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ladykailitha · 9 months ago

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Not All That Glitters is Gold Part 17

This is the last chapter of this story. I do have the sequel halfway written and it will be most of the way, if not all the way done before I post the first chapter.

It's called "Everything I Ever Wanted" and will be four chapters, each based on a part of Steve's new life I wanted to highlight. Retirement, Steve's charity, the bonding and mating, and the birth of their first child and the fallout with his parents.

I will still keep the Glitters tag list for the sequel. I wouldn't normally, but it's such a little thing, it's just easier that way. If you want to be taken off the list for the sequel, let me know.

Here is Steve's happily ever after. As it should be.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

****

Steve hated his heats before, but he loathed them now. Now he had an alpha he wanted to share it with, only they weren’t allowed to.

It was only a mini heat to clear out a minor faux bond and would barely last twenty four hours, but they would be the most miserable twenty four hours of his life and that included the twenty four hours after he learned he was infertile.

But Robin was the best handler in the business for a reason. The second his body temperature spiked, Xander and her got Eddie out and into her apartment, still in rut as he was.

Then she rebuilt Steve’s nest from scratch to perfection with the minor edition of Eddie’s handkerchief under his pillow.

The handkerchief plus, Eddie’s scent still sending out waves toward Steve’s apartment would help mitigate the absolute misery he would be in, but he still hated it.

Once all traces of the heat were out of his system, and his temperature going back to normal was Steve allowed visitors. Not even Robin was allowed inside his bedroom during his heats.

Though that was mainly because the poor omega was so pitiful and crying that a lot of handlers would be emotional wrecks afterwards.

Robin had made the mistake once when a heat came a week early due to some stress that was happening in Steve’s life and she was a sobbing mess the whole time he was in heat.

No one knew why the sight of an omega in heat drove betas to such an extreme emotional response, but the prevailing theory was that it was an evolutionary throw back to the pre-historic era so that betas would be moved to not take advantage of the omega in their most vulnerable time.

He showered and stepped out to his front room and smiled. Robin and Eddie were on the sofa waiting for him.

“Hey, princess,” Eddie murmured. “How are you feeling?”

Steve groaned and flopped down on the seat between the two of them. “Like I’ve been run over. The mini heats are the worst. Because you can’t prepare for them.”

“Especially since that was his first mini heat,” Robin commented dryly, “that automatically makes it worse.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t usually get mini heats?”

“Nope!” Steve said, popping the P. “Robin carefully curates my clients so that it’s never happened. I’ve experienced faux bonds before, the chemical bonding of scents instead of an actual bite bond. Those are common enough. But no, no mini heats for me.”

Eddie looked over at Robin who looked smug.

“Well that’s good then,” he said.

Steve nodded. He chewed on his lower lip and sighed. “I think we need to talk about the golden omega thing. It’s not possible, right?”

Robin and Eddie raised their eyebrows.

“Stevie,” Eddie said gently, “not only is it possible, it’s highly probable.”

Steve looked over at Robin and she nodded.

“Wait, what?”

“You don’t have to do anything about it now,” Robin said. “As long as you are a Starcourt escort you’ll spend your heats alone. And then if you want to get bonded to Eddie and have pups with him, walk away from the job and then mate.”

Steve went stock still as he mulled it over in his mind. Eddie and Robin exchanged concerned glances but stayed silent as Steve’s entire world view was shifted on its axis.

Starcourt had always treated Steve like he was special. It was one of the reasons his cherry popping was such a major event. His parents had sneered at the whole experience, but the agency had gone out of their way to make Steve feel safe in the process.

But to be a golden omega for real? And not just because Eddie wanted him to be special. Not that Eddie didn’t already think he was special, but this would cement how special Steve actually was.

He knew his parents would immediately come out of the woodwork to claim more money for being a golden omega, but it would also be the sweetest justice imaginable.

Because they could have gotten more from Steve’s omegahood and chose to throw him away like he didn’t matter. Only coming back when they needed more money.

“Explain it to me,” he whispered.

And they did. Robin leading the way with Eddie filling in spots where he thought Steve needed more clarity. When they were done Steve looked at Robin and said with tears in his eyes, “If I retire do I lose you?”

Robin’s lip quivered and she got up on her knees. She gently took Steve’s face in her hands. “No. Absolutely not. Yes, an omega escort has to be a handler’s top priority, but you are my best friend. My platonic soulmate, you’d have to murder me to get me to leave you. Do you understand?”

Steve nodded and then threw himself into her arms. Having to choose between the love of his life and his best friend would have been the hardest thing he would have ever had to do. But this made it easy.

They talked about it for a bit and ultimately it was decided Steve would retire when he turned thirty. It would give him a couple more years do a job he loved, but still give Eddie and him plenty of time to have pups.

“That’s a perfect solution,” Eddie agreed. “And I think the band will agree to a couple years break making music so we can all focus on our family lives.”

Steve’s omega chirped happily. Eddie chuckled and pulled him onto his lap. He nuzzled Steve’s scent gland and the omega chirped again.

“Look at you,” Robin said happily. “All content and comfortable. You just got every thing you could ever want, you lucky bastard.”

Steve grinned at her. “I am so blessed.”

Eddie blew a raspberry under Steve’s ear causing him to giggle.

“Eddie!” he protested, trying to push the alpha away, but Eddie did it again, this time on his cheek.

Soon they were wrestling and Steve ended up on the floor, looking up at a surprised Eddie.

“Rude,” Steve huffed as he got to his feet.

“Oops!”

Robin shook her head.

Eddie brought out Steve’s silly side and Steve let Eddie be himself. Apparently the universe knew what it was doing after all with these two.

****

The next three years passed by in a blur.

Chrissy had become the star Steve always knew she was. But of course, that meant her ex-boyfriend and her mother found out about her leaving the convent.

Steve was actually there to witness their faces, purple with rage showing up at some event she was at. The alpha actress she was with had to call security to get them removed.

Chrissy released a statement through the agency that spoke of her love of the job, the religious abuse her mother had put her through, and the love she thought was eternal with Jason turning to ash when she found out she couldn’t bear his children.

She spoke of the love that the sisters had shown her when her mother had dropped her off at the convent against the wishes of her father and her own. About how half of her cherry price went to those same sisters who had protected her from the wrath of her mother for years.

She spoke about how she found her people with Starcourt Services. How she had good friends, made good money, and how her father had supported her every step of the way. And how the other half of her cherry price would always be waiting for her if she ever wanted to leave. Something that after some serious soul searching she knew would not be for a long, long time.

Chrissy’s story burst open a scandal that had been the Church’s best kept secret, that a third of the omegas that came to them after learning they were infertile were brought there against their will by religious extremist parents not wanting their omega child to live their own lives.

Max and Lucas finally announced they were bonding after Lucas played his first game in the NBA as the first omega point guard for the Indiana Pacers, having won their law suit.

With Steve retiring, Robin was going to be Chrissy’s handler. Robin hadn’t lasted with Vickie due to them wanting different things out of life. Robin loved her job, but Vickie wanted more of her time to be focused just on her, something Robin wasn’t willing to do.

Tommy had been kicked out of the agency after he had a very public fight with his ex-girlfriend, Carol. He was supposed to be escorting Billy Hargrove but had found him in a bathroom with known omega starlet, Heather Holloway, his dick in her.

Carol had thrown it in his face that he couldn’t even get wandering Billy Hargrove to stay still long enough. Tommy had thrown hands and Starcourt had thrown him out.

Last Steve heard he was working as a pre-school teacher, barely making a tenth the amount he was at Starcourt. But he had found an alpha and they were happy together, satisfied for the first time in his life.

Jonathan was pregnant with Nancy and his second child. Steve was actually happy for them when they announced it.

Eddie’s band was topping the charts and had done a couple of tours. Steve had missed him, but with work keeping him busy, they were able to keep up a healthy communication.

Elinor and Gareth had decided to bond. Elinor knew that she would never reach the heights of Steve or Chrissy so when the last of her cherry price had been paid, she left the agency to be a rockstar’s wife.

Steve couldn’t wait to spend his first heat with Eddie. What was even better was the fact that Eddie’s rut had synced up with Steve’s heat and everyone knew to stay away for that week.

Their bonding and wedding ceremony was the talk of the town, Steve and Eddie surrounded by all their friends and loved ones. The whole Party was there.

Steve had taken preemptive measures against his parents, knowing that they would try and get more money from him, once Eddie and Steve announced that they had gotten pregnant.

He had a protective order ready to spring into affect the moment they tried anything. Lawyers on speed dial, and security on standby.

He had the life he had always dreamed of. A soulmate who would bond him and give him the pups he so desperately desired, who loved and cared for him like no one in his life could match. Robin came close. Because of course she did. Maybe not more or less than Eddie, but different.

And when that first little one came to loving and adoring parents, Steve knew that regardless if Dustin was omega, alpha, beta, or infertile Eddie and Steve would love him and support him no matter where he chose to go in life.

And that was the perfect ending to Steve’s story, he thought. Eddie couldn’t help but agree.

****

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#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #omegaverse #rockstar eddie munson #omega steve harrington

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jevilowo · 28 days ago

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It's me the timeline guy. Here are my many lore related grievances with the comic:

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT tho most people have probably read it by now lol

FIRST OF ALL, the Administrator's plan. What happened to "plan so disturbing that several US senators pardoned her for the Poopy Joe incident?" What even was her plan actually was it just to keep the fighting going forever? Then what was the point of Australiummaxxing after Redmond and Blutarch died?

What's up with Zepheniah’s hooked up corpse. Isn't his ghost still around? He certainly is by the seventh scream fortress comic, which takes place during MvM. His will says he won't rest until he's done being mad at the world idk how that relates to anything.

OH HORSEMANN MY HORSEMANN. Why is Zepheniah claiming to be an only child? And it's not a retcon bc later on Soldier pulls up the family photo WITH SILAS IN IT. Where did he even get that. Anyways. The only explanation is either 1) some in-universe attempt by Zepheniah to write Silas out of history (implied by the two copies of the quarterly concern, one seen in a hidden page in the classless update and the other in the background of the Engineer update), or 2) ...i was going to say Silas was actually his cousin or something but that wouldn't make sense if the siblings of Zepheniah’s dad all died young. Urgh. I hoped the Horsemann would return and put to rest the implications dragged up by scream fortress two but alas twas not to be.

What's with the 3 different covers of a young Administrator? My theory is they're supposed to represent three possible backstories the writers were cooking and wouldn't commit to. Who knows.

CHARLES DARLING. The triplets' birth certificate claimed that their mother was a Darling (save me Bette Mann etc etc), and that had me convinced Charles was going to be at least RELEVANT. Why else would he, a joke antagonist introduced in the War! Comic, show up at all? Looking for Australium, no less? I tell you that flashback of him and Maxton had me CONVINCED something would happen. Especially with the two of them lowkey treating him like shit.

So so so much Admin stuff left unexplained. Seeing her child self in the Australium. The census dated back to 1850 with "HELEN" on it. Telling Engie "your family has already done so much for me". By that she could have just meanth Radigan making an immortality machine for Redmond as well as Blutarch I guess, but ??? I liked the Emily reference tho that was something one of the artists reffered to her as for the Engie Update Comic by mistake and later took back so neat callback lmao.

SPEAKING OF RADIGAN. Nothing on who the third Australium machine went to. Presumably Admin I guess? Not explained, never will be probably.

Who was the person in the torn Mann Family portrait? My main theory was always either an earlier version/design of Grey or a Darling, but in the picture Soldier shows (SERIOUSLY WHERE DID HE GET THAT) we can't even see the outline of a person around his thumb. It almost looks like they just made a version of the picture without anyone in the middle and called it a day.

TFI having other mercenary groups came out of fucking nowhere, even in comic six. The T and F presumably stand for "Team Fortress", fuck you mean "Team Citadel", "Team Vanguard", giant fucking statue of random epic looking mercs??? What is happening. They did NOT explain that shit at all. Multiple, seemingly incredibly competent teams are NOT "eighteen perfect idiots". Did Poopy Joe die for nothing.

One of the top posts I've ever made is the one where I point out the date Spy and Scout got arrested on that newspaper: September 7th, 1972. This means the rest of the comics should take place 5½ months later i.e. February/March 1973. Ergo, 1979 could not be "seven years later". The comics seem to think themselves that they're set in 1972 already, there's a few lines about it but for the life of me I can't remember. Something something however many years since Zepheniah died blah blah year the triplets were born. Whatever. It's on my timeline probably.

Smaller thing, but embarrassing lack of a full name reveal for Heavy (I originally said And Medic here but. Herbert Ludwig was revealed). Spy also, but I wasn't really expecting that. Heavy shall remain Mikhail "Mischa" Weponzgy in my heart.

SO IN CONCLUSION: the writers went in with no clue how to end the story, something made evident by the possibility of the 4chan leaks being an early script and also entirely fucking different.

Still, there were a lot of lore unrelated things I did enjoy: the fact that the mercs actually got a happy ending, for one thing. Sniper stealing a plane, Scout maturing and moving on from Pauling, Pyro literally just being overjoyed to see Engie again, babies!!! The fact we even got a comic! How crazy is that? At least we didn't have to wait another seven years.

I might draft a script for an alternate ending that tries to answer lore stuff more, but knowing me I wouldn't finish it. Still, I am working on making a website for my timeline and I'll upload the link here once I'm done with it. Oh and I'll update the doc version soon. Bitterly.

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 9 months ago

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AITA for coming out as bi to my girlfriend and voicing my concerns to her

I (18M) have been dating my girlfriend, L (20F) for three years now. our relationship has been great so far, we were attracted to each other from the start. she has always been very flirty and tbh that's how she won me over at first, because teenage hormones are gonna teenage hormones y'know, but when I got to know her better as a person I realized my feelings for her weren't just sexual - she is kind, gentle, overall really sweet. I was, and still am, attracted to her in every way. L is also openly bisexual, fully out, and idk I've always felt so safe around her because she doesn't judge others, I think she's so beautiful inside and out. she has been my first girlfriend ever so I always do my best to be supportive and make her feel loved.

a few months ago I realized I'm bi. I thought, hey, since she always speaks about her own bisexuality I think I can tell her I'm bi as well. she was, as usual, very non-judgemental but she said something that I didn't like, something like "you see how much I love and trust you? someone else would've been like OMG YOU'RE PROBABLY JUST GAY AND YOU WANT TO CHEAT ON ME WITH A GUY". I was,, confused bc 1. I think supporting your partner when they come out is the bare minimum, 2. she is bisexual herself and I don't think shes gonna cheat on me with a girl, I never acted like I was great for supporting her and 3. I know I'm not gay because L can do whatever she wants with me so I dunno what that comment was for. I've enjoyed my intimate encounters with her too much to be gay and she knows this.

I was a bit annoyed but still grateful that she was supportive. I noticed our sexual activities increased after that and a part of me wondered if she was trying to make sure I'm not gay. which made her look like a bit of a hypocrite because she never had to "prove" to me that she's not gay. not complaining tho - I just found it odd? I think it's a weird double standard, but then again I know women are always putting up with double standards so I feel like I can't tell her abt how strange her comment was. I just don't want L to think I'm not attracted to her and I started feeling like an asshole for telling her I'm bi.

but she got actually upset over something else that has nothing to do with us being bi - when we first started talking, she was dating another guy. I knew this, so I was respectful, I thought that L being flirty with me was some kind of joke until she told me she was serious and she couldn't stop thinking about me. L didn't cheat on him, she broke up with him before she started dating me, and recently I told her "hey... I won't be that guy one day, right? I trust you and I know you won't cheat on me, but I remembered how our friendship first started and if you ever stop loving me I would like to know before you feel ignored enough to start flirting with other guys". she got very visibly upset, she said I was right, said she felt cheap and like a whore and ???? NOT AT ALL WHAT I FUCKING MEANT. I was trying to tell her I want us to have communication, because I love her and I want our relationship to work out.

I feel like a shitty person and boyfriend, first for telling her I'm bi even though it wouldn't have an impact on our relationship, then for trying to voice my concerns and accidentally making her feel that way.

I've apologized a few times and we're good now but she introduced me to her best friend and,, this girl just started talking abt how she will guide me so I can properly take care of L? it made me feel really stupid. I felt like a child tbh. we are bi but not poly (I respect those who are, just giving you context) so idk why she felt she had to insert her friend into our relationship. am I really so bad that my girlfriend has to ask her friend to teach me how to be good to her? I would understand this if L had some sort of disability but her friend just talks to me about BDSM and doms/subs and like ??? I feel like L being a sub has fuck all to do with our argument, but I still feel terrible. pls help me make sense of these things. I want to know if I am the asshole.

#aita #am i the asshole

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akutasoda · 1 year ago

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Hi there! ☺️ Can I have headcanons of ranpo, dazai, chuuya, sigma and tetchou with a fem!reader who is very very strong physically (not because of an ability) even though she looks fragile, delicate and vulnerable? 🙏🥰

looks can be deceiving

synopsis - you always seemed so delicate yet you probably were stronger than them

includes - dazai, ranpo, chuuya, sigma, tecchou

warnings - fem!reader, fluff, slight crack, wc - 676

osamu dazai ★↷

↪he initially thought you were absolutely precious. while he did dislike how you always looked so vulnerable as he did worry something may happen to you and the fact he couldn't say no to you, he didn't mind when he was around.

↪he could always protect you. but eventually that turned on it's head when he watched you help out with more heavy duty chores around the agency.

↪while he was initially apprehensive about you helping, he immediately shushed his concerns as you exhibited a strength he could only compare to that of kenjis. except your's wasn't your ability.

↪but now he had this information and would call for you every single time he needed help. and he'd be lying if he didn't find it slightly attractive.

ranpo edogawa ★↷

↪he saw your seemingly natural delicate look to be rather cute. he adored you and your personality and clung to it like a life line. any time he felt down he'd find you and immediately perk up.

↪he found out about your strong natural strength by accident. because you seemed so fragile he never assumed you could do much psychically, with no offence toward you.

↪so when he was bored, he started teasing you. teasing about how you probably wouldn't lift him let alone give him a piggyback ride. and you were determined to prove him wrong so you quickly and abruptly picked him up.

↪he never expected it but loved it. so now he would constantly behave like a child and do those grabby hands for you to pick him up so he could parade around the office on your shoulders.

chuuya nakahara ★↷

↪he loved you truly, there was no doubt about that. but he always constantly worried about you being associated with him. you always seemed so fragile and delicate compared to his line of work.

↪so he constantly feared you could get caught up in it and he wouldn't be able to protect you. but those worries very soon melted away when he came home to your shared residence.

↪he opened the front door and was immediately greeted by you practically picking up and moving around the furniture. he immediately got concerned and then curious to why you were doing so.

↪and you're answer was that you got bored. but he still couldn't help but be impressed by your natural strength. it was defined impressive to him and he probably didn't have to worry that much about you anymore.

sigma ★↷

↪he never cared much about how strong you were physically or how you currently seemed so fragile. he was just glad he had someone as great as you that he could trust and finally find home in.

↪but that being said, he did find your delicate nature rather endearing. especially after a long day and you gave him something to look forward to, your comforing embrace. but he wasn't really ready to see you're real strength.

↪he had brought you to the sky casino for the day as you wanted to tag along for whatever reason. but he needed some stuff moving around and before he could get any other employee to help you offered and before he answered you were already helping.

↪he was very impressed by your dispaly of natural strength as he sure knew that wasn't your ability. and he felt somewhat wrong for finding ot rather attractive. especially when you still looked at him with that delicate expression

tecchou suehiro ★↷

↪you two seemed the complete opposite, but he didn't mind bit. if anything he found it endearing how delicate you seemed as it meant that he had some sort of normality to his everyday life.

↪but that didn't really change even if he found out you had some pretty unnatural natural strength. in fact he was pretty impressed seeing with a strength that could probably rival his own without any abilities or such.

↪but that didn't stop him from still seeing you as more of a delicate person but he loved that you had that side to you.

#x reader #x fem reader #x female reader #x fem!reader #bsd x female reader #bsd x reader #bsd x you #bsd dazai osamu #dazai x fem reader #bsd ranpo #ranpo x reader #dazai x reader #bsd chuuya #chuuya x fem!reader #chuuya x reader #bsd sigma #sigma x reader #bsd tecchou #tecchou x reader

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quennofsblog · 1 year ago

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Everything you let go

Sae Itoshi x fem!reader

Itoshi Sae is confused when his wife suddenly becomes ill.

Warning: normal things ; Sae here is already a professional player and is married with the reader and adult; They have children; sorry :( ; English is not my first language and there will probably be mistakes.

Notes: This is my first story on Tumblr (and any other place) so sorry for the bad plot... I hope you like it so enjoy😉. (This is the first story written that was never published, the first was Rosy cheeks by Suguru Geto.🫡

Sae couldn't believe what he was seeing, what was supposed to be a moment of great happiness, soon turned into a big concern for him.

Their second child was finally born, it took a long period of nine months to having a second blessing in your life, but if this is a blessing, why is the person who made it possible bleeding so badly?

Your second pregnancy wasn't one of the best, you were much more tired than the first, there were many more complications, but Sae thought it was normal, after all, no pregnancy is easy.

But he couldn't react when he saw blood coming out of his mouth straight to the fluffy blanket that wrapped his little baby, he saw in his eyes the despair in his eyes and soon he felt it too when you saw your body relax too much and his arms fall to his sides, his excellent reflexes reacting in time to catch the small human in his arms.

He looked at you in shock when he see your body passed out for a few seconds before quickly leaving with the baby to seek medical help.

...

"Sae-chan I don't have much time here..."

You exactly said that a few days before your wedding, Sae knew what those words could mean but didn't know why, he feels this tightness in his heart now for not asking anything at the time, maybe something could have changed-

"Sir Itoshi-san?" A middle-aged man appears around the corner to find Itoshi Sae with a sleeping baby in her lap sitting in uncomfortable hospital chairs. He didn't even know how much time had passed since he witnessed his sudden fainting spell, Sae could only think about what triggered his current state.

Then he looked up to meet the doctor's eyes that were already looking at him with some pity. "Yes? How is she?" The player asked with the coldest possible look that even the poor doctor shuddered before giving him the expected answer. "She's fine sir. But due to the stress of the pregnancy her illness has worsened and there may be complications in the future, you can go see her if you like." Soon the doctor left, leaving Sae almost on the verge of madness.

He got up quickly, gently squeezing the baby who didn't move the whole time, Sae could feel the small breaths on his neck, and he even caressed the small human, but his growing anger wouldn't allow it, when he just wanted explanations.

Finally opening the door of his room he found you looking through the open window and letting the wind ruffle your hair, for a moment he forgot his purpose there and just wanted to stop everything and stay in that place looking for its beauty, even after so many years, you could still manage to be the one to give him those damn heart palpitations that he always tried not to feel.

But it seems that the baby in Sae's arms also feels the mother nearby and soon the intense cries of a newborn baby are heard. Her head instantly turns to find her husband and baby, Throwing a gentle smile at the two, you beckoned them with your fingers to get them closer, knowing what was going to happen, you soon advanced.

"Don't even put on that pretty face, Sae-chan, you know my condition well." you extend your arms to indicate for Sae to give her the baby that wouldn't stop crying, Sae hands it to her without saying anything and watches her lift her blouse and feed the baby who soon calms down.

Sae keeps looking at you waiting for explanations from you. "I told you I didn't have much time, did I? I have this plague even before I met you, and well it's gotten worse since the birth of Akira, I just didn't want to worry you or Akira and even this cutie, it is not Muroko-chan?" You said caressing the little hands, while the baby held one of your fingers and had her eyes closed, already ready to fall asleep in her mommy's arms.

"If that was the goal, it failed... a lot, you selfish idiot." Fortunately, her anger was already gone, and Sae approached the bed, sitting on it, coming close to her head and planting a kiss in her hair. Turning your attention to you "And now what will become of you huh? The doctor said this disease got worse..." He got it his eyes fall a bit into sadness. "What's now?"

Your always impatient husband, how would you face him and say that soon he would leave, this disease directly affects the heart and you have had it forever and always prevented you from doing a lot of physical activity, and what cost you a body without much use, but on the other hand your intelligence helped a lot, since during a good part of your life, was Sae's assistant, since he was a minor in a new country (Not that you weren't too).

"Anything." You said softly smiling at Sae. "The doctor said I'll be under observation for a few days, then go home and get Akira with his brother and bring him here, I miss my favorite boy, can you do this for your dear wife?" you said with a teasing face.

Sae had never felt her frown grow so much.

...

"Mami!!" An excited Akira Itoshi runs towards the bed you are on and tries to climb up. You get close to the edge of the bed and lift him to sit on your lap, luckily he doesn't have his shoes on, even at 4 years old he's still light, the boy soon snuggles into your chest smiling brightly. "I miss you!!"

"Guess who missed your favorite little boy too" you hug him tightly and kiss his red hair, even after all this time you still couldn't believe that you were married to your management client and now had two children, even though the public didn't know anything, this life is a strange thing to think about in the past.

"And guess who had to hear all the way here 'Let's see mommy!'" Sae made fun of the joke that Akira made during the entire trip, walks over to greet you with a kiss on the head and squeezing Akira's head which was still on her chest, then sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Mami? Your big belly is gone!" Obviously the child has ignored her parent and pulled her head out of your cute grip and soon bothered to get answers from you.

"Really? Look over there." You point to the front of your bed where there is a crib with a little baby in it. "It's your little sister." You said softly, stroking her plump cheeks.

As if she'd been told a malicious secret, Akira's cheeks darkened a fluffy red, soon getting off his lap to crawl towards the crib.

"Uohh, she's so tiny, we haven't met yet but my name is Akira, A-K-I-R-A Itoshi, but you can also call me nii-chan." With the voice so cute and full of love to give her sister, the tears that welled up in her eyes said it all, seeing her oldest son love the idea of being a big brother was just heartwarming.

"You're not going to cry now, are you? You snot." Even if he didn't show it, you knew very well that he was also emotional, of course, in the Itoshi way.

"What do you expect Sae? They're going to be such good friends." With hearts in your eyes, you take Sae's hand just to hold it. "He was so looking forward to meeting you, Sae-chan, can you bring her here for Akira hold Maruko-chan?"

"Of course your majesty~" He stepped off the ledge, and picked up Maruko-chan, motioning Akira to sit next to her mother.

The couple's eldest boy, who never obeys his father, is a mama's boy through and through, decided to obey just to hold on to his little sister.

"Are you happy Akira?"

"Yes mami! She's so cute." You placed Akira's arms just right to receive the youngest Itoshi, Sae placed her carefully, holding her at the bottom so the fragile baby wouldn't fall.

Akira was so happy looking at the baby in detail, but suddenly her expression of pure happiness turned into fear and distress.

"M-Mami, Papi? Whose is th-this weird fringe?"

The couple took a closer look, only to come across The fringe, Sae looked at her with the biggest face of disgust as you couldn't contain yourself and soon started laughing out loud.

Sae couldn't believe her daughter inherited those bangs from when he was younger and always tried to hide it.

"Akira, don't worry, it's your father's bangs from when he was a kid." You laughed even louder at the thought of your oldest daughter at school with her husband's weird bangs.

"I can't believe my own daughter has this thing, it's decided let's cut it."

"Não papi! É uma franja estranha m-mas fica bem nela não é mami?"

"Of course, it goes really well together, she even has the same hair color, you better accept it, Sae-chan~"

"But mami, she even has that weird dad face!"

"That's right! That 'I don't care about anyone, just to become the best midfielder in the world' face she is totally Itoshi Sae's daughter."

"Can you two stop talking about my similarities to Maruko-chan?"

"No."

...

Itoshi Sae woke up abruptly with his eyes almost bulging out, his chest rising rapidly as he looked across the bed and there was no one there, and no noise was heard from the rooms of his little house in the Spanish countryside.

Where the hell was your family?

A snap quickly went through his head when he discovered that in fact his family had fallen apart, and it was entirely his fault.

All the good and happy memories are just a beautiful wave of nostalgia that Sae wanted to live forever but-

Oh.

So it is.

It was all a dream.

Notes²:

Remembering that this is all fiction 🫵.

There will be a few mini chapters before part 2 to see this family's interaction (they are cute<3)

Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura.

I reinforce that English is not my first language and (I translated the story on Google translator because I don't trust my skills 💀) it has a high chance of having grammatical errors.

Bye 😘

#blue lock #sae itoshi #sae itoshi x reader #blue lock imagines #anime and manga #manga #anime #itoshi rin #x reader #fiction #fictional kids #sae itoshi x you #sae itoshi x y/n #bllk x reader #bllk #bllk imagines #bllk x you #bllk x female reader

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staticymaticyyourlifeisatravesty · 10 days ago

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Starved

(Dorn is deeply concerned about his niece and the way she's getting weaker)

Tags: TW Child Neglect, Good intentions with terrible consequences, TW Child Abuse, TW Disordered Eating Self Dehumanization, Bad Self esteem

Also @jaghatai-khock for mentions of Zadkiel

Rogal Dorn was worried. Scratch that, he was deeply and unfathomably concerned. Something was wrong with Lilith that much he knew. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong but something clearly was. She was getting weaker by the day, and her eyes were no longer the vibrant red he first saw when they met. They had turned to a bright almost tarnished looking gold, and it didn't escape his notice that she didn't fly as much anymore. She still flew, of course she did, Dorn would be concerned if she stopped entirely, but the fact remains that five years ago it wasn't uncommon for her to be found perched on spires or window sills. There was also a matter of her age, she was supposed to be fifteen this year...but Dorn felt that she hadn't aged much at all, physically or otherwise.

It was worrying, and he was unable to get any answers from anyone aside from a cryptic "Oh that's just her mutations doing that". Dorn wasn't so sure. The Primarchs aged quickly into adults, and before this she was aging at the same rate as a baseline. If anything, she should be aging quicker, not slower. But what was really concerning Dorn was how thin she looked these days. Her face was sharp and boney, bereft of any puppy fat that should've been there at this age. He knew Sanguinius thought her blood drinking was the result of the Red thirst, but looking over at Lilith, she just looked sick to him.

"Lilith, have you eaten today?" Dorn asks her cautiously as she sits on the floor, focused intently on a sketch. She'd been drawing more often lately, though her lines were shaky these days. She also seems to be intensely focused and after a few moments, Dorn clears his throat to get her attention, "Lilith, I asked if you've eaten"'

"I had some soup earlier" Lilith responded looking up from her drawing "I haven't really been able to keep much down lately. Please don't tell Father...he's got enough on his plate. H-he doesn't need to know about this. He's got Zad and the new baby. I'll be fine"

That just started alarm bells in Dorn's brain who decided to see if he could get more answers out of her, "What do you mean you haven't been able to keep much down? And why do you think your father doesn't need to know? You are just as important as the rest, if there is a problem, he should know"

"I'm fine! It's just... some illness is all. I'll be fine, uncle Rogal. You don't have to worry about me. Kakek says that the medicine should be doing their job soon, he says it might take a few days" Lilith replies to him, and gives a reassuring smile, leaving Dorn wondering if her fangs were always that big, or if they've gotten longer.

"You told me this three months ago. You're getting worse. Tell me what is truly wrong with you" He pushes "You are ill, and you are losing weight. You're eyes are not the colour they should be, and your feathers...you have been molting far more then you should. They shouldn't look so ragged" He says gesturing to her wings which were a far cry from how they once looked, patchy with bald spots that she's desperately tried to keep hidden.

"I-" Lilith just looked uncomfortable and looked away from Dorn, "Father has other kids doesn't he?" She instead asks, a slight reverb coming to her voice as it shakes, "He doesn't... He doesn't need a monster like me. He's probably ashamed of me... I mean look at how happy he is with Zad...he never looks at me like that anymore..."

"Your father loves you, he does. Don't call yourself a monster, no child is a monster" Dorn says pulling her into his lap, being mindful of her wings "You are his eldest, his first and currently only daughter. He loves you more then you know, why would he be ashamed?"

"Because I'm hungry! I can't eat food! Every time I eat anymore it all tastes bad! Pa wanted me to stop drinking blood! And the way he looks at me! Pa never looked at me like that! Maybe he's realized that the elders were right" Lilith sobs, bursting into tears, she's completely unable to stop both her accent and reverb from fully entering her voice, and Dorn just holds her closer.

He's angry at both Lilith's plight and at his brother, but he feels useless because he has the feeling that no one would listen. So he opts to just hold her in his arms. "Do you think some blood might help you? Does that still taste good to you?" He tentatively asks her "If I were to cut myself, would you drink?"

Lilith stiffens in his arms before pushing herself away from him and quickly standing up, swaying a little before she steadies herself, "No, no I won't feed on you, uncle. I haven't had blood in....I don't remember, but I don't need it, I'm fine. I-I just have to wait for the medication to work"

It broke his heart how desperate she sounded, and he wondered if slapping his brother across the face was warranted here. It was so clear to him that she was suffering, and if it was blood she needed... "Lilith, listen to me, you need blood. You are sick. If the medicine has done nothing now, it will not do so in the future. Please let me he- LILITH!"

While Dorn had been speaking, Lilith swayed dangerously before suddenly collapsing, Dorn catching her from falling completely to the floor. He quickly checked to see if she was alright, yet she'd clearly fainted "Lilith, Lili, please wake up, did you move too quickly?"

With no response from Lilith, and him listening closely to hear a very faint heart rate; Dorn panicks. She needs to be brought to an apothecary and quite frankly he was not trusting of Malcador or the Emperor in the slightest. Instead he was going hunt down one of the Blood Angel's apothecaries. They would know what to do better then he. Maybe they can give her a blood transfusion, he doesn't know.

All he knows is that Lilith is lighter then she should be, pale with her freckles standing out far to starkly against her skin, and she was cold. So very cold. That wasn't even speaking of her heart rate, which he swore was getting weaker until he certain there was a full minute between beats. He regretted not saying earlier.

He regretted it so fucking much.

#lilith of baal #rogal dorn #tw hunger #tw child abuse #tw child neglect #tw coma #tw blood #warhammer 30k #warhammer 40k #enjoy my rambles #warhammer fic #primarch children

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quitealotofsodapop · 2 months ago

Note

Shihua was probably just having a normal day when her youngest bursts into the throne room talking about how his gege on a cliffside with a bunch of strangers and seemingly didn't recognize him. Confused and fearing if it were an impostor, Shihua orders them to be brought before her after Ma got back to her with knowledge that Shihou was still in the Celestial Realm.

But when the impostor was brought before her, separate from his party, her breath caught. The monkey before her was older than her Shihou, with a wisdom and confidence to his step her cub had not yet gained and wearing strange and expensive clothing, but there was no doubt about it. He resembled Shihou, from the golden eyes he had inherited from her beloved right down to every hair of his ginger fur that seemed to glow like fire in the sunbeams that caught it.

"You stand before the Matriach of the Huā Guǒ Troupe, Shihua." Her beloved announced, careful to not let the unease she felt from him show as he did his due diligence as her advisor, "Name yourself and your purpose!"

The stranger seemed taken aback and before stepping forward, clearing his throat.

"I... My name is Sun Wukong, Lady Matriarch. We had not meant to intrude, we... we fell through a portal and woke up here, lost."

Her troupe murmured, confused as to the name the doppelganger gave and what he said. Shihua considered his words about teleportatuon and portals, familair with the concept from her time speaking to the celestials until her eye caught sight of a familiar fabric of red that had flared up behind him as he stepped forth. Faded and far more weathered than her own, around his neck was a familiar cape tied with a simple knot in the style of a scarf that barely concealed a braded black chord. As she stared, transfixed at the cape, the strange monkey began to stammering in his explanation, fidgeting with his hands and tail whipping about in a manner near identical to Shihou whenever he became nervous, clearly uncomfortable with her attention on him.

"I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but we think we're in an alternate dimension or timeline. It's... it's the only reason I can think to explain it." He was saying, "Our world has had a series of disasters happen recently that resulted in damage to the Pillars and reality itself nearly shattering. We... we managed to stop it but we fell through the cracks and so we ended up here and not at our home and-"

Shihua rose from her throne and stepped closer to the doppelganger, startling him with a choked squeak as he noticed her approach. His stammering increased as he began to become more flustered eith every step, stumbling back as their height differences became apparent and she began to tower over him.

"And I was... uh..." the familiar stranger's words faded out as Shihua slowly grabbed at the cape, lifting it for a closer inspection and sniffing the fabric. Her eyes widened in shock, the scent different yet still unmistakable to her. Peach blossoms and fresh grass after morning rain and bright sunlight and the smallest hint of smoke. It was different but it was Shihou! There was no mistaking it.

"Where... did you get this?" Shihua asked, voice shaky as she looked into his eyes, needing the confirmation. Her son's doppelganger looked away, as if ashamed,

"I found it, draped upon the stone throne when I first discovered the Stone Palace."

"'Discovered?'" Shihua echoed, "Have... have you not lived here you're whole life!?"

What Shihou said next shattered her heart. Her people had lost their ancestral home and he had been the one to reclaim it, and the title of 'king' along with it.

"How old were you?" Ye Lin asked, picking up her concern. He had said he was young, but surely he wouldn't have been-

"It's been so long in don't remember for sure, but I think I was only 10 years. Possibly younger."

A cub, he was just a cub! Ye Lin gave her a concerned look, she knew he too was suspicious of who this monkey was and why he looked so much like their child.

"Surely you're parents would have stepped in!" Ye Lin sounded almost desperate as he spoke, "No parent would let a mere cub rule alone!"

"I... I never had parents."

Those four words were like a nail in the coffin and a knife to her heart. He was an orphan. In whatever world this version of her son had come from, Shihou had been an orphaned and abandoned cub!

"I was hatched atop the mountain from a stone egg, alone." Shihou was saying, his words sounding muffled to her ears through the sheer horror she was feeling, "As far as I'm aware, I'm the only celestial primate alive aside from MK and Macaque."

She felt a firm paw on her shoulder, a glance back showing her mate had stepped up to stand beside her, concerned. Shihua takes another deep sniff of the fabric and even a bit of the other ginger monkey's fur, memorizing the subtle differences in his scent from her cub's. Shihou, no he had said his name was Sun Wukong, looked somewhat confused and uncomfortable. What a peculiar yet somehow fitting name for her child. That confusion only grew as she offered the fabric to her mate, letting him smell for himself. His eyes snapped to hers in shock,

"How could this be!? He smells like Shihou!"

"His story explains everything, my love." Shihua gracefully assured her, "He and his companions truly are from another world. One where our people did not survive the tragedy of the Floods. In that world, he must be our son."

The news created a ripple throughout the gathered troupe as every single jaw dropped, all eyes locked upon the alternate version of their eldest prince. Many, such as the marshals and generals, moved in closer to the younger monkey, sniffing and inspecting his fur.

"Son!? H-hey! What are you-" Sun Wukong yelped, eyes wide as he was crowded by monkeys, trying to step away but by that point he was surrounded and moving back only brought him back to chest with Luzhen, "Uh...?"

"So does that mean I was right!?" Luzhen's paws came to Sun Wukong's shoulder, gripping them excitedly in the same manner he would do so when presenting Shihou with something he considered exciting, "He is gege!?"

Shihua couldn't hide her giggle at the sight, it appears no matter what, Luzhen would always idolize Shihou, even if it was not the one he knew. "No my little one, your brother is still serving his sentence in the celestial stables. Ma had checked when you first announced finding Aun Wukong here. This is version of your brother from another world."

Luzhen's ears and tail drooped for but a moment as he considered her words before perking right back up, grinning even wider.

"Then that means I have two big brothers!" Luzhen announced, excitedly clinging to the older version of his brother. Sun Wukong's eyes were as wide as dinner plated as he stared in shock at the younger monkey,

"B-brothers!?"

Ah, right. He had said he was an orphan, hadn't he. As Shihua left Luzhen to his excitement, she called one of th3 guards over, asking that Sun Wukong's companions be freed and escorted here. No doubt they, too, would want to be a part of the upcoming discussion.

Ref.

You have such a talent with writing!

I love how you wrote in Shihua subtely observing Wukong; how he has little habits indentical to Shihou, and how his smell is nearly identical. Ye Lin being her biiggest cheerleader and support.

And ofc their shock at learning that the "Shihou" before them is an orphan, flrced to take the reins of his troupe as a mere child.

I love it <3

#stone matriarch au #stone monkeys #sun wukong #lmk ocs #lmk sun luzhen #lmk aus #lmk #lego monkie kid #others writings

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sunset-sprinkles · 5 months ago

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Love next door , EP 2

"Always knew what love means-" is what rings in my mind when I see through all of Seung-hyo's action. There's a gleam of love in his eyes in all the moments he looks at her and the reason no one around him probably gets it - because oh bickering is their love language. And you wouldn't know people fighting for each other's lives would actually be falling in love with eachother but also it's most likely they would.

"Hate - 미움" is how the episode is titled and you think why it is? It's because what seems like hate is actually love that has been trampled by situations.

"Hate has its own satellites. Your high expectations, your faith and fondness for a certain person are all interconnected. But when any of these elements leave their orbit or retrograde it can turn into hate" ~Seung-hyo

It was about mending relationships showing the light how there's a thin line between hate and love - why they are the strongest emotions we feel towards anyone.

We all get Mi-sook's trauma right? She hasn't been the best but it's all response to a societal baggage she has been carrying around. "What if I haven't done enough for myself - my daughter will do it !!" - this is where asian mothers fall weak it's to understand your expectations shouldn't turn into a baggage for your child to the limit they fail to express what concerns them. All Seokryu ever wanted from her mother was to stand by her side when she needed the most - as children would look upto their parents to love them the way they are and not hold them as a trophy of achievement or as the compensation of what they themselves couldn't achieve.

While Seung-hyo's emotions are a bit more transparent to us -Seokryu's are not. And in my eyes she has been holding onto a lot more emotions we can't see through - because there is a complexity in her character that comes out as bossy and chaotic but is vulnerable and over burdened with expectations and responsibilities. And you know who knows her the best right!!!!

Though I feel Seung-hyo is an equally hidden and complex character when it's comes to his own emotions but transparent only when it comes to be with her [ofcourse].

Something healed in all of us when he said : "Don't force yourself to laugh when you want to cry". It's something we all want to hear when we are breaking down and still trying to smile through, for what ? Just so people don't see how weak we are , how much we want to cry and hold onto someone. Showing emotions do not make you weak specially to the people who care about you!!

Seung-hyo knew when he had to be by her side - so effortless and comforting. Isn't that the base of childhood friendships- someone who can see through what you feel and brings you to a position where you actually freely express what you are going through.

Umbrella - sometimes symbolised love and sometimes the shield. He let go off her shield and let her get drenched in the rain - let her cry out all she has been holding out , pouring down along with the rain all the emotions she had been hiding in the facade of a smile.

"WHEN YOU KNOW YOU KNOW"- we all know , we all can recall that smile he gave when he got to know she wasn't getting married . We know when he followed her to the park to make her feel better- we know when he brought one umbrella to share , when he closed it to let her cry out, when he rearranged her room like it used to be , when he put the stars she loved on the ceiling, when he shifted close to her just to be by her side. Only two episodes out and I think this episode is already my favorite!!

I don't know if it meant that there's only a thin line between hate and love and therefore it does take only one moment to change it. But I do feel it also meant the things changing between them , between those two windows- between those two friends- it's crazily well shown ❤️‍��😭

And here comes my favourite scene with these lines playing in my mind -" If you could see that I am the one who understands you, been here all the time so why can't you see it, you belong with mee...yeah!!"

In my concluding lines, we all feel that why does Seukryu not get what he means , why doesn't she see the same thing we are seeing. But let me tell you SHE DOES! She does see it , she does care for it- but for the complexity and baggage she carries maybe this resides in her subconscious self only and it will take time for her to realise it. To all the times he looked for her , she looked out for him too- she asked him too if he was doing okay.. all because she wanted him to be part of everything she did then and now .

#love next door #jung hae in #jung somin #falling in love #kdramaladies #tvn drama #soulmates #childhood to lovers #you belong with me #trauma #rain #moon #love #kdrama #ep 2 #blog #symbolism

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melanieph321 · 1 year ago

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Ruben Dias x Reader - Fake Love Part 7

Reader is a kindergarten teacher. Nothing more nothing less. But following an accident whistle vacation in Dubai she somehow makes her boyfriend believe that she does somthing else for a living, something that earns her way more money than she has. Her boyfriend, Ruben, is just happy to have found someone who understands him so well, someone who doesn't want him for his money since money isn't an issue for neither reader or himself. Or so thinks. Would finding out the truth ruin their newfound relationship? Readers thinks so, and does everything to keep up the lie, although it has some bad people from the middle east looking for her.

Enjoy!

"Okay, how much is that?"

"About 7 000 total."

"Ugh, we're still 13 000 pounds short." You groaned, falling back against your couch.

You and Alicia agreed to sell all the things that she had bought, in order to pay Mr Siddiq back. You managed to sell most of her designer items online, and some of the items that she hadn't even worn yet were returned to the store for a refund. You spent all week living like savages, glued to the computer, making phone calls to meet up with potential buyers.

"I don't understand why we can't eat, though? Or have heat?" Alicia asked, wrapping her body up in a blanket.

"Eating costs." You muttered. "So does heat. All of our money is going to paying back Mr Siddiq. I've told you this."

"Yes, but like you said, we're still 13 000 pounds short. I don't think we will be making that much money in 24 hours and I'm starting to get hungry."

You rolled your eyes. You really couldn't with Alicia. How could her financial judgment have been so poorly? I mean, her mother is an accountant for God's sake. However, it might have been her dad who used to spoil her as a child. The thrill of a man paying for everything she pointed to must be her aspiration in life. But today Alicia's aspirations had gotten you in a lot of debt.

"Would you please pick up your phone, my ass doesn't want to vibrate forever, and I'm pretty sure your boyfriend is calling me now."

It was true, you recognized Ruben's number on Alicia's screen. You stood up to take the call, disappearing into your bedroom.

"Ruben?"

He had been calling all week. But with everything going you weren't in the right head space to talk to him, let alone be honest with him.

"Hey, baby. Is everything alright?" He sounded concern, probably because you were talking to him through someone else's phone.

"Everything is fine. Life is just pretty hectic right now."

"Oh, sorry if I'm disturbing you..."

"It's fine Ruben. Hearing your voice is really what I needed."

"Good." He shriped and you imagined the dimples that came with his smile.

"I've actually got some news that might cheer you up?"

"Really? A man named Mr Siddiq and his entire family sadly passed away in a plane crash?

"Yeah, I'll be in London this weekend for our away game against Chelsea."

"Oh"

"Oh?"

You perked up. "I mean, that's...that's really nice Ruben. But I'm not in London this week?"

"No? Where are you then?"

Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie.

"Stevenage!" You blurred out, immediately regretting it.

"Stevenage? What is that?"

"Um, it's a city. Where I grew up actually. Where my parents live."

"Oh, you're visiting your parents?"

"Yes, so I'm pretty busy."

"I'd love to meet them someday."

"You do?" You paused, Ruben's answer suprised you.

"Of course. Wouldn't you like for me to meet them?"

You had just gotten comfortable calling Ruben your boyfriend, him meeting your parents would mean another milstone reached before you had told Ruben who you really are.

"Sure." You mumbled.

"Let's make it happen someday." He said, sounding happy about the fact.

"Um, I've got to get back to work..."

"Of course. It was nice to hear your voice too. Can I call you again later tonight?"

"Um, sure."

"Alright, talk to you later then. I love you."

"Bye Ruben."

The room fell silent as you ended the call, however the guilt and shame inside you was louder than ever. You dragged yourself back to the living room, handing Alicia back her phone.

"You good? What did he say?"

"He said he loved me." You plotted down on the couch, eyes staring blankly into space.

"Oh my god, really? What did you say."

"I said, bye Ruben."

Alicia frowned.

You turned to her with tears in your eyes. "He's never gonna talk to me again when he finds out."

"Finds out what?" She cought you as you slumped into her embrace. "That you're nothing but a gold digger?"

You sat back up. "That's not funny Alicia."

Her shoulders shrugged when she laughed.

"I am not a gold digger. You on the other hand...."

"Okay, okay. I get, I messed up. I'm the bad guy in all of this. But speaking of gold diggers...." She said, with that look that often haunted your dreams. "Wouldn't it be easiest to just ask Ruben for the remaining money? I mean surely he's good for it, and if he really loves you..."

You batted your eyes. Baffled by what was coming out of Alicia's big mouth. Surley anyone would agree that now would be the only right time to slap your best friend in the face. "Alicia." You said, with the lowest most calmest tone you could extract from yourself. You were convinced that this was the only way that she would understand you, if you were babying her.

"Yes, Y/N?" She said, with that naive twinkle in her eyes.

"Have...you...learned...nothing. You are NOT. I repeat NOT, borrowing money from anyone ever again, especially not Ruben."

"Then how are we gonna pay the last 13 000 back?"

"I'm...." You said, getting up and walking over to grab your coat. "I'm going to talk to someone I trust and know will lend me the money, with a promise that I'll pay him back with interest."

Alicia looked over to where you stood. "It's not Byron is it?"

"That's none of your business." You hissed, slamming the door on your way out.

Byron agreed to hear you out over a beer. You met in a small pub in town and to your suprise Byron agreed to lend you the money.

"And don't worry, you won't have to give me all of it until June."

"It's okay." He said.

"It is?" 13 000 punds was alot of money. However, there was something else on Byron's mind, a question.

"Is this you?" He asked, showing something off his IPhone.

Heat rose to your face seeing a photo of you in the club with Ruben and his friends, Ruben's arm waying over your shoulder as you sat next to him.

"Um..."

You had seen it before, the photo, going around the internet, with the caption talking about Ruben and his new boe. It was first posted on Lauren's Instagram. Lauren who was Ruben's teammates girlfriend.

"Yes, yes that's me." You sighed.

Byron nodded. Of course it was you in the photo, he wasn't blind. People in Stevenage watched Football and knew of the hype around it. You only belong to the few people who didn't.

"How do you know Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias ?" He followed up, in a way that sounded more like you were being accused of a crime rather than asked a simple question.

"I um....met them during a night out with friends." You lied. He wasn't Ruben, you had no problem lying to Byron.

"And so the two of you...?" He was reffering to Ruben.

"Took a photo and then went our separate ways." You nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."

Byron didn't look to believe you, but proceeded. "It's obvious that you're seeing someone Y/N, I mean you never come over for game nights anymore and I've seen you texting someone when you should be paying attention to your class."

You chuckled. "Byron I have no idea what you're point is, but if this is you criticizing the way I teach my kindergarten class then..."

He shook his head. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" You really didn't have the time. You should get back to the apartment, help Alicia sell her clothes. And Ruben would want to facetime soon.

"I like you Y/N."

"There it is." You sighed.

"And I'm not lending you the money so that you'll finally agree to be my girlfriend, but...."

"But?" You frowned. "There is no but in this Byron. Either you lend me the money out of the kindness of your heart, or you don't. This is not an exchange of services."

"Then, no." He said, fixing his posture as he sat across from you.

"No? What do you mean, no?"

He got up to leave, grabbing his jacket. He looked down on you with pitty on his face. "Life is about choices Y/N, and you seem to keep making the wrong ones."

With that he left.

You got back to your apartment, pretty sure that smoke was coming out of your ears.

"Y/N, there is something you should..."

"Not now Alicia."

You stomped across the living room.

"But you should really..."

"God, not now Alicia." You hissed, not meant to take your anger out on her. Nevertheless the damage was already done as Alicia crumbled where she sat on the couch. "I'm sorry I..." You ran a hand down your tired face. "I just got to facetime Ruben first. I have to tell him that I love..." The handle to your bedroom door pressed down just as you were about to do it. The door opened and he appeared in the frame.

"Ruben?"

He grinned. "You sounded down over the phone so I brought something that might cheer you up."

"W...what?"

He stretched out his arms. "Me!"

Warmth erupted inside you. You stumble forwards, melting into his giant embrace. Although this was a bad thing, a really bad thing that he was here, you really needed to be held right now.

#fanfiction #football imagine #ruben dias #man city #manchester city #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias imagine #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #football angst

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sugar-soda · 4 months ago

Text

Kids Shouldn't be Here: Piper Wright

Fallout 4 Platonic Companions x Child! Sole

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Child in dangerous situations

A/N: This is NOT romantic at all! This is all platonic relationships that explore how the Fallout 4 companions and game would change if the Sole Survivor was a young child. Any romantic suggestions or reblogs will be blocked.

Masterlist

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Diamond City wasn't always the perfect place to raise a kid.

Sure, there were a lot of pros to the place. Big sturdy wall to keep the rest of the Commonwealth out, plenty of food and shelter, and plenty of services that you couldn't get anywhere else, like haircuts and a year round doctor. Hell, they even had a school. So many in the Commonwealth couldn't even read and the children of Diamond City got to learn that along with science, math, and history. So yes, there were some good reasons to have a kid there.

If anyone were to ask about this to the Mayor, he would puff up like a peacock and proudly state that “children were the Commonwealth's future,” and “it takes a city to raise a child,” and other nonsense like he was still campaigning for office.

If you were to ask someone who was not the Mayor, they would tell you that the city was nice, but it still had problems.

For one thing, with 2 bars and a chems dealer right in the market, there were plenty of chances for any kid looking for mischief to swipe a Mentat or a bottle of beer when no one is looking. Dr. Sun had taken to meticulous combing through his inventory everyday to make sure he didn't become a target of little, sticky fingers as well.

While they didn't have to worry about their kid being killed, the concerns were replaced e with others that were almost pre-war in nature. After all, they couldn't attach their child to the hip like in small settlements, so the children were left to run amuck with no supervision between school letting out and their parents coming home. Between those times the adults would worry.

Did their kid do their assigned reading? Would they eat their tatos for dinner later or would they insist on surviving off of sugar bombs and snack cakes? What if they fell and hurt themselves on the rusty, dirty metal that made up most of the city and get an infection? Were they leaving poor Sheffield in peace? Were the other kids playing nice?

Those ran through their minds until they could go home.

The suspension was also something everyone dealt with. The Institute had rooted itself into everyone's mind as the Commonwealth's boogeyman, and no one could sleep at night anymore. Anyone could be kidnapped and replaced by an identical synth, so anyone could be a threat. Trust was in short supply, so there would never be that sense of community other settlements had. Every man was for himself. But no good man could go without his children.

____________________________________________________________

If you were to ask Piper Wright, she would say she is great with kids. After all, she raised her sister Nat, and she's great in Piper's biased opinion. Nat was smart, sassy, and incredibly self-sufficient. Piper liked to think she made Dad proud with how she raised Nat.

As self-sufficient as her sister is, that doesn't mean Piper thought she could live entirely on her own. Which is exactly why Danny needed to stop screwing around and open the gate!

“Danny, I swear to God, if you don't open this gate and let me in you will be sorry. I’m standing out here in the open for God’s sake!”

“I got orders to not let you in, Ms. Piper. I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job. The mayor’s pretty steamed about your last article. Said it was nothing but lies”

Ah. Right. In hindsight, accusing McDonough of being a synth was probably going to get her in trouble. But not like this! She thought she'd get another lecture she wouldn't listen to or a fine she'd never pay.

She left the city this morning to interview a few guards on duty. The barracks nowadays were too small and the guards too many. So her next article was a push to expand their barracks up into the stands. The rich folk already living up there will complain about “ruffians” being in the stands, even if they would be on the opposite side of the city, so she had to get everyone else on the same page to get the expansion approved. Which she couldn't do if she couldn't go home!

“God damn it, Danny! You can't just lock me out! I live here!” Piper slammed her hand against the speaker.

As Danny told her to lie low for a few days and let the Mayor cool down, she caught the tiniest movement to her left. She squinted against the harsh afternoon sun and saw a rather…odd group was making way toward the entrance.

The most notable was the Mr. Handy, or Miss Nanny, she never could really tell the difference. While Diamond City had its own share of non-humanoid robots and she herself had gotten a few drinks from Whitechapel Charlie when visiting Goodneighbor for a story, all of them were in cities, places where there was supplies and space to do maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Seeing them out of the city normally meant to turn tail and run as it shot lasers and tried to make you into minced meat with its saw blade. This one, luckily, didn't seem like it was crazy. It floated gently alongside its companions, keeping its three eyes on a swivel.

The second was a man. Judging by his militia hat, he was a Minuteman. Huh. She thought they were all gone after Quincy. That tragedy had destroyed a lot of people's faith in the cause. Piper was the first in Diamond City to hear about it, having heard about it from Mayor Hancock himself while visiting Goodneighbor. She cried her way through a whole pack of cigarettes before typing up the article. Like hell she was gonna let McDonough tell the city first and try to spin all those deaths into some Diamond-City-Superiority propaganda bullshit.

He tried when he made a speech about two days after she made Nat hand deliver a copy to everyone in Diamond City. By then everyone knew what happened. It was the least she could do.

Her eyes narrowed in suspension. If he was alive now, there was a high chance he was one of the ones who didn't respond when the emergency call happened. Coward. She would have to keep an eye on him.

The last person had her back to her, with a duffle bag slung across her shoulders and a pale purple ribbon holding any hairs that escaped her messy twin braids out of her face. A sharp looking sniper rifle accompanied the duffle bag. Looks like she was just a kid, judging by the height difference. Strange. She didn't share any physical traits with the Minuteman, so Piper wouldn't guess they were related. Unless they were distantly related, or the kid was adopted, or maybe they were related through marriage?

The Minuteman stopped to talk to a guard, likely asking about the city. The girl shifted on her feet, obviously impatient to go. The duffle bag moved and revealed a tiny shoulder wrapped in blue and gold numbers across her back.

So the kid was a vault dweller then. That kinda made sense. She probably was sent out to do trading for supplies and the Minuteman was likely her guard and the Mr. Handy was probably from the vault too.

Piper wrinkles her nose in distaste. Why would they send someone so young? Someone older wouldn't get scammed to hell and back at least.

Piper hadn't realized she was staring until the kid started staring back. Those big eyes seemed to stare into her soul, full of curiosity and questions. Just what Piper needed. While Danny always tried to follow orders, he could be a bit of a soft touch for kids. She's seen him sneaking books he bought from traders into the school. His bleeding heart was her ticket in.

“Psst. Hey, kid.” Piper tried to keep her voice at a volume where the speaker wouldn't pick her up. The girl looked around to see who she was addressing before pointing at herself quizzically.

“Yes, you. Come here.”

The girl peaked over at her guard, who was still talking. At some point, the Mr. Handy had joined the conversation, leaving her in the clear. She silently shuffled over and leaned closer.

“You wanna get into Diamond City, right?” The Vault Dweller nodded quickly, large eyes still unblinking. “Play along. I'll get us both in.” Piper leaned back toward the speaker, raising her voice exaggeratedly. “What's that, kid? You're here all on your own? What about your parents?”

Luckily, the kid picked up on Piper's plan. “ Oh, my parents are…they're gone,”

“ You hear that, Danny? You really going to leave a little kid out here, all alone, surrounded by raiders, and super mutants, and ferals and-”

“Okay, okay! Geez Piper, way to lay on the guilt trip. I'll open the gate up but McDonough better not be on my ass about this.”

A loud beep resounded out and Piper couldn't help but feel smug. That feeling didn’t last long as Mayor McDonough was already there, sour expression making even a radroach look pleasant.

“Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut! You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The-the level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that printer scrapped for parts.”

God, this man made her blood boil. It was like his voice was nails on a chalkboard every time he opened his mouth. “ Oooh, that's a statement, Mr. McDonough? ‘Tyrant mayor shuts down the press?’ Why don’t we ask the newcomer, huh? Do you support the news? Cause the Mayor is threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster.”

McDonough seemed to just register the kid, who had stopped her trek inside to wait for the Minuteman and Mr. Handy, who had finished talking to the guard. She clearly wasn’t expecting someone to drag her into the argument, startling at being addressed.

“Piper! You can’t expect a child to understand the delicate situati-”

“My dad always said that politicians who try to control the press are the ones who know that they are doing something wrong.”

Piper barely held back the sputtering laugh. She wasn’t expecting such a harsh reply to the Mayor but it was sure funny.

McDonough quickly tried to pivot back to his ‘for the people’ persona as the Minuteman and Mr. Handy joined them.

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to get involved with our argument, young miss. No, no, no, why you and your father look like Diamond City material,” McDonough said. His eyes were glued to the Mr. Handy, knowing that if they could afford to keep a Mr. Handy while on the road, they likely could afford to stay a while.

The Vaultie squinted at him confused. “Father?” she asked, before realizing, “Oh, you mean Mr. Preston? He’s not my dad, he’s just a friend.” The Minuteman stepped forward and held his hand out to shake the Mayor’s hand, but his expression could best be described as thinly veiled annoyance. “Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. I escorted Miss Sunny here from a new settlement up North.”

Ha. Called it. Piper knew they couldn’t be related, though now she wonders how recently the Vault opened, if it had started a new settlement and she hadn’t heard about it. Vault dwellers typically didn't like to leave their underground homes, even if they did open for trade. At least that's what the folks in Vault 81 did, from what she heard.

The mayor at least had the decency to look embarrassed by his assumption, a faint blush dusting across his face before he tried to cover it with a cough.

“Ahem, well, I can assure you that the trip will be more than worth it. Diamond City has all the finest comforts: a safe, comfortable place to rest your head, great food, and anything you could dream of can be found in our fine market stalls. Was there anything in particular that you were looking for, young miss?”

Garvey’s face shifted slightly from annoyance to sympathy, focusing on the girl (he said her name was Sunny, right?) who’s expression dropped from a polite, neutral face to fragile, fearful hope. Even the Mr. Handy seemed sad, which was almost impressive given its lack of face. Whatever they were here for, Piper guessed it wasn’t a shopping spree in the market.

“We were informed this would be the best place to look for help in finding a missing person,” the Mr. Handy said, posh British accent clear as the day he came off the assembly line. Damn. Another missing person? That would make 4 in as many months. And that would only count the ones Piper knew about. Who knew if anyone else had been taken and replaced by a perfect look alike. The ones not replaced just added to the fear of who had been, and if they could trust them should they ever return. A city filled with suspicion but no help. Diamond City Security wouldn’t hear anything about missing people and any complaints to the Mayor were tossed in the trash. Piper would know, she dug through it. “An infant boy was taken from Vault 111 and we are most fearful of what could have happened to him.”

“He’s my baby brother,” Sunny said, her voice cracking like she was about to cry “His name is Shaun. He’s only a few months old and I need to find him but I don’t know where else to look.” Piper’s heart broke for the girl. She was so young, she couldn’t be older than Nat. She didn’t want to imagine her sister out by herself out here in the wastes. And she was looking for her brother? A baby? The whole situation was heartbreaking.

Crap. That line she said about her parents being gone wasn't just a fib was it? Now Piper just felt like an ass.

McDonough's attempt at looking sympathetic was unsuccessful, so he just looked uncomfortable. “I'm sorry, Miss. But Diamond City Security simply doesn't have the time to look into every missing person's case. I'm afraid they're too busy to look for your brother.”

Sunny crumbled and tears started flowing. “You mean we came all this way for nothing?” Garvey looked pissed, opening his mouth to start spitting fire at the useless Mayor, but Piper, in her rage and experience yelling at the spineless bastard, beat him to the proverbial punch.

“Seriously, McDonough? A kid crosses the Commonwealth looking for an infant and you tell her you can't spare one guard to help! What the fuck!”

Sensing the danger he was in from the reporter and Minuteman, McDonough tried to cover himself, “However, there is a private citizen who might be willing to help. Nick Valentine. A…detective of sorts. He specializes in tracking people down. I'm sure he'll be happy to take your case.” That did little to comfort the kid as she kept crying and hiccuping.

“Hey,” Piper said, stepping in front of the girl and leaning down to be closer to eye level with her. “ I know ol’ Nicky myself. He's the best in the business. He'll find your brother, I know he will. Come on now, dry those tears. You can't see your way to his office with blurry eyes.”

Sunny nodded, as she tried to wipe her eyes and nose, even as more tears gathered in her eyes. The Mr. Handy placed a gentle claw on her head. “Come now, Miss Sunny. You can't go into a new city with the sniffles. You need to make a good impression.”

As he fussed over her appearance, Preston said, “Thank you for the help with the Mayor. I don't think he would have given us any information if you didn't put pressure on him.”

“Aww, it's nothing. Giving McDonough a hard time is part of my job. I'm Piper Wright. I write Publik Occurrences articles.” She offered her hand. From the corner of her eye, she caught Mayor McDonough just as he fled up the stairs. The Mayor of Diamond City, folks! Makes kids cry and leaves you to clean up the mess.

Preston smiled, “Oh, so that's what that yelling was about,”

“Well, not everyone wants to know the truth. But don't let me bore you with my job. You’re here to see Valentine, right?” She took a quick glance over him, trying to see if there were numbers on his coat or any significant markers of which Minuteman company he was part of. She didn't know exactly how Minuteman identified each other, but she knew only one company responded to Concord's call for help. Colonel Holis was their leader, she thinks. If Piper could figure out which company he was in, she could know if she could trust him to not tuck tail and run at the first sign of trouble.

“That will be our first stop after we get supplies, though we could use some directions. This is my first time in the city.”

“Sure thing,” Piper agreed, “follow me. Won't get anything done standing in the entrance.”

“Sunny,” Preston said “come on, I want you to stay in my sights the entire time we are here,”

“Ok, Mr. Preston,” She said, drying the last of her tears. Her face was still red and puffy and downtrodden but she was calmer now. Holding on to one of the Mr. Handy's arms, she was gently led to join them toward the steps.

As they walked, Sunny looked at Piper, “Thank you for helping us get in, Miss Piper. Sorry we got you in trouble.”

Piper smiled gently at the girl, “Don't worry about it, I was already in trouble with him. You guys didn't do anything.”

Sunny and the Mr. Handy crossed the threshold first and stopped to stare. “Wooow,” Sunny drawed out, “it looks really different from before, Codsworth.”

“Quite different,” the Mr. Handy, who Piper now knew was Codsworth, replied, “but I do believe that the change is not all that bad. It has quite a lot of character if I do say so myself!”

“Welcome to Diamond City,” Piper grinned and pointed down to Nat yelling out the headlines, “ See that girl down there? That's my sister, Nat. She can give you a good run-down of the place if you ask.”

Sunny looked over at Preston, silently asking for permission before taking off once he gave it. Nat immediately jumped into her sales pitch, but Piper knew she would be excited about a new kid when she got out of “work mode”. Even if she did have a robot following her around.

“So, Preston,” Piper started, her eyes not leaving the pair as they talked, “I'm surprised you've never been here before. I thought being a Minuteman meant you got to travel all over.”

Preston started going down the steps at a slow pace as he answered. “Typically, you are right. I've been everywhere from Bunker Hill to the edge of the Glowing Sea. I guess Diamond City is just so well protected, it never needed to call for help.”

She continued pressing. “Anyplace interesting? I've only been as far as Goodneighbor and that only takes half a day.” She needed to know if this guy had really ignored Quincy's need for help or had just not been told by his superiors. If he really did turn his back on the settlement, Piper was sure he'd do the same to the kid.

“In recent memory? Sanctuary has been the best. It's this old Pre-war subdivision that Sunny showed us after we met in Concord. It's peaceful, with plenty of space to grow food, a small river, and isolated enough that raiders aren't too big of a worry.”

Damn it. Nothing. Piper decided for a more direct approach. “Anywhere else? Like…I don't know…Quincy?”

Preston stopped so abruptly that Piper nearly ran into him. He turned around and his face had changed from a kind, strong Minuteman to a stern, angry soldier.

“If that is your way of asking if I was at the Quincy Massacre, yes, I was. I was there as my entire company died one by one waiting for backup. I was there when I realized I was the only one left and Colonel Holis was dead and no one was coming. I had to make the decision to retreat with what few survivors left in hopes their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain. And I was there as we wandered through the Commonwealth looking for somewhere that we can be safe. So yes, I have been to Quincy.” He turned back around sharply and continued down in a march.

Shit. So he did go to Quincy's aid. And paid heavily for it, if he was the last one left. Today was just the day Piper insulted everyone, huh?

“Wait, Preston!” Piper quickly moved in front to stop him from storming off. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.”

He scoffed.

“It's just that… When Quincy happened, everyone was devastated. The Minutemen were supposed to help people! Now, we don't know if we can trust the few left. I didn't know if you were gonna run and leave that girl behind when things get dangerous. But I am sorry. I can only imagine how terrifying it was going through all of that.”

Piper hoped he would accept the apology. She already made enough enemies by exposing scumbags with the paper. She had no desire to add a genuinely good person to that group.

Preston exhaled deeply through his nose before all the rage seemed to drain out of him. Leaving behind only a man who looked really, really tired.

“I understand,” he said. “ Just don’t bring it up again.”

Piper agreed quickly, just as Sunny came running back up to them. The bright, cobalt blue of her vault-suit stood out like a beacon against the faded reds, browns, and grays of the city. Even when partially hidden by the brown of her leather armor, the only thing that rivaled that suit's color was the jewel green wall that gave the city its nickname.

“Do you charge for your paper, Miss Piper? Cause your sister completely forgot about that if you do.” Even as she spoke, Sunny’s eyes roamed around the scenery. It was probably super different from the vault she grew up in. Piper had never been in one before, but she was pretty sure she would react the same way Sunny is if she went inside one.

“It's on the house for first timers, kid. Next time you're gonna have to cough up some caps.” She quipped, even as the wheels in her head started turning. Sunny couldn't have been out of the vault for too long. What did someone who was raised on pre-war values, with pre-war history, surrounded by pre-war technology think of this post-war society? What did she learn in her classroom that's been lost to time for them? What stayed the same no matter where she was?

“Thank you very much for the assistance, Miss Piper.” Codsworth said, “ You said that you did know the way to Detective Valentine's place of work, correct?”

Snapping out of her thoughts and coming back to the present, Piper nodded her head. “Right. Sorry about that,” She pointed toward the space past Moe Cronin and his swatters. “Go past all the stores and take a hard right into the alleyway. Valentine Detective Agency is the only thing down that way and it has a neon sign to boot, so you won't miss it.”

Sunny nodded her head along to Piper's instructions then looked at Preston, expecting him to say something. He was silent for a moment, leaving an awkward tension in the air as Sunny’s gaze flicked between them confused. Piper wondered which would win? His lingering anger and offense or the exhaustion that now seemed to settle deep into his bones.

The exhaustion won as he simply said. “ You take care, Miss Wright. We won't keep you any longer.” He gently placed a hand on Sunny’s back and started leading her away. Codsworth gave his own polite wave and farewell before following, but Piper had her focus back on that blue suit.

Sunny looked back at her and waved over her shoulder, giving a toothy grin. The dark screen of her pip-boy caught the light of the sun and gleamed slightly. The thing looked so big and bulky on such a small arm.

Piper decided to go with her half-baked idea and quickly caught up with the group, placing a hand on Sunny’s shoulder opposite of Preston. “Hold on a minute, Blue. I got one more thing to ask ya.” The new nickname slipped out easily past her lips. It seemed to fit the girl as well as her actual name.

Sunny didn't seem to notice what Piper had called her, or at least didn't acknowledge it. She turned back around and cocked her head, slightly confused on what the woman could need from her. Preston looked somewhat annoyed at being stopped yet again, but he didn't look as mad as Piper thought he would. Codsworth even seemed curious, continually zooming and un-zooming on her.

“What do you need, Miss Piper?”

“How do you feel about doing an interview for Publik Occurrences?”

“Huh?” Sunny’s brows furrowed in further confusion. “Interview? What do I need to do an interview for?”

“I want to put your story in print,” Piper told her. “I think it's time Diamond City and the Commonwealth to have some outside perspective. You haven't been outside the vault for very long right? So, you could provide a fresh pair of eyes to what everyone thinks is normal.”

Sunny stayed quiet for a moment, thinking.

“Okay, but I’ll have to do it later. We need supplies and I need Detective Valentine’s help.”

____________________________________________________________

It was late into the evening when Piper heard a polite knock on her door. All the shops had closed down and a dinner of cram and salisbury steak had long been eaten. Piper had finished up her last touches on her article and was writing down questions to ask the young vault dweller up in the loft and Nat was patching up a tiny tear in her coat. Having been grounded for getting detention while she was away, she was banned from playing with her toys, comics, and magazines until the end of the week. As her guardian, Piper had to be responsible and teach Nat that she should have talked to the teacher instead of punching a boy in the nose when he wouldn’t leave her alone. As her sister, Piper was damn proud.

“I got it,” Nat piped up, setting her sewing down easily. Piper was glad she actually enjoyed the activity cause she never had, nor did she have the patience for it. It was a necessary chore that needed to be done if you wanted to have decent clothes in the Commonwealth. Unless you were a yuppie in the Stands who could shell out the caps for new clothes when your old ones were ruined, someone in the house had to pick up a needle and thread.

Piper kept her focus on her notepad, wondering if asking a Vault Dweller if they were technically inbred was inappropriate before scratching the idea away completely.

“Hey, Piper? That vault dweller and her bodyguard are here to see you.” Piper finally looked away from her work and down toward the door. Sure enough, Sunny, Preston, and Codsworth were in her home. Sunny trying to diligently kick the dirt off her boots and Preston realizing it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“Hey! Glad you guys remembered!” Piper shoved her notepad in her pocket and descended the stairs. Now on the ground floor, she got a side by side comparison of Nat and Sunny.

Okay. Maybe she was older than Nat. While the girl still held baby fat on her face like her sister, Sunny was several inches taller. She seemed…smoother, too. She didn’t have all the small scars across her hands Nat did have from handling paper and the printing press everyday. Her face didn’t have a random cut or bruise that kids normally sported around here due to falling and eating dirt. Nat and other young girls kept their hair chin length, so as to not have to spend a ton of time taking care of it. Even Piper made sure her hair never got past her shoulders. Sunny’s went past that, probably longer if they were out of the braids.

It was like she was missing parts that Piper was used to seeing in kids, and had them swapped with completely foreign ones. Vault kids really were an entire different breed from Commonwealth kids it seems.

“Hello, Miss Piper. Sorry for coming by so late but we are just stopping to tell you that we are going to have to delay that interview until later.”

Piper raised her eyebrow. Why stop and tell her if they decided not to do the interview? Did she anger Preston enough for him to forbid the interview? No, he would have shot down the idea when it was brought up and wouldn't show up to delay it. Did someone bad-mouth her enough in the market for them to change their minds? She wasn't exactly friends with most of them, but she didn't think any of them hated her enough to actively discourage an interview. Did they…

“Did Valentine forget to show some of that Diamond City hospitality? Normally, he’s better about that,” Piper tried to joke. Nick was always willing to help anyone who needed it, but a lot of people were put off by the bolts and exposed wires. If they were rude about the whole “prototype synth with memories from a pre-war cop” thing, she wouldn’t be surprised if he kicked them out.

“Unfortunately, Detective Valentine was not there to receive us, only his assistant.” Codsworth answered.

“Miss Woods says he left to investigate a kidnapping by a gang led by a man named Skinny Malone and hasn’t returned. Does the name ring any bells?” Preston continued.

Piper’s mind went right back into work mode. Going over to one of her filing cabinets, she opened a random drawer and started flitting through the unorganized papers. “Nat, where’s my files on Skinny Malone and his gang?,”

Nat shot over another cabinet, “His personal file is here,” a quick shuffle and Nat pulled out a folder.

Another cabinet and quick shuffle, “His gang's criminal history is here.”

Tucking under Piper, she closed the first drawer and opened the one below it, “And every article about their crimes are here.” She closed the drawer with her elbow and handed her sister the now decent stack of paper.

“Why do you know my system better than I do?”

“‘Cause you don’t have a system at all.”

Piper pulled out his personal file and the crime list. Handing the personal file over to Preston, she gave a quick rundown, “Skinny Malone is a small-time gang leader who wants to make it big. He grew up here in Diamond City. His family was well-off in the Stands, and spoiled him to be more rotten than brahmin shit. His dad cut him off 20 years ago after an altercation that ended with Skinny in the city jail, and told him that his bail would be the last time he spent caps on him. Skinny couldn’t handle an actual job, so he shot his parents in the head, took all the caps they had, and started his own gang .”

Preston followed her explanation on the paper, a serious look on his face. “And one of this gang’s crimes is kidnapping?”

Piper started skimming the list of crimes, cursing herself for not at least alphabetizing the stupid thing. Robbery, Assault, Murder- the whole thing was copied down as his crime list grew but kidnapping wasn’t one of them. She chewed on a nail.

“Nothing on kidnapping, but I do know he’s got a thing for pretty ladies way too young for him, and doesn’t like to be told no. If one got his interest enough and rejected him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to just take the poor girl.”

“Miss Woods said that he was investigating Penn Street Station. We are going there to see if Detective Valentine needs help.” Sunny stated. “If he is as good as everyone says, I bet the girl will be there too.”

Piper flicked her eyes back over to the group before handing the paper back to Nat and heading past the couch. “Penn Street Station is past all the guard stations and is a good walk away. When are we leaving?”

Sunny immediately caught the addition in the question. “I’m sorry, we?” Piper had picked up her 10mm pistol and was now counting her bullets.

“Yes, we. Valentine has been a part of Diamond City for as long as I can remember and he’s my friend. If you guys are staging his rescue, I’m coming.” Satisfied with the amount of ammo she had, she put her pistol in the pocket opposite of her notepad and pencil. She’ll need that too.

“Besides,” she added, “I still want that interview.”

____________________________________________________________

They had to leave Codsworth behind. Sunny had pitched a massive fit over it, but it was sadly the most practical. Penn Street Station would be crawling with Skinny’s gang, so a stealth approach would be needed. Codsworth was just too loud, his engine, singular thruster, and multiple arms always making an audible noise. His shiny metal finish and inability to crouch made him a giant silver beacon. It was only after she was told that he would stay at Publik Occurances and Piper lied that Nat needed someone to watch her for the night did Sunny agree to him being left behind. (Nat never needed anyone to watch her and had glared at Piper for saying that.)

By the time they had left the city and passed all the guards, the moon was high in the sky and the streets were quiet. Piper fished her notepad and pencil out of her pocket and flipped to the questions she prepared earlier. Not as many as she would have usually liked to have, but she could improvise a few if needed.

“So Blue, you up to answering a few questions for me?,” Piper asked the girl in front of her. A Stealth-boy had been attached to the girl’s armor and her rifle now held steadily in her hands. It looked so big in her hands, Piper couldn’t believe she used it.

Sunny turned slightly to glance at the reporter. “Why do you keep calling me that? Blue?” she asked.

'Cause of the blue jumpsuit you're wearing?,” Piper answered, “You're a Vault dweller. That and the Pip-boy are dead giveaways.”

Sunny pulled at her collar and looked down to inspect her outfit. “Nothing else that fits me is any good. Everything else is either too big, in shreds, or a dress. I even have to tighten up the armor that I’m wearing with it as tight as it can go.”

Piper smiled and continued, “ I'm going to ask you a few basic questions first, just some simple information until I get to the bigger questions.”

“Okay.”

“Name?”

“ Sunny Evangeline Roberts.”

“Birthday?”

“April 4th.”

“Vault?”

“111. It's on my suit.”

“Age?”

“12, technically.”

Piper frowned at that answer. “What do you mean by ‘technically’?”

“I mean, I'm only technically 12. If we actually counted the years between now and when I was born, it would be about 212 years.”

If Piper had a drink, she would have choked on it. Instead, she just choked on her spit. Sunny’s tone didn’t sound like she was joking but Piper couldn’t imagine her being serious. The only ones who lived that long were ghouls and Sunny had the very strong distinction of having a nose. As she was trying to regain her breath, Preston lightly scolded the girl.

“Sunny, you can’t just tell people like that.”

“But you told Paladin Danse, why can’t I tell Miss Piper? If she is gonna write about me, she’s got to know.”

Piper couldn’t believe they were so casual about this. “Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean you’re over 200 years old?” she asked, voice jumping higher and louder than she meant it to.

“All Vault-Tec Vaults had an experiment built in,” Preston answered seriously, “none of them were good, which is why most are either abandoned or destroyed from the inside. Vault 111 put all of the original residents in cryogenic suspension.”

“They didn’t tell us,” Sunny’s voice had a hard and shaky tone to it, like she was trying to be tough but couldn’t. “No one would have agreed to it otherwise. It was too risky. So, they lied and told us the pods were for decontamination. ”

“Oh god, Blue.” Piper’s brain was having a bit of trouble catching up. This kid was old enough to be her great-great-something-grandmother. She had seen the bombs fall. She didn’t know anything about Vault-life, but knew everything about before the war like it was yesterday, because to her, it was yesterday. Most of her questions no longer applied, but a million more took their place in her head, and over half of them would be twice as insensitive as the inbreeding question.

“How…how did…how did you get out? When did this happen? ” Piper’s mouth finally settled on.

Sunny kept walking, but her steps slowed down and her hold on her rifle became looser. “ About two weeks ago. There was a malfunction in my pod. The fact that it was able to still open after not being maintained is nothing short of a miracle.”

Preston now slowed his pace to match Sunny’s, and Piper had to slow now too so as to not topple over the girl. Their brisk walking pace was now a shuffle. Piper’s pencil seemed to move on its own as it wrote down Sunny’s answer.

“Did anyone else make it?” Piper asked softly.

“No. Mom and Dad were killed when Shaun was taken and life support failed for everyone else.” Sunny’s nails dug into grip, scratching at the faux leather. “The scientists and guards that were supposed to watch us had some sort of…fight? Rebellion? Whatever happened between them, when I got out, all that was left was bones. Codsworth was the first person I found when I got out.”

Piper bit her tongue to avoid adding any commentary to the girl’s tale and just asked her question, “Why was your family allowed in the vault? I know only specific people were allowed in each one, or else we wouldn’t have so many ghouls.”

“Vault 111 was advertised as a military vault. They said it was to honor and thank our great American heroes, both past and present. Dad was retired military. His squad were the first to test out new Power Armor on the field, so they were really important. He injured his leg when I was nine, so he was honorably and medically discharged.”

Piper couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Was he the one who showed you how to use this giant thing?” She reached over Sunny and tapped her pencil against the stock of the gun gently.

She couldn’t see it, but a small smile was now on Sunny’s face. “Yeah, he did,” she reminisced, “After he retired, he stayed home while Mom went to work, taking care of the house and me. He was a bit paranoid afterward. He saw things while deployed, but they never told me what it was. He wanted to make sure I would be safe, so he taught me and Mom how to shoot, how to hunt and gather food, how to get clean water, stuff like that. I complained at the time, but now? I don’t think I’d be alive without them.”

Sunny looked up at the crumbling towers and shining stars. “Even with how worried about the future he was, I don’t think he could have imagined it being like this. Otherwise, I don’t think they would have had Shaun.” She looked straight ahead at Preston’s back again.

Piper was going to need to sharpen her pencil, trying to keep up with the girl’s words. She knew what the girl ment. If her brother was just an infant, there was a big age gap between the two, just like her and Nat. If their Dad had survived and their Mom stuck around, Piper wouldn’t have to play the stressful balancing act between sister and parent. She loved her sister with all of her heart, but Piper sometimes resented the responsibility on her shoulders. Sunny’s parents were now gone, and she was putting herself in the role of a mother on a mission to find her baby. After a beat of writing, she spoke again.

“What do you think of this?”

Sunny turned her head to look back at her. “Huh?” “All of this. What do you think of it? It's obviously different from before the war. I think everyone needs to hear how we are doing in comparison to before.” Sunny was silent for a short while, tumbling the answer around in her head. “ Things are different, that’s true. We didn’t have raiders and our toilets worked and the cows had only one head. My parents were here and my brother was safe. The buildings were safer and there was a lot more of everything.”

She paused as they had to climb over a large amount of debris. The rubble was loose and unsafe to walk on, so crawling uncomfortably on their hands and knees over it was the best way to get around the rocks and concrete.

“There is good though,” she started again, “I have Codsworth, and I met Mr. Preston, and Dogmeat, and Paladin Danse, and everyone back at Sanctuary. Some things are different, but still nice. Diamond City was beautiful in a way I have never seen and when there aren't gunshots, everything is so quiet. And so many people are trying. They are trying to survive, and build homes, and have families. They have hope, so I have hope I can find my brother and have a good life.”

Piper smiled and scribbled down the last words of Sunny’s little speech. This was a lot to work with, and Piper didn’t want to cut anything. She hoped her old printer would survive all the extra work and not kick the bucket like Nat keeps saying. Once she finished her notes, she looked back through quickly, and found something that brought up another question.

“What’s a cow?”

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