#My Favorite Nurse Calls Me Step Mom

[johnnydany]

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[onlyswan]

summary: in which for you, jungkook would commit crimes and his mother would peel oranges.

idol!jk x reader | fluff, angst | word count: 9.5k

warnings/content: oc passes out in the shower / jk does something crazy i’m literally insane about this / baby bam cameo 🥺 / stitches >:( / blood draw / mention of speeding / jealous not but rlly jealous oc is pissed owfffff at the nurse who has a crush on jk lmao / jk and his mom loves them to death tho so obv who wins / love is beautiful let’s all cry <3

> in which masterlist!

note: *sitcom sound effect of crowd cheering* I’M BACK 🥰 hope u enjoy the product of my madness during finals season hehehe. and special thanks to my cutieful proofreader rio!! you’re one of my most favorite people i’ve ever met 🥺💕 + my beloveds who came to the rescue when i had medical questions !! i didn’t expect to receive help from soooo many and i’m so freaking grateful i could cri :")

—

“i ordered it the other day. how did it arrive so early?”

jungkook walks back inside the apartment, arms occupied by a stack of boxes that arrived in the mail yesterday.

he arrives at the living room, head tilting to the side in confusion when he realizes that the netflix show he was watching on the television is no longer playing. instead, there is the news channel.

he gasps.

“baby, you’re alive!”

your swollen eyes flicker up to him.

you’re lying on the sofa with your legs lazily dangling on the edge. there’s a toothbrush in your mouth, foam of bubbles between your lips, but your arm barely exerts the energy to make it do its job.

“you were asleep from afternoon to morning. do you know that? you’ve never done that before!” he exclaims, carelessly tossing the boxes on the floor. “i was getting scared!”

you only hum to acknowledge his existence, pushing yourself up from the sofa and unknowingly dodging the hug your boyfriend wanted to greet you with.

he ends up collapsing face first on the empty space you left, hurt and offended.

the bathroom door opens and closes.

he flips over, whining. “yah, we didn’t see each other for a day. didn’t you miss me?!”

still not a single word from you. sleeping that long must not have cured your exhaustion, jungkook surmises. you tend to be glum and cranky when you’re feeling unwell, as is usually the case when you wake up as unrested as before.

he doesn’t always know how to make you feel better, but he always tries anyway.

“our new bedsheets arrived!” he announces from the other side of the bathroom door, making himself loud so that you can hear him despite the shower running. “do you want to unbox them with me?!”

he allows the seconds to pass, but with his hands on his hips, he eventually begins to tap his foot on the floor.

“baby? may i go in?”

he turns the knob, just to be prepared incase the answer is a yes, but it doesn’t turn. a sad pout forms on his face.

huh? why is it locked?

you must genuinely don’t want to be bothered today.

“guess that’s a no.” he mutters to himself before calling out to you. “okay, i’ll wait for you!”

with a crestfallen sigh, he begins to walk back to the living room.

he doesn’t go far, however.

only several steps later, a series of loud crashes is heard from the bathroom and his heart thunders in his chest with a combination of numbing shock and fear.

“____, what was that?! did you fall?!”

he aggressively pounds at the door, extremely desperate this time around. he has no plans on leaving until he knows that you’re safe and sound.

“baby! open this! are you alright…? are you hurt? you’re scaring me. please, answer!”

he pauses, catching his breath as his mind runs a thousand miles per hour.

“____!”

he strikes the door with an open palm one more time, more so to express his frustration that is only growing worse with every tick of the clock. he only ends up hurting himself in the process.

“that’s it! i’m opening the door!”

he frantically whips his head around, racking his brain for the location of the key. there are two copies of it somewhere in the apartment, but in his panicked state, he is unable to pinpoint either of their specific spots. and he can’t fucking afford to waste any more time.

“ah, fuck!” he curses, left with no other choice but to give in to the instinct of breaking down the door with the strength and durability of his body alone.

he would most definitely break his shoulder first before the door.

only after the first try, that much is clear.

and so, with madness inconsiderate of his agony, he resorts to kicking it over and over again.

the repeated loud collisions rattles poor bam from his slumber. not long after, the dog’s barking creates a booming dissonance with his grunts and kicks at the door.

when it finally swings open, the force of his own body sends him stumbling on the bathroom floor, but he doesn’t waste time in bouncing back to his feet.

the twisting of his stomach is instantaneous.

there lies your naked, unconscious figure behind the glass— surrounded by bottles of hair and body products that must have fallen when your hands were searching for something to hold on to.

his voice cracks, breathless.

“baby, no… no, no, no.”

he kneels on the floor, and despite the strong urge to carry you out of there, he tries to calm down. it’s the first rule in every emergency case; professionals reiterate in seminars and news channel segments.

keep calm. keep calm. keep calm.

he won’t be able to forgive himself if he ends up causing more harm than good.

“____, can you hear me?!”

his instinct tells him to inspect every inch of you for any sign of injury, but then his vision becomes too blurry. he curses at the hindrance and forces himself to turn off the showerhead that was left running.

he harshly wipes his face, rushing back to you.

“please, please, please. wake up.” he begs.

he has a feeling that it’s futile. you can’t hear him and he’s wasting his breath. the thing is he doesn’t know what else to do.

“baby…”

he carefully turns your head over, almost relieved because he hasn’t seen blood so far.

almost.

at last, he gets a full view of your face, and he finds blood dripping. this has always been one of his most paralyzing fears— seeing you get hurt. now that it’s become a reality, there’s a part of him that wants to believe this is some kind of twisted dream.

“how- how did this even happen…?” he cries out, his own blood running cold.

for everything that happens after, his body acts on its own. bam is a constant presence in his peripheral, but he is barely in his right mind to acknowledge the presence aside from, “bam, move. daddy might step on you.”

he carries you out of the bathroom, kicking aside the beaten up door. he has made up his mind about bringing you to the hospital, but he can’t bring you like… this.

he lays you down on the bed, all that gentleness switched off in a split second so he can sprint to the walk-in closet. he hastily grabs whatever is on top of your neatly folded stacks of shirts and pants; and then a fresh towel on the way out. the gentleness returns as he pats your face dry, the pure white stained with dark red. he flips the towel and uses the other side to wipe the rest of your body, in a race against time but mindful of treating you like fragile glass.

once that is over, he dresses you in a pair of gray sweatpants, and with some difficulty, an orange t-shirt.

any person with functioning eyes will be able to tell that the shades don’t go together.

if you were conscious, you’d definitely berate him for making you wear this outfit.

but you’re not.

jungkook effortlessly swoops you in his arms— dripping wet hair, his and yours, leaving behind a trail of raindrops from your apartment floor to the cemented parking lot.

—

your body feels like it’s floating.

are you dreaming…?

you must be dreaming.

you hear an uncoordinated symphony of voices, but you can’t comprehend a word. in pursuit of clarity, you force yourself to open your eyes.

the voices grow a little louder. faceless figures hover you; a bright light shines over your face.

your senses must be playing cruel tricks. now it feels like you’re drowning, sinking into the unknown, and your body has succumbed into numbing defeat.

you want to sleep a little more.

you must truly be exhausted. it’s okay.

you’ve fought hard until now. you’ve done enough… has anyone tried in life as much as you did?

just as your eyes flutter shut, you regain sensation of your hand; a soft squeeze and a call of your name.

—

jungkook gently strokes your hair, sighing for the nth time since you got transferred to a private room. he’s relieved that all the scans came back clean so serious head and brain injuries have been ruled out. the doctor also asked him questions and ran some other tests before concluding that electrolyte imbalance caused you to pass out; the culmination of stress and fatigue from work, as well as your strong period, most likely being the main reasons. he didn’t even know about the latter until you stained the white sheets with blood.

it was fucking frightening being in the sidelines as they rushed to check on your vitals and to administer oxygen. even now, it’s unbearable to see you with a needle in your hand and a few stitches above your eyebrow. he already anticipated you not being pleased with having to get stitches specifically either; gasping and sitting up as soon as you heard the word come from his lips post-consciousness. consequently, the dizziness hits you. the doctor wasn’t happy about that.

“this is so annoying. i don’t want a scar.” you whine as you study your face on the camera of jungkook’s phone. “did i have to fall on my prettier side?”

“what are you saying? you’re pretty from any angle.” he interjects. “be careful. the wound might open up.”

you jut out your bottom lip, looking up at him with glassy eyes. the sight instantly tugs at his heartstrings, and he pulls you in for a hug. maybe he’s a little sad that you don’t appear concerned about the fact that you passed out, but god is he relieved to finally hear your voice again.

“ah, i should call the doctor.”

but his face remains buried in your hair.

“they told me to do so.”

“you should-”

“why?!” he abruptly reacts, drawing back. “does anything hurt?”

“chill. you said that they told you to.”

“oh, that’s right.” he sheepishly smiles. he can’t help but to overreact; he hasn’t turned off the alarms in his head. “i’ll go tell the nurse to get her.”

he starts to walk towards the door, but a tug at his shirt holds him back.

you shyly look at him with a scrunch of your nose. “i’m nervous. hug me for five more seconds.”

fuck, he would move heaven and earth to protect you from everything that can cause you harm.

“why would you be nervous? i’m right here.” he scolds you lightheartedly, not hesitating to seize the chance to hug you again. “i love you.”

“i love you more.”

you pull away after five seconds, and he’d be disappointed about you being too true to your words if you didn’t kiss him on the cheek so ardently.

his heart almost jumps out of his chest when you gasp out of nowhere as if you just realized that you left the gas tank open at home. your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

“bam!”

oh, right. your child.

“my brother’s house!” he eases your mind.

you breathe out in relief, the heel of your palm pressing against the left side of your chest where your heart lives. “good… i was worried. he was probably more scared because he didn’t understand what was going on. i feel bad.”

you love bam so much; it makes him so happy. you’re so concerned about him even when you’re the one on the hospital bed. you make pretty good parents, huh?

“that’s right. he was worried about you, too. that’s why you need to recover quickly so he won’t be sad!”

—

the doctor kindly asked jungkook to give the two of you some time alone, so he’s been idly sitting at the lobby after buying a bottle of water. he’s pretty much used to visiting the hospital for routine checkups considering the nature of his job, but it always feels strange to be here for the other different purposes of the place.

is there any other building sadder than this?

if you heard him utter this question, he could easily predict what you’d say: but is there any other building with more love?

if he tries hard enough, he could listen to your voice and paint you in his mind.

you see love in every place that you step foot into.

his curious eyes continue to wander around. he spots people carrying flowers, baskets, and containers of food. there’s also a teenage boy in his high school uniform, carrying a teddy bear larger than him.

not that he wants you to stay longer, but if you have to, he writes down a mental note to bring one of your favorite plushies.

he eventually gets tired; considers scrolling on his phone again, but he decides against it when his gaze lands on a little boy sleeping soundly on his mother’s lap. suddenly, he is reminded of his childhood before he moved to seoul.

how simple life can be when you’re innocently sleeping on your mother’s lap, trusting that everything will be alright.

“ah, i miss my mom…” he utters absentmindedly. “i miss my mom so much. i should call her.”

his reminiscing is interrupted when a wheelchair rolls by infront of him. it is leisurely being pushed by an old man who wants to bring his wife outside for some fresh air.

in a parallel universe somewhere, jungkook can imagine them as you and him.

he sits up straight, looking back at the clock on the wall.

how long has it been? he wants to be by your side again.

—

“jungkook!” your face lights up as soon as your boyfriend steps into the room. “what took you so long?”

“i know. sorry, baby. i got a little distracted outside.”

“i’ve been waiting.” you pout. “why? were people bothering you?”

“not at all. don’t worry.”

you pat the empty space beside you. “here.”

“i think the bed is meant for only one person- damn, okay, okay-”

he swiftly gives in upon seeing the hurt on your face, occupying the space you reserved for him. “i love you. don’t be sad.”

you’re aching too much to wait for him to get settled. you wrap your arms around his waist like you’re a magnet attracted to steel, clinging to him for comfort.

if you’re being honest, you don’t know how you feel about being in this situation. overwhelmed? maybe a tiny bit relieved. in the past, it didn’t matter whether you were sick or not. you needed to work or else it was guaranteed that you wouldn’t survive. life is easier now. you have the luxury to use this as a reason to take a break. you have someone who takes care of you as naturally as he breathes.

“how was the doctor?”

“she’s nice… she just asked me about the things i remember before i passed out. then about my work, diet, sleeping schedule… stuff like that.”

you pull away a little, just enough so you can see each other’s face. you squint at him suspiciously. “did you have to get an expensive room?”

he chuckles. “how did you know? they didn’t tell you that, did they?”

“i literally have the perfect view of the fountain from here!” you point at the large window behind you. “i just passed out. i would’ve been fine downstairs.”

“don’t say it like that. it could’ve been so much worse.” he says with knitted eyebrows, palm cupping the back of your head and caressing softly.

he heaves a sigh.

“i was so scared that you injured your head. seriously, i thought i’d go insane if i lost you! i went past the speed limit driving you here!”

the distress he was under is apparent. you can’t help but to be racked with the guilt. you always do this, making him worry himself to death. you don’t usually do it purpose, and that only makes you feel shittier.

“you’re right. i’m sorry.”

“well, i…” he sighs. “it’s okay. i know you didn’t want this either. it’s not your fault.”

you press your lips into a thin line. “it kind of is.”

your lost eyes meet, and a connection is established like it’s a constellation sending a secret message. your heart flutters when he giggles, dimples and starry eyes and crinkled corners.

“stop it. it’s impossible to scold you when you’re so cute and self-aware.”

“then don’t scold me.” you sniffle sadly to kindle pity in him. “i’ve had enough of it from the doctor.”

your brain still works well enough to help you escape from trouble. that’s a good sign, right?

“my poor baby.” he coos, cradling your cheeks.

his hands are warm. you put yours over them; a wordless signal telling him you don’t want him to go away.

“let’s not get hurt again, please. we need to stay healthy and take good care of ourselves so this won’t happen again, alright?”

you nod in obedience. your eyes are fixed on him but you’re not certain if you’re registering what he’s telling you in your pitiful, shaken brain.

“the hospital already did me many favors. if we go back, i might have to build them another fountain as a gift.”

and knowing jungkook, with his golden heart and his black card, jokes become half-meant.

“what do they need that for?!”

he bursts out laughing, yet again, after you chide at him for his ridiculous and unnecessary expenses.

“nothing, i’m just grateful! i was really so scared but i’m relieved now thanks to them. i can’t remember the last time i felt that way.”

“you’re not scared of a lot of things.” you point out.

“that’s right.” he agrees. “only you scare me these days.”

you grimace. “am i scary?”

“you are, sometimes.” he laughs, squishing your cheeks together. “but i mean the things that could hurt you.”

as if on cue, your stomach grumbles and bellows like a monster stuck in an empty cave. your eyes grow twice its size in bewilderment, which then morphs into embarrassment.

“my stomach hurts.” you say quietly.

your nostrils flare as jungkook miserably fails to hold back his laughter. one of his hands leave your face, rubbing your tummy over the thin hospital gown.

“oh no, what are we going to do? where does it hurt? here?” he pouts. “should we go feed you now to make it go away?”

“what is wrong with you?” you slap his shoulder in annoyance. “i’m not a baby!”

“yah, be careful!” he yells, wincing as if he is the one in pain. “be gentle with the one with the iv!”

—

“you know one good thing that came out of this?” you gush out of nowhere.

you’re mixing up the ingredients of your bibimbap bowl with a spoon and a pair of chopsticks.

jungkook noisily drinks the final sips of his banana milk. afterwards, he makes a game out of shooting the box in the trash bin.

“what could that be?” he asks, doubtful.

he sits on the chair beside your bed. you greet him with a delighted grin, licking your thumb stained with gochujang.

“you proved your love. you committed a crime for me.”

he gasps to humor you, body freezing as if he’s currently processing the newly-learned information in his brain.

“oh? you’re right- i did! and you know what? i’d do it again!”

with a mouthful of rice, you shake your head in disagreement furiously. “you’re cute. but that’s the first and last.”

“but how are you sure that it’s the first?” he raises an eyebrow quizically.

silly enough, you envy him for being able to do so.

you hum in thought. “i guess you’ve stolen a few things for me, too.”

“few? you mean a loooot?”

“you’re the one who brings home food and random things.” you roll your eyes. “i never ask you to.”

“you told me you wanted the service bell!”

you feel yourself become flushed with sheepishness. he’s not lying. you’ve always found the object fascinating as a child, so you couldn’t help but to tell him to sneakily take one home after filming a competitive run bts episode.

did you have a silly phase where you and jungkook used it to summon each other just to laugh together about it?

perhaps.

“well, you’re rich. you could’ve bought me one instead.”

“but it was already there.” he reasons with a wide grin, gesturing infront of him. “i wanted to give it to my lover right away.”

his lover?

jungkook has successfully replaced your frown with an enamored smile.

“i made your heart flutter just now, didn’t i?”

a hospital stay has never felt this comfortable— not terrifying. you have stitches on your face and to add to that, this hospital gown feels super unflattering. somehow, your boyfriend’s loving gaze remains steady and you are melting.

“shut up,” you mutter, flustered, handing him the pair of chopsticks. “please eat with me. i can’t finish this on my own.”

—

“why would you let them put the needle in my dominant hand?”

you stomp your feet on the ground as jungkook squeezes some toothpaste onto a newly-bought toothbrush.

“i’m sorry! i was too stressed out so i just pointed! i think i got confused with- with left and right.”

you didn’t realize this while you were eating; that you were unconsciously holding the spoon with your non-dominant hand because the other felt uncomfortable. maybe because it was a simple task, scooping food and bringing it to your mouth. brushing your teeth, on the other hand… can be quite an arm workout.

“eeeee!”

he shows his complete set of teeth, urging you to do the same. you stare at him blankly.

“eeeee!” he repeats with heightened enthusiasm.

left with no other choice— you copy his awkward smile.

“there we go!” he praises you with an over-enthusiastic beam.

he carries on to brush your teeth, gingerly holding your chin to keep you steady as he does his job.

this is the first time jungkook is doing this for you. today is definitely not one of your finest moments. it feels a bit silly to be in this situation, and you feel bad for putting your boyfriend in this position in the first place. you can see that he’s trying his best—unnecessarily focused—and that he loves you, but you just hate giving him a hard time.

with a soft smile, he wipes the bubbles that overflowed past your lips.

“okay, spit.”

you spit out more of the bubbles on the sink. you assume that he’s finished, except he’s making another vowel sound for you to mimic the mouth shape of.

“ahhhh-”

“this is embarrassing!”

“baby, really? this is where you draw the line?” he playfully squeezes your cheeks together. “it’s almost over! ahhhh!”

and you let him do this thing, but not without a glare that is masking the embarrassing truth: you might be enjoying this more than you care to admit.

“see? was that so bad?”

as he tenderly pats your face dry in the aftermath, he says: “i’m sorry. bear with it a little more. let me take care of you so you’ll be healthy again.” and you feel every ounce of his sincerity pierce through the barriers surrounding your soul.

“stop it…” your voice suddenly comes out broken.

you want to put all the blame on your period for the tears that are now brimming your eyes, but jungkook is your biggest weakness of all and that is an explanation enough.

“why are you crying?” he panics. “what did i say?”

“it’s your fault.”

you break down into loud sobs, incapable of even keeping your eyes open. you never understood why we close our eyes when we cry, but right now, you know that you can’t bear to witness his reaction.

“you’re so sweet.”

the towel that was wiping the water from your mouth is now drying the tears from your stained cheeks.

“am i making you sad?”

you furiously shake your head. how could he say such a thing? he is the greatest joy of your life.

“no?”

“no!”

“okay, come here then.”

he wraps his arms around your trembling figure, caging you in the solace of his entire existence. a sense of calmness washes over your system, especially as he runs his hand across your back in gentle strokes. this isn’t his goal though, it seems. you hear none of his quiet shushes beseeching you to stop breaking his heart. he hopes you let go of everything that has been weighing on you, but he has already eased all your pains by loving you.

“ugh, i probably look horrible right now.” you force a chuckle to lighten up the mood, wiping your face with the back of your free hand. “i feel gross.”

“that’s not true.” he gazes at you fondly, brushing your hair with his fingers. “it’s actually infuriating how you look so beautiful still.”

“i know. i’m nice to look at; that’s why you tolerate my attitude.” you conclude in jest.

“yeah, sometimes.” he rides on the joke.

“what…?”

“i’m joking!” he rushes to take it back with a laugh. “of course i’m joking!”

you pout. “are you really?”

“oh, come onnnn.”

he coaxes you with a kiss on the lips— a good morning kiss long overdue. you’ve been spoiled rotten with affection; he knows you need more than one. he interrupts himself several times to kiss you.

“you know i’ll love you until our hair turns white and our skin all wrinkly.”

to be brutally honest, you’re not fond of imagining that far ahead. it’s daunting. you doubt your capability to age with grace. you’re horrified by the thought of having the majority of your life behind you. nostalgia has always been more bitter than sweet. but maybe this memory could be the sweetest of all, if jungkook truly stays by your side until then. in a cottage at the countryside like he said once, or a cabin by the ocean.

you’re both so young; so arrogant when it comes to making promises that are a shot in the dark. so fucking in love.

“me too.” you half-smile, scrunching your nose— a telltale sign of your joy. “now, get out. i really need to pee.”

his face becomes drained of blood. “but you’re st-”

“i won’t lock the door this time.” you cup his cheek, looking at his eyes reassuringly. “we don’t need property damage added to the bill.”

—

“did you not hurt yourself?”

“me?”

“you broke down the door. that’s not easy to do.”

you and jungkook make the best out of a bad deal. you’re squeezed together on the bed, browsing through television channels that seem to never end.

“it was easy because you were on the other side of it.”

that is what he claims confidently, but you are not fully convinced.

“wow, why do they have more channels than we do at home?”

“you didn’t answer my question.” you pout. “did you hurt yourself?”

“i didn’t hurt myself. i’m totally okay. i promise.”

he maintains eye-contact as he speaks. given the assurance, your tight chest unrestricts. jungkook is not a good liar. it’s a trait that causes him inconvenience every now and then, but it helps you to sleep soundly at night.

“should we just watch funny animal videos on youtube?”

“i guess that’s fine.”

it doesn’t show but you feel excitement run in your veins aside from the iv fluids that feel peculiarly cold.

from under your cheek, his chest vibrates with a giggle. “okay, hold on.”

as he pulls up the application, you tangle your legs together beneath the thin blanket. you hear the rapid tap tap tap of the remote control navigating the keypad while he types on the search bar, but your attention is someplace else. you’ve found the crook of his neck to sneak into, lazily kissing every inch of his exposed skin. your lips eventually trail up to his jaw. he smells so nice. you’re addicted.

“baby, someone can enter any minute.”

“i’m not doing anything.” you mumble.

you smile against his lips when he gives you a kiss as sweet as honey anyway.

“i’m curious about another thing.”

“what’s that?”

“did you cry?”

he comes to a still. the answer to that question requires a little time and thought.

“almost…”

“why almost?”

“no time. i had to bring you here, of course.” he replies.

you huff a laugh, exhaling a twinge of melancholia. “don’t cry.”

“i won’t. i’m happy now because you’re awake and fighting with me.”

“ow-”

your cry of pain is silenced when he squeezes you in an embrace that makes it nearly impossible to breathe.

“red panda!”

a squeal assaults both of your hearing as soon as your eyes land on the wide screen infront of the bed.

“i want one so fucking bad.”

the enunciated curse makes your boyfriend crack up in amusement. “that much?!”

—

jungkook opens his eyes to a nurse lightly nudging him awake.

“i’m sorry, i had to wake you up. i need to check vitals and draw blood.”

“shit, i’m sorry.” he panics.

his brain is foggy from the nap, but he still carefully sits up on the bed, wary of the iv line connected to your hand.

“i… was tired and i fell asleep.”

“it’s no problem; don’t worry.”

she smiles at him, but he doesn’t see it.

“you look adorable sleeping.”

“ah, really?” he awkwardly responds, absentminded. “it’s embarrassing.”

he stands on your side, about to disturb your peaceful rest much as it makes his heart ache with guilt, but you’re already stirring due to the absence of his warmth.

your heavy eyelids blink at the nurse in curiosity. “oh… do you need my blood?”

“yes, but i’ll take your blood pressure and temperature first.”

“okay,” you mumble, offering your arm. “it might be higher now because i’m scared.”

she chuckles at your joke. jungkook tries to share an endeared look with her and non-verbally communicate adorable, right?

“i promise i’ll be quick. although we definitely want it to be higher than earlier’s.”

you wince as the cuff around your upper arm goes as tight as it could, and you sigh at the same time that it begins to deflate.

“good, good, good,” she chants with a mumble. “it’s back in the normal range again…”

she brings out a digital thermometer from her pocket.

“you know where this goes.”

she hands it over to you, and you awkwardly place it in your armpit, holding it in place. it’s quiet as you wait for the device to make the beeping sound, except for her pen creating friction with your chart as she takes down notes.

“how’s your stitches? do you feel any discomfort?”

“it’s fine. thank you.”

not long after, you hear the beep. you return the thermometer to her, but not before taking a peak at the numbers displayed on the tiny screen. 36.8°C. you think you’ll live.

“i’ll draw your blood now.”

the nurse’s voice is sweet and reassuring, but it doesn’t quite ease the nervousness evident on your expression. your pupils shake as you watch her disinfect the area, and then comes out the long needle.

another one, jungkook laments inside.

“____, i’m right here.”

you crane your head, whimpering out his name. “jungkook,”

“it will be just a pinch. i’m inserting the needle now, alright?”

you take a sharp inhale.

if only he could switch positions with you, he would do it in a heartbeat. unfortunately, all he can do is caress your hair and whisper that it will be over soon.

“it hurts.” your damp eyelashes flutter, face twisting in discomfort. “i don’t like it.”

really, just a pinch? obviously a lie.

“hey, baby. look at the tv.”

the autoplay was left turned on after you fell asleep together. inside the screen is a puppy rolling around a snow-covered lawn. the wagging of its tail, the wide smile, and the pupils as big as boba balls: they all scream the happiness of an innocent.

“it’s so cute… i miss bam already. can we go to a dog park again?”

“of course!”

that promise sparks your smile. you turn to your side, and jungkook also catches a glimpse of the cotton taped to where you were poked.

“all done. you can go back to resting.”

“thank you. will you need to take blood again?” you inquire at the nurse.

“hm, probably. it depends on the doctor based on the results we get from this one.”

“can’t you just do it while i’m asleep? or is that not allowed?”

“baby…” jungkook snorts, hiding his face behind the palm of his hands.

the nurse laughs at your desperate suggestion. “that is honestly not a rare request, but the thing is… you might wake up in the middle of it and injure yourself. we can’t do that.”

“that won’t be a problem!” you passionately argue your case. “i’m a deep sleeper. seriously!”

“ah, thank you so much for your hard work!”jungkook intervenes, bowing to the nurse out of respect and gratitude. “i’m sure you’re busy. i will handle this!”

“oh yes, yes- thank you. please don’t forget the medicine for after dinner.”

“i won’t!”

“if you need anything, you know where to find me again.”

“yes,” he nods, chuckling. “thank you.”

“then i should leave…? but you’ll see me again later! bye!”

the door shuts, and his attention lands on your unimpressed form: a blank stare and arms folded infront of your chest.

uh-oh.

“did she seriously wink while saying that?”

“what?” he freezes, genuinely clueless. “i don’t know. i didn’t see anything. i was looking at you.”

“i’m right here- i’m the patient. why would you need anything from her? huh? why is she so excited to see you again?” you ramble angrily.

“right?!”

he climbs on the bed, reclaiming his spot next to you.

“that was weird.”

“what if she made it hurt on purpose? that…” you frown, glancing at your arm. “that didn’t really feel like a pinch to me.”

“ey, calm down. she wouldn’t.” he makes a doubtful face, laughing off the accusation. “…i don’t think so?”

you blink, exhaling in disbelief. “are you taking her side now?”

“of course not! baby, i’m just saying… a professional won’t do that.”

“why not? she’s still human. humans do stupid things when they like someone. she obviously likes you.”

“and so what?”

he grins with a spark of mischief, leaving an inch of a distance between your lips.

“i’m obviously yours.”

but you turn your cheek and your eyes fall on your lap, a pout highlighting your downcast mood.

“it’s so annoying.”

the regret sinks in after. he should’ve stuck to the golden rule: agree with everything that you say. there’s no point in having an argument no one will win. does it matter who’s right and wrong if each other’s sadness is contagious in addition to their own? your gut has almost always been right, and he’s old enough to be conscious of not allowing a stranger to put a dent on your relationship.

“are you serious? are you uncomfortable?” he tilts his head to try and get a better look at your face. “should i request for a different nurse?”

it’s quiet for a beat and he feels inclined to fill the silence with whatever enters his mind.

“i love you.”

almost immediately, your features soften and he knows your heart is also melting. the two of you bite the inside of your cheeks to hide a smile.

“no, there’s no need for that.”

but he still can’t help but to be worried. your peace of mind is his top priority. he doesn’t want you to be more stressed out, especially by things that he has the power to solve.

“are you sure?”

“she pissed me off. i need to piss her off too.”

of course, his ever stubborn and competitive lover. he sits up properly, amused and curious.

“and how will you do that?”

“i don’t know,” you nonchalantly shrug. “i’ll come up with something.”

—

“come up with what?”

to your surprise, a voice you haven’t heard in weeks echoes from the door.

“mom…?”

you’re stunned after only hearing yourself react to jungkook’s mother’s unexpected entrance. your head whips to his direction; your eyes wordlessly interrogating him.

“i need to go to work so i called her to watch over you.” he explains.

“why would you do that?” you argue with him as quietly as possible, lips barely moving as you try to hide your face from your mother-in-law. again, not one of your finest moments. “you didn’t have to. i can take care of myself.”

“but you don’t have to because you have us.”

jungkook marks the conversation finished with a kiss pressed to your temple, leaving you dumbfounded. he jumps off the bed and for a split second, you make eye-contact with his mother before he towered over her for a quick hug.

her kind smile is embroidered in your memory; a memory that wraps your heart in a type of warmth only a mother can provide.

“mom! i’m sorry. i really, really, really need to leave now. but! i’ll try to come back early so you can go home early too.”

“aigoo, stop stressing yourself out.”

jungkook receives a slap on the back, somehow more loving can scolding.

“i can stay the night so do what you need to do. you don’t have to worry.”

“it’s not only because i’m worried!”

she sassily puts a hand over her waist. it takes everything in you not to laugh out loud.

“then what else?”

“mom! what else?” he cheekily smiles. “of course i’ll miss ____ too much.”

did your boyfriend just…? to his mother? your jaw becomes slack from the shame.

“i missed ____ too!” she contests. “go to work and give us our alone time.”

you shyly smile when she transfers her attention from her son to you.

“hello, my baby. are you hungry?”

—

“does my son feed you well?”

“he does! but it’s funny- other mothers ask the opposite. are you feeding my son well? do you make sure he’s comfortable?”

you think out loud, transfixed on how she peels oranges with ease. your hands would always be stained by the juices, (and eyes red and teary from accidental splashes) (it’s too embarrassing to even think about) but hers are still magically clean.

“is that so?”

you graciously accept the slice she feeds you. she laughs when your face lights up like a christmas tree one more time. it’s way sweeter than you anticipated. you can’t get over how delicious it is.

“mhmm!”

perhaps you relied too much on dramas when it came to your expectations of what a relationship with your in-laws would look like. you imagined yourself running around like a dog trying to prove yourself worthy of their son, yet for some reason, it looks like they adore you for simply existing. it makes you feel extremely grateful, but you don’t understand.

“mom, i have a question… i know it’s probably too late to ask this now, but…”

“what could that be?”

“are you really not against me and jungkook living together?” you swallow your fear of the possibility of an unpleasant truth. “are you not… worried… that i’m receiving too much from him?”

because you would understand the apprehension. as a parent, one’s main concern would be their child. to outside eyes, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that jungkook is being taken advantage of and he’d be better off dating someone with the same status. sometimes you wish you were that someone too.

she utters your name sadly.

“he receives happiness and love from you. those are the most valuable things you could give to a person.”

she caresses your hair like she wants to erase the anxiety poisoning your mind.

“my dear, how come you’re worried about that until now? haven’t we told you? you’re part of the family. forget about my sister! i don’t welcome her negativity in our house!”

“living together is different. it’s a big deal. it normally happens in a relationship after…” the following words feel foreign in your mouth; they come out quieter than the rest of your sentence. “getting married.”

“then tell me. why did you agree to live with him?”

because you’re selfish. because you want more time that you can have him all to yourself. because you want to be accessible— the first person he runs to when he’s seeking comfort and stability. because you want goodnight and good morning kisses. because you were afraid of the risks but you’ve grown addicted to the thrill of love.

“he said… no matter how hard i push him away, he will stay within my reach.”

you hear your own shaky breathing. that moment— it’s still burned into your memory. you’re still holding on to it. it’s a promise he is yet to break and you pray that he never, ever does.

“i don’t want to push him away. i want to be within his reach too.”

you’re two people loving each other with everything within your means. after the endless pains and the deafening noise, you like to think that’s what makes this relationship worth fighting for.

“does my opinion still matter knowing that? will you let me stop you?”

“no, i won’t. i’d make you change your mind.”

if you had a machine connected to you, she would see how your heart rate has gone off the charts. but you’re known to say whatever’s on your mind and that, much to your dismay, isn’t switched off despite sitting infront of the woman who birthed and raised the love of your life.

you sniffle, pursing your lips nervously. “but i feel like there might be a right answer to that one.”

what you didn’t expect was her to laugh until her belly hurts; placing a hand over her mouth in an effort to calm herself down and keep grace.

“mom! stop, i’m so embarrassed!”

“no, ____, don’t get me wrong!”

she is teary-eyed as she gathers herself together.

“the more time i spend with you, the more i realize why jungkook loves you so much. i’ve seen him show incredible commitment twice. do you know that? first, when he went to seoul to become a singer. second, when he told us he got an apartment because he wants to be with you… of course, as his mother, i’ll admit that he’s young when he made those decisions, but he always proves to me that he’s smart and responsible.”

the urge to cry returns and strengthens as she speaks. you feel your eyelashes become damp with unshed tears. you don’t know how to act. you fiddle with your fingers. you stare at the strings and peels of the oranges you can still taste.

“i believe we both know jungkook’s personality well. he wouldn’t have let me stop him either. i’m happy to know that you’ll fight for him too.”

“thank you…”

“tsk, tsk, tsk- what is there to cry about? jungkook will get angry at me if he discovers that i made you cry.”

she wipes away your tears; however, the unmistakable scent of oranges that has clung to her hands and the affection in her tone bring forth a waterfall.

“seeing this makes me sadder.” she laments, referring to the stitches on your face.

“me too,” you babble in the midst of quiet sobs. “it makes me sad. it’s so ugly.”

—

you can’t remember the last time you felt this alone. perhaps it’s the effect of staying in an unfamiliar building of complete strangers. without your mobile phone, may you add. you managed to persuade jungkook’s mother to leave an hour ago because you didn’t want her to sleep on the uncomfortable couch.

the lights are turned off except for the lamp beside your bed, and with the television muted, you could hear a hairpin drop.

you’re alone and you can do whatever you want.

you dragged the visitor’s chair infront of the window to admire the garden like it’s a painting in motion. you watched people converse, stroll, and drink coffee. you watched them run for shelter when the clouds became too heavy and the sky began to fall. oh, so that’s why you couldn’t see the stars.

at this moment, there’s nothing left to amuse yourself with but the trembling of the leaves and the raindrops forming temporary rings when they fall in the water fountain.

your senses crave for more. you reach over and crack open the window, just enough to allow the sound of the rain and the scent of it permeating the earth to enter your room.

“this is kind of peaceful.” you whisper, amazed by the new lightness carried by your heart.

you close your eyes and you breathe in the petrichor deeply. you want nature in your lungs as a reminder that you’re alive. you welcome the cold wind kissing your face. you can feel your hair touching your neck. you always do, but for once, you’re choosing to acknowledge it. your thumb slowly brushes across the palm of your hand, perceiving the texture of your skin, the softness, and the lines. and your feet, they’re in the clouds, the fluffy slippers jungkook’s mother bought outside because she knows they’re your favorite to wear.

you’ve loved and despised this body for a million different reasons. your mind and heart have accepted defeat countless times, but your body wakes up to every brand new day without fail. your body implores you to live. did it finally give up on you today?

“baby!”

you look behind to search for the source of the sound.

you get your answer from the kiss planted on your lips.

you only saw his face for a split second, but even if you had your eyes closed, you’d know it has to be jungkook kissing you.

you can smell him. you’ve memorized the way the shape of his lips fits with yours.

oh, the sounds of his kisses too. you like to call them the butterfly call because they make butterflies appear in your stomach.

you could trace the scar on his cheek with your finger if you want to.

god, what a privilege it is to experience life in this vessel.

a knock on the door forces you to part too early. the same nurse from earlier enters and you internally scream all the curse words in your dictionary. jungkook acknowledges her with a bow and a quick ‘hello’ before squatting down infront of you.

“i committed another crime for you today.”

“huh?”

your wide, confused eyes take a glimpse at the nurse who is doing something with the controls of your iv line.

hahaha… she knows he’s not serious, right?

“what did you do?”

his smile is so big that his eyes have turned into little crescent moons. you’d make a guess but there is an infinite amount of things jungkook could possibly be this excited about.

…apparently, one of them would be strawberry cake.

you gape at the transparent box he was hiding behind his back all along.

“did you steal somebody’s birthday cake?!”

“it’s a producer’s birthday and he received lots of cakes, so he told me i can take one home.”

“how is it stealing if he allowed you to take it?”

he tosses his backpack on the couch as he sets down the box on the table. he rummages through the bag his mother left behind, successfully bringing out a spoon. meanwhile, you get your blood pressure taken again.

as he opens the box, he sends a smirk your way.

“no. i hid the strawberry cake because there’s so many who wanted to eat it.”

“are you crazy?!”

the nurse clicks her tongue. “don’t talk and stay still, please.”

“oh,” your hand flies to your mouth on instinct. “i’m sorry.”

“i’m sorry.” jungkook also apologizes.

you and your boyfriend secretly share a look, exchanging a smile that is stifled laughter inside. your lips remain zipped as the nurse restarts the process of taking your blood pressure. on the other hand, jungkook eats a spoonful of cake, teasingly wiggling his eyebrows at you. you roll your eyes and he tries harder to laugh without a sound.

seconds later, he grumbles about the room being too warm. he wipes the beads of sweat on his forehead using the back of his hand, and he does the worst thing he could possibly do at this moment. he reaches for his back, pulling his sweater over his head. naturally, his inner shirt rides up and allows wandering eyes a peak at his glorious toned abdomen.

passed out in the shower. busted your eyebrow open. front-row seat for a woman flirting and ogling at your boyfriend.

how fucking great.

“hello? i think it’s done.” you snap.

“a-ah, yes.”

you hear her swallow as she removes the cuff from your arm. she may be wearing a mask but she’s hot and red all the way to her ears. you’ve only read about it in books. you didn’t even believe this could happen in real life until now.

“i will check your temperature too.”

“go on.”

you repeat the same process from hours earlier, drumming your fingers on your thigh as you wait for the beep.

“yah, why is the window open? you’ll catch a cold.”

jungkook, yet again, steals the attention of every person in the room when he rises to his feet. his shadow casts over you as he closes the window.

“i wanted to smell the rain.”

“is the room getting too stuffy for you?”

you shrug. “i just wanted to smell the rain.”

you feel the nurse’s stare. you offer her a smile and her nameplate briefly gets caught by your vision. kang ji-woo.

“ji-woo; that’s a pretty name.” you pay her a sincere compliment. “it’s healing, don’t you think?”

“yes? uh-uhm, y-yes…” she replies, unsure and confused by the sudden small talk. “actually, it’s been linked to a reduction in stress and anxiety levels.”

“thank you! babe, did you hear that?”

“uhuh, think about my stress and anxiety levels.” he leans against the window with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at you.

so now he’s flexing his arm muscles. cool, cool, cool. you know he’s not doing it on purpose and his entire existence is just naturally hot and it’s infuriating.

“i’ve been worried sick about you all day.”

his statement makes you frown for a new reason. at the same moment, the thermometer beeps.

“could you please tell him that i’m fine?”

“37.3, uhhh- that’s slightly above normal. how do you feel? does your head hurt? are you cold?”

“i feel fine though?”

“okay. please take a lot of rest and stay warm…” her gaze lingers at jungkook who is blocking the window. “keep the window closed. hopefully it won’t be higher when i check again later.”

seriously?! you could cry. you want to go home where it’s comfortable. where it’s only you and jungkook and bam.

but you bet somebody would be happy if you had to stay longer.

“i’ll look after ____.” your boyfriend sighs, pulling out a jacket from his backpack.

“you shouldn’t have kissed me. what if you get sick?”

your blatantness causes the nurse to pause in updating your chart. she awkwardly clears her throat. “yeah… that… that isn’t currently advisable.”

“i’m sorry. i’ll control myself.”

you earn a glare from jungkook, then he fakes a smile which you gladly return.

“before you go, may i request for a new blanket? sorry, i spilled something earlier.”

“sure thing! i’ll come back with that right away.”

—

“she seemed happy to leave.” jungkook remarks. “i can’t tell if you were actually being nice or being passive aggressive.”

you smile innocently, taking a bite off the strawberry you stole from the top of the cake. “i’m a fucking angel.”

damn it, why is he suddenly turned on?

were you serious about the no kiss rule?

“would you rather i be the type to pull their hair?”

he shakes his head with a laugh. “but you did slap someone once.”

“you want to see me that furious again?”

“never in my wildest dreams.”

he kisses the top of your head, producing an exaggerated ‘mmmwah!’ sound that makes you giggle happily.

“here, have some more cake.”

he offers you a spoonful of cake.

no, it’s bigger.

as a matter of fact, the piece could probably pass off as a cupcake.

you gawk at it as if you’re figuring out the logistics of putting it in your mouth. his heart does a flip when you tilt your head and do your best to take in the whole thing. however, in the middle of it, you decide that you can’t, and you end up biting it off a little more than halfway.

oh my god, he loves you. he loves you. you’re so fucking cute.

your cheeks are full as you struggle to chew. you cover your mouth with your hand but they don’t touch. you’re so elegant in your ways and sometimes he wonders how you’re still attracted to him after he acts stupid.

also, plain white nails? that’s new. you always want colors.

“your nails look pretty.”

he is so focused on you that he fails to take notice of another presence occupying the room.

“your mom did them for me.”

“i figured. she wants to do mother-daughter things with you.”

the short break of silence speaks volumes. you look at him, blinking with eyes hinting at a type of joy you’re lost on how to express.

“did you choose white?”

“no. we were watching a drama and it was the couple’s wedding.”

oh, that makes total sense.

“let me guess,” he trails off with a half-embarrassed, half-entertained smile. “she asked when we will get married?”

“why would she ask me that? how would i know?” you scoff.

his heart starts at a thousand miles per hour. fuck, are you hinting at him? are you messing with his feelings again? with you, he always needs to remind himself to be rational.

“i need more time to prove to you that i’m husband material.”

“what? stop it. i don’t care. i don’t need a ring.”

your unpredictableness pushes him to the edge of his seat.

“don’t pressure yourself. you already treat me way better than most husbands do their wives.”

the pride painted on your face is unmistakable. he feels his heart swelling in his chest. has he been doing a better job than he originally thought? after what happened today, he was terrified that he hasn’t been paying enough attention to you.

“i’m so happy with what we have.”

you offer him a delicate smile before eating the rest of the cake that was left on the spoon. he swears there’s a glowing halo above your head.

could your temperature have magically dropped in the past five minutes? would you kill him if he kissed you right now?

“is there anything else i could assist you with?”

and then he is rudely snapped out of his hopeless adoration and daydreaming.

“that’s all! thank you for your hard work!” you chirp.

he turns to the nurse with a lovesick grin.

“please come to our wedding.”

the unforeseen wedding invitation earns him a slap on the chest. he clutches the affected area, wincing in pain.

he hears you mutter. “don’t invite strangers to our wedding.”

the irritated glare he predicted to face isn’t there. rather, you’re wearing the flustered smile he only sees when he knows that he did something to make you fall for him all over again.

before ji-woo left, she tried to subtly reject the invitation by jokingly saying that she’d die to go, but most probably, she’d have to work that day. you know… being an overworked hospital employee and all. you caught her glancing at you with bitterness failed to be guised as indifference. you get it. you’d hate it if another person was in your place. frankly speaking, you could be miles pettier.

your boyfriend wipes the corner of your lips, thoughtless as he licks off the cake frosting from his thumb.

damn it, you wish she was also here for that.

“you haven’t stopped smiling.”

“you love me and you never let me forget that.”

you give an answer despite the lack of a question mark.

you just made his world stop spinning on its axis and you’re not even aware.

jungkook knows the heavenly feeling of knowing that he is loved, but he has never deeply considered the joy and relief when the person he loves believes that he loves them.

“i’m so lucky. i love you.”

you push yourself up to plant a kiss on his forehead. it’s a rarity he treasures and keeps.

“i love you too.”

he cries infront of you.

almost.

he excuses himself to the bathroom and cries in there a little.

you’re so easy to love— that’s why it makes him want to do difficult things for you. like commit more crimes?

[fluentmoviequoter]

Mini Me and Dogs

Requested Here! | Part 2 of Mini Me

Pairing: Tim Bradford x shy!fem!reader

Summary: The godfather of your twins (soldier) brings his friends and some dogs to visit you in the hospital. While everyone tries to make you shy, the dogs and your new friend help you out.

Warnings: softie Tim, fluff, Kojo!

Word Count: 1.3k+ words

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Picture from Pinterest

“Are you done?” you ask. “Boot and I would like to turn around now.”

“We’re not calling them Boot and Tiny Tim.” You move your head to glance at Tim, and he takes the opportunity to lean closer. “Besides, as the father of your children, I have every right to stare at you.”

“I miss soldier.”

Tim’s smile falls as he rolls his eyes, moving away from you to pick up your other baby.

“Sorry, Tim,” you whisper.

“He’s coming back,” Tim grumbles. “I’m not going to be able to get a moment of peace with him as the godfather, am I?”

“Nope,” Angela says as she and Wesley walk into the room. “But, if you need a babysitter to escape from him, you know where to find me.”

“Right, because we don’t have our own kids to take care of,” Wesley adds, smiling at you.

“Knock, knock,” your favorite nurse and new friend calls. “You’ve got a couple of good-looking soldiers waiting down the hall. You want me to send them in or can I keep one for myself?”

You smile at her teasing before nodding. “They can come in. But I’m not sure they’re in your league.”

“Oh, hun, you flatter me. But your mom brain is already activated. Have you seen those gentlemen?”

“What is this?” Tim asks Angela.

“You’re jealous, Timothy,” she answers. “Soldier and all of his good-looking friends intimidate you, right?”

“No!”

“Good job, Tim,” Wesley interjects. “Very non-jealous answer.”

“How did I go from the one who teases my wife to the one being tortured by everyone in the room? Including my kids!” Tim exclaims.

“They like me more,” you say quietly, your attention back on the baby in your arms.

“That part I understand,” Tim replies. “It’s everything else.”

“Welcome to my world.”

“If you think this will make me stop, you’re wrong.”

Your shoulders fall as you sigh, wildly in love with Tim but still affected by every word and look he sends you.

“Hey, I brought you a surprise,” soldier says as he’s escorted to the room.

“I’m not playing another Disney song for you, I don’t think mama’s heart can take it,” your nurse says.

“No, this isn’t that good. Are you ready?”

You nod slowly, hoping that his surprise is good and not what he and Tim consider good surprises, which are usually more entertaining for them than you. When he drops an arm, you raise in the bed to look at him. A leash hits the floor, and Kojo runs into the room, sliding to a stop beside you. He tilts his snout and sniffs the baby in your arms before raising a paw.

You don’t have time to do anything before the nurse taps the foot of the bed. Kojo immediately hops up, lying beside your legs and pressing his nose to the blanket wrapped around Boot.

“Hey, buddy,” you greet, moving a hand to pat his head. “You’re such a good boy.”

You don’t see it, but Tim sends a grateful smile and nod to soldier, thanking him for thinking of Kojo and how much you love him. Kojo was by your side throughout your pregnancy, cuddling you, whining when you did too much, and keeping his head on your bump as it grew. Tim has never been so happy as when he sees Kojo in the bed with you and one of his sons.

“One more surprise?” soldier asks.

“Can I handle it?” you ask quietly.

 “Who cares?” Angela asks happily. “Do it, soldier.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies playfully before stepping to the side.

You hear a few excited footsteps before another dog joins Kojo on the bed. Adorned in his military K-9 harness, soldier’s dog wags his tail as he sniffs your hand and Boot’s blanket. Boot coos, and across the room, Tiny Tim wiggles in Tim’s grasp.

“Is it too late to return them?” Tim asks as he walks to your side.

Soldier’s dog glances up quickly, alert at the sudden movement. When he sees Tim and another baby, he relaxes, wagging his tail as he stretches to nudge his nose against Tiny Tim’s side.

“Last one, I promise,” soldier says as he steps inside.

Two of his military friends you’ve come to know over the years follow him inside, smiling as they congratulate you on two beautiful boys. They set a gift bag on the table by your bed, and you thank them softly.

“May I?” soldier asks, reaching for Boot.

“Careful,” Tim warns.

“I know,” soldier answers, cradling Boot against his chest as he introduces him to his friends.

Soldier’s dog moves closer to you now that you’re not holding a baby, sniffing you all over as you laugh. He lays his head on your chest, grunting when anyone moves. Kojo follows him, laying his head on your stomach and rubbing his chin against your hospital gown.

“Well, Tim, it seems you really have been replaced,” Wesley jokes. “Another man holding your baby, two strong guys protecting your wife while she heals. What does she need you for?”

“To have the babies,” you say under your breath.

Tim smiles, close enough to hear you. “And to make you shy,” he adds.

You hum, and Angela laughs. She checks her phone when it chimes, showing Tim a message before they both look up at you.

“What?” you ask, tucking your head toward one shoulder at their undivided attention.

Kojo huffs as Tim sets Tiny Tim back in the crib. You smile, glad to know that Kojo already loves the twins.

“Everything going okay in here?” your nurse asks.

Your eyes are still on Tim and Angela, so you don’t answer. Angela nudges Tim, and he sighs, running a hand through his hair as he steps toward you. Soldier’s dog lowers his snout, prepared to defend you if necessary; he perks his ears, listening to your breathing change as you grow worried and shy.

“Tim,” you beg, “just tell me.”

“My extra time off got approved,” he answers.

You take a deep breath, and soldier’s dog stands to sniff your chest and throat, looking for any sign of injury or unknown threat.

“It’s okay,” soldier calls. “Lay down.”

“Why do you do this to me? After everything I’ve done to give you those perfect babies,” you murmur.

“Speaking of those perfect babies,” your nurse interjects. “You have been cleared to take them home.”

She walks closer to your bed, smiling at one of soldier’s friends. After she explains what you should do after you get home for yourself and your boys, you sigh.

“Have any tips for dealing with him?” you whisper, pointing to Tim as he talks to soldier.

“Don’t let him get away with so much,” she answers, as if it’s that easy.

“Yeah, she can’t do that,” Angela interjects. “She’s shy and he takes advantage of it. Considering the fact that they’re married and have babies, though, I’m not convinced she really minds.”

“Here is my number,” your nurse says, passing you a piece of paper. “I’d be happy to date one of those guys over there and keep your husband in line.”

“I knew I liked you,” Angela says.

“At least you two know how to be nice to me and the boys,” you whisper to the dogs beside you.

“She married Tim for Kojo,” Angela tells your nurse.

“Whoa,” Tim calls, turning toward you with both twins in his hold. “You’re still not funny.”

“She’s hysterical,” Wesley replies, smiling when Angela points to him.

“Soldier?” you ask. “Can I keep your dog?”

“No. But I’ll bring him by more often. Since he likes you more than me.”

“Welcome to my world,” Tim replies, looking into your eyes as he repeats your earlier sentiment.

“It’s discharge time, Mr. Bradford,” your nurse interrupts, winking at you. “Sorry, folks, but that means unless you’re mom or dad, it’s time to go.”

Kojo whines when soldier clips his leash on, refusing to leave your side. Tim takes the leash, calling Kojo. He stands slowly, keeping his head down as he obeys as slowly and sadly as possible.

“We’ll be home soon, Kojo. You can choose some new nicknames, bud,” Tim tells him.

“I’ll drop him by your place and make sure everything’s set up for you,” soldier offers.

“And we filled up your pantry and fridge this morning,” Wesley adds as he steers Angela toward the door. “Congratulations again.”

Once the room is empty except for your husband and babies, you lean against the pillow behind you.

“Am I going to have to carry you out, too?” Tim asks, running his fingers over your collarbone and up your neck.

“Would you?”

Tim smiles, leaning closer to you. “You know I will, gorgeous.”

[j2h5b5]

There was only one thing that could have dragged Steve out of bed at two in the morning when he was nursing a booze-induced headache and an Eddie Munson-induced heartache.

“We need you,” she said.

He didn’t even bother putting on a jacket.

***

Dustin was sloppy, red-eyed and so unsteady that when Steve thunked a strong hand down on his shoulder, he almost lost his balance turning away from the group of asshats he’d taken up with to see who had grabbed him. Some of the drink in his hand sloshed over the sides of the cup and dribbled down the front of his shirt and onto the already filthy kitchen floor.

“Hey, what the—” he began, and then he dragged his gaze up to land on Steve.

There was a time, not so very long ago, when those same eyes would’ve lit up at the sight of his babysitter slash idol slash best friend. He would wrap him in a hug if it had been a day or two since he’d seen him, or sling a companionable arm around him, or punch him good-naturedly in the arm in hopes of initiating a play scuffle, which inevitably ended with him in a headlock getting his mop of curls aggressively tousled because he was just never going to have any kind of athletic edge on Steve.

But now.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the younger boy asked in a tone so sharp and cold and so very NOT-Dustin that it made Steve’s heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

“Hey, man,” Steve said, aiming for casual if only to keep Dustin from embarrassing himself in front of his new asshat friends. “Can I talk to you? Step outside with me for a sec, okay?”

“Um, no,” Dustin bit out. “This’s my party, i'ss my house. It would be rude to leave my guests.”

“Yeah, since you brought that up … who are these people?” Steve swept his gaze over the Henderson kitchen, which was almost unrecognizable with all of the clutter, displaced furniture, and wasted teenagers. “And Dustin … where’s your mom?”

“Not here.”

“Well yeah, I kind of gathered that. Listen, Dust…”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Are the others here?”

“Oh, you mean the traitors who called and ratted me out to YOU? Who the fuck cares?” His voice lowered to what he seemed to think was a conspiratorial level but was really just an extremely loud stage whisper. “Maybe they tripped and fell and landed their buzzkill asses back in the Upside Down.”

“Okay, that’s it.”

Before Dustin could protest, the cup was plucked from his hand and tossed expertly across the room, over the heads of several unwary drunken youths and into the crusty-dish-crowded sink and he was being towed along behind Steve through the kitchen, the living room, out the front door.

“What the fuck, Harrington? Let go of me! Let go!” Dustin struggled against the vise grip on his bicep but only succeeded in ensuring he’d probably have finger-shaped bruises there tomorrow.

Steve paid him no mind until he had deposited the boy into the passenger seat of his car, slammed the door, and locked it. Then he walked around to the driver’s side, unlocked it only long enough to get in, relocked it, and turned to Dustin.

“First of all,” he began loudly, drowning out Dustin’s sputtering attempts to find the words he wanted to hurl at Steve in his outrage at being manhandled out of his own party. “First of all. Joking about the Upside Down in a room full of strangers? NOT OKAY.”

“They don’t even know what—”

“Not. Fucking. Okay. SECOND, if you ever imply again that one of ours should BE in the Upside Down, you will find yourself with my foot so far up your ass you’ll choke on my shoe, and if you think I’m joking about that, Dustin, try me.”

This time there was only an eye-roll from Dustin, because he kind of didn’t want to try Steve on that point and because he kind of felt bad about saying it.

“Third, your friends are not traitors. They care about you and they’re worried about you; they called me for help because you’re treating them like shit and shut down every attempt they make to help you. Listen, I know I’m not your favorite person right now, Dustin, but you have to let someone help you. You’re not okay, buddy. This isn’t you. And all this shit you’re doing, the drinking and the partying and the pretending not to give a damn? It isn’t going to fix anything. It … it won’t bring him back.”

“Shut up!” Dustin shouted, flinching so hard at the words that he smacked the back of his head against the side window. Steve winced at the sound of skull meeting glass and resisted the urge to reach out and check for blood, or a bump. Dustin seemed not to have noticed that he’d nearly brained himself, infusing his next words with all the venom he could muster. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Steve. Even if you were right, it’s none of your business what I do! I am none of your business.”

“Don’t say shit like that, Dustin. Of course you’re my business.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! What are you saying?”

Dustin barked out a humorless laugh. “As much as I’d like to sit here with you and have a heart to heart right now, I have to get back to my guests.”

“No,” Steve snapped, reaching over Dustin to slap down the peg lock when the teen yanked it up. “We’re not done here. Now I can go inside and clear out your house and we can talk there, or you can drop the bullshit and talk to me right now.”

“You’re not shutting down my party.”

“Then we talk here.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Right, sure you don’t. Maybe I can give you some words, then. How about this, Dustin? How about: ‘Hey, Steve, you useless idiot loser, you promised to keep us safe and then you fucked it all up like you always do. The plan didn’t work and Max got hurt and Eddie fucking died, and you couldn’t stop it. I hate you for that, for lying and making us feel safe and telling us it was going to be okay. I can’t even look at you anymore and I hate my friends because they don’t hate you for some reason, but we know, don’t we? We know whose fault it is that we came back a man short. It’s yours, Steve. Yours.’” Steve’s voice was cracked and painful, like he’d been eating gravel and chasing it with cheap whisky and cigarettes. It hurt, that voice. “How’s that, Dust?” he finished, staring unflinching into Dustin’s shocked eyes. “Am I in the ballpark?”

Before Steve could react, Dustin unlocked his door and flung himself out of the car. He was drunk and it was dark, though, and he only made it a few yards before tripping and landing hard on the grass. Steve was on him almost instantly, hauling him up by the arms and scanning him for injuries.

He didn’t see the punch coming, wouldn’t have believed Dustin Henderson capable of such an effective hit, right in the mouth, knocking him back a couple of feet. “Jesus, Dustin!” he shouted, touching his lip and staring dumbfounded when his fingers came away wet with blood. “What the fuck, man?”

“Hit me back.”

“What? No! Dustin, what’s—”

“HIT ME BACK, STEVE! You have to!” Dustin’s voice cracked, the sudden violent burst of emotion threatening to unleash something big and scary and unforgivable. A tidal wave that had a name.

Steve grappled wildly with the boy, trying to grab his flailing arms so he could pin him, but Dustin was surprisingly swift in his current state, and he launched another punch, this one landing heavy in Steve’s gut and socking the breath right out of him.

“HIT ME, STEVE! I KNOW YOU WANT TO, JUST DO IT!”

Fueled by a burst of frustration and a sharper burst of fear (what is this?), Steve recovered enough to trap Dustin’s arms against his body, using his own weight to twist the boy around until he was trapped with his back against Steve, the hold immobilizing him so all he could do was squirm and shout out his fury. “LET ME GO FUCK YOU STEVE WHY WON’T YOU JUST FIGHT BACK YOU ASSHOLE?!”

“Dustin, stop. Stop it. Breathe, Dustin. Take a breath. No, hey, stop. You’re not going anywhere until you calm down for me. Breathe. Shhh, buddy. Breathe,” Steve’s hold was unbudging, his tone stern but soothing. Dustin’s violent struggles gradually slowed, and it took a couple of minutes for Steve to realize that the boy was shaking with silent sobs. And then the sobs became words, almost indecipherable in the wrecked, wretched voice that was rough and strained from screaming.

Every sentence Steve parsed from the stream of horrible self-accusations added another crack to his heart, which couldn’t have been more than a mess of spiderwebbing at this point.

It’s my fault.

He’s dead because of me.

I couldn’t save him.

You loved him, I know you did.

Why don’t you hate me?

Why don’t you hate me?

Why don’t you hate me?

Finally, finally, the words stopped and Dustin sagged, exhausted, in Steve’s arms. Only then did Steve ease up on his hold, but only long enough to turn the boy around and hug him properly. He bent down to bury his face in the unruly curls, his own tears falling unchecked and inconsequential.

“Dustin,” he whispered into the mop of hair. “Oh, Dustin, never.”

And when he realized he didn’t have the right words, he just stopped. He just picked Dustin up and carried him to his car, buckled him into the passenger seat, and told him he would be right back. He had a party to break up, some kids to chase away, and a boy—his boy—to mend.

“You loved him, I know you did.”

With a soul-cleansing breath that sounded more like a sob, Steve made his way back up to the Hendersons’ house.

[heavyhitterheaux]

Boys Day Out

First Lady of Private Garden Fic

Synopsis: First Lady sends her favorite boys Jack, Axel, and Urban to the Chelsea game

Pairing: Husband!Jack Harlow x Wife!Reader

First Lady of Private Garden Masterlist

Requested by: 1/3 of hot chips and bad decisions @hoodharlow 😘

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Hearing the doorbell ring,  you checked the security cameras to see that it was Blanca and Jessica and quickly went to open the door from your spot on the couch that you had been sitting on.

Once they stepped into the house, they took notice of how quiet it was and looked at you confused.

“Where is everyone? Because I don't think I have ever heard your house this quiet.” Jessica whispered, ultimately waiting for her nieces and nephew to tackle her. Because she knew that it was only a matter of time.

“I was thinking the exact same thing.” Blanca added as the two of them followed you into the kitchen as you poured all three of you a glass of red wine.

“Umm, Y/N? It's 9 in the morning.” Blanca called out to you once you had slid her glass in front of her seeing as you still haven't said anything.

“I'm fine, just taking it all in and it's 5 o'clock somewhere.” You said while sighing and immediately downing your glass and opting now to drink straight from the bottle.

“I-......” Jessica started to say as she and Blanca exchanged a look.

“Do we….”

“No, you do NOT need to call him.” You blurted out immediately knowing she was talking about Jack.

“We're going to have to disagree with you there.”

“I sent him, Ax, and Urb to London for the Chelsea game because they were getting on my last nerve. Not Axel, but the other two. I love them to pieces, but got damn. I needed a breather. Jack has been up my ass lately.”

“Uh? When is he not? That's your husband?” Blanca asked you not understanding because there was never a time that you didn't want to be around him.

“I'm trying to plan something for him that's really special and I can't do that when he is breathing down my neck. Now add three little people into that equation. I can't even pee by myself anymore without one of my four children, yes, I said four but I should have said five because Urban is my oldest banging on the door. Last night I was this close to sleeping in the bathroom with the door locked.”

“And Jack would have still broken down the door to get to you.”

“Correct.” You sighed while continuing to sip from the wine bottle.

“But where are your other two?”

“With my parents. I called my mom this morning and I was like you begged for grandchildren so come and get them.”

“I literally CANNOT.” Blanca exclaimed while laughing.

“I put Ivy and Autumn on the doorstep with their backpacks with clothes and toys for the entire weekend and I was like see you next week. I really wanted to say see you when you're 18, but that wouldn't have gone over well so now I have been sitting in silence and I am not complaining one bit.”

Meanwhile, Jack, Urban, and Axel had just landed in London and on the way to the hotel, Ax asked Jack for his phone.

“Daddy, can I see your phone?”

“What do you need it for, bubs?” Jack asked as he stuck his hand in his pocket to get it out.

“I need to talk to mommy.” Ax answered without missing a beat and Jack knew that it was only a matter of time. 

“Hold on, let me facetime her.”

You answered on the second ring and all you saw was a fluffy head of brown curls.

“Mommy!”

“Hi my baby boy. Move the phone from your face a little. All I can see is your hair!”

Jack helped him adjust it so now you could see both of them.

“There's my two handsome boys. Well three because I know Urban is there somewhere too.”

“I still haven't forgiven the two of you for leaving me at wing stop.” Urban said while leaning over so that you could see him too.

“Urby! That was ONE time!”

“One time too many!”

“Wifey, what are you up to?” Jack asked as he saw you nursing a bottle of red wine. Little did he know, this was your second.

“Enjoying sitting in complete silence besides B and Jess.”

“I…. Not hot chips and bad decisions!”

“Yes, hot chips and bad decisions! Leave us alone!”

“Jack, stop getting on your wife’s nerves!” Jack heard Jessica say as he saw her walk past in the background.

“Jessica! And don't eat all my snacks either!”

“Well I have to because we came to watch the game with wifey and keep her company!”

“Baby? Since when do you watch soccer?” Jack asked while looking at you confused.

“Since today. And I always used to watch you play anyway.”

“Mommy, I miss you.” Ax piped up and you could feel the tugging of your heart strings.

“Ax… we literally just got here.” Jack said while shaking his head and Urban stifled a laugh.

“Daddy, you just said that you missed mommy before we called her.”

“I…. it be your own kids.”

“I miss you too bubs!” You said and saw him crack a small smile.

“But you don't miss your husband?!”

“Yes of course I miss my baby daddy, but you and Urby have been getting on my LAST nerve this past week.”

“Wait! NOW WHY AM I IN IT!?” Urban exclaimed while leaning back over into the camera and looking confused.

“Urban Henry… don't go there with me. You and your best friend act more like toddlers than my actual toddlers.”

“I… I'm going to get you for that when I get back.”

“Mm hmm, sure. Anyway, I love all three of you very much, but especially Axel Wyatt. And have fun at the game. And Axel?”

“Yes, mommy?”

“Be on your absolute best behavior for daddy and Uncle Urby. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Listen to everything that they say, okay?”

He eagerly nodded his head as you then focused your attention on Jack.

“I love you, smush.”

“I love you too, baby girl. Promise to call you later.”

The three of you were in the kitchen making snacks for the game when a picture suddenly came through on your phone from Jack.

Smush- I thought the shirt was fitting so I had to buy it. We're eating and then going to the game. Hot chips still got you in one piece over there?

You- I'm about to yell and you know why I'm about to yell but I'll give you a chance to fix it first. Send me a pic of Ax in five minutes and what I see will determine if I kick you and Urban’s ass. And yes I am in one piece, but you and Urby won't be if you don't fix what's wrong

Urban was sitting across from Jack and saw how his face got a confused expression and immediately asked what was wrong.

“Do you see anything wrong with the pic of Ax I took?”

“No. It looks fine.”

“Then why did she send me this?” Jack asked as he shoved his phone towards Urban who instantly rolled his eyes.

“Why am I ALWAYS in it!? And what in the world are we supposed to fix in five minutes!?”

“Your guess is as good as mine! Even though there's an entire ocean between us, I take her threats seriously.”

“Only a matter of time before she shows up if we don't fix it.”

Jack quickly sent you another text telling you how confused he was.

Smush- Baby, I'm not understanding 😕 

You- You have three minutes

“URB! HELP!” Jack yelled while shoving his phone towards him.

“WHAT YOU YELLING FOR?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON EITHER?!”

“This is just as bad as when I thought I lost my wedding ring.”

“Had us both stressed out but she had it the whole time.”

“Bubs, finish up your food so we can get to the stadium and put on your coat.”

“But I'm not cold, daddy.”

“Ax, if we go home and you end up getting sick, your mother will not be happy with me so put it on. And put your hat on too.”

“So, you want me to be hot?”

“Axel, put them on and put them on now before I call her.”

“Fine.”

It was the middle of the game when the three of you were watching in your living room when the camera suddenly cut to Jack, Urban, and Axel and your eyes instantly went wide as you grabbed your phone. Jack still didn't figure out what was wrong with the picture of Axel that he had sent you earlier, but seeing him at the game without his coat on while Jack and Urban was wearing theirs had you instantly annoyed. The last thing you wanted to deal with was a sick Axel because he is literally Jack in a little kid's body and acted exactly how he did when he got sick.

“Why doesn't Axel have on his coat?” Jessica asked as your fingers were flying across your  phone screen asking your husband the exact same thing.

“That's what I'm asking him right now.”

You- Jackman Thomas Harlow

Smush- 👀

Smush- Whatever it is, I didn't do it and neither did Urban because I know you’re about to throw him in there too

You- If our child comes back to Louisville sick, I will not be happy

Smush- Why would he come back sick?

You- He doesn't have on his coat!

Jack then turned to Axel who had once again taken off his coat after he had told him numerous times to keep it on.

“Bubs!”

“Yes, daddy?”

“Put your coat on! Why do you keep taking it off!?!? It is 40 degrees out here and your mother will kill me if you have so much as a sniffle when we get back. And where is your hat!?”

“In my pocket.”

“Axel Wyatt….”

“Yes?”

“You have five seconds to get your hat and coat on.”

This continued on and off for the rest of the game and Axel only kept his coat and hat on for a total of thirty minutes between Jack and Urban telling him to put it on.

The three of them were now flying back and Jack was praying the entire time that Axel wouldn't start sneezing or spike a temperature. He was currently laid out on Jack when he felt his forehead and it was slightly warmer than usual and he immediately groaned. 

“She's going to have a damn fit.” He muttered to himself, but Urban heard him.

“Not your fault that he kept taking it off.” Urban responded while shrugging.

“Hmm, tell my wife that and tell me how it goes.” Jack replied as Axel shifted his position on his lap and cuddled closer to Jack.

Jack and Axel had been back for a few days when you heard several sneezes in a row from your husband and all you did was sigh as you walked in the direction that he was in which was your bedroom meaning that he was awake.

When he spotted you, he looked up at you with his eyes red as well as his nose.

“No. Don't you dare say it.”

“Say what, baby?” You asked him while coming up to hug him and reaching up to give him a small kiss which he gladly accepted.

Your immune system could handle it and typically while everyone in the house was sick, you weren't.

“Your son got me sick.”

“Oh, so now he's my son? Since when is he not yours too?”

“He's the one who didn't wear a coat for the majority of the time and I'm the one who gets sick. How does that work?!”

“Because kids are literally walking germs. That's why.”

Axel peeked his head into your bedroom and you motioned for him to come all the way in.

“Yes, bubs?” Jack asked and Axel sighed before letting out a fit of coughs.

“Daddy, you got me sick. I don't feel good.” He said as he reached up towards Jack so that he could pick him up.

“I did WHAT NOW?” Jack asked as he picked him up.

Axel didn't have time to answer, but instead sneezed on Jack who had a look of disbelief on his face.

“Seriously Ax? Bless you.”

“Sorry, daddy.” Ax answered as he did his best to cough into his arm.

“And mommy, I was so cold when we were at the game.”

“I….” Jack started to say but then turned back to look at Axel.

“That's what happens when you don't listen to daddy and you got me sick. Not the other way around.”

“I didn't start coughing until you did.”

“Okay, enough you two. Get in the bed, NOW.”

“Do we get cuddles from you?” Axel asked looking up at you hopeful as Jack climbed into the bed with him in his arms.

“For now, you're cuddling daddy because you are not getting mommy sick. I'll bring meds and food soon.”

Axel sighed as he looked up at Jack.

“You aren't mommy, but I guess you’ll have to do.” He said as he climbed on Jack’s chest and laid down while trying to get comfortable.

“Really, Ax?”

“Daddy, just try not to snore. I'm taking a nap, wake me up when the food is done.”

“As long as you don't kick me like you usually do we shouldn't have a problem.” 

“Not my fault you take up all the space.”

“You little…”

“OKAY! Both of you lay down right now.” 

Without another word, both of them did as they were told and you simply placed kisses on both the tops of their heads.

“Not another word out of either of you and Ax, the next time daddy says for you to put on your coat and hat in 40 degree weather, you do it.”

“But.. “

“Not another word, remember?”

This led to Axel getting a pout on his face and cuddling closer to Jack who simply laughed.

“So much for boys day out. Now the both of you are sick.”

Suddenly your phone went off in your hand indicating a text from Urban.

Urby Baby- Your son got me sick

You- Well according to him his father got him sick

Urby Baby- Can you bring me soup? PLEASE

You- I do something nice for the three of you and this is what I get in return? I have to take care of all three of you now that yall are sick!?! Do I have to do everything!?!?

Urby Baby- Come on Lil Bit, I said please!

You- Be over here in fifteen minutes 🙄

Liked by y/ninsta, blancahood, jackharlow, claybornharlow, jessicakelce, saweetie, druski2funny, dualipa, and 492,736 others

urbanwyatt: and it was at that moment, jackharlow knew he fucked up lmaoooo

lilnasx: who was he texting? urbanwyatt: lilnasx as Axel likes to call her, the boss lol jackharlow: I was fighting for my damn life in those text messages. wifey going off and me not having any idea what she's talking about y/ninsta: and now all three of you got me sick smh jackharlow: y/ninsta that leads to ultimate cuddles from me and Ax y/ninsta: jackharlow so he can sneeze in my face like he did you? jessicakelce: now you do something nice for them and this is how they repay you? outta pocket y/ninsta: jessicakelce same thing I said smh urbanwyatt: y/ninsta my soup was good bestie. thank you 🥰 y/ninsta: jackharlow babeeeee my throat hurts jackharlow: y/ninsta I got a cure for that 😏😏😏😏 jackharlow: y/ninsta wait, baby why'd you lock the bedroom door?! not you leaving me and Ax outside y/ninsta: jackharlow when you say stupid shit like that, this is the result lilnasx: jackharlow what the boss says goes jackharlow: lilnasx not you too 🙄

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[liaromancewriter]

I Thee Wed…

Premise: Ethan and Cassie are ready to say, ‘I do,’ but they forget one important step.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,560

A/N: So, I first did Ethan and Cassie's wedding in June 2021. In all that time, I've never written their wedding vows. Maxenna's vows were easier to write. Well, I finally cracked this nut! Yay, me 🎉

Submission for @choicesaugustchallenge prompt "summer wedding"

Cassie Valentine updated the patient chart and mentally crossed off another item from her seemingly endless to-do list. In just nine days, she would stand in the garden of her family home and marry her soulmate.

She couldn’t contain a small, excited scream, a dreamy smile spreading across her face as she imagined Ethan’s awestruck expression when she glided toward him at the floral-decked altar. But, she thought with a smirk, she couldn’t wait to knock him over on their wedding night with what she had on beneath the layers of tulle.

All in good time, Cassie reasoned, turning her attention back to work.

“Marlene?” she called to one of the regular nurses on her floor, handing over the tablet with the patient record. “Keep an eye on potassium levels for Mr. Dubois in 504. Page me if there’s any change in his condition.”

“Will do, Dr. Valentine,” Marlene nodded, scanning the chart quickly to confirm the orders.

She flashed Cassie a friendly smile. “Are you excited about the wedding? You and Dr. Ramsey make such a beautiful couple.”

“I’m counting the minutes,” Cassie grinned. “I have a final fitting for the dress next week, but otherwise, we’re all set.”

“Summer weddings are the best,” another nurse piped in. “Flowers are my favorite part.”

“I love hearing the couple’s vows,” Marlene said. “Are you and Dr. Ramsey writing your own?”

Cassie nodded in response, keeping her expression smooth even as alarm bells blared inside her head. Crap, crap, crap!

Between work, packing up her things at the apartment for the move to Ethan’s and coordinating with Sienna and her mom on the wedding, she had forgotten entirely about the vows.

She and Ethan had negotiated a hybrid ceremony, honoring her Episcopalian beliefs and his agnostic ones. He had agreed to have a priest officiate and receive a spiritual blessing in exchange for non-religious but personal vows, no Communion, hymns or readings.

Writing their own vows had sounded so simple before. A few words of promise, a declaration of their love, exchange rings and you-may-kiss-the-bride. End scene.

But now she realized it was anything but easy. Worse, she had no idea what she would say on the most important day of her life!

The pen dug into the paper, leaving dark, jagged lines on the legal pad as Ethan scratched out yet another sentence. His handwriting, usually neat and precise despite the doctor-like scrawl, had turned into a chaotic mess of crossed-out words and half-formed thoughts. Frustration simmered in his chest, his mind spinning as he tried to wrestle his emotions into something coherent.

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temple. Sitting through a room full of demanding board members was a walk in the park compared to this. How was he supposed to find the words powerful enough to capture the depth of what he felt for Cassie?

Each attempt felt clumsy and inadequate, the words slipping away from him no matter how hard he tried. Irritated with himself, he muttered a curse under his breath, tearing the paper from the pad and crumpling it into a tight ball. It joined the other pieces of crumpled paper balls scattered around him.

Why had he insisted on their own vows? Should’ve just taken a template and been done with it.

He had been working on them all week and was no closer to the finish line. He had tried writing at home, in his office with the door closed and on a bench in the serenity garden at Edenbrook. Eventually, he retreated to Derry’s Coffee Shop in the hope that a place special to them both would inspire him.

The wedding was a week away, and he did not relish the idea of standing at the altar with nothing more to say than “I do” while Cassie no doubt recited something meaningful about him being her soulmate.

“Tough case?”

Startled, Ethan looked up to find Cassie standing above him.

He had been so absorbed in his frustrated scribbling that he hadn’t even noticed her enter the coffee shop, place her order and walk over to him.

“You could say that,” he hedged, hoping she wouldn’t press for more.

“Maybe I can help,” she suggested, sliding into the seat across from him.

Before he could stop her, she reached for the pad, and he blurted out, “No!” even as she read the words out loud.

“Cassie, my love for you is like an unspecified virus that I couldn’t shake….”

Ethan saw the look of shock on Cassie’s face. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. For a moment, they just stared at each other in stunned silence.

“Wait, are these your wedding vows? And did you just compare me to a virus?”

Ethan quickly tried to recover, realizing how the words sounded when said aloud. “I—I didn’t mean it like that. What I’m trying to say is that my love for you is something I never expected, something that took hold of me and changed everything.”

Cassie blinked, and then, to his relief, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Babe, I appreciate the on-brand medical analogy, especially since I diagnosed Naveen’s bacteriophage, but maybe we can find a less…clinical way to describe it? This is our wedding, after all, not a keynote at the AMA annual symposium.”

“A keynote at the AMA would be easier than these damn vows,” Ethan muttered, running an exasperated hand through his hair.

He picked up his coffee and looked at her over the rim. “I suppose you’ve already written a masterpiece?”

To his surprise, Cassie blushed and looked away. “Not exactly. If you must know, I kind of forgot about them.”

She waved one hand dismissively. “Anyway, this isn’t about me. If you’re struggling, just focus on us, our relationship—what makes me the one for you? How you see our life together. Things like that.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “That’s some solid advice.” He reached for his phone, unlocking the screen. “In fact, it’s almost identical to the advice I got from another Valentine just a couple of hours ago. Ah, here it is.” He turned the screen to show her the text from Max.

Cassie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That cheat!” She snatched the phone from Ethan’s hand, scrolling up to check the time stamp. It was from earlier in the day before she’d texted her brother. “He totally copy-pasted his response to me!”

Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Looks like great minds think alike…or at least steal from each other. When did you speak to him?”

Cassie gave him a sheepish look. “Maybe half an hour ago. ”

“Isn’t it the middle of the night where he is?”

She rolled her eyes and made a face. “I know. Max wasn’t thrilled, which is probably why I ended up with recycled advice.”

She straightened in her chair, a hint of frustration in her voice. “I can’t seem to find the right words for our vows. At least you managed to compare me to a virus—I’ve got a completely blank page.”

Ethan chuckled softly, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand gently. “How about we work on them together? We always did our best work figuring out diagnostic differentials as a team. Why should wedding vows be any different?”

Cassie’s smile widened. “Just promise you won’t tell my mother this is how we wrote our vows, or I’ll have to call you a big, fat liar!”

“Deal.”

Nine days later…

Ethan faced Cassie, a deep contentment settling over him, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. As he held her hands in his, the words that once eluded him now flowed as naturally as breathing.

“Cassie, when I first met you, I had no idea we’d end up here, but from that moment on, you’ve captivated me in ways I never imagined. You’ve challenged me, frustrated me and inspired me to be a better person. And I've fallen in love with you again and again, even though I didn’t believe love or family were in the cards for me. You opened my heart to more. I promise to support and encourage you, embrace the unexpected with you, and always work on being the best version of myself for you. I vow to hold your hand and cherish your heart, loving you always and forever.”

Cassie flashed a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she held Ethan’s gaze, recalling the day they wrote these vows. Her voice was light and playful as she began, making it clear she was savoring every moment.

“Ethan, from the moment you walked into my life—full of arrogance, calling me an amateur—everything changed in ways I never could have predicted. I told you then I was your biggest fan, but that barely scratched the surface of my feelings for you. I can’t imagine a single day without you, and I hope I never do. I promise to stand by your side, to love you fiercely—even when you’re driving me a little crazy—and to choose you every day, no matter what. You are my partner, my soulmate and my greatest adventure. I vow to cherish your heart with all that I am, always and forever.”

And then they lived happily ever after…

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

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @jerzwriter @lady-calypso

@mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16

@justyourusualash @tessa-liam @liaficreplies @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @cariantha @custaroonie @youlookappropriate

[shinycupcakebaker]

Holding me tight

Pairing: Robert ‘Bob’Floyd x single mom reader

Summary: Bob surprises you for a late Valentine’s Day celebration. Inspired by the song Bubbly by Colbie Caillat.

Content warnings: fluffiness, surprises, ‘cliff hanger’ ending

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: This is my contribution to @ohtobeleah Galentine’s Day Special. I hope that y’all enjoy it. 😊

You sat in the hospital lab, your leg nervously bouncing as the nurse drew your blood. You glanced at your watch as she withdrew the needle from your arm and placed a cotton ball over the area. You pulled your arm up and held it in place as she placed a piece of tape over the cotton. You stood quickly, “Thank you Chloe. Can you have the results texted or emailed to me? I have to pick up Myka from school.”

She nodded and you quickly headed out to your car. You called the school from the car, letting them know that you were running late but on your way. 20 minutes later, you were pulling up to the school. Parking and hopping out of the car, you headed into the school to sign her out.

“Sorry,” you signed. “An emergency came in and I had some bloodwork drawn.”

“You okay, Dr. L/N?” The secretary, Mrs. Greene signed.

You nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m fine. Just been a bit tired lately. And I had that stomach bug that was going around.”

Mrs. Greene nodded and sighed. “It’s been going thru school like a wildfire. Here she is.”

You turned and saw Myka walking to the front office with her teacher. You smiled as she ran to you, hugging her tightly.

“Hey Myks, you ready? You do you say about pizza for dinner? And we can watch a movie as we eat.”

Myka nodded excitedly and waved good bye to her teacher and Mrs. Greene. You thanked her teacher and headed out to the car, hand in hand.

Myka excitedly told you about her day at school. That there was a new student in her class that was assigned to the desk next to hers. And that they were starting the times tables in Math class. Before long you were pulling into the driveway of your modest 2 bedroom home.

Entering the house, you had Myka put her lunch bag in the kitchen and change out of her uniform before starting her homework at the kitchen table.

“I’m going to take a quick shower.” You had told Myka before making sure the front door was locked and headed upstairs. Walking into your bedroom, smiling softly at the base of peach colored tulips that sat at your bedside. Bob had them sent to you at the hospital for Valentine’s Day.

You and Bob had been doing the long distance thing since you had met at the Naval Ball in October. You had to figure out a way to thank Rooster for asking you to be his ‘date’.

Whenever you talked to Bob or even thought of him, this feeling came over you. It was like tingles combined with butterflies. It started in your toes and worked its way up your body. Your cheeks would flush pick whenever he looked at you with that shy knowing smile. Everyone seemed to think that he was this shy guy that had no game but oh boy, they all were dead wrong. That man had swept you off your feet. He was always 2 steps ahead, carefully observing everything and taking it all in.

He and Rooster had come out to visit for Christmas and he surprised you by learning ASL for Myka. She was so excited and you were beyond touched. Usually when guys found out that you had a daughter, and that she was hearing impaired, they headed for the door. Not Bob. He wanted to know all about her. What she liked. What her favorite color was. He warmed your heart by wanting to get to know her.

You headed back downstairs, sitting down next to Myka and looked over her homework with her. She was working on her times tables with you placed started to place the order for pizza.

“Myks, plain cheese or pepperoni?”

“Pepperoni please.” She smiled and went back to her homework.

You ordered a small pepperoni and a large veggie, no mushrooms with bacon and extra black olives.

“About 30 minutes. What movie did you want to watch?”

She thought for a minute, smiling. “Can we watch The Marvels?”

You nodded and kissed the top of her head as you stood up. “Of course.”

Standing at the sink, you emptied her lunch bag, washing out the plastic containers and the inside of the bag. You started making up her lunch for the next day when the doorbell rang. It hadn’t yet been 30 minutes. Glancing out the window, seeing it had started to rain and frowned.

“Myks, can you see if it’s the pizza?” You dried off your hands and went to grab your wallet for a tip.

“Momma!!! It’s for you!!” Myka came running back to the kitchen with a huge grin. You looked at her strangely and headed out to the front door. Opening the door, gasping loudly as Bob stood in front of you with a large bouquet of roses and tulips.

“Bob!!” You pulled him inside, out of the rain, and threw your arms around his neck. “What are you doing here?”

He pulled you in close, kissing you. “Well, surprise. You said you work Valentine’s Day but you managed to get the early shift today and you were off tomorrow, so I wanted to come out to see you and Myka.”

You sighed softly , laying your head on his chest. “You are amazing, Bob. You know that, right?”

He smiled, looking down at you, and kissed the top of your head. “You’ve told me once or twice.”

Myka ran over, grabbing Bob hand and pulled him towards the living room. “Come on Bob! We’re gonna have pizza and watch a movie.”

He followed behind Myka as she tugged him. “That sounds like fun. What movie are you ladies watching?”

Myka giggled. “The Marvels.”

“I haven’t seen that one yet.” Bob smiled. “Myka, I have something I wanted to ask you. Would you be my Valentine?

She turned her attention to Bob as he revealed a small bouquet of 2 pink roses and 2 pink tulips held by a stuffed bear. She smiled brightly, nodding as she hugged him and took the bouquet from him.

Your heart melted and that warm and fuzzy tingly feeling came over you again. Seeing the two of them interact was something that you had worried about. You hadn’t really dated since Myka’s father had passed and you weren’t sure how she would react to you ‘dating’. But she warmed to Bob instantly and he made sure that she was involved in everything. Myka ran over to you, beaming. “Bob got me flowers Momma!”

“He did? They are beautiful Myks. Let’s put them in some water and we can put them in your room when you head to bed.” You took her hand and led her to the kitchen, looking for a vase. Cutting off the ends and put the flowers in water, the doorbell rang again. Smiling and booping Myka’s nose, “I bet that’s the pizza now.”

Setting the flowers on the counter, you turn and see Bob with the pizzas in hand. He walks to the kitchen, smiling and set them on the counter. “He said they were already paid for, so I gave him a tip.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” You turned, grabbing some paper plates and napkins from the cupboard. “But thank you. Myka, how many slices do you want?”

“Two, please.” She called from the living room. You placed 2 pieces on a plate and opened your pizza box when the smell of bacon and onion combined hit you and you scrambled for the bathroom.

Bob watched as you ran down the hallway, glancing over at Myka. “Momma’s been sick a lot lately.”

He raised his eyebrows, jogging down the hallway as he heard you getting sick. Knocking softly on the door, “Y/N, you okay?”

You quickly rinsed out your mouth and opened the door, nodding. “Yeah, I’m okay Bob.” You placed a hand on his cheek, smiling up at him.

“Myka said you’ve been getting sick a lot.” Bob looked concerned, taking your hand in his, brushing his thumb over your knuckles.

There was the feeling again. You crinkled your nose and nodded. “A couple of weeks ago, a bunch of us from the hospital got food poisoning from the diner across the street from the ER. And last week, the stomach bug was running thru the ER and Myka’s school. I’m really okay.”

“Okay. Myka has the movie ready to go.” Bob nodded and kissed your forehead before leading you out to the living room. You sat down on the couch with him, leaning into his chest as he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over the two of you. He wrapped his arms around you, his fingers trailing gently up and down your arm as the movie started.

Smiling as the warmth enveloped you, your head tucked under Bob’s chin. As your head laid on his chest, his steady breathing and heartbeat relaxed you. You could imagine staying like this forever, wrapped in his arms. You shifted slightly as your phone chimed with an alert. Pulling your phone from your pocket, the alert was from your MyChart app with your test results. Opening the app quickly, seeing the results, mumbling, “Oh shit….”

[messedupfan]

Chapter 13

Summary: Rachel is being released from the hospital but with that comes the stress of the bills. What happens when Jean, Anna, Y/n can't stay home with her during her holiday break?

A/n: Hello!! Okay, so because this is the 13th chapter and I'm a Swiftie, Dr. Maccas has challenged me to make 13 references to my lord and savior T-Swizzle. So I have carefully made 13 intentional references to Taylor Swift. Let me know if you catch any of them! Like, comment, and most of all, enjoy!

Masterlist | All Stories Taglist | All Chapters

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You yawn and stretch as you crack your back by bending your torso. You do not like sleeping on the cot that the hospital provided you when it was decided that you would be the parent responsible for Rachel during the night. 

“Good morning,” Rachel says sweetly as sets the remote to the TV on the table that stands beside her bed. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” you say as you get close to her. “How are you feeling?” You ask as you gently smooth her hair back. 

“I feel okay,” she starts, “I’d feel better if you brushed your teeth.” Her little crack makes you snort and grin. 

“You are my kid,” you kiss the top of her head as you think about how she is the best thing that’s ever been yours and move to the restroom that is within the private hospital room. The nurse had already left two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste for the two of you. When the news hit that Rachel was required to stay for observation for a couple of days, Derek insisted on getting her a private room. He told you and Jean that he would cover that bill because the two of you were adamant that he couldn't pay for all of Rachel's medical bills. According to your mom, he was too reckless with money so you have always made it a point to draw a line with the man. 

“Knock knock,” the nurse Ms. Temple, who has given permission to be addressed as Claire, says as she enters the room. “How's my favorite patient doing today?” She asks walking further into the room to start her routine check of vitals and function. 

You step out of the restroom to be present for the check. You wanted to hear and witness the good news every time. You hadn't been scared of losing Rachel since the night she was born. 

Jean had been stressed with working and studying for school plus taking extra care of herself and the fetus growing inside of her. You weren't there to witness it, but she ended up getting in a nasty fight with her parents. She was being berated because she had missed another day of school because she overslept. They weren't trying to upset her, they only wanted to make sure that she understood the severity of the responsibility that she was signing up for when she decided to keep the baby. They didn't want to see her fail. All they were trying to do was prepare her.

But they didn't know how to properly communicate that so it turned into a screaming match that went sideways. What you had been told of the story was that she was yelling at her parents until she clutched her stomach and later found blood on the way to the hospital. You were at work when you got the call and had to run out. The delivery was long and terrifying and you couldn't be in the room because you and Jean weren't married yet. Which influenced you to marry her the moment you got to. When she was born they immediately took her to the NICU and you couldn't see her for hours. Once you did you were startled by how tiny she looked. Before that day, you weren’t sure if you were ready to be a young parent. Laying your eyes on her with tubes connected to her in a plastic case, you swore to protect her forever. 

“Everything looks good,” Claire states with a comforting warmth in her tone. “Vitals are strong. Are you ready to start your walking lesson?” She asks Rachel with her hands in her pockets. 

Rachel laughs, “I know how to walk!” 

“I know you do. But we need to practice with the crutch, so you don’t hurt yourself more,” Claire explains. 

“Yeah, hon, it’s going to be tricky walking around with that cast and only one crutch,” I say as I move closer to help her out of the bed. She broke her right leg and her right wrist. Because of the way she fell on her wrist, it caused her shoulder to dislocate. Meaning half her body was heavily injured. You had no idea that she was so fragile and you asked the doctor if there was any health related reason to it, they promised to test her. But after an insurance investigation at the school to find out if they were liable, they found out that the stage is a foot higher than what is standard and the front of the stage is supposed to be carpet but instead is real hardwood for plays that require the band and/or orchestra. Because it’s a school, they want all of the students participating to be shown for the families in the audience. Typically there is supposed to be space under the stage for instruments so that they are heard and not seen. Bottom line, Rachel’s bones are stronger than previously thought since she is lucky to have survived that dangerous drop. 

Unfortunately for you, Jean, and Anna, you can’t sue the school for damages because of the airtight contract that the school has had many lawyers draw up to prevent a lawsuit if anything like this happened. Therefore, all medical bills are yours, Jean’s, and Anna’s responsibility to cover. 

“Why can’t I have the scooter? Teddy from down the hall has the scooter,” Rachel pouts as she struggles to stand with her crutch. Claire looks at you to see if you're able to come up with an answer and when she recognizes the helpless look on your face she answers. 

“Because your leg is not as hurt as his is. You have only one break in your leg and he has three breaks in his.” She explains and you mouth your gratitude, she nods and smiles. 

A couple of hours later, you and Rachel are watching a movie when her moms walk through the door with big smiles. The two women embrace their daughter where she sits on the hospital bed. You greet them each with a standing hug of your own when they finally do let your daughter breathe. 

“I can't stay long, I have to get to the store soon. But have you heard anything about when she can leave this place yet?” Jean asks you as she looks at Rachel from over her shoulder. 

You shake your head, “The doctor hasn't been by yet. Just Claire so far. To get Rachel's walk in.” 

Jean smirks, “Nurse Temple is Claire now?” 

You shake your head again. Jean didn't tell you or necessarily show it but you could tell that she was pretty happy about your breakup with Daisy. She never said it to you but she has made it clear to you that she didn’t like the two of you as a couple but she kept her opinions to herself like a good friend, co-parent, and ex-wife. “Yes, she has all of her longer term patients call her by her first name. You can ask your daughter. She talks with the other kids on this floor,” you gesture to Rachel and she can’t help but focus on your words and ignore the mom trying to have a conversation with her. 

“I’m just saying, you could do worse than a nurse. Especially one that is as pretty as she is,” Jean says encouragingly. “And you have,” she mutters and you open your mouth to defend Daisy when Rachel cuts into the conversation. 

“Baba doesn’t like-like Ms. Claire!” She bursts out. You are quick to quiet her down. You sigh as you share a look of concern with Jean. After the outrage she displayed when she found out about you and Daisy, you and Jean did some research on why she reacted the way she did. The two of you came to the conclusion that she didn’t want you to split your attention between her and a romantic partner. Rachel had gotten used to you being single and she didn’t know how to adjust to the change so she acted out. Or at least that’s what you thought was going on. But you thought when she started to warm up to Daisy. 

“Honey, mom is just teasing. She knows that,” you tell her softly. 

Rachel has a pout on her face and her arms crossed. “Well that’s bullying and you guys say it’s not nice to bully.” 

You shake your head and move some of her hair behind her ear, “Honey, I wasn’t being bullied.”

Jean takes the cue to join in when you tip your head in Rachel’s direction. “Yeah, I wasn’t bullying, Baba. I was being playful. You know how we are with each other.” She pets Rachel's hair bringing her hand down from the top as Anna moves out of the way to let Jean through. It was moments like these where she felt left out of the parenting loop. It reminds her that even though she has legally adopted Rachel and she is very involved and loves her, she still wasn’t her child. Rachel belongs to you and to her wife. She mentally curses herself for making the moment about herself in her own mind. Anna knows that she wasn’t part of the moment because she wasn’t the one being offensive or defended. 

“Well I didn’t like it!” Rachel repeats herself, breaking Anna out of her thoughts. 

Anna looks at her watch, “Oh shoot, babe. We have to get going if I’m going to drop you off at work.” 

This catches your attention and you crease your eyebrows. “Wait, you carpooled?”Jean sighs through her nose as she gives you a look that tells you that will be for a later discussion. You nod once to let her know that you understand. 

“I’m sorry that you didn’t like my joke sweetheart. I’ll come by with dinner,” she kisses her daughter on the forehead and kisses her good hand. You hug her goodbye as Anna says bye to Rachel, when Anna is done you hug her as well. 

Then it’s back to being only you and Rachel. You worry that she prefers it that way a bit too much. Around lunch time, she starts to get restless and Claire returns for another check in and a walk. Rachel isn’t as talkative since her mom put the image in her head that Claire and her Baba might like each other. It made her not like Claire. Her quietness concerned the nurse and she asked that you leave to grab a fresh meal for you and Rachel. She tended to separate a patient from their parent or parents whenever that child started to exhibit weird behavior. Just as a safety precaution. She had seen the video of Rachel’s fall so there is proof that these injuries weren’t a flag for physical abuse but she liked to be certain that her mental state was in good health and it’s difficult to get to the bottom of the truth if the parent is present. 

Besides, she liked you as a person and hoped that she wouldn’t have to be reporting you to child services. She is filled with relief when she finds out that Rachel’s behavior had nothing to do with abuse. Claire even has to hide her amusement when the little girl tells her that she doesn’t want Claire to be with her Baba. “Awe sweetheart. You don’t have to worry about that. Do you want to know why?” The woman asks in a soft tone that makes Rachel feel comforted. The little girl nods and Claire leans in. “I already have someone that I like-like,” she sweetly reveals. 

“Really?” Rachel lights up as Claire nods. The two turn around to start walking back to Rachel’s room.

“Sweetie, can I ask? Why were you so upset about someone like-liking your Baba?” Claire asks as she continues to walk beside the patient. It wasn’t unusual for kids to have certain attachments to single parents. Sometimes it was the hope that they might get back together with their other parent, but she’s seen the way she lights up around her moms. She doesn’t think that’s the case here. Sometimes kids pick up on the bad behavior from their single parent when they’ve had romantic partners and might think they are better off alone. 

Rachel looks around to make sure no one that will tell you this overhears. Especially cautious of spotting you nearby. “Can I trust you with a secret? You can’t tell no one. Especially not my Baba.” Rachel makes Claire swear and she does. “Okay. I don’t want just anyone to be with my Baba. I want Ms. Wanda to be with my Baba,” she reveals. 

“Oh,” Claire draws the word out, again in relief. “I see. And who is this Ms. Wanda? Is she a character in your favorite show or?”

Rachel giggles, “No silly, Ms. Wanda is my Baba’s friend. My Baba fixed her wall.” 

Claire nods with a smile, “So why do you want Ms. Wanda to be with your Baba and no one else.” 

“They’re enchanted to be together,” Rachel whispers, making Claire want to protect this little girl's innocence and purity. Then Rachel shrugs, “Plus I’ve always wanted big brothers and she’s got two of them! Only by a couple of months but that’s even better because we all go to the same school! Tommy is so cool, he protects me from bullies and he is so funny too. And Billy always helps me when I don’t understand something in class and we like a lot of the same stuff.” Rachel continues to go on and on about her fantasy family and Claire hangs onto every word with a smile. Happy to see how happy this little girl is to bring a family together. She knows that’s not how it works. But she doesn’t spoil that joy for the ten-year-old. The world is cruel enough. People tend to throw rocks at things that shine and she wasn’t going to be one of them. Claire is certain the girl will let go of the idea in a couple of years when hormones hit and she realizes that she wants a boyfriend more than she wants a brother. Or if she has a falling out with one or both of the boys. Even if none of those things occur, Claire isn’t going to be the reason Rachel has her dream killed. She’s going to leave that up to you.

After lunch, well into the mid afternoon, Wanda brings the boys to come and visit with Rachel and so that she can see how you’re holding up. You feel a little embarrassed to be around her because of what happened once everything seemed to have calmed down. She had driven you back to the school to pick up your truck. She parked in the space right next to your truck so that you didn’t have to walk far but you couldn’t get out. Wanda didn’t say a word as she shut her car off. Since you were finally away from your family, everyone that you had to put a brave face on for, every emotion from the night hit you all at once. You broke down in tears. Sobs burned your throat and attacked your body. She held you as you let it all out and she sat with you in silence when you stopped but were still too frozen to do anything. Since then, you’ve kept your distance. 

Wanda, however, hasn’t. She has been very aware that you tend to take care of everyone over yourself and no one really stops to check on you. So she has taken it upon herself to be that person for you. It’s only been a few days and she has been by every single one of them. Each time, finding a way to get the two of you to be alone for a few minutes. She doesn't pry, she's just there and it almost makes you break down every time. But you don't let it. Because you are fine. You're not the one in a cast. 

“Have you been able to discuss Rachel's release with the doctor yet?” Wanda asks as she sits close to you. 

“Um, no. We've only seen the nurse so far today. How was the Christmas celebration last night? Was it as bad as you were anticipating it to be?” You ask as you nudge her shoulder with your elbow. 

Even though Vision was out of town, his parents and brother still extended an invitation to Wanda and her boys to join them in their festivities. Wanda held no animosity against the Starks. They saw her as family regardless of the divorce. Maria and Howard made it very clear to Wanda last night that she will always be their daughter in their eyes and want to maintain a relationship with her and the twins. She has started to wonder how someone as cold as Vision could come from such warm and caring people. Until she remembers that they adopted him when he was ten years old. He hardly ever spoke about his childhood past the Starks adopting him but as far as Wanda knew, his birth parents should have never been allowed to have children. 

“It was actually a very healing experience and I had a lot of fun. My former brother-in-law, the playboy I told you about,” Wanda recalls one of the people that she has mentioned to you before. You nod in recognition so that she can continue. “He is actually engaged.” 

“Really?” You act surprised because of the way she has talked about him in the past. He didn’t sound like the settle down type. 

“Yeah, I got to meet his fiancee. Her name is also Virginia which was kind of triggering at first but she goes by Pepper. She is really nice, I think she is going to be what balances him out.” Wanda then goes on to tell you all about the night she had with her former in-laws. Midway through the stories she shakes her head at the term. “After last night it kind of feels rude to call them that.” She sighs as she looks up at the ceiling, then to the bathroom door across from her, then to the white board that states which nurse and doctor is assigned to Rachel. Wanda doesn’t really pay attention to the colorful names that are scribbled on the white background. Then she shrugs and looks back at you to continue the story. “What my family and I did next was,” and she felt more comfortable calling them that. They are her family and she is happy to have them back in her life. “How was your celebration?”

You take a deep breath as you mentally unpack the previous night. It had an awkward start since it had to be held in this small hospital room. But it got better as it went on. You grin at Wanda. “I think we had one of those ‘true meanings’ of Christmas experiences. You know, because it wasn’t about all of the presents. Those are still waiting at home. Well, except for the gifts I got for the family that doesn’t live around here and have already left. It wasn’t about the food, we just ordered chinese food because that’s what Rachel was craving. It was all about each other’s company. I got to see all of my parents be civil and even make one another laugh. That was a real miracle in itself.” You have a dazed expression as you remember the gift you were given to spend a night with your family that didn’t end in an argument. It’s not ideal to spend a holiday in the hospital, especially when it’s your child that is the one admitted, but there was something special about last night. “Kate couldn’t be here because until further notice, she isn’t allowed in this hospital unless she has a medical emergency. But my mom had her on a video call so that she could still spend the time with us. Jean and Anna stayed home with Anna’s parents and had their own thing.” 

Wanda puts a friendly hand on your thigh and smiles at you, “I’m glad that we both had great holidays.” 

“Thank you,” your gaze locks in with hers and you feel a warmth spread through your chest as you’re hypnotized by her freckles and bright eyes. The tingling from her touch makes you very aware of her presence, but you don’t feel the need to pull away. Neither of you says a word and neither of you notice that your children have stopped chatting. All three pairs of eyes were watching the two of you in anticipation. Hoping that the universe will finally pull the two of you together. 

“Knock, knock,” Claire taps her knuckle on the door, breaking the moment between you and Wanda. “Has the doctor been by yet?” You shake your head as you clear your throat to give her a verbal response. Clair checks her watch with a frown. “That’s weird. I was told he was supposed to drop by soon to discuss discharging you. I wonder what is holding him up today.” She checks Rachel’s vitals while she is here. “Everything is excellent,” she smiles at you. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I’ve met you yet,” she walks around the bed with her hand out. 

“I’m Wanda,” the woman next to you greets the nurse with the hand that’s not on your lap. 

Claire has a smirk as she looks between the two of you. “Ah you must be the Wanda I’ve heard so much about.” At this, Wanda removes her hand from you and gives you a funny look before asking Claire what she’s been told. “Nothing bad, I promise. Miss Rachel here thinks the world of you and your boys. I’m happy I got a chance to meet you.” 

“Same here,” Wanda says politely. 

“This will be the last time I get to check on you.” Claire moves about the room. “I better never see you in here again and I mean that in the best way possible.” She smiles with both hands in her pockets. Rachel waves goodbye to her favorite nurse before returning her attention to the twins' portable gaming console. You stand up and properly thank Clarie for taking care of your daughter before she goes. 

Wanda and the twins stay for dinner. You warn Jean and Anna that you have already ordered and paid for Chinese food and ask them to pick it up on the way. Which they do. The seven of you enjoy the meal together. Although something seems off with Jean and Anna , they don’t let it show too much. It’s not until Wanda is getting the boys ready to leave that the doctor comes in with the discharging papers. Wanda says that she will be in the waiting room and you hug her before she goes. The doctor goes over the care plan for Rachel and because of her limited mobility, he thinks it’s best that she stays with one parent that can take the time off to take care of her until school starts back up. The three of you thanked him and Jean took the papers to start signing them as you started to pack up everything that belongs to you and Rachel. 

As Jean signs the papers she stops when she sees the medical bill and she almost breaks down into tears. “Shit,” she curses in a whisper. You walk over to see what’s wrong and your eyes widen. It was not a good number. 

“That’s after insurance?” You ask and she nods. “Okay, let’s not panic. We’ve had to deal with something like this before,” you remind her. “It’s not nearly as bad as last time.” 

“Yeah, but last time we had our parents pay it and we paid them back over time. Right now,” Jean shakes her head. “My car broke down,” she admits as she stares at the bill. “I can’t afford to take it in to figure out what the problem is. I definitely can’t afford to fix it right now. Bills have been piling up since the wedding. I just,” she closes her eyes. “I can’t hear you say I told you so right now either so please save it.” 

You shake your head and crouch in front of Jean with a frown. “When have I ever said that to you?” She wanted to have a bigger wedding with Anna because she didn’t get to have it the first time. But this time, her parents couldn’t contribute and Anna’s parents could only contribute so much as they weren’t very smart when it came to their finances. You advised against a big party that neither of them could afford but when it came down to Jean’s happiness, you did what you could to contribute. “Look at me,” you say softly and repeat yourself until she finally does. “We can do this. Okay? There are three of us with three incomes. We can set up a payment plan with them and take care of it little by little. Besides, one of the bills we’re sending off to Derek. We’ll do the math after that and hopefully it will look a lot less scary.” 

Jean nods and closes her eyes again. Anna keeps Rachel distracted. Her and Jean had recently spent any alone time with each other arguing about their financial troubles. Anna might have developed some bad habits from her parents and Jean wasn’t like her. She didn’t see life as always somehow finding what you needed exactly when you needed it. She was a planner. If she needs something in a moment of crisis she should already have it. This month alone, they’ve had to cut off streaming subscriptions and watch the same collection of movies they did own, over and over again. The house was almost always dark to save on electricity, especially with the anticipation of the holiday with all of the lights for decorations and the responsibility of hosting. They never ate out. They were happy when Jean’s parents sent gifts for Rachel and Anna’s parents arrived with more because they were scared they would have to tell Rachel that she wasn’t getting gifts at all. At least, not from them. The way Anna sees it, things have been working out for them in the end. The way Jean sees it, she has been an irresponsible mother who should have planned better for something like this. It’s made her see her partner in a new light that she isn’t sure she can accept. 

You look at the numbers again, “What are we going to do about her care during the day? It looks like neither of us can afford vacation days right now. That’s only half a paycheck.” 

Jean shakes her head and reopens her eyes, “I don’t know. Do you think Kate could-” 

“She went with our parents to their home in New York to take her friend. Apparently, Yelena has never been so she wanted to show her around.” You reply as you mentally cycle through the people you know that might be able to help. 

“Are you guys ready?” Rachel smiles at you and Jean. 

“We have until the end of the night to figure it out, but I’d feel more comfortable if she’d stay with me until school starts,” you state as you stand up. “I can feel tension between you and Anna and it doesn’t feel good. You two should take the time to be together.” Jean bites her cheek as she tries to think of a reason to fight you but she can’t. Instead, she thanks you. 

You spot Wanda on the first level of the hospital in the waiting area. It’s a busier day so she has the boys sharing a chair while she stands in front of them. It makes you smile, knowing that she stayed when she didn’t have to.  Jean tells you that she and Anna will help Rachel get into your truck as she takes your keys from your hand. “Yeah, okay,” you say as you struggle to snap out of your daze. 

“Stop gawking and go talk to her,” Jean nudges you and that’s when you’re brought back to reality. You scowl at Jean. 

“I wasn’t gawking. I have a lot on my mind,” you retort. 

“Yeah, okay,” she deepens the tone of her voice in a mocking manner as she scoffs and walks away. You roll your eyes. It reminds you of being a kid growing up with her. Sometimes it’s like she never grew up, but you tend to respond the same way so you weren’t any better. 

You walk over to Wanda and touch her elbow as you come into her view. You hug her and thank her for being here for your family and she tries to play it off as nothing. But you have friends that you’ve known longer that never dropped by. They sent messages which you appreciated but they weren’t there like Wanda was. “So she’s okay to go home now?”  You nod and try to hide the stress of the situation but she can see right through you. Wanda narrows her eyes as she tries to read your expression. “What’s wrong?”

You sigh and look at the boys who are fighting sleep behind her. “You should get them home,” you deflect. Wanda looks back and agrees, they need to be tucked into bed. 

“Help me get them to the car?” Wanda asks, assuming that Rachel was already on her way home with her moms. You don’t tell her that everyone is waiting for you as you agree to walk her to her and the twins to her car. She manages to wake up Tommy but Billy is out cold so you pick him up and carry him to the car. When both boys are in the backseat of the vehicle Wanda stops you from walking away by catching your forearm. “What is happening with Rachel?” She demands with worry evident in her tone. 

Your eyes widen when you realize that your weird behavior might have made it look like the situation was worse than it is. “She’s going to be fine. That’s not… she isn’t…” you huff and clench your jaw, annoyed that you can’t get a straight thought out. “The problem is we don’t have someone who can stay with Rachel during the day while she’s on break. None of us can afford to take off work because that bill is,” you make noises close to laughing but not quite to express the exorbitant amount without stating the number. 

“Stay with me,” Wanda doesn’t miss a beat. You’re about to reject the offer when she pleads her case. “I’m off until a few days after the new year begins. You can go to work knowing she’s being taken care of. The boys would love to have her over. Come on,” she says but you still try to say no. “You don’t need another restless night. I bet you’re tired from this long hard week. And you’ve said it yourself, my guest bed is better than your mattress at home.” She makes a good point, you haven’t been sleeping much because the cot was brutal on your back. It would also help lower your bills a bit next month since you won’t be using anything at your apartment.

“Where is Rachel going to sleep if I’m taking the guest bed?” You ask. “It wouldn’t be fair to ask either of them to give up their beds.” You point to the boys that are asleep with their heads back and mouths open. 

Wanda bites her lip as she thinks, “They’ll probably fight over who gets to volunteer and not in the way you’re imagining. They love Rachel. But we do have a no ‘sleepover with girls’ rule that I think I should stick to. Besides, they’re sleeping now but the three of them might hype each other up enough that they don’t get the rest they need.” You nod as you agree. Rachel especially needs her rest. “You can have my bed and I can take the couch,” Wanda suggests. 

You shake your head, “Wanda that’s crazy. I’m not kicking you out of your bed, I can take the couch.” 

“No, it’s a horrible couch. I’ve been meaning to replace it actually,” Wanda shakes her head. 

“Then why would I let you take the couch?” You tilt your head to the side and Wanda sighs. She has never had to work so hard to convince someone to let her help them. You feel bad for resisting her generosity and you bite the inside of your cheek. “Why don’t we share the bed? Put up a pillow wall. I know you have more than enough,” you chuckle as you recall teasing her for her decorative pillows on her bed once. You said she had more pillows than she had space on the mattress. 

“Okay, that can work,” Wanda nods, wanting to ignore the excitement she has at the idea of sharing a bed with you for a few nights. But all she can feel in her stomach is butterflies, the beautiful kind. “I’ll meet you at the house in an hour or so then?” She plays it cool and you nod. As you try to tell yourself over and over that it’s nothing more than two mature adults sharing a bed to sleep. 

You hug her and confirm that you’ll see her after you’ve packed a bag for yourself and Rachel. Jean and Anna have to bite their tongues when you inform them that Wanda agreed to help with Rachel and invited the two of you to stay with her. But you can see a playful glint dance across their eyes as they smirk at each other. You choose to ignore them out of exhaustion and bid them a goodnight just before you climb into your truck. As you start the vehicle, a song comes on the radio and it puts Rachel in a good mood as she sings along. 

“Our song is a slamming screen door, sneaking late tappin’ on your window,” Rachel sings happily and you love seeing her smile and sing. You’re glad to know that nothing has broken her spirit just yet. 

You leave her in the truck with it still running so that she still has her music and the heat because it would be too much of a hassle to bring her into the apartment just to take her back to the truck shortly after. You are quick to add more clothes to the ones you already had in the bags from the hospital stay. You rush back to the truck once you have your work gear packed, figuring that you could come back here tomorrow after work to grab more things if you need more. 

Wanda is waiting in the driveway to help with your bags as you carry your sleeping daughter into the house. She helps you make the bed cozy for Rachel and the two of you tuck the girl in together. Your heart jumped at putting your daughter to bed with someone once again. It never got to this point with Daisy. You clench your jaw at the thought of her. You can’t help but think that maybe the two of you got lost in translation. Maybe you asked for too much. But you think about how much you tried to push back and then stop yourself from the spiral. You didn’t need to go there. 

Together, you and Wanda set up her bed to make the pair of you comfortable with sharing it. When the wall is set up, you get changed in the bathroom in the hall and knock on her bedroom door before entering. Wanda is already laying on her side of the bed when you enter and you make sure to shut the door and turn the light off before joining her. You try to calm down once you’ve laid down but you are being enveloped by her scent and it causes your heart to race. 

“Thank you for this,” you whisper into the dark, unsure if she is even awake. The wall is pretty high. 

“Of course,” she half whispers, “you’re my friend and I know you would do the same for me and my boys if you could.” You smile to yourself because even with only being friends for a few months, both of you are already ready and willing to take care of each other. The pair of you go silent again but you can tell by the pattern of her breathing that she isn't asleep yet. 

“I called Daisy about Rachel being fine today when I had a moment to myself,” you admit with a bit of sadness to your tone. 

“Oh yeah?” Wanda says softly. “How did that go?” 

You frown with one hand resting on your stomach and the other set between your head and your pillow as you look up at the ceiling. “Not great,” you state. “Something seemed off but she wouldn't tell me,” you sigh. 

“I know you said that you weren't going to before but, do you think that you'll try to win her back?” Wanda is laying on her side, staring at the pillow wall. Imagining you on the other side. She wishes she could be closer to you. But she respects your space as you've taken the initiative to respect hers. 

“No,” you reply confidently, “we are never getting back together.” 

Wanda hums as she closes her eyes. She feels you shift on the bed and she hopes that you're facing the pillow wall the way she is. She wonders if you're thinking about her the way she is thinking about you. Wanda hasn't admitted before, not even to herself, but she was developing feelings that were more than friendly towards you. Her phone began to buzz and she felt embarrassed. Nights were usually when she would sext with potential hookups because she wasn't able to sleep. 

“Geez who's blowing up your phone this late?” You mumble the question and the way your voice carries, she can tell that the two of you are facing each other. She almost tears the wall apart just to look at your face. Then her phone buzzes again and it breaks the urge. 

“I don't know, could be any of the guys I've been talking to,” she admits and she can't believe how that sounds. She saw herself as a progressive woman. Her friends encouraged her to not see herself as a slut or any of the derogatory terms that were generally used to describe a woman exploring her sexuality. But right now, admitting her activities to you, she felt ashamed. 

“Oh,” you're unable to hide your shock and she takes that as judgment. Wanda gears herself up to defend herself. But she doesn't have to. “You can answer them if you need to. They seem very persistent for an answer,” you say as you move to face away from the wall. She can feel the movement and hear the way your voice travels. It breaks her heart to know that it's caused you to turn your back on her. Even though she can't see you. Knowing still hurts. 

Wanda doesn't say anything as she turns towards her nightstand to open her phone. This guy was one of the more annoying ones and she didn't want to give him the time of day anymore. She quickly typed out a polite rejection and blocked him as soon as she was met with a tantrum. Calling her a tease with comments about single mothers being the worst whores out there. He even claimed that she wasn't even hot, that he was only taking pity on her because she is a single mother. She rolled her eyes once he was blocked and deleted as she turned her phone on silent just in case and set it back on the nightstand. She kept her back to you as she closed her eyes and hoped that tomorrow would erase the tension that was created tonight. 

You are the first one to wake up in the morning. The pillow wall is scattered about. Pillows fell on top of you or to the ground and were mirrored on Wanda's side as well. One arm extends past the wall and her fingers rest against your shoulder. Each of you have a leg touching, hers resting on top of yours. She looks so peaceful in her slumber. Even with her hair covering most of her features, you can tell how relaxed she is. 

You don't get to enjoy the moment for long since you have to be at work in thirty minutes. You yawn and stretch, careful to not wake her as you do. The house is completely quiet as you leave for work and for a moment, you wish this wasn't just a temporary living situation.

As the morning sun peaks through the curtains, Wanda’s fingers stretch out seeking your warmth but she is only met with the cool bamboo sheets. She opens her eyes to find the bed empty. She doesn't expect the disappointment she feels at not being able to wake up next to you. She knew you had to be up earlier than her. The boys distract her from her conflicting emotions as they bang on the door and demand breakfast on behalf of their friend. 

Tommy was the one to wake up to Rachel calling out for help to the restroom and he woke up his brother. Both were surprised to find her in the guest room but they didn't get distracted with the emotion for long. The pair quickly helped Rachel out of the bed and into the restroom. They stood outside of the door and waited for her to come out. When she did, they were both prepared to walk her back to the bed but she refused and asked for her crutch instead. 

When she got herself situated on the bed, the boys joined her and the three of them chatted until Rachel's stomach growled. Tommy and Billy raced and pushed against one another to their mothers room to get her to help them make a special breakfast in bed for their friend. 

Wanda can't believe that such sweet boys came from her and Vision. She wonders what she did right when it came to them as the three of them head downstairs to make breakfast together. Once everything was ready, Billy made sure that the plates were perfect to present to Rachel on the tray before he and Tommy carefully walked it up to the girl. Wanda shakes her head as she sips her tea. Watching them walk up the stairs from the kitchen. She offered to help them carry the plates but they insisted. 

With whatever is left over, she serves herself and joins the three kids in the guest room to share the meal with them. As she watches them interact she starts to think that maybe things aren't meant to work out between you and her. Maybe the universe brought the two of you together for Rachel and Tommy. She has never seen him be so kind and attentive. When he says something out of line to Billy, Wanda doesn't even have to step in because Rachel is quick to put him in his place and make him apologize. 

As a mother, she always puts her children first. And if this was a sacrifice she was meant to make for Tommy's happiness. She was more than willing. Despite your wishes for your daughter to be repulsed by male attention. 

You don't come back until a little past dinner time. Pietro approved you for overtime so you took advantage of that and kept working a few hours longer. You made sure to stop by your apartment to pick up the things you didn’t have time to last night and you took a shower so that you didn’t show up reeking of sweat. When you walk in, Wanda and the kids are piled together on the couch watching a movie. You greet them all with a grin. You ruffle Rachel's hair as you pass her on the way to the stairs. “I'm going to put this stuff in the guest room for you, Rach,” you announce on your way up. Wanda follows you.

“I have a plate for you in the microwave,” she says, leaning on the door frame. 

“I appreciate that,” you thank her softly, “I don’t expect you to take care of me too. I can make myself something if I come back late like this again.” You know that you’re going to be working late nights until either Pietro cuts off your overtime or the bills get paid in full, whatever comes first. 

Wanda snorts, “And have you burn down my house? I think not.” She steps inside of the room and helps you re-fold Rachel’s clothes neatly and place them in the empty dresser. You were beginning to feel like a useless slob compared to her. “Besides, it’s not a big deal. The boys and I cook together every night and we typically make more than the three of us can eat anyway. I think this week will be the first week that we don’t have a leftovers night before they leave on Sunday.” 

You nod, “Fair enough,” comfortable silence falls between the two of you once again as you set up the room for Rachel so that she is comfortable during her stay in the next few days. Aware of the late hour, the two of you get the kids to their beds before you warm up your food.

Rachel is the first to be tucked in because Tommy and Billy wanted to properly wish her a goodnight. Then help the twins get settled in their beds. Wanda tucks in Tommy and you tuck in Billy. “I forgot to ask before, did you like my performance?” He asks with a hint of insecurity in his voice. 

“Are you kidding? I loved it!” You grin as you start to rave about his part in the holiday showcase. He grins as he thanks you and bids you a goodnight. You smile and start to walk away when Tommy tries to grab your attention. 

“What did you think about me? Was I a good tree?” Tommy worked hard in many other aspects to get the kind of praises that you just gave his twin. Especially from their father but he was slowly starting to realize that his dad was a tough man to please. 

“Tommy, you were the best tree I've ever seen in my life,” you state. “In all of my years of watching school plays, I have never seen a tree have as much personality as you had. The both of you might have potential for great acting careers,” you state encouragingly. Wanda smiles as you compliment her boys more than she's ever witnessed Vision do. They were always being admonished by him. They were always wrong in his eyes. But not in yours. 

Wanda tells you that she will meet you downstairs so she can finish saying goodnight to her kids on her own. You walk down and warm up the food she had waiting for you in the microwave. You find it incredibly considerate that she thought of you. That instead of packing away the food, or leaving it out for you to serve yourself, she had a plate made for you. Ready to be reheated. She joins you at the table with a glass of water and the two of you chat as you eat. She talks about the day she had with the kids and you talk about work. Part of you could envision a life like this. With her. But you don't want to dwell on the idea for too long. Her friendship is more than enough for you. 

When you're done, you insist on doing the dishes that are sitting in the sink. You could have easily rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher but it seems as though Wanda wants to be in your company, so you wash and she dries. As she stands next to you she listens to you rattling on and on about an idea you have for a business, she can’t get over how caught up she is in you. But you’re untouchable, burning brighter than the sun. When the sink is empty, and she hands you a dish towel, you can't help but look at her as you lean against the counter. 

Wanda takes the towel from you and folds it as she is aware of the strange look on your face. She is curious of what you're thinking, of what you might do, of what you might say. She can see it. There's something on the top of your tongue. “I think,” you start, then sigh as you almost say something that you think you shouldn't. “You're my best friend,” you state instead. 

She smiles in response as she sets the folded towel onto the counter. “Let's get to bed,” she says softly. You nod and follow her up to the room. Her room. 

The two of you climb in bed, this time the pillow wall is two layers instead of four. You make a joke and she laughs. She falls asleep first with her head on top of the wall. She has a hand on your arm to keep you close without breaking the rules of the wall. You lay your head close to hers and her steady breathing helps you follow shortly after. “Come here,” she whispered in your ear in your dream as you passed out.

Chapter 14

Taglist: @princessprudy @sayah13 @agaymilflover @awkwardmandalorian @bentleywolf29 @thatshyboy1998 @artisannat @thisischaismagic @wqndanat @madamevirgo @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @the-writer-arcane @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @aloneodi @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69 @awesomelygayasf @nekoannie-chan @diaryoflife @wuwu96 @wandanats-goodgirl @sincerely-indi @blueredg52 @sisiofthemultifandom @fuzzyuniversityeclipsefriend @arcturusseer @scarlettwidow34 @chasethemoon @raven-ss @canyonyodeler @sokovianbaby @alexawynters @bittysworld @hopeless-romantic17177 @spongebobtentacles

[sarahsmi13s]

Duckie

Chapter 7

pairing: bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw x twin sister!reader; jake ‘hangman’ seresin x bradshaw!reader (finally!)

characters: y/n bradshaw, nick bradshaw, jake seresin, bradley bradshaw (mentioned) penny benjamin, the kazanskys, nick’s baby sitter, some random drunk named malcolm

word count: ~3.7k

warnings: language, fluffy, drinking, mentions of a bullshit rumor, nick being the cutest, the struggles of dating as a single mom, cannon character deaths mentioned (kendall and goose), jake being a charming lil shit, let me know if i missed any

a/n: hey look at that, duckie’s back! this takes place just short of a year after chapter 6

series summary: daughter of goose and carole and twin sister to bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw, y/n bradshaw also got her papers pulled when she tried to enlist in the Navy. which turned out to not be as bad as she thought.

chapter summary: it’s duckie and bradley’s birthday! you know what that means... she has kept her promise of no dating until her and brad were 26. and as she celebrates her birthday at the hard deck, she catches the green eyes of one blond aviator. 

‘duckie’ universe

pt 6  pt 8

************** (26 and 3)

It was that time again, yours and Bradley's birthday. But this one you weren’t spending together, Bradley was currently deployed and you were in California at home with your toddler.

“Y/N, why don’t you find a babysitter and come to the Hard Deck? You work so hard, you deserve a break on your birthday,” Penny said through the phone.

The bar wasn’t even open, it was only 4, but Penny didn’t mind letting you come by early before the rush of pilots showed up.

“I don’t know Pen. He’s been such a handful today and I don’t want to bother Serenity, she’s getting stuff ready for school-”

“I’ve already talked to Sarah, you just have to make the call.” You sighed, “Okay, thank you Penny.” “Of course, Y/N.”

You hung up and ran a hand down your face. “Hey, Nicky?” He ran around the corner, “Yeah, Mama?”

“Do you wanna go to Uncle Ice’s?” He nodded, “Yes, ma’am!” You smiled, “Okay, go change and I’ll pack you a bag.”

He quickly did as told and you packed him a bag that would last him a few hours, calling the Kazansky’s in the process.

“Hey, Y/N, you dropping Nick off?” You chuckled at the fact she already knew. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be there in a bit.”

“See you soon, hun.” You hung up grabbing your keys as you went in search of your son.

“Nicky, you ready?” You asked, leaning on his bedroom door frame. He had a white t-shirt on and a Hawaiian shirt that his uncle had bought him. “Baby, your shirt’s on wrong. Can I fix it?” He nodded, and held his arms out.

You flipped the button up shirt around and put it on him properly. “There we go. You ready?” He nodded and made grabby hands, telling you he wanted to be picked up. You picked him up and you left to drop him off at the Admiral’s house.

****

Once you got there you got him out of his carseat and held his hand as you walked to the door.

“Now, promise me you’ll be good for Ice and Sarah?” He nodded, “Okay, Mama.” You kissed his forehead and gave Sarah his bag.

“Now I packed stuff in case he wanted to go to the beach.” You looked back at your son, “Nicky, I love you baby.” “Wove you too Mama.”

“Is that my favorite Bradshaw?”

“Ice!” Nick turned at the sound of the pilot's voice.

The toddler carefully got off the porch and ran to the man.

“Hey, buddy!” Ice scooped him up and walked up the steps, meeting you with a side hug and temple kiss at the top. “Hey birthday girl.” You hummed and hugged him back, “Hey Ice, you’re home early.” “We had an early day.”

You nodded, “Ah, I see. Okay, well I’m gonna be on my way. Be good, Nicky. Please call me if you need anything.”

“Bye, Mama!” Your son reached up to peck your temple much like he watched Ice and Bradley do, and it made your heart swell.

****

You have been at the Hard Deck nursing the same drink for the past 2 hours. You were having fun; it wasn’t particularly busy, just full of pilots, most of them young and you didn’t recognize them.

You looked around and chuckled slightly, “Where did all the pilots come from?” Penny chuckled, “Did you not hear? They’re all here for Top Gun.” “Wait, Top Gun?!” You looked around again, seeing the young pilots play pool and talking to girls that swoon at the site of a uniform.

“You look awfully lonely, Darlin’.”

You turned back to see a man in his khaki uniform and he was just oozing charm. Penny glanced at you, wanting to know if you need her to handle it but you just tapped the bar and she nodded, moving to another area.

“And you look awfully cocky, Lieutenant.”

The man seemed surprised you knew his rank, but didn’t mention it. “Name’s Hangman.”

“Ah, the call sign,” you commented, hiding your smirk by taking a drink. “I’m Y/N. And I would ask where you got that name, but I think I can figure it out.”

He just chuckled, leaning against the bar and looking at the ground. “So, are you in the Navy or-” “My dad was, my brother and uncle are.”

He nodded, “Right, so did your dad retire?” The way you shifted and took a quick sip of your drink told him that wasn’t the case. “I’m sorry.” You shook off the apology, “Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”

You knew that you had to lighten the mood, cause after that most men make it worse.

“So, what’s the name behind the call sign?” You added a smile to show him that you were comfortable talking to him. He smiled back, “Jake Seresin.”

You sat up straighter, “Well, Lieutenant Seresin, why don’t you sit down? Unless…” You turned slightly towards the pool tables, “You have a pool game to get back to.” He shook his head, sitting down, “I’d rather give you my attention.” You playfully smacked his arm and Jake felt electrified, something that didn’t normally happen to him.

He was the playboy, he didn’t get butterflies. He didn’t smile, he smirked. He didn’t laugh, he chuckled. But something about you just flipped this switch, and he didn’t want to turn it off.

“So, what are you doing here all alone?” You giggled a little, your cheeks tinting pink, “It’s my birthday actually.” He arched a brow, “And you’re spending it alone in a bar?”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it,” you laughed dryly. “And you’re here, I’m not completely alone.”

“Well I’m happy to be of service,” he smiled again.

He nudged your shoulder, “But seriously, wouldn’t you rather party? Really let loose.” You sipped your drink, “I’ve never been a fan of partying, not since high school. And, not to get all sentimental, but my twin is currently deployed and I normally celebrate with him.” Jake nodded in understanding.

“Let me buy you a drink, a new drink because you’ve been nursing that one for a while. It can’t taste good.” You shook your head, “No it’s-” You took another sip, “Okay, you’re right. It’s not good.”

Jake couldn’t help but chuckle and that turned into a laugh once you started laughing. “So, is that a yes to that drink?”

You hesitated, not wanting to lead Jake on because, while he had that pilot's cockiness, he seemed to be sweet when it mattered.

You were hesitant to date because, yes, you still loved Kendall, but you knew that you had to move on. You tried a year ago and that didn’t end well, you honestly wanted to just stay single. But being a single mom wasn’t easy…

And despite how hard you tried to tell yourself that ‘Mom didn’t move on, why should I?’, it was like she was thumping you on the back of your head and telling you that you aren’t her and you deserve someone that will make you happy.

Not to say you weren’t happy, cause you were.

Nick brought you so much joy, and that was another thing that froze your dating life. Men -let’s be real, boys- aren’t always up to date a single mom. They don’t want the responsibility of a child that isn’t even theirs.

And you weren’t just going to settle with a man that made you happy, you needed a man that made him happy as well. Nick is your world, and Nick deserved someone that loved him as much as his biological father would.

You sighed before smiling at the blond, “Sure, why not? It’s my birthday after all.” Jake smiled in victory.

Penny had overheard and made her way over, “Anything I can get you two?” As Jake reached into his wallet, Penny winked at you. “What’ll it be?” “I’ll take whatever you have on tap. Birthday girl?” You blushed a little at the name. “You want the same thing you had?” You nodded, sliding the watered down Amaretto to Penny. “Please.”

She slid Jake his glass and you yours. “Can I get you two anything else?” You glanced at Jake and he just shrugged, letting you decide, “Not right now, Pen. I’ll catch you if I do.” She nodded and once again, moved on.

“Thank you for the drink, Hangman.” He nodded, “Of course, birthday girl. And please, call me Jake, it’s just the two of us.” Your lips curled into a flirty smirk, “Well, thank you, Jake.”

He comically shivered, but he also actually shivered, “I like the way that sounds. You say my name so pretty. And anything you want tonight is on me.” You giggled and bumped his shoulder a little, “Aren’t you a stud, Lieutenant?” He barked out a laugh, his blush darkening his tanned face.

A song came on, making Jake perk up and smirk. “Wanna go dance?” You looked nervously at Penny who encouraged you with a smile.

You nodded and downed the rest of your drink, coughing a little, “Bad idea.” Jake laughed again, finding your little comments, whether they’re under your breath or out loud, hilarious.

You accepted his outstretched hand and moved to the little area that wasn’t necessarily for dancing, but that’s where everyone normally dances.

As you danced, you and Jake carried on conversing.

“So, Top Gun?” He nodded, “Yeah, best of the best, Darlin’.”

“Well, you’ve already got the ego,” you teased, giggling at the end as Jake spun you.

When you landed back in his arms you looked up at him, “Do you do this with all the girls, Lieutenant?” “Just on their birthday,” he winked as he continued to sway, hands on your hips.

You had honestly been a little surprised that Jake was keeping his hands on your hips or waist, not squeezing or anything and not moving them to your ass like most guys did.

You just smiled back, unconsciously playing with the short hair at the base of his head while getting lost in his green eyes.

All the while he was getting lost in your (e/c) eyes, and melting into your fingertips that gently scratched his head and neck. He didn’t think this was a feeling he ever would crave, but here he was being slowly coiled around this woman’s finger and he didn’t want to run away.

He had gotten so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that you had started singly softly as the song changed. “Pretty, funny, and can sing? You are just the total package, ain’t ya?” You laugh, a pang of guilt and insecurity in your chest. “I don’t know about that one.”

“Oh,” Jake scoffed, “Don’t sell yourself short, Darlin’. I’m sure you’ve got a line of guys at your door.” You shook your head, “No, actually.” He didn’t hide his genuine shock, “Well, I guess I’m first in line.” “I guess-”

Your phone rang.

You sighed, “I’m so sorry. I need to take this.” Jake nodded and let you go, making sure you made it to the door without interruptions. The pilot sighed and made his way back to the bar.

“Don’t get too close to her.” He heard someone say off to his side.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, she does this all the time,” the man was clearly drunk, but Hangman couldn’t help the slight disappointment in his chest.

“Some poor soul flirts with her, buys her a few drinks. Then she gets a phone call, once it’s over she comes back but is checking it every few minutes. She’s obviously just getting free drinks and getting a kick out of getting some poor guy's hopes up before shutting him down and going home. She’s probably already got a man-”

“Malcolm, do I need to remind you of the rules?” Penny interjected, finally being able to step away from the patron in front of her. “Either: shut the hell up, buy the whole bar a round, or I’ll call you a cab.” The man shut his mouth and held out his card. “That’s what I thought.” She closed his tab but his friend was already at the bar and could drive him home.

“I’m sorry about that, Lieutenant. Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know shit.” Jake nodded and glanced back outside, seeing you at a table just to the right of the stairs on the sand still on the phone.

“What’s her favorite appetizer?” Penny smiled, already being able to tell what was happening, “Nachos probably.”

Jake turned back to her, “Do you have any deserts? Pie, cake, ice cream?”

“She’ll probably want ice cream, it’s pretty warm out today.” Jake nodded, “Okay, I’ll take nachos and two orders of her favorite ice cream.” Penny nodded and quickly sent the nacho order to the kitchen and made the ice cream herself, making sure to add a little bit more to yours.

****

You had finished your call before Penny had filled the order.

Nick was missing you and was crying because he wanted to talk to you, claiming to have missed your voice. Which instantly made you tear up.

So you talked to him and he managed to let it slip that they were on the way to the beach. You told him to be sure and stay by Sarah or Ice’s side and not wander off. He said okay and told you he loved you then hung up.

“Hey, everything okay?”

“Oh my gosh!” You jumped at the sound of Jake's voice. He laughed, green eyes crinkling in the corner, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was still laughing and laughed harder when you playfully narrowed your eyes at him.

You looked at what was in his hands, “Wait, are those nachos?” He nodded, grinning wide, “Sure are, Penny said they were your favorite.” You blushed, realizing he most definitely asked.

“So, was that your boyfriend?”

You shook your head, scratching at your temple, “No, it was a friend. She was needing some help.” He nodded, wanting to believe you but something was telling him you weren’t telling the truth. “Oh okay.”

You grabbed a chip, “Thank you, you didn’t have to.” “You’re welcome.”

You make small talk as you eat the nachos.

“So, you know what I do, but what do you do?” You nodded, swallowing the bite in your mouth, “I’m actually a high school teacher, and I’m an assistant coach for the softball team.” He nodded, humming, “Really? That’s cool.”

You shrugged, “Not as cool as flying a fighter jet.” Jake laughed, “Don’t stroke my ego, now.” “I wouldn’t dream of it,” you winked and ate a chip.

“You said your dad and uncle were in the Navy, and your brother’s on a deployment. Why didn’t you join?” You shrugged, dusting off your hands as you ate your last chip, “I was going to, but something got in the way. I went to Arkansas for college to play softball and I got a degree in teaching.” Jake nodded, swallowing his bite before asking, “Why teaching?”

You brought your legs to lay flat on the bench, “Well I want to help people. So, if I couldn’t do it through the Navy, why not teach and be the support for kids that need it.” He nodded.

“What made you want to be a pilot?” You asked, grabbing a chip. Jake smiled fondly, “My granddad, he was a sailor actually, and that’s why I chose the Navy, but then I heard all about aviation and it just struck a chord.” You smiled as you watched the smile on his face grow, but had to look away when the door opened.

“Hey, I got your ice cream,” Penny said.

You looked from her to Jake. “You didn’t have to, Jake. Seriously this is too much.” Jake scoffed, “Nonsense, it’s your birthday.” You gave me a smile, “Thank you.” “Of course.”

Penny kissed the top of your head, “Happy birthday.” “Thank you,” you squeezed her hand as she walked off.

You opened your mouth to take a bite of ice cream, when a scream made you drop your spoon.

“Mama!”

Both you and Jake snapped your heads in the direction of the sound but saw just a kid getting tickled by his dad screaming for mom to save him while she records.

You and Jake relax, and you sighed rather sadly. He noticed, but didn’t say anything.

Then before you could start a conversation, a force hit you.

“Oh!” You looked down to see a blond head of hair. “Hey, bubba, what are you doin’ here?” You quickly glanced around for Sarah or Ice, seeing them a good couple yards away.

Jake watched you pick up the boy and sit him in your lap. He smiled as he watched the two of you.

“I found a shell!” The toddler shoved the shell in your face, making you flinch back and chuckle. “That’s really pretty, Nicky! Can I see it?” You opened your palm and the 3 year old pressed it into your hand. “It’s for you! Happy birthday, Mama!”

Jake perked up at that, but when he saw how you slightly tensed up he didn’t comment on it.

“Oh, really? Thank you, baby.” You kissed his head. He then pushed his head into your shoulder, and that’s when you realized he must have noticed Jake.

“Nick? You okay buddy?” He nodded, and turned to face the man sitting across from you, but still leaned into you.

“Nick, this is Jake. Jake, this is my son, Nick.” The pilot beamed, “Hi, Nick.” Nick just waved. “Nicky, Jake is a pilot.” Your son perked up at that and it made the both of you chuckle. “Really?”

Jake nodded, chuckling at the excitement on your son’s face.

“Hey, you want some ice cream?” You asked, holding up the spoon. Nick nodded, grabbing the spoon with both hands and taking the bite.

Jake laughed, taking a bite of his own ice cream, “How old are you Nick?” He was answered with three tiny fingers. Jake’s eyes widened, “Wow, 3?” Nick nodded, smiling at the pilot.

You move to take the spoon and Nick moves it out of the way, pouting a little and causing Jake to hold back a laugh. You playfully scoffed, “What if Mama wants a bite?” A mischievous grin spread across your son’s face. You glanced at Jake and he had one too. 

Nick took the spoon and got some ice cream on it. He used both hands to guide the spoon to your mouth. Jake chuckled beside you and you narrowed your eyes at him, but took the bite.

You covered your mouth, “Thank you Nicky.” The boy nodded and put the spoon in the bowl. “I’m gonna go swim and build sandcastles with Ice, okay Mama?” You nodded, “Okay baby.” You kissed his cheek and he stood on the seat to peck your temple.

And just like your heart had done hours earlier, Jake’s heart melted.

You put Nick down. “Happy birthday Mama. I love you!” You cupped his cheek and ran your thumb over the apple of it, “Thank you, I love you too.” He turned and waved to Jake, “Bye Mr. Jake!” Jake waved back, “Bye Nick!”

As you watched to make sure Nick got safely back to Sarah and Ice, Jake started to put together the true story versus what was said to him at the bar. But he still wasn’t sure if you had a partner.

“Cute kid,” Jake said, when you turned back around. “Thank you, made him myself,” you chuckled at your own joke, taking a bite of ice cream. Jake scoff laughed, shaking his head while also taking a bite.

He swallowed his bite and prepared himself for the awkward conversation that was about to follow. “So, do you have a boyfriend?” He watched carefully as your brows pulled together and a misty cloud filled your eyes.

Sighing, you spoke quietly, something he could tell wasn’t a normal occurrence despite only knowing you for a little bit. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

While hearing that should have made him happy, he could tell that there was something else. And he braced himself to get shut down for asking this, “What happened?”

Before you could answer he spoke up again, “You don’t have to tell me.” You shook your head, “No, I think it’s time I talked about it, to someone other than Penny and my brother.” You dryly chuckled and braced yourself to tell, practically a stranger, something very personal.

Without really thinking, Jake grabbed your hand in an attempt to comfort you.

“Nick’s dad… He was killed in a car accident before our son was even born.” He squeezed your hand, “I’m sorry, going through that must not have been easy.”

“It wasn’t,” you glanced into the bar seeing Penny go back and forth between patrons. “But I wasn’t alone. Though I’m sure he and my parents are somewhere scolding me.” Jake tilted his head, “What do you mean?”

You bit your lip, “I haven’t really dated since Nick was born. The last time I tried, it didn’t end well… I was expecting too much, trying to replace Nick’s father… and just– it’s hard, honestly. Most guys don’t want to raise a kid that isn’t theirs. And Nick-” Both you and Jake glanced out to where the toddler was splashing in the surf.

“He is my entire world and he will always come first to me. So, anyone I’m with, I need to make sure they make him happy, too. I need to know that they will put in the effort to care about him as much as they care about me.”

That was when Jake decided that he was going to take things slow with you. He wasn’t going to try to get your number right now, he’d wait and get it when you felt like he was all in.

He was going to really make an effort to get to know you and Nick. Because, something about you made him want to be different and then seeing that you had a son, he really knew he had to earn his trust first.

**************

hey loooook i’m nice!

now duckie has finally met jake seresin... can he truly step up and be what duckie and nick need? 

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[angstymilfy]

Story time:

My Mom married my step-dad when I was 8 years old. He never tried to be my “dad,” he was just this cool guy hanging around. He taught me how to play poker. He took pity on 5th grade me, (that was forced to wear clothes my Mom made while trying to also fit in at a new school,) and bought me a pair of Calvin Klein jeans and a monogrammed sweater. And this was when they were the very epitome of cool, y’all. Later, he taught me how to drive, then he taught me how to drink.

He had 3 boys, all 18+ when I came into the family (ranging from 10-15 years my senior), so we never lived together. But over the years I had spent a lot of holidays, and shared a lot of backyard bbqs with them. I have favorite memories of each: the youngest, only 10 years older, I stayed with him a lot the summer I turned 18. Because he was still living like a teenager and we partied together. The middle one, he’s 12 years older and once told me, (probably 20 years after I’d been in the family), one night when he was shithouse drunk “you look like a duck and you quack like a duck…” His way of telling me I fit in/was one of them. And the oldest one got a 14 year old me drunk for the first time with a bottle of peach schnapps (that I thought tasted like nehi and drank an entire 5th of by myself), at a party our parents were having.

So imagine my surprise when I found out today, that my stepdad died two weeks ago! 😮 And nobody told me! To get such a strong, and insulting message that “you don’t belong,” is…..insult to injury, really.

But I worried they would do that when Mom left him a little over a year ago, after 41 years together, because he was losing his mind and turning increasingly violent to her. He had fully turned on her; he suddenly decided she was the enemy, and he couldn’t trust her. He was raging out all the time and banging tables and slamming his fists into shit, and then going and taking her name off accounts, and calling the cops on her for literally no reason (he told them he thought she was going to kill him in his sleep? and they hadn’t even been arguing or anything. He was just losing it THAT badly). But his boys wouldn’t help her. He had them controlling everything (because of the weird trust thing) but they wouldn’t help Mom or even stop supplying my stepdad with weapons every time Mom took one away. It’s like they WANTED him to shoot her. But it became a totally untenable situation and thankfully Mom exited after he tried to have her arrested, before it got any worse.

That’s it. All she did was be his whipping post and private nurse until she couldn’t anymore. And they basically have been at war with her ever since. Just turned on her like wild dogs. None of them were who we thought they were at all, it turns out.

Now I’m scared they may try to hurt her if they don’t approve of how the estate is settled. The divorce was still in process so Mom is still legally his wife. So I’m anxious as shit about how all that will shake out. Hurt nobody cared enough about me or anyone in my family to even let us know he died. And sad that I won’t ever get to see him again. Or any of them. Even though it turns out they’re all terrible people, these were still people who have been in my life since I was 8 years old. How can they just….turn on her like that? Then not even acknowledge I exist? They knew I had a special relationship with their Dad. Why wouldn’t they tell me he’d passed and give me the opportunity to pay my respects?

……

I’m still so shocked he’s gone.

Even though I shouldn’t be. His health had been deteriorating so it was just a matter of time. But it still felt like it came out of the blue today.

Which would make Christmas 22 the last time I saw him (she left him in feb after that). He’d been super argumentative with Mom all day and I was telling him not to be riling her up, cause he “knows how she gets” wink wink. He and I were always in some sort of rebellious cahoots against Mom’s rules and would 😉 our cahootedness to each other. But that time I was just trying to get him to think he was in on some cahoots with me, to chill and quit fighting with her.

So I guess the last thing I said to him was “be good,” and gave him a look that said “we both know you’re a handful.”

…..

Big sigh 😔

I don’t know what I’m feeling right now y’all. It’s a weird mix of a lot of different things.

I sound crazy. I just needed to vent all this SOMEWHERE.

[veronicaphoenix]

IKIGAI (or A REASON FOR BEING) — CHAPTER FOUR

"At this point, Lia was yet to fully comprehend the profound impact Hana would have on her life. In the years to come, as she matured, Lia would come to realize the depth of Hana's care, her invaluable advice, and unwavering support. It would dawn on her that, without Hana's guidance, neither she nor Noah might have recognized the intensity and inevitability of their connection. Sometimes, it takes an outsider's perspective to reveal what's right in front of us."

Chapter tags: navigating childhood, best friends, found family, platonic love, first period. | Word count: 1.7.k | Cross posted on AO3. | Series masterpost. ✧.*

CHAPTER 4

Lia is 12. Noah is 13.

The high school corridors stood empty, the usual hustle and bustle of students replaced by the hushed stillness of ongoing classes. Noah, typically not one to catch a break, found himself lucky that day. The English teacher had given her a pass for a brief escape to the bathroom, a moment to take a break from the classroom dynamics he often struggled with.

The return journey from the bathroom was uneventful until he heard a familiar name, uttered in a hushed toneby a female voice, an adult. The sound led him to the infirmary. He approached cautiously, finding the door slightly ajar. The nurse exited, oblivious to Noah's presence.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he peered inside. There sat Lia, on the sterile stretcher, head lowered, shoulders slumped, legs pressed together. The subtle sounds of her sniffles reached his ears.

"Lia? What are you doing here?"

Startled, Lia looked up, her eyes widening. "No, don't come in," she pleaded, a hint of panic in her voice.

“Why? What is it?" he asked, his confusion mounting. Despite her protest, he stepped inside, compelled by the need to understand what had brought Lia to this infirmary. Did she feel unwell? Was she hurt? Did someone hurt her?

"It's disgusting. Go away, Noah," Lia insisted, her words tinged with embarrassment and vulnerability. The sterile atmosphere of the infirmary seemed to magnify the weight of whatever was troubling her.

“What is disgusting?” Noah inquired, scanning the infirmary. There was nothing particularly alarming in sight, just the typical medical supplies one would expect. However, his gaze shifted to the box beside Lia. Lia noticed his glance, and her embarrassment deepened.

“I just got my period…” she said quietly. “And… I didn’t know it was going to happen today. There is a stain on my jeans, and I’m wearing white, and… some people called me Carrie White and started laughing.”

Noah, ever the steady presence, tilted his head in confusion. “I don’t know who Carrie White is.” At least, not yet.

Many years later, when Noah and Lia would live under the same roof, watching horror movies would be one of their favorite hobbies, and it was kind of inevitable that they would stumble upon the movie Carrie from 1976, the film adaptation from Stephen King book.

“Me neither,” Lia responded, still unable to meet his gaze directly. The weight of societal taboos around menstruation hung in the air.

“But I don’t think that’s disgusting. It’s just… Blood,” Noah shrugged, his matter-of-fact response contrasting with the stigma Lia felt. “I’ve seen plenty of horror movies where there’s blood. I’m not scared.”

“You’re not?” Lia's eyes finally met Noah's, searching for reassurance.

“No.”

“Grandma lets you watch them?” Lia questioned, her embarrassment momentarily overridden by curiosity. Noah's simple perspective and lack of judgment provided a rare moment of comfort in the midst of her vulnerability.

“Not really. I only watch them when I go to Mike’s house and his parents are not there. You could come next time.”

Lia considered the idea, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had watched many movies on her own, others with her mom, which Lia hadn’t really enjoyed. So, it was exciting to think about watching movies with friends.

She was going to reply, but the moment was interrupted by the entrance of Clare, the school nurse. In one hand, she held a few papers, and in the other, she clutched Lia's PE joggers.

“Noah, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in class,” Clare questioned, her tone a mix of surprise and mild scolding.

“I have a pass for the bathroom,” Noah explained, his eyes briefly shifting to Lia.

“This isn’t the bathroom,” Clare stated, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“I saw Lia and I wanted to check on her,” Noah replied, his concern evident.

“Well, Lia is absolutely fine. I just called her mom to let her know what happened, and there’s nothing else to discuss here. Lia, take this. Get changed, and then you two should go back to your respective classes,” Clare instructed, briskly dealing with the situation at hand.

Noah and Lia exchanged a glance. Lia, caught between embarrassment and gratitude, accepted the PE joggers from Clare.

“You have to go now, Noah,” Clare added.

“Okay, miss,” Noah replied. He waved a hand at Lia, a lingering concern in his eyes, and left the infirmary, pondering what more he could have done.

Clare left Lia alone for a couple of minutes to change into her joggers. She knew those pretty girls and silly boys in class would now laugh at her for wearing those. Clare had given her a box of pads, she had explained her how to use them, and she made sure that Lia wasn’t feeling any pain. Luckily, she was absolutely fine, at least physically.

After three more hours of classes and struggle, Lia packed her things and exited the school premises, the weight of her backpack on her shoulders mirroring the burdens she carried. With her gaze lowered, she prepared for the solitary twenty-five-minute journey home.

A familiar voice disrupted her lonely thoughts. She heard Noah call her name from the promenade in front of school. She looked up and saw him standing there with Hana next to him. The old woman, wearing one of her nice beautiful dresses, waved a hand at Lia and smiled sweetly.

Noah gestured for her to come. She didn’t hesitate to cross the street, looking both ways first, and nearly ran up to them.

She hugged Hana, and the stress she had felt during the hours at school dissipated when Hana took out a bag of homemade cookie from her purse.

“Thought you two might be hungry.”

Lia definitely was. She disliked the school food and never ate much. The sweetness of the cookie immediately eased Lia's hunger and lifted her spirits.

“Walk with us?” Noah asked her as he took one cookie to his mouth. Lia nodded, contently.

Noah had grown a little taller in the past few months. He was already taller than Lia and the freckles covering his face seemed to be fading away. Lia was still amazed at his eyes, that held so much resemble to his grandmother’s. She loved how different they were from hers.

“Lia, Noah told me what happened at school,” Hanna suddenly said.

Noah, biting his cheek nervously, awaited Lia's reaction, his caution evident in his sideways glance at her. Liamet his gaze, taken back by the breach of her privacy, but her expression softened as she looked down at the cookie in her hand. Then, she nodded, signaling her acceptance, perhaps recognizing the intention behind Noah's sharing.

Hana addressed the situation with empathy, and Lia found a certain understanding in Hana's eyes.

“Do you feel like coming with us to the supermarket? I need to buy a few things and you could get whatever you need in case you don’t have it at home.”

It was a kind offer, Lia thought. She knew that her mom had pads and tampons at home, but she knew better than to use those. Cristina would probably get angry on her and would tell her to go buy herself her own.

“I don’t have any money,” Lia admitted. She had some savings at home, hidden in a piggy bank under the bed; coins that she had been finding here and there around the house. That was all she had, and still she was not sure if that would cover for the expense of a box of pads.

“Oh, honey, don’t you worry about that,” Hana exclaimed, gently touching her shoulder.

“We can also buy Pop Rocks!” Noah’s suggested.

At this point, Lia was yet to fully comprehend the profound impact Hana would have on her life. In the years to come, as she matured, Lia would come to realize the depth of Hana's care, her invaluable advice, and unwavering support. It would dawn on her that, without Hana's guidance, neither she nor Noah might have recognized the intensity and inevitability of their connection. Sometimes, it takes an outsider's perspective to reveal what's right in front of us.

Hana, mindful of Lia's needs, included a couple of pad boxes during the shopping and allowed Noah to get a box of his favorite chocolates. As they neared Lia’s house, Noah felt a sense of responsibility that he couldn’t let go of.

"Can Lia come home for a while?" Parting ways like that didn’t feel right to him. He believed that perhaps Lia needed someone to talk to or maybe someone that could provide distractions from the bad things that other kids had told her at school.

He thought that, if she went to his house, they could watch a movie together, play some music, maybe do homework together even if it was boring, or maybe even help grandma in the kitchen.

But Hana, recognizing Noah's empathy, responded gently, "No, sweetie. I think Lia should go home now."

There was an unspoken understanding in Hana's words that the kids were not fully capable of catching. It wasn't just about going home; it was about giving Lia the space she needed. She probably wanted to take a bath, have some time alone to think and adjust to the new changes in her body, and then, have a talk with her mother.

The day served as a lesson for both Lia and Noah. Lia, on her journey to womanhood, would get to know her body perfectly, for better or for worse. Simultaneously, Noah would grow to be the kind of boy that would carry a couple of tampons in his backpack in case his best friend needed one. There was some humor in that, because later on, when they would both turn into young adults and Bad Omens started touring, Noah would always have a bad habit of forgetting his socks and his phone charger in hotel rooms, and Lia would be the one to always have to remind him to check the room properly before leaving.

Grateful for them, Lia said thanks and bid Noah and Hana goodbye. Reluctantly, she made her way towards the door.

She stood in the porch stairs a few seconds, looking back over her shoulder once to keep her eyes lingering on Noah. They would see each other again tomorrow. She told herserlf that she would be strong enough to survive until then.

[lovesosweeet]

better left unsaid // cth

chapter nineteen

in which orion has leukemia, and calum doesn’t know.

calum hood x fem!oc

read other chapters

tw for this chapter: body image, weight loss, eating disorders

august 25, 2018 los angeles, california orion

“Ready to go home?” Mama asks. She’s holding my bag of dirty pajamas and loungewear, the strap slung over her shoulder. She looks tired, but she’s still smiling.

“Please,” I say.

The past week stuck on the oncology ward has been brutal. It took five whole days for my fever to actually break, but my other symptoms didn’t go away until yesterday. Mama has been here since the first day, whereas Mom had to go back to work after the first couple here. I’ve been happy to have both of them here for whatever amount of time they have been able to be. 

Emelia has come by every day to check in, and Macy and her parents have been taking care of Duke for me. Ashton hasn’t spoken to me at all since our last conversation.

Calum remains as clueless as ever, just as I’d like.

Mama and I exit the sterile room I’ve called home for a week, nodding to the kind nurses that I’ve befriended. Calum would make fun of me, saying I can’t go into any room without making a friend, but I try not to think about how Cal would feel about all of this. 

We ride the elevator down to the ground floor and head out to the parking garage. It’s not really outside, since we’re surrounded by concrete and cars and absolutely no nature, but it’s nice to feel the sun and fresh air. 

After we clamber into her car, she offers to take us to Taco Bell, my favorite fast food, but I still don’t have an appetite, so I tell her to just take me home. When we get to the parking garage at my apartment, the sight of my shitty car, still in its parking space next to Cal’s, makes me smile for some reason. It’s nice to be home. 

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better!” Ron cheers as we enter the lobby. “I’ve missed seeing you.”

I smile at Ron, but he can’t see it since I’m still wearing a mask. I’ve been instructed to wear it whenever I leave my apartment for the rest of my chemo treatment. It’s a fair punishment if it keeps me from feeling as awful as I have for a week. “Hi Ron, I’ve missed you too.” 

“You have a delivery in your apartment, by the way,” Ron says. “I sent it up with Macy yesterday.”

“Thank you,” I tell him. Macy didn’t tell me about any delivery, but I’ll see what it is soon enough. 

Mama and I ride the elevator up to the fourth floor, stepping out and walking the handful of yards to the door. When I unlock it, Duke is waiting impatiently on the other side, wagging his tail at lightning speed when he sees us. I pick him up instantly, embracing the small ball of fluff in my arms and letting him nuzzle his face into my neck. 

“Hi buddy,” I coo, petting his head. “I missed you so much.”

As I set him back on the floor, I notice what the ‘delivery’ is that Ron mentioned. Sitting in a vase in the kitchen is the largest bouquet of chamomile I’ve ever seen, a light green envelope tucked in the middle of the flowers. I stride over to it, grabbing the card to open it, revealing the custom message inside. 

I know it’s not a special occasion. I just miss you and wanted to do something special. Don’t be mad. I love you. Xxx - Cal

I take several deep breaths, trying not to cry. I don’t cry, but I do get a little teary-eyed. Thankfully, Mama comes over and starts talking. A welcome distraction.

“Aw, from Cal?” She asks. “He’s so sweet. Okay, I’m going to take Duke out on a short walk for you. Mom and Eri are coming for dinner and should be here around when I get back.”

I want to object, say I can take Duke for a walk and she doesn’t need to do anything else for me, but I know I’m not supposed to spend much time outside and I should accept the help while I have it. “Thank you, I’m gonna take a shower.”

Mama gets Duke hooked up in his harness and disappears quickly, giving me some true alone time for the first time since last week. The apartment feels so quiet compared to the hospital, so I play some music on our Bluetooth speakers while I shower. 

When I get out of the shower and start to get dressed, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, naked. It’s so bad I can’t look away. My ribs are all visible and my hipbones stick out more than they should. My sternum is defined and my arms look like sticks. I then notice how hollowed out my face looks. I knew I was losing weight and getting smaller, but what I see in the mirror is far more concerning and jarring than what I expected. 

I wonder if any of my non-workout clothes will fit. I’m already the smallest size in jeans that I can find, so if they’re too big I’m simply out of luck in the pants department and will have to check the kids section to buy anything new. 

The changes in my body are noticeable, and I know Cal will have something to say about it when I see him.

I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts. I wish he was here with me. At the same time, I dread seeing him. I’m scared of telling him everything that’s going on and I know that he’s going to know something is up when he sees me. He’s going to ask about it. Everything is pointing me to telling Calum in San Diego and not in November, which wasn’t my plan, but now I don’t see how any other option is feasible. 

It takes a lot of self discipline to tear my eyes away from my reflection. I head into our closet to find clean clothes to put on, immediately going to Calum’s side for a sweatshirt before grabbing a pair of comfy shorts from my dresser. In baggy clothes, my sickly small frame isn’t as noticeable. 

By the time I’ve dried my hair and make myself a cup of tea, Mama is back with Duke, saying Mom and Eri will be here soon. I put the kettle back on so they can also have tea once everyone is here. 

I take a few minutes to try to tidy the kitchen and do the small amount of dishes I’d left behind before I had to get admitted. Duke follows me around the apartment the whole time, making me feel bad for leaving him here alone for a while. I fill up a Kong with peanut butter to keep him busy and as a treat, running it over to his bed to lay down with. 

As the kettle starts to whistle, a knock sounds on the door before it opens. My little brother Eri runs inside at full speed. 

Eri and I have a big age gap between us, but we’re pretty close considering we don’t live together and he’s 16 years younger than me. My moms fostered kids for my entire childhood, and Eri was placed into their care at a few days old. They ended up adopting him and named him after a constellation, just like me. Eridanus. 

“Orion!” Eri yells, his clumsy footsteps echoing around the place. He finds me quickly, pummelling into my hip with his tight hug. 

“Eri!” I cheer, bending over to pick him up. He’s not that heavy, but he feels heavier today, and it takes a lot more energy than I’d like it to for me to hold him. 

“Do you feel better?” He asks in his kiddish voice. His L sounds more like a W.

“Yes, much better,” I tell him. I push his dark brown hair out of his eyes so I can see them more clearly. I do feel better, but I definitely still don’t feel that great.

“Where’s Calum?” He asks. His dark brown eyes panoramically scan my apartment, searching for his favorite person on the planet.

“Eri, we told you, Calum is working. Remember?” Mom turns the corner from the foyer into the kitchen, giving me a knowing smile. 

“Oh yeah!” Eri says. He then starts to pout. “I miss him.”

I laugh, leaning forward to kiss his soft cheek. “Me too, buddy.”

“Here, wanna go look at his toys?” I ask him, setting his feet back onto the tiled floor in the kitchen. 

Eri lights up and nods, and I grab his hand to lead him over to Cal’s small collection of Legos. 

While Eri and I mess around — gently — with Calum’s Legos, my moms are in the kitchen. They clean up, much to my dismay, and they order our dinner without asking us what we want. I’m updated with this news when Mama leaves to go meet the Doordash driver and Mom tells me they’d ordered Thai food. 

I appreciate the free dinner, I just wish they had given me the opportunity to pay for my own food. 

Everyone digs into their food. My moms share a mix of drunken noodles, pad thai, and pad see ew, all with tofu, while Eri eats chicken gyoza and edamame. I pick gently at the drunken noodles, which were ordered for me, but they know I won’t eat much, which is why they’re also eating from my styrofoam container. 

As we’re eating, I get a Facetime call from Calum. Thankfully, I’m in a setting where I can answer and not have to conjure up some scenario for being where I am. I’m just home, with my family, which doesn’t require some kind of explanation. 

I accept the call quickly. 

“Hi!” I say, smiling brightly when I see his sweet face on my screen.

Calum grins instantly, his eyes lighting up and his whole face turning into a smile. “Hello!”

I pan the camera over to my family, just letting him know they can hear everything he says. They all wave, and Eri runs back over to my side so he can squish his small head into the frame next to mine. 

“CAL!” Eri yells, his face showing far more excitement than mine. 

“Eri! Hi, bud, it’s so good to see you!”

“We got here and you aren’t here!”

Cal frowns. “I know, bud, we’re in Australia right now, but we’ll be in San Diego in a little over a month! Did your sister tell you you can come to our show?”

Eri gasps. “No! Sissy, why didn’t you tell me?!”

I fight the urge to wince and plaster on a fake smile. “Sorry, buddy, I wanted it to be a surprise.” 

I hadn’t wanted to ask my family about that day until we were closer, until I knew how I was feeling and how Cal and I were doing. But, Calum just brought it up to my very naive brother who absolutely adores him, so that thought is long gone. Now they have to come. Eri won’t forget. He’ll ask me about it all the time. 

“I can’t WAIT!” Eri yells. His smile is so wide I would feel like the biggest asshole ever to tell him he can’t come. He has to come. 

“Me neither, buddy,” Cal says. “Is it OK if I talk to your sister alone for just a sec?”

Eri frowns, his pout making me feel bad, but I understand completely. I want to talk to Cal alone, too.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, bud, does that sound okay?” Cal asks, trying to alleviate the drama that Eri is on the verge of bringing. 

Eri lights up at the suggestion. “Yeah! Call Mama tomorrow!”

Calum nods. “Sounds like a plan, big guy. I’ll call as soon as we land in Canada.”

“Okay! Bye, Cal! I love you!”

“Love you too, Eri. Be nice to your sister!”

Eri rolls his eyes and says a faint ‘yeah, yeah’ and then he runs over to Duke, tackling him in a hug. 

I turn back to my phone. “Hi,” I tell Calum, whose friendly grin turns into one of pure love. God, I love him.

“Hi, my love,” he says.

“Are you at the airport?” I ask.

Calum nods. “Yeah, we’re at the airport to fly to Toronto. Just wanted to say hi before we’re in the air for 14 hours.”

“Hi,” I tell him. Looking at his face on my phone screen, I can’t help but smile. His face is my favorite. 

Calum sighs and it sounds sad. Why is he sighing?

“What’s wrong?”

His facial expression falls even more than it already had. He pouts. “Nothing, sorry. Just can’t believe we still have so long before we’re back in California.”

“Not that long!” I try to reassure him. I feel the same way, but I’m trying to be positive. I went a whole 19 years without him. I can live another month and week or so without him. Besides, it’s not really a life without him. He’s still here, just a little far away. “It’ll be here before you know it.”

Calum nods. “I know. Just hate being away from you,”

As the Facetime call with Calum ends, a mix of emotions lingers in the air. Home feels comforting with Mama, Eri, and Duke around. The chamomile bouquet from Calum adds a sweet touch, making me smile despite the challenging week in the hospital.

Back in the apartment I share with Cal, surrounded by Thai food and family, the sense of normalcy is a welcome relief. My cup of tea is warm, keeping the light in my heart burning as I wait for Calum to come back to this side of the world so I can deliver the devastating news I’ve been holding as cards against my chest. Some day soon, he’ll see the hand I’ve been dealt.

read next chapter

[mykeworthy]

She Called Him Edgar (The Opening)

“Hey, Raven, you need any help?” The empath turned her head to the shapeshifter, leaning over the counter. She had dropped her favorite mug, which thankfully landed on the soft carpet, but on the ground it was basically out of reach. Normally she would use her magic to summon it back to her hand, or even just bend over and pick it up. But there was a very large reason she was unable to do either, and it was currently blocking her view of even seeing the mug at all. 

Raven let out an annoyed breath, but nodded and took a step back from where the mug fell. Beast Boy closed the space between them, bending down to grab the fallen ceramic vessel. He cared it over to the sink, and began to wash it, setting it to dry with the other dishes he had just finished cleaning.

“Thanks,” Raven said, before taking a seat at the kitchen table, unable to stand much longer. “One more month,” she muttered, “One more month and he’s out.” 

“Already been eight months?” Beast Boy said. “I bet you can’t wait to see the little guy.”

“I’d also like to see my toes,” she immediately bit out, her snark reaching higher than normal levels. As if she immediately rebuked himself, her hands cradled her own stomach. “I… I do want to meet him,” she said. She never liked calling the child growing inside her with just simple pronouns, but a name for him escaped her. 

She was suddenly aware Beast Boy was looking at her, with that dopey grin on his face. 

“What?” she asked, feeling annoyed.

“Nothing,” he said with a little defense. “I just like kids and everything involved in it. I hope one day I get to help someone bring a cute little baby into this world.”

“Just try to pick someone who isn’t half demon. Not having control of my powers has been he…” Raven went silent, her hand returning to her stomach. “He.. he just kicked.” Raven felt a similar dopey grin creep onto her face, as she focused on the life moving inside her.

Beast Boy got this look on his face, before beginning to walk away. Raven never figured what made her say the next line to him. “Did you want to feel?”

Beast Boy’s ears perked up before he even turned around, kneeling beside Raven in a flash. He very gently, checking Raven’s expression as he went, placed his hand on her stomach, over the baggy shirt she had been favoring with her changed physique. 

It took a moment, but the boy kicked hard, harder than he had before. Beast Boy let out a soft laugh, before catching Raven’s eyes. She could see a true genuine joy in them… but past that a soft sadness. 

“He’s going to be a lucky kid. You’re going to be a great mother, and all the Titans will be there for you, whatever you need.” Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. 

—————————————

Raven slowly opened her eyes, as the memory of where she was hit her. The hospital bed was not comfy, and she checked to see if she was hooked up to anything. An IV, a heart monitor. Raven had not had a normal reaction to birth, and despite wanting a natural birth, she needed to be sedated. Her eyes scanned the room, the last thing she remembered was a bunch of nurses and doctors around her, and seeing her son for a few moments before passing out.

Right now, the room was empty, save for a lone figure by the window.

“See that Eddie?” Beast Boy spoke, cradling Raven’s son in his arms. “That’s Jump City. Your mom doesn’t follow along with a lot of celebrity news, but some many people out there are so eager to meet you. You are the first Titan baby, and soon Star and Robin will give you a little cousin to play with. But until then, everyone is going to want to see you, yes they are.”

Raven cleared her throat, and Beast Boy turned to see her sitting up. “You’re awake! Up long?” He asked.

“Long enough to hear you criticize my disdain for gossip.”

Beast Boy smiled and carried the baby over to her bedside. “Now, would you hand me my son?”

“No,” Beast Boy said, gently swaying with the child in his hands. “Doctor said first thing you need when you get up is to get some water in you. Glass and pitcher on the table.”

Raven glared at him, and Beast Boy got nervous. “Hey, it’s not my decision. Take it up with the highly educated and experienced doctor. You need water, and mommy needs to take care of herself, doesn’t she, Eddie?” The last part was not directed at her, instead to the baby.

Giving in, the empath grabbed the small pinkish pitcher and filled the styrofoam cup with water. “Why are you calling my son, Eddie?”

“Short for Edgar. Guess you picked a name. Doc said you told him just before you zonked out. All the others thought the name was odd, but he looks like an Edgar… In a good way. Beast Boy shift the boy in his arms, so he was holding him up so Raven could see him. “Edgar MiddleNameToBeDetermined Roth. Say hi to Mommy, Eddie.” Beast Boy used his pinky to gently move the boy’s hand like he was waving.

Raven felt something in heart as she saw her son, and finished the glass before reaching up for him. This time, Beast Boy gave no resistance and handed him over, Raven cradling him, copying the way Beast Boy had been holding him earlier. “He does look like an Edgar,” she said. Beast Boy gently placed a hand on the boy’s head, before beginning to walk away. 

“Garfield…” she called out, watching the man turn to look at her. “Thanks for watching him.” 

Beast Boy lit up with a big smile. “Anytime Raven!”

[kimmysurveyblog]

54

What do you want for your birthday? I have no idea. Staple clothing items are always appreciated, like socks or a sweater.

What’s your favorite flavor of tea? Mint with honey is all I ever drink (when sick).

What’s your favorite fall drink? Pumpkin cream cold brew!

What’re you going to be for Halloween? A tired mom. I truly don't care for this holiday at all. Counting the days until Nov 1st so I can go into CHRISTMAS MODE! :)

Do you think you’ve learned a lot and grown a lot in the past year? For sure. I've been the mom of a toddler which is difficult of course, but also my Mom died. I don't have any living parents. It's been quite the year. I'm very excited for a fresh start in 2 months!

Are you satisfied with how you’ve spent your year? Yes! I'm in the era of my life where I'm 100% focused on my young child and have little time or energy for much else. I'm proud of myself for getting into the habit of exercising while she naps. :)

Do you have a lot of friends? No.

Do you own a yellow scarf? No.

Do you own anything leopard print? Nope.

Will you buy a cake for your next birthday? Yes!

Are you excited for something currently? Halloween, I guess. My daughter will be excited.

If you could change just one thing about your life right now, what would it be? I have this dark cloud hanging over me lately and I'd like it to go away.

What’s your favorite color? Purple.

Are you artistic? Nope.

When was that last time you drew a picture in a sketchbook? Years ago. That used to be one of my hobbies.

Is there a tree right outside your bedroom window? No.

Have you ever dressed up as a witch on Halloween? Probably.

Have you ever been to a masquerade? No.

Do you eat vegetables? Rarely. It's one thing I struggle with.

Is there anybody you think is hot over the age of 40? Several.

Did anything bad happen to you in August? I don't think so.

Who in your phone has a heart after their name? Boyfriend.

Do you think your last ex deserves to die? No.

Do any girls like the last guy you kissed? Maybe.

Have you done anything sexual today? No.

Do you have a second mom? There was an older woman I met online who I considered my second mom and she really stepped up when my dad died + my mom basically abandoned me. She passed away about 10 years ago now. I miss her so much.

Other than your name, what was the last name someone called you? Mommy.

If you could find one long lost friend of the past, who would it be? No idea.

Was your sixth grade teacher a man or a woman? Man.

Have you ever had any teeth pulled? Yes.

Do you wash your hair or your body first when taking a shower? Hair.

Have you ever eaten something other people might think is gross? Nah.

When was the last time you colored with crayons? Yesterday. I have a toddler lol.

When you were a kid, who was your best pal? I had many throughout the years.

Have you ever been to a nursing home? Visited people, and worked in one.

Do you own any board games? Maybe.

Were you born in the state you live in? Province and yes.

Have you ever lived in a house that has been broken into? No.

Who do you know that watches the most sports? My boyfriend's mom and stepdad.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? No.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? I just got a save the date in the mail today! Next September.

Do you live anywhere near the woods? Yes.

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? Mine & my boyfriend's, and my parents.

What’s your favourite brand of energy drink? Monster.

Do you have (or have you ever had) acne? I had a few zits during puberty (and pregnancy lol) but not much else fortunately.

What will be the next concert you attend? Nooo idea.

Can you rap? No.

What do you usually order when you’re at McDonald’s? Two big mac combos and a happy meal.

Do you like to wear long, dangling earrings? No.

Do you pay any attention to your country’s politics? Yes.

Tell me about the sickest you’ve ever felt. I had Norovirus as an adult and it fucking sucked.

Any important birthdays coming up? Nope.

Fireworks: yay or nay? I hate them. Think of the last long car trip you had, where did you go? No idea. I haven't done a long car trip in years.

Do you have a Twitter account that you use regularly? No.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! No.

Do you like people watching and is it something you do often? If so, where are your favorite locations to do so? No.

The last time you ate leftovers, what was it that you were eating? Pizza.

What is your favorite board that you've made on Pinterest? ACNH inspo.

Do you get on Facebook or Instagram more? Ohhh no idea. Both equally maybe.

What was the last thing you ate or drank that was blue raspberry-flavored? Candy probably.

What was the last song you listened to? A song from the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack probably. My toddler is OBSESSED right now.

Have you discovered any new hobbies in the past couple months? Exercise maybe? I've been doing this since the beginning of June.

What's the wildest animal you've ever come in contact with? No idea.

Do you ever question if your mother loves you? No.

What is your favorite type of Lunchables? The pizza one.

Are any of your siblings' friends like family to you? Yes, one of them.

Do you have any friends who you exchange memes with? Of course.

Are you in any Discord servers? How often do you use them? I'm in several but I only actively use one related to parenting and the "couple" Discord I have with my boyfriend. Highly recommend!! It's so freaking useful, especially now that we have a kid.

Have you ever had to see an emergency vet after hours? Yes. My ex stepped on my dog accidentally. She was fine thankfully.

When was the last time you sat under a blanket on a couch? No idea.

Can you bite into ice cream or are your teeth too sensitive? No idea.

Do you know anyone who's been bitten by a snake? No.

Do you prefer strawberries or cherries? Strawberries.

Biggest insecurity? My stomach. It's always been my biggest insecurity but that's obviously worse since having a child.

Describe your mom with one word. Missed.

Do you like fast food or does it disgust you? I enjoy it. We usually get it once a week.

Who was the last person you kissed? Bf.

What’s your favourite alcoholic drink? Craft beer.

Do you like the smell of BBQs? Yes!

Do wasps scare you? No.

Have you ever worn flip flops in the snow? Yesss all the time in the Winter to take out the garbage or get/take out the dog. I should really just buy a pair of slip on shoes.

Have you ever heard people having sex in the next room? No.

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? No.

Have you ever lost your voice? Last time I got sick.

Did you ever have an emo or scene phase? Yup.

Could you see yourself having a child with the last person you kissed? We have one child. :)

Which of the guys you’ve been interested in hurt you the most? Ex bf.

Do you know anyone who is engaged? Cousin.

What are you listening to? Cars going by.

What was the last thing you looked up on Google? Sugar cookie recipe.

Ever been kissed on the leg? Maybe?

Do you think you are ready to be on your own (have your own home, job, etc.)? Yes of course.

Are you friends with someone who’s autistic? Yes.

Have you ever had a Big Mac? Yes!

[wolfie-queen-bri]

I wanna talk about family. Specifically, my family.

Between my bio-father, my mom, and my dad; there are 6 siblings. I'll do my best to explain, but keep in mind that I only use half and step to explain because in everyday life, we just call each other brother and sister (and sometimes not so nice names).

The oldest is my half-brother, E. He is 41 and is a very nice and laid back man. He doesn't really like our bio-father because he used to beat him.

The second oldest is my step-sister L. She is 39 and has pretty ginger hair. I get mad when she dyes her hair blonde. My Dad's oldest.

The third oldest is my step-sister A. She is 37 and a bit odd. She was born in Feb. My Dad's middle child.

The fourth oldest is my step-sister M. She is 37 but born in Oct. A is her and L's half sister by Dad. I am very proud of M, she is going to collage to be a pediatric nurse.

The fifth oldest is my blood brother, C. He is 34 and one of the funniest people you'll ever meet. My mom's first child.

I am B, and I am the baby. I am 31 and considered to be everyone's favorite. Mom's last child.

Phew, with me so far? This is where it gets a little crazy.

I have 5 older siblings and between those 5, they have 18 children. All children are written from oldest to youngest with their parent.

E has 3 daughters: Al, Au, and H.

L has 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls: Aus, Isa, Myk, Sav, and RyJ.

A has 2 children: Ab and Ad.

M has 3 boys: Mal, Lu, and Da.

C has 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls: Kai, Ei, Iz, Li, and T.

I have a cat named Tear (y'all love him).

I'M NOT DONE YET THOUGH.

My niece Al (brother E's oldest), is 20 and had her first baby in March. He is my great-nephew, RyEd.

And I think A's daughter Ab is 18 or 19 and also going to have a baby.

And that is my family! Sorry for the blabbing, but I just wanted to talk about my family.

[thewritingofspencerrose]

Christmas of 1994 (chapter one)

Christmas eve.

You see, Christmas used to be my favorite time of year, just like it is for my younger brother Charlie. However as I got older, the magic of the season calmed in my heart. That was until our father and his mother got divorced two years ago, resulting in an ongoing, horribly complicated custody battle over Charlie.

Laura isn't my mother, my mother and our dad got divorced when I was three, coming to a, what I came to view, as a very fair custody agreement. Each parent would get me every other week, trading off holidays like New Years and Christmas every year.

Why couldn't other mom's be as easy as mine in a divorce?

"She what?"

"She is dropping Charlie off to spend Christmas with Dad and I only so that she and Nelson? Neil? I think it's Neil," I mumble the last bit to myself as I talk to my mother on speaker phone, decorating the tree so that I have some place tomorrow morning to place Charlie's gifts. "Anyways, they're dropping him off in only a few minutes and Dad is nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to be home an hour ago."

"Sounds like your father," Mom comments, not in a way with any malice, but used to my father's relationship with his job, one stronger than any romantic relationship he's ever had.

"What sounds like Scott?" Samuel, my step-father questions, Mom filling him in as a car horn sounds from outside.

"Oh Mom, I have to go, that's Laura and Neil with Charlie," I explain, cutting in.

"Of course honey, have fun and merry Christmas! We love you!"

"I love you both too," I return, clicking end as I head to the front door, throwing it open to reveal my favorite human in the world.

My brother.

"Noel!"

"Charlie!" I exclaim in return, kneeling down to catch the kid in my embrace, eyes meeting Laura's from over his shoulder.

"Where's Scott?" She asks as I stand, her approaching us with Charlie's bag. "He didn't answer any of my calls."

"He had his office holiday party tonight," I remind, sighing at what is becoming a regular habit. "He should be home any minute though, so please, come inside," I invite, her nodding slowly before turning to hold a finger up to where Neil waits in the car, letting him know she'd be a minute before following Charlie and I inside.

"So," She begins, looking around at the decorations in the usually minimal home. "Your father must enjoy having you home from school. Where are you studying again?"

"Illinois State," I answer, standing around as Charlie takes off to his room to unpack for the night. "I decided to stay close to home, although it is about an hour commute from my apartment to here."

"And what are you studying again?"

"Nursing," I answer once more, grateful for the little Dad has filled her in on as it gives us something to talk about.

"That's admirable," She compliments, eyes still looking around. "Personally, I'm glad you stayed close. Charlie was so sad when he thought you would be too far to visit."

Oh that boy. "I don't think Mom or Dad would survive is I was too far away," I joke, Laura chuckling and nodding.

"How is Alexandra and Samuel?"

"My-"

"My first ex-wife is happily living across town with her lawyer husband, living her best life," Dad cuts in for me, answering the question in a rush. "I am so sorry I'm late, the party went long and traffic and-"

"It's fine Scott, Neil and I just have to get going, his parents are waiting for us," Laura dismisses. "Charlie! Come say goodbye!"

And in comes the kid, running up to his mom and giving her a hug. At least he's not asking if he really has to stay. Dad said he made a comment like that last year when Mom, Samuel and I went to Ireland for Christmas.

"Bye Mom," He mumbles, hugging her as she kneels at his level.

"If you need anything, I'm one call away," She assures, holding his shoulders.

"He'll be fine," Dad assures, Laura giving him a skeptical look, glancing at me.

"I'm here, it'll be okay," I assure, her nodding.

"Okay, good, call if he needs anything, and I will see you three tomorrow!" She exclaims, getting out the door just as Neil honks the horn.

"So," Charlie begins, looking between Dad and I. "Why are there no presents under the tree?"

Uhh... "Santa hasn't brought them yet buddy," I answer, Dad nodding along.

"Neil and mom said that Santa's not real. That believing is for babies," Charlie responds, plopping himself down on the couch. Of course Neil "I'm a therapist, I know best" Miller would tell an eight year old that Santa isn't real.

"Well," I start, plopping down beside him and throwing my body across him in a way of annoyance that only I as the older sibling can offer. "I still believe in Santa, and I'm not a baby. And so does Dad." I offer, Dad nodding slowly in agreement. This man is practically the Grinch, this is hilarious.

"Okay, I'm going to start on dinner while you two do whatever," Dad tells, waving for me to come to him, which I do. "Is dinner ready?" He whispers, knowing I'm the chef of the house.

"All that's left is putting everything in the oven, and all the recipes are on the counter," I assure, him patting me on the back in thanks. "I'll keep him busy."

"What would I do without you?"

"Die," I answer honestly and with a smile, earning a grunt from him as he walks away and into the kitchen. "Now Charlie, who wants to watch a Christmas movie?"