#I've seen her once before but I had just gotten back from a vacation of the sort and she was like HEY come look at this with me

[tazmiilly]

woke up from a disturbing nightmare before immediately passing back out and having another dream about this friend I have only in my dreams. she showed me her awesome kid icarus arcade machine. it was super cool

[pillowspace]

NOTE: although I've now finished Ruin, this was written for fun when I had only seen the first half. Its relation is limited

(Wasn't) Worth Fixing by clutterspace

You find the Daycare Attendant of your childhood hidden behind your apartment building, severely damaged.

You... probably weren't intended to.

G | Words: 1,386 | Chapters: 1/1

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Your mother used to work as a technician at the pizza place half-way across town when you were little. It took some time for you really memorize the name—Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex—when all you did as a young child was raise your hands up high to your mother so tall and ask when you could go to pizza.

For every day she had gone to work, she brought you with her. You boundlessly scribbled in Freddy Fazbear themed colouring books with crayon on the near silent bumpy car ride there, as she had always requested the quiet before the cacophany of shouting noise the mall offered its full family guests. And much too young to be let loose among the older children, you had always been dropped off at the establishment's daycare before her shift.

The place had once held a charm to it, a brightly coloured wonder of dizzying family fun that evolved into a more thoughtful appreciation for the advanced robotics you eventually grew old enough to possess. Even the daycare had been attended to by a single machine, and to this day, you genuinely wondered sometimes if the bounciness of life its creaky frame held had really been there at all, a marvel of technological advancement, or if it was only the low standard magic that all little eyes saw the world through. Your memories were few and far between, but it had been a joyous place that looked upon you kindly, and much of that credit went to that very machine in place.

It was enough to make you feel a little bad for just how much you begged your mother to let you freely roam outside of the daycare later on, but life went on and on for little minds, and it wasn't a thought worth lingering upon.

When you blessedly just barely became old enough for it, you had gotten your wish granted to you by your exhausted mother, and stuck closely around the Glamrocks and their masses of crowds from then on. It was an endlessly exciting change from the norm, and the musical daycare of childish screams and brightly enthused words of encouragement that had welcomed you with open arms became an afterthought.

You had asked your mother one day where Bonnie went. The older kids had spoken in jokes that fell like cruelty upon your ears, and it was only your mother who might as well have been the CEO in your eyes who you could trust. Older now, you knew there was no harm in the jokes the other children had made among one another, but that a mind so easily swayed could only listen in horror.

Your mother had not sugar-coated it, much too used to the more grown-up side of her occupation to bother. You would have been fine to hear that he was on vacation, or off to bigger and better performances across the globe. You would have smiled, proud to hear of his accomplishments. But the words she told you had been without care.

He wasn't worth fixing, so they got rid of him.

It had been a nagging fear that crept over your spine for a year afterwards that the same could ever happen to you, childishly lacking in the understanding of your differences in value to the surrounding world.

And it was as you silently stared back into the wild, frozen, broken eyes dimly illuminating the dark, filthy alleyway between apartment buildings in vibrant yellow and red hues, with a right hand on your own open back door's handle and a left hand tightly gripped around a filled garbage bag at your side years later, that those very words rung back to you.

Police sirens blared in the distance, but that was the usual.

People talked, but knew little. There had been something off from the usual in town lately, police cars circling the area endlessly. They were looking for someone, or something. And your neighbours speculated, but they all speculated different topics amongst themselves, bringing all that mystery down to a he said, she said, who cares anymore. It all became naught but a backdrop with no follow-up.

Maybe no one wanted to hear a possibly dangerous animatronic was on the loose. Or- no. Maybe just no one wanted to admit to the potentially catastrophic failing, what with the previous rumours already spiralling out of control. A silent capture was in play.

The animatronic looked banged up, shattered holes all along its body. Fabric was littered with rips and tears, while not an inch of casing went uncracked. Its rays adorned with a familiar blue hat were broken, and its faceplace was almost entirely shattered in half. But despite all of the horrific damage it bore, you could recognize the animatronic for the daycare of your early childhood from anywhere, even though only an hour prior, you would not have recalled its form. It held itself still under your gaze, and you too did not move, for there was a shocked terror in the way it held itself firmly pressed against the bottom of the wall, too-thin metal fingers cracking the pavement beneath it.

It looked so scared for something (someone?) that could easily do to you what it was doing to the pavement. Though you doubted that it had any desire to do so.

You didn't know how long you two stared, until finally, you took the slowest step you could towards the garbage bin that stood only a couple feet away in the dim alleyway. The second you moved even an inch, a mechanical hum rose in volume from the wary animatronic's metal body that reminded you of the sounds your own computer makes. It didn't move, didn't talk, only watched you out of the corner of your eye as you ever so slowly made your way towards the bin. You lifted the garbage bag into it, and the clattering sound of its contents shifting within rung out much too loud for the careful silence you required. You internally recoiled from the noise, but outwardly showed not a reaction as you inched your way back towards your door as if nothing out of place had been seen at all.

Your hand fell upon the door as you stepped up across the threshold. You did not walk any further, and instead looked over your shoulder at the vulnerable state the broken, hiding animatronic you had unintentionally spotted was in. You inhaled, feeling doubtfully uncertain, but reminiscent for the sounds of shrieking laughter and the ever so foggy memory of a large sunshine grin poking into a play structure to announce that you had been found. As advanced as its facial recognition likely was, you sincerely doubted that it could connect you back to the toddler you had once been. It had no idea who you were, and therefore had no intentions of ever having been seen by you. But even if it did, would that matter at all? You couldn't be but a single file and a brief, fading memory to its systems.

(It seemed smaller like this, but you knew that you had only grown taller.)

He wasn't worth fixing, so they got rid of him.

"They check this alleyway," you whispered into the cool night air. A small clicking sound of an unknown origin sounded out from the animatronic at the sound of your voice. It did not respond, but you did not expect it to.

You turned away and walked inside of your home, intent on brushing your teeth and going to bed.

You did not close the door behind you. An unspoken invitation, because surely you would not be to blame if the ever so frightening machine found its way into your home all on its own.

You stayed in your bedroom for the rest of the night, and when the muffled sounds of police sirens finally circled back towards your street, you just barely heard the almost inaudible sound of your back door quietly clicking shut. You did not emerge, no matter what shuffling noises you heard afterwards, and instead rolled over in bed to play a song from your phone's lit screen into your newly pushed in earbuds.

If anyone asked, they had been in all night.

[romanceandshenanigans]

Regency Romance Update: September 20th, 2023

Why does life stuff always happen all at once? Here I go and start to finally have some momentum on this thing and I spend the next several weeks spending my days off dealing family obligations and a root canal. I need a vacation in the woods for at least a week where I'm not expected to see anyone or do anything.

Anyway, exhausted rant about living under capitalism out of the way, the WIP.

I have gotten some more scenes half written in my notebook, but haven't had real time to transcribe and edit, so no telling how many new words I've got. Mostly I've just been jotting down ideas for scenes to go into the second act and draw out Finn and Juliana rebuilding their relationship.

So far I've got a scene where Juliana confront an Anti-Stradfordian and Finn basically has to pull her out of the room before she tears the man's throat out. The use of dance to reflect the state of Juliana and Finn's relationship. A scene where Juliana dresses as a man for a play and Finn clocks how much more comfortable she is in men's clothing. Need at least one scene with Finn coming out of a lake. And plenty of back and forth between them fixing the play together.

I've also decided Finn is working on a drama, which he is not having a good time with since most of the stuff he writes are comedies with a guaranteed happy ending. Queue discussions on Finn's pessimism towards happy endings in real life vs. Juliana's fundamental belief that at the end of the day the universe will look after her.

In general I've got a better sense of the internal progression of both characters. In any given scene Juliana is running the gambit of human emotion meanwhile Finn is so consistent in his pining he's reached a state of zen.

Oh, and I'm finally starting on some spicy scenes, as a treat.

Thanks for your patience y'all. Here's a snippet for your troubles.

He turned his head to find Jules engaged in some conversation with Robert.

She was in costume, full men's attire from her well worn boots to the working man's cap on her head. The sleeves of her loose fitted linen shirt were rolled up the elbows while the dark green vest hung confidently undone. Her hair was hidden from view, buried under the cap so not a stray curl escaped. These were simple tricks he had seen countless times on a number of actresses, but never had the image rendered him so in awe.

More than the clothes themselves, she held herself differently. He knew her to be naturally athletic, something she often hid with careful movement and the compulsion to make herself smaller. Now she allowed herself to stand tall. Her weight wasn't being pulled up by some invisible string but allowed to sit on her bones be be part of her. The curves of her body were strategically hidden while her lips and eyes allowed just the peak of her femininity. He was left with the impression of an androgynous youth ready to lead him to the nearest glen and never be seen again. He'd follow her gladly.

taglist below the cut

@clairelsonao3, @auroramagpie, @janec23, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs

[shadowqueen402]

A "Perfect" Ending

(This fic is based off of @kayssweetdreams's A "Perfect" Vacation fic. This is basically a Bad Ending! AU fic. But don't assume all hope is lost. Someone will make a guest appearance in the end 😉. I hope you like this!)

Prim smirked in pride and victory, watching the people living their everyday perfect lives. The city, that had once been Timeville, was now called Perfectville. And everyone was behaving…perfectly. Prim had finally gotten what she worked so hard to get.

Especially a certain man that she longed for since 1995. That man was none other than Roy Montgomery, Aria's father.

See, after Prim accomplished her goal of making everyone perfect, she had her guards imprison Esme, Aria's mother. Then, she "persuaded" Roy to be her lover while she took Aria under her wing. Otherwise, he'd never see Esme again.

Now, Prim was living her ideal perfect life; with Roy by her side and her five perfect "daughters". Aria, who had been brainwashed into being perfect, was soon labelled as "The Most Perfect Girl In All Of Perfectville" and was seen as a goddess.

As much as she wanted to gaze at her accomplishments, there was an…important matter that she wanted to discuss with Roy, her "husband".

She made her way to her office where she spotted Roy, staring out the window with a glum and tormented look on his face. He had been doing this since Prim took over Timeville. With an sickeningly sweet smile, Prim placed a hand on Roy's shoulder.

"Gah!" Roy yelped, jumping a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry, darling. Did I scare you?" Prim let out a giggle.

"…I…I…didn't hear you come in…" Roy confessed.

"After all this time, you still can't tell when I'm standing behind you?" Prim made a fake frown of amusement. "I thought you would have been able to tell by now, darling…"

"To be fair, you do make a habit of…being unpredictable…" Roy pointed out.

"…So what were you doing in my office this time, darling?" Prim asked before her gaze landed on a pile of tapes that were scattered on the floor. Ones that she remembered fondly recording back in 1995. "Oh! Are those our old tapes? The ones we made back in the nineties?" She giggled. "Did you get a bit nolstalgic for the good old days?"

"…Well… I suppose you could say that…" Roy shrugged.

"You know, I had a nolstalgic moment today, darling." Prim's smile held some disdain into it. "I saw someone who I haven't seen in two decades! …And by that, I mean this is the first time he's seen ME in two decades."

Roy snapped his head to face Prim, his so-called "wife". A look of shock and suspicion flashed in his eyes. "Who are you talking about!?"

Prim's smile remained. "Oh my! Are you jealous, darling? Are you worried that someone improper is going to try and steal me, your perfect wife, away from you?"

"That's…actually the last thing I worry about." Roy frowned.

"Oh, darling!" Prim gushed like a lovesick schoolgirl. "That is ever so romantic! See, I knew you were perfect for me!"

"Right…" Roy averted his gaze. "So who did you see today?"

"I'll tell you all about it on the way to the airport, darling!" Prim responded with a beam.

Roy widened his eyes in shock. "Wait—airport!?"

"That's right, darling," Prim said. "Start packing your bags immediately! We're going to Japan!"

"We can't do that!" Roy protested. "What about our jobs!?"

"Don't worry, darling." Prim didn't seem bothered by Roy's reaction. "I've already called our bosses and informed them that we just needed to take a little trip. They were VERY understanding!"

"How long will we be gone for?" Roy asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, darling," Prim answered. "It will all depend on how fast I track him down…"

"What about…our daughters?" Roy mentioned. "Tomorrow is Yuri's, Dolly's, Misère's, and Kaylo's first day of school! And tomorrow is Aria's first day of college!" He still was not used to calling the first four mentioned girls "his daughters". Especially since, in reality, they weren't his. Only Aria was.

"If our daughters are anything like their perfect mother, they'll have absolutely no problems whatsoever taking care of themselves!" Prim insisted. "Oh, I hope our perfect Aria meets someone that is special, proper, and perfect! It would be so nice if she's gotten a proper boyfriend by the time we get back!"

"…I hope not…" Roy muttered truthfully, shuddering.

"What was that, darling?" Prim asked, glancing at her "husband".

"N-Nothing, sweetums…" Roy mentally cringed at the nickname he forced himself to give Prim.

"Enough dawdling, darling!" Prim waved his reply off like it was nothing. "We have to get going now! We don't want to miss our flight to Tokyo!"

"Uh, shouldn't I pick up the tapes?" Roy looked at the tapes that were still scattered on the floor. "They're scattered everywhere!"

"Don't bother, darling!" Prim was smiling like an excited person.

"What if…our daughters find them?" Roy had an uneasy look on his face.

Prim's smile widened as she pulled out two suitcases; one belonging to her and the other belonging to Roy. "You know, there's a part of me that hopes they will."

Floating outside of Prim's mansion, a humanoid being that bore a red striped jester hat scowled at the sight of Prim's and Roy's retreating forms. He recalled how confused he had gotten when he noticed that Timeville was changed into "Perfectville" and how graceful and proper everyone behaved around him upon arriving to the Waking World.

That was enough to give him a sensation that something was very, very wrong.

His theory was proven when he saw how Aria behaved. She was no longer the same person that she used to be. Rather, a shell of her former self. Her smile was eery and too nice. Instead of her usual outfit, she now wore a light blue blazer over a white shirt with a black ribbon, a light blue, mini pencil skirt, white thigh-lengthed socks, and black loafers. He wanted to talk to her and ask if she was okay. But something told him that that was out of the question.

Instead, being the clever Nightmaren he was, he hid in the shadows and kept a close eye on Prim. When he saw the platinum-blonde haired woman who proudly called Aria "her perfect daughter", he glared at her in suspicion. She obviously did something to his girl and he was going to find out. One way or another.

After some silent spying, he finally got the answers he was looking for. He now knew what Prim did to Aria and those other four girls. He now knew where Esme, Aria's true mother and Roy's true wife, was being kept. And most importantly, after eavesdropping on her conversation, he now knew where Prim was dragging Roy to.

And he was NOT happy in the slightest bit.

Messing with him was one thing, but anyone who dared messed with his Aria practically had a death wish. Rage gleamed in his icy blue eyes as he clenched his fists.

Prim was going to PAY!!

He would show her absolutely NO mercy!!!

Trying his hardest to remain calm, he turned to face a Goodle who was flying a bright green bird-like Nightmaren.

"Return back to Nightmare," He ordered the Goodle. "Tell Master Wizeman that I will return a little later. There is a…personal matter that I must take care of."

"Yes, Lord Reala," The Goodle replied, flying away to head back to the Night Dimension.

Madame Prim, Kaylo, Misère, and Dolly belong to @kayssweetdreams

Aria, Esme, and Roy belong to me.

[guardxdavis]

Davis knew that he wasn't inspiring a lot of confidence, and he wished he'd handled this whole thing differently. For one thing, he would know the layout of the mall better, studying maps if need be. And for another, he would have remembered the store that had called him originally. Alas, it was too late for either of those things now, and he felt the need to say something to make this man feel more secure. "I don't want you to be worried," he told the other man. "I might be new to this line of work, but I was a military man since high school, so I'm used to high pressure situations. And that's not the only time I've had to deal with that kind of thing either." Davis thought of the situation back in Boston, the one that had landed him here in Shrike Heights, estranged from everyone he loved back home. "I might walk with a bit of a limp, but I'm still pretty fast." His hand moved to his right thigh, pressing over the gunshot wound he knew was there beneath his pants, the wound that had gotten him discharged even though Davis was starting to worry that he wasn't good at anything else. Of course, these weren't things he was going to tell this man he'd just met. Looking around the store as the man told him more about it, Davis said, "I don't think I would have ended up in here if it weren't for this mix-up, so maybe it's meant to be. This place is cool, and not just these tarot cards. There's stuff here you can't buy anywhere else in Shrike Heights probably." Davis continued to examine the tarot cards, and he nodded at the other's remark. "I think you're right," Davis told the other. "Hers definitely looks like it's seen use. I wonder if she ever did readings." He realized there was a lot he didn't know about his grandmother.

As the other man talked about his past, Davis said, "I've never been overseas" before immediately realizing that wasn't true. "I mean, I was in the military," Davis clarified, "but I mean, that wasn't a vacation, you know? I wasn't there for anything fun or enjoyable. "I don't really know Desi too well yet," Davis replied, "but clearly you respect him, so that's a good sign. I'll have to stick close to him while I learn the ins and outs of the job. And I will get better at it. That's sort of a thing for me: when I'm not good at something and really want to improve, I don't stop until I do. Trust me, okay?" Then Davis laughed, admitting, "Yeah, okay, I know that might be hard since we just met, but I'll prove it to you, scout's honor." Once they'd moved on to the item in Davis's hands, the guard couldn't help but be amused by this whole situation. "I really ended up in the wrong store, didn't I?" he said, shaking his head. "I can probably find it on my own from here, though I'm not too mad that I ended up in the wrong store. I...I don't know anyone here, so it's nice to meet someone new." Maybe he should be embarrassed by being vulnerable like this in front of someone he just meat, but Davis didn't really care right now. "It's nice to meet you, Edward," Davis replied, and then he raised his eyebrows, surprised by what Edward had said. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Are you not great at your job either? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?" Even if it was the latter, Davis would appreciate it.

it's not the most comforting thing to hear, that a member of the security team in this death trap of a mall is still working out the job, but edward tries to not let it scare him; if anything, he should feel appreciation for this person who is willing to put his life on the line for the sake of all of the mall goers and the mall employees. edward does feel the appreciation, though no matter how hard he tries, there's still a level of discomfort. he tries to brush it away, smiling in response, telling himself that he's surely competent when it matters - not that edward wishes to manifest a situation where the guard has to prove himself. "it's an alternative occult store," he tells him, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the items he's selling. while edward has learnt a lot in his time working here, he intentionally chose to find employment at the black cat due to how different it is from himself. "yeah," he nods. "if hers looks old or worn at all i doubt they came from here - this store wasn't even one that was open when the mall first opened, i'm told - but it's likely that it's the same thing, yeah, they're more commonly used than i ever knew before starting here, at least," he nods his head one more time.

"no need," he brushes his apology off with a genuine smile. "yeah, yep- i mean, i was born over there too, which explains the voice," edward doesn't want the man to think that he only has such a strong accent because he spent two years away from shrike heights. "but i also spent the last couple of years over there. left before the mall went up in '87," he gives a little more detail than necessary in case davis is still catching up on all of the simplest details about the mall. edward tries to not cringe at the comment about them being short on security; he knows of the enormous loss they've suffered, has heard of the faithful security team members who have lost their lives to the killers, and while all of the security guards edward has known personally himself are luckily still here, it pains edward to know that not everyone else can say the same. "i could see desi believing in learning in a hands on manner, thinking that there's no better way to learn than to try it for yourself," he tries to switch the tone of the conversation to a lighter one, and proves that he knows desi, the head of security, at the same time. "but desi's a great guy, he's been in town my whole life; even my father respects him, and that's pretty hard to achieve..." he trails off before remembering the rest of his train of thought. "so if you need a hand, he can help. he's always helped me," he reassures him.

for the first time, edward looks at the item that davis successfully recovered from the thief, and it's enough to make edward blush; his blush turns deeper when he realizes how lame it must seem, to be blushing over an item of clothing. it's not edward's fault that he's only had little exposure to those sorts of garments, and to the connotations that they often hold. "looks like it's from jennifer's," he tells him. "it's only a few stores down that way," he points, "so you actually weren't too far off," he reassures him again. "davis," he repeats the other's name, as if to confirm and to also tell him that he's heard the name. "edward," he tells davis, a hand on his chest in gesture to himself as he makes his introduction. "i'm probably also not the guy you want to come to when it comes to my work," he admits, though thankfully edward being clueless about what he's selling isn't quite as scary as someone in a position of protection not having their work perfected.

[wlwmarvelenthusiast]

Babysitting Duty

Summary: while Scott and Clint are away on a mission, you and Wanda are stuck with babysitting duty

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Warnings: some harsh language

Word Count: 5,117

"Your asses had better not leave the yard, got it?"

"Please don't swear at the kids."

"They're being little shits!" You insisted.

Wanda glared at you from where she was sat on the couch, cradling two-year-old Nathaniel, who had fallen asleep in her arms a few minutes ago. You scowled back at her as you moved to the other seat, closer to the open window, so that you could see and hear Lila and Cassie running around in the backyard. Lila ducked into the shed for a moment, re-emerging with a soccer ball. She kicked it toward Cassie.

Clint and Scott had taken up an offer to go on a mission with Natasha across the country. You didn't pry as to why she needed them specifically. Laura was in Los Angeles visiting some family, meanwhile Maggie and Jim were taking a vacation in the tropics. That had left Scott and Clint in need of a babysitter, and you'd been volunteered for the job. Now, you and Wanda were stuck at Clint's farmhouse for a few days until Laura got back. You were only in charge of Cassie, Lila, and Nathaniel, with Cooper having gone to stay with a friend while his parents were out of town.

"Why don't you go put him down?" You suggested to Wanda, the scowl on your face replaced by a soft smile.

Wanda shook her head. She didn't even bother to stand, instead simply laying him down on the couch they were sitting on. He whined a little as he left her arms, but after she'd stroked his head a couple times, he settled as soundly as he had been. She stood and crossed the room, sitting down next to you. Your arm moved around her waist and she leaned against you, legs curling up to her chest. You kissed the side of her head as you glanced out the window quickly to check up on the girls.

"What do you think about what Tony said?" She asked quietly.

You turned to stare at her. Her light green eyes flickered up to meet your gaze. It put a smile on her face. Her hand reached for yours, taking it and intertwining your fingers. You played with her hand.

"One day."

After getting the babysitting gig, you hadn't exactly been ecstatic. You were an Avenger, not a babysitter. Anytime Clint and Scott weren't around to hear, you'd repeat those words to whoever was close enough to listen. Most of them got that. They thought the same. It's why everyone had tried so hard to avoid the two men for those few days. When you'd gotten stuck with it, Natasha had even gone so far as to laugh at you.

You were good at avoiding. You'd practiced it all your anti-social life. So, it wasn't your fault that you'd be assigned babysitter. It was Wanda's. Clint had managed to corner her one day. Their relationship was a strange one. He'd cared for Pietro, and Pietro had cared enough for Clint to give up his life for him. Now, the surviving Maximoff and the archer had some sort of bond. That bond had made it impossible for her to say no to babysitting the toddler that was named after her brother.

Stuck with two kids anyway, you figured you might as well take care of Cassie at this point. Once you'd been nominated babysitter, though, Tony had taken it upon yourself to never leave you alone. It seemed, for those few days after you'd agreed to take care of the kids, Tony was around every single corner. You wouldn't have been surprised to learn he had been using the security cameras to keep track of you, because no matter how hard you tried to hide from him, he was there.

He was teasing you relentlessly about your having to babysit. Unlike the rest of them, Tony wasn't teasing you because you, an Avenger, were stuck with a 16-year-old high schooler's job. He was teasing you because you were stuck at a nice little home in the country with three kids and your girlfriend. He insisted, every time he saw you, that this was going to be good practice for your future. Wanda had blushed furiously the first time he'd said it. You'd shooed him away.

As much as you hated dealing with the billionaire and his stupid smirk when he'd approach you to tease you about practicing for your own kids, you would deal with it. Wanda would always turn away with a tomato-red blush burning on her cheeks, and so you would always find a way to give her an escape to stick around and take Tony's taunting yourself. Mostly you just ignored him, but he was persistent if nothing else.

Tony had driven you absolutely mad with his stupid suggestive tone and heckling comments. That was undeniable. Sometimes, you even wanted to take him down to the ring just for a reason to drive your fist into his gut. But after a long day of work and having to hear him go on and on, you'd climb into your bed, or sometimes Wanda's, fall asleep for the night, and dream up the pictures that he'd painted into your head.

There were two or three kids. One of them was always a boy. You were just getting home from somewhere, and Wanda was in the backyard of your house, watching the children play. The boy would be with one of the other kids, but when you approached Wanda and slid an arm around her waist, he'd run up to you. You'd ruffle a hand in his hair, and he'd giggle, light green eyes casting up to look at you. He had Wanda's eyes. You'd reach down and pick him up, kissing his cheek as he continued to laugh.

"Hi, Momma," he'd say.

"Hello, Pietro," you would reply every time. "Were you good for your mom today?"

Then he would nod and squirm a little, desperate to get back to his brothers or sisters. You'd set him down on his feet and he'd dash back to the others. You would lean into Wanda, then, kissing her softly. She would kiss you back, just as gently and lovingly as she did in your waking life. No words would be exchanged as you guided her to the bench swing, pulling her close and smiling as you both turned to watch your children laugh and play together.

It was just a dream, and it was entirely Tony's fault, you were sure. He'd put the idea of a family into your head and now you couldn't get it out. You'd always known you wanted kids and, even though you might not have known her all too long, you knew it was Wanda you wanted them with. She was your everything and you wouldn't want anything without her. Your future didn't exist without Wanda Maximoff.

"I've seen those dreams you've been having."

That honestly didn't surprise you too much. She'd seen your dreams on occasion. You'd learned that when you'd woken up absolutely drenched in sweat one night after a particularly inappropriate dream involving a particular witch. She'd watched your eyes open and immediately straddled your waist, promising to make your dream come true. You hadn't gone back to sleep that night, and it was clear as day that she had seen every single detail of that dream.

She was a mind reader. It wasn't hard for her to see just what was going on in your head; conscious or not. So, as you slept, she was able to see those images of you and she with your cozy little house and little Pietro smiling up at the both of you. It didn't surprise you, but it did make you a little nervous to know she'd seen them. You didn't want to seem like you were rushing into things at a pace that she wasn't ready for. You would wait forever for her.

You'd talked about it with her before. It was nothing too serious. It had been a simple conversation, the two of you discussing where you thought you might be five or ten years down the road. When you'd talked about it, the two of you hadn't been dating yet. You'd just been friends, both wanting to be more. It had been a quiet night, and you'd wanted to take her mind off Pietro, who had died only four months earlier.

Wanda pictured her future as a quieter life. She wanted a nice home on a quaint little street where she wanted a family, someone to love and maybe a couple of kids down the road. She'd told you she wasn't sure yet, if she wanted to continue being an Avenger. She hadn't always been fond of the sort of action you guys saw, but she knew she had the power to help people. Her heart was good. She couldn't just ignore that fact.

Your vision had been a little different. You were absolutely sure that you wanted to continue being an Avenger. You were a hero through and through. You couldn't imagine a life where you weren't doing what you did now: keeping people safe. You wanted to stay in New York, but maybe moving out into the suburbs in the outskirts of the city. You, too, wanted to start a family someday. Avenging could be a day job, you'd assured.

Then you'd gotten together. You'd admitted your feelings, you'd gone on some dates, and quickly, you'd fallen deeply in love with her. That dream of a future was still one you had: An Avenger by day and a wife and mother by night. At some point, though, that woman you saw yourself having that family with had become Wanda. Suddenly, you couldn't see it any other way. For a long time, you'd kept that from her. Now, though, she knew, and you were glad she did.

"What do you think of it? The dream," you asked carefully.

Wanda didn't answer right away. Her eyes had cast out the window to watch Cassie and Lila run through the yard, passing the ball between each other before Cassie turned and kicked it into the net. They both cheered loudly, raising their arms in the air, smiling widely, and high fiving. Their excitement made Wanda smile too. Her gaze turned back away from the yard and back to you, searching your face carefully. You let her study every detail of your eyes.

"I think it's beautiful."

Any life with her would have been beautiful. Anything with her was beautiful. You were absolutely sure Wanda Maximoff was the most beautiful thing in the world and there was nothing that could have changed your mind. The Avengers teased you sometimes. Natasha had teased one day, that you looked at your girlfriend as if she were the most exquisite piece in an art museum. You'd only assured her that no piece of art ever held a candle to the Sokovian.

"Would you..." You trailed off and took a breath, trying to figure out just what you were asking. "Would you consider it one day?"

Wanda didn't hesitate a millisecond. "I don't have to consider it. One day, Sweetheart."

That warmed you to your very soul. You put your hands on your cheeks and turned her face toward yours. You pressed your lips together, the feeling never failing to make your eyes flutter shut. You savoured the so familiar taste of her against your lips as you let your hands slide; one moved to the back of her neck to hold her close, and the other came to rest on her thigh. It wasn't a long kiss. It didn't need to be. It only took a few seconds to convey to her something words never could.

"How many?" She asked.

You laughed. "Two or three? What do you think, Baby?"

"Three," she hummed softly.

You couldn't believe that Tony was fucking right. Here you were with the woman you loved so dearly, babysitting your coworkers’ kids, and imagining having ones of your own someday. You had to admit, you did like it. They were a bit of a handful, that much was for sure, but you loved it. You loved watching their smiles, watching them play and laugh, and joining them in their fun and games. You loved seeing how Wanda would sit with them, cradle Nathaniel close, and read the girls bedtime stories. The thought of having this with her made your heart swell.

"Alright, where would we live?" You asked with a soft laugh.

"We'll stay near New York," she assured. "My big strong Avenger."

You laughed when she teasingly squeezed one of your biceps. You flexed a little, pressing the muscles against her hand. At this, the touches to your arm weren't so teasing. Her fingers traced the lines of the defined muscles that lay beneath your skin. You breathed out a quiet laugh, grabbing her hand and gently kissing against her knuckles. Her hand hesitated at your mouth as she ran the pad of her thumb across your bottom lip.

"Port Washington?" You offered. "Maybe a little way outside the city or in northern Jersey? I know you want to raise a family in a small town and New York City isn't exactly that."

She pressed her lips against your neck for a moment. "I love you."

You breathed out. "I love you, too."

She pulled away, moving to touch your knee instead. You put a hand over top of hers, turning to check on Cassie and Lila again. They'd taken to sitting in the grass, leaning against a tree trunk, and talking quietly. You weren't sure what about, but you were just glad that they seemed to still be having a good time. You slid Wanda's hand off your knee so that you could stand up.

"I'm just going to grab a snack for the girls," you kissed her cheek. "When I'm back, you can let me know if you've got any more ideas for this life of ours, huh?"

Wanda nodded.

You moved into the kitchen, opening up the pantry and putting together a couple of PB and Js, cutting them in half and setting them on the counter. You then mixed a few glasses of lemonade, put everything on a tray, and headed briefly back to the living room to hand one glass to Wanda, before heading out the back door. You whistled merrily, catching the girls' attention. They both smiled at your approach, and you settled into the grass beside them.

"For you."

They thanked you repeatedly, taking a plate and a glass each. You took your own glass, sitting back and sipping it as the cool breeze blew through your hair. You crossed your legs, watching their girls bite into their sandwiches. You tried to think back to what you'd been talking about at their age. You'd been in grade school and had often been in the schoolyard with your friends talking about boys. Well... they'd talk about boys and you would hesitate and make something up because you didn't know who the hell you liked.

"So, what are we talking about today, girls?"

"Lila was just telling me about a boy named Sam."

"Cassie!"

"What?" Cassie defended. "She's not gonna tell!"

You nodded. "Cassie is right, kid. I'm the best secret keeper probably ever."

Lila seemed to ponder this for a moment. It was a blatant lie, though. Every secret that was told to you was also told to Wanda, but it didn't go past there. You couldn't keep things from her. It was like she could pull anything from you with just a simple gaze from those light eyes. Even if you didn't tell her, she was a mind reader. Either she'd hear it from your lips, or she'd hear it running through your brain at one point or another.

Lila seemed to be contemplating this. "Okay. Well, there's this boy in my class. His name is Sam. I really like him."

"Oh, yeah?" You asked, sipping your lemonade. "So why don't you tell him that?"

"No! I can't tell him."

"Why not?" You scoffed. "What's the worst that could happen, Li? He either likes you back or he doesn't."

You'd always had trouble with your own advice. If you admitted your feelings to someone and they told you they didn't feel that same way, you felt awkward for months after that. But you were an adult. Lila was eleven. Even if kids these days were growing up way faster than you did, you knew that things were a lot more complex when you were a little more grown up. In a year or two, then she'd start realizing that.

"What about you, Cas? Any boys in your class you've got an eye on?" You winked.

Cassie didn't seem to find this very amusing though. Suddenly, it seemed, her sandwich wasn't very appetizing, and the lemonade had lost its sweetness. Her gaze moved to somewhere no one could meet it, locking to the ground as her fingers began playing absentmindedly with the grass. You tilted your head to the side curiously. You glanced over at Lila, but she didn't seem to know the reason for this either.

"Lila, could you give us a minute?" You asked the older of the girls. "Why don't you go see what Wanda is up to?"

Lila nodded and scampered off. She ran to the house and in the back door, and you watched in the window as she appeared beside Wanda. You saw her explaining something to the Sokovian, likely just trying to express that her friend was upset. You turned your focus to Cassie, who was busying herself by pulling a few blades of grass out of the ground. You didn't try to stop her, the fidgeting obviously calming her anxiety.

"What if..." She took a deep breath as she trailed off. "What if I think I like like a girl?"

Cassie Lang was ten years old. That's around the same age you started wondering what the other girls saw in boys. You hadn't realized as young as she did that you'd liked girls, but you knew something about you was different. At that age, you'd thought maybe something was wrong with you. It had taken you a few years to realize you weren't broken, just different. It had taken you even longer to realize that was okay.

You knew Cassie probably felt more comfortable asking one of her babysitters this question than anyone else. She trusted her parents and her stepdad, and she loved them, that much was clear. With them, though, she watched a man love a woman. With you, she watched you love Wanda the same way Scott loved Hope. She watched you do something she was feeling in herself. It made everything seem a little more normal and a little more okay. You knew that much from experience.

"Cas, look at me, Sweetheart," you said gently. Cassie looked up at you. "You can like whoever you want to like, and you can be whoever you want to be."

"But at school, all the girls like boys and I don't. Why don't I? I just want to be the same."

"Because not everyone is the same, and that's okay. You don't think there's anything wrong with me, do you?"

"No."

"No. And I love a girl. Isn't that okay?"

"Yeah."

Maybe it was a bit of a guilt trip, but it got Cassie to look up. You watched as her eyes travelled from you, to Wanda, and back. There was no longer any trace of nerves or anxiety on the young girl. It had instead been replaced by curiosity. It seemed your little pep talk had actually worked. She seemed more at ease after assurance that she didn't need to be normal. You knew that wasn't it for those nerves, you even got them yourself once in a while, but you were glad to have put her at ease for a while.

"Kiddo, are you going to talk to your mom or dad about this?"

As honoured as you were that you'd felt to be a safe person to come out to, you weren't really the person that she should be going to for support. Her mother and father would give her that. You didn't know Maggie well, but you knew Scott. He would be unconditionally supportive and wouldn't hesitate to reassure her if she ever felt like this again and if there were someone who didn't, he'd make sure to immediately remove that person from their life.

"I think I'm gonna talk to my dad when he gets home. Can you talk to him for me?"

"I can give him a little heads up, but you're going to have to be the one to actually talk to him."

She took a deep breath but nodded. "Okay."

You smiled proudly.

You sat with Cassie for a little while longer in that spot. Following your conversation, she seemed to be feeling better. She was eating and drinking again as she told you a little about this girl she was sweet on. You didn't comment too much, smiling and nodding along as she told you stories about the schoolyard. Soon enough you were once again trading places with Lila. The two girls resumed their gossiping in the grass, and you moved back to sit with your girlfriend once more.

When you sat down next to Wanda, glancing at a still sleeping Nathaniel as you moved, you immediately turned to the window. The two preteens had already regained that same calm expression they had been sporting earlier. Satisfied that they were both alright, now, you turned back to Wanda. She was watching you carefully, eyes flickering down to peek at the smile on your lips. You beckoned her to come back against you like she had been before you left.

"You and Cassie seemed to have quite the heart-to-heart," she hummed quietly as she leaned back against your side and your arm snaked around her.

"She confessed she might have a crush on a girl."

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, I see why you were a safe person to confess that to."

You chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "Yeah, I do, too. I gave her a little bit of reassurance before telling her she should really talk to Scott or Maggie."

Wanda nodded in agreement. She reached out to the table to grab the glass of lemonade you'd made for her, sipping it quietly. The cool glass pressed against your arm when she lowered it, sending a shiver throughout your body. She seemed to notice this, as she laughed, moving the cold cup up to your cheek. The condensation that coated it transferred onto your skin and you frowned, pushing her hand away. She laughed a little harder.

"So, what did you come up with?" You asked her. "I seem to remember asking you to come up with some more details."

"You did. So, I wondered what Pietro's siblings' names might be?"

You froze. That was from your dream. You knew she'd been seeing it, but you still got a little curious when she brought up the more minor details. You turned to look at her, curiosity burning in your chest. Pietro was her brother, not yours. You wondered briefly if she even wanted to name any children she might have in the future after the brother she'd lost.

"Pietro," you repeated softly. "Is that okay?"

"Fuck, Honey."

Wanda rarely swore, so when she did, you knew she was feeling something strong. You were assured it was a good feeling, though, when she grabbed you and pulled you toward herself roughly. Your lips connected and you felt the intensity in her kiss. You didn't dare be the one to pull away from this, letting her show you how she was feeling through the intimate touch. When she finally did, her hands were immediately in yours.

"Thank you. He meant the world to me and you mean so, so much to me, too and... thank you, Honey."

"You don't have to thank me, Baby. He deserves it," you assured, a hand on her cheek. "But did you have other ideas too?"

She nodded. "I did. We'll obviously discuss more when the occasion arises, right?"

"Right," you agreed with a laugh. "So?"

"I like the name Tommy. It's cute, don't you think?"

"I do think so," you hummed.

You don't know what it was, but something had you so drawn to her in this moment. You wanted to pull her close and never let her go. Granted, you wanted that most of the time. Right now, though, the thought of releasing her from where you had her flush against your side, her head resting so softly on your shoulder, made your heart feel a little weaker. As if she could feed that absolute need radiating off of you, she kissed your shoulder and put her hand into yours, squeezing tight.

"Any girls' names you like?"

Wanda stopped to ponder. "Violet."

"That's cute too," you smiled at the thought of your family. "You're pretty good at this, my dear," you paused for a moment. "So, Pietro, Tommy, and Violet Maximoff?"

She hesitated at hearing that. Her head moved off your shoulder, and you immediately missed the lack of pressure. You had to suppress a quiet whine as you glanced over at the curious eyes that were peering at you. You cocked your head to the side, in the movement, willing her to tell you what was going on inside her head. You felt as though her eyes could see into your very soul with the way she was watching you.

"Maximoff," she finally said.

"Yeah. I like it," you told her. "And doesn't my name sound so good with your last?"

You didn't even have to say the name aloud. Just hearing it in her own mind had a shiver running through her body- something you felt it against your own. She didn't have to say aloud, either, that she loved the idea. You knew she did. You both did. It was something that made you entirely hers. You were entirely hers. You belonged to Wanda Maximoff and her last name attached to your first would prove that to anyone.

"One day," Wanda said, repeating the words you'd spoken earlier. "One day you'll be my Mrs. Maximoff."

It was your turn to hesitate at those words. You were both talking about this as if it were inevitable. As far as you were concerned, it was. You couldn't even picture a life that didn't have Wanda in it. You didn't want to. You wanted to be her wife and live in a small house in the suburbs and raise children with her. You wanted all of it so bad you could hardly fathom it. You turned to her, making sure to catch her eyes.

"Did we just get engaged?" You teased.

You hadn't, but you had. All engagement was, was a promise to be each other's and to get married. There was no time limit on that. In the last little while, you'd promised that to each other. You had both promised each other this entire life that you could see laid out before you. Neither of you had been discussing it as if it were a possibility, but more as an inevitability. That sure sounded like a promise to you.

"I don't know," Wanda admitted. "We agreed we'd get married one day."

"Yeah," you agreed. "We definitely did."

Then you decided to make it less of a question as to what had or had not happened. You slid away from her and stood up off the couch. You took a knee on the floor, bringing her hand into yours. Your heart was thumping so loud in your chest that you had to wonder whether or not she could hear it from where she sat. Judging by the way her eyes widened, though, you thought that maybe her own heartbeat was drowning it out.

You didn't think this was how you'd do this. Sure, you'd many times thought about how you'd one day propose to Wanda. In none of those scenarios was she sitting on the couch in Clint's living room whilst Nathaniel slept ten feet away with Lila and Cassie's giggles floating in through the window. They were usually a lot more romantic than this. You couldn't find it in yourself to care. This was the moment. You could feel it.

"So let me clear up the confusion," you offered, eyes not leaving hers. "Wanda Maximoff, I cannot picture my life without this little suburban house and these sweet little kids and you, my love. I will walk to the ends of the Earth and back for you. I'd give you my heart and my soul in an instant if you wanted me to. Will you marry me?"

Wanda didn't seem to be able to find her voice. Her expression was one of shock. Her jaw had dropped a little, and her eyes were wide, watering a little. You wanted more than anything to reach out and wipe those tears away and to kiss her cheeks, even if they weren't tears of sorrow. But your knee was glued to the floor until she gave you an answer. She seemed to collect herself, then. Her hands wiped at her eyes, her lips curled into a smile, and then, finally, she nodded.

"Yes. Of course, yes."

She pulled you back onto the couch. It might have been a little far, with your knees on either side of her waist. The two girls could have walked in at any moment. But you were so completely happy that there was absolutely nothing that would have stopped you from resting your arms on her shoulders, linking your hands behind her neck, and kissing her like you needed her more than you needed oxygen in your lungs. You supposed you might have. She finally pushed you away.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, beautiful fiancée of mine," you teased. "I guess Tony was right then, huh? The babysitting gig was good for us."

She laughed and then buried herself in your embrace. You held her there, not a single care in the world, knowing she was yours and you were hers. One day you would have a life a little like this one. You and she together with a family of your own and so much love around you.

It was all thanks to the stupid, stupid babysitting gig.

[xneens]

best friend’s daddy - part three

Warnings: dark!andy barber, language, mentions of age difference, mentions of sex, underage drinking, pregnancy

Word count: 4.8k

Summary: A series of snapshots with your past and current life with Andy Barber.

[highly requested—and i mean highly]

masterlist

Newton, MA - 2017 Homecoming Game

He saw you immediately, shamelessly staring at the bright, yet fake smile slapped on your face as you posed for the picture. Andy's eyes drifted to the football players arms around your waist, too far down for the assistant district attorney's liking, not that he could do anything about it. He was unable to contain the eye roll when one of the players pressed a quick kiss on your cheek while you looked at the camera.

Andy knew he had no right feeling that way. He knew you thought he hated you. The glares, the tone he used, the disapproval glances he gave Jacob whenever you were with him. It was enough evidence for you to think he didn't want you around. He didn't. But not for the same reasons as you think.

Jacob ran past him, pulling you into a hug as the players around you ran back to their pre-game huddle, hyping themselves up. He heard your laugh, his previous annoyance washing away as he listened, wishing he didn't have to keep up his act. Instead, he watched from afar, noticing the fake smile replaced by a genuine one as you hugged your best friend, your cheer skirt rising before dropping back to it's already short length as soon as Jacob let you go.

Like the years before, Laurie didn't come to the homecoming game, claiming she was far too busy with work but Andy wasn't dumb. He could see it in her face everyday, helplessly watching his wife distance herself from him. But he couldn't blame her; he was doing the same. After all, not everything is supposed to last forever.

He secretly admired you, silently praising your will to pursue the career you wanted despite the very many attempts, and lectures from your parents about becoming a lawyer. Andy had gotten calls from them, more than happy to show you around the building with your parents hope of you magically being interested in what they had planned. But you were stubborn, and you hadn't backed down. He was impressed.

You glanced at Andy, surprised he wasn't glaring at you but rather staring at you with an expression you couldn't quite place, and you quickly diverted your eyes back to Jacob. "I'm so glad you came! Thank you for not being a total nerd tonight."

"My dad practically dragged me out of the house, grumbling about how I had to support my best friend when she's on the cheerleading team." Jacob explained, motioning to his father, the older Barber climbing the stairs as he claimed a spot on the bleachers next to your father. "I think it was just an excuse to watch a game that didn't feature the Patriots."

Once again, you were surprised. As said before, you thought he didn't care for your presence; to hear he wanted his son to support you was surprisingly shocking no matter how small it was. "Oh. Looks like he and Dad are gossiping again. Your mom didn't come?"

"No, she had work. What about yours?" asked Jacob.

"Business trip." you answered, sarcasm dripping from your voice. You saw the Instagram posts her friends posted, the so-called business trip had turned into a vacation with the girls. You heard your name being yelled, your cheer squad waving you over. Turning back to Jacob, you smiled. "They're calling me over so I gotta go. I'll find you after halftime, okay? We can ditch."

Jacob arched a brow, the corner of his lips twitching up. "But you're head cheerleader. Aren't you supposed to stay for the whole game?"

"Nah, Leila can take over after halftime. I'll just make up an excuse and say I went off with a guy or something." you said, tightening your ponytail. "Oh, and don't use the last stall in the boy's bathroom. Pretty sure someone had sex in that."

"Pretty sure that someone was you." he replied, grinning as you flipped him off. He laughed when you nearly ran into toddler, apologizing to the little person before running to the squad.

Jacob joined Andy and your father, answering questions from your dad, and listening to the two fathers talk about the mundane life as the game started. Andy's vision kept drifting off to you, cheering on the sidelines as the game, accidentally missing parts of the game. Not that he minded to much, he had a nice view, and he knew the score. It wasn't that much of an inconvenience for him.

Before halftime, you snuck away, going into the school to grab another hair tie from your locker. Thankfully, the field was close to the west side of the school, the locker bay only a short walk from the entrance. Coincidentally, just as you walked towards the bathroom with the hair tie, Andy bumped into you, the phone in his hand dropping to the floor.

"Oh, shit." you cursed, quickly bending down, grabbing the phone and handing it back to your best friend's dad. "Sorry, Mr. Barber, I wasn't looking."

Andy sighed, studying his phone instead of giving into the urge to comfort your tense state. For the millionth time, he wished he didn't have to act like a dick to you. "It's fine. Just watch where your going or you might head into the mens' room."

Not knowing whether he was serious or not, you gave an awkward nod, walking pass him. You hadn't seen the lingering glance he gave you before walking back to the game. Pushing on the bathroom door, you let yourself drown in your jitters, hyping yourself up before coming back and performing.

You had forgotten about Andy by the time you returned.

—

Newton, MA - May 14, 2018

Andy heard the knock, getting out of his seat to unlock the door. A presence befall him, a feeling he only got when you were nearby. With that thought, he immediately opened the door, greeted by the sight of you soaking from the rainfall, shivering, eyes slightly swollen, and downright miserable.

He called out your name in surprise, shocked to see you in such a messy state, let alone see you in his office. "What happened? Come in, come in. Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I—" you shivered, biting your lip to keep from spilling every problem you had faced on him. "It was raining so hard that I had to stop so I wouldn't crash or anything. And this was the closest building I parked to. I ran inside but I guess it didn't make any difference seeing how soaked I am."

Andy wrapped his jacket around your shoulders, unable to find a stray blanket or anything warm to give you. He led you to the leather couch, softly pushing you down to sit on it. "Come here, sit down. Did school end early?"

"No, um, I skipped." you sniffed, sinking down on the leather, letting Andy's coat fall over your shoulders. "I had a fight with my mom. A big one. So, I didn't exactly feel that great to come to school and I've been driving around since eight."

"Sweetheart, you're soaked. You're going to get sick." Andy murmured, wiping his warm hand over your forehead, the little droplets of water wetting his hand. "I have some clean clothes in my gym bag. Tell me what you were fighting about, it might make you feel better."

You watched him grab his duffel bag from under his desk, opening your mouth to protest but the cold, wet clothes made you close it. "I made some backhand comment about having a job in fashion, then she just blew up. She wants me to be a lawyer, go to the best schools, and be successful even if I'm not happy. I told her to fuck off, yelling that I'll do what I want. She didn't like that answer, so I grabbed my keys and drove around."

Andy gave you his Patriots shirt, and a clean pair of sweats, taking his wet jacket from you. You whispered a thank you, before taking off your dripping shirt, not caring Andy was watching. He cleared his throat, diverting his eyes away from your half-naked body. "Well, what did you want to be? What do you want to do after school?"

"I don't really know, except for the fact that I don't want to be a lawyer, that's for sure." you replied, putting on the sweatpants Andy gave you, relishing in the warmth. "I'm sorry for getting your couch wet, I—"

"It's okay, don't worry about it, sweetheart. Are you okay, now? Do you want me to do something about it?" Andy asked, unsure to hug you so he settled for an awkward pat on your shoulder, moving closer to you.

You scoffed, fidgeting with the hem of the large Patriots t-shirt, rolling your eyes at the question. "Trust me, there's nothing you could do about it. They're both so persistent on me being this successful lawyer that it doesn't matter if I want to be one. Tell me, Mr. Barber, what's so fucking great about being one?"

He bit back a smile, shifting on the couch until he was touching you, the serotonin you gave him encouraged Andy to brush back your dripping hair behind your ear, tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. With wide eyes, and a slight frown, you meet his eyes. "Well, firstly, you're able to help people. In layman's terms, you either can defend a client, or prosecute a criminal. Putting the bad guys away. Um, you can meet new people, have some experiences that's unlikely for others. But, you're right. You shouldn't have to do what you're parents have planned for you."

"Try telling them that." you sniffled, goosebumps appearing on your arms, subconsciously leaning your cheek on Andy's hand. He heard the angelic sigh escape from your lips, his smile appearing. "Thank you for the clothes and everything Mr. Barber."

"Don't mention it." he replied, bravely wrapping his arms around your slightly shivering body. Andy felt you tense for a few moments before slowly relaxing, shifting so he could rest his chin on your head, his thumb rubbing soft circles on your back. After a few minutes of silence, Andy reluctantly broke the silence. "Would you like me to call Jacob?"

He saw the flash of hurt in your eyes before you composed your expression, nodding slowly as you pulled away. "Yeah, I'll call him. He has free period so he won't be missing anything, I promise. Sorry for keeping you from work, Mr. Barber."

Andy shook his head, helping you up from the couch. "No, no, no. I just had some papers to go through, you didn't keep me from anything. The rain is slowing but you can stay in here until Jake comes. If you want."

You nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Thank you."

—

The Barber House - June 1, 2018

Giggling uncontrollably, you leaned against Jacob, a bottle of beer in your hand. Jacob laughed over the cartoon character with you, throwing his head back at the ridiculous scene on screen. Scooby had just stared at the screen, ending the episode, the screen turning black before another episode started. The noise Scooby made just had you and Jacob in another fit of uncontrollable laughter.

The sleepover had been spontaneous, yet long way overdue. In less than a week, you'd have graduated, and moved out of Boston, living in New York City as you went to the same college. That was one of the upside of finally leaving Newton, but even with the continuous nagging from your parents, you were still going to miss them.

You had been extra quiet, knowing full well Andy was stressed for something Laurie had done, the wife walking out of the house just as you had pulled up on the driveway. She had given you a friendly greeting, asking questions about graduation, before hugging you and driving away in her car. You knew it was bad as soon as you entered the house, seeing Andy glaring at the kitchen counter as you waited for Jacob to come save you. Thankfully, you didn't have to make small talk with the lawyer.

But the his tense expression was enough to keep you quiet in Jacob's room. Well, until he turned up with beers he had gotten from a mutual friend of yours, Cory Gilbert, the bartender at the bar and grill you and Jacob frequented at. He was over 21, legally able to buy the beer, giving it to Jacob as a present for graduation. Cory had given you a nice bottle of brandy, but you had decided to save it for graduation night instead.

Getting drunk hadn't been hard, for Jacob anyways; it took more than a few pleads from your already drunk friend to convince you to drink with him. Once you did, you felt the liquid slightly burn down your throat and you greeted the giddy feeling it left you. Soon, you were found leaning against Jacob's bed, sitting on the floor as the both of you cackled at the animations playing on the screen.

Andy still hadn't came up to hush the both of you; and to be honest, you weren't sure to be relieved or disappointed. You settled for relieved once as you saw Scooby and Shaggy running away from a "monster."

It was half past ten when you finally got up from your spot on the floor, leaving Jacob to drunkenly slur at his phone while the tv played in the background. Getting up, you headed to the bathroom, careful not to make anymore sounds than you already had. You were too drunk to notice Andy standing outside his door, arms crossed as he amusingly stared at your little tip-toe walk to the bathroom.

You finished your business, washing your hands, and heading back to Jacob's room when you lost your footing and stumbled into Andy's arms. You yelped in alarm, glad for the muscular arms that caught you. Looking up, you saw what your drunk brain could only describe as Adonis. You smiled, patting his pec as you slurred. "Thank you, Mr. Barber."

"How drunk are you, sweetheart?" Andy asked, not letting you go. He felt you swaying slightly in his arms, bringing you closer to his chest until your face was only a couple of inches away from his. His eyes flickered to your lips, his tongue licking his own. "You look flushed."

Giggling, you couldn't help but grin at the human contact. You had been so sure he hated you, but from your current position, your assumption seemed silly. "You're making me blush. Me and Jacob haven't been drank—drinking that much, pinky swear."

He snickered at the tiny slip up with your grammar, the slowness and laziness in your voice evidence enough if it hadn't been for the burst of confidence, and shouts from Jacob's room. "You shouldn't be lying, especially to a lawyer. Let's get you sobered up, wouldn't want you waking up with a bitch of a hangover tomorrow, now would we?"

Andy places a hand on your back, his hand intertwining with yours as he tried to lead you downstairs safely but you halted in the middle of the hallway, laughing as you sneaked behind him. You tapped his shoulder, trying to push him down. "Gimme a piggy back ride, Mr. Barber. Like the ones you gave me when I was four!"

The lawyer burst out laughing, finding your drunk confidence adorable. He couldn't help but agree, squatting down enough for you to climb onto his back, your legs wrapping around his waist, your arms locking around his neck. Andy held your legs in place with his hands, shifting you upwards so you rested comfortably on his back. Turning his head, he raised an eyebrow. "You ready, princess?"

You nodded in response, your hair ticking his neck as you snuggled closer to his neck, nuzzling your cheek. All the alcohol had rushed to your head. Andy walked down the stairs, careful to keep his grip on you as he did so. He heard all the tiny giggles and gasps you made, his bad mood dissolving with each sound. He couldn't remember a time Laurie had made him that happy.

Reaching the kitchen, Andy sat you down on the kitchen island, reluctantly letting you go as he went to grab a glass of water. He gave you the glass, but you rejected it, too busy looking at the game on the tv, seeing past the arch and into the living room.

He set the glass on the counter, leaning against it as he crossed his arms, staring at the mesmerized—and drunk—girl in admiration. You turned your attention back on him as soon as the commercials rolled, catching him ogling you. Blushing, you giggled once again, waving him over.

Curious, Andy stepped towards you, surprised when you gripped the collar of his shirt, dragging him closer to you until he was only a couple of inches away. Leaning in, you whispered in his ear. "I have a secret."

"What is it?" Andy asked, one word away from kissing his son's best friend. The tension radiating from interaction had him weak, helpless from the very tempting chance to take you right there and then.

Cupping your hand around your lips, you felt him snake between your legs, bringing you even closer. With your lips near his ear, you whispered, "I have the biggest crush on you. Sometimes I wish you were single so I could ride you until I physically can't."

Andy growled, his hands digging into your waist as his lips hovered over yours, his blue eyes piercing yours. He murmured your name, so close to losing all of his control.

"Every time I come over, I hope you'd push me against a wall, rip my shirt off and fuck a baby in me." you confessed, loving his body warmth. His grip had tighten on you to the point it was borderline painful, but you relished in it, the alcohol numbing the rational thoughts in your head as they screamed at you to shut up.

The lawyer was so close to doing what you wanted, nearly taking you right there. But much to his dismay, his morals had held him back; surely all it would take would be another sentence murmured from your lips but he considered himself strong. "Sweetheart..."

Just as Andy's lips brushed over yours, loud, heavy footsteps made him pull away, spotting his son drunkenly enter the kitchen. You smiled brightly at Jacob as if you hadn't been about to kiss his father. Andy raised an eyebrow at his son, irritated for interrupting. "Jacob, what're you doing?"

"I—" the boy frowned, forgetting momentarily on what he was doing. Jacob pointed at you, returning a random wave. "I was looking for her, because I got worried she fell in the toilet or something."

"She's fine, I was just sobering her up." Andy answered before you could, reluctantly helping you off the table, wishing he had a few more minutes alone with you. "Don't let your mom see all those bottles when she gets home. She won't be lenient as I am."

Jacob saluted in response, watching his dad help his best friend off the table. He was too drunk to notice the longing looks you had exchanged with Andy. "Okay, dad. Night."

Andy stood in the kitchen, alone, watching his girl giggle at something his son whispered. With more confidence than ever, he pulled out the manila envelope from the kitchen drawer, placing it on the table. Laurie would find it when she comes back.

—

Newton, MA - July 4, 2021

"You're so fat." Jacob commented, eyes widening when he felt the baby kick. Without much thought, he invaded your personal space, placing his cheek against your stomach. You sighed, rolling your eyes at your best friend. Jacob chuckled. "This little guy is gonna be a soccer superstar. Like Cristiano Ronaldo."

Andy chuckled from the driver's seat, pulling into the driveway, pulling Jacob off your stomach and back to his seat. "Don't antagonize her, Jake. She might rip your head off for breathing the same air without her permission."

Childishly, you stuck your tongue, making your baby daddy burst out laughing before as he turned off the car and opened the door. But you could hardly say his comment was an exaggeration, grimacing at the memory of nearly snapping Andy's arm off when he had forgotten the almond milk from the weekly visits to the grocery store. It had been both a blessing and curse to have Jacob in the outs of the pregnancy when that incident occurred. You hadn't wanted him to see the growing bump.

With the help of both Barbers, you got out of the car, carefully and slowly for the sake for both you and the babies. The two were chatting as they unloaded the baggage from trunk while you made your way to the house, reminiscing in the days when Jacob's glances weren't filled with betrayal, as if you had ripped his heart from his chest.

It wasn't everyday he looked at you with that raw emotion in his eyes—the betrayed looks had started to decrease the more time you spent together—yet you still felt guilty. With a hand over your growing belly, you opened the door, bombarded with memories from childhood, once again reminding you who you were having a baby with.

Once Jacob had sprinted out of the room, in anger and denial after seeing his father tangled in bed with his best friend, you had pushed Andy off you, wanting to go after him. When Andy argued it was better off for Jacob to be alone, you had blamed him for everything, for ruining the lifelong friendship with Jacob and weeks of stress caused by sleeping with him the first time. The lawyer hadn't denied the guilt or blame like you thought he would—like you wished he would—instead drowning in the insults you threw his way.

You didn't start to forgive him until Jacob came back, but then loathed him after the your best friend announced he needed some time and space to think it out, uncertain which conclusion he would come to. Thankfully, he couldn't live without you in his life, no matter how hard he tried, so he came running back, wishing for an apology when all you wanted to do was cry and wish you didn't have to spend two months without him.

Andy, like the charming bastard he is, had slowly broke down the wall of bricks made from your anger and hatred, and unwillingly, you let him in. Jacob had explained, quite awkwardly, he should be in no way a problem to yours and Andy's relationship, only to be slapped by the pregnancy news. Surprisingly, he kept it light and took it well.

Unsurprisingly to Andy, the fetus (he had been very upset when you occasionally called the baby that) had been conceived on Thanksgiving, proving the plan B useless. You had given up any pretenses at that point, and gave in to Andy's precautions no matter how ridiculous they had been; safety for the fetus.

Your parents had been content with the excuses you've made, only a little suspicious on not wanting to see them during the months of carrying the baby. The baby boy to be precise. But the lack of visiting since college was consistent enough for them to not rise suspicions.

You settled down on the couch, exhausted by the road trip despite how short it was. Newton was hardly small, but with Andy's former title, it wouldn't be long before rumors spread, and with rumors came exaggerated stories along with middle-aged women judging your life decisions because they had nothing to do all day other than sit in their lazy asses.

Andy and Jacob set the bags down by the doorway, Jacob letting out a huge sigh while his dad walked over to you, kissing your forehead. You couldn't help but smile at the gesture. He sat beside you, leaving no room to breathe.

"Hello, gorgeous."

"Ugh." Jacob groaned, turning his eyes away from the PDA. "Okay, I'm gonna go before any more of this happens. I'll see you guys for dinner."

Before you could ask, Jacob closed the door, practically sprinting to his car. Seeing his father in bed with his best friend had scarred him. You turned your attention back to Andy, head tilting in confusion. "Where's he going?"

"He's giving me some alone time with you. Had to pay him a few bucks after he complained about stealing you, but he'll manage for the next couple of hours." Andy explained, his hands absentmindedly stroking your belly, his smile beaming.

"What's happening in the next couple of hours that he can't be here for?" you asked, curious. The blast of hormones had been a gift Andy knew he didn't deserve, with you crawling over his body in the earlier months of the pregnancy, waking him up with lips wrapped around his cock. With his precautions for the baby, he'd been a tease for the past few weeks with the due date just barely two months away.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head in amusement. "It's not that, sweetheart." Andy chuckled at your pout, disappointed by the outcome. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

You knew there was something more, but you let it go, one thing at the front of your mind. Your fingers clawed at his shirt, biting your lip. "Then let's spend some time together." Leaning closer, you softly nipped at his earlobe, whispering in his ear. "Daddy."

Andy murmured your name, stern and sure but the bulge in his pants deemed a different story. That was enough for you to stop seducing him. "You're going to be the death of me."

Laughing, you turned the tv on, cuddling next to the soft man. Well, as close to cuddling as you could with the belly in the way. Your feet had been sore despite the not having to walk much all day, but the road trip had taken a lot of your already drained energy. Andy understood, gently taking off your shoes and massaging your feet until they no longer felt sore.

Two hours were wasted watching true crimes documentaries, Andy passionately commenting on the evidence they clearly had missed, and voicing his opinions of who was clearly guilty. You muffled a giggle, amused by the former lawyer. It still surprised you to see Andy so ... light? The forehead creases only coming together when something had displeased you, no matter how tiny. Retiring must've done something to relieve the stress he carried.

It wasn't until the third Buzzfeed Unsolved episode came on that you got tired. Andy, sending the change, muted the screen, pressing a soft kiss on your close eyelids. He positioned you so you were leaning against him, your back to him as you laid on the couch, a hand over your growing stomach. Anxiety seeped through his veins.

Andy cleared his throat. Playing with your hair, he said, "Marry me."

Your eyes snapped open, growing wide as you pondered if you had heard him right. "What?"

He shrugged. "Marry me."

Andy had said if so casually, it wasn't a question, but a statement. Or more accurately, a demand. You turned around, putting space between you two. Your eyes were hurting from the lack of blinking. "What?"

He reached in his pocket, the small, velvet box that had rested uncomfortably in his pocket took your breath away. Andy opened the box, revealing a diamond, far too beautiful to look at. His smile widened, taking in your shocked expression. "Please marry me."

A minute of silence passed.

"You're fucking insane." you whispered, staring intently at his blue eyes who were sparkling in excitement. He knew the outcome.

Andy's smile hadn't wavered. "Is that a yes?"

"No!" you shouted, getting up from the cough. He stood up, his arms ready to catch your unbalanced body. You glared at him. "I'm not going to marry you because I'm pregnant! No! No, no, no. I forbid you to ask me that question until this baby is out of me."

He laughed, wrapping an arm around your waist. "So, when I ask in two months ... ?"

"You'll just have to see." you murmured. A smug smirk fell on his face, but this one was warmer, more heartfelt.

"You'll say yes."

You shrugged, but couldn't help the smile appearing. "Probably."

< previous

[cheekygreenty]

Little Witch - Part 10

The Darkling x Reader

*I’ve changed this part like 5 times so if there’s any inconsistencies I do apologize 😝

In a perfect world, you and Aleksander would have spent the day in his luxurious bed surrounded by his soft silk sheets. You felt an overwhelming feeling to open up to him, to tell him everything that happened to you since you saw him last, nearly a century ago, but life has a way to ruin perfect opportunities.

Wars didn't take breaks or vacations, they got more deadly as time went on and each side got more nervous as more people gave their lives to the cause. A solution was necessary and from your understanding, Aleksander still had the same plan as he did all those years ago he just had a different way to go about them. No doubt Alina was at the center of them.

You had business to attend to too. The first on the list was a meeting with the council. The King and his advisors were to be there to 'greet' you with open arms, but you were sure you'd have to put on a quick performance of your abilities to satisfy their curious minds.

Maybe that's why he gave me the shadows, to ensure my position. You quickly brushed off the thought. It didn't really matter to you why he did what he did. You had your shadows back. He claimed protection, but you knew there was a different reason behind it as well. It seemed too quick and too easy in your opinion but who were you to judge what kind of trust he truly had in you. You felt comfort that you always had piece of him wherever you went.

On a lighter note, you could finally wear a black kefta. The thought itself had you quickly leaping out of his bed and skipping to your chambers in a mere robe through the secret passages of the Palace. You didn't want anybody to see you leaving his quarters, not in the state you were in. You needed to grab a Healer and get rid of those very visible marks on your neck that Aleksander took his time creating. He intended to mark you as his own but jokes on him, you never wanted to belong to anybody but yourself.

Time passed and servents scurried in and out of your chambers, carrying information from here there and everywhere. You were already overwhelmed with tasks and your position wasn't even announced to the Palace yet. You were still the mysterious Grisha that served with the Darkling, not for.

Your vanity was covered in papers and reports in handwriting you had trouble reading and your bed had maps strung across it. Aleksander truly meant it when he said he would get you started right away and share his responsibilities as soon as he got the chance.

When the time finally came, you were escorted to the Grand Palace with Aleksander walking right next to you. The conversation was devoted to work and nothing else, Fjerdan intel, rumors of West Ravka and Zlatan, and upcoming skiff journeys but you didn't mind. You were damn good at your job, having started out in the First Army and then joining the Second Army had given you experience not even the General had, it's what made you the first pick when dealing with plans involving otkazat'sya soldiers, they respected you. I wonder if they will now.

You had spent 3 years in the First Army once upon a time. You came from a wealthy merchant family, a family full of drunks and abusers and cowards. You gave up the feeling of a full stomach and duck-feathered beds for the rations of the army once your mother admitted to you being a bastard and not worthy of the family name. What a shame. Look at me now.

You never knew what you could do, but a slip-up with a Tidemaker had you served to the Darkling on a silver platter. He was meaner then, more unforgiving. Your years spent with him after that had changed him, made him better in your eyes. You fell for him, hard, even though there was so much death and destruction in his wake. When you love somebody, it’s easy to see past all of the nasty stuff and focus on whatever is left of the good and Aleksander still had an abundance of if.

You could still remember his cold stare as he asked you what the hell you were. After pleading with him that you didn't know and his Heartrenderer confirming it, he whisked you away to the Little Palace where soon enough you had become his equal, if not his superior.

'I actually wanted to ask you something about one of the Grisha in the Palace. I seen her with Alina, red-hair, big blue eyes... she wore a white kefta?' You said as you wlaked down a mirrored hallway in the Royal building.

'Oh, that's Genya Saffin. She works for the King and Queen.' He said with an underlying tone of irritation.

'What does she do? She wears a white kefta so I'm just curious'

'She's a tailor. Member of the Corporalki. She should be wearing red, I know. But trust me the time will come' He ushered us both into a guarded room of glitering gold and pearly white walls. So tacky. I could make out the king slumped in an overdone throne-like chair.

'Moi tsar' you and Aleksander bowed much to your distastes. You hoped nobody had seen the brief look of disgust wash over your face as the Lanstov King rose and gave his advisors a raised eyebrow, signalling to you. A man wearing a navy uniform looked at you like a piece of meat ready to be devoured. I'm gonna throw up.

'Deputy General Y/L/N is it?' He took your hand in his own sweaty one gave it a wet kiss. 'You Grisha are always easy on the eyes aren't you?'

You took a step back and cleared your throat. 'Yes, Moi Tsar, it is an honour to make your acquantance' You tried so hard to keep your fists at your sides.

'And what can you bring to the war table, apart from the newest fashion' He let out an obnoxious laugh and his advisors followed. They all looked smug and spoiled. None of them had any idea what the real world looked like and yet had the audacity to sit this council. I'll show them what it means to be powerful.

Aleksander stepped away to the side and gave you a nod. You slowly unravlled your fist and plunged the room into darkness while simultanseoly blowing a strong wind throughout the space, letting papers fly in all directions and the fire go out. You relit it, and every candle in the room. The man in the navy unifrom got the runt of your powers, as you slowly medled with his heart until he breathed a worried laugh 'Stop it Girl'.

But you didn't stop, you carefully stared at the chair the man sat in and pushed it just enough for him to let out a yell. You accidently let out a chuckle that was meant to be in your head. You felt Aleksander move toward you 'All right, that should be enough' He said visibly amused too. You let it all drop.

'It's Deputy General to you' You looked at his fearful face that tried to cover by fixing his jacket and whiping away invisible dust off of his shoulder.

'I must say I am impressed. With the Sun-Summoner and... you, we will have West Ravka and the surroundings begging for our alliances.' He sat down on his chair once again and pointed to an empty one across from him and to the right of Aleksander, who unbeknownst to you had already seated himself.

'Please, Deputy General, do take a seat, we have business to tend to'

****

A painful 2 hours later you and Aleksander walked out of the Grand Palace. You had a headache and your hands hurt from clentching them so hard.

'I'm assuming you sitting the King's meetings for me is off the table now?' Aleksander mused and all you could do was give him a side-eye.

'I think I want to kill him'

'In due time'

You weren't even surprised. If he didn't do it himself you definitely would have taken one for the team. That man is unbearable; like a child in a grown man's body.

As you wallked into your home, Aleksander gently took hold of your wrist and pulled you in the direction of his quarters.

'Come'

Your head was pounding too much to say no so you obliged. The hallways were bare of people, not a Grisha in sight.

You reached his war room doors and walked in after him. He pulled out a map and laid it down.

'I've sent out a First-Army search for the Stag.'

You paused. The headache suddenly gone. Morozova’s Stag. He had tried once before and failed. The weeks following his failure sent him into a frenzy, he questioned Morazovas journals and almost burned them all, but you had gotten to him last-minute. You never doubted the stag to be real. You just never believed he would use it. He's powerful on his own unless- it's for Alina.

You audibly sighed and leaned your back against the table. Alina.

'Does she want it?'

'Does that matter?'

‘Of course it matters!’ You scorned but he stayed silent.

You turned to look at him and whispered 'What are you planning this time?' He had been dropping hints here and there, but so far there was no plan you knew of. 'I can't help you if I don't know the plan'

'No. You're better of not knowing anything. I can't lose you again' you turned you head and looked at his side profile.

'But you need me. I'm powerful, I can lead an army'

'If anything happens you can take over for me then, Deputy.' He cocked a sad smile and left a lingering kiss on your forhead before he left you standing in the war room alone and confused.

Part 11

Taglist

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @0-artemis @lostysworld @xceafh @fire-in-her-veinz @patdsinner33 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @wizardwheezes @aleksanderwh0r3 @tomhollandisabae @hotleaf-juice @justmesadgirl @exo-1204 @houseofdupree @oberonpascal

[robingurlscorner]

TABS - After "House and Garden" - Robin Whump

Some Robin Whump for TABS. It's After the episode "House and Garden".

The clean up of the green house was beyond gross, Robin kept having to turn away from the stench as he helped the cleaning crew suck up the plant goo that was left behind. There was a twinge on the back of his neck from the fight earlier but he was ignoring it, the faster they got this cleaned up the faster he could get back to fresh air.

One of the forensic techs looked up at the teen worried, "Boy Wonder? Are you alright?" He stood up and walked over, clip board in hand.

Robin startled out of his thoughts and glanced up, "Huh? Oh yeh, sorry! This stuff just reaks."

"Are you feeling sick at all from the smell?" The man asked reaching out to feel Robin's pulse and hold a pen light into the masked eyes. "Your pulse is very fast, young man, I want you to vacate this greenhouse immediately. I don't know what is in this toxic mixture but I've cleaned up her messes before, as you know, she's not one to mess with."

"Sir, I'll be alright. I just haven't gotten any sleep." Robin cocked a grin trying to get the other guy to smile. When it wasn't returned he sighed. "Ok ok..I'll head upstairs. If you need anything call."

As he started up the stairs, his stomach started to turn even more queasy, he staggered leaning on the railing.

He felt like he was going to be sick…

*~*

Batman looked up as he finished giving his report to Bullock. "Robin? I thought I gave you orders to stay down there and clean up?" He watched concerned as his partner staggered out of the green house, his face pale and one of his green gloved hands over his mouth. Concerned, the Dark Knight handed Bullock back his notebook and hurried over. "Robin?"

Robin wanted to respond to explain what was going on, but he was afraid if he removed his hand that he'd throw up. Actually, scratch that….he was going to throw up anyway. He turned away from Batman and choked vomiting up whatever was in his stomach. He fell to his knees vomiting two more times, he could hear Batman calling for him and asking if he was alright, he felt someone's hand on his back and then heard someone call for a doctor.

Batman could only watch in horror as his partner threw up numerous times in succession, he took note that first was normal bile and whatever he had been fed in captivity but the last three were turning greener each time. Something was very wrong. "I need a doctor over here! HURRY! Robin, it's going to be ok."

His mind was racing as Robin didn't stop after the fourth time, he hadn't seen Robin get hurt by Ivy during their battle but he knew that meant nothing. Batman knelt down and placed a hand to the boy's forehead. "Burning up…?" Robin pulled away from him to throw up one more time, the count now 7. After he was finished he fell back against Batman, eyes watering.

A doctor ran over at the same time, a facemask over her mouth. She knelt down and began to check the teen over. Her eyes were narrowed with worry.  "Batman, do you know if he was scratched at all by the Plant Creatures?"

Batman blinked holding his partner up with an arm around his shoulder. He found himself rubbing the boy's arm comfortingly as Robin curled into him away from the doctor. "I do not know for sure. Not when I was with him no. We did have a brief kidnapping during the course of the fight, it could have happened during the altercation? However, not once had he complained to me about it…why Doctor?"

She sat back and removed her mask, "Good news and Bad news, Batman. Good News, the boy isn't suffering from breathing in the toxin's downstairs in Ivy's lair. That was my original thought and I was scared because we've lost one health worker to the clean up already. However, bad news, he's been posioned like the others. His body is rejecting the toxins that have been forced into his system. The fever and vomiting are the first two signs. Prepare yourself, Batman. This is going to be a long ride."

"L-Long ride? But we can make an antidote correct? We have the main ingredients." His grip on Robin's shoulder tightened as fear was starting to take over his mind. Batman took a deep breath to calm himself down for Robin's sake but it did little to help.

"Easy, Batman. Please, if you don't mind.." She stands writing on her clip board quickly pointing to the ambulance. "Carry him over to the EMTs at the ambulance waiting. We need to get him to the hospital and hooked up as soon as possible."

Batman nodded silently as she walked away, he glanced down at his partner, the young man he'd raised since he was a child. They had both been through a lot but he could count on one hand the number of times that Robin was this ill and required hospitlization.

It never got easier to do this. He stood up, Robin moaning in his arms as he was lifted. He held his partner cradled in his arms easily. "Hang in there Robin, we're going to get you help." As he walked past Bullock he heard a snort, he turned briefly and set a heavy glare at the over weight detctive before turning back.

Bolluck lowered his coffee as if getting ready for a fight then backed off as Gordan exited the house. "Batman! I was just informed of what happened!"

"Sir, I'd like to take Robin back to the Bat Cave but I'd like to use the medicines they have to keep the other victims alive and comfortable. It's not that I don't trust their medical knowledge its just -"

"His identity. I know." Gordan's eyes lowered as he seemed to survey just how bad Robin was. "I don't have to tell you it would be better if he were in a hospital."

Batman returned his worried glare with his own. "Please, help me ask them."

"I'll do what I can." With that he walked past Batman, hands in his overcoat pockets as he stalked over to the EMTs.

Robin shivered in his mentor's arms as his fever rose, sweat beading down his face. He buried his face into Batman's shoulder going in and out of consciousness, he wasn't even sure what was going on anymore. All he knew was tht his body ached from all of the throwing up and he felt weak …so weak it was hard to stay awake.

*~*

Robin awakened when he felt Batman sit him down in something cool. It must have been the passenger seat of the car. He lifted his head and forced his eyes open, his vision was blurred as he heard slightly raised voices.

"He needs medical care, Batman, in a real hospital." The doctor protested, her voice turning high pitched. "Not in a dark dingy cave!"

"The Batcave has all of the medical devices that a hospital has in terms of his care. Please, if he gets to the point where I need help, I will bring him in."

The doctor crossed her arms looking to Gorden who seemed to agree with Batman. She sighed then stomped over to the back of the ambulance, "…..give me a box of the Ivs."

"But Doctor-"

"Just do it. Even I'm not going to fight Batman." She hissed clearly angry. "And that boys life means more to me than winning a verbal fight."

The EMTs handed her the box full of the IV, bags, and a few needles. She walked over pushing them into Batman's arms. "I trust that you know how to administer an IV, Batman? Don't feed him any solids for 18 hours. He can drink as much water and juice as he can stomach. But be careful, once this posion gets in full swing, he's not going to be able to do much, muchless be conscious."

"Thank you, Doctor." Was all he said as he hurried to the batmobile putting the box into the back seat.

Gordon and the Doctor watched as he pulled out as fast as he could. The doctor sighed looking over, "Can we trust him?"

"He will kill himself before he allows that boy to die, doctor. I trust him."

"Strange seeing the Batman concerned about the young man.."

"Aren't all fathers concerned about their sons?" He asked as he turned to walk back to the house. She just followed speechless and wide eyed.

[writer-ish]

makai

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Dr. Brooke Spiers) Word Count: 3.4k Rating: 18+ (NSFW - minors dni) Author's Note: makai (mah-kigh) - one of the four key directions on Oahu, but used on all Hawaiian Islands; makai means "toward the ocean".

Premise: A follow-up fic to this text exchange. Ethan and Brooke meet for a little pre-planned Hawaiian rendezvous.

Hey, I’m here. Where you at?

Brooke taps out the message on her cell phone, keeping one eye on the almost-empty lobby.

It's late now - late for check-in, late for milling around, late, it seems, for Hawaii itself - and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't feeling a bit sleepy—a bit like, maybe, she should be getting up for a six AM shift in Boston after having gotten a good seven hours of sleep the night before?

Rather than waiting for her elderly boyfriend to meet her for a late-night swim - and a little more, hopefully - after sleeping a total of five half-lucid hours on an airplane in the last twenty-four hour period.

She's about to text him again, when she hears a voice from behind her.

"Christ, enough with the texting already."

Whirling around, she can't help the grin that splits her cheeks at the sight of him. Without responding, she throws her arms around his neck, squeezing him in an impromptu hug. His hair is a little damp and appears freshly washed and there's the sharp, pleasant, and familiar smell of his cologne that she inhales when she presses her body to his.

He seems almost nonplussed at her public and spontaneous affection, his arms staying at his sides for a beat longer than they should, before he returns her embrace. She giggles as he even takes her for a half spin, kissing her neck before setting her down, hands lingering at her hips.

"Well, aren't you in a good mood," he comments, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

She shrugs, giving him a cheeky grin. "It's nice to see you. Plus," she adds, taking his hand and interlocking her fingers with his as she starts to walk, "I'm in vacation mode, so you're going to a get a much better version of me for the next few days."

He allows her to lead him out of the lobby and to the stone pathway that will eventually take them down to the beach.

"I like the version I get at home," he remarks once they're in the open air, which smells like hibiscus and coconut and the reminiscent warmth of the sun still emanating from the stones.

As they walk, he tugs her closer and puts his arm over her shoulders. She smiles up at him as she wraps her arm around his waist. He returns it, staring down at her with an inscrutable look, but one that causes a bloom of warmth to start in her chest and work its way outwards.

"It's nice to be somewhere different, though." Resting her head on his shoulder, they continue to amble down the path. "I like us at home, too, but…" She trails off with a shrug. "We work a lot. And don't see each other outside of work enough. I mean, I thought with you suspended I'd at least get a date night, then you had to go and get your freaking job back!"

He throws his head back and laughs, a loud, head-shaking, self-deprecating thing.

"Oh god, I've really done you wrong, haven't I?"

"Yes!" she insists, though she can't stop her own giggles. "Not even a dinner out. Our first movie in months was on the private jet that Vik got me."

Ethan rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't gotten you a private jet yet?"

"Nope." Her hair tosses against her cheeks as she shakes her head, unable to keep the smile off her face. She loves teasing him, she loves being away with him, she loves—she cuts her thoughts short and focuses on their banter. "For shame, sir."

He glances at her and she sees the heat in his gaze as she calls him "sir". She bites her lip and looks up at him innocently. His eyes go from hers down to her lip in an instant and she laughs again.

"You're like one of Pavlov's dogs, I swear." Breaking free from him, she jogs lightly ahead of him down the path, her sandals slapping the pavement with her movements. "Anyway, your old bones are slowing me down. Keep up!" She takes off towards the beach, her sundress whipping around her legs, even as she can hear his bit off curse from behind her.

"I'm not running!" he calls, his voice growing distant as she puts more space between them.

"Your loss!" she yells over her shoulder, before turning around and jogging backwards to tease him even more. She screams as she sees him gaining speed quickly and her shrieks turn into hysterical giggles as he ducks down and lifts her effortlessly over his shoulder, continuing on without breaking his stride.

She buries her face in the thin cotton of his shirt so that she doesn’t wake up all the other sleepy inhabitants of their resort with her giddy snorts, especially when he playfully smacks her butt as he carries her steadily to the beach. Soon, she feels his steps change as his feet sink into the soft sand.

"Wow." His voice is soft and, even though it's coming from somewhere near her rump, it still carries over to where she is, hanging securely off his shoulder.

"I want to see!" She squirms and he grips her bottom, holding her still as he reaches up with his other hand. She feels him wriggle his finger under the heel strap of her sandals and she stills, waiting as he removes first one and then the other. Leaning forward, he places her down gently and she immediately wiggles her toes in the warm, fine sand before whirling around to take in the view.

"Oh, wow," she breathes as well, because truly there isn't another word for it.

The moonlight reflects off the dark surface of the waves, illuminating the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. Dark shadows on the horizon appear to be mountains or something in the distance - she hadn't had a chance to check out the beach in the daytime upon their arrival, so she's just seeing it now for the first time, perhaps not in all its colourful splendour, but still, majestic and beautiful in its own right.

And the stars - Brooke can't remember the last time she'd seen so many of them. They sparkle in the inky blue firmament like someone had tossed an infinity of tiny diamonds on a velvet tray. She breathes in the salty sweet air deeply as her and Ethan take in the view together, silently, for a moment.

"Thank you for asking me to come here with you," Ethan says quietly, eyes still on the sea and the sky. "I didn't realize how much I needed this… this quiet beauty. This moment of serenity."

She quirks a smile at him, taking his hand in hers. He looks down at their intertwined fingers and then back up at her face, his eyes warm and soft, the pale blue glistening in the moonlight.

"I did," she tells him simply with a little shrug, still smiling up at him.

He looks at her for another beat, his eyes conveying a message that only her heart understands, then he turns to her, stroking her cheek softly with his knuckles, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

She cups his cheeks in her hands and returns it, keeping it soft, sweet, open-mouthed and warm. After a moment, she pulls back and looks up at him, the smile back on her face. It’s silly, but it almost feels like a permanent fixture tonight; one she can't get rid of even if she tries.

He’s watching her again, eyes heavy and heated, even in the glowing light of the moon. He slides his thumbs over her cheekbones in a light caress. "Brooke, I—"

Even though they’ve gone down this road many times before - the incomplete sentences, the longing looks, the words that are felt but not said - Brooke still feels her breath catch and her heart rate increase as she waits.

They stay suspended like that for a moment, the waves and the moon their only companions, when suddenly the call of a night bird, tropical and unfamiliar, breaks them from their reverie.

Ethan looks up and Brooke looks away, disappointed - though not surprised - that the moment got away from them again without any new revelations.

“Looks like we have company,” Ethan remarks, his voice carefully composed, even as he pulls her closer, rubbing her bare arms with his hands.

“Well,” Brooke replies, still determined to make this a good night, “as long as our only company is avian...” She pulls away from him, reaching up and teasing at the straps of her sundress. “What do you say we go for a swim?”

Biting back a smirk, he looks back and forth across the long expanse of beach. Her gaze follows his, ensuring along with him that they truly are alone. As much as she thrives on the spontaneity of a moment like this, she'd rather not have any of their colleagues - or any guest for that matter - see her naked. Which is exactly what she plans on being in due course.

“Looks pretty quiet.” His gaze locks in on hers again. “No?”

She nods, teeth catching at her bottom lip as she slowly backs up towards the water, pulling the straps of her dress down to fall on her upper arms. “Indeed it does, Dr Ramsey.” She pulls one arm out and then the other, leaving the dress clinging to the tops of her breasts. She continues to step backwards until her feet hit the shoreline, warm, frothy waves caressing her ankles. She laughs in delight and looks down, sliding around in the wet sand.

Ethan is closing in on her, his shirt already off. She sees he’s holding her sandals and his shoes in one hand, shirt slung over his arm.

“How’s the water?” he asks, though his eyes are still on the beach, as though he’s looking for something.

When she realizes his apparent destination, she can't help but shake her head fondly - he's walked over to one of the resort chairs, stacked up neatly for the evening, and is placing their shoes and his shirt on the pile.

Heaven forbid they get sand on them, she thinks, unable to stop the swell of affection she feels for her fastidious man.

Making her way over to him, she shimmies the dress up and over her head.

“Space for one more thing?” she asks innocently waiting for him to turn to look at her.

When he does, she gets immediate gratification at his dumbstruck look.

She had foregone a bra completely, so she watches as he takes her in from head to toe, nipples already stiffening in the exposed night air and under his gaze. She'd also pulled out the "special occasion" underwear, a lacy, boy-cut confection that she knew he'd appreciate.

And by the look in his eyes, he seems very appreciative.

Smiling cheekily, she shimmies down the underwear as well, tossing it to him before wading further into the water.

For all her bravado, standing stark naked on a public beach for longer than thirty seconds stretches the limits of her comfort, so it feels nice to seek both warmth and privacy in the languid tropical waves.

She had almost been worried that the water would be cold, but instead it's the perfect temperature - just nice enough to submerge herself in without feeling like she's entering a frigid bath. She wades out a bit deeper until the water just skims the top of her breasts and she turns in time to see Ethan entering the water.

Her heart picks up speed as she admires him, his naked, muscular body limned by the moonlight, walking into the ocean like some sort of reverse Poseidon, his eyes fixated on her and her alone.

Brooke shivers in a way that has nothing to do with water temperature, goosebumps lifting the fine hairs on her arms as she waits for him to get to her. The anticipation is sweet, but not as sweet as seeing him up close, smiling down at her as he collects her in his arms.

Their naked bodies slide together and she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist, feeling his arousal at the crux of her body. She kisses his neck, his jaw, his cheek, as his hands glide down to her bottom to lift her higher.

"This is nice," she murmurs, twining her arms tighter around his neck.

He hums in agreement, stroking her back up and down with one hand as they quietly watch the moon ripple on the horizon.

"I love touching you like this." He presses a kisses to her shoulder, squeezes her tighter. "If I could keep you this way, naked, pressed up against me, your skin on mine—if I could hold you like this forever, I would do it."

"Might be difficult to get work done." Her response is flippant, but his words have struck a chord deep inside her and her heart twangs painfully at the implications.

He snorts. "I don't care. Who needs work."

She pulls back to look at him, affecting a look of shock. "I'm sorry, who are you, and what have you done with Dr. Ethan Ramsey?"

He shakes his head, burying his face in her neck. When he speaks again, his words are muffled against her skin. "Dr. Ramsey has learned more in the past three years than in any of the previous years combined." He pulls back to look at her, one hand still holding her against him securely, the other pushing her damp waves back from her face. "Learned and grown and just—" He shakes his head before continuing. "Just tried to be better. To do better. Thanks to you." He kisses her and she can taste the salt on his lips.

"I can't take all the credit," she whispers against his mouth as they pull apart after a beat.

"Why not?" he whispers back, pressing another salty kiss to her lips. "You do it all the time at work anyway."

"Hey—!" She pulls away indignantly. "It's not my fault I’m the only one who can actually solve our cases—"

He laughs loudly and spins her around, making her lose track of her indignation as she dissolves into helpless giggles.

The warm water swirls over their bodies and she tightens her arms and legs around him. Her giggles inadvertently turn into a soft moan as she feels him, hard against her centre, settled right between her spread legs.

He tucks a kiss below her ear, nipping lightly at her pulse. "I want you so bad," he murmurs, sucking gently on the spot where he bit.

"So what are you waiting for," she breathes, her head lolling back as her hips move restlessly, her body stroking wetly against his length.

"Not in here," he groans, "the bacteria—not good for your—" He grunts as she presses more tightly against him, continuing to rub intimately in a way that has them both moaning.

"Have I ever told you—" She gasps, her breath coming out in short pants. "—how hot it is when you say the word 'bacteria' during sex?"

His response is a muffled groan into her shoulder as her jerky movements become more frantic, chasing the climax that has been inevitable since the first touch of salt water on her bare skin.

It's an odd sensation, the languid warmth of the ocean surrounding them while a different, more intimate, kind of wetness grows between. She misses the feel of him inside her during a moment like this, but there is something strangely, captivatingly erotic about making love this way. Their bodies sliding together in a new sort of intimacy, his rigid heat captured between her velvety folds.

“Ethan, I—” Her voice catches and his fingers tighten on her bottom, holding her to him in a way that hits that exact spot she needs it to. "Ah—ah!" She feels her muscles clench as a wave of pleasure crests…then crashes down over her. She lets out a moan, throwing her head back, the movement lifting her half out the water. Her nipples hit the cooler night air as her breasts emerge from the sea, and the feel of it in contrast to her climax sends prickles of sensation across her skin.

Ethan ducks down, kissing between her breasts as his hips jerk and finally still. He lets out a long groan through clenched teeth and she feels a bloom of warmth between them as she holds his head tightly against her chest. She can feel her heart pounding and his heartbeats echo hers from where his chest is pressed, closer to her stomach.

They hold each other for a protracted beat, the only sounds the crashing waves and their ragged breaths.

"Would you consider that," she finally says, still slightly breathless, "acceptable for my pH balance?"

He snickers deeply into her skin as he wraps his arms around her tighter before releasing her slowly. She allows her body to dip back and float leisurely on the bobbing waves. Letting out a contented sigh, she looks up at the stars, her eyes catching on a streak of light separate from the rest.

"Look!" She sits up quickly and grabs Ethan's arm, pointing at the sky.

He looks up as well and they watch as two, three stars make a quick descent from their position, a trail of sparkles in their wake.

"I've never seen a shooting star," she breathes, mesmerized.

He doesn't reply, so after a minute she glances over at him. He's staring at her, a soft smile tilting the corners of his lips. She can't see his face that well, even in the bright glow of an almost-full moon, but she recognizes the gentleness in his expression, the curve of his cheek as the shadow of a dimple barely appears.

She loves him so much.

She loves him so much that her heart aches with it, like a balloon that's about to pop or a cup that's overflowing.

She loves him for all his flaws, for all his hubris, for the ways he tries to be so good, and for all the ways he fails.

Her eyes well up as she looks at him, the words yearning to tumble from her lips. To tell him that she's always on his side. That he's hers, no matter what. There's no one else and there never will be.

That this is it, for her.

Instead she smiles back at him, albeit a little tremulously, and she leans forward, pushing off with her feet as she wades back to the shore.

He follows her quietly and they dress quickly, clothes awkward and difficult to tug onto their still-wet bodies.

As she grabs her sandals and goes to walk, he grabs her hand to stop her and pulls her into his arms.

They stand there for a bit, quiet and still, and Brooke feels all the little moments that have brought them here swirling around them in a hopeful nostalgia; the promise of things to come, built on a foundation of what they've surpassed.

"Time to sleep?" She looks up at the rumbling sound of his voice, blinking her eyes tiredly without even having realized just how tired she was.

"Mmm," she agrees, pulling away. "Your room or mine?"

He looks askance at her and she groans good-naturedly. "Fine, we'll be good. But see if you last more than one night without me. Just see!" She pokes his shoulder and grins at him and he catches her hand and holds it tightly against his chest, over his heart.

"Meet me for coffee tomorrow morning?" He brings her hand up to his lips and presses a kiss to the palm. "Hawaii has the best—"

"Yes, yes, I know, you talked my ear off about it on the plane, I remember." She shakes her head. "You're so boring I literally don't know how I stand you."

He grins at her and shrugs good-naturedly as they begin the slow walk back to the resort. "I try not to tempt fate too often by asking that very same question."

"Probably for the best." She tilts her head onto him and he drapes his arm around her shoulders. They meander down the path, away from the ocean, in comfortable silence.

She knows, deep down, how he feels about her. And if the final show of her loyalty to him is for her to wait until he's ready to tell her, well, then—

She'll wait.

[slash-me-please]

More Than Meets the Eye

Brahms x fem!reader

Warnings: Creepy!Brahms, in which you're the housekeeper and also the obsession, smut ensues. Cursing, worse sex scene I've ever written, you don't finish.

-

The heelshire mansion was a beauty of its own. It's old paint was chipped yet still gorgeous and slightly eerie in its own way. One side of the mansion looked refurbished, exterior wallpaper new and just barely a shade lighter than the rest, but if you didn't look close enough you'd think it was just a lighting oddity. You looked close enough.

You suppose that's how many things were. At least that's how they'd been here.

-

You were the housekeeper for the Heelshire couple. A lovely couple indeed, skittish and wound tight as if something would crawl out from under the bed and snatch them up like a monster. And that doll Mrs. Heelshire carried around like a prized possession, maybe it was.

Anyways, the always did tread carefully around you. Secretive. They did have an awful secret. One so awful you'd think it should be on the job description before you'd been hired. There was man, you'd only seen him once or twice and his tall, broad frame was frightening yet gorgeously attractive. You weren't sure if he'd seen you while out of the walls, as little as those occasions were. But if he did, he didn't seem to mind you.

You snapped out of your thoughts quite abruptly when a woman approached you. It had only been a day since the heelshires left for their vacation or business trip, you couldn't remember for the life of you which one they went on.

"Hello, uh, I'm sorry but have you seen my dress anywhere? I think you saw me with it if I'm not wrong." She asked sheepishly, she didn't seem too comfortable with you yet. "Oh I saw you take it in the bathroom with you. Maybe it fell behind the toilet or something?" You suggested to which she furrowed her eyebrows at and oddly left the room. Though as soon as she turned the corner you bolted into the room which held only a few chairs and a pool table. You pulled a painting off the wall, revealing a human sized hole which you very quickly crawled into, replacing the picture behind you.

This was the first time you came to Brahms yourself and you could only hope he didn't get violent. In the meantime you walked within the walls fiddling with your necklace nervously. You're not sure if you hoped something would happen or if you'd be content walking aimlessly through the walls. You had no time to think on the matter before you entered into a clearing into the walls. An empty room, a clearing within the walls.

Within the walls sat a man, hunched over at his desk and breathing quite heavily. You cleared your throat to which he lurched backwards and flinched violently. Brahms stood quickly and speed walked towards you. You yelped, stepping backwards and placing your hand to his chest when he came closer. "Why are you taking her things?" You asked abruptly. "The dress wasn't even pretty. I have many more which are much prettier. Gorgeous even. So why hers?" You asked. Truthfully you had no idea where this was coming from. Or maybe you did. You'd always liked Brahms. In the time you had been housekeeper he left you little things. Toys mostly but sometimes the occasional flower. So why did he choose her when the two of you had undeniable history.

Maybe he didn't know what chemistry was. Maybe he thought she was prettier than you. "I don't know." He whispered back. He probably did. She probably was. "Bullshit." You dropped your hand from his chest and rubbed the back of your neck, averting your eyes and biting at your already chapped lips. "You could've said something. You could've told me that this is what she was here for Brahms!" You frowned, turning around to walk out the walls. Unfortunately you didn't make it far before he grabbed your forearm and pulled you into his chest.

His hands craned your neck upwards and he covered your eyes before lifting his mask upwards just enough to kiss you. "You." He wasn't very descriptive but you knew what he meant. So you grinned and wrapped your arms around his neck, squealing when he lifted you upwards and carried you to his bed. "You can't have both Brahmsy. Gotta pick one." He nodded against your lips before setting you down on his mattress. The one he owned wasn't very clean, and the sheets were bunched and frolicked upon. He obviously didn't make his bed often but you didn't mind. Now thinking of it, it was very dim in lighting in this room. The only source of light he had was a small, battery-operated lamp. You didn't care about that either and made do with what little you had.

You pushed his cardigan off all while maintaining contact with his lips and batting in his inexperienced and oddly porcelain kisses, whining when his hands reached up and groped your breasts through the old and battered t-shirt you were wearing.

The two of you undressed quickly and when you did, the both of you stared at each other. Each others eyes swirled with lust and adoration for the other and even more so when his dropped down to your sex and he held his breath. "We don't have to- y'know if you'd prefer otherwise. I can leave." You proposed, beginning to sit up when he didn't answer. Brahms growled angrily, placing his large palm on your stomach and pushing you back down and grabbing your right breast while he entered you swiftly.

Your breath hitched in your throat and he yanked you towards him quickly, pulling you up on top of his lap. He slid inside your heat quickly, immediately starting his frantic pace. He basically bounced you against him, head buried deep into your neck while his hands groped your breasts. Unfortunately, yet expected, Brahms did not last long- so as soon as you were close and squeezing him, he spilled inside of you and collapsed to his bed with you against his chest.

For a moment you attempted to collect yourself, grinning. You'd had gotten Brahms, of course there were matters to work on- but you were too elated. You fixed your hair and clothes quickly, picking the woman's dress off the counter and exited the walls. Where would you put this dress?

[athys-obelia]

summary: no one's evil au lmfaooo but make it pt. 2

character/s: anastacius de alger obelia, claude de alger obelia, athanasia de alger obelia, jennette de alger obelia

and here's part 1 <3

oh my god okay. okay. so.

ana, claude, athy and jennette - they go on a LOT of vacations

claude complains every single time but anastacius pulls his trump card and sends athy and jettie BOTH after him

u think he's strong enough to say no after that? lmao jokes

and their vacations always go this way:

jennette: isn't this scenery just gorgeous, uncle

claude: indeed it is. and...quiet

jennette: ...too quiet

[cut to anastacius in the distance, fighting a bear as athy cheers him on]

athy + anastacius, hands down the most chaotic pairing yes i will not be taking criticism

they have tea in ana's palace everyday, just the two of them, they're so poised and picture perfect through the entire thing everyone thinks it's just the emperor giving profound advice to his heir

it's actually them deadass scheming,,, ana has no qualms discussing everything from court gossip to military tactics, both of which she's so on top of all the time

if anyone shit talks jennette or claude, this tea party is where their slow and agonizing demise is planned out to the dot

[true story - count sivan once made the fatal mistake of expressing his favour for athy as the next empress, dissing jennette by comparing her to athy sm which inevitably sparked a debate that ranked the princesses. a week after athy's sources informed her of the kindling behind this new debate, the count's sudden divorce became the talk of the town, and the man's business faced bankruptcy all of a sudden. the sivans still haven't recovered.)

athy n jennette were actually allowed to visit kiel in arlanta a few times, except it was too dark at their first arrival, postponing the meeting to the next morning

buttt then jettie can't sleep and she decides on a midnight snack run (their hotel doesn't really have the maids the palace does, but oh well. she's left the palace w lucas n athy plenty of times)

felix tags along btw, he knows this trip is important to the girls since they're leaving the palace without their Overprotective Papas™ for the first time and want some sense of independence, but... she's just so smol n he couldn't bear it if anything happens so he just shadows her

she totally knows he's there

n e ways so there's a juice place right beside their hotel which she aims for, but when jennette reaches it, it's closed

and out of nowhere, a voice addresses her - "hey you, do you come here a lot?" she nearly jumps out of her skin at the brunette, relaxing when she sees he's literally a kid around her age and not a murderer lmfaoo "me neither," he continues without waiting for her, pouting at the closed sign, before he asks for her name and whether she's new in arlanta

she confirms that yes, she's only visiting, and refuses to tell the stranger her name, still feeling strange at being addressed as 'you' for the first time (well, minus lucas, but he was like her brother and had the emotional capacity of a teaspoon, so)

he eyes her. "you're so weird. i've never seen a girl out so late before, and alone too. are you stupid?"

(felix has his sword out at this point)

she's flushing now and has no idea why she's still out here, but then this stranger kid apparently senses her mood and tells her the best ice cream store in arlanta is not too far away

(he also explains he knows someone who's starts doing weird things when she's hungry as well, and tries to defend that ice cream is actually a healthy midnight snack, "you can just take a healthy flavour like strawberry or mango, mangos are healthy,,right"💀️💀)

so jettie has travelled all the way from obelia, she loves her papa but he would have a heart attack if he found out she was ever awake this late?? yeah bc she's never getting this chance again, jennette accepts the offer

the stranger boy seems to be taking the whole "i'm not telling you my name," thing like a joke, and asks what he should call her since 'you' was getting boring

she goes with "lady j" and like a knight, the boy becomes "sir c"

(felix is on the verge of committing a crime - the princesses can only have one knight, after all)

they walk as the the boy navigates the streets in the dark, and she asks whether he's from the academy, seeing his uniform

"of course i am! you could probably tell bc i look so smart, right?"

she snorts. "yeah, that."

she also comes to know that this guy,,,well he might as well be a tourist? she's out here asking stuff like "oh where's the statue of lady alphia?" or "aren't we really close to the museum where they keep the first emperor's sword?" and he goes "lady do i look like your brochure?? but if you turn right from here there's a cool arcade and across the street from there is the best street food vendor you'll ever eat from."

well at least mans had his priorities straight 😌

"so can you take this off?" he asks, pointing towards her dress once they've neared the store

um???????? sir tf????????????

anyways jettie has been living with lucas n her dad farr too long to not take this the wrong way?? "...no?"

the boy raises an eyebrow "look, it looks like an expensive cloak but i promise i'll return it, alright? i gotta hide my uniform."

ohhhhhhh. 😳.

so she unfastens the cloak and because he's kinda just staring at it cluelessly (he can't even tie his shoelaces fight me), jennette sighs and moves the clothing over his shoulder, fastening it in place at his neck

he's literally a tomato when she looks back up and realises that yes, we are way too close rn

bc she's ana's daughter, jennette by default cannot function when she's flustered. so she kinda stumbles backwards like a fish out of water (years of princess training n etiquette? where art thou??) and 'sir c' has to grab her forearm so she doesn't bump into the pillar behind her smfh

the shopkeep is definitely suspicious of this pair that's definitely too young to be out so late, but chalks it down to his sleeplessness

they escape the store with the ice cream before the shopkeep can ask any questions, and 'sir c' escorts jennette back to her hotel. he climbs onto the roof of the building, helping her up as well

(felix wishes he had a magic stone to capture this moment, this is the first time he's seen jennette become such fast friends with someone)

she stands on the roof (it hurts her butt so she doesn't wanna sit)

"my sister would be so jealous right now," jennette murmurs, "she told me her ideal first date would be either a picnic or something like a moonlit walk. we're having like a moonlit picnic."

it's silent for a few seconds the boy speaks up, "is this a date?"

oh-

oh.

"i mean- i didn't- i don't- uh."

give her some time lmfao she's loading

"i don't really mind that," he tells her, and she thinks she might just walk off the roof in her embarrassment - who just says something like that?? "you're probably feeling really lucky right now, right?"

jennette: ✊😔

he does look pretty in the moonlight, she admits to herself, listening as he excitedly tells her about his siblings at home and how she should send an offering to the gods since they gave her the good fortune to be on a date with the most good looking one of all four of them

in turn, she tells him about how she spent her childhood away from her amazing dad and had gotten closer to him recently, about her sharp-witted uncle, her sister and friends

(the 'friends' section includes felix and he's melting)

she smiles - it's almost as if, at finding out he treasures his family just as much as she does, they've gotten a bit closer

and he tries to listen. jennette had guessed that his temperament was somewhat like her dad's - her dad didn't know how to listen, always making his opinion known before anything else, though she supposes as emperor he could do that

'sir c', on the other hand, tried his best, his blue eyes focused on her as he almost burst from the unsaid words he was holding back, trying to let her finish. the sight was an odd mix of sad and insanely adorable that she couldn't help but let him tell her about everything he couldn't hold in

sensing she could pass out from her exhaustion nearly half an hour later, and 'sir c' escorts her to her window and helps her sneak in bc "what sort of knight would i be otherwise?!"

(felix can't stop shaking the entire night)

the next morning, jennette's heart is pounding as kiel shows her, athy and felix across campus - the chance is low, but still...

"ezekiel!" comes a voice, and the four watch as a turquoise haired boy waves down the alpheus heir "are these the guests you mentioned?"

kiel introduces the trio to johannes vastia before asking, "where's cabel?"

"at the training grounds, he asked if you could bring everyone there so he could show them around there."

"... they're my guests though?"

athy is quick to befriend johannes (i mean she and his sister are practically the same person, so) and at the grounds, jennette's blood runs cold

(so does felix's)

the brunette doesn't notice her at first, arguing with johannes about something as kiel introduces him as cabel ernst

jennette is hyperventilating?? actually back up is this girl even breathing??

cabel ernst from kiel's letters? the 'loud and obnoxious cabel ernst', who gradually turned into 'my acquaintance cabel ernst', then 'hardworking, passionate cabel ernst', and finally 'my friend cabel'?

she'd actually rather admired this slow build of respect between her friend and the ernst boy, and had even expressed her interest to meet him

"this is the first daughter of his highness prince claude de alger obelia, princess athanasia-" cabel mock salutes the princess before his mouth forms an 'o' and he remembers to bow, "-and here's the emperor's only daughter, her highness princess je-"

andddd his eyes widen comically "-hey, lady, it's you?"

yeah jettie is on the brink of literal death - her entire face reddens as this...cabel, grins at her

she watches as he glances behind her, "and you're the guy who was following us - sup?"

felix flinches "...you knew...?"

cabel shrugs. "i mean you do kinda suck ass at the whole subtle thing."

"don't say it like that," jennette retorts, "felix was trying his best."

"princess 😭😭 you knew as well?"

"uhhhh no?"

athy + kiel in a corner: 👁️👄👁️

they watch as cabel's eyes widen all of a sudden and he just,,,runs away

...🐦...🐦...🐦...

yeah well anyway he comes rushing back a few minutes later, a piece of cloth in his hand "...*huff* here *huff*...you go."

athy totally flips out "jennette is that your CLOAK???!??"

"uhhhhh no?"

"um do you realise uncle would literally wage war at this."

and as if it would make everything better,

"i washed it," cabel offers with a grin

"you didn't," the vastia heir deadpans

"i mean, johan helped a little bit."

kiel smiles murderously at the pair. "johan, did you know cabel took the princess out?"

"wait, you're a PRINCESS??"

your honour they aren't very smart

so the group orders some coffee (milk for cabel smfh) to find out what happened, cabel mentions "date" and everything goes to shit again lmfao

kiel and felix scheme against poor cabel while athy n johan get over that stage pretty quick ("listen. MY sister will be living with ME after the marriage and if your friend wants to be with her he'll have to come with us to obelia." and johan's just like "fine by me ✌️😊") and start planning the wedding

cabel + jennette dip n sneak out of the academy again to get the juice they couldn't the night before bc shit is getting awkward here

on another note, our uncle cius' musical intelligence is actually very high - he can probably play more instruments than i can name tbh, but he feels most comfortable singing and i shit you not, this man has straight up an angel's voice

(didn't like singing in front of others coz he was secretly a nerd and only knew old love songs with deep lyrics, athy found out and educated him)

jennette tends to have nightmares often, most often regarding their family - she's seen her father murder her uncle for the throne, and vice versa, athy admitting her affections towards jennette were a front to get the position of crown princess, her uncle killing her to solidify athy's claim, etc - her family is her everything, so despite however many times these horrible scenes play before her, she's left sobbing uncontrollably

and on these nights, she leaves for her father's room, who holds her close and sings her to sleep

also lucas n jennette are like sibling duo# 1,,, jettie is an active lucathy shipper even though he denies it sm - like their dynamic is just peaceful walks in the gardens as she watches the plants n lucas shi talks the nobility and kiel

claude and athy have a thing for each other's sleeping on each other? idk it's weird

athy once fell asleep on the couch while reading with him, and claude moved her head onto his lap so she wouldn't be uncomfy sitting - well, she woke up to his hand absentmindedly raking through her hair and it was just so soothing that whenever she's tired and he's working or reading, she just plops her head on his lap and zzzz

and claude wondered what was up with that, so she proposed they switch roles and he felt so awkward trying to lay down in front of her lmao

obviously athy noticed and she just started reading, thinking he might be more comfortable if her attention isn't on him completely - she ended up reading out loud while playing with his collar and he just,,,passed out

also anastacius has definitely pulled jennette aside regarding the issue of his heir at some point - she had been hesitant at first before admitting she wouldn't like to be the empress at all

i know we'd all love to see empress!jettie and her sister duchess!athy ruling the court, but i really really really can't see her wanting the title?

so thus start athy's empress lessons, but holy shit her teacher is mean

like this man makes me want to bash his face in?? so he doesn't like the idea of athy becoming empress over jennette at all, all bc of both hers and claude's mothers being commoners

he has one of those long ass sticks that you use in presentation to point at stuff?? idk but basically mans has athy name every region, its lords and their vassals during their first lesson

the first time she gets one wrong, she's too shocked as the stick meets the delicate skin of her forearm to react

now the thing is, wmmap!athy would probably stand up against this bc her dad is the emperor and she's his only heir, but i imagine with anastacius' social nature he holds many parties / balls where she's probably heard claude's mom + diana slander and it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to be self conscious abt it (now she's the emperor's heir while jennette, 100% royal + noble blood, is right there which probably makes her feel even less legitimate)

so she endures it, the light marks on her arms as well as the taunts of his she's too smart to not understand - perhaps this is the price to be accepted in jennette's place?

and honestly, no one really notices until at breakfast a few weeks in, where jennette mentions how her dresses are still so modest when sleeveless dresses were more in fashion - ana is suspicious because athy is always on top of these things, societal trends and such, and claude is sus from the way she hesitates slightly in her answer, "i haven't had the time lately, i suppose"

the lesson after focuses on ettiquete since everyone knows she's good at politics and such already, but now tears of frustration are pooling in her eyes because what the hell?? this guy had made an opinion of her long before he even met her, so anything she did would be wrong in his eyes

he gives her a sinister smile, "tired, princess?"

"no," she insists, keeping her voice level. he's about to spout some other nonsense, when anastacius enters the room, taking a seat across from her

anastacius watches quietly as athy answers the teacher's questions in her "public" voice. he watches as her usually cheery disposition is replaced by something far more...dead, despite the front she puts on for him. he's soundless as she hesitates in her answers where she normally would've been louder, more confident. he stops watching in silence when his niece flinches at the sight of the stick

oh.

he interrupts her lesson, not missing the way she winces almost imperceptibly when he grabs ahold of her arm, announcing, "we're going."

he just- it's just that that was the moment he knew for sure - the sight of his niece emotionally disheveled for the first time reminds him too much of how his own brother had once been, and he'd... he'd promised he wouldn't let anyone hurt his family anymore

he ends up taking her to the port with some of his advisors to welcome some royal guests, insisting that she would learn better from experience rather than books - but the guest delegation gets so boring that he sneaks her out of the meeting n they end up in the streets

now athy has no idea where they are, but apparently her uncle does?? ana has his hand on her head as he navigates the streets of the capitol as if he comes here everyday, using magic to casually disguise the two of them

in the meantime?

felix is at the port trying to cover for them smfh, he makes up this huge story about how the great wise emperor wanted to familiarize his heir with the locals, understand her subjects, yada yada

back at the palace prince claude is currently dragging a man by his collar and only upon jennette's insistence does he throw him in prison rather than literally kill him

(jettie visits him later in prison to give the guy a piece of her mind, after felix's visit he's sporting a few noticable bruises and the prisoner is practically unrecognizable once lucas visits)

back to athy + ana, they end up stuffing themselves with some super good street food as anastacius confesses that yes, he has definitely been sneaking out of the palace ever since he was a lil kid

athy almost mentions that she, lucas n jettie sneak out too but that might give him a heart attack, so

"it's so pretty, uncle cius," she says, gesturing towards the necklace he holds up. once he's paid for it, anastacius fists the necklace, opening it to reveal the jewel pendant - now imbued with his magic and replaced with gold lettering of the word athanasia

and she realises that yes, that's what both him and her dad have called her all her life, haven't they?

"you're my heir, athanasia," he uncle tells her with a small smile, "i am proud of that."

getting teary, she tells him, "i'm really proud of you too, uncle cius," triggering a very flustered + blushy anastacius

this mans craves validation - not from the sycophantic nobility, or the obsequious concubines he'd dismissed all those years ago, but from the family he thought he'd neither have nor deserve

and just the acknowledgement is so large for athy - he wants her as his heir, not because she's his niece, but bc he trusts her to look after his hard work after him??? - yeah she's totally bawling her eyes out

anastacius magics her a handkerchief but my mans magic isn't that strong?? lmao he's used up so much by now that the 'handkerchief' turns out to be some scratchy tissues

awkward amirite

nope! athy laughs at that, offering him a sip of her drink as she magics another straw and a proper handkerchief lmfaoo

n e ways so when they return, everyone's shocked to learn that the crown heir, princess athanasia will actually be joining the official circles as anastacius' temporary aid - he doesn't wanna entrust her to anyone but family, and decides that the best way to learn is by his side

(she's so confused bc lucas doesn't normally bat an eyelash when she wears the prettiest gowns, but he deadass can't look her in the eyes when she's in her aid uniform - it's more like a suit than it is a dress)

yes lucas women in suits >>>>>

everyone is STUNNED when at dinner, claude proposes they leave on vacation??

anastacius is just not having it?? like no, this is not my brother, and he throws a grape at claude to check if it's a clone or sum (¿¿how does that work??)

anyays so he ain't no felix, ana's aim is ass and it hits jettie instead

mans nearly gets on his knees to apologise

long story short everyone preps for vacation, but by some aCCiDeNt claude n athy end up at a different destination than jettie n ana, when she suggests returning to the palace to regroup, mans deadass sulks

"so you wouldn't like to spend this time with your father, despite barely visiting my office for weeks?"

o-oh

so at their return, the nobility starts pestering everyone that the princesses aren't independent enough, yada yada idc so to quell this annoyance, to the girls' joy, they get to move into emerald palace together, while claude and ana stay in the ruby and main palaces respectively

literally emerald palace becomes such a cool place to be in since it's the residence of the only decent people in this family, the brothers spend hours going through the requests of maids who want to be transferred

it's such a busy time because of athy joining the court and jettie starting her studies as well - naturally, since she isn't becoming empress, she'll be getting the duchy claude + athy were to be given in the beginning

speaking of futures, jettie's interest in plants and cooking has definitely branched out into herbs

claude notices her tending to a small garden during his visit to athy and even gives her a few tips (he had been studying medical since he was a kid, and picked it up again when athy was born and the empire stablised somewhat)

this soon becomes a routinely thing, and he actually starts reading up on some herbs and even orders a few for her prospering garden

after a month of her learning from books, claude proposes adding a medic as one of her teachers, and turns out his hunch was right?? she's excelling at medicine and they keep it between themselves for the time being

it doesn't last long though, bc they're on a hunting trip when ana injures his leg

and !! this girl istg, she gets to cleaning and wrapping the wound without blinking an eye, as if it's the most natural thing ever, and claude is just smirking while athy and anastacius and literally everyone else: 🌟💞✨jettie✨💞🌟

literal tears coming out of anastacius' eyes "how come my daughter is smarter than me😭💅"

claude: that's not a very high standard, brother

anastacius: ✨suddenly i'm an only child✨

behold, the people in charge of running an empire everyone 👏👏👏

even though jennette is claude's (unofficial) student and athy is her uncle's heir, they both ask their dads to the debutante

yes athy does dance with lucas, anastacius sent him an invitation even though he wasn't a noble (he's an active match maker 😌) and nobody dared question the emperor's special guest

at the end of the night, kiel gives jettie a letter from arlanta - it's an invitation to the academy during holidays, from a certain brunette

when she brings up the subject, felix lets out a squeak and literally everyone goes silent 😭😭

athy n kiel are just out here DARING him to spill them beans

but anastacius takes on look at his excited lil kid and decides that yups, she's going to get everything she wants

a/n: i literally don't know how many parts this should have lmaoo but y'all made it this far!! thanks for reading i hope you liked it<3

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter three - “penny for your thoughts”

delicate masterlist

word count: 1.5k

synopsis: reader runs into a familiar face at the lake near her quarters in wakanda and they get to know each other a bit (kinda meet cute)

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

[A/N]: not my photo

The sunrise in Wakanda was one of the most marvelous things (Y/N) had ever seen. It was truly divine. Magnificent shades of burnt orange and gold bled through the boundless canvas of clouds. The sun, rich and saturated, was the epicenter of these vivacious gradients. It was almost as though Odin himself was painting the sky.

Her windows, encompassing the space of an entire wall, opened her room effortlessly. They led directly to the outskirts of a small lake that perfectly reflected the sunrise. It almost felt like a vacation. Or a dream, whichever came first.

She had slept wonderfully, but woke up early all the same. The beginning of her morning consisted entirely of sitting right outside her room staring at the ascending sun. She supposed she could've stayed there all day as Shuri told her they wouldn't start working until tomorrow; something about settling in and adjusting. Although she thoroughly enjoyed her quiet, warm morning, wasting the whole day cramped up near and inside her room would be a very poor choice.

There's so much here, I might as well enjoy my mini vacation.

She slipped on her shoes, closed the glass door, and made her way to the very lake she was admiring so dearly. She sat at the edge of the lake, letting the smooth sound of the flowing water fill the air around her. It was so quiet, secluded. She was alone; it was lovely. Tranquile even. Being by herself brought a strange sort of comfort, like she was safe and-

"Hello."

She turned around, still sitting. "Oh. Hi Jame- I mean... Bucky."

He smiled, and gave a ghost of a laugh. "Thanks."

"Did you need something? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, it's good. I was just looking around. This place is beautiful."

"Tell me about it," she returned his smile. "I keep thinking like I'm on a vacation or something. It doesn't feel like I'm supposed to work tomorrow."

Bucky nodded his head in agreement. "If I was gonna be... fixed somewhere, I'm glad it's here."

"Yeah, no one's gonna bother us here. Except maybe Shuri when she shows you how much smarter she is than you."

"Kid's a genius," he chuckled. "I've only talked to her a bit and she's smarter than I'll ever be."

At this point he was still standing, his hands clasped politely in front of him. He was just standing next to (Y/N)’s sitting figure. It wasn't a problem until an awkward silence settled over them. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

She wasn't the best with people. She knew exactly how the brain worked and she knew how to analyze behavior, and when it came to her job she knew the right things to say at the right times. But her job has rules; if she's talking with someone, she's treating them. When doing so, there are specific sets of clinical terminology. There were guidelines to follow, scripts to recite. Talking to patients in a work setting was analytical and made sense. Talking to regular people was a bit difficult. There was so much grey area. Bucky was going to be a patient, but right then, in that moment, he was just another person.

"You can sit if you want," she offered, patting the spot next to her. "I feel weird, it seems like I'm making you stand."

He gingerly accepted such an offer. He sat next to her, but not too close. The respectful distance gave her comfort.

We both have our own space.

"Hey, can I say something?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"I just wanted to thank you, ya know, for coming all the way here. Steve told me about the whole situation - you and Sharon and everything. I'm just really grateful. You probably have a whole life of your own back home, but it means a lot that you came here to help out. I know it's not exactly easy."

Heartfelt. If she had to describe it in one word that's what it would be. It almost surprised her.

"Oh you don't have to thank me!" she sounded deflective. "It's my job. I'm just glad we have a chance to provide you with treatment after all the pain you've been through."

Was that too personal?

"I mean, after all this time, I think you're pretty deserving of a reprieve."

"Have you read my file?" he asked, a little quieter than before. He was staring intently at the lake in front of him.

(Y/N) rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, I did."

"Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"That you had to read it. I know it's a lot."

He sounded guilty, like somehow what happened to him was his fault.

"That's alright," she said almost too quickly. "I've gone through plenty of abuse and trauma cases. To be fair, none of them are quite like yours, but I'm not in completely foreign waters here."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. I've heard you're more than highly qualified. It's just a lot of bad stuff."

"I can handle bad stuff," she replied, reassuringly. To her, it sounded more factual than reassuring. Unbeknownst to her, it gave Bucky some sort of comfort. Like he was in good hands.

Another awkward silence settled over them. Her eyes remained on the body of water in front of her; she wasn't sure what to say. Casual conversation was not her forte, and Bucky seemed rather shy himself. She felt responsible for any conversation that should take place, but to be fair, he wasn't talking either.

It was then when she subtly aimed her gaze towards him, getting a thorough impression of his features. He was, in all honesty, quite handsome. Objectively speaking of course. He was sharp features and soft edges at once, if you could consider that possible. And the bluest blue eyes she'd ever seen were luminescent in the direct sunlight. She reminded herself not to stare, and tore her line of vision away from the man next to her.

In lieu of this, she closed her eyes, leaned back on the palms of her hands, and relished in the warmth of the Wakandan sun. This lasted a few moments before she once again realized that not a word had been passed between them. She wondered what he was thinking about.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked softly.

"Hm?"

"You look pensive."

"'M just thinkin'"

"Well, that much I could tell," she snickered.

He flashed a bashful smile. "I'm just tryin' to grasp the fact that I'm actually here. Y'know, safe. Ready to be helped. It's been a while. I keep having to remind myself that it's real."

Makes sense. He probably thinks that any minute, this seemingly secure safe haven is going to be ripped out from under him. Like it was all a rouze and he'll have to return to pain and anguish.

"It's definitely real...well, last time I checked anyway. But who knows? Maybe we're in an alternate reality and any moment we'll see a woman in a red dress," she joked, trying to lighten his mood and simultaneously referencing The Matrix.

It worked. He laughed; a soft gentle chuckle, but a laugh all the same.

"Woman in a red dress?" he asked through a grin.

"Oh, you probably haven't seen The Matrix, have you?"

His face scrunched up in endearing confusion. "No...?"

She adamantly ignored when the word adorable entered her mind when she saw his expression. "It's a movie, a classic really. You'll have to see it at some point or I'll feel like an idiot for referencing it."

"Oh God," he shook his head, "I haven't seen a movie in... ages."

"I think that's a crime in and of itself. They've gotten infintely better than they were in the forties, I can promise you that."

"I got a lot to catch up on, don't I?"

"Maybe a little. But don't worry about it. I'll make you a list!"

"Man, didn't think I'd have homework," he quipped, a meek attempt at a joke.

It made her smile. There's some personality! She showed some of her own in return.

"Man, I didn't think I'd ever meet someone who doesn't like movies of all things. One of the best things ever created by mankind!"

He laughed and threw his hands up in mock surrender. "I never said that! I don't know if I deserve such slander."

What a wonderful laugh.

"Watch every movie on my list and I'll clear your name," she beamed.

He feigned annoyance. "Fine. You drive a hard bargain, Ms. (Y/L/N)."

"That's Dr. (Y/L/N), actually."

Before he could question whether or not he made a mistake, she continued. "I'm totally messing with you. (Y/N) is more than just fine. Dr. (Y/L/N) sounds too much like someone's pretending that I'm my dad anyway."

"Okay then," he smiled, "(Y/N).”

[neptunetheplanet7]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 - 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

DM ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON THE TAG LIST!!

;mikasa ackerman x fem!lesbian!reader

;modern au, band au

word count: 1.9k

warnings: swearing, cheating

italics means flashback/memory recall

listen to the music masterlist

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quick message! unlike on my wattpad, i’m not doing a character introduction chapter on here. so heads up for he/they armin and she/they sasha!! those are just my personal headcanons i included into the story :) also, i wrote this a LONG time ago. i posted this on my wattpad on 2/24/21. i apologize in advance for any errors. i do plan to re-edit a lot of things regarding this fic in the future.

"She's coming back tomorrow," Jean said casually while pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. You choked on your breakfast. Armin took a worried glance at your coughing form from across the table.

"Sorry." You hacked.

"Mikasa is?" Eren peeked his head through the bathroom doorway as he looked away from the mirror.

"Yeah, I'm going to pick her up from the airport tomorrow night." Jean put down the pot of coffee and took a sip from his hot mug.

"Why so sudden?" Armin put down his book on the table in front of his plate.

"She spoke to me about it briefly. said there was something she needed to do when she got here. I'm just as shocked as you are. I didn't think she'd be back any time soon" Jean brushed the crumbs off his hands and put his plate in the sink.

"How can you all be so calm about this? Did you hear him? Mikasa is coming home tomorrow. She left nearly two years ago! She's finally coming back and none of you are freaking out? She didn't even say why exactly she was coming back." You stood up and threw your hands in the air. Suddenly you lost your appetite. 

"No need to get all bent out of shape, Y/n. You act like we haven't seen her in ten years." Eren said with a hair tie in his mouth as he grew impatient with his long and tangled mess of hair.

You rolled your eyes. "Obviously, but she left for a reason. Even when she gets here, will she still want to play with us? Her absence from the band has taken a toll on everyone, and our audience was less than pleased when she announced her vacation, or rather when I announced her vacation." You start pacing in the living room.

Armin's eyes followed you as you moved. "I hope she does, but it's unlikely. I recall her saying she never wanted to see Jean again. I doubt she'll want to play with him here." He theorized.

"Well, she did call me to say she was coming back so I don't think she's still very upset with me." Jean finished off his coffee and tucked his hair behind his ears. "It happened two years ago, after all."

"I hope she's doing better. It's not like we've heard much from her since she left. I have to clean this house! Oh god, it's a mess! You boys are pigs." You said frantically.

Eren snickered. "Well, it looks like you haven't gotten over your little crush."

"Shut it, Jaeger. I'm doing fine and, frankly, that's none of your business." Still pacing, you held your stomach as the nervous feeling grew.

"Yeah, it sure looks like you're fine." His lips pulled into a grin as he rolled his eyes.

"I think I'm going to faint."

"Do you need to lie down? You look a bit pale." Armin stood up and came to my side.

"I think I'll take a nap."

"You just woke up, smarty. Going back to bed already?" Jean chuckled. "I'm going to Marco's place. See you losers later."

A chorus of 'bye, Jeans' sounded throughout the room when he left through the garage door.

"Y/n, were you serious about cleaning the house? Because I have to go and I really don't want to clean so-"

"Yeah, Eren. You can leave, I don't care."

"You're the best! Thank you!" Eren chirped and practically skipped through the door.

"I have nowhere to be. So I guess I'll stick with you here." Armin smiled. "Do you need help with anything?"

"I'll be fine, thanks. Just nervous is all." You wrung your hands and blinked several times.

"Okay, I'll be in the office if you need anything." Armin patted your shoulder and left you alone in the large living room.

You quickly got to cleaning the house in a nervous frenzy, deep in thought. Mikasa had left one night almost two years ago after a heated situation between her and Jean that ultimately resulted in their breakup and Mikasa leaving the band with only a painful note left behind.

Apparently, there was more to the breakup than you knew, but Jean kept what we didn't hear to himself for Mikasa's sake. Essentially, Mikasa caught Jean and Marco together at a party Eren threw for his nineteenth birthday. You were with her when she saw them.

You and Mikasa were having a silly conversation in the long hallway in front of the dining room. Mikasa stopped looking at you and started focusing on something behind you. her small smile dropped. "and that's why I never- hey Mikasa? You okay? What are you looking at?" You stopped telling your story and became more concerned for your friend.

Confused, you turned around. You gasped loudly. "Oh Mikasa, I'm so sorry." You reached a hand out to her but she left the hall quickly. "Don't worry about it, Y/n. It's not a big deal."  You watched her speedwalk up the stairs with her hand covering her mouth. 

You confronted Jean calmly, not wanting to disturb the party, despite being furious. "Hey, Jean. the world can see you, dickbag. And so did your girlfriend. Have fun explaining this to her. She went upstairs. Find her yourself. If you even care enough to do so."  You spat and darted away from them.

"Wait, Y/n!" Jean pushed past people as you swiftly made your way through the crowd in an attempt to find Eren. Normally, you'd look for Armin, but he was out of town for the night. You got to the kitchen and desperately glanced around. Jean took hold of your arm before you could get any farther. He turned you to face him and took note of your angry expression. "I'm sorry. let me explain."

You shoved him away from you. "Don't apologize to me. Don't explain anything to me. Tell it to your girlfriend. I'm finding Eren and ending this shitty party early. Frankly, Jean, I don't care what excuse you have." You kicked off your heels in a random spot and continued the search for your friend. Jean tried to follow you at first but gave up.

You pushed through crowds looking everywhere for Eren. "Where is he? Eren I need you," You muttered. You caught a glimpse of dark hair being pulled out of an updo. You took a sharp turn and bumped into someone. You fell backward on the floor and rubbed your side that you fell on. "Ouch."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going!"  A girl with multiple party foods in her arms shouted apologetically. She hastily set down her collection and helped you up. I took a quick look around the room, Eren wasn't there. The brunette in front of me tilted her head. "Are you looking for someone? I can help you find them to make up for bumping into you. Hey, you're really pretty. Are you the guitarist from that band? Wait, so you live here? Oh no, I bumped into someone famous! Connie and Niccolo are gonna freak out when I tell them! I'm Sasha by the way. Your name is Y/n right?" 

Taken aback by her rambling, and the fact that she recognized you, you stuttered for a bit before gaining your composure. "Yeah, I'm looking for a friend, actually. And that's me. I live here."

Sasha grinned. "Cool! Who are you looking for? I might know them." She linked her arm through yours and pulled you to the outside deck.

"I'm looking for Eren. Uh- Jaeger. My friend Eren Jaeger. I need to find him."  Your voice sounded shaky.

"Me and him were partners in Professor Hange's science class back in high school! He invited me since we go way back." She opened the door and stepped outside. "Hey Y/n, you sound upset. Did something happen?" She unhooked your arm from hers and put her hands on your shoulders with a concerned stare. You were on the brink of tears and didn't want to cry in front of a stranger, but when you heard the caution in her tone you couldn't help but let some tears escape.

"Hey! Hey, hey Y/n, don't cry now. We'll find Eren." She pulled you in for a hug and you slowly accepted it. You weren't even the one who got cheated on yet you were the one crying. You were worried about the band. You were worried about the fight Eren and Jean were sure to get in. You were worried about what Armin would think. But most importantly, you were worried about Mikasa.

The thought of her locking herself in a room upstairs alone after what happened was enough to make you feel sick. You had to find Eren and end the party. You had to keep him calm once he found out. A part of you had always hoped they would break up, and you always felt extremely guilty about it, but you never hoped  it would end in a way that hurt them both. 

You quietly sobbed into sasha's clothed shoulder, definitely staining her frilly dress. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now." You stepped away and wiped your eyes several times. 

"No, don't apologize. You don't have to tell me what happened, either. Let's go find Eren, yeah?" She gently took my face in her hands and wiped away at my tears. She hooked her arm through mine again as we continued our search for Eren. 

We finally found him after looking for a good fifteen minutes. He was sitting alone on the front porch with a beer in hand, his hair a ragged mess. He took a swig of it and scowled at the taste. Sasha nodded to you and left you alone with him. You opened the glass door and stood awkwardly behind him.

"Hey, Eren."

"The party's inside." He said bitterly.

"I know." You sat down next him and smoothed out your dress in the process. "What are you doing out here at your own party? I've been looking for you everywhere."

He sighed. "I heard what happened. with Jean and Mikasa. He went looking for her so I assume he's found her, that was thirty minutes ago, give or take. I needed a break and came out here." 

You let your head slump on his shoulder. He let out another long sigh. "I saw it happen. She ran upstairs so I came looking for you. I figured once I told you, you could end the party. That sounds ridiculous now, considering how many people came." You let out a dry laugh and felt him laugh along with you. His head rested on top of yours and he placed a gentle kiss on it.

"What are we gonna do now, Y/n? There’s no chance this'll go over well. The band could be ruined.” He paused and sighed. “I bet Armin would know what to do right about now."

"I bet he would." You took Eren's hand in yours. "I don't even want to think about what could happen."

"Neither do I. Do you want to stay out here a little while longer? We can go back in later." Eren offered.

"Yeah. That sounds nice." 

posted: 8/23/21

neptunetheplanet7© 2021

no reposts, edits, or modification to my work by anyone other than me.

[avaantares]

Obligatory Vacation Roundup

Unless you follow me on Twitter, where I was posting Broadway photos and videos pretty steadily, you probably couldn't tell (I had 300 posts in my Tumblr queue; who even posts in real time here?) but I've spent the past week in NYC, taking my FIRST VACATION IN ALMOST TWO YEARS! This is the first time I'd been out of the state since I slid in just under the lockdown wire returning from Egypt/Jordan in February 2020.

Normally I try to spend a few days in New York every year or so, picking up the latest Broadway shows, but the pandemic kind of put the kibosh on that, along with all other travel. And this trip was not without its difficulties: Due to the bad storms and gale-force winds blanketing New England last Saturday, JFK was temporarily shut down when we were supposed to be flying in. Our plane got diverted twice, sat on the tarmac in Boston for three hours, and ended up landing more than four hours late. Consequently, we missed part of the first act of the first play we had tickets for. Fortunately I'd seen that show a couple of times before, so I knew how it started, but it was still frustrating. We also lost one member of our party, who came down seriously ill two days into the trip and couldn't leave her hotel room.

We originally had tickets to six shows for this year's Broadway blitz, but one production had to close abruptly because of a COVID infection in the cast (RIP, Chicken & Biscuits). I did get to see the other five: I watched my high school friend in the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular (she's been a Rockette for over a decade, but I'd only gotten to see her perform once before), saw (most of) The Play That Goes Wrong for a third time, saw Freestyle Love Supreme's show for the second time, and picked up Moulin Rouge (absolutely stunning production!) and A Sherlock Carol (an off-Broadway Arthur Conan Doyle/Charles Dickens mashup that runs exactly as you'd expect from the title). I have a few (sanctioned) videos that I might post, if I can get them to upload. (Photos above were taken/shared with permission.)

I also spent a day at the Met (always worth it!), enjoyed some spectacular autumn colors in Central Park, and for the first time ever, actually went to Liberty and Ellis Islands. I've been traveling to NYC semi-regularly for more than 20 years and I'd never gone out to the statue, but now I've done the Official Tourist Thing. Took photos from the pedestal, which is as high as you can go now that they've closed the crown.

I also hit Nintendo New York for some shopping, consumed approximately my own body weight in delicious food at the Bryant Park Winter Village, and -- most surreal of all -- WALKED IN for immediate seating at Ellen's Stardust Diner during their grand reopening. I've never been in Manhattan when there was less than a two-hour wait for a table there!

I completely neglected NaNoWriMo the entire time I was traveling, but I made up for it with a multi-hour stint last night. At least I'm back up to par, though I've lost a bit of my lead. Thank goodness I decided to be a rebel this year, and wasn't trying to come up with completely new material.

Anyway, I'm back home now (much to my dog's delight), and will resume adding posts to my way-too-long queue for the next few days before I take off again for Chicago TARDIS, which is next week.

Phew!

[breathebangtan]

Credulous

Ch. 5: Change

Genre: FallenGuardianAngel! Jimin, Supernatural

Members: Jimin

Pairings: Jimin x y/n

Synopsis: love is an uncontrollable feeling, even for those who were meant to protect, and only protect. Nothing more and nothing less. Yet somehow, there was always outliers.

Warnings: None

Word count: 4.4k

A/N: Hope you all enjoy! Please like and reblog if you do!

Ch.1 | Ch.4 | Ch.6

~

“Take me home.” Those were the only words I could manage to get out. Jimin didn't say a word, instead complying to my wishes. He took us home on a taxi that he paid for. My eyes shedding tears the whole ride, his arm around me. I couldn't pull myself together, not until we arrived at my apartment. Once inside the warmth it offered, Jimin didn't waste any time to scold me.

“Are you kidding me? A ferris wheel? Malum, you shouldn't be doing things like that if I'm not around.” He shakes his head, he seems disappointed in my. How was I supposed to know that would happen? They're supposed to be safe, for the most part. I mean, yeah accidents could happen, but still. “I'm sorry, I didn't know.” I quietly apologize, my head down.

“I mean, seriously? What were you thinking? I've told you many times, stay away from anything dangerous.” He sighs heavily. “You're just lucky I was there.” Finishing his little rant he comes to sit down next to me. My eyes watery again. “I was so scared, I was looking everywhere for you. I couldn't see you.” I hug him tightly, which he responds to by doing the same, rubbing my back. Everything had happened so quickly, I didn't know what would happen. Before he can continue scolding me, however, my phone starts ringing.

I open my purse to take my phone out, only to see Rae's name, plastered on the screen. “Hello?” I manage, my voice slightly shaky. Rae is quick with her words, she sounds worried, which in turn upsets me. “Are you okay? Where are you? David said there was an accident at the ferris wheel and you left running.” It was supposed to be a special night for Rae, but I did the thing I was trying to avoid, worry her. I wanted her to enjoy her night with Henry, not worry about me.

“Don't let her know you left with me.” Jimin chimes in from beside me. Surprisingly, Rae heard him, which obviously made me panic. “Who was that?” She quickly asks. “Was that a man's voice? Who are you with?” She questions and I can hear the guys asking her questions in the background of my whereabouts. “Uh… No… No, that was my uh, laptop. I'm home, I'm just a little shaken up is all. Please, please don't worry about me Rae! Just have fun with your date, please. Tell David I'm sorry I left, I really enjoyed his company, maybe we can all hang out again soon?” At my last sentence, Jimin's eyebrow raises. I'm confused for a moment as to what that gesture is supposed to mean. “I'm really sorry. I have to go now.” I hang up before she can argue anything, giving Jimin a glare. Now it was my turn to scold him.

“I’m not clueless, I haven’t mentioned you to her at all. I know better… but that was a close call.” He can only smile at me, it’s as if he’s taunting me. He pulls me into his embrace again, my head on his chest. “I’m sorry, Malum.” He rests his head atop of mine. I didn’t mention it to Rae on the phone because I didn’t want to worry her, but I was starting to realise that I’d been so scared because of the car accident. I would have been shocked, and feared for my life. Yes, but I don’t think I’d been as shocked, as I was now. The car accident had left a permanent mark. “I can’t believe I almost died twice. I… I’m just glad I have you.” I hold onto him tighter, it’s as if I’m holding my safe haven, and nothing could possibly go wrong as long as I hold on. I never want to let go.

It was so easy to fall asleep in his arms, that I hadn’t even realised when I had. All I remember was him singing softly to me, and my eyes having trouble staying open. It was Saturday morning now, and my body was covered by my blankets, head on my pillows. My phone buzzed loudly as my alarm went off. The sun shined through the window, bringing light into my room. Groaning as I turned my alarm off, remembering I still had work. I usually had the weekends off, but just like last week, I had to cover someone else’s shift.

Reluctantly getting out of bed with a deep sigh, I walked into my bathroom to shower. The hot water relaxing my muscles. I prayed that I could stay in here for awhile longer, just wanting to relax. Of course, that wasn’t possible. I had responsibilities, and bills to pay. After I had successfully gotten dressed and ready for work, I was off.

I rode my bike to work this time around, letting the air run through my hair. It was nice and soon today, which was great, but I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it much as I would have to stay in for most of it, working. “Hey Y/n, are you covering for someone again.” Lauren asked me, and I laughed sadly, nodding my head. “Can you believe it? I’m supposed to have the weekend off, but instead I’ve been working for two consecutive weeks.” She laughs as she pats my back.

“You’ll be fine. I’m sure something will work in your favor soon.” She smiles as she continues with her order. I quickly jump in to help her with the others. Taking orders at the register here and there. Today wasn’t as busy, but it wasn’t slow either. Thankfully so, because while most people might like slow days, as it means they didn’t have to do much. I hated them, with nothing to do I’d get bored easily.

“Hey, have you seen Stephen?” Lauren asks, as she taps the coffee cup in her hands. Now that she’d mentioned it, I hadn’t. He’d usually greet me when I came into work, but he hadn’t today. He wasn’t even out and about like usual, restocking items or marking things on his clipboard. “Not at all, where could he be?” She shrugs her shoulders as she takes the coffee to the customer. “I haven’t seen him at all either. Maybe he’s in his office?” She suggests. Maybe, but it wasn’t like him to stay in there so long.

The rest of the work day went slowly. Customers coming in and out, some sitting in different spots with books in their hands or laptops in front of them. The sun was shining brightly through the windows, and I wished I would be able to go out there, maybe go to a park and have a picnic with Rae. “Everyone, attention please.” Stephen spoke up, coming into the kitchen. My coworkers and I gathered around. I wondered if he’d been here this whole time or if he’d just got here. “I’m giving you all the week off until Monday. My mother got into an accident and she’s in the hospital, I have to go take care of her now and I figured I’d just let you all off the hook.” He sighs as he finishes his statement. He dangles the keys to the shop in his hand. “You guys can leave now as well, I’ll close up.” He walks over to the counter, announcing that we’re just about to close.

Some customers start picking up their stuff, getting ready to leave. “Are you sure? One of us could run the shop while you’re gone.” Lauren suggests but Stephen only shakes his head. He must really not want to deal with work at all, which worries me because maybe his mother was injured badly. I hoped she was okay. “No, it’s just not a good idea. I need to focus on my mom. I think you all deserve it anyway.” He smiles slightly, but anyone could tell he was hurting. “Stephen…” I walk closer to him, bringing him into a hug. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Stay strong okay?” He nods his head, I wasn’t sure what to say to make him feel even just slightly better, but I needed to say something.

Everyone else started to give him encouraging words. One by one, we all started to leave as well. I had been complaining about having to work on my days off, but now I felt bad. I’d been giving the whole week off now, but it was because of something horrible. It left an unpleasant feeling settling in my stomach, like I shouldn’t enjoy my short vacation because that would make me a bad person. I wasn’t the only one who had the week off, regardless those thoughts floated around my head for awhile. I sighed as I rode my bike, trying to let the air take my dark thoughts away with it.

I got a sudden thought though, when I was at work I had wished I could go out on a picnic with Rae, now I could. It would be perfect, being able to ask what happened last night after I left, not to mention apologizing for worrying her and leaving so suddenly. I unlocked my phone and dialed her number. Didn’t take long for her to answer, as if she had been waiting for my call. “Y/n?” She calls my name through the phone.

“Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at a park, have a picnic. It’s so nice out, I didn’t want to waste it.” I hoped she’d say yes, but I knew there was a possibility that she’d made plans with Henry last night, to go out today. I crossed my fingers, stopping my bike, waiting for cars to cross before I could. “Yeah, that sounds fun! Plus you owe me an explanation.” She sounded firm in her tone, but not angry. I smiled as she said so.

“I know I do, I’m really sorry Rae. I hope I didn’t ruin your night.” If I had, I would be so shattered. Yeah, the accident at the ferris wheel wasn’t my fault, and it could have happened to anyone else. Even so, I felt guilty for it. “Of course not. Obviously I was worried, and so were the boys, but thankfully because you said you were at home safely we felt better. We tried our best to enjoy the night, we just missed you is all.” A sigh of relief escapes my mouth. I couldn’t explain the amount of weight that was lifted off my shoulders when she said that. “I’m so glad you guys could at least enjoy the rest of your night. Well, I’ll meet you there?” I was about to hang up on her, but she stopped me before I could.

“Wait, have you read the email the school sent all the students? Everyone’s been talking about it.” The tone in her voice was more serious now, giving me the impression that something bad had happened. “I’ve been working, I haven’t checked my phone. Is it serious?” I asked her. The cars had stopped crossing by now and I rode my bike to what was left until I’d arrive home. “I’ll explain it to you later, it’s so bad. I still can’t believe it’s real.” She says, her voice expressed her clear disbelief. We said our goodbyes and hung up. I tried my best to open up my emails as I rode my bike.

Sure enough, there it was. An email from administration that stated we had the week off because of some internal issues. It didn’t seem as serious, but then again if they needed to focus on that problem so much that they gave students and teachers a week off, it had to be serious. My mind ran circles trying to figure out what type of internal issue could cause such a reaction. I couldn’t come up with anything. Instead I got home and opened my door, rushing to change out of my work clothes. Once I had I packed the necessary things for our picnic. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see her because I was dying to know what had happened with the school. As quickly as I had gotten home, I had left as well.

As I got back on my bike, Jimin called out to me. “Malum, where are you going?” He asked. I would have responded sooner, but I was slightly taken by surprise. I had noticed it before, but it was much more noticeable now. Jimin’s light that outlined his whole being, and followed his every move, was starting to dim. It wasn’t as bright as the first night I met him. “What’s wrong with your hair?” I asked him, reaching my hand up to touch his blonde locks. The roots of his hair were turning black, but I highly doubted it was because he needed a touch up. Angels wouldn’t need to do that, would they? Dye their hair? He grabbed my wrist gently, pushing it down. “It’s stress, it tends to happen to us guardians.” He brushes it off, instead opting to get an answer from me. “Who are you going out with?” He asks, his tone of voice is a little different. Lately he’d been changing, in the way he spoke and I wasn’t sure why. He was just slightly off, but maybe it really was the stress like he claimed.

“I’m just going to have a picnic with Rae. Please tell me it’s not me causing you stress, I’m so sorry.” I suddenly felt bad, maybe it was me. He’d been on top of me these two weeks we’d known each other for. Or more like I met him, and in the span of that time I’d gotten into three different incidents. He was trying his hardest and I was probably still causing him trouble. He could only smile as he chuckles slightly. “It’s not you, it’s just guardian things.” He had me in his embrace now, comforting me. I was worried it was me, and maybe it wasn’t, but I was sure I was adding onto it. I brought my arms around him for a moment, enjoying his warmth, but I had to let go eventually. Rae was waiting and I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.

“Even if it’s not me, i'm sorry you’re so stressed. I’ll try to be on my best behavior. I promise.” I smiled holding my pinky up. He locked his with mine as he shook his head. “Stop being so adorable before I make you stay with me.” He laughs as he secures the bag I was holding with the food into the basket of my bike. “Alright, bye Jimin.” I wave at him as I ride off. I laugh at myself, knowing that even if we aren’t together, he’s still with me making sure I’m okay. I make my way to the park where Rae and I were supposed to meet and set up. She still hadn’t arrived, but then again I was slightly early. Not that she made me wait, she showed right on time.

“Why are you always so punctual?” I laugh as she sits down. She does so as well, firing back. “Why aren’t you?” We both laughed, it’s not like I was late to events by hours, but sometimes I’d show up some minutes late. Rae started to dig in, grabbing half a sandwich. I did so as well, ready for her to tell me what had happened. “So…” I started off. She raised an eyebrow at me, as if she didn’t know what I was talking about. “Rae! Tell me what happened, why is the school giving us the week off?” Her eyes went wide, as if it clicked in her head what I was talking about. “Ohh…” She spits out, covering her mouth.

“You won’t believe this! Apparently the dean, and some other professors have been washing a curtain amount of the tuition money. They’ve been doing this for a couple years.” Rae says, taking another bite of her sandwich. “Washing?” I ask, I’d never heard the term before, or at least I didn’t think so. Whatever it was it sounded bad. “Y/n! You don’t know what that is? Money laundering? They’ve been tuition money from students to make larger amounts through criminal activities. They put back what they use and keep what they made.” Once she explained it, I realised I had heard of it, through movies and tv shows. I didn’t think I’d ever hear of that happening in real life, especially so close to me.

“How’d the school find out anyway?” I asked her, quite intrigued by the whole situation. “A friend of mine who helps out in the office said that another professor who found out about it let the cops know. Obviously no one but the cops knows who the professor is. Apparently they have the people involved held up at the police station for questioning.” She further explains. I couldn’t believe that was happening right on our campus. I wondered what drove them to do so, maybe they needed money to pay for medical procedures? Then again, they’d been doing this for a couple years now.

“Right, they can’t just take them to jail, they need to investigate if everything is true. If it is, they’ll probably cancel certain classes huh? Until they find replacements.” I tossed the idea around. It was still crazy to me, but I didn’t want to judge them. Maybe they had a valid reason, even if it wasn’t under the law. “You bet. You know our professor, Mrs. O’Brien, she was involved in it too. Which means we’ll probably have that class canceled.” She sighs in defeat. She had the right to because if they didn’t find a replacement for her, that would set us back for the year. Having to take that class again next semester.

“Enough of that, why did you leave so suddenly? I mean I know that the ride stopped working at that must have been terrifying, but you left running without a word.” I wasn’t sure either, I mean I knew why, but maybe someone else in my shoes would have waited for David. Done something different, instead of sprinting off. I just, I wanted to see Jimin, he was the only one who could help. My instincts told me to run to him and I did, but how to explain that to Rae. “I’m not sure, maybe I was just in fear of my life, having flashbacks to the car accident. I just wanted to run home in that moment.” I explained to her. Which was the truth, or at least half of it. “How’d you even get home?” She asks, which was a valid question. The boardwalk was pretty far for my apartment and telling her I ran home was crazy. Which was why she was probably curious.

“I ran as far as I could and once I was tired I called a taxi. I just wanted to get home. I know I should have waited, or warned you all, I just wasn’t thinking to be honest.” I half lied to her again. I hadn’t realised just how much I had to lie to her, to keep Jimin a secret from her. She nodded at my explanation. “I get it, I’m just glad nothing happened to the both of you. Which brings me to my next point. Who was with you last night?” She raises a questioning eyebrow. I thought she’d believed me when I told her it was my laptop. What made her think I was lying?

“What do you mean? I told you it was my laptop. I was watching some random video to get my mind off things.” She nodded her head slowly, as if she wasn’t sure. “You hung up the phone so quickly, I just wasn’t sure if it was true.” She wasn’t wrong, there was a valid reason for her not to believe me, and I had hung up quickly. Of course, I needed her to believe me, to keep her in the dark about Jimin. “I know, I just didn’t want you to worry about me.” I sigh, taking another bite of the sandwich in my hand.

“So are you going to do anything with your week off school?” I ask her, trying to change the subject. “Because I think I’m going to visit my parents.” The thought had just come to me. It’s been awhile since I had gone to visit them, and now I had time. It only seemed appropriate to go. “Maybe I should too, but Henry and I planned a date for Tuesday, since we have the week off.” I nodded, smile on my face. The fact that he asked her out for a second date was great, at least I didn’t ruin her chances for that. The rest of our time was spent talking about random things. Like movies we wanted to see, tests we’d taken this week that we had a headache studying for, or plans we had. It was pretty peaceful, the sun was warm and the wind was perfect. Carrying our laughter with it, as it ran through our hair, and past the tree branches.

Eventually I arrived home, folding clothes and shoving them into a suitcase, as I dialed my moms phone number. “Y/n? Wow, it’s been awhile since you’ve called.” My mother's voice seems surprised. She wasn’t wrong, the last time I’d called her was before I’d met Jimin. Which was two weeks ago, I would have called sooner but I was so caught up in school and everything that had happened since I’ve met him. “Sorry mom, I would have called sooner but school and work are a hassle.” I explain to her, continuing to pack.

“It’s worth it though, you’ll see.” She sounds a bit tired, she’d probably just gotten home from work. She loved being a doctor, but she couldn’t deny it took a toll on her. “I just hope I’m as happy in my job as you are in yours.” I paused for a moment thinking about what my life would be like down the road. “But mom, I called to ask if it was okay with you and dad if I come visit. I have the week off work and school.” I asked, stopping what I was doing to see what she’d say. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. “Of course honey! Oh this’ll be fun! Your dad and I have been dying to see you! You’ve been away for so long. We’ve really missed you sweetie.” She exclaimed through the phone, her tone was no longer worn out, but instead excitement was apparent in it. A big smile on my face as I folded my shirts to pack them into my suitcase.

“Oh great! Okay, I’m catching a bus tonight. I think I’ll be home before midnight.” I told her, she was so excited to see me, which of course I was as well to see them. We said our goodbyes and I ended the call. I tossed my phone on my bed as I went to my closet to get some jackets in case it was cold. I came across Jimin’s white knit sweater. I ran my finger tips over it. On impulse, I shoved it in with the rest of my clothes, deciding I need if. Didn’t take me much longer to finish packing after that, calling myself a taxi.

I gathered my things and did a quick count, to make sure I had all of my belongings. Once I did I walked out, the taxi already waiting for me. The man sitting in the driver's seat walked out, helping me with my suitcase. After he’d placed it in the trunk he walked back to his door. I sat down, looking out the window as he drove. The ride was as peaceful as it could be. I watched the city pass by, the place where I met Jimin, where he saved me from the car, and the road that lead to the boardwalk. I smiled slightly, happy to step away from all of that, even if just temporarily.

After sometime, I’d arrived at the bus station, paying off the taxi with some pocket money I had. I walked in and aimed to get in line, to pay for my ticket. Which wasn’t much of a wait, as only one person was in front of me. I quickly walked over to the counter. I asked for the ticket, waiting for her to tell me the amount I needed to pay, to retrieve it from my wallet. “Okay, one two way ticket will be $75.” The lady said, and she looked at me, waiting for me to pay. My eyes however, went wide, as I reached for my purse to retrieve my wallet. I didn’t even have with me. My heart palpitating erratically, as I figured I’d left it in the taxi, but I tried hard to remember where I’d last seen it. I realised only then, that I had never had it with me. When I checked to see if I had all of my things, my purse was missing. How did I forget it?

“I’m sorry.” I smiled awkwardly at the woman behind the counter, as she waited, slightly annoyed at me. I sighed, frustrated with myself. I stuffed my hand in my back pocket to bring my phone out, instead I felt paper. I wasn’t sure what if was, bringing it out to inspect it. Be careful, Allicio. You'll need this soon. The piece of paper from the night I went to do laundry was still in my jeans. The hundred dollar bill along with it. I hadn’t realised I’d been wearing the same jeans. Had I mindlessly put these in the washing machine this week without taking the paper and money out? I must have because the ink seemed smeared now, like it had been wet at some point and now it was utterly crips from being in the dryer. Thank god I hadn’t taken it out, or else I’d have nothing to pay with. I handed the money over to the lady and waited for my change and ticket. I could not believe I’d really been dumb enough to forget my own purse.

As I went to sit down, waiting for the bus to arrive, it hit me. You’ll need this soon. Is this what he meant? How could a random customer have known this would happen? That’s impossible, it had to be a coincidence.

Right?