bringing or that he wants the apartment but I feel like the studio apartment above the garage is the best plan. I mean honestly, it's my favorite part of the house." I laughed a little bit.

"It was supposed to be your Peter Pan dream home so I get it. How long do you think it will take?"

"Not long. I just need to essentially clean it a bit as it's probably covered in dust and wash the sheets. I don't even remember the last time someone stayed in it. It was probably me. It was also maybe my sister. Frankie got freaked out when I moved, she thought I should sell both houses and move near her so me moving 8ish hours away didn't go over well. I also now win the war of who has the coolest house and that annoys her to no end."

"That's actually kind of funny. Where does she live?"

"Venice, on a canal. The cutest house ever really. But she is like a 3-minute kayak ride from where our mother lives when she's actually back in town so it would not have worked for me. Living near them both would've made me crazy. My Dad and Step-Mom are in Santa Monica. So my family is all on the beach which is really nice for trips home."

"Sounds like it. I totally had your stepmom pegged for Malibu though." I started to laugh really loudly.

"Funny story, when they sold the house in Beverly Hills that I grew up in my stepmom BEGGED my Dad to move to Malibu. He was not willing to make that commute every day so she got to pick from Santa Monica, Venice or Marina Del Rey if she wanted water. He tried to downsize into a condo in downtown LA but that wasn't gonna happen. So they are right on the beach, have a pool and all of that fun stuff. It's a great house. It truly is and even though it's way too big for the people in our family that live there Mandi has clearly figured out how to make Tony batshit crazy." I pulled up the text message that Tony had just sent me. He'd clearly packed his car in record time to get out of there before he went completely bonkers. I couldn't blame him but I also hoped he didn't get here and in a week hate it because I wasn't going to wait on him hand and foot while making sure he was constantly entertained. I nannied for him a few summers when he was a kid so it's not surprising that he thinks I'm just there to have fun but truly I need to be an adult on occasion and my brother was horrible at encouraging that behavior.

ON THE ROAD!

Be careful. We will see you in a few hours!

"You guys are gonna be okay. If your brother starts to go stir crazy just send him over here. I can put him to work on some of my projects."

"I don't think Tony understands the concept of manual labor. He's never had to have a job. He worked in school at a bar because he could pick up girls that way." I laughed as I rolled my eyes. "His Mom still doesn't know that. He's a genius. By far the smartest one of all of us. Law School has always been what everyone expected from him but I think he'd rather do something completely different. He's an incredible musician, a great writer. When he was in high school he was a giant science nerd and I fully expected him to become a doctor or some shit. I think he wants to work in journalism or politics based on what he studied in school but our Dad definitely thinks he double majored in Communications and Public Policy to go into First Amendment Law. I mean Dad would be proud if someday he ended up in politics but the Law School things would be a requirement first, or at least the smart decision. It's all ridiculous. I mean my sister runs a non-profit and I'm a musician. While we both make a really great living we were allowed to choose our own path. Tony has the pressure of carrying on the family name and legacy."

"Law is the family legacy?" Jeremy asked. He was resting his arms on the side of the pool next to me. I hadn't had this kind of conversation with anyone in a long time.

"It is. Our great-grandfather founded Dad's law firm and Tony would be the fourth generation there. There had been some pressure on Frankie and me for a while. She met her husband in college and thankfully he was headed to law school so Dad got his fix by having his son-in-law as part of the firm. My senior year in high school I thought I'd just buckle under the pressure and follow in his footsteps. But when I had my senior recital for piano my Dad told me he wasn't going to allow me to do anything but follow my heart. I think that the fact that I'd written the score for a short film a few friends did help too. I wasn't going to follow my dreams in the back of a van on tour but follow them through film made him happy. I caught the bug for it young. We had a theater room in the house and I'd spend every weekend watching movies and trying to figure out how to play the music on my piano. Eventually, he had to set rules that I had to spend a certain amount of time outside so I didn't just sit in that theater for days on end, especially during school breaks. I was way too young to be watching most of them but it was the thing that made me happiest."

"That's really cool. I had no idea what I wanted to do, even in college. I loved music and was in a band in high school but I never saw that as an actual future, it was just something fun to do. I was studying computer science and criminology when I took my first drama class and caught the bug. I'm almost jealous that you knew so young what you wanted to do. "

"It's nice but I also never did anything else. I loved swimming. I should've done things like join the swim team but that would've taken me away from music. Being a hyper-focused kid was nice because there was no question of what my future would be but I missed out on so much. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to the babies. I need to start getting my shit together. I'm a year into this now, there are no excuses for this anymore. Like Ellie should've been in dance during the school year but by the time I found a place that didn't seem sketchy I was too late to sign her up. I've been teaching her piano for like 8 months now but she has so much more personality than I have ever had. She's way cooler than me."

"You're pretty cool," Jeremy said through a bit of laughter.

"Her Mom was seriously the coolest though. God, one of my favorite things about Sam was that we had this pretty big premiere for a film we'd done the score for. I sent her the photo of the dress I'd decided to wear. The night of the premiere arrived, the car was picking she and Michael up first and then coming to get me. I had done an entire afternoon with a fucking glam squad, totally out of my element. Get down to the car, there she is, with her head sticking out the sunroof in my dress. She bought the black and gold version of the black and silver dress I had. We walked the red carpet in a matching dress." I pulled up the photo on my phone and turned it to show Jeremy.

"That's amazing." He took the phone from my hand to look at both of the pictures that I'd pulled up for him. "She's very beautiful, I can see her in Ellie."

"Spitting image. It's almost creepy but it's wonderful."

"Well, you both look absolutely beautiful in those photos. You both look so happy. Maybe I'll have to creep your IMDB and watch a few of the films you've done the score for." I laughed.

"Ask first, some of them aren't great and some of them are literally impossible to find...unless you're in my basement theater. I don't have a career that's as accessible as yours."

"Well then maybe we will need to have a movie night. I'd love to be able to see your work."

**********

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Developing the story of how Charlie became a mother was something that was hard for me. I debated back and forth about all of it. Trying to decide the traumatic event that led to the loss she's experienced and the new role in life she has. I had a few ideas that I tossed around but the reality was, for Charlie to become the guardian of both of Sam's children it couldn't be just Sam that was gone. There were so many possibilities, I settled with this version because while it is traumatic it didn't involve any domestic abuse, which was something I wasn't comfortable telling the story of in this setting.

Losing Sam was one of the hardest experiences of Charlie's life for a multitude of reasons. She lost her creative partner, her business partner, her best friend, and became a Mom all in the blink of an eye. She'd never prepared to be a parent and was an insta-mom to a 4-year-old that wanted to know where her Mommy and Daddy were and a baby that wasn't even a month old. Add in that she opted to move the children out of Los Angeles for their own privacy and security even though it wasn't the best option for her personally. She immediately knew to put those babies first.

For Jeremy to allow her to open up about this trauma and let her talk through it shows how kind and good he is. Grief is a different process for everyone who experiences it. For Charlie she still deals with the trauma every day and needed to find someone to talk to about it. Finding that in Jeremy is something she feels so lucky for.

I also can't wait for everyone to meet Tony! I love the idea of him being around the house to help his sister, be part of the kids' lives, and try to find his way in the world all at once. Developing Tony is so fun because he's still fairly bright and shiny, he's not dark and twisty like Charlie.

I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it.

xx. AM

[cooliogirl101]

Part 2 of Pregnant!Hisana AU

[writes-in-skies]

The Diary of Astoria Greengrass - Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Present day Malfoy Manor

The next day, Scorpius was sitting at the patio of the Malfoy Manor with his mother’s diary in his hand. As he settled down on the furniture, he stopped to look at the landscape of their manor. The flowers that were once planted by both his parents when they first moved into the house together were blooming brightly.

He got up, leaving the book by the table and walked towards the barrier. He started to reminisce how he used to run around the gardens, playing by himself or with his father or a house elf as his mother tended to the beautiful flowers growing. He remembers how he would plunge himself to his mother and Astoria would without fail catch him in her arms to give him a cuddle. 

“Master Scorpius?” someone called for him.

Scorpius turns around and saw Evie, his mother’s personal house elf, who is now his house elf as he inherited her. Evie had been hired by the Greengrass family since Astoria was five years old. It was also the time when they discovered of her curse that was within her body. Evie was assigned to look after Astoria even when she went to Hogwarts, always providing support to her and reminding her to take her potions when necessary.

“Yes?” Scorpius answered.

“Master’s friend is here. Albus, his name is,” Evie responded as she motioned her hand to the figure approaching the door frame.

Scorpius smiled at his best friend, Albus Severus Potter. Both became rather close friends as they entered Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin together. Scorpius was elated when he had finally found a person whom he could call his friend after years of growing up alone in the quiet manor with only occasional visits from his two cousins from his Aunt Daphne.

“Thank you, Evie,” Scorpius thanked the house elf politely. “Can you get us some treats to eat and some drinks too?”

“Master Malfoy instructed Evie not to give Master Scorpius any sweets before lunch. Says not good for Master’s appetite to eat sweets all the time. Evie will bring healthy fruits and drinks,” Evie informed Scorpius before moving towards the kitchen.

“I see you’re the real boss around here,” Albus commented amusingly.

“I can never say no Evie. I’m afraid to know what she’ll do to me,” Scorpius replied. “Anyways, you’re here early. I thought you said you’re coming at two?”

Albus plummeted himself into the couch before he let out an exasperated sigh, “I need to get out of the house. James is driving me insane and Lily won’t leave me alone. She keeps asking me if she can follow me to come here to hang out with you.”

“She’s welcome to come if she wants to,” Scorpius offered.

“Don’t tell her that. Plus, you don’t want her around a room that has a fireplace near a library of old books.” Albus noticed the diary on the table and picked it up, “What’s this?” he asked curiously.

“My mom’s diary. She left it to me. My Dad found it yesterday while cleaning up,” Scorpius answered while taking the book back from Albus. “She said that she hopes her diary where she writes about her experiences in life would help me in some way.”

Albus nodded understandingly, “Have you read it yet?”

“Just a few pages,” Scorpius shrugged.

“Anything good?”

“Yes, actually. She writes about her going to Hogwarts and meeting her best friend, my godmother, Ramona,” he answered.

“She’s the artist that lives in America right?” Albus recalled. “Well, come on, read it then.”

“You want to spend your time listening to me reading from my mother’s diary?”

“Anything is better than having to deal with your little sister hiding your shoes as form of revenge for not getting her way,” Albus replied. “Now come on then.”

“Alright…let’s see…”

Entry #1:

One thing I am thankful for in my life was my friends. I loved all of them dearly. I feel very lucky to have meet them and spend all the time I had with them when I was in Hogwarts. The first friend I made is Ramona Scott and we met a few years before we entered Hogwarts. I remember that day quite fondly…

—

Summer of 1992 Diagon Alley

9-year-old Astoria Greengrass was dressed in a powder blue sundress and a sunhat as she walks hand-in-hand with her mother into the courtyard of the Hotel Wintour. A day camp for wizardry children was being conducted and sponsored by the Greengrass Charity Foundation. Astoria’s mother, Giselle, was the project manager for the event and today, she was making an appearance to say hello to the children there as well as to the staff taking care of them.

Astoria was excited to meet all the children there. She didn’t get to meet a lot of kids her age that much and the only kids she meets are of the high society and purebloods, most of which are Daphne’s friends. As soon as they reached the front of the hotel, Astoria let go of her mother’s grip and ran towards the door, however tripped at the stairs instead.

Giselle quickly ran towards her youngest daughter to pick her up. She had Astoria sit on the stairway while she smooths out her dress and remove the dirt that was now on Astoria’s knees. “Astoria, I told you no running,” she said exasperatedly.

“Maybe if I should have worn different shoes so that it is easier for me to run in,” Astoria suggested.

“Running? Why would you want to run, dear?”

“So that I can play with the other kids,” Astoria answered, smiling sweetly.

Giselle sighed and helped Astoria to her feet, “You won’t be running around, not in that dress you’re not. It’s rather expensive,” she informed her daughter.

“But…I want to play with the other kids. I want to make friends.”

“You have friends, dear.”

“I want friends that I can make myself,” Astoria debated.

Before Giselle could retaliate, they were both greeted by an organiser for the event, named Selma, who brought them inside the hotel and to the room where all the kids were hanging out, doing many different activities together. Giselle kept a firm grip on Astoria’s hand as they moved around the room, greeting all the children there.

“We’re actually glad you could come today. We wanted your last opinion on the goodie bags we are giving them,” Selma told Giselle.

“Of course, shall we?”

“Your daughter can stay here for the time being. It might take some time to sort everything through,” Selma informed her. “The camp counsellors here can keep an eye on her so you don’t have to worry about her safety.”

Giselle looked down at her daughter and gave Selma a plastic smile, the same plastic smile Astoria had seen when her mother is nervous during a situation. “Alright. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to leave her for a moment but no running for Astoria here.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Astoria asked.

Giselle looked around the room and saw a few kids painting on easels. “There,” she pointed. “You can go there to draw, colour and paint. Maybe draw something for Papa when he comes home tonight?” she suggested to which Astoria nodded excitedly.

Astoria has not seen her father in days and she misses him a lot. She had always been close with her father since she was little. They understand each other just like how her mother only understands Daphne. The only reason Daphne was not around at the moment is because she’s staying over at the Davies’ for the week.

As Astoria was drawing something on the sketchpad the counsellors provided for her, she sees somebody coming through the window near where she was standing at, wearing the same shirts as the other kids attending the day camp. The somebody was a blonde little girl around her age with an old beat up backpack to which Astoria assumed was a hand-me-down.

“Hey,” the girl greeted.

“Hi…” Astoria replied back, still in shock.

“I’m Ramona.”

“I’m Astoria.”

“Nice to meet you,” the girl, named Ramona said. Astoria took out some sweets she had in her small bag and handed some to the girl.

“Would you like some sweets? They’re really tasty,” she offered.

Ramona took those from her hand and turned towards the sketchpad Astoria was drawing at and snickered. “What is that supposed to be?”

“It’s a flower. Can’t you tell?”

“Nope. Here, I’ll help,” Ramona offered as she took the pencil from Astoria’s hand. As Ramona was amending the drawing, Astoria sat back and watched as the blonde girl used different colour pencils for the shading. “Ta-da!” she presented after it was completed.

“Wow! You are amazing!” Astoria complimented as she stared at the picture.

“It’s no big deal,” Ramona replied humbly. “Hey, if anyone asks, do you mind telling them I’ve been here all along?”

“Why were you out in the first place?”

Ramona grabbed a croissant from her backpack, “I was hungry,” she explained.

“But there are snacks over at the table there,” Astoria pointed.

Ramona shrugged and grabbed the second croissant from her bag and handed it to Astoria, “I didn’t feel like eating that. Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Astoria replied as she received the food item from her new friend. She then remembered bringing some Pepper Imps with her in her bag. She took out the jar and offered some to Ramona. Ramona however looked skeptic.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Pepper Imps!” Astoria answered. Judging from her face, Astoria knew Ramona has never seen one of those before. “You never had one before, do you?” Ramona shook her head but decided to take one anyways. She was at first appalled by the sourness but eased on the taste after awhile. 

From that point on, Astoria formed a friendship with Ramona whom she felt that she could be herself around. As they were hanging out together during the day camp, the topic of blood status didn’t come up, not that Astoria was expecting it to nor does it mattered to her. Growing up, she had always heard people talking the importance of blood status.

Astoria loved the fact that she was a Pureblood. The title somewhat made me feel special. She loves the rich history of all the Pureblood lines, especially hers and was grateful that she was born as witch. However, she does not believe in the ideologies some Purebloods have in regard to blood status such as referring to Muggleborn Wizards and Witches as “Mudbloods” – a term Astoria vowed to never use.

Giselle Greengrass took a longer time as she expected helping to sort out the goodie bags to give to the kids that Astoria ended spending more than an hour there. Eventually, she managed to make more friends there which led to the meeting of Robbie Woodword.

When the camp counsellors left the room temporarily, Robbie was dared to climb a stack of chairs and climbed all the way to the top by some kid named Morty Burke, a Pureblood whom Astoria has met before. Everyone stopped what they were doing and were watching as the scenario unfold.

“You are not going to able to make it to the top,” Ramona said casually to Robbie as he did small stretches to prep himself.

“Oh yes I am!”

Astoria walked towards Morty who was snickering with his friends, “You can’t let him do this. He’ll fall and break his bones.”

“So? There’s a potion for fixing broken bones. I drank it before. Plus, he lost a bet so he must pay the price,” Morty retaliated.

“Morty! Stop this right now!” Astoria demanded at the top of her lungs when she sees Robbie starting to climb.

“Stop what? He already started it.”

“Forget about him, Astoria! Help me put pillows around the area,” Ramona instructed her as she passed the pillows.

As expected, Robbie lost balance and the stack of chairs were becoming unstable. He lost a grip while climbing and fell onto the pillows that were arranged for him. “I’m alive!” he shouted. He then stares at Astoria and Ramona with delight, “Both of you saved me! I am forever in debt to you. Use me as you wish.”

Both girls exchanged glances at the statement before turning back to the boy in front of them whose life they have apparently saved. “It’s ok. We’re just glad you’re not hurt,” Astoria replied.

“Let me repay you two somehow. I know! I promise to love both of you forever and ever!” Robbie declared.

“Forever is a very long time…” Ramona commented, cringing.

“Too late because I already declared it. To show my sincere gratitude, I will tell both of you my real name.”

“We don’t even know the name you have now,” Astoria pointed out.

“What is it though?” Ramona asked curiously.

Robbie gestured the two to a secluded corner of the room and whispered, “…Polo.”

“What?” both girls said.

“My real name. It’s Polo Roberto Shepard.”

Ramona burst out laughing instantly while Astoria tried her best to not laugh. “That’s a…pretty name,” she said politely to the boy.

“Pretty funny,” Ramona corrected her.

“Ramona, that’s not nice. You’re going to hurt his feelings.”

“But it is funny.”

“That’s ok. Now that I’ve told you my name, we’re friends now and both of you will have to marry me when we’re older since you already know my secret,” Robbie declared.

Astoria smiled at the offer of friendship and she herself offered him some treats to which he gladly accept adding the fact that he was not allowed to have sweets at home. They later discover that the sugar makes Robbie more hyperactive than before which was not something the organisers want to deal with.

Their friendship stuck around until the year they all were admitted to Hogwarts. Ramona and Robbie were both sorted to Hufflepuff while Astoria was sorted into Slytherin. At first, Astoria was afraid that she would lose Ramona and Robbie as her friends, but they manage to stuck by one another throughout their first year.

After the winter break, their little group welcomed a new friend, Carlisle Jones. Carlisle was a transfer student from Illvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Carlisle’s father, Emmett Jones, works as Head of Security for the Greengrass family and his ex-wife have been raising their son in America until she died of a car accident. When Carlisle was transferred to Hogwarts, he was sorted into Slytherin despite his father was a Hufflepuff.

Astoria at first did not like Carlisle although they almost grew up together since he comes to the Greengrass Estate every summer. Being the youngest in her family, Astoria felt threatened when there was another child in the house. It did not help that her father was very fond of Carlisle due to his magical talents.

Eventually, she learned to get along with Carlisle and became best of friends throughout their school years.

–

Present day

“Sounds like your mom had pretty nice friends,” Albus commented. “Have you met them?”

“I have. They’re very nice people,” Scorpius replied. “Ramona is an artist. She married Carlisle and live in America now where he is a healer for magical creatures there. Robbie is a Metal Charmer. He created the Golden Snitch for the 2010 Quidditch World Cup.”

“Isn’t that the one displayed in your family’s trophy room?”

Scorpius nodded in response, “My mother bought it from Robbie for my father for his birthday. She also was quite the Quidditch fan. Her favourite team was the Appleby Arrows. My father was a big fan of Quidditch himself,” he added.

“But you’re not,” Albus pointed out.

Scorpius shrugged as he flipped to the next page of the diary, “I like it enough.”

“So anyways, this Carlisle person. He was sorted in a different house from his father…”

“Yes, he was,” Scorpius replied absentmindedly as he began reading a sentence from the page that he just turned, not noticing Albus’ tone.

“And is he happy now?”

“Pretty much, I’m guessing. I have never heard him saying anything bad about his sorting. If anything, he seemed content by it,” Scorpius answered.

Before Albus could continue to ask about the matter, Evie returned knocking on the opened door to get their attention. “Master Scorpius’ aunt, Lady Daphne, has arrived for her visit. She is waiting in the formal living area. Evie has served her tea and refreshments there,” she announced.

Scorpius smiled sympathetically at Albus, “Sorry, I guess we’ll have to continue reading this later. Looks like my Aunt is early. Do you want to meet her?” he asked. “I don’t think she’ll be staying long. She usually have businesses to attend to and drops by quickly just to check up on me.”

“Sure. I’m fine with it.”

[zoetekohana]

I was tagged by @biminnie. ♡  Thank you, dear.

how tall are you? - 175 cm   what color are your eyes? - green/grey  do you wear contacts and/or glasses? - I wear glasses.  do you wear braces? - no, I don’t. what is your fashion style? - I don’t know? I suppose a mixture between classic and casual. when were you born? - June 15. how old are you? - I’m not comfortable revealing my real age, so let’s say around mid-20s. do you have any siblings? - yes, I have an older brother.   what are your favorite subjects? - in high school it was without a doubt English and art, while in college I really loved following visual culture the most with peripheral art as a close second. what are your favorite movies? - to name a few: The Breakfast Club, Edward Scissorhands, Mean Girls, Pitch Perfect, The Land Before Time, The Little Mermaid, Kimi no na Wa, Ratatouille, Omoide Poroporo, and The Princess and the Cobbler. what are your favorite pastimes? - watching movies&series, editing, drawing, writing, going on walks (especially near water), cooking, and organising (yes, I’m such a Monica). do you have any regrets? - too many :( what is your dream Job? - pffff, I hate being asked this question because I have no idea. would you like to get married? - no do you want kids? - ….I don’t know? Yes and no; yes as in I’d love to be a mom someday (although I’m afraid I’d be a terrible mom) because I like babysitting and being the best aunt/godmother I can be for my niece and no as in pregnancy and giving birth scares me way too much.  how many countries have you visited? - Let’s see: Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands (+), England (+), Ireland, France (+), Spain (+), Portugal, Italy (+), Swiss (this was just for a day, though), Austria (+), Luxembourg (+), Germany (+), and the Czech Republic. So that makes fourteen.   (The +’s mean more than once.) what was your scariest dream? - I once dreamed my toilet was a time travelling device. It still scares me where this came from...? do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other? - (hahahahahahahaha...) no put your playlist on shuffle and without skipping list the first 15 Songs:

Hyolyn (feat. Jay Park) - “One Step”

Loona/Yves - “new”

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - “What If We Could”

BTS - “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (cover)

Kelela - “Take Me Apart”

Sleeping At Last - “Homesick”

Max Richter - “The Trees”

Alexandre Desplat - “Falling Rain”

Kristopher Carter - “Dynamic Duo Ice Freeze”

Goose - “British Mode”

Taku Iwasaki - “Shudder! Shudder! More Shudder!”

The National - “About Today”

Tsutchie - “Raw Material”

Claude Debussy - “Reverie”

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - “Snowship”

I tag @eruriku @bentfire @ribbonedcuriosa @aarreplaneetta @ladyofodaiba @hellyeahayumichan and  @arahir

[notsopersonalcharlie]

The Newest Reid

Spencer Kid!Fic

Spencer is trying to adopt a baby, the team doesn’t know yet

Note: I love the idea of Spencer raising a child (alone or otherwise) because he’d be super loving and caring and simultaneously a complete nut about learning and stuff. This was not supposed to end up this long either

Word Count: 1.4K

Warnings: none

Spencer stared at the door completely unsure of what the verdict would be. The adoption agents must have been going back and forth for twenty minutes now, and according to all the books that he ready, long decisions usually turned out to be a soft “no”. He wouldn’t usually end up in a mess like this one, but a baby girl was abandoned after her mom killed her dad and three other young fathers. It took over two weeks to track down and lock up the woman, who had taken her four month old along with her. Thankfully JJ had the mother’s insight and kept them from getting in a firefight for the baby’s sake. 

Usually Spencer laid out all the arguments and possible outcomes before coming to, generally, the correct solution, but today he couldn’t. There was too many thoughts running through his head. They were probably tossing around thoughts like he was never home with the counter argument of he would be taking time off. His torture lasted another fifteen minutes before three people walked out of the office.

Spencer stood up and waited for one of them to say something. 

“Spencer Reid, you are now a parent.” Spencer’s heart leapt and the three people smiled. He signed some paper work and one of the caretakers walked him down the hall. The little girl, who had no name, which was unsurprising because her mother had been so scatterbrained, was asleep with her little fingers wrapped around a yellow blanket. 

“Meet your daughter, Doctor Reid. Did you have a name in mind?” 

“Rose, like Rosalind Franklin.” The woman nodded, unsure of what he was talking about. 

“She invented the X-Ray... sort of.” His mind was wandering as he stared at the little girl and without a second thought, he lifted her up and held her in the air. Her nose scrunched up when her eyes opened and she stretched her little arms into the air and Spencer’s heart just melted. 

Spencer called Hotch as soon as they got back to the apartment and he had settled Rose into her crib. 

“SSA Hotchner.” 

“Hotch, it’s Reid.” 

“Spencer? Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, everything is great. I just need to take a little while off.” 

“How long?” 

“A few months.” 

“What? Why? Are you okay? Is your mom sick?” Spencer could barely get a word in till the stream of questions finished. 

“You know the four month old from the case in Raleigh?” Hotch went quiet to let him finish what he was saying. 

“I adopted her.” There was more silence. 

“Spencer, are you sure about this?” Spencer had asked himself the question about a hundred times. 

“Yes, absolutely sure.” 

“Okay, I’ll see what we can do about paying you.” 

“No, Hotch don’t worry about it.” 

“You can still consult for mapping from there. We can figure it out later.” Spencer was forever grateful for his friends, but right now he wanted to be free of the BAU and forget about what had happened to Rose before she was safe with him. 

“Hotch... Aaron, could you not tell the team yet? I want to get used to it before I involve them. I love them all, but...”

“I understand. I have to go.” It was his ‘on a case’ voice. 

“Good luck and if you need me.” 

“Yes.” Hotch hung up and Spencer smiled a little bit. He had just brought home his own little piece of heaven and he couldn’t wait to get to know her. 

Hotch frowned as, once again, the five people in the bullpen deliberated over Spencer’s empty desk. All his stuff was there, so he hadn’t quit. If it was about his mother he would have at least told JJ, but it had been radio silence from him since he dropped away two months earlier. Spencer wasn’t ready to tell them yet. Hotch had gone over, just for a short visit to talk to Spencer about how much he would work and his payment options, and met the little girl who had stolen Spencer’s heart. She was tiny and adorable and took to Spencer incredibly well. Instead of thinking on Spencer’s absence any longer he stepped out of his office and called them all to the round table for a case. 

“This one is a doozy, my friends. Most of this case involves a geographical profile of Boston and our expert in both fields is mysteriously absent.” Garcia glared at Hotch, who stood up and stepped out of the room. They needed Spencer on this one, he’d known it the moment he opened the file. 

“Doctor Reid.” 

“Reid, it’s Hotch. We need you on this one. Not to come with us, but in the office.” 

“I can’t leave Rosie alone yet. She’s too jumpy with other people.” 

“Can you bring her here? The bullpen will be empty once we clear out. You can take over the conference room.” Spencer deliberated while making faces at Rosie, who was giggling from her high chair. 

“Okay, when do you leave?” 

“An hour.” 

“Can you delay? I think it’s time for the team to meet the newest Reid.” 

“I think so too. We’ll leave once you get here. See you.” 

“Hotch, thank you for this.” He didn’t reply, just let Spencer hang up. By the time Hotch walked back into the room the file had been read through the the team looked at him expectantly.

“Wheels up after Spencer gets here.” A mental cheer erupted inside the room as the profilers expectantly waited for Hotch to say what was up.

“I’m sure he’d rather tell you.” 

Spencer took fifteen minutes to leave the house and ten and a half to get to the BAU. He picked Rosie, her bag, and his satchel out of the car before locking it and unhooking his ID from his satchel. He got in the door and the security guard watched with wide eyes as he set down both bags on the conveyer belt. The guard forewent the metal detector, mostly because he’d seen Spencer about a million times, and because he was slightly shocked that Spencer was walking in with a little girl who seemed overly fond of the texture of his tie.

“When babies get to the second half of their first year they have a tendency to touch everything. It’s when they start to understand what different materials feel like and foods taste like,” Spencer explained as he maneuvered to carry all his stuff back onto his shoulder. The security guard nodded and let him go. 

Rosie seemed fascinated as Spencer pointed everything out to her in the elevator. 

“I know you won’t remember any of this, but me talking should help you start talking and learning words. We’re going to the seventh floor and you’re going to meet all your daddy’s best friends. And your godparents. They’re going to be really excited about it, but I’ll be right here to hold you if you get scared.” The elevator dinged and Spencer kissed her head before stepping out. The team was sitting by Derek’s desk and waiting with their go bags. When the glass doors opened all of them turned and the first person to squeal was not Garcia, but JJ. 

“Oh my goodness, who is this beautiful little girl!” Garcia exclaimed, following the blonde agent. 

“Spencer, is that who I think it is?” JJ asked, hesitantly reaching out. Rosie immediately took her finger, fascinated by the bright pink color. 

“Yes. Guys, meet Rose Diana Reid.” JJ picked her up and Rosie didn’t cry, just stuck out her tongue and looked with wide eyes. 

“She likes her godmother then,” Hotch said from behind them. JJ’s eyes widened as she looked at Spencer. He gave an embarrassed smile and then looked at Derek. 

“Hopefully she likes her godfather too.” Derek grinned. 

“Lemme see her.” JJ handed her over and she immediately started crying, twisting and looking for Spencer. Derek looked sheepish as Spencer calmed her down. 

“Guess not, hot shot,” Rossi commented. The group laughed. 

“She’s beautiful, Spencer,” Alex said and Rosie reached out to grasp her finger. 

“I really do hate to do this, but we have to get a move on. Garcia, set them up in the round room. Wheels up in twenty.” The team said unwilling goodbyes and Garcia took some of Spencer’s bags. 

“Actually, could we set up in your office? Your room is more colorful and she likes colorful things, they calm her down.” Garcia nodded and they headed to the computer room. Penelope listened as Spencer narrated to Rosie. He was going to be a very good father indeed. 

[myselfinserts]

❝Do you think I’d be out here if I were ONLY after girls!?❞

“STOP! WAIT DON’T! THAT’S FOR MY SISTER!”

Sorley had promised to run ahead of his parents to see Odette while they took care of business and settling in at the hotel. They’d brought a present, a beautiful rose gold locket with a swan engraved on it, and he’d promised to look after it and get it to her safely. And he’d done a good job of it so far. 

But then a Chausie came along and swiped the box, carrying it away by the ribbon and rushing toward the Heights Alliance. 

If it wasn’t for his quirk, Sorley would run a little faster. 

“Come back, please!” he cried. “Good kitty!!!” The cat turned a corner and vanished. Sorley skidded to a halt and sighed, trying to catch his breath. “Dammit. This sucks.”

“Sorley? Est-ce vous, petit frère?“

Sorley stiffened, turning slowly around to see his papa’s golden eyes staring at him. It always caught him off guard how much like papa Odette looked. If it wasn’t for the hair, she could easily pass as his clone. 

“Bonjour ma soeur aînée bien-aimée! Comment vas-tu en ce beau jour?“

Odette narrowed her eyes. “What trouble have you gotten into this time?”

“Me? Trouble? Sorley chuckled. “Never.”

“Sorley.” Her voice started to tighten in that way that only papa could replicate. “What is the matter?”

“I lost something,” he sighed, giving in. “It was a present made by Auntie Aurelia for you from papa and dad. A big Chausie ran off with it toward the dorms.”

Odette smiled, giving him a pat on the head. “That’s Mr. Pickles. Probably off to the Gen. Studies. dorms.”

“...Mr....Pickles?”

“Clement’s cat.” She motioned for him to follow, taking a few steps ahead. “Come on. I was on my way over there anyway. Kasumi asked me to borrow something from him.”

Sorley nodded and followed, noticing how quiet it was. Most of the other students were training for the sports festival, which was only a few days away. He’d considered transferring to U.A. when it came time for high school, but he didn’t feel comfortable studying abroad. Besides, their parents would get more worried than they already were. And he couldn’t exactly just leave the animals to the mercy of the black market. No, this wasn’t the place for him. But he didn’t mind at all.

“You came at a good time,” Odette said as they got close to the dorm. “Eira just showed up. Ena’s probably hanging out with her and Les-” 

Odette stopped and Sorley nearly bumped into her. Glancing past her, he saw a boy in a Hero class uniform staring longingly at the windows of the Gen. Studies dorm. His face was bright red, as though he were thinking of a far off romance. Sorley looked up at his sister, rather surprised at the sour expression she made. 

“Can we help you?” she spat. “You better not be trying to spy on the girls in the General Department. They don’t like that.” 

 The boy looked at her, backing away a bit. “Wh-what the hell?  Do you think I’d be out here if I were ONLY after girls!?” 

 “A pig is a pig no matter which side of the barn door its on.”

“You’re just a support class kid. You’re not even supposed to be here.”

Sorley bit his lip, knowing this boy was digging his grave. “You’re not meant to either.”

“Unless you were invited or running an errand,” Odette said sternly, “stalking the dorms is prohibited. Now, who do I need to report you to?”

Before the student could protest, the door to the general studies dorm opened. Sorley looked over, eyes wide in shock as he saw a boy covered head to toe in flower and powdered sugar. He wasn’t in his uniform, having opted for a dark maroon sweater that looked eerily familiar. He had a red knitted cap on, and his eyes were a very familiar shade of purple. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. 

“Good afternoon, Clement,” Odette greeted. “This boy was staring at you for a while. I take it this is your stalker?”

The hero student turned bright red, spinning on his heel and taking off before Clement made it over to them. Clement simply shrugged, watching him run away. 

“He’s been showing up a lot to the nurse’s office just to see me. I’m flattered, but over-possessives like him aren’t my type.” He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ll need to tell my auntie and uncle about this. They’ll get him to stop.”

“Sorry about that, man,” Sorley said. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled, showing them inside. “Sorry for the mess. I was baking when Mr. Pickles came running in. Little bastard jumped into the cake mix so I gotta start over. ”

Sorley smiled. “Was Mr. Pickles carrying anything?”

Clement shrugged. “Ask him. He’s over there.” He pointed over at the T.V., where the giant cat was laying on top. A little gift box rested where the cat bed was. 

“Thank goodness.” Sorley went over and grabbed the box, bringing it over to Odette. “Here’s your present, Odie.”

Odette’s face burned red at the nickname, but she graciously accepted the gift. “Thank you.” She looked at Clement, managing a smile. “Kasumi wanted to know if she could borrow your copy of ‘Tales of Melodica: the Cadenza Chronicles’.”

“Sure. It’s upstairs in my room.” He tossed her the key from his pocket. “Go ahead and grab it. I gotta clean up down here.”

Sorley headed toward the mess. “Do you need help?”

“Wait a minute-”

Sorley looked into the kitchen, nearly passing out from the mess. Flour and destroyed batter everywhere, pans on the floor, some icing squeezed out from a cat running over them. Odette followed him, letting out a gasp of horror. 

“If dad saw this, he’d be furious,” Odette stammered. 

Sorley rolled up his sleeves. “Regardez ce gâchis! C'est tout. Je nettoie ça si c'est la dernière chose que je fais.”

Clement rushed to step between them and the mess. “Il n'y a pas besoin de vous pour aider à nettoyer. C'est mon bordel.”

Odette stared at him in surprise. “You speak french?”

“Uh...un peu.” Clement’s face blushed through his powdered covering. “I’m trying to learn as many languages as I can.”

Sorley smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “Let’s work on some of it while we clean. Come on.”

“Thanks for helping me with groceries, kids.”

Eira smiled fondly, letting herself spin on her toes slightly. “Anytime Auntie.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Les said. 

Ena giggled, blowing a cherry blossom off her nose. “You think the cakes will be done by the time we pick up the others?”

Lady L shrugged. “Not sure. We’ll see when we get there.”

The group made their way over to the dorms, heading straight for the Gen. Studies first. They had to drop off a few things there, then head on to Support and then the teachers’ dorm. Though she nornally loved grocery day, something about today seemed strange.

Ena couldn’t help but wonder if something was going to happen. 

“Dude, I’m proud of you! Just keep pushing through!”

Something certainly was happening. 

When they arrived in the dorm, the smell of cupcakes filled the air, and Clement was dancing with Sorley, singing along with one of his Broadway tracks. Odette was sitting on the sofa, trying hard not to laugh as she buried her face into the fur of a rather unamused Chausie while Atsuko, who wasn’t looking up from her laptop, was secretly recording the performance. The room seemed to sparkle, as did the dancers. 

“Oh god,” Eira laughed. “It’s Dear Clement Hansen and Sorley Murphy.”

“Our friendship goes beyondYour average kind of bond”

“But not because we're gay”

“No, not because we're gay”

“We're close, but not that wayThe only man that I love is my dad!”

Les’s eyes went wide with excitement and he set down his bags, jumping over the couch to join in with the music at the “hey”s. Ena rolled her eyes and helped her mom carry the bags into the kitchen. Eira helped sort the bags before skipping over to the music player and turning it off. The boys all pouted at her. 

“What’d you do that for?” Sorley asked. 

“Help with the groceries,” Eira snickered. “Before I call papa.”

Clement smiled, throwing an arm around Les as the two walked over to Eira. “It’s good to see you, cousin.”

Odette and Sorley looked at each other in confusion. “Cousin?”

Atsuko looked up, eyebrow perked. “Oh right. I think we forgot to mention.”

Les smiled, pointing to Clement and Atsuko. “We’re cousins. Didn’t we mention that?”

“You mentioned having family in Japan,” Sorley said. “I figured you meant Tanith. Wasn’t she transferred here for a two year contract or something?”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t who we were visiting when we came here,” Eira explained. “Auntie Tan is up in Hokkaido and we come to Musutafu when we come to Japan. Clement and Atsuko are our paternal cousins. Or in their case, me and Les are their maternal cousins.”

Odette looked at Clement, eyes narrowed in confusion. “So you’re-”

Clement turned pale, a clear aura of embarrassment washing over him. “I never did say my last name to you, did I? It’s Gladstone. My mum’s the school nurse?”

Atsuko rolled her eyes. “Dammit, Clem. Why do you keep forgetting?”

“So you’re Mither’s kids?” Sorley asked. 

“Bingo.”

Ena watched carefully as the realizations dawned on everyone before looking to her mother. “You knew they weren’t all aware, didn’t you?”

Lady L smiled sweetly. “Let’s just say I don’t get too involved in family politics when I don’t have to. As godmother, I try to stay neutral.”

“I think you did your job a little too well.”

Odette smiled, looking over at Eira and Les. “So does this mean Uncle Reginald is coming to the festival?”

Les nodded. “Yeah. He’s currently prepping for a seminar, but he’ll be back in time for the sports fest.”

Clement tried to keep smiling, but there was something heartbroken about the way he now carried himself. Ena waved him over, nodding at the timers as they went off. The two started pull the cakes from the oven and set them on the cooling rack.

“So it looks like Nini Luci will be stopping by dorms later then,” Clem sighed. 

“That a problem?”

“No, it isn’t. it’s just...complicated between my mom and my uncle. I kinda want to spend time with both of them in the same room for once. I don’t know why, but things are just really...odd, between them. They’re cordial but they’re kinda...awkward? I don’t know.”

Ena gave him a quick hug. “It’ll be okay, Clemie. Just keep smiling, okay?”

Clement chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll do my best.” He paused. “By the way. Tell Auntie L that I need a Hero Course student taken care of. He was stalking me again.”

“You got it.”

“Thanks.”