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lokisprettygirl · 1 year ago

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Close Ties (Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Modern AU) (Non canon) (18+)

Read Chapter 13 // Series Masterlist

Chapter 14

Summary : Your life takes a drastic turn as family secrets are revealed.

Warning: 18+ dad's best friend trope, canon (we don't know her..don't like don't read), feeling of hopelessness, uncle Daemon kink (you don't have to squint), familial uncle niece sort of relationship but he's not really her uncle, there will be more smut later, masturbation, significant age gap but reader is in her mid twenties, mention of infidelity, miscarriage , divorce, smoking and alcohol drinking, physical violence implied

Time carried the ability to change in the brink of a moment and you had never understood the importance of it until now. At the hospital you paced back and forth as your mother was admitted after she had fainted, she had been stressed for a while and finding out about your relationship with Daemon as well as your father's affair with Stella was too much at once for her.

However she was okay and that was a relief, as you watched you mum and dad having a conversation all you felt for your father was anger and you knew you didn't want to be there any more. You couldn't even look at him the same way without feeling disgusted.

“Can you take me home?” you asked Daemon but he didn't even look at you as he answered you.

“Don't think your father would appreciate that”

“I'm an adult Daemon, I can go home with whoever I want and he can't do anything about it”

He nodded as you said that and obliged, you were hurting and he didn't want to add to it..

On the drive back home none of you said a word, he could sense your anger towards your father. When the truth of your relationship with Daemon came out you were worried about disappointing him but now you were disappointed in him. You had looked up to your father as a perfect man who despite all the temptations he received because of his status stayed loyal to your mother but it was all lies.

He was a good father to you, always had been but he wasn't a good husband to your mother, sure he treated her well all her life and loved her but like Daemon had said before he didn't respect her enough to not cheat on her, atleast not that night when he chose to fuck his best friend's wife.

You looked at Daemon and you felt a sense of resentment towards him as well, he made you break things off with Cassandra which you were grateful for but then he forgave your dad after what he had done to him?

About an hour later as you stormed inside his room he was on the bed icing those bruises your father had given him and for a moment your anger towards the situation melted. He was alone, he got hurt by the people he trusted and loved the most and still carried the strength to open his heart for forgiveness, not just that but he also protected your father's shameful truth from your mother and you all these years when he could have spilled the truth for revenge..

“Sit down pixie, I need you to calm down”

You walked towards the bed and sat down as he said that and then you chuckled,

“Were you calm when you found out that your wife chose to fuck your best friend and your best friend didn't resist her either?” his jaw clenched as you said that as if he was reminded of the moment he had figured that out.

“No i wasn't calm and I'm not asking you to not be upset but I need you to trust me when I say this that you'd need to forgive your father, it's all in the past anyways” the way he just wanted you to get over it made you even more upset.

“Yeahhh. Past? Who's to say Stella was the only one?”

“She was ..trust me she was the only one”

You got up from the bed as he said that and turned towards him so he was facing you directly, you wanted to look into his eyes while he spewed such bullshit to you.

“I need to know the truth, the whole truth, he was your best man, he was your best friend then how could he do this to you?” You asked him but words came out all choked from your own tears, this is why he never wanted to tell you the truth, he wanted to protect your feelings, you looked up to your father, he was your hero but that would change now.

“Remember that last trip we took?” He asked you so you nodded in response,

“I took your mum for a tour of the city, she slipped and hurt herself so I took her to the hospital since your dad was at the hotel busy with some calls he had to take. Stella was there too...she didn't want to come with us .. I don't know what happened but your dad told me that they both went to the bar together for a drink and got to talking, then she made a move on him”

His voice was devoid of any emotion as he said those words as if the event didn't even affect him anymore. You did remember the day, you didn't want to go anywhere that day so you had just stayed in your room all day long.

“Ofcourse she did but did he not remember that he was fucking married and had a child with his highschool sweetheart?” you asked him, your voice was full of contempt.

“I'm sure he did but not in those moments, they were drunk, she started to flirt incessantly with him, that's what she does apparently, telling him things like how handsome and rich he was becoming with every passing day” your expressions turned to one of disgust as you thought about the situation

“Your father was a good looking man but somehow he always felt insecure, especially when he wasn't who he is today, your mum was the only woman to have loved him like that and when a tall beautiful woman like Stella started to flirt with him, in his drunken state he couldn't resist her. That's what he told me, he was not proud of what he had done, he was a fucking mess when I confronted him, he tried everything he could to make me stay but i didn't. I couldn't, so he begged me to keep you and your mum away from this, told me that he couldn't lose you two as well” you scoffed as he finished his words.

“But he was okay with losing you and he kept us in the dark and for years he allowed us to make our own perceptions regarding you and you're here trying to protect him for all his wrongdoings” you turned around to storm out so he grabbed your arm and stood up to pull you closer to him,

“I'm not turning blind eye to his mistakes y/n” there was a look of anger in his eyes, he wanted to get through to you and for you to lean into him for support and not run away from him when you felt hurt and betrayed.

“But you want me to forgive him?” You asked him so he kissed your forehead which made you chuckle again “Well took you ten years to do the same and you won't even give me time to be upset and angry?”

You took yourself out of his hold and turned around to leave for your room, you couldn't be around him if he was going to behave like this.

“I took ten years because I had the luxury of time, you don't y/n..your father won't be around for long”

You halted in your steps as he said that. You wanted him to take his words back but there was a sinking feeling in your gut, as you turned around to look at him, there were tears in his eyes and fear in yours.

“What did you say?”

He walked towards you and grabbed you by the shoulders to pull you closer to him, your eyes looked up at him shocked and confused so he cupped your cheeks before he spoke again,

“I didn't just come back to repair my relationship with your father or settle back in London, I came back because he begged me to do so and you don't ever deny a dying man's wish, you never ever do that”

You looked at him with a look of shock splattered all over your face, mouth stayed open in surprise as you processed the information.. this can't be real right because it indeed felt like a nightmare. How could your life take such a drastic turn so suddenly?

“He made a mistake and ruined my life, I forgave him but i didn't forget and I don't think I'd ever forget what he had done to me that night but I am choosing to forgive him for all those times our friendship wasn't tarnished and ruined by his lack of self control, for all the good times we had with each other, i forgave him and came back and I'm so glad that I did because it led me to you and you have become the most important person in my life now”

You burst into a fit of cry as he finished his words so he wrapped his arms around you and hugged you tightly to console you, he didn't want you to spend the night alone with no one to comfort you.

“Take your time pixie, I'm not asking you to forget everything but when you fall asleep tonight think of all those cherished moments your father gave you and how happy he had made you all these years”

After a while when tears refused to come out you looked up at him and pressed soft little kisses on his bruises. He was a gem of a person, he was the true friend perhaps your dad didn't even deserve in his life, he threw it all away for a few moments of fun but Daemon was right, your father had given you the best life and had supported all your life decisions, no matter how ridiculous they were. He had loved you and your mum, there was no denying that.

“I'll forgive him if mum does, i won't forgive him if she won't”

“She would.. sweetheart”

“What's wrong with him?” Your eyes welled up again as you questioned him about your dad's illness. Suddenly it all clicked, the random trips and Daemon insisting you to join the family business and to learn from your father while he was here, everything connected.

“Carcinoid tumor, your father is being treated by his trusted doctor in the states, he didn't want to get treated here because he was trying to protect you from the truth for as long as he could”

All those trips they were taking together suddenly made complete sense and the reason why he went all out on your birthday this year. You still didn't want to believe that your father was severely ill, he had all the money in the world, he'd be okay right?

“Mum knows about this?”

“She does “

“He'll be okay though right?”

He hugged you again as you questioned him with such innocence and didn't say a word in response. Maybe he didn't want to lie to you and tell you that your father would recover when there was 50 percent chance that he wouldn't..

“Sleep with me please..i don't want to be alone”

“Shhhh sweetheart I'm right here” he picked you up in his arms and snuggled with you until your sobs had quieted down and you had fallen asleep.

He knew your father wasn't pleased about this development between you two but there's nothing he could have done now.

The next morning as you woke up Daemon urged you to go see your parents and talk to them. So that's what you did, you thought your mum would still be angry but when you entered their room they were talking normally with each other, maybe she had made peace with it because he was sick but your heart still broke for her.

She sent your father out of the room because she wanted to talk to you in private and as soon as he was gone you put your head down on her lap and clutched onto her, your life had turned for the worse in the past twenty four hours and you didn't know how to handle that. There was your relationship with Daemon, then the truth about Stella and your father and now you had to deal with his illness as well. It felt too much at once so you just cried and cried some more.

“Your father told me about you and Daemon” you sat up as she said that “He's not happy” you chuckled as she said that, no you wouldn't allow her to turn this around. Your relationship with Daemon wasn't wrong.

“Ohh you think I'm happy about the secret he kept from us and the secret you two had been keeping from. Me?” you asked her so she shook her head.

“It's in the past, I don't care anymore, he told me that she was the only one he ever fucked up with and i believe him” you looked at her shocked at the calm demeanor she had right now because she had collapsed last night after learning about it “Our marriage was going through a tough phase at the time, you know i miscarried plenty of times and it drove us apart for a moment..your father wasn't the only one who was unfaithful during the time” she looked down as she was ashamed of herself in that moment and you got off the bed to get away from her. Liars, everyone was a liar in your family.

“Please don't tell me that you and Daemon –”

“Jesus Christ no y/n..he had always been like my little brother”

She interrupted you before you could finish that sentence and you breathed a momentarily sigh of relief but then reality of the situation hit you like a rock, your parents' seemingly perfect marriage wasn't so perfect after all it seems.

In all of this commotion the only person who came out looking innocent was your Daemon, that sweet gentle man was like a blessing and nobody appreciated him. He got hurt and he had no one to lean on to at the time. How did he deal with such a betrayal? How did he have the courage to forgive Stella and move on with her?

“I don't want you to be cross with your father because of me..I'm sure Daemon told you about his–”

“Yeah that he's dying ..yeah” your tone was casual, not because you didn't care but because you felt extremely numb at the moment after everything you had learned since last night.

After your mother you had a chat with your father as well, the reason why he urged you to join the family business suddenly and why he brought Daemon back to guide you was because he was dying slowly. He wanted to feel at peace when it would be his time to leave so he really needed Daemon to forgive him and he didn't trust anyone except Daemon to teach you right from wrong when it comes to business but of course he didn't anticipate that things would take a romantic turn between you two.

“I made the move, he wasn't at fault here, sure he felt something for me but I was the one to take a step towards him, he just didn't want to keep hurting me, he's not a pervert, he's not sick and he didn't come back to take revenge from you so the next time you see him I need you to apologize to him because after everything he had done for you he don't deserve to be treated this way”

Your father cried along with you and as soon as he broke down and hugged you suddenly you felt the wave of grief coursing through you, you didn't know how much time you had with him but you knew it would never be enough. He was young still and he had a full life ahead of him that you knew he wouldn't get to experience.

“Y/n I have never asked you for anything in my life, but I want something from you”

As your father pleaded with you, you felt the similar sinking feeling in your gut that told you that whatever would come out of his mouth next would only bring you pain but then you don't deny a dying man's wish right?

As you took heartbroken steps towards Daemon that night you knew he'd probably resent you for hurting him this way but you felt helpless.

One look at you and Daemon understood what you wanted to tell him, you didn't even have to use your words, he had a similar conversation with you father, last night he thought he'd have to leave again. But this morning your father begged him to stay with him but then he also begged him to spare his only daughter, she was young and she was the sole heir of his legacy, he wanted her to find a man that would be there for her forever and not someone so much older that she'd have to spend her older years all alone with a broken heart.

He still needed Daemon to be here and guide you but as a mentor only and probably as an uncle that he was supposed to be.

As you clutched onto him and cried he just held onto you and didn't say a word, he waited for you to speak to him because he'd have done whatever you wanted, in that moment all that mattered to him were your wishes. If you wanted to fight for him then he'd have done the same but he'd also support you if you wanted to grant your dying father's wish.

“I can't lose you Daemon, not again, not after the way you have made me feel..I can't lose you.. i love you” you sobbed into his arms as your fingers clutched around the fabric of his silk shirt.

“You won't lose me, I'd be here I promise, no matter what happens I'd be here with you ..i promised that I'd never leave again so I'm going to fulfill that promise”

Your cries only worsened as he said that, he was ready to do whatever you needed even if it brought him pain and misery in return.

“You don't deny a dying man's wish you said”

“Mmmhmm”

“He wants me to end this romantic relationship with you”

“I know”

The look in his eyes was enough to indicate that he understood what you wanted to say to him.

“So that's it then..i should lose you because he wants me to? Isn't it enough for him that I'm losing him that i have to lose you too?” you asked him between your tears so he kissed you softly and longingly because he knew it would be the last time he'd get to touch you like that.

“You won't lose me Pixie, you'd never lose me again”

And he wasn't wrong about that but he wasn't right either, you broke both of your hearts that night and things sped up at the work front.

You were suddenly dropped from the intern position and were made the CEO of your father's empire, a position you weren't prepared for at all, but as promised Daemon was there with you, he was working for you now, under you if put precisely, and though you were higher on the chain he was the one guiding you, he was sticking up for you in every board meeting, he was pushing you to do your best. The nine to ten hours you spent at work somehow didn't feel so grueling when you had Daemon and his comforting presence around you but as soon as you came back home you were hit by the wave of overwhelming sadness and grief.

Sadness regarding your father's deteriorating condition and grief for losing the love of your life.

Daemon wasn't any better, sure he spent most of his time with you but having you so close yet so far was detrimental to him, he couldn't talk to you like he used to before, your relationship became strictly professional with him, sure you two lived in the same mansion but you both avoided bumping into each other to not bring each other even more pain because every time you looked at him you wanted to kiss him and tell him that you missed him more than anything and everytime he looked at you he just wanted to take away all your pain, hold you in his arms and kiss you all night long.

Life had changed so drastically in the past month that you didn't even recognise yourself anymore, it felt as if you had grown ten years in a few weeks and had to bear the responsibilities of your father on your shoulders.

You felt overwhelmed and anxious all the time, Daemon noticed that too so one morning as he knocked on your cabin to get your signature on some papers he noticed how lost you looked, you didn't even read the papers so he put his hand on yours to stop you from signing.

“Rule number one, always read the documents before you sign them” you looked up at him as he said that and as you saw that small soft smile on his face you couldn't hold back your emotions anymore, you broke down in tears immediately.

His smile faltered as well at the sight of you, you were too young and it was too soon for you to handle these responsibilities, sure he was there to help you and your father was doing his best as well but a burden was just that, a burden.

He walked around the desk and placed his palm on your upper back as you sobbed into your hands,

“Get up darling” he mumbled softly so you immediately stood up and hugged him as tightly as you could. This is all you have been doing these days, crying about everything but you felt awful, perhaps you'd have been more driven if your dad had not put that condition on you regarding Daemon because you really needed him especially now that you knew sooner or later you'd lose one of you parents and there was nothing you could have done about it.

“Shhhhh it's all good darling ..you're doing your best, just take deep breaths for me now can you?” He cooed gently and you didn't even need to do that because you felt so much better just by being in his arms

“It's too much ..I don't think I can do this” you looked up at him with your tear filled eyes so he cupped your cheeks and kissed your forehead. He didn't know if you were talking about your professional situation or whether you were hinting towards your broken unfinished relationship with him but he knew he had to uplift you.

“You can do this..I believe in you”

“What if I can't…what if I can't do this” his brows furrowed as you sniffled like a child, his own eyes welled up.

“Then I'll take you far away from here ..all you have to do is ask..that's it” you stopped crying as he said that. You knew that wasn't a choice you could have made, you won't hurt your parents like that, he knew that too, but having an option to opt out of everything and elope with him was nice. Having him put you over anyone was comforting even though you hadn't done the same for him.

“Okayyy..okayyy thank you” you mumbled softly so he smiled and made you sit back down.

Perhaps a good cry in his arms was what you needed to move forward and it worked for a while, sure he wasn't completely yours anymore but you still had his love and you gave him your love in your own ways but then one night as you came back home from work you found the woman you despised so much lounging in your parent's house.

You never wanted to see her again but there she was, hugging the love of your life as if he belonged to her.

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

Taglist

@serving-targaryen-realness @annoyingsweetsstranger @anukulee @mcufan72 @insertsomethingsillyhereple-blog @silentf @ajthefujoshi @stupidthoughtsinwriting @ammo23 @shuichiakainx @daddylokisqueen @ipostwhtifeel @anehkael @madlyinlovewmattmurd0ck @dixie-elocin @urmomsgirlfriend1

#daemon targaryen #daemon targaryen x female reader #daemon x reader angst #daemon x reader fluff #daemon x reader smut #non canon au #modern daemon targaryen #modern day au #age gap relationship

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canirove · 4 months ago

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Rice, Rice, baby | Chapter 18

Author's note: 10 points if you can guess who the guy on the header is 😅 Finding pics for them sometimes is so difficult 🙈

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

“Oh, looks like Alex and his parents just arrived” my mum says. “Olivia, can you keep an eye on this while I go greet them? I don't want your dad to eat burnt food on his birthday.”

“Of course.” But before she can leave, Alex's mum shows up in the kitchen.

“Hello, ladies. How is that lunch going?”

“Almost ready” I say.

“Oh, Liv. How are you? Is that bug you had over Christmas gone?”

“We are getting there” I smile.

“You look a lot better. And I'm sure a piece of my lasagna would help a lot” she says, uncovering the tray she was carrying. “It is your favourite.”

“Oh, thank you very…”

“Olivia, are you alright?” my mum says. “You've gone so pale…”

“I… I think I'm gonna be sick” I reply, quickly running towards the sink.

“Olivia!” she says, holding my hair while everything I have eaten today leaves my body.

“My God, child. What happened?” Alex's mum says.

“I… I don't know. I smelled the lasagna and…” It's coming back. Help.

“What is going on here? What is that noise?” my dad says while walking into the kitchen.

“Olivia isn't feeling well.”

“Oh, my darling. What happened?”

“The… lasagna. The smell…” I mumble, my forehead resting on the sink. It is cold and it feels so nice…

“The smell of the lasagna made you sick? You've always loved it! We've actually had to stop you from eating it all more than once” my dad chuckles.

“Not anymore.”

“Not anymore? My darling, are you alright?”

“I think the bug she had over Christmas isn't completely gone” my mum says.

“That doesn't make any sense. The tests Dr. Smith ran said she was fine.”

“And I'm fine” I say, slowly moving from the sink. “I just need a nap.”

“Olivia, you don't look fine. At all” Alex's dad says. Now everyone is in the kitchen, giving me pitiful looks. All but Alex, who is, once again, looking at me in a way I don't understand.

“I think we should take you to the hospital, darling. They may see something that Dr. Smith's tests didn't see.”

“I'm fine, dad. I don't need more tests. And besides, it's your birthday. I don't want to ruin it for you.”

“You won't be ruining anything, darling. Let's go.”

“I said no, dad!” I say, raising my voice. “I don't want to go to the hospital, I'm fine. I just need a nap.”

“Olivia…”

“No! Leave me alone, I'm fine!” I insist.

“Tell them, Liv. Tell them what is actually going on” Alex says, his eyes going from mine to my stomach and back at my face. Oh… my God.

He knows. He knows I'm pregnant, that's why he's been looking at me the way he has. But how? How did he find out? Only Kennedy and Madders know and… The cafeteria. When he fell. He heard us talking that day, that must be it.

“What do you mean? What does he mean?” my dad asks.

“If you don't tell them I will, Liv.”

“If I don't… Are you threatening me, Alex?”

“I'm just doing what is best for you” he says.

“What is best for me? Seriously?”

“Yeah” he shrugs.

“Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on or not?” my dad asks, now being the one raising his voice.

“Liv is pregnant.”

“You fucking piece of shit” I say, closing the space between me and Alex and punching him.

“Olivia!” my mum screams, holding me before I hit him again.

“I fucking hate you, Alex! I don't want to see you ever again! Get the fuck out of my house!” I yell while he just stares at me, his hand on his bleeding lip. Looks like the training with Micky is useful for more than just one thing.

“Olivia, is… is it true?” my dad says behind me. “Are you… Are you pregnant?”

“She is, Mr. Chapman. All the symptoms are there. The tiredness, the nausea… And you won't believe who the father is.”

“Shut the fuck up, Alex!” I yell again, trying to get free of my mum's grip. I'm killing him. I'm fucking killing him.

“Olivia… you didn't get pregnant from James, did you?”

“What? He and Kennedy are like family to me, mum. I would never do that!”

“I… I'm sorry. But you spend so much time together that… I don't know” she shrugs.

“He isn't a Tottenham player, don't worry” Alex says. That's it. It's over. He's gonna say Declan is the father, my dad will kick me out, and I will find myself living under a bridge while pregnant.

“Then who is the father?”

“I am” Alex smiles.

“What?” everyone says, me included.

“I am the father of Liv's baby” he says, smiling from ear to ear. What… the actual fuck.

“Oh… oh! That's wonderful news!” my dad chuckles. “Finally!”

“Finally?” I say, my eyes still focused on Alex and the stupid grin on his face.

“Since you were kids we always thought you would end up together” he says. “Our two families becoming one.”

“Oh, Olivia. Congratulations!” Alex's mum ways while hugging me.

“We are gonna be grandads!” my dad says, hugging Alex's.

“Is this why you two have been behaving so… weird lately?” my mum asks. “Because you were seeing each other?”

“Yes” Alex says.

“No” I reply.

“Yes or no?” she asks.

“We'll have time to discuss all that later. Now is time to celebrate!” my dad says. “Thank you for this birthday present, darling. You've made me so happy” he says while hugging me.

“You're… welcome?”

“And thank you to you too, Alex. Ah, a grandchild! I can't believe it!” my dad says while giving him a big hug, the stupid grin he's had on his face since he dropped the bomb still there. God, I wish I could punch him again.

Like... this can't be real. This has to be one of my nightmares. Any moment now the killing will start and I will wake up.

But as they all keep celebrating, opening a bottle of champagne and laughing, nothing happens. My mum is the only one who looks a bit more concerned, but other than that, there are happy faces wherever I look. Pure bliss.

Because this isn't a dream. My family finally knows that I'm pregnant, but they think Alex is the father.

What. The. Fuck.

#declan rice #declan rice fanfic #declan rice x reader #declan rice imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

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givemea-dam-break · 2 years ago

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a/n: since quite a few of you wanted a part 2, here it is for this request - heyy could you do anthony lockwood x reader, where they used to be best friends but something bad happens to the reader and they stop talking and after years they reunite because of a case. maybe angst and fluff - i hope you all enjoy! on my masterlist, it's titled Downfall

warnings: mentions of deathh, spoiler (for those of you who haven't read the end of the whispering skull aka end of s1's book), mild language gn reader taglist: @tellmeoflegends @shampoocovers99 @nessa-stark @moonysstarconstellation

part 1

Your coffee went cold about ten minutes ago, and yet still you wait. Begrudgingly. Hopefully. God, who knows why you're waiting?

Lockwood's almost half an hour late. Really, you should've left twenty minutes ago. Really, you should've never agreed to come out to get a coffee with him, but it felt necessary. He and his friends had just rid your house of the ghosts of your mother and aunt, and you'd been feeling particularly emotional at that moment, so you'd agreed. Now, you're beginning to regret it.

The sun gleams through the windows of the café, one you used to frequent with Lockwood the morning after he'd had a case while he was still working as an apprentice. You chose it simply because of how much you loved their coffee.

You've not had a sip.

Even though it's a drink, it carries memories almost as bitter as the taste of it, and you can't bring yourself to have a bit. It feels wrong. Everything about this feels wrong. The way you look at the door every time the windchimes sound; the way your heart is pounding in your chest with apprehension. You should be at home, making sure your dad is all right. Not meeting up with the guy who ignored you for years for something outwith your control.

You check your watch, frowning at the time, when once more the windchimes jingle.

This time, it's not an old man or a young couple that walks in, but a tall, slender boy in a far-too-long coat, a rapier by his side.

When Lockwood spots you, he smiles and hurries over, sitting down slightly out of breath. His cheeks and nose are a rosy pink.

"So sorry," he says. "I was running late."

"Clearly." You nudge your mug around on the maple table, watching the sun reflect off the white porcelain. "I was about to leave."

He grins in a way that was once contagious. No longer. "Well, I'm glad you didn't. What did you get? The usual? Back in a moment, I'm going to get a tea and a muffin."

In seconds, he's away and at the counter ordering, and you can feel all of your energy sap out of you and into him. You're not sure how he's so high-spirited, nor so energetic. You're positively shattered. But his temporary absence allows you to try and gather your thoughts and emotions.

It's like the barista knows your predicament because she's taking obscenely long to make Lockwood's tea. Not that you're complaining. Just as well you tipped her beforehand. Maybe you'll tip her more.

"Ah, nothing like tea on a cold day," Lockwood says as he sits down again, placing his mug on the table gently. "So, how are you? Good, I hope, seeing as you're ghost-free."

You shrug, watching the coffee in your mug follow the swirling motion of your spoon. "As good as I can be when my mum and aunt are dead, and my dad is losing his mind. What do you want to talk about?"

"Straight to the point, as usual." He smiles brightly, and it retains even when you don't return the gesture. "I just thought it'd be a good idea if we worked things out."

"Worked things out? Lockwood, there isn't anything to be worked out. I moved away without a choice, you got mad at me and never answered my letters. What more is there to say?"

For a millisecond, his joyful mask slips, revealing something that looks like a mix between guilt and irritation, but it's back in place before you know it. "Can I at least properly explain why?"

For lack of better judgement, you nod and cross your arms, sitting back in your seat. There's a weird feeling in your stomach, almost like squeezing. Like how some snakes wrap around their prey, squeezing the life out of it to consume, Lockwood's words do the same to your very soul.

How long have you waited for this conversation? To finally get clarity as to why he just cut contact with you?

Well, you know some of it. After the deaths of his family, you were the only person he had left, and his biggest fear was losing you, too. He clung to that fear for the five years between Jessica's, his sister, death and your move as if it were the only thing keeping him afloat in a dark, endless sea. It's why you insisted on writing and sending letters every day even when you had nothing of interest to talk about. You didn't want him to feel alone.

What more could there be?

Much more, apparently.

"Well." For the first time in this whole encounter, Lockwood seems nervous. His fingers are tapping against his mug, occasionally making little clicking sounds when his nails make contact. He keeps looking at the bridge of your nose instead of your eyes like he used to do when he was a kid and wanted you to ask your mum to get you both ice cream. "You were my closest friend. Nigel Skyes, you remember him? My first employer? Well, he was great, but I'd never consider him a friend, so you were essentially it for me. I mean, you know as well as I do, that all this charm? The bravado? It's fake, (name). You were the one person who could see through it and still accepted me as I was.

"So, yes, it hurt more than anything when you left, because I needed my shield up all the time. After my parents, after Jessica -" He pauses for a moment to slow himself down. He had started to ramble. "It was hard, but around you, I didn't need to be brave or happy all the time. Then you left, and - and I can't even begin to explain the fear that ran through me. What was I meant to do without my rock? The one person who saw what a mess I am but didn't care, because they were just as bad."

"Thanks," you mutter.

"You know what I mean, though," he continues. "It's like... When you're on a rope swing, really high in the air, and then the rope snaps and you can just see the clouds growing distant and the ground rising up to meet you before you crash into it. It was disorienting not having you around, and it felt like that when you told me you were leaving."

You only speak because of how final that last sentence sounds. "I didn't leave. Leaving implies I chose to go, which I didn't."

"The premise stays the same. You were here, and then you weren't."

"You -" Taking a deep breath, you compose yourself. You'd both chosen to meet out in public so you didn't start shouting at each other. "Okay. I understand how you feel."

His eyebrow quirks up as if to say, Is that so? But he says, "Thank you. Your turn."

For what? you think. You've got nothing to explain, no actions to justify. You did everything in your power as a teenage kid to stay with your best friend, and you got the response most teenagers would receive from their parents for such a request. No. What more could you have done?

"You could've replied to my letters," you say quietly, unable to look at him.

"I did," he says. His voice is soft, and you can feel his eyes on your face. "I just didn't have the guts to send them."

The emotions that overtake you then are overwhelming. Sadness because you never got to read these letters or see the stupid responses he came up with for the even-stupider things you said. Anger because he never sent them, never even sent one to tell you that he couldn't handle it. Regret because you never should've sent any in the first place. Comfort because he spent time actually reading your thoughts and ramblings and sat down to respond, even knowing he wouldn't send them.

But there's that little part in you that doubts what he says. How are you to know that he's not lying?

Swallowing the clog of feelings in your throat, you say, "I just wanted my best friend. Even if I couldn't stay here and see you all the time, I wanted to know how you were doing. If you thought of me as much as I thought of you."

"I never stopped."

You take a sip of your cold coffee then to hide the tears clouding your eyes.

"You could've taken the train to come back and see me, you know," Lockwood says. "A visit every now and then wouldn't have hurt."

"And so could you," you retort. "I gave you my address. I had school to think about, and I couldn't spend however many days a week on a half-hour ride there and another back. There was too much going on,"

His lips purse, and there's a little pang in your heart seeing him without his smile. You had forgotten how fulfilling it had always been to see it, even when you were mad.

"Did you mean it when you said you've not made any friends where you are now?"

As embarrassing as it is, you say, "Yeah. It's not easy when you're the new kid with social issues. Why do you think I always made you do the talking?"

He breathes a laugh then, a faint glimmer shining in his dark eyes. "I suppose you never were very good at talking to people."

"No." You tuck your hair behind your ears, staring down at your mug. "I never realised how hard it was to make friends. With you, it had been easy. You were just some chatty kid who wanted some of my doughnuts. No one could compare to you, so I never bothered."

Lockwood hesitates, breathing in as if to speak but no words pass his parted lips. With the sunlight streaming through the window, he looks like he's been painted onto the scene in front of you with those shadowed eyes that hold a lifetime's worth of mystery and an almost unrealistic air about him. The golden light splits across his face far too perfectly. It's infuriating. It never does that for anyone else.

"I think what hurt the most," he says, and his voice holds a very unrecognisable note of trepidation, "is that I had been planning to ask you out the day you told me."

Your hands, which had been tapping the tops of your thighs, stop short, and you look over at him in shock.

"What?"

His smile this time is small, bashful almost. "I'd liked you since we were twelve, in all honesty. But I never acted on it because we were kids and I was still grieving. Admitting I loved you felt like sentencing you to death, and I didn't want that for either of us. And then I worked up the courage, got my shit together, but look where that's got me."

It hurts a little to breathe. "You're kidding."

"I'd never joke about that." He's the one who won't meet your eyes now. "It hurt twice as bad getting the news because I was losing my best friend and the person I loved most on the same day. But I went on."

You note the wording then, how he didn't say move on, and an old, almost foreign spark of hope flickers in the dark abyss that once held your heart. Like every minute spent with the boy you left it with makes it slowly return.

"I loved you, too, for what it's worth," you murmur. "But, you know me and talking. I couldn't get the words out."

The nature of his smile shifts to something more remorseful. "I wonder how much trouble we would've avoided if we'd told each other."

"Or caused, you mean."

And he laughs softly at that, bringing a little smile onto your lips and a warmth to your chest. Something about the conversation, even though you're still insanely mad at him for the things he's done - or not done, more correctly - has made you feel lighter, liberated, in a way. It's easier to smile and laugh and feel a little okay. To allow yourself to connect with him in a way so minuscule to how you once were years ago but so tremendous compared to your time apart.

You never thought you'd be sitting here with him now, sharing smiles, and the thought makes you tear up again.

"Do you think we could ever be friends again?" he asks hopefully. "I mean, I know you'll still be a half-hour journey away and all, but I'll send my letters this time. I swear it. I want to hear all about your life at university."

No, a little part of you cries. You'll just end up hurt again.

But you don't want to listen to it. You want your happiness back, your best friend. You want to be able to wake up in the morning happy, knowing you're not all alone in your life anymore. You want to suffer through a stuffy train journey on weekends and holidays to come and see him and drink bitter coffee and eat stale doughnuts like you used to when you were fourteen.

Most of all, you want him again. A week ago, you would've scoffed at the notion and told anyone who thought it to go screw themselves, yet this one conversation...

It has given you clarity, along with a lot of anger and frustration and sadness, but sitting across from him? It feels worth it. Everything from the past three years feels worth it because now you're across from him and you're smiling and so is he.

So you say, "Yes."

And while part of you screams that you've made a mistake, another tells you that you made the mistake of falling into his web so, so long ago and never yearning to leave it, instead calling it home.

"Yes," you repeat because at least he's your mistake, your downfall, your home.

#anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood x reader #lockwood and co x reader #lockwood and co fanfiction #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #x reader #fanfiction #givema-dam-break

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x-emeraldsky-x · 9 months ago

Text

The sun was blinding from where they were sitting, the rooftop of the academy holding little protection from the harsh rays. The trees were a cut too short, the clouds straying clear from the burning star, not even the neighbouring buildings helped.

Three newly graduates sat waiting, hiding away behind their hands or arms, the heat tingling their skin as an indication that they'd start to burn soon. One was scowling, cursing under his breath at a man he didn't even know yet. Another was pouting, trying to keep his cool guy facade in front of his peers. The last one sat while holding long hair away from her neck, slumping over with her chin on her hand.

A puff of smoke broke them out of their bored misery, the three of them rushing to look presentable. This was their sensei after all, someone who'd teach them to be Shinobi, and even Sasuke wanted to make a decent impression.

When the smoke cleared, they saw a man who stood proudly on the railing. He wore the same uniform as any other Jounin but he had his left eye covered, the right side of his face was scarred terribly, leading down the exposed part of his neck and carrying to his forearms. He'd look intimidating if it weren't for his gentle smile.

He jumped down and greeted them loudly, his voice was deep but clear in tone. He behaved quite similarly to Naruto when he was excited. He introduced himself as 'Uchiha Obito'.

Upon hearing that, Naruto and Sakura turned to their third, like many kids would. The surname Uchiha wasn't very common anymore. Obito laughed as Sasuke turned with a huff.

"He's my little cousin!" He said, quite cheerfully too. He was very proud of his little Sasuke. "I practically raised him, so I asked the Hokage to let me be his teacher. Much to Sasuke's disgust."

Obito poked his tongue out playfully, recieving an embarrassed glare after Sakura and Naruto giggled.

"I know all about Sasuke, but," Obito kneeled down in front of the trio, focusing on just two. "I don't know much about you two. How about we take turns introducing ourselves. I'll go first!"

He smiled with closed eyes, oddly soft with his expressions considering the trauma on his skin.

Obito went through a list of all sorts of things. Things he liked and things he didn't, his favourite foods and his favourite hobbies, even his favourite type of chakra nature. All were hidden examples of what he wanted to know about them.

Naruto went next, eager to share.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm the son of the fourth Hokage, but that's not very important. Uhm, I like a lot of things! I like ramen, I like cooking with my mum, and I also like to train with my dad! I don't like thunderstorms, they scare me, but I love to write!"

Naruto beamed with excitement, much like his mother would when she herself would talk. Obito chuckled at the nostalgia, Kushina was always a highlight to his training.

Naruto raved on for a while longer, seemingly wanting to cover all his bases before he lost them. Obito made mental notes on everything he could keep up with. Sakura listened quite intently too, smiling softly at Naruto's excitement.

When it came to Sakura's turn, she initially missed the cue due to her focus on Naruto. She scrambled to find her words.

"Oh, uh, I'm Haruno Sakura! I like reading, and studying. Not a big fan of spicy food, it rarely tastes good, but I love eating fruit! I'm not very good at ninjutsu, but I want to help people as a ninja!"

She fidgeted a little with her hands as she spoke, her tone carried a hint of nervousness as well. Obito suspected she wasn't used to being at the forefront of attention. He related quite a bit, he himself was often overlooked by his peers due to being a late bloomer.

"Well," Obito smiled assuringly to both of them. "I'll make sure I can give you the best support I can to help you with your dreams!"

He stood from his crouching position, stretching out his legs to ease the tension, and smiled widely.

"Tomorrow, meet me at training ground number 7! 8am! Oh, and you might want to skip breakfast. The first training sessions gonna be brutal!"

Naruto smirked. "Bring it on, I can handle anything you throw at me, Dattebayo!!"

#sakura haruno #haruno sakura #naruto uzumaki #uzumaki naruto #sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #obito uchiha #uchiha obito #team 7 #kushina uzumaki #minato namikaze #naruto #naruto part 1 #naruto shippuden #obito sensei au #x-emeraldsky-x au

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training4theapocalypse · 1 year ago

Text

Finders Keepers Ch 10. (Cormac McLaggen x fem!reader)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 7.8k (oh my)

Warnings: Fluff, SMUT, PIV, Vibrator fun

Summary: McLaggen gets introduced to the muggle world.

A/N: This has been through four drafts with two different storylines until I settled on this. I'm not happy with the self-insert this has become but the smut went too hard so had to just get it posted. Also 'Hen' is a little Scottish term of endearment for a young woman and Grammarly hated it LMAO.

Masterlist

Tag list: @pretendfan, @countlambula, @ratsys, @aweidlich, @navs-bhat, @stainedpomegranatelips, @chiaraanatra, @xxvelvetxxxx, @ohnoitsrosie, @dracosisteer, @daisydark

Chapter 10: Electricity

Dumbledore’s death brought an immediate feeling of mourning into the castle. The loss itself was tragic in its own right - a respected Headmaster who you liked (though admittedly had never even spoken to directly) but the circumstances surrounding his murder and the intrusion of Death Eaters at Hogwarts were abhorrent. Nobody could quite come to grips with what had happened during the night.

Seventh-year graduation was cancelled. The fifth-year O.W.Ls were postponed. Padma Patil and her sister Parvati had been escorted from Hogwarts by their parents before breakfast. By lunch, Marietta’s mother had literally dragged her from the castle, barely giving you and Cho time to bid her a painful goodbye on the front steps, as you both clutched her hands, promising to write to her and meet up soon.

A few days before Dumbledore’s funeral, McLaggen had suggested, quite rightly, that your Quidditch ban would be the least of Professor McGonagall’s worries at the moment, and so the two of you spent the morning hovering in front of the goalposts, taking turns shooting penalties at each other and trying to take your mind off of what should have been a joyous end of term.

“Right,” says McLaggen, catching the Quaffle in the stomach with a grunt. “Your turn.”

As the morning sun sits high behind him, his dark blonde hair catches the bright light and you notice it looks more tousled than usual - like he’s been running his hands through it the way you’ve seen him do when he’s brewing a particularly complicated potion in class.

You fly toward the goal and do an about-turn as he lines up to take a shot.

“Who’s that watching us? Ministry, do you reckon?” You nod at two figures at the edge of the Quidditch pitch.

McLaggen whips around to look at the spectators and throws his head back with a groan. “Well, one of them is. They’re my parents.”

There are only two reasons why they’d be here.

McLaggen’s dad was high up in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement - maybe he was here as part of the Ministry’s preparations for the funeral.

Or maybe, like Mairetta’s mum, they were coming to force him to go back home.

Your stomach twists with nerves. You hadn’t expected to be meeting McLaggen’s parents today. You would have worn something nicer, you think as your feet touch the ground. Feeling slightly flustered, you attempt to discreetly spit your gumshield into your gloves. He grins as you do your best to smooth out your wind-swept ponytail. “You look fine - don’t worry.”

That’s easy for him to say. You’re sure they’ve seen him plenty of times in his Keeper’s gear. But it’s hardly the first impression you wanted to make.

You walk side by side, carrying your brooms over to his parents at the side of the pitch.

Mr McLaggen, in his tailored robes, is practically the double of his son except for the fact that he’s older, greyer and has a markedly more serious demeanour than Cormac. His lined face is handsome but marred with a stony expression.

The woman standing next to him is easily the most timelessly beautiful witch you’ve ever seen. She’s tall too, blonde and has - there’s no other way to put it - an expensive aura. The way her face glows and how she holds both her hands over her heart when she sees McLaggen means she could only be his mother.

“Dad,” says McLaggen, grasping his father’s extended hand and shaking it.

Ooh, formal.

“This is-”

He’s cut off when his mother pushes past him to wrap her arms around you and squeeze you tightly.

“We know! We know!” She squeals, hugging you. She steps back with her hands still placed on each of your arms. “Gosh, you’re even prettier than the pictures.”

“The pictures?” You glance sideways at McLaggen who looks profoundly embarrassed by the way his mother coos at you.

“Yes! Those charming muggle photographs of the two of you. Cormac has sent us so many. You know, I might make an album.”

“Mum!” hisses McLaggen and she releases you to hug him next and plant a kiss on his cheek, covering him in red lipstick that she has to wipe off. He grumbles and flushes almost as deeply as the smudged lipstick being rubbed from his cheek.

Mr McLaggen shakes your hand and gives you a stiff nod without returning the smile you give him.

“Cormac, darling. We’ve come to take you home,” says Mrs McLaggen, finally ceasing her fawning over him.

“I’m of age, I don’t need you to escort me home.”

“Of course, you don’t, sweetheart,” she waves a hand dismissively and turns to you. “Are your parents coming to get you soon?”

“They can’t - they’re muggles,” you say and you can’t help but notice the way Mr McLaggen avoids your gaze. “I’m getting the train home after the funeral.”

“I’m not leaving you here,” says McLaggen plainly.

His parents stare at you. Mr McLaggen looks formidable but Mrs McLaggen just looks anxious - you can tell the idea of him being here at Hogwarts is making her worried sick.

“Go with them. I’ll go home in a few days. And you’re still gonna visit me soon, right?”

“Gregor…” starts Mrs McLaggen, looking pleadingly at her husband.

“Eleanor, I warned you - ”

“Come and stay with us,” she addresses you before he can finish and your eyes widen in surprise. Mr McLaggen sighs resignedly and you have the distinct feeling that despite his appearance, it’s Mrs McLaggen who runs the show. “I mean for goodness sake, there were Death Eaters at Hogwarts. It’s not safe.”

“I’d love to, I really would. But I need to see my parents.” You look at McLaggen.

“Mum, we need to talk about it. Look, we’re going to go and get changed out of our Quidditch stuff. I’ll meet you in the Entrance Hall in a bit, yeah?”

“Alright, darling.” She touches his cheek fondly much to his indignation. “Your father and I will go for a walk and reminisce.” For a split second, you think you catch Cormac’s dad giving her a hint of a smirk that makes him so resemble his son, before following her off the pitch.

“Wow…” You say, watching them walk off towards the castle grounds.

“I know, she’s a bit much.” He gives you an edgy look as he bends down to pick up both of your brooms.

“I was talking about your dad. He’s a total DILF. I see where you get it from.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“And your mum! She adores you, it’s so sweet!”

“Alright, alright. That’s enough,” laughs McLaggen, shaking his head as the two of you walk back up the gravel path towards the castle. “What do you think though?”

“Listen, you should go with them. Your mum is obviously worried about you. Cho is staying here so I’ll be fine.”

“What are you and Cho going to do if the Death Eaters come again?”

“What are you going to do if they come again?”

“Well, that’s my point. If you’re here and I’m not then I can’t protect you.”

“We slept through the whole thing last time.” It was true - by the time you emerged from your common with the rest of Ravenclaw Tower, Dumbledore was already dead and Snape had fled from the scene. “Besides, I don’t need you to protect me.”

“Do a Shield Charm,” he says, stopping dead in his tracks as you reach the courtyard.

You bite your lip. “What, right now?”

“Yes, right now. Prove it.”

“That’s a lot of pressure, give me a sec - ”

He spins you to face him. “That’s the point. You don’t have a second to think. You need to react quickly - and not out of anger either. We already know you can do that at least.”

You feel slightly awkward as you look down at the singed tail of his broom.

“I don’t need a Shield Charm. I’m sure I could flirt my way out of any sticky situation,” you say, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him, hoping to change the subject.

He holds your shoulders firmly, dropping his broom to the stone floor with a clatter. “Be serious for two minutes.” His stern expression makes him look so strikingly like his dad. You’ve never been intimidated by McLaggen the way that other people are but you can definitely why they would be now.

Although you still don’t feel intimidated.

Instead, as soon as you try to take him seriously you feel yourself faltering. Against your will, you feel a little lump in your throat. “Cormac, I don’t want to think about it. I just want to finish school and go home and have everything be… be normal.”

“I know. But it’s not… it’s not normal any more.” He pulls you into a long hug and you press your face into his soft jumper, inhaling the comforting amber scent of his aftershave. “Come back with me. Please?” He murmurs with his chin resting on your head.

“I can’t. I need to see my mum and dad.”

“Then promise me you’ll at least practise Shield Charms while I’m gone.”

You allow yourself a small smile. “And you’re still coming back to Scotland to see me, right?”

“Only if you promise to visit me too. If you can put up with that,” he says, before turning quickly to make sure his mother hasn’t crept up behind him.

“I can put up with that as long as you’ll be okay with my dad forcing football down your throat.”

McLaggen puts his arm around your shoulder as you walk in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and confirm your summer plans. You’ll both placate your respective parents, then McLaggen will visit you for two weeks, you’ll go to the Holyhead Harpies tryouts and then visit his family at his house.

“And then what?” asks McLaggen, stopping outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. You don’t usually walk him this far but right now you want to prolong his departure as much as you can.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not gonna stay with our parents just visiting each other forever, are we?”

Oh.

“Things have been so mad with exams, I’ve never had the chance to think about it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… what, have you thought about us… like living together?”

“I think about it all the time.”

You feel yourself melting into a puddle.

“So you’d move to Wales with me if I make the Holyhead Harpies team?”

“If you want me to? We have plenty of time to decide - I’m not starting work at the Ministry with my dad until the end of the summer”

You chew your lip when he mentions his dad.

“You’re definitely still going to come, right?” you blurt, finally releasing the worry in the pit of your stomach since his parents arrived. “Even if something… even if something bad happens?”

“There’s nothing that could happen that would stop me from seeing you.”

“Even if your dad tells you he doesn’t want you to?”

“What makes you think he wouldn’t want me to?”

You raise your eyebrows - you know why McLaggen’s dad wouldn’t look at you.

“It’s not like that. Anyway I don’t care if he doesn’t want me to, whats he gonna do? Stop me?”

You take a deep breath. “Well, if something does happen, just know that I love you.”

“I love you too. And I will see you next week.”

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

After the funeral, you and Cho got the Hogwarts Express back to London. It was an emotional last train journey - the two of you ended up in tears more than once. It should have been a final rite of passage.

Not just a journey for two.

You wistfully imagine another ending, in a different lifetime - where your friends all shared a compartment as the Scottish countryside became less dense, making your way across the border and down to London. You’d laugh, chat excitedly about your Holyhead Harpies tryouts, buy some snacks from the trolley witch and play exploding snap.

Instead, you and Cho held hands across the compartment and mourned the end of an era. When it was finally time to part ways with Cho at the station, out loud you promised you’d see each other soon.

But inside you wondered if you’d ever see her again.

You apparate home from King’s Cross and when you step into the muggle world it’s like travelling to another dimension. The grief, the loss, and the mourning of your childhood are easy to bury when your dad meets you with open arms and asks if you had had a fun year at school.

You lie.

You don’t break the news about the state of the wizarding world. You shove down all your fears about what Voldemort’s return and Dumbledore’s death mean for muggles.

But you do, at the very least, pluck up the courage to tell him that not only do you have a boyfriend who you’ve invited to visit but that he’s totally clueless about everything to do with the world you came from.

“What do you mean he doesn’t know football?” Grumbles your dad, dragging your trunk up the stairs to your parents’ little two-bedroom flat while you carry your owl in her cage and your broom. As usual, he refuses to let you help him by using magic.

“They don’t watch football in the wizarding world, Dad.”

“What did you say his name was again? McLaggen? Where in Scotland is he from?”

“Er, Surrey.”

“What?!” He stops on the landing of the close to hold onto the railing and catch his breath.

“He’s English.”

“With a name like McLaggen?”

You nod. You were braced for this reaction.

“Och, for fuck sake. He’s English and he doesn’t even watch the Premier League?” You shake your head and he continues heaving the trunk. “I mean I could manage if he was at least an Arsenal fan but, Christ…”

“He’s into sports. I mean, we both play Quidditch,” you say, putting your key in the door and letting him inside.

“Is he any good?”

“Yeah, pretty good. He’s a Keeper too.”

“Not as good as you, though?”

“Never.”

“That’s my lass. You inherited your talent from the best.”

You laugh. Your dad coaches a lower-division football team and was a Goalkeeper himself in his youth. His insistence that you played football growing up is probably why you excelled at Quidditch so quickly.

Your mum greets you in the hallway with a hug.

“And has she told you about the English boyfriend who’s coming to visit?” Your dad calls to her and you sigh.

You count down the days until McLaggen is finally due to apparate on the spare bit of ground behind your flat. Thinking that there would be a lot in the muggle world for him to take in, you timed his arrival for when your parents weren’t home so you could explain everything.

You sit on a crumbling red brick wall at the edge of the patchy grassy field behind your building, looking at your Casio watch - it works again now that you’re outside the magical boundaries of Hogwarts. Right on cue at noon, you hear a shot, like a car backfiring and McLaggen appears - broom in hand and a backpack over his shoulders.

“Made it without splinching yourself then?”

“I dunno, are both my eyebrows still there?” He touches them with a thumb and forefinger. It’s been hardly any time at all since you saw him last but you’ve missed that stupid face.

You leap off the wall to hug him and he picks you up with ease, scooping you up with his free arm and kissing your cheek when you wrap your legs around his waist.

“Did you get taller?” You ask, stumbling when he finally puts you down.

“In a week? Unlikely.”

You offer to carry his broom but instead, McLaggen takes your hand and you walk around the side of the building to the front door. He does a double take when you use your electronic key fob to release the main door and it buzzes to let you in.

“That’s… electricity right?”

“Well remembered. Keep that in mind if there’s anything you don’t understand. It’s probably just electricity.”

“Got it.”

“My mum and dad are both at work so they won’t be back til tonight.” His broad shoulders relax slightly as he follows you up the four flights of stairs and you unlock the door to the flat with a set of keys. “I thought it would give me time to show you how some of this muggle stuff works.” You shut the door behind you and lead him down the hall.

“This is me,” you say opening your bedroom door.

He looks stunned when he steps through the threshold to your bedroom.

“I know. It’s tiny but I’m hardly ever here, I suppose.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… really pink.”

You laugh, looking at your fuchsia walls adorned with posters of bands, the Holyhead Harpies and the football team you follow. It’s probably pretty overwhelming if you’re not used to it.

“Surprised? You ask, sitting down on your double bed that’s pushed up against the wall of your little bedroom. “Just dump your stuff anywhere by the way.”

“I was picturing blue. For obvious reasons.” He shrugs his bag off of his shoulder, not really noticing where it falls as he stands at your wall, looking closely at your peeling No Doubt poster. “It’s kind of creepy how their eyes follow you around even though they don’t move.”

“Hey, don’t call Gwen Stefani creepy in this house.”

“Does she play football?”

“Not that I know of. She’s in a muggle band. American. Most of these guys are,” you say as he looks around your room. You lean back on your elbows. “I mean, you know NSYNC, right?”

He looks at your other posters and shakes his head.

“Come off it - even Marietta knows NSYNC.”

“I’ve never heard any muggle music.”

“You’re missing out. Better than The Weird Sisters. Definitely better than Celestina Warbeck.”

“Don’t say that in front of my mum… hey, at least there’s one thing I recognise.” He wanders over to your open bedroom window where your little grey barn owl perches on the window ledge. He extends his hand to greet her. She looks at it disdainfully, turns and spreads her wings to fly off into the distance. You think she’s annoyed that you haven’t been writing to him.

“I hope that’s not a bad omen for meeting your family.”

It gives you a fuzzy feeling in your chest, seeing him in your room like this. This time last summer you’d never have thought Cormac McLaggen would be in your bedroom. Or that you’d actually want him to be here. You watch him as McLaggen looks at the photos stuck to your dressing table mirror interestedly. Polaroids of you and him, some group photos of you, Cho and Marietta, and a few of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

“I can bring those with me to yours, if you want? You know, for your mum’s album…”

“Oh, haha,” he says sarcastically, joining you on the bed. “There’s a picture missing though...” He scans the room before reaching over to your bedside table to open the drawer. You lurch forward and try to slam it shut.

“Don’t look in my drawers!”

“Is that picture of me in there?”

That stupid trademark arrogant smile makes you blush furiously.

“No!” You lie, crawling over his lap to get between him and the table.

“It is!” He says with a mock gasp. “Come on, let me see!” You struggle but he dodges your grasp and opens the drawer. “I knew it!”

“You’re insufferable,” you grumble as he picks out the Polaroid before you can slam it shut.

“My shoulders look great,” he smirks, admiring himself in the photo. It’s one you took at the Seventh Year party, of him at the edge of the pool, drinking a beer.

His shoulders do look great.

So does the rest of him.

It’s why you keep it in your bedside drawer.

“You should have it if you like it so much.”

“Nah, I like that you like it.” He looks round to see you pursing your lips. “Alright! I’ll put it back-”

“No, wait!”

He opens the drawer again and pauses.

Shit.

“What is this?”

He’s spotted what you didn’t want him to see in the first place. A small, silicone bullet vibrator. You’re hoping he’ll have no idea what it’s for.

He holds the picture in one hand and the vibrator in the other, looking between them.

“Wait… does this go in…?” He makes a juvenile stabbing motion.

“It’s none of your business where it goes.” Your cheeks feel red hot. “Put it back.”

“You’re blushing - it does!” His face lights up with glee.

“It does not.”

“It’s so small. No wonder you were so impressed.”

“I told you it doesn’t go inside of me. It - ugh.” You sigh. “I hold it against me.”

“You just hold it? Does that - I mean, how does that feel good?”

You extend your palm and he drops it in your hand. It starts vibrating when you press the button at the bottom.

His eyes go wide. “And how- ?” You raise an eyebrow. “Right, sorry, electricity.”

You turn it off and reach over him to put it back but he grabs your wrist.

“Cormac -”

“Show me.”

“What?” You look at him and feel butterflies erupt in your stomach. He’s deadly serious.

“Come on, you said I never did it right. Show me how you touch yourself”

“You know I never meant that. I was just pissed off.”

“Oh, I know you didn’t.” The confident look on his face sends a tingle down your spine - he’s always so sure of himself. “But you’re gonna pay for saying that.” Fuck. It makes you wet thinking about how he’s going to make you pay for it. How does he know exactly how to press your buttons? To make you fold like this?

McLaggen puts his picture down and leans in to kiss you. His tongue parts your lips and you welcome it, letting him roll his tongue across yours. You’ve been dying to kiss him like this again since the night in the Prefect’s Bathroom. And now, you finally have him alone.

“I missed you,” you breathe when he moves his lips to kiss your neck.

You really have. The last time you had sex was over four months ago on Valentine’s Day. And sure, most of your Quidditch practises with him between December and March had ended up under the canvas stands getting hot and heavy - the pair of you fumbling under each other’s robes - but you haven’t even seen each other naked since February.

“When are your parents back?”

You pull back and look at the watch on your wrist. “Like four hours.”

“Wait what is that?” He asks, looking down at the digital display.

“A watch -” You say, between kisses. “Electricity. I’ll explain later. Just kiss me. Please.”

The fuzzy feeling in your chest spreads down to your abdomen and you pull yourself onto his lap, drawing your leg over his to straddle him.

Cormac lies back on the bed to rest on your pillows and your mouth follows his. You feel his hands move from your waist to squeeze your backside. His erection presses against you through his jeans as you suck on his bottom lip. When you trail kisses across his jaw and down his neck, you can feel the way his muscles tense as he swallows.

He tugs the hem of your t-shirt up and over your head and you urgently pull his off too.

Fuck, he looks even better than your picture of him.

Your hands work quickly to undress him and he does the same, his strong hands yanking your jeans and underwear down as you kiss him and run your hands over his bare chest. You climb on top of him again, positioning your hips over his large, flushed cock so that the underside of him is engulfed between your wet lips.

“Where’s that… thing?” He finds your discarded vibrator on the bed and hands it to you. “C’mon let me see how you use it.”

“What, sitting you you like this?”

“Yeah.” He raises his eyebrow, daring you to do it.

You take it and bite your lip. For some reason, you feel thoroughly embarrassed about touching yourself for him.

“Can’t we just…?” You put his large hands on your hips and grind back, along the thick length of him and feel him twitching between your folds.

“I thought you were gonna show me how all this muggle stuff worked?” Cormac’s eyes drift down your body as he guides your hand clutching the vibrator down to your clit. “I want to start by seeing how you touch yourself when you’re thinking about me.”

“You’re so sure I’m thinking about you?” You tease, switching it on. Fuck. You hold it against yourself and immediately feel your nerve endings light up under the stimulation.

“I know you do. Maybe not as much as I think about you.”

“You do?” You squirm against the steady vibration on your clit.

“Every fucking night.” He reaches up to cup your face. His thumb draws across your parted lips and you open your mouth to suck on it. You moan, feeling everything inch of your skin tingling.

His hand drags down your neck to your chest, groping your breast before settling on your hip again. “I - Maybe I think about you too, then,” you whisper, meeting his eyes when his hands move your body, encouraging you to keep moving back and forth. Those green eyes bore into yours - you go weak from the prolonged eye contact.

“Don’t give me that look, fuck, I can’t take it,” he pleads.

“What look?”

“The same one you gave me when you drank that love potion. Fuck, when you were begging me to take you… you know what it does to me when you beg for me.”

The vibration on your clit and the way his cock pulses underneath you make your vision hazy.

“I’m begging you now, Cormac… please. I want you inside me.”

You tilt forward so that the tip of his cock presses against your slick entrance. Sinking back, you moan as you feel his thick length stretching you, slowly filling you up. Cormac’s tight grip forces your hips to bear down on him and you whine when he sheathes himself fully, hitting deep in your centre.

“You look so fucking pretty like this, baby.”

He watches as you lean back to brace yourself on his thigh with your free hand. You pull your hips up and sink slowly back down on him, feeling him pushing into you. The strong vibrations on your clit and how his cock presses into your G-spot make you start to see stars behind your eyelids. Using your vibrator on its own, thinking about him every night this past week felt good but fuck, you never imagined how it would feel with him here under you, inside you at the same time.

“I know it’s not right but I wanted to fuck you in that shower - so badly,” he says, running his hands up your body to squeeze your tits.

You know it wasn’t right either, but Christ, you wanted him to. Every day you spent with him at school after the seventh-year party when you could kiss him, touch him, but never fuck him made you ache. You found yourself in your dormitory late at night with the curtains of your four-poster drawn, face buried in your pillow and fingers working in your underwear, quietly making yourself cum so the other girls couldn’t hear.

“I would have let you. Shit - I’ll let you fuck me anywhere. In the shower, on the pitch… anywhere you want -” You curse when he pinches your nipples.

“Don’t say that. It’s all I’ve been thinking about.”

You can imagine him too, alone at night in Gryffindor Tower fucking his own hand thinking about you whimpering against his chest, rubbing your clit and pleading with him to fuck you while every fibre of his being resisted temptation.

You can hear how wet you are over the buzzing from your vibrator - the slick sound of his cock sliding in and out of your pussy makes you pick up your pace, your walls squeezing around him and the intense vibrations pulsing on your clit as you chase your high.

“Yeah, that’s it. Keep fucking yourself on my dick.”

That’s exactly what it feels like like you’re getting yourself off for him. You almost forget about his pleasure while you use his thick cock as a means to your end as he watches you riding up and down on him.

McLaggen stares up at you, mesmerised by the way your face contorts in pleasure - your parted lips and heavy lids painting a picture of uninhibited gratification. He grabs your hips again - hard - just to watch your expression change, to see if he can make your facial muscles scrunch up and cause sweet noises to escape you.

He can.

His thumbs dig careless bruises into your hipbones driving himself deeper into you as you set a frantic rhythm, bouncing on his cock.

“Ah - fuck, Cormac. I’m gonna cum,” you whimper and his thigh tenses under your hand as you bear down on him, feeling white-hot pleasure deep in your core.

“That’s right, make yourself cum for me,” he says through gritted teeth, his eyes locked on your body - staring at the way your tits bounce and your hand presses the little buzzing object against your clutch of nerves.

The heat spills over and everything clamps down on him tight as ecstasy erupts burning hot through your body. The white noise of blood rushing in your ears overwhelms you as you cum all over his cock, riding out the wave of pleasure engulfing you.

You toss the vibrator aside and slump over him, pressing your face into the juncture of his shoulder. Your chest finds his and you cling to his broad shoulders as he fucks up into you, manically jerking his hips with a pummelling force that makes you let out adoring whimpers for him, your lips pressed onto his skin.

He wraps his arms around your back, keeping his tight grip on you for leverage. Every thrust make the broken sounds from your lips pitch higher and higher. You’re not sure where your last orgasm stopped and this one is beginning.

“Fuck, you make such pretty noises when you cum.”

His name leaves your lips over and over and over, in sync with the slamming of his hips into yours. God, he feels good from this angle. Cormac groans through gritted teeth when you say his name, and he responds by jackhammering his cock into you. You stifle your cry by biting down on his neck, not caring whether you’ll leave a bruise or not. Your mind goes blank with pleasure - no thoughts - just your body locking down so tight around him as everything implodes inside you again.

You feel his ragged grunt in your ear as he drives up into your cunt, burying himself so deep that his thighs meet the back of yours as he cums inside you. His grunting turns into low breathy moans that make him sound so wonderfully, so beautifully pathetic as his release coats your insides.

Cormac’s hips come to a halt and he brings his muscular arms around your shoulder blades. His biceps hold you close to his chest in a tight embrace as his cum leaks out of you onto your bedsheets. Post-orgasmic bliss flows between you - you feel the rise and fall of his chest in time with yours. Every inhale and exhale seems to pass between you like the tide rolling over sand.

Lying here on top of him, you realise your legs are aching from working them so hard. You softly kiss his bitten neck and he pulls out of you so you can climb off of him, rolling onto your back to lie next to him on your pillows and staring at the ceiling, letting your heart rate decrease again.

He turns on his side and props himself up on his elbow to look down at you.

“You’re so beautiful like this,” says Cormac tracing his fingertips across your chest and down the curve of your waist. It tickles pleasantly.

“Naked?” You laugh.

“That too,” he grins. “Just… comfortable. Not sneaking around under the stands or freezing cold on a blanket.”

“For the record, I enjoyed both of those things.” You reach up to cup his handsome face and you feel the scratchy texture of his chin when he kisses your palm. “But you’re right. This is nice. Maybe living with you won’t be that bad.”

“You should bring this,” he says, picking up your vibrator and looking at it interestedly. “Is the other muggle stuff you were going to show me as good as this?”

“That depends… have you ever had vodka?”

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

You and McLaggen sit on your bed listening to music. Your head rests on his lap as you read Quidditch Through The Ages while he flicks through your copy of Rolling Stone, frequently asking questions.

He lifts his head, listening to Oasis playing on your CD player.

“Is all muggle music just about other people?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like are they all just love songs?”

You lower your book to look up at him from his lap. “I’ve never really thought about it. I guess all the good ones are.”

“Hmm.” He flips a page of your magazine nonchalantly. “It’s kind of cheesy.”

“Oh sorry, it’s not extremely cool like wizard music. All your stuff is about goblins and ghouls.”

“It is not.”

“Name a Weird Sisters track that doesn’t have a reference to magical creatures.”

He pauses, stumped.

You hear the front door unlock. “That’ll be my dad home,” you say, without looking up. Your head hits the mattress with a thud as McLaggen springs to his feet and runs a hand through his hair nervously. “It’s fine. He’s nice,” you say, putting your book down.

“Has he ever met one of your boyfriends or girlfriends before?”

“Er, no.”

“It’s different. Trust me.”

There’s a knock at your bedroom door and a pause.

“Come in,” you call.

“Alright, hen?” asks your dad and you nod. He looks at Cormac who’s standing in the middle of the room uncertainly. “You must be McLaggen.”

McLaggen extends his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Mr -”

“Nope, none of that,” says your dad, grasping his hand and releasing it quickly. He insists McLaggen calls him by his first name. “Look, your mum is working late. Do you fancy a kickabout before dinner? Both of you.” He adds to McLaggen.

“Dad -”

“Yeah, I’m up for that,” says McLaggen, slightly too enthusiastically and you roll your eyes.

God, he’s such a suck-up.

“Right, get your stuff. Let’s go.”

You groan when your dad shuts the door. “You idiot - you’ve got no idea what you’ve just agreed to.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The three of you walk to the deserted park and you pull on your goalkeeper gloves as you approach the rusty old goals.

“Dad, McLaggen’s never even kicked a ball before.”

“Yeah, I have. I’m just usually mid-air, that’s all.”

“It’s a piece of piss,” says your dad, setting himself up to take a penalty as you find your line on the goal. “Plant your left foot, kick with your right, right through your laces.”

Your dad kicks the ball - you misjudge it and he scores as the ball speeds right past your feet into the net.

“How many times have I told you to practice those bottom corners?”

“There’s no ‘bottom corners’ in Quidditch. And that’s what I should be practising right now.”

“That’s not strictly true,” McLaggen pipes up. “The ball can always go in low if the Chaser’s coming from above.”

“Can you stop contradicting me for one second?” You ask, passing the ball back to your dad.

“Big mistake, lad. You can’t argue with her - she’s always right,” laughs your dad and McLaggen smirks.

You narrow your eyes, shooting daggers at them.

“Here.” Your dad passes the ball to McLaggen. “Give it a go.”

He attempts a penalty and you watch the ball soar over the goal and land miles away. You do a quick check for any muggles and pull out your wand.

“Accio ball.”

It zooms back over to you and you knock it back to McLaggen. He kicks it again and you catch it mid-air.

“Better!”

Your dad looks unimpressed but he and McLaggen continue taking turns trying to score. Your dad gets a few more past you but McLaggen gets zero, occasionally sending the ball so far it needs to be summoned back again.

“Right, I’m burst. One of you go in,” you say, stripping off your gloves.

“Yeah, go on then,” says McLaggen, jogging over and taking them from you. “Can see if it’s as easy as you make it look.” He grins.

“Just wait.”

Your dad lines up to take a penalty but you nudge him out of the way to take the first shot. “Don’t be too hard on him,” you say under your breath and he tuts.

You punt an easy shot McLaggen’s way and he catches it. “I can send it back with my hands if I’m the keeper, right?” He asks.

Your dad nods and McLaggen rolls it with precision so it stops right at his feet. Your dad blinks down at it a few times, clearly surprised by the accuracy.

“Don’t go easy on me this time,” he calls to your dad who pulls his shoulders back, ready for the challenge.

He kicks it with incredible force into the top corner and McLaggen saves it, catching it in his hands before rolling it back again.

“This is just typical,” you scoff and look at your dad who looks stunned. “He’s good at everything.”

With every shot, your dad seems to perk up. He’s practically beaming when McLaggen dives and manages to knock a shot away with his fingertips.

“This is great!” McLaggen says, getting to his feet with a smile. “Solid ground. Nowhere to fall.”

Your dad has a funny look on his face.

“You alright?” You ask.

“Yeah…” He clears his throat. “Right, one more or your mum will batter us.”

He shoots, curving the ball towards the goal. Easily his best strike all evening and McLaggen saves it again with ease. He smiles as he runs back over holding the ball.

“Excellent. We should do this again tomorrow,” says McLaggen.

You look at your dad and you think you know what the funny look is. You think he’s in love.

“That was some effort, lad. Are you going pro with Quidditch too?” Your dad asks as you start walking back to the flat, suddenly interested in McLaggen now he knows he can save a ball.

“Ah, no. I’m not as good as your daughter.” He says, actually sounding modest for a change. “I’ve got a job lined up at our Ministry with my dad - Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

“What, like in an office?”

McLaggen nods.

“What a waste.”

“Dad, don’t be rude -“

“Och, you know I don’t mean it like that. It’s just that a big strapping lad like yourself was made to be a goalie. If this one wasn’t so bloody intent on moving down south -“ He gives you a stern look. “I’d be trying to get you on my team. Christ, you’re better than the dozy bastard I’ve got in goals and he’s been playing all his life.”

“That’s very kind of you to -“

“Look, there’s nothing kind about it. You’re my daughter's boyfriend and I’ve got no interest in flattering you. You’ve got talent, son.”

“Thanks.”

“I still don’t understand why you can’t just live here and just - pop! Go to Wales and come back every day.”

“Dad, I’ve told you. You can’t apparate that distance twice a day. It’s dangerous.”

“What about once a week? No chance you could pop up from Surrey every weekend to play football up here?” He asks McLaggen.

“Don’t humour him, McLaggen. Dad, he’s not going to drop everything to be a keeper for your team.”

“Well, you should think about it. You’re only eighteen - plenty of time to go pro. I mean look at her - she learned Quidditch in a couple of years.”

“You’re not seriously trying to get him to become a professional footballer after one kickabout.”

By the time you get to the flat, you’ve had to stop him from changing the conversation back to convincing you and McLaggen to move to Scotland several times.

“Oh my god,” says your mum when she hears you coming up the stairs and opens the door. “You never told us he was handsome.”

“You didn’t? I’m sure you said that’s my only redeeming quality.” The corners of McLaggens mouth twitch slightly when he sees you roll your eyes.

This makes your mum laugh - a bit too hard. Your dad doesn’t even seem to notice. You’re surprised he hasn’t started giggling too.

After dinner, most of which was spent with your dad plying McLaggen with beer and telling him all about the inner workings of the Scottish Premiership league table while your mum asked him a million questions and giggled like a schoolgirl, you drag him to your bedroom.

You shut your door behind you and lean against it with a sigh.

“Sorry about that.” You shake your head. “Somehow that was worse than them not liking you.”

He shrugs. “I keep telling you, I’m extremely loveable.”

“Shut up.” You sit on the bed and toss a cushion at him. “Honestly, I think my dad would like a new a son in law. And my mum. God, I think my mum would quite like a new boyfriend the way she was going on.”

He shrugs. “They’re just being nice. It almost made me forget what things were like back in the wizarding world.”

“How bad is it? I can’t bear to look at The Prophet.”

“It’s getting worse. My dad has been working late and when I do see him, he looks terrible. My mum’s just anxious all the time... I should probably write to them and let her know I’m okay here. Can I use your owl?”

He sits down at your makeup table and writes a quick note to his mum and dad.

“I sort of wish we could just stay here,” he looks up as he folds the parchment.

“What? Like in the muggle world?”

“Yeah, I mean the sex is good, music is decent, football is… actually really good.”

“Sex is good and football is ‘really good’?”

“You know what I mean.”

“You should stay here with my dad. Start a new life as a muggle footballer.” McLaggen gives you a small smile and looks down at the parchment, turning it in his hands. “So what does your dad do at Department for Magical Law Enforcement? Does he like, manage the Aurors or something?”

“No, he writes legislation, lobbies to get it through the Ministry - that kind of thing.”

“And you’re going to be doing that too?” McLaggen nods. “God help us all then. Cormac McLaggen writing the laws that shape the fabric of wizarding society.”

“First thing I’ll be doing is making the use of Incendio punishable by ten years in Azkaban.”

“Hopefully your dad likes me as much as my dad likes you. It would be handy to have someone high up in the Ministry to bust me out when you put me behind bars.”

He laughs which turns into a yawn. “Where am I sleeping, by the way?”

You look at him sceptically. “Er, here?”

“And your parents are alright with that?”

“Yeah?”

“Just to warn you, mine won’t be. They’ll want us in separate rooms.”

“Better make the most of it then,” you smile, pulling your top off and finding your cutest pyjamas in your bedside drawer. You don’t get the chance to put them on before McLaggen’s lips find yours.

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

The next two weeks fly by in a blur - between Quidditch practice in a secluded field away from the outskirts of the city, McLaggen insisting on teaching you defensive spells and your dad dragging you both out to the park every night to play football you feel a lot more prepared for both your Holyhead Harpies tryouts and whatever going back to the wizarding world will bring.

On Saturday morning, as you and McLaggen pack your things getting ready to leave, there’s a knock at your bedroom door.

“Are you decent?” Comes your dad’s voice.

You roll your eyes. “Yes, come in.”

“You feeling ready, hen?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you say, bracingly, holding your broom upright.

He looks at you, glowing with pride. “They’ll be lucky to have you.”

You nod, nerves swirling in the pit of your stomach. Today’s the day.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come back here after?”

“We promised McLaggen’s parents we’d visit them. I’ll keep in touch though. I’ll send you an owl when I find out if they’re signing me.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ve decided you want a career in Scottish football, after all?”

McLaggen grins. He and your dad have been getting on so well - mostly due to the fact McLaggen’s only been getting better and better at football. “I wish. My dad would kill me if I turned down the ministry job.”

“Well, you’re welcome in our house any time, son.”

You sling your bag over your shoulder and kiss your dad on the cheek goodbye.

“We’ll visit when the football season starts. McLaggen was just telling me he wants to come to one of your games.”

Your dad has that funny look again on his face. McLaggen reaches out to shake his hand but instead, your dad pulls him into a hug. “A waste. A bloody waste,” he sobs.

McLaggen looks at you over your dad’s shoulder slightly bemused and pats his back.

“Dad?” You interrupt. He pulls away, wiping his eyes. “Right, tell mum I love her and I’ll see you both soon.”

“Alright, hen. Keep her safe for me. She’s precious cargo,” he adds and McLaggen nods solemnly.

He shuts your bedroom door and you take McLaggen’s hand, ready to apparate to Holy Island.

“I think he’s going to miss you more than he’ll miss me,” you laugh.

You think hard about your destination and with a crack like a whip, the pair of you vanish from your childhood bedroom.

Chapter 11: Blood Traitor

#cormac mclaggen x female reader #cormac mclaggen #cormac mclaggen x reader #ravenclaw #ravenclaw fanfiction #smut #fanfic #harry potter and the half blood prince #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #freddie stroma

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firespirited · 10 months ago

Text

everywhere but here, I am the mom.

not the 'mom friend', not fun aunt or godmother, the big sister type you go to when you're at the end of your tether and you need a mom to clean up something nasty, kill a spider, unload on someone who can handle it and not make it about them, help you pull the trigger on a hard decision you've already taken but haven't accepted. I make things happen, I connect people, I do mediation and emotional prep; I tell people their full options and help them weigh it all up. You were pondering it for a while but you left here with a lawyer's appointment and a loan we both know is a 'pay it forward' gift. I carry the secrets and the bad memories so it makes sense you move on without me when all's well. The big sister thing means I feel like family and shelter but not really like an everyday friend

Here, I get to be Saffy, bit of a klutz, silly brained with a childlike wonder for creatures and well-designed things who can talk about fear of crowds, slowly healing the relationship with my own mum, I watch horror and post about my dog. That's who I want to be, a large facet of who I am internally buuut life rarely fits the idea we have of ourselves does it?

Part of repairing the imbalanced relationship with mum was letting her do some protective mothering so i can fill the desperate ache to have one person in the world who has my back, while making my support of her more streamlined and unspoken. You know the concept of the toilet paper fairy who makes loo roll appear and always knows when to buy more, that but for groceries, electronics and paperwork, and big decisions we carry together but it has to be very businesslike and unemotional: she's as much a big sweetheart as she is fiercely independent (and ashamed/angry her daughter had to carry half the load). So now she's the one who notices or who I go to when the world has asked me to be The Mom again.

I imagine it's a lot like gay penguins: there's an ecological vacuum of big sister-mom types and some of us just have the vibes.

This winter I've done a metric ton of non-judgmental, non-condescending temporary 'parenting' of women with parents who are gone or who can't handle it and friends who aren't friends-for-that-kinda-thing. I'm really good at it, at weathering a storm for someone and being an anchor. It doesn't hurt any more because mum can be an emotional mum to me.

but I'm never sure how to talk about it here between dolls and shitposts and if i'm not specific... I mean... "chronically ill/special needs person currently or previously in abusive relationship with parent/partner who takes a while to realize and accept abuse isn't just fists but sleep depravation and symptom minimization and all sorts of tiny things that add up to life-threatening injury to the body and mind" applies to many of us dollblr folks as it does like 80% of my social circle offline.

and there's no way of saying that being around some folks is like experiencing a slow motion train wreck without sounding like an asshole.

I am that asshole.

I am goatsed out and want to be a hermit.

Did I tell you guys my doctor vented for 45 minutes about having to put her "dumbass hysterical" sister (deaf and never put in school) into care and the paperwork involved in getting disability (the thing that took me 14 years and she got her sister's transferred in 3 weeks). and I truly empathize but that wasn't very professional and your sister is a person. please.

and I can't cut M out of my life now that her kid is, as predicted, like her (and the facebook-chosen not-yet-divorced deadbeat-dad of 3 special needs kids), an adorable barely verbal two-year-old. She won't be able to navigate special needs care alone but she's still staunchly anti-vax and had a diatribe of ableism mixed with mystical pseudoscience for me, interspersed with thanks for being more family to her than her sister in helping her know how to leave a bad relationship. hokay not making this easy.

S is going to be on the hook for tax evasion if she stays with the shady useless guy she's been babying (and resenting) for 20 years solely because she doesn't like to do activities alone. three times now I've been cornered for the vent sesh. I am sitting on the floor the next time, I need blood in my brain to emote properly. and that unneutered bulldog living in the south is a crime, it can't breathe it can't think, it's all hormones and anxiety covered in fur, of course it's a nuisance around the house.

and there's more but i'm tired of typing and thinking.

#saf #rambling #rants #personal

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aita-blorbos · 1 year ago

Note

AITA for snitching on my brother?

Listen, my 19 brothers (all 200M) and I (200M) don't have the best relationship. After my Dad (over 50000M) and his buddy (3000M) created us in their lab, our mum stole us and passed us off to various adoptive parents on different planets, so we didn't even grow up together. As a consequence, some of us had it easier than others. Me, I had a great adoptive father. He put me through college and encouraged me until I became the actual second best wizard ever. By 18, I was pretty much the philosopher-king of our planet. I even had a relationship with my bio Dad longer than the rest of my brothers did because we found each other through magic and then used it to hang out. (He's the first best wizard. No biggie.)

Anyway, things were going great for me. Eventually, our bio Dad hosted a big family reunion and I got to meet my brothers. I was ready to make friends, but man, some of them were assholes. Well, that was fine. I stayed friends with the brothers I liked. I had a lot on my hands anyway, since Dad had taken the liberty of making 1000 sons for me, and none of them were freaking potty trained.

Did I use magic to potty train them? Yes. Did I maybe get the potty-training magic from a strange voice in my head? Well... Okay, yes, but consider that 1000 sons = a lot of potty training if you take the traditional route. I think it was a reasonable choice at the time.

Anyway, my sons were doing great, and the brothers I got on with and I began to set up this big magical training program so we could all teach our sons to be better and safer wizards. Sounds great, right?

Well, the asshole contingent of my brothers decided to haul us in front of Dad and point their fingers at us. "Wizards are bad and dangerous" they claimed, while one of them stood around surrounded by his own freaking wizards. ("They're not wizards, they're enchanters," my ass.)

I thought our bio Dad would side with us, him being the greatest wizard of all time and his buddy (I swear those two have something going on) being the third greatest after me. But no! He told us we needed to stop doing magic. Literally the one thing I'm good at. The one thing he made me good at. I'm the second best wizard in the galaxy, and he wanted me to sit on my ass.

Well, I tried. I mostly stopped. But come on, those assholes were definitely up to something. I started using my wizardry to surveil my brothers, and oh boy. The shit I found out. At first, I just sat back and ate popcorn, watching them pratfall their way through life. It was funny, what can I say? And I still stuck by the bros who had my back.

But then one of my bros, L, (unfortunately one of the ones I got on with) had the worst thing possible happen to him: He decided he had found God. By which I mean, he decided our bio Dad was literally God.

Seriously, our Dad. Sure, Dad is like 20 feet tall and glows with golden light, but when the glowing giant immortal wizard tells you he's not a god, you believe him. Unless you're L.

Dad's attempts to re educate him were... Misguided. As I said, he's not a god. But he went so hard that L flipped right the other way around and started to believe that our dad wasn't God. He was Satan, apparently.

And so, L went to our other brother H, who had a mad case of "first-child, I carry the whole family" syndrome, and started trying to convince him that our dad was Satan.

I tried to warn H that L was crazy. H just went "Lol okay" and went back to chugging L's koolaid.

H and L were definitely going to do something stupid, like murderously stupid. I needed to warn Dad, and it was urgent. I started calling, but Dad wouldn't pick up.

So I called him the way we used to talk, using magic. And what do you know, he had basically put up some sort of magical barrier which meant I couldn't call him that way either. I was pretty pissed off to see he had blocked me on so many levels.

And this is where I may be the AH.

See, that voice in my head that helped me work out how to potty-train the kids using magic? Yeah, it spoke up again. It suggested I break through the barrier. I figured Dad built it for a good reason, but I *was* strong enough and I was trying to save his life. So I broke in.

And then the voice's magical demons flowed into Dad's lab, ruining the amazing magical teleporter which he and his buddy had been building in secret. Turns out, the voice in my head was an ACTUAL god, the Lord of Change... And Dad had known all along. It was why he told my brothers and I that we had to stop doing magic. But he never thought to actually explain that to ME, so how the hell was I supposed to know I had a god in my head? He told us gods didn't exist!

Anyway, gods are real, but I still maintain that my Dad isn't Satan. He's just a really bad father.

He was understandably furious that I broke his experiment and let demons into his lab, but he yelled at me like he thought I did it on purpose. Plus, H was so mad that I snitched, he actually sent another brother (Mr. "They're not wizards") to burn down my planet. Like hell I was sticking around after that. After one last attempt to reach out to Dad, (which ended with my most gullible brother gaslighting me and then hitting me with a hammer) I went NC with pretty much my whole bio family.

I'm doing okay now. I actually ended up moving in with the Lord of Change for a while because at least he helped me potty train my kids and let me do wizardry in his spare room. Now I have my own planet and a sick wizard tower. It would be great if it weren't so dusty in here.

I still wonder if I was the asshole though. Don't get me wrong, I think the biggest assholes are my Dad, H, L, some other brothers I didn't mention, Mr. "They're not wizards", my oldest son who apparently can't keep the place clean, and a lot of my other sons who just kinda vanished one day. But maybe I could've done something else, like sending Dad a letter or warning my nicer brothers about H and L instead going straight to the top. So. AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

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newtonsheffield · 2 years ago

Note

Another ACUPOP prompt - Can we get a glimpse at either Kate or Anthony having to discipline Neddy? Is he just an extremely well-behaved boy? That worries me a bit because those are the kids who are plagued by perfectionism. I would love to see a moment of him feeling secure enough to push some boundaries with his parents, with some gentle guidance back.

I mean, generally, Neddy is a super well-behaved kid, and I think at least at first, Neddy would be super worried about pushing any boundaries, especially with Anthony who he doesn't know as well as his Mum.

But eventually, sure, he's a teenager, and he's going to try out different things, because that's what teenagers do.

And imagine the first time Neddy comes home from a party at 16 and he's a little bit tipsy.

"Mummy!"

Kate startled at the sound of her son's deep voice and the slam of the front door and she bit back a laugh already at the sound of his fumbling footsteps and the mutter of When did we get a coat stand? glancing at Anthony who chuckled lightly.

"I'm in here, Neddy." She called back, muttering to Anthony, "This should be interesting."

"There you are!" His eyes were a little unfocused and he slumped against the door of the living room, his hair sticking up in twenty different directions and he looked so much like Anthony had when they'd been young and stupid and hopping from bar to bar in fiji, newly married that she nearly did a double take.

"Hey, Sweetheart. How was the party?"

"And my Dad's here too!" Neddy crowed, "Look at my Dad!"

Anthony chuckled as Neddy stumbled towards them, flopping onto the sofa between them. "Look, it's my son."

"Did you, by any chance, have a few drinks tonight, Neddy?" Kate sighed, kissing his temple.

Neddy hummed, "I maybe had... one beer."

"One beer?" Anthony chuckled, "Sorry mate, you might be a lightweight."

"So maybe it was three?" He sighed, "But there was a girl there, and she was really pretty and I was nervous and I thought that would make it easier to talk to her, but it just made my head feel really fuzzy and I think I lost my wallet."

Kate's heart pounded for a moment, "How did you get home?"

"I think Dave drove me?" He said vaguely, "I dunno."

"Bed time, I think." Anthony said quickly, sensing Kate's panic, "Do you need me to help you up the stairs?"

Edmund sighed, "I think so. my legs don't work."

Anthony sighed and hauled his nearly six-foot son to a Standing position, half carrying him up the stairs and Kate tried not to think about it.

Edmund looked pale when he came downstairs the next morning, dark circles under his eyes and winced when Miles screeched Neddy! at the top of his lungs banging his fists on the counter.

"Hey, Milo."

Kate looked up at her son, sliding a glass of orange juice across the counter towards him followed by some painkillers. "Big night I hear."

Neddy flinched, staring down at the kitchen bench refusing to look at either Kate or Anthony beside him and it was that more than anything that made Kate's stomach churn.

"Sorry." He finally whispered, his shoulders heaving. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have been drinking and I know that this reflects really badly on you Dad and-"

"Neddy," Anthony said firmly, his hand on his son's shoulder. "Mum and I aren't upset about that, and I don't want you to ever make choices based on how you think ti reflects on me okay?"

Their son glanced furtively up at them, his brow furrowed, "But I was..."

"We're upset because we just want you to be safe." Kate cleared her throat, pushing down the panic, "You're a kid, and kids make mistakes and try things out and that's fine but you know, if you're in trouble: you can call either of us right? Or any of your aunts and uncles and we'll just come and get you."

Edmund nodded, letting out a sigh of relief before he winced again, "I really did lose my wallet though."

Kate rolled her eyes, "You didn't actually. I found it in the flowerpot out the front when I went to walk Newton this morning. I would like to discuss the condom you rolled onto the front gate though."

And it shouldn't have been so satisfying but when he spluttered and slipped off his stool: it really was very funny

#a crumpled up piece of paper #kathony #anthony x kate #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #edmund bridgerton ii #molly’s asks and answers

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niallrambles · 9 months ago

Text

Dad!Niall

Set in 2024

Lola is 5

You can imagine yourself how you want Lola to look!

Please be kind🥹 any criticism you find let me know!

TW- talks of Cancer in children

It was the first day of Niall's tour. All the talks with producers and set designers had been worth it because the stage looked exactly how Niall wanted it, how he had envisioned it for so long. He had gone for an old movie theater vibe, with light colours, old fashioned curtains and screens that looked like they belonged in the 1970s.

It was a very important show because not only was it the first night, his girlfriend and his daughter would also be there and it would be his daughter's first ever live show.

They all flew over to Belfast a few days before so Niall could play tour guide and show Lola her Irish heritage.

The morning of the show, Niall and Y/N were woken up at 6am by Lola jumping on the bed, too excited for nialls show.

They eventually got to the arena around 1pm, after everyone had gotten dressed, so Niall could make sure everyone was ready and so he could admire the stage set up alone before it was released to the world forever.

Y/N and Lola sat in the room designated for the caterers whilst Lola ate some pasta and chicken for her lunch, Y/N had decided on a simple cheese sandwich. Lola swallowed a few pieces before looking up at her mother.

"Where's daddy? He is missing lunch! Daddy never misses lunch!"

"Daddys doing a very important job baby, he's got some fans who he's meeting!"

Lola nodded and ate another spoonful of food as she kicked her legs happily. She eventually finished and Niall's still nowhere to be seen.

"I wanna go see daddy"

Y/N nodded and wiped Lola's mouth before grabbing her hand and taking her to the meeting room. They open the door quietly and see Niall in a room, filled with sick kids and their parents but each kid had a smile on their face, probably the first smile in a long time.

Lola slipped her hand away from Y/N as she raced towards Niall, who was currently speaking to a little girl with cancer, she was around 12 years old and in a wheelchair with her proud mum stood next to her.

Lola came and hugged Nialls legs tightly from behind and peeked out and looked at the little girl in the wheelchair

"Hi! This is my daddy! My name is Lola!"

"My name is Emma!"

Lola looked at the girl then Niall, then the girl again.

"Why do you have no hair?"

Emma was not taken back at all, she was used to questions, especially from curious 5 year olds.

"Well...I'm...I'm very sick! So my hair was falling off my head so my mum took it all off! It gets cold, but I like to wear hats to keep warm!"

Lola nodded and walked closer to Emma.

"You're sick? Is that why you have that?"

She pointed to the tube that was in Emma's nose as Emma smiled and nodded. It was a lot for Lola to take in, she'd never seen anyone with cancer before.

"It helps me to breathe because my lungs don't work properly"

Lola nodded, taking in the new information and looked at Emma for a few seconds before pointing at her arm that was full of sparkly friendship bracelets.

"I like your bracelets Emma!"

Emma blushed and smiled as she carefully took one off and handed it to Lola.

"Here! Keep it!"

Lola gasped and gave her a big hug

"it's pink! I love pink! I also love purple, yellow, red, green, blue, but not black because that's a sad colour"

It eventually turned into a Lola meet and greet as she showed her dance moves to the kids and told them stories about how kind her daddy is.

Niall just stepped back and watched as he held Y/N from behind and rested his head on her shoulder.

"She's an angel, she's so cute to the kids babe, they're so fucking sick, they needed this happiness"

"She gets it from you Niall. She's got your big heart"

Y/N turned her head slightly and kissed his cheek then turned back and watched Lola.

Eventually the kids had to go and eat dinner and soundcheck needed to begin. Niall carried Lola to the stage and set her down on a small chair. She just watched him with adoration the whole time before the music was just too catchy and she had to get up and dance with the whole band.

The show eventually was about to begin. Dinner had been eaten, soundcheck was done and Niall was dressed for the stage.

Y/N and Lola walked Niall to the side of the stage where he picked up Lola and held Y/Ns waist with his free hand before giving Y/N a sweet kiss and blowing a raspberry on Lola's cheek.

"You're gonna smash it daddy!"

"Thank you baby! I'll wave to you okay?"

He gave them one last kiss before they headed out to the VIP seating that had the best view.

Lola ended up loving the show.

She knew all the words and all the dances that Niall was doing. She clapped and cheered and screamed at him a few times before he found them in the crowd and blew them a kiss. She also cracked up laughing when Niall told the audience to be quiet when the screamed This Town at him.

Niall knew he was lucky to be doing this as a job. The feeling of touring never goes away, and it'll only get better because now his two favourite girls were gonna be there every step of the way.

#niall horan #niall blurb #dad niall #niall drabble #niallrambles #niall fic #niall story #niall fluff

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ozwriterchick · 2 years ago

Text

Our Little Family..

Characters: James :"Bucky" Barnes; Original Female Character/Reader; Natasha Romanoff; Steve Rogers; Sam Wilson; Clint Barton; Bella Barnes

Content warnings: No real warnings, just a bit of a angst and a bit of fluff, overall just cuteness

A/N: Originally published on WP and AO3, I've decided to upload some of my more popular stories from these platforms here, so keep an eye out.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Masterlist

Yn's pov

I peered my head out the door of our suite at the Avengers compound. Thankfully I saw just the person I was wanting to talk to.

Me: Pssst, Nat, come here, quick.

I closed and locked the suite door behind us.

Nat: Ooo, this is all secretive, I'm loving it. What's going on?

Me: Well, Bella is 3 now and I'm kind of getting a bit clucky and I want another baby but I don't know how to bring it up with Bucky. We've talked about having one but I'm pretty sure he wanted to wait until Bella was like at school or something.

Nat: You know, you could just say it. He's not going to divorce you because you want another baby.

Me: I know, I just don't want him to feel like he has to say yes just because I want it, you know?

Nat: I do, but when has Bucky ever done anything because someone else wanted him to?

Me: (laughing) you're so right there.

Midday the same day and Bucky, Steve, Sam and Clint were all sitting around discussing the party tonight and making bets on who will get the drunkest, who will make a fool of themselves the most, who will leave the earliest, that kind of thing.

Steve: I reckon Yn will leave first, he said laughing

Clint: Well that's almost a no-brainer because she'll have to put Bella down and she probably won't come back - that's what usually happens, right Buck?

Bucky: No, actually, tonight Bella is going to stay with her grandparents so we can have a normal party night for once

Clint: Well planned. Maybe you'll get lucky tonight too?

Bucky: Well, I am lucky every day that I have the 2 most beautiful girls in the world that I get to call mine"

The others all groaned.

Steve: You know she can't hear you right now?

Bucky: I know, but it's the truth and I'm not afraid to say it, doesn't matter who is , or isn't, listening.

You: entering the lounge area with your & Bucky's 3 year old daughter Isabella. "What aren't you afraid to say, my love?"

Bucky: That you and Bella are the loves and lights of my life and I am the luckiest man in the world.

You: Flattery will get you everywhere Buckster.

Bella: Daddy, tan I sit with you?

Bucky: Of course you can Bubba

Bella all but jumps out of your arms, straight into Bucky's lap.

You lean down and kiss Bucky and let him know that you're heading to the shops to get some last minute things you need for tonight.

Bucky: Alright, drive safe and text me if you need me. Bella, say bye to Mama.

Bella: Bye Mama, Daddy and I are going to watch a movie while you're gone

Bucky: Oh are we now, my princess?

As you leave you hear Bucky say to the guys: Yep, the luckiest and I would do anything either of them want.

You leave and head to get a few makeup items you are wanting and another thing you were hoping you'd need soon.

Mid-afternoon you got back from the shops and Bella was asleep on Bucky's chest.

You: Oh Buck, you should have put her down for her nap. You know she sleeps longer when she sleeps on you and I'm worried she won't sleep tonight for my Mum & Dad.

Bucky: Babe, don't worry about it, she's only been asleep for about an hour, that's almost her normal nap length anyway, I'll bring her up now and she'll wake up on the way.

He carries Bella up to your suite, and you follow him along, hoping she will wake up so that she isn't grumpy for her grandparents tonight. You're hoping to talk to Bucky about having another baby tonight, either at the party or afterwards.

Luckily Bella wakes up just as Bucky is laying her down on the couch. She rubs her eyes sleepily and says "Thirsy Mama"

You: Ok baby, do you want some milk or juice?

Bella: Doose pease Mama

You poured her some juice in a sippy cup, put her on the floor with some toys and sat on the couch watching to make sure she didn't lay down and go back to sleep.

Bucky: Did you get everything you needed at the shops Babe?

You: Uhh, yeah I did

Bucky: Do you want me to unpack the bag for you

You didn't want him to see the pregnancy tests you bought so you told him that you'd do it later and to come sit down with you.

He sat next to you on the couch and you snuggled into his side.

You: Hmmm, I could do this all day

Bucky: Hey, don't let Steve hear you, that's his catch phrase.

You both laughed and he put his arm around you, rubbing his hand up and down your side.

Bucky: So, party tonight. Looking forward to a kid-free night?

You: Yes and No, it's always good to get a night just to ourselves, but I miss her so much when she's not here.

Bucky: I know, I have a hard time sleeping not hearing her little snuffles and snorts in the room next door.

You: Aww, Bucky you are such a softy now that you're a Dad.

Bucky: I know, I'm a goner. Anything you or Bella want or need, I'll do everything in my power to give it to you.

You: But Buck, I don't want you to think you have to always say yes to whatever she or I want.

Bucky: Yn, I never thought I'd have this, you know, a real family. A gorgeous wife and an amazing kiddo. So if I can give you what you want or need, then I'm going to do it to the best of my ability.

You: I love you so much babe

He pulls you onto his lap and kisses you softly: I love you too sweetness. Both of you.

He wraps his arms around you and he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue into your mouth and a soft moan escapes your lips. Bella looks up and gets a strange look on her face. Next thing you know, she's climbed onto the couch next to you and is pushing you apart.

Bella: No Daddy, no hurt Mama.

You: Oh baby, Daddy didn't hurt Mama. It's ok. (Turning to Bucky) We might have to start closing the door to her room when we're umm.. you know.

Bucky: (laughing) yeah, I think you might be right.

You spend the rest of the afternoon getting Bella ready to go to her grandparents. Bucky leaves about 4pm to take her and you start getting ready for the party.

Bucky's pov

Bella and I are in the car on the way to Yn's parents house

Bella: Daddy

Me: yes Bella

Bella: When Mama's birfday?

Me: Well, Mama's birthday is in just a few weeks actually.

Bella: What we det her for present?

Me: Well, I have a couple of ideas, what do you think?

Bella: Daddy

Me: yes baby girl

Bella: I know what we tan det her

Me: (I'm thinking she's going to say a giraffe or something equally absurd) Ok, you tell me what should we get her then?

Bella: A baby

I nearly drove off the road, that was the last thing I thought she would say: Umm Bella, baby, why do you think we should get Mama a baby for her birthday?

Bella: Tause I heared her tell Aunta Nat she wants a baby so I fought we tould det her one but I don't know what shop to go to, tan you help get Mama a baby Daddy?

Me: Umm.. Wow (under his breath).. When did you hear her say that Bella?

Bella: Dis morning when you were with Unca Teve. Aunta Nat tame in our room and Mama said she want a baby.

Me: Ok Bella, let's not tell anyone else about this ok? If Mama wants a baby for her birthday then it has to be a surprise so nobody else can know, ok?

Bella: Otay Daddy. I love you

Me: (stunned) I love you too baby girl

With that, we pull up at the house and Yn's Mum & Dad came running out to get Bella out of the car.

Yn's Dad: Good drive Buck?

Me: Uhh yeah, not much traffic which was good.

I helped them get Bella and all her stuff inside, then kissed her, thanked them again and got back in the car.

The half hour drive back to the compound consisted of the following conversation with myself.

If she wants another baby, why did she tell Nat and not me?

Is it a good time for another baby? Is there ever a good time for a baby?

Of course we can have another baby, I love Bella so much, another little one would be amazing

But why would she not talk to me about it?

Maybe we can start trying tonight?

Hang on, when was she going to talk to me about it?

Was she just going to not say anything, get pregnant and then tell me?

We should be making these decisions together.

Why would she tell Nat in front of Bella, we both know she repeats everything she hears.

Oh god, how do I bring it up now, knowing that she felt like she couldn't tell me.

Thankfully I arrived back at the compound, which effectively stopped the out loud conversation I was having.

Bucky gets back to their suite and Yn is already in the shower. He goes through the closet and chooses what he's going to wear tonight and heads into the bathroom.

Yn: Hey Buck, was Bella ok?

Bucky: Hmmm? Oh yeah, excited to see Nana and Poppy.

Yn: Well, we have a bit of time if you'd like to join me in here? (Wiggles her eyebrows at him)

Bucky: (distracted with the thoughts in his head) oh it's ok, I'll just wait for you to be done.

Yn: (thinking to herself Well that's weird, he doesn't usually turn down a shower) Ok babe, I'll be out in a minute.

Bucky sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Yn to come out of the bathroom. He had no idea what to say to her or where to even begin the conversation.

Yn emerged from the bathroom with just a white fluffy towel wrapped around herself. She looked at Bucky and could see he was a million miles away and wondered what had happened while he was gone to change his mood so dramatically.

She walked up to him and put her hand under his chin, lifting his face up so he would look at her.

Yn: Hey Buck, everything ok?

Bucky: Yeah sweetheart, I just need to have a shower to get my second wind. He smiled at her, but she noted the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Yn: Are you sure? My parents were ok?

Bucky: yeah, they were fine, they were so excited to see Bella and have her staying over the night. I'm sure there were multiple new toys for her to play with and even before I left she had your mum on the floor playing tea party.

This time when he laughed it was a genuine laugh so Yn relaxed a little.

Yn: Ok, well don't take too long in there, I still have to do my makeup and hair.

Bucky: Just come in and do it while I'm showering, not like you haven't seen all this before.

So Bucky jumped in the shower and Yn started on her hair and make up - she wasn't going to do anything outrageous so it wouldn't take her long, but she liked to look nice for Bucky.

She was done and dressed before he was even out of the shower.

He came out of the bathroom naked and just stopped and looked at his wife. She is the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen and that he gets to call her his constantly confounds him.

He walked over to her and goes to hug her but she pushes him away. 'We'll never have another baby if she pushes naked me away' he thinks to himself.

Yn: Babe, no you're still wet and Im all dressed.

She leans over and gives him a peck on the cheek and he goes to dry off and get dressed.

Several hours later they are at the party and Yn is stifling a yawn.

Nat: Well, sorry to keep you up Yn. I thought you'd be raring to go tonight, maybe get started on that thing we talked about earlier

Yn: Nat, sshhh will you? I haven't talked to Bucky yet and I don't want him to hear it from someone other than me.

Nat: That's why I said the thing and not what it actually is. When are you going to talk to him?

Yn: I was going to talk to him tonight but to be honest, he was being a little weird when he got home from dropping Bella off, so I'm not sure if I will tonight.

Nat: What do you think made him act weird?

Yn: I don't know, I asked if my parents were ok and he said yes. He did agree with me earlier that he misses Bella when she's not here, but it was more than that. I just don't know what it was about. Like he was all in his head about something.

Your favourite song came on so you grabbed Nat's hand and got up on the dance floor and started dancing. You hoped that this woke you up a bit or you would be having an earlier night than planned.

You also hoped that it would motivate Bucky, who seemed to be avoiding you tonight. Usually he was quite clingy at these things but he'd been the total opposite tonight.

Another hour or so later you were on the lookout for your husband, having exhausted yourself dancing, you were ready to call it a night and head back to your suite.

Moments later, you saw him in the corner talking animatedly to Steve.

As you got closer, Steve loudly said "Oh hey Y/n, you looking for this one? "(Pointing to Bucky)

Yn: Yeah, Babe, I'm done in, I'm going to head upstairs.

Bucky: (half turned to you but not making eye contact) Uh yeah, me and Steve are just having a conversation so I'll come up soon.

You looked at Steve and raised your eyebrows. He shook his head like he didn't know what was going on either.

You kissed Bucky on the cheek and said: Ok, well I'll see you there soon, then.

Bucky: Yeah

You turn and head up to your room, even more confused.

Bucky's pov

Steve: Just talk to her, I'm sure you've had this conversation before, why is it any different now?

Me: Because now I know she's serious about it and cause she talked to Nat about it and not me

Steve: Buck, just man up and go talk to your wife. Only she can give you the answers you're looking for

Me: yeah, I guess you're right. Wish me luck (downing the rest of his drink)

By the time Bucky comes into the room you are almost asleep. He undresses and climbs into bed beside you, laying on his back, not touching you.

You turn and scoot towards him, he lifts his arm so you can snuggle into his side and he slides his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close.

These mixed signals are killing you and even though you're not sure if this is a good time, you have to talk to him about things.

You: Bucky? Are you really ok Baby? You've been a little off since you got back from dropping Bella off and I'm starting to freak out a bit to be honest.

Bucky grunted: You're starting to freak out? Well, I'm sorry to freak YOU out!

He lifts his arm and sits up on the side of the bed facing away from you.

You: Buck, you're scaring me. We've always been able to talk about anything and now you're being silent & strange.

Bucky: I agree, we have always been able to talk about anything. So tell me Y/n, is there something you want to talk to me about? Huh?

You: Well for one I want to know what's crawled up your arse and laid a nest? You're the one not talking to me, basically ignoring me all night and now you're questioning me?

Bucky stood up and turned to look at you: So you didn't have a conversation with Nat earlier today about having another baby instead of with me?

You: What? Bucky, I.. What did Nat say? I'm going to kill her.

Bucky: You see, that's the interesting part, it wasn't Nat who told me.

You: So who told you, nobody else kne... Oh shit.. Bella?

Bucky: Yes, we're in the car heading to your parents and she starts asking about when your birthday is and what are we getting you and then she said Oh Daddy I know what we can get Mama, we can get her a baby, can you help Mama get a baby Daddy? Then she tells me she heard you tell Nat.

You: Oh Buck, I'm so sorry you heard it from our daughter. It's a little bit funny though.

Bucky: yeah, maybe if I didn't nearly drive off the fucking road with our daughter in the car.

You: Oh, I totally didn't think about her being able to hear, I thought we were talking quietly enough and she was in the next room.

Bucky: Well, I think we should get her tested, maybe she has super soldier hearing. But I don't get why you talked to Nat, forgive me if I'm wrong but I don't think she has the capability of giving you a baby?

You moved over to the edge of the bed and grabbed at his hand. This time, he let you grab it and you pulled him to you, wrapping your arms around his waist.

You: Oh Buck, I'm sorry I was just asking Nat's advice on how to start the conversation. You said a while ago something about no more babies until Bella was at school and I just, I didn't want to wait any longer and I didn't want you to feel like you had to say yes.

Bucky: Oh sugar, you know I can't say no to you, but if I really didn't want to, I'd let you know.

You: So you're ok with the idea?

Bucky: I'm so much more than ok with the idea. In fact, why don't we start trying now?

You: I'd love to but I need to show you something first.

You grabbed something from the bedside table on your side. It was a pregnancy test you'd taken when you got back to the room just for laughs.

Bucky looked at it and read the word: Pregnant

Bucky: You're already pregnant? We're having another baby?

You: Yes, we are - I took it for a laugh not thinking there was already a little peanut in there but surprise to both of us!

Bucky cradled your face in his hands and kissed you softly but full of passion: I love you so much Yn, thank you for making me a Dad again.

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#James Bucky Barnes #Bucky Barns x Reader #Fluff #Angst #Pregnancy #Misunderstanding

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