#also I took naps with him and my parents room because I have a loft bed and his fat ass would not be able to get up there

[chibifox2002]

"Hey Chibi, what kinds of things would you do with your dog?"

Oh y'know! Normal pet owner stuff!

(photos taken throughout the years by my mother and sister)

[xpeachesncream]

off the grid | six

summary: it was as simple as swapping places with a stranger from across the world to get away from everything back home. that is - until you meet Jimin. things become more complicated as he unfolds a new chapter in your life that you were initially trying to avoid.

pairing: reader x pjm

genre: post-college au, christmas/holiday au | angst, fluff, smut (to come)

words: 3.7k

chapter warnings: smut chapter! unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, fingering, oral (f. receiving), slight dirty talk, cussing, possible inaccurate depiction of transportation, events and whereabouts in South Korea since i only did my research thru the internet, fluff

notes: will be wrapping this up in the next few chapters!

> series masterlist <

Jimin was going to be busy for majority of the day with his parents, which left you feeling a little sad. But, you knew he had to do what he had to do and he had offered to come by and spend time with you tonight. As you were about to head out and explore on your own with the tips he had given you, a call from an unknown number popped up on your screen.

"Hello?"

"Y/N!" Jungkook's voice came through on the other line. "I hope you don't mind, I asked Jimin for your number not too long ago."

"No, you're good." You chuckled. "What's up?"

"Wanna hang out with me and Tae? We're gonna head to Common Ground."

"Sure!"

"Sick!" He exclaims. "I'll send you our address. Do you think you'll be okay heading over?"

"Yeah, I got it." You responded, remembering Jimin's directions to his place in the event you ever needed anything.

"Okay, just let me know if you get lost and I'll come find you." You chuckled before responding with a simple 'okay' to end the call. You were confident in your memory of the directions, which led you to their place in a matter of minutes. They didn't live too far from Yana, and you remember Jimin saying so since Yana doesn't drive and would simply take public transportation to and from places.

Upon your arrival at their apartment, Taehyung was cleaning up in the kitchen while Jungkook was throwing on a jacket. Jungkook gave you a little tour of their apartment, which was surprisingly clean and smelled of vanilla birchwood. Sooner or later, the three of you were off into town to visit Common Ground, which was considered Korea's first cultural space that was made out of shipping containers. The view and the entirety of it was pretty neat, and you kind of wished Jimin was here, but Jungkook and Taehyung were just as great of travel buddies. They talked a lot about their hometowns and what it was like moving to Seoul, plus how they truly value Korea and it's culture. You were coming to learn what a truly spectacular and beautiful place it was, and it was even more refreshing to hear from the boys themselves how much they loved being from Korea.

After navigating through the crowds and having spent more money on souvenirs and clothes, the three of you decided to eat up and grab some grub. For a minute, you lost Jungkook because he ran into some people he knew, leaving you and Taehyung to eat together.

"This place is neat isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's really cool. Thanks for taking me along." He nodded as his lips poked out while eating his food. You thought it was the most adorable thing.

"You know, Jimin's been really happy since you guys started spending a lot of time together."

"Oh yeah?" You giggled. Yes, Taehyung. Expose him.

"It's actually really nice to see." He chuckled. You knew him and Taehyung had known each other the longest out of their group, but he still held a very tight relationship with Jungkook, Hoseok and Jin. "He's always been the one to take care of people. I just wanna see him happy. He does a lot for the people he cares about."

"I know, he's really the sweetest person I've ever met. He's an angel."

"He was really destroyed over his ex." You continued to listen. "He loved her, a lot. He did everything for her and sacrificed a lot to keep her happy. But she couldn't reciprocate it 100% and that killed him time and time again."

"How long ago was that?"

"About a year ago? Even then, he tried not to have any bad blood with her after she had mistreated him. He has a good heart and mind. He deserves someone good who can take care of him." Your stomach fluttered with the countless butterflies, but most of the happiness you felt, also turned into anxiety. The days were counting down and you wouldn't be here for much longer. "He really, really likes you Y/N."

"I-I do, too. But-" Taehyung looked over at you, concerned. "I'm not going to be here for much longer." You shrugged. "It really sucks."

"Why don't you stay for a little more?"

"Work. My life is back in LA." He nodded. As much as it hurt you to say that, it was true. You wished it was easy to pick up your things and move around the world, but part of you felt silly for even thinking that over a holiday-solo-vacation love story.

"It's gonna be hard, but I honestly don't think Jimin cares. I think he'd make this work with you."

"But is that fair to him? Our time difference and-and, who knows when I'll get to physically see him again? Hearing what he went through.. what if I can't give him what he deserves?"

"I know all of it sounds like a mess and like it would never work, but don't you think you two meant for a reason?" He wasn't trying to be Jimin's right-hand at the moment, he was doing this because he truly could see how the both of you genuinely felt for each other. He hadn't seen Jimin have this glow, this type of genuine happiness to him in a long, long time.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just scared, and I would never want to put Jimin through anything he doesn't deserve."

"I get you." He replies. "But I do hope you know how much he cares about you. Like, I'm really not doing this because he's my bestfriend and all." He laughed. "But because I want to see the both of you happy."

"Thank you." You smiled at him toothlessly, the thoughts now flooding your head. All you wanted to do at this point was run into Jimin's arms and never let go. It would be your new safe haven. All you wanted was Jimin.

The rest of the day with Taehyung and (finally, again) Jungkook was chill, as you grabbed some desserts and played around at a nearby park before heading home to rest. You felt a sudden wave of exhaustion hit you, so you took a quick shower, threw on an oversized tee and shorts before retreating to the bed for a nice, late afternoon nap. You quickly texted Jimin that you'd leave the door unlocked so he could just walk in case you were deadass knocked out and couldn't hear the knocks or phone ringing.

Jimin had been helping his parents do a ton of revamping at their café, while also holding down the fort and doing what he can to help during peak hours. He was exhausted, nonetheless, but was excited to see you. He jetted off to the loft with food from the café to for some dinner, all while chuckling at the text you sent, wondering what the hell Jungkook and Taehyung had put you through today to knock you the hell out.

"Y/N?" He calls out softly. No response. He gently shuts the door and chucks his shoes to the side befofe laying the food out on the kitchen counter. It's peacefully quiet, even as Jimin climbs up the steps to the bedroom area. He smiles to himself as he sees you deep into the duvet covers, sleeping deeply like a baby longing for their afternoon nap. He sits on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing through your hair, thumb softly caressing your cheek. You slowly open your eyes and smile, immediately sitting up to throw your arms around him. He laughs into your hug, pulling you in closer and running his hands down your back.

"Miss me?"

"I did."

"Aw." He chuckled. "Come here." He cups your cheeks and places a kiss on your lips.

"What a nice way to wake up."

"Yeah? What did TaeTae and Kookie do to you today?"

"Nothing, we just walked around Common Ground." He nodded.

"That's it?"

"We may have played around at a nearby park before going home."

"There it is." He laughed. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually." You stretched.

"I brought some food from the café. Mom said I better feed you well." You chuckled.

"She's the sweetest." He had quickly brought you over to the café the other day, his mom and dad being the sweetest, and most loving people you have ever come across. You could immediately tell where Yana and Jimin got their mannerisms from. His mom couldn't stop holding onto you and telling Jimin how pretty you were, almost like she was telepathically communicating with her son and telling him to stop fucking around and get with it. You couldn't help but giggle at the look on her face.

"Come on." He nodded for you to follow him downstairs. He had paninis laid out, freshly toasted, with chips and more dessert. You pushed the coffee table in the living room forward a bit so that you both could sit on the floor and enjoy a good movie while eating the food. He had asked you more about your day and if Taehyung or Jungkookie had talked shit about him while you guys were out. You couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the serious conversation you and Tae had.

"Mm, actually," You finished up your sandwich and quickly washed your hands before heading back to the living room area. "Me and Taehyung had a pretty serious talk."

"About?"

"You, what else?"

"God, what did he say?"

"Nothing." You laughed, seeing his facial expression change.

"You can't say that you had a serious talk then not talk about it."

"Aw, is someone upset?" He pouted.

"Yeah, cause I'd like to know and I thought you cared about me." He dramatically responded. "I see that you don't, since you'd rather keep me hanging on a string like this."

"You're so dramatic, Park." You pinched his side, making him laugh. His laugh was certainly becoming a weakness for you. "He just told me that you've been really happy since we've been spending time together." He nodded.

"I mean, he isn't wrong."

"He also said that you really cared about me." You looked at him blankly, trying to read his expression and body language. He smiled at you, his cheeks getting hot and rosy.

"He also isn't wrong there."

"Taehyung really knows you, then."

"Since high school." He shrugs.

"That's about it, though." You spared him the rest of the details being that you really didn't wanna spoil the evening with such sad and negative thoughts about how your time was coming to an end here. Frankly though, you knew you had to deal with it sooner or later. That talk was coming either way.

"Hm." He says, pushing the coffee table up more towards the tv and throwing a blanket over both of your legs. He silently swung his arm over your shoulder and kept watching the movie on the tv. It was awhile before he broke the silence again with a sigh, his eyes still glued ahead of him. "I really like you, Y/N. I like you a lot. It's a little scary, but you don't know how much you drive me crazy with everything you do."

You held onto his hand that was hanging loosely from your shoulder and looked over at him. "I really like you too." At this point, you feel his eyes on you. They linger from your eyes, down to your lips and back up to your eyes.

"Then will you let me take care of you?" All self-control had gone out the window after seeing the look in his eyes. It was full of passion and lust, but nothing dark. He just wanted to be close to you and make you happy. He cared, and he wanted you to see that.

"Yes." You say breathily as his face edged closer to yours. He cupped your face with his free hand, instantly pressing a kiss onto your lips. The kiss began to deepen quickly, with Jimin tracing your bottom lip with his tongue, asking for entrance. You gladly let him proceed as your hand rests against his jawline. You took the initiative to pull yourself onto his lap and straddle him, your breathing slightly hitching when you feel his hardened member through his grey sweats. Your tongues are beautifully dancing around as he holds you tightly while you grind your hips against his.

"Hey, wait. Are you sure about this?" He pulls away, knowing the moment is intensifying by the minute. "You know I wanna do right by you, Y/N. I don't wanna do anything you aren't comfortable with."

"I'm sure. I want this. I want you." You respond almost at a whisper, your lips slightly grazing his. He simply nods and brings you back with a kiss. You gently palm his member, making him hiss and groan slightly at your touch. You continue to grind your hips onto him, slowly humping him into insanity.

"Fuck Y/N, honestly, you're going to make me cum if you keep moving like that." You chuckled.

"Don't." You plant kisses along his jaw line, watching as he shuts his eyes and tilts his head back. "I'd want you to do it inside me." You whisper in his ear.

"Y-You can't say things like that." He moaned.

"Or what?"

"You're an instigator, you know that? A really cute one." He says as he chuckles and gently lays you back down onto the ground. He whips your shirt and shorts off, quickly unhooking your bra and tossing it aside. His eyes widen at the sight of your exposed breasts. "So fucking pretty." He curses under his breath as he lightly sucks on your neck and around your breasts, before grabbing a nipple in his mouth and toying around with it with his tongue. You grip onto his hair as you slightly arch your back in pleasure. He bites onto his bottom lip before placing a trail of kisses down your stomach and down to your inner thighs before rubbing your covered clit through your soaked panties. He gently presses his lips onto your covered clit, making you yearn for more. "You're so wet."

"J-Jimin." You weakly call out. "Please."

"I got you, baby." He slips down your panties and inserts a digit into your throbbing pussy. You let out a small moan as he pumps his digit in and out of you, before inserting another two, with his thumb circling your clit.

"Ohhhh, fuck!" You squeal as you continue to feel his fingers stretching you out. You feel your wetness dripping out with every pump and covering areas of your inner thighs before Jimin releases his fingers and has you lick them clean. He lets out a small grunt watching your tongue circle and suck onto his fingers. He then latches onto your clit with his mouth. You feel his tongue swipe down your folds, teasing you with an in and out motion. You jut your hips upward but Jimin does a hell of a job preventing you from moving up any higher. You squirm in his grip, feeling your high coming close. "Jimin, fuck! You're gonna make me cum." You see his eyes look up at you, this time, full of lust. He simply nods as he continues to let his tongue suck you dry and explore the insides of you - the sight being enough to tip you over and make you climax. "Jimin!" You yell his name as your body twitches from underneath his grip. He gives your pussy one last lick, causing you to tremble at the sensitivity.

"You're so fucking pretty when you call my name." He says almost at a whisper. "How else can I make you feel good, baby?" He places soft kisses along your neck and jaw. You tug on his pants, causing him to chuckle and toss his shirt and pants off to the side.

"Please."

"Please, what? Use your words, beautiful."

"I want you deep inside of me. I wanna feel you." He bites onto his bottom lip and smirks. You run your hands down his chiseled abs and his V-line, completely in awe of how beautiful this man truly was. He was driving you crazy, everything about him. His eyes, his soft hair, his scent, his body. Good god.

He removes his boxers, making his hardened cock spring out. It was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen - perfectly long and thick, with veins running upward in various places. You pump him a few times, causing him to let out small moans, before placing your thumb on his reddened head to spread the pre-cum around his tip. He lowers his body back down onto you, his member teasing your entrance and gently grazing your folds. He kisses you passionately before you watch him grab his cock and place the head at your entrance. He inches in, lowering his body back down and bringing the blanket over your bodies while watching your eyes roll to the back of your head.

"You okay?"

"Mhm." You let out, your nails already digging onto his back. He kept a steady pace and slowly eased you into it. Your moans became breathy as he picked up the pace, his hands now keeping your legs opened wider for him. "Mmmmff, Jimin." You pleaded. "Just like that."

"Fuck, babygirl. The way you call my name." He quickly tilts his head back before ramming his body into yours as he became a little rough with it. Your thighs were folded up near your stomach as he held it there and continued to thrust in and out of you. With him picking up the pace, you felt yourself about to reach your climax and cum again.

"God, I'm gonna cum." You continued to moan loudly, until you were gripping onto the blankets and your eyes were rolling back once again. He greatly slowed down his pace, letting you ride out your high once more while placing kisses along your breasts and your lips. He wraps his arms around you and brings the blanket over while he sits back against the couch and lets you straddle him once more. The blanket comfortably sits below your waist, your eyes locked with his. He simply smiles at you, tucking a strand behind your ear and caresses your cheek. You gently and slowly ride him as you lean into his hand and place a kiss on his palm. His hands drop down to your waist, gripping onto them as you kept a steady pace while resting your hands on the couch behind him. You pick up your pace as you watch him squirm underneath you. He begins to call out your name, his hisses and groans accompanying the sound of your wet pussy riding him into the sunset.

"Y/N, fuck. Y-You're gonna make me cum." He tilted his head back, his hands losing grip around your hips as you rode his cock faster. "L-like that." He stutters. "Ugh, god." He hisses. You can tell he's about to let go with the way he's holding back his moans.

"J-Jimin, hmmmmph." You tilt your head back as you feel yourself about to cum for the third time tonight. "Please cum with me." You plead as your moans get louder.

"Oh shit, I'm gonna cum." He spits out as his fingers deep into your hips. You feel him fill you up completely as you ride out the rest of your high, Jimin's head now resting against your chest as you hold him close. You both stay in the position for awhile to catch your breath. After a moment, he looks up to meet your eyes and smiles, kissing you on the lips before helping you off his lap. He helps clean you up a bit before cleaning himself up and throwing his shirt and sweats back on. You fix the blanket onto the floor and drag some pillows down from the couch so you could lay on your stomach somewhat comfortably on the floor.

"You don't wanna get up to the bed?" Jimin laughed as he kneeled and rubbed your back.

"No, I'm too comfortable now."

"That good, huh?"

"Shut up, Jimin. Leave me alone." He laughed louder.

"I'll go grab another blanket." He says, going into the storage closet to grab another thick blanket to drape over your bodies. He lays next to you, his back resting against the couch as he propped his elbow up and rested his head on his hand. He continued to rub your back as you both looked over at the TV, the movie now nearing the end.

"I have to rewind the movie." You pouted, making Jimin chuckle.

"Go ahead." He watched as you flipped the remote up and brought the movie back to the last place you remembered seeing. You sunk your body into Jimin's, his lips lightly pressing on your head. Not even 5 minutes back into the movie, you felt your eyes getting heavy.

"Ah, I'm getting so sleepy though."

"You took a nap earlier. What do you mean?"

"I worked out a lot today." He laughed and lightly tickled you, making you hit his hand away.

"I see that. Go to sleep."

"Are you going to stay?" You mumbled.

"Only if you want me to."

"Of course I do." He smiled. "But what are you going to do?"

"Watch anime or whatever is on Netflix. Don't worry about me."

"Mmkay."

"Goodnight, baby." He whispers in your ear before kissing your cheek. The word baby made the butterflies come back (and the pussy throb, yet again, but you shoved that in the back of your mind because you definitely didn't have energy to go another round, as much as you wanted to).

Jimin watches as you quickly fall asleep, smiling to himself while he continues to play with your hair. He was happy. So happy. More than he's ever felt before and he wasn't sure how you were doing it. He was caught in your spell and he didn't even see it coming. You had him so undone. All he wanted to do was make this work with you and he was willing to, more than you knew. He didn't care about the time difference, he didn't care about your life being back in LA, he just didn't care about anything you've worried about because he believed you were worth it and he was going to put in this effort. You could figure everything else out later, but he just wanted this to be.

Alexa, play: Vibez x Zayn

[omniswords]

Storm Soundtrack [Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng]

I'm so honored to have been part of @mlwriterzine , and even more honored to write about my two favorite things: Marinette's birthday, and Luka 😂 We just got permission to post our pieces, so here was mine.

Anyway, enjoy!

New York.

She was going to New York.

And she was eighteen.

Marinette had heard a lot about both of these things. That because she was eighteen, she could drive—except in New York she could have been driving at least a year ago. (Not that anyone drove in New York anyway, because it was, according to Mrs. Bourgeois, a total nightmare.) And because she was eighteen, she could drink—except in New York she’d have to wait three more years, the reason for which was beyond her, especially considering she wasn’t terribly keen on drinking in the first place. And because she was eighteen, she could play the lottery—and in that respect, at least New York was the same—but it didn’t mean much to her when she felt such a stinging guilt about getting money that she hadn’t really earned.

Somehow, it all already felt like too much, and she was only hours in. Still in the middle of her own birthday party, even. And the one thing that had not, and probably would not change, she noted grimly, was that she still didn’t know what to do when everyone gathered to sing “Happy Birthday.”

Seriously, what was she supposed to do? Sing along? Clap? Dance? Smile and wave, boys, smile and wave?

Did anyone know?

Marinette was more than relieved when the song ended—partly because it meant she didn’t have to just sit here awkwardly, and partly because it gave her a few moments of silence and darkness except for the candles on the cupcake arrangement in front of her. She gathered her hair back, closed her eyes, and at least tried to make a wish. She never knew what to wish for, either. The fact that she had friends, family, and her own health was enough of a blessing, but it was still fun to act a little mysterious if anyone asked about it. And besides, she could always say, sometime after she’d opened her gifts in the privacy of her room, that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted.

Because, well, it wasn’t a lie. She had gotten exactly what she wanted. She was happy with her best friends from middle and high school filling the apartment, with her father presenting her with a cupcake specially decorated with fondant and edible glitter, even with her grandmother coming all the way from Italy and offering to take her out for a nighttime motorcycle ride on the town. She was eighteen, and happy, and for the first time in a while, she felt like she’d really earned it.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and she jolted to attention so quickly she nearly dropped her cupcake. When she turned, though, relief flooded her at the sight of Luka standing there, with his easygoing smile and his guitar strapped to his back. His face was flushed, and his hair and clothes were starting to cling to him. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the end-of-July heat getting to him or the fact that he might have biked all the way to her house at top speed.

“Hey,” he said with a two-finger salute.

Marinette couldn’t help smiling up at him; somehow, she always forgot how tall he’d gotten over the years, how he stood proudly at almost six feet when she considered it a miracle that she’d broken past five. “You made it!” she chirped, having the foresight to set her cupcake down before she let him envelop her in a hug and kiss her on both cheeks.

“Of course I made it. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Not even for an extra shift.” He let go of her, gracing her with a wink.

Part of her wanted to laugh behind a hand, but there was too much of her that felt too guilty. This close, it wasn’t hard to catch the circles under Luka’s eyes. He’d been working himself ragged lately. He always had been, she knew; he felt like he had to earn his keep for most things the same way she did. But it seemed like it had been particularly hard on him, or like he’d been particularly hard on himself, since he graduated high school a couple of years ago. Like he wasn’t just trying to earn anymore—he was trying to provide.

Still, it never seemed like it was something he wanted to dwell on, or something he ever wanted her or anyone else to worry about. So if he dismissed it with a smile and a wink, or a message that he was just a bit tired, then what could she do about it but worry quietly?

Marinette nodded toward his guitar. “Do you want to play?” she asked. “Or do you want to put it up in my room so it’s safe?” Or do you need a nap? You definitely look like you could use a nap. Oh God, wait, I’m not inviting you like that, I promise—

“I can keep it upstairs for now,” Luka agreed—to her relief, because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could think in those circles. With a casual wave to her parents and friends, he followed her up the stairs to her room. Marinette couldn’t help a scowl and a blush when she caught the knowing grin on Alya’s face.

Really? Really?

Together, they looked for a safe place to stow away his guitar. Luka ended up tucking it in the space between her work desk and her vanity, under her loft. “I always forget how cool your room is,” he said offhand. “It’s very… you.”

“Me?” Marinette looked around, brow furrowed. None of her stuff was packed away yet—she still had a month before she was supposed to leave—but it still looked like an organized clutter of fabric, sketches, decorations that only seemed to go together if you squinted. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “It’s got your vibes. A little scattered, but mostly put together, and cozy. Safe.” If he laughed then, it was to himself, and she could barely hear it. But she felt it. And she thought she liked feeling it. He wove past her, never studying one corner or wall for too long, until his eyes landed on the skylight. “Is that how you get up to your balcony?”

“Huh? Oh… Yeah!” Marinette was halfway up the steps to her bed before she realized what she was doing, and she managed an awkward laugh. “I just climb right up, you know?”

This time, when Luka laughed, she could hear it and feel it. A rumble, a warmth in her stomach. “You must have some crazy upper body strength.” He paused, running his hand along the banister. “Say… If it wouldn’t be weird, any chance I could meet you up there after this is over?”

“After?” The question shouldn’t have stunned her as much as it did, or make her blush as much as it did; that wasn’t the summer heat she was feeling in her cheeks. “Uh, yeah! After! Sure, yes… Cool.”

Luka was still smiling, even as his voice dropped to a murmur. “Cool,” he said, though it sounded more like a breath. As he slipped past her and jogged down the stairs back to the party, Marinette couldn’t help the way her gaze lingered after him. Even if it did take a moment for it to really sink in.

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool.

Marinette was most definitely not cool.

———

The funny thing was, the more Luka seemed to change and grow into himself—taking the bac, finishing high school, kicking up his work to full-time and then some—the more most of him seemed to stay the same. He made nice with practically everyone; he let Juleka get seconds on the cupcakes before he’d even had firsts; he tapped his toes to whatever music was playing and drummed his fingers along the armrest of the couch like it was a keyboard or the neck of his guitar. And he insisted, as the party wound down and her other friends and family were leaving, on helping her parents clean the apartment so they could rest easy. “Ma may be the champion of messes and chaos at home,” he said with a casual shrug, “But she still taught me to pull my own weight as soon as I could walk.”

It sounded right, and Marinette couldn’t tell who was smiling wider: her, or her father.

Probably her.

Of course it’d be her.

He was good at pulling his weight, though, lugging around a large trash bag and wrapping up trash in the vinyl tablecloth they wouldn’t be using again. It was… sweet. Almost as sweet as the times that he would pause in the middle of some task, smile at her from across the room, and then turn right back to his work. He’d been doing that for years now, and it still made her stomach flutter—sometimes when she didn’t want it to. Most of the time, she’d started to realize, she did want it to.

“Will you be safe getting home, Luka?” Marinette’s mother called from the kitchen over the sound of rushing water. “I know you told your sister not to wait up for you.”

“I’ll be fine,” he replied, casual and calm as always as he tied off the trash bag and handed it to her father. “I just have to get my guitar from upstairs. Thank you for letting me stay.”

Marinette would swear that, on his way to the dumpster outside, her father was watching her suspiciously as she and Luka scurried up the stairs to her room, as though she wasn’t going to be on her own an entire ocean away in a matter of weeks. She understood her father, she really did, but he didn’t always have to be so… adamant, about how he’d always see her as his little girl. At least he’d had the good sense not to say so during the party. She hoped he’d have the good sense not to say anything after Luka left, too.

Luka’s guitar was tucked away right where he left it. He took it by the neck and made for the stairs that led up to her balcony. “Can we?” he asked, actually sounding halfway uncertain. “I���ve never been up there before.”

She nodded so fast she was afraid her head might come clean off, but she managed to laugh at herself with him, however nervous. She followed him up the steps, hoisting herself up onto the balcony; Luka lagged behind, not just to hand off his guitar to her, but also to toss his shoes up and climb up after them. “Didn’t wanna step on your blankets with my sneakers. Who knows what they’ve stepped in.”

Honestly, Marinette was too busy staring in awe at how easily he’d pushed himself up to care about that. Or about the heat, even this late at night, whipping across her skin. Had he always had muscles like that? And when did that snake tattoo get there?

He offered her a sheepish shrug as he closed the latch; of course he’d noticed her staring. “Boat,” was all he said in explanation as he pulled on his sneakers and tied them up again. He held out both hands for the guitar, and she gave it to him so mechanically that she’d barely realized she’d done it.

“So, um…” Now the end of July was getting to her; she had to shrug out of her flannel and tie it around her waist and put up her hair to keep it from tickling and clinging to the back of her neck. She hoped he didn’t mind, but she always got the sense he thought candid fit her best. “What’d you want to come up here for?”

Luka tilted his head. “I wanted to give you your present.” As though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Almost instantly, Marinette’s stomach lurched. A gift? For her? In private? “Luka,” she began, though her insistence sounded weak, “you know you didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to.” He shrugged again. “Is that okay?”

“I… Yeah, of course it’s okay. I’m not gonna tell you it’s not okay—”

He laughed under his breath; it should have flustered her, but, instead, she only felt more comfortable. Strangely so. “Okay,” he said. “Get comfy.”

Her brow furrowed, but she didn’t ask questions, no matter how much she wanted to. She only settled in her deck chair, keeping her eyes on him as she grabbed a nearby hand fan. It kept her cool, sure, but more than anything it gave her hands something to do. For some reason, they always needed that, especially when she was asked to do mostly nothing. She only fanned herself faster when he fished out a pick and readjusted his guitar in his lap, poised to play.

Oh, God.

A song. She should have known.

The summer heat meant that Luka needed some extra time to tune the guitar, but he did it with such a practiced hand that Marinette couldn’t help but be impressed, even after all these years of knowing him. With one last strum, he was ready, and already she felt it soothing the pit of her heart. “All right,” he murmured. “Here goes.”

She didn’t know whether to close her eyes and let the music flow through her, or keep her eyes open and watch it come to life in him instead. The song, low and easygoing, made the choice for her, calmed her into a half-lidded lull and slowed her hand. She heard rain in how he played, the patter of it against skylights and window panes, the rumble of a summer evening thunderstorm in the low tones. She heard it as much as she felt it in her heart. And even though her gaze caught on the way his fingers danced along the fretboard, and the way he picked at those strings, she lingered on his face much more. How he didn’t even have to look at his own instrument to know so intimately how it worked. How he chewed on his lip, so focused, that it’d probably be swollen and red by the time he was done. Maybe most importantly, how deep the circles and lines under his eyes ran into his skin.

He hadn’t been running himself ragged for work.

He’d been running himself ragged for her.

When Luka finished, soft and slow, he had a smile on his face that so easily matched his own music—that so easily disappeared when he met her eyes. “Marinette,” he said, looking frozen. “You’re crying.”

She hadn’t realized it until then, but now that he’d said something she could feel her own tears, heavy and trickling down her cheeks. Hastily, she rubbed them away with the sleeve of her sweater. “Sorry,” she whispered. “It was just… really beautiful, I don’t know what to say. It made me want to hear it all the time. It made me want to…”

To stay in Paris a little longer.

To say all the things she should have said months ago. Maybe years ago.

To hold his hand, and sit where his guitar sits, and let him wipe the tears away, and swallow up all the times he’d told her he wanted to play music that sounded just like her, and—

“Marinette?”

She shook her head and swallowed hard. Sat up straight, and moved to sit in front of him, until their bare knees bumped together in the night. She could reach for his hand, but she didn’t. “Can you play it again?”

[nicknellie]

Blame this post. I wrote this purely because I wanted to and I think it turned out really cute. (Requested fics are on their way, they just typically take longer to write because I want them to be as good as possible for you!) Also I didn’t proof-read.

Can You Really Say No To This Face?

“I’m just not sure it’s a good idea...”

“Look at this face. Can you really say no to this face?”

Alex looked at Willie, who with his pleading puppy-dog eyes and pout could have easily been referring to his own face rather than that of the kitten he was holding up. Either way, the answer to his question was—

“No,” Alex relented with a sigh. Willie beamed (and yes, there really was no way Alex could say no to him) and held the kitten out to Alex, who took it gently. It mewed weakly the moment it left Willie’s hands. “I think it’s already grown attached to you anyway.”

Willie grinned, tickling the kitten under the chin. It immediately started purring, vibrating loudly in Alex’s arms. “She loves me,” he cooed. “Don’t you? Yes you do. Yes you do!”

Alex studied the kitten for a moment. Its black fur didn’t seem matted or unkempt, it didn’t look as if it were malnourished or sick in any way, and if good health was determined by loud meowing then it was certainly very well. He frowned.

“What if it already has a home?” he asked Willie.

Willie took the kitten back, holding it in his arms protectively. “If she had a home she wouldn’t be out in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold! Look at her, she’s shivering.”

It was true. Alex had felt the little cat shivering when he’d been holding her. Willie had her clutched close to his chest, his hands cupped tightly around her, gently stroking her head and face. It was an adorable sight to see, Alex had to admit.

“She’s all alone, Alex,” Willie said. “I can give her a home!”

“What will Caleb say when you bring a random kitten back to the Hollywood Ghost Club?” he said, a desperate last-ditch attempt to get Willie to consider that maybe this wasn’t the best idea in the world. “In the past month you’ve brought back an injured bird, a mouse, and that cool snail you found. I don’t think he wants the club turning into a zoo.”

“Caleb won’t find out, he never has done in the past,” Willie returned off-handedly, waving a dismissive hand. “Well, that’s not strictly true. He did find out about my goldfish, but I wasn’t that attached to it anyway.”

Alex knew that was a lie. When Caleb had found out about Fluffy (yes, that had been the name of Willie’s pet goldfish) he had scolded Willie for not asking him first and then flushed it down the toilet. Willie had cried for three days and then made Alex and all their friends attend a funeral.

“I just don’t want you to get attached and then be upset if it doesn’t work out,” Alex said gently.

Willie’s smile softened. “Thank you, hotdog. I appreciate that you’re concerned. But I can’t leave her out here by herself!”

Alex sighed haggardly. Fine. It was fine. If Willie wanted to keep the kitten then Alex didn’t think he had any power to stop him at all. He stepped closer to Willie and stroked the kitten’s head with one finger; she purred delightedly.

“Alright,” he said. It was almost worth it to see the way Willie’s face lit up. “If you’re sure.”

“You’ll be my co-parent, right?” Willie asked.

Alex huffed a laugh. “Sure. What are you going to name her?”

“Hmm... I think I’ll call her Dog.”

“No,” Alex said, shaking his head and taking a step back. “As co-owner of this kitten I absolutely refuse to let you name her Dog. That’s a ridiculous name for a cat.”

Willie laughed brightly. “Fine, fine. What about Hotdog?”

“That’s me!” Alex protested.

“And you really don’t like that nickname,” Willie countered.

“But you still call me it. You can’t have two hotdogs, that’s greedy.”

“What do you suggest then?” Willie asked, smiling both fondly and exasperatedly.

Alex thought for a moment. The kitten was very vocal, very sweet, very soft. His natural inclination was to call her Julie, but he’d just said he wouldn’t name it after himself and he couldn’t be hypocritical by naming it after somebody else they knew. So he thought a little harder, mentally ran through a list of classic cat names and suggested one to Willie at random.

“Luna?” he offered.

At the name, the kitten meowed. Willie kissed the top of her head and then beamed at Alex.

“I think she likes it,” he said. “And I think it’s perfect. Little Luna it is.”

The two of them, Luna still cupped in Willie’s hands, finally began walking again. Alex hadn’t expected the romantic evening stroll he’d planned to turn into a rescue mission after Willie had heard mewing coming from up a tree, but it had still been a lovely evening. Besides, Alex had got to see both Willie scaling a tree with agility and speed (which was incredibly attractive) and Willie cradling a kitten like it was all he cared about (which was also incredibly attractive).

Alex dropped Willie off at the Hollywood Ghost Club. He kissed him goodbye, and gave Luna a pat on the head. Both his boyfriend and his cat seemed very pleased with the goodbyes they received. Willie poofed himself and Luna into the Hollywood Ghost Club and Alex poofed himself back to the studio.

*

As a ghost, Alex didn’t really need sleep, but he enjoyed pretending. Maybe it wasn’t really necessary, but closing his eyes and lying still for eight hours underneath a weighted blanket let him switch off for a bit, release some stress and relax somewhat.

That night, it appeared somebody else had other plans.

Willie poofed into the loft of the studio (where Alex had claimed his bedroom) and shook Alex.

“Bro,” he was whispering. “You’ve gotta come see this.”

Alex groaned. “What is it?”

“Just come with me, it’s great, I promise!”

Despite the fact that all Alex wanted to do was get some not-really-sleep, he still couldn’t say no to Willie, so he held tightly to his boyfriend’s hand and let him poof the both of them out of the studio.

They arrived in a room which took Alex far too long to realise was Willie’s room at the Hollywood Ghost Club, partially because it wasn’t safe for Alex (or any of the guys) to be there so he didn’t visit too often, and partly because it had been absolutely transformed.

“You’ve been busy,” Alex said, glancing around the room and then to his boyfriend.

Willie shrugged, grinning with both pride and mischief in his eyes. “She deserves the best.”

The room had practically been turned into a cat sanctuary. There were multiple cat trees and climbing frames of different sizes and colours, tunnels spanning the entirety of the floor for Luna to run through, what seemed like thousands of balls and bells and toy mice, three food bowls, a litter tray, and an enormous cat bed. In the centre of the bed, snoozing soundly, was little Luna.

“Did you pay for any of this stuff?” Alex asked.

“I left a few hundred dollars in the register.”

“You spent a few hundred dollars on this stuff?!”

Willie beamed. “Yep. Come on, I’ll show you what I brought you here for.”

As they stepped over the maze of tunnels Willie had set up, hand in hand, Alex muttered, “I can’t believe you don’t think Caleb is going to find out about this.”

Willie just laughed and squeezed Alex’s hand.

They came up beside the giant bed and Luna napping on it. Upon closer inspection, the bed was made of crimson velvet and if Alex wasn’t mistaken it was also memory foam. Luna was purring as she slept, her tiny body moving up and down as she breathed gently.

“What am I meant to be looking at?” Alex whispered, not wanting to wake the kitten.

Willie pointed at Luna, smiling. “Look how cute she is.”

Alex looked at her. Yes, she was adorable.

“She is,” he said. “Is that all you brought me here for? To look at your cat?”

“Our cat,” Willie corrected. “And yes.”

Alex huffed a fond, exasperated, tired laugh and pulled Willie into a hug. He felt Willie’s smile against his neck and held on that little bit tighter.

“You’re mad,” Alex whispered. “And I love you.”

He felt Willie’s whole body move as he giggled. “I love you too, hotdog. And our daughter.”

“Please don’t start calling her our daughter.”

“But she is!”

“She’s not.”

Despite the fact that he really should not have been in the Hollywood Ghost Club, Alex stayed there in Willie’s room for another three hours, talking and laughing and kissing while Luna was asleep, and playing with her once she woke up. And if Alex did end up calling her his ‘little girl’ once or twice, Willie didn’t say anything.

[reelwriter19]

Lights Out

Pairings: Erik Stevens X Black Reader 

Warnings: ANGST, Fluff, implied smut

Word Count: 2200

“Shit!!!” Erik yelled accompanied by a loud thud so jarring it woke you out of the first sleep you were getting in days.

You replied in a pleading, groggy whisper. “E please! You’re gonna wake the baby. What the hell are you doing anyway?”

“The power went out…and he’s already up.”

You heard your sons faint cry on the monitor and rose from your favorite armchair in the living room like a zombie to go feed, burp, change, cuddle…whichever of the nine things, if not all, that he required at this ungodly hour. You chose to nap here because Erik was PMS’ing…again. You knew raising a child with this stubborn ass man wouldn’t be easy, but lately Erik was on another level of pissing you off. His latest complaint was the fact that you babied Bakari too much.

“But he’s 4 months old E!” ...you exclaimed. He thought he should already be sleeping on his own.

You argued that you’re still breastfeeding and it’s a trek to get to him in the middle of the night. “Are you gonna start producing something more than keloids and muscles out of that chest for him instead?!”

You knew there was a root cause to Erik’s frustration, but you also knew that he needed time to express his feelings. Extra time that you didn’t have to give right now. So, for the third night in a row, he went to bed angry, while you took care of Bakari in his nursery and attempted to find peace in your comfy chair in between.

Brushing passed your husband without so much as a glance, you walk towards the hallway.

“I did that already.”

“You fed him?”

“Yeah..”

“And changed his…”

“Yes Y/N…that’s what I’m sayin, damn.

Bakari’s cries got louder by the minute.

“E…I’m exhausted. Don’t come at me with this attitude tonight ok?! I’m not beat for your shit right now.”

You make your way into your sons’ nursery and gently lift him from his crib. He’s beyond fussy but won’t latch on…not hungry. His diaper is dry…wow, Erik actually did that too. Bouncing Bakari lightly as you pace the room, you start to hum a melody hoping this will work.

“He’s hot…” Erik appeared at the door. “He’s pissed cuz there’s no air circulating. I opened the window, thought the rain would calm him down but clearly. Come on, let’s go…”

You look down to see three bags at Erik’s feet, one being an expertly packed diaper bag.

“Go where E? It’s a whole storm outside. And it’s 3AM.”

“The rain let up and it’s not windy anymore. Don’t you trust me?” You scoffed…

“Just come on girl.”

The three of you piled into Erik’s huge truck. He held the door as you secured Bakari in, choosing to sit next to him in the backseat just in case he started screaming again. Movement always helped when he was this antsy, but you were way too tired to do your usual laps around the loft to get him to sleep this time.

Erik slammed the driver’s side door, which of course scared the baby, making him scream yet again. You shot him a cold look in the rearview mirror.

“My bad.”

Addressing your son in baby talk…

“It’s okay my love…don’t cry. Daddy’s trying to take your place this week. Did he steal some of your diaper’s tonight Bakari? Is that the real reason why he was in your room?? You can tell mama…”

Erik just shook his head. Your teasing, the AC blasting and the sound of the open road actually did the trick. Bakari went from sobbing to giggling to REM sleep in no time. You didn’t bother asking Erik where you were going because, let’s be honest, you knew he wasn’t going to tell you anyway, so you decided to knock out also.

2 hours later

Erik hopped out of the truck and took the bags in to the house. He then gently took his son out of his seat before waking you up.

“Y/N…babe we’re here.”

“Are we back home?”

“Well, home for a few days yeah.”

You reluctantly took Erik’s hand as he helped you out of the car. One quick but GOOD nap wasn’t going to make you suddenly forget that you were mad at him.

“Did you remember to bring…”

“Your pump? I got everything Y/N. And whatever I didn’t pack is available here.”

Erik led you into a BEAUTIFUL beach house. Still holding Bakari, he smirked at your reaction to this surprise. Kissing you on your temple, thoroughly amused at your shocked expression…

“I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go put him down.”

You couldn’t even answer. Mesmerized by the sound of the waves crashing, you walked towards the back of the open concept house in awe. The infinity pool overlooked a beautiful pre-dawn sky and the smell of fresh air hitting your nostrils was intoxicating. Truth be told, you wanted Erik to rip your clothes off and take you right here on this patio, but you needed to suppress that urge for the time being.

He walked up behind you, slowly placing his arms around your waist. It had been days since he touched you, his unexplained mood keeping you both in your individual corners of the boxing ring that had become your home. You closed your eyes and allowed yourself to lean into him. He traced a line from your ear lobe to your shoulder with his lips. You were a goner.

“Baby…who’s house is this?”

“It’s ours.”

You turned to face him. Erik had a sly grin on his face, a sight you also hadn’t seen in a very long time. Playfully hitting his chest… “Erik stop playin’. Did you steal this house? Are the owners on vacation and coming back in the morning? What’s the deal? Should I go grab Bakari now or…?” Erik caught your hand as you pretended to walk away. He had to admit that he missed this side of you too.  

“It’s kind of an inheritance thing. T’s dumbass was gonna get rid of it. Talkin’ bout some…’N’Jadaka, I live in Wakanda, why on earth do I need a house by this polluted Californian ocean?’”

You were laughing hysterically at this point. You loved when Erik impersonated T’Challa’s accent…he was SO BAD at it. You were softening up again, dammit this man was good at getting you to let your guard down. You moved closer to him, hands on his shoulders as he bit his bottom lip….he knew that made you weak too. His hands were now roaming your hips and cheeks.

“Oh really…that’s what he said huh?”

“Yep, just like that. So, I told him, T, don’t you dare get rid of this house. It’s a family keepsake, you know. My badass wife and beautiful son deserve this house T. So here we are.”

“Here we are….”

His lips finally overtook yours. All concern for previous arguments melted away as Erik lifted your legs around his waist and carried you to a lounge chair. He then ripped your clothes off and had his way with you. Filling you almost immediately, the sound of the crashing waves was no match for the moans you released finally feeling his touch again.

A little later…

You walked back out towards the pool wrapped in a blanket to rejoin Erik who was still sprawled, bare chest and as sexy as ever on the chaise lounge. The sun had just started to rise, and you couldn’t be more grateful for this moment with your man.

Nestling back into his side, Erik’s hands found their way back to some of his favorite spots on your body.

“Is he ok?”

“Yeah, I fed him, and he went right back to sleep. I think he loves it here too.”

“Y/N, I owe you an apology.” You stayed silent, this was rare, and you didn’t want any sudden movements to make him change his mind. Erik wasn’t big on words or explanations. He covered you and Bakari like no one else could. You felt protected and loved beyond measure, but there was something about having a child that opened up a new well in Erik’s heart. You fell more and more in love with him in these last few months, which was why the difference in his recent behavior had caught you so off guard.

You sat up slightly to face him, encouraging him to continue.

“I started having dreams about my pops. At first, they were nice, we’d be chillin at the playground when I was a kid or on the courts playin’ ball. He’d be laughing with me, pushing me on a swing. I’d smile cuz I’d think about those times that I’d have with B…then the dreams got dark. My mother would appear, her eyes real dark, black…and she’d end up killing me or my father in one of the dreams. Every time she’d laugh about it and I couldn’t do anything but watch. I was stuck in the corner of the room, in that same blue hoodie I was wearing when I found my dad. She’d walk over and whisper shit like, ���you’ll never have what we had’, ‘you can never be free’. And then I’d pop up.”

By the time he finished there were tears streaming down both of your faces. You kissed his away and held him close.

“Erik, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to; I just didn’t want to scare you. The first time it happened it was really late, and you were in the other room singing to Bakari. The two of you were so peaceful…so I just listened to your voice with him and that calmed me down. I had another one a few days ago. She was in our room, standing over B’s rocker, just staring at him with those dark eyes. Then she looked over at you sleeping with your hand on him. I was stuck to the damn bed, couldn’t move. That shit was so real Y/N”

“That’s why you didn’t want him in the room.”

“Yeah…I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to do. That seemed like the most immediate solve at the time.”

You readjusted to straddle Erik’s lap. Your love language was touch and luckily you knew Erik found peace the closer you were to him. You felt his heart beating as you retraced the scars on his chest. You steadied your hand there for a minute as he continued.

“T noticed something was off with me…”, finishing the sentence in unison…

“…because he’s T.” You both laughed. You were so grateful for his family and the second chance he had been given with them, in these very moments especially.

“Anyway, his nosy ass told my auntie about the dreams, but she really helped. She reminded me that my parents really did love me, even my mother. And that the dreams were just traces of my old life of violence refusing to die. I guess because…”

“Because you don’t think you deserve this joy…a chance at real peace?”

“Yeah…” He tried to break his gaze from your loving eyes, but you wouldn’t allow it. You held his face and kissed him softly. You moved slowly, hoping that the connection of your lips to his would somehow reassure him of who he was…recharging him in some way.

“Erik Stevens. N’Jadaka. You are my king. I loved you before I knew about your past, I loved you after I found out all of the secrets you tried to hide and since you’ve made me a mother to our gift, I’ve managed to love you even more. I feel safe, adored and beautiful when I’m with you, baby. And you know what, that little boy back there already loves and adores you too. You can calm him down in minutes…you already make him laugh. I know this hasn’t been easy, but you’ve earned this happiness. Life isn’t perfect, babe. But all of that darkness is behind us now. Let me be here for you too. We have a very bright future ahead, but I need you present and here with us to enjoy it…all of you.”

“I gotchu princess. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Erik suddenly had a mischievous look in his eyes. You jumped up because you knew him all too well, but not fast enough. He started tickling you and laughing like a lunatic.

“Erik, stop! Your behind goes from 0 to a thousand in seconds!”

He pauses for a minute, getting close to your ear.

“Let’s make another baby.”

You laugh even louder now at this ridiculous notion and try to escape his arms.

“Uh huh! This birth control stays IN Mr. Stevens! Too soon…WAY too soon. I don’t love you that much.”

He chased you inside and into the bedroom. Hovering over you on this perfect king-sized bed, ready to pounce. There was no way you’d be willing to have another baby this soon, but there was absolutely no harm in practicing the latest techniques with this gorgeous man you cherished while Bakari finally slept peacefully in the other room.

[ofaprilflowers]

- part 2: home? - 

warnings: descriptions of injuries, not too detailed.

tags: shout out to my first-ever requested tags, @sista7-7​  @softieus​ and @marrambles​ yay! Thank you for reading and sorry for the late update TT. Hope you guys enjoy :)

disclaimers: I am not a medical professional, this is all part of my imagination and totally made-up therefore is in no way accurate. If you find any part I could improve on, do tell. I would appreciate the feedback. Other than that, enjoy! <3

previous/next

It took another week for me to finally be discharged. A week of rehabilitation and physiotherapy (which Dr. Hwang said would be continued after my discharge TT). I had lost strength in my extremities and also my sense of balance. This, I found out after almost falling down right on my face when I attempted to climb out of bed for the first time. Almost, well because thankfully, he was there. 

My parents had arrived the night I woke up. My mother immediately cupping my face, tears brimming in her eyes while my father just took my hand in his and smiled every time I looked his way. 

It felt surreal, honestly. My family and I were close. But we were not exactly the type to be crying and holding each other, or professing our love for each other. We were the laugh-at-each-other’s-life-problems-cuz-I-had-it-worse-than-you type of family. Then again, for me it felt like I was waking up from a long nap, while for them, they didn’t know whether I would make it or not so, fair enough.

Turns out, the accident was pretty bad. My head had to be stitched up and so now there was a nasty gash above my left eye (it was definitely gonna scar but let’s not think about that right now). My arms where full of cuts and scrapes from the broken windshield. My legs and chest, badly bruised. Dr. Hwang said they had healed fairly well in the past two weeks, but I still cringed at how ugly they looked every time I caught a glimpse. He also mentioned that I was lucky not to have sustained any other serious injuries other than my head trauma. I was grateful of course, but losing my memory was deleterious enough. 

I woke up every morning feeling confused as to why the heck I was at a hospital and it took a few groggy minutes to remember. Sometimes it took seeing Jaehyun- either curled up asleep on the armchair or standing next to the window with a cup of coffee in hand- for me to come crashing back into reality. 

I learnt through my mother- who had attempted to fit the past 2 weeks of my unconsciousness along with the last 6 years into a 2 day crash-course- that Jaehyun was the only one who stayed at the hospital every day and night. My mother had stayed the first week, as my condition stabilised however, she opted to visiting daily. That also depended on whether my father was available to drive her 45 minutes to the hospital from home. You see, my parents were rational people, but I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of hurt. I mean I was laying unconscious on a hospital bed yet there were still other important stuff to be handled. Well, as they say, life goes on, right? Kind of made me think if I had just hallucinated the tears brimming in her eyes the other day.

While my mother would babble on about looking on the bright side and starting my life again, Jaehyun’s presence was like having a burden be lifted. I know I’ve lived most of our “acquaintence-ship” hating him, but I made a mental note to properly thank him for this in particular. On every occasion that my head felt like it was about to burst from the overwhelming information my mother was flooding me with, he’d interject, naturally bringing her focus to something other than trying to piece me back together. Often times he’d ask her to join him for a cup of coffee, or show her things he was currently working on. I’d close my eyes then and pretend to fall asleep.

“So, you’re saying, I should continue my life ‘as normal as possible’. Meaning?” We (the doctor and I) were currently in his office. By tomorrow morning I was finally leaving. Goodbye to the sanitary, boring hospital, hello to......well, life?

The doctor had explained all the procedures and follow-up appointments that were to come. Both to Jaehyun and I. Then, we talked about going home and that’s when I realised, home had changed. I don’t know how we had avoided addressing it, or maybe I was the only one in denial of it. I mean throughout the week after regaining consciousness, although Jaehyun was there, we barely talked. Mostly because I became a selective mute, and he, well I guess he was respecting my space?

Dr. Hwang had noticed the awkward silence that had passed after he mentioned about going home and quickly changed the subject, calling in a nurse to guide Jaehyun in signing my discharge papers or something. After he left, the doctor didn’t hesitate in putting on what I call his “uncle-face”.

“As normal as possible, meaning that it’s better if you return to your daily routines prior to the accident,” he explained for the nth time.

I fidgeted in my seat. “But, wouldn’t that cause me more distress? It’s a life a barely know.” “Astrid,” he began, straightening his back. “I understand how hard it my be for you to wrap you head around all this. 6 years is a lot. But it is your life. Your experiences and memories throughout that period were real, and you deserve to remember them. You need to give your life a chance.”

Well, damn. He had a point. He should’ve been a therapist instead.

“And, what if my memories don’t come back?” I prodded.

“Well then, at least maybe you’ll learn more about yourself.” Okay, then. Here we go, Astrid.

We live in a loft?!?!

Pretty sure my eyes were bulging out of my head but wow.

Eyes wandering around the space, I tried to take in everything at once. This was certainly NOT what I had expected. This can’t be real right? I must absolutely be dreaming.

“Welcome...home?” Jaehyun said.

My head snapped in his direction, mouth agape. He smiled sheepishly, his infamous dimples popping out, his hands tucked into his jean pockets, his shoulders lifted briefly. He looked like a child, shyly presenting to the world his greatest creation. I almost smiled. Almost. 

“You like it?” he asked.

I scoffed. “For real?”

My eyes turned back to the space he had referred to as home. Well, it didn’t feel like home (yet. Remember Astrid we’re giving this a chance), but yes, I absolutely love it!

I took in my surroundings again and this time, couldn’t help the smile that crept up my cheeks. 

The space was gorgeous. It was big, but not huge. It was small, but not tiny. It was spacious enough to have everything and more. There was an L-shaped sofa that could probably fit 5 or maybe even 7 people if squeezed in together. There were even 2 more smaller ones in front of it. Perfect for a small gathering. Opposite the living room was a kitchen, with a small kitchen island. God, I’ve always dreamed of having an island. There was another floor and at the stairs leading up to it were ceiling-high windows with a bumped-out seat, all set with pillows on one end and potted plants on the other. It looked like the perfect spot to read or stargaze at night. I walked into the living room, the brick walls were covered in framed movie posters and artwork, some smaller frames containing pictures which I guessed were probably a collection of memories.

I stepped closer and caught a glimpse of some familiar faces in unfamiliar settings. One photo caught my eye. It was a photo I remember, taken earlier this ye- I mean well, early 2017, right after graduation. I was sandwiched between Jungwoo and Ten, holding up a peace sign to the camera. Jaehyun on Jungwoo’s other side, hand around the latter’s shoulders. Others in the picture smiling widely, so many poses, so many expressions. Literally, it felt like yesterday. 

“You remember that?” Jaehyun probed. 

I smiled. “Yeah, just a couple weeks before Taeil’s birthday bash, right?”

Then, something flickered in my mind. Of Jaehyun, smirking at a table with his friends, of them exchanging words and laughter, of me hearing something I probably shouldn’t have. Jaehyun had many circles of friends, being the typical extroverted, super-friendly campus sweetheart. This circle was one I wasn’t quite familiar with, least to say I didn’t really like them. I felt my cheeks heat up as my blood boiled at the thought of that memory.

“You wanna see upstairs?” Jaehyun’s voice pulled me back into reality. I turned to look at him. He was standing right next to me, looking almost exactly the same as the Jaehyun I knew. The Jaehyun that I couldn’t stand being in the same room with. The Jaehyun that always had a competitive, mischievous glint in his eye. The Jaehyun that would take every chance he got to argue with everything I said. The Jaehyun that made me feel like I had to defend everything I had. 

There was a slight difference, though. The competitive, mischievous glint was somehow...softer. It made me confused, because I was angry, but looking at him now, I don’t know who to be angrier at. Me, or him?

“Ummm, I think, I just- I just wanna lie down,” I tore my eyes away from him and took a step back, putting just a little more distance between him and I.

I saw his fists clench and unclench a bit at his sides. A moment passed until he said, “Yeah. Sure,” walking back towards the doors he picked up my hospital bag and gestured towards a room behind him.

“This is actually, um, our bedroom, but don’t worry, I’ve moved most of my stuff upstairs so this space is all yours,” dropping the bags on the bed, he stepped aside to allow me in. It was a beautiful room, with slanted windows, decorated with some more plants. 

“So, feel free to look around, get used to the place and all. Oh yeah, um, this is the bathroom,” he opened a door on the left of the room, then gestured toward a closet in front of the bed, “Your pyjamas are in the top drawer and, uh, well, um, everything else is-”

“I’ll take a look,” I smiled at him briefly.

His eyes landed on mine for a moment, then quickly looked away. 

“Yeah, okay, so um, I’ll be outside, if you need anything just, um,” his hands, one scratching at the back of his neck, the other gesturing undecidedly, “yeah.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay,” he replied. He stood there for a second, then turned to leave the room.

“Jeahyun?”

“Hmm?” he snapped his head towards me, eyebrows lifted in question.

“Thank you,” I breathed.

I saw a bit of tension leave his body. “You don’t need to thank me, Astrid,” he replied softly. “This is- this is your home too.” With a tight-lipped smile, he closed the door behind him.

[doc-pickles]

what are you doing new year’s eve?

So this final fic of 2020 is dedicated to @odd-birds-and-booksellers for multiple reasons. Firstly she’s been my first friend in the Jolex fandom and one of the reasons the group chat exists. Despite how much we make fun of each other she’s truly become one of my favorite people (she knew I was pregnant approximately 15 seconds after I peed on a stick and hours before anyone else) and I wouldn’t have stuck around here without her.

Secondly it’s dedicated to her because my final fic for the year is an ode to the reason I’m in this fandom in the first place and the series she keeps begging me to write for. That’s right y’all, I’m posting a piece for my “It’s Nothing Funny Just to Talk/Little Pieces of You” universe! (she thought I was gonna kill someone... hehehe)

I hope y’all enjoy this cute and fluffy one shot! Thank you all for reading, commenting, and encouraging me to write this year!

also one million anons asked me for a birth fic... well here it kinda is

xoxo Nina

Maybe it's much too early in the game

Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same

What are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?

Jo was fine, really she was. She blamed being two weeks from her due date for the state of discomfort she found herself in. She’d been experiencing Braxton Hicks for almost a month already (something Alex loved to point out that he could always see as it happened, much to Jo’s annoyance) so the tightening of her abdomen wasn’t a new feeling. What was new was the aching in her back and hips that had prompted her to take a long steamy shower in an attempt to ease a bit of the pain and discomfort she felt.

The water had helped a bit, but all Jo really wanted was for Alex to rub her back and hold her while she napped. He had asked before he left for work if she was alright, but Jo had assured him she was fine. New Year’s Eve was always a long night for him at work with an influx of teenagers hurt by firework accidents or drunken mishaps. She has reminded him that she wasn’t due for two weeks and she would make it through one night without him there. Now though, Jo was regretting her decision as she struggled to get comfortable on their couch, her back aching as she shifted back and forth. 

“Hoooooly shit,” Jo gripped the armrest of the couch tightly as she attempted to sit up, a roaring pain ripping through her stomach as she desperately tried to get air into her lungs. The feeling passed after a moment, letting her take a deep breath as she settled one hand onto her stomach. “I need you to calm down in there, please and thank you.” Her phone chose that moment to ding loudly, a text from Alex popping up as she reached for her phone.

Thursday 4:39 PM

How are my girls doing?

Thursday 4:41 PM

all good over here :)

Deciding not to mention her pain, Jo set her phone aside and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Whenever her Braxton Hicks got bad Alex would always tell her it was because she was dehydrated. He was usually right, though she’d never admit it, but the water usually calmed down the sensations flowing through her body. 

Slowly making her way to the kitchen, Jo grabbed a glass and sipped on the water as she tried to even her breathing. Her mind was already racing, heart pounding as she tried to keep her composure. She’d only had one bad spout of pain, it could be a fluke or a pulled muscle for all she knew. 

The searing pain she’d felt only minutes before returned again, the glass in her hands slipping from her fingers as a pained groan left her. Watching the water and glass splatter across the counter top, Jo realized how serious her pain was. Her eyes flitted to the clock, noting it was just hitting 5 PM. Alex would be home at 11, she would hold out as long as she could until then. 

-

Thursday 6:32 PM

Want me to grab a late dinner for us? Figure you’ll still be up anyways. 

Alex stared down at the text he’d sent almost 20 minutes earlier as if his staring would prompt a response from his wife. Logically he knew she was probably sleeping, but he’d been worried about her all day. She’d barely slept the night before and her back had been hurting for almost two days now. He wasn’t stupid he’d done enough rounds on OB to know that Jo was probably getting close to going into labor, a thought that both excited and terrified him. Erring on the side of caution, he dialed Jo’s number and waited for her to answer. 

“Hi you’ve reached Josephine Karev! I’m probably teaching right now so leave a message after the beep!”

“Hey babe, call me back whenever you can. Love you.”

Hanging up the phone and grumbling to himself, Alex begrudgingly turned back to his patient files. He had a lot of work to do, but his mind was currently occupied worrying about his wife and their unborn daughter. 

-

“Oh shit… oh shit no no no,” Jo’s panicked cries echoed across the empty loft as another contraction made its way through her stomach, her body curling in on itself as she struggled to lean against the couch. A glance at the clock in the kitchen told her it was only 7:19 meaning Alex wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. 

She knew she couldn’t last that long, her contractions were steadily growing closer together and more painful. Reaching for her phone, Jo sent off a quick text before focusing her attention on breathing through the steady flow of contractions now racking her body. 

Thursday 7:21 PM

in labor, moving fast. need drugs and husband. 

-

It was nearing 8 PM and Alex still hadn’t heard from Jo for the last three hours. He’d called twice to no answer and his texts were sent but not read. He was ready to jump in the car and rush home to check on her when someone called out his name. 

“Alex!”

Jackson Avery was jogging towards him, dressed in a button up and slacks with a six month old Harriet on his hip. He’d been talking about his mom’s New Year’s Eve party all week, so Alex was shocked to see him there. 

“Hey man, you skipping out on the party,” Alex searched Jackson’s serious expression for a moment, reading his best friend's face easily and letting a sigh out. “Where is she?” 

“April took her up to L&D while I came to find you. She was screaming at me the whole drive here,” Jackson smirked at Alex as they walked down the halls. “I’m sure you’re in for a fun night.”

Thanking Jackson, Alex headed towards the maternity ward with a sense of urgency. He knew if Jo had been worried enough to call April that she was probably pretty far along in her labor. Spotting the red head down the hall, he picked up his pace and stopped in front of her. 

“They’re just checking her out now, her contractions have been coming every three and half minutes but I think they’re speeding up,” April gave Alex a small smile as she made to leave. “She’s been asking for you the whole time.”

“Thanks April.”

“It’s the least I could do. When I was in labor she sat with me while Jackson was in surgery despite the fact that she was throwing up every twenty minutes from her morning sickness,” April shrugged. “Besides if I didn’t go she probably would’ve given birth on your couch.”

Alex chuckled, his hand rubbing his neck nervously, “I’ll text you guys when she’s here, thanks again.”

April left then, Alex taking a breath before entering the room that April had just left. Jo was laid in bed, eyes closed and curled in on herself as she struggled through a contraction. Surging forward Alex placed one hand on Jo’s back as the other moved to run through her hair. She instantly relaxed at his touch, eyes popping open to meet his. 

“I was wondering why you weren’t answering my texts,” Alex leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead. “You need anything? Water, ice chips, hard drugs?” 

Jo shook her head, breathing through the end of her contraction before speaking again, “No they said I’m too far along for an epidural. I just have to suffer until she gets here. My water broke as soon as I walked into the hospital, I think she knew you were waiting.”

Eyeing the monitor tracking her contractions, Alex realized that she was nearing the end of her labor, “You should’ve called me, I could’ve come to get you.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m here now,” Jo leaned against Alex’s hand as she struggled to pull a breath in. “Ow ow ow ow, holy shit mother-”

Jo’s next words were silenced as she pressed her face against Alex’s chest, fists clenched against the bed rail as her body tensed once more. Keeping his eyes on her monitor, Alex kept his fingers running through Jo’s hair in an attempt to comfort her, “Breathe baby, it’s okay just breathe.”

Once she finally took a deep breath Jo relaxed in Alex’s hold, her voice alarmingly calm as she spoke, “I really need to push. Like right now.”

“Let me get the doctor, just hold on a minute babe,” Alex couldn’t help the wide grin he sported as he left Jo’s side to call down the hallway for her doctor. In just a little while they were going to be parents… 

-

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!”

The TV played softly in the background as fireworks lit up the dim hospital room but Alex and Jo weren’t paying attention to the celebration of the new year. Both had their eyes firmly locked on the sleeping bundle in Jo’s arms, light curls peeking out of the pink hat on her head as her lips pursed in her sleep. 

“You do that when you’re sleeping,” Alex pointed out as he ran his finger down his daughter’s cheek. “You look like a fish, it’s kinda funny that she’s already doing it.” “She’s not even three hours old and you’re comparing her to a fish,” Jo chuckled as she looked from her daughter to her husband. “She needs a name still.”

“How about Goldie,” Alex’s suggestion earned him a slap on the arm from Jo, a laugh escaping him as she did so. “I was kidding! What about the one you really liked?” Eyeing her daughter as if testing out the name she’d brought up so many months ago, a grin settled on Jo’s face, “I like it. Annabeth Brooke Karev.”

“Glad we finally decided on that, I thought you were never going to choose,” Alex pressed a kiss to Jo’s lips, then another to the top of Annie’s head. “Happy New Year Annie.”

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight

When it's exactly 12 o'clock, midnight

Welcoming in the New Year, New Year's Eve

[tarlosbuddie]

4K words, Angst, Hurt, gunshot wounds

Summary: Buck and Eddie have been dating for a year when Buck suggests they record videos for each other in case one of them dies.

“It’s weird Buck.” Eddie says. He turned his back on him and started doing the dishes. He put a lot of energy to his tasks, he was either trying his best to clean up a dirty plate, or he was mad about when Buck had just suggested. 

Of course, Buck knew him enough to know it was the latter. 

“It’s not weird, Eddie." Buck answered. He took a couple steps toward his boyfriend, keeping his tone calm because he could feel Eddie was upset. "Our job is dangerous and we both know we can die. We’ve just updated our will because we know the risk. I just want to make sure that if anything happens to me, you will have something better than a piece of paper saying that you can have my jeep and the few dollars I have at the bank.” 

“Yeah. But a video? I don’t know. I just don’t want to think about losing you.”

“I don’t want to think about that either. But I just made one for Maddie, Chim and my niece and one for Christopher. If anything happens to me, I just want you to have something to remember me by.”

Eddie stopped cleaning and practically threw the sponge on the kitchen counter. He let his head down and sighed. He hated to think about losing Buck.

"You almost drowned last year." Buck added. He didn't want to talk about that ever again and saying those words hurted him as much as it hurted Eddie. "I remember every single minute of that day Eddie."

“It’s the day you told me you loved me," Eddie said. He will always remember lying in this ambulance, shaking from the cold and the adrenaline leaving his body, his best friend by his side. Buck was so quiet, so scared, and the words barely left his mouth, but he said them. He told Eddie he loved him on the ride to the hospital. The two of them had stayed silent all the rest of the way, stunned about the unplanned confession. 

“It’s the day I almost lost you, Eddie." Buck remembered. "You went under and I thought you died. I thought I would lose you before I had a chance to tell you how I feel. I never want to relive something like that, but if something happens to one of us, I don't want to leave anything unsaid."

Eddie turned to face Buck. He wasn't the only one having a hard time with this conversation, Buck looked like he was about to cry. Eddie erased the distance between them and put his hands on Buck's cheeks. 

"Please" the blond begged.

"Okay," Eddie agreed, he placed a tender kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "I'll do it. I'll make a video. But only because you're not allowed to die before I do."

(only) three weeks after that day. 

The station was really quiet when Bobby entered the loft. They were halfway through a 24-hours shift. Hen and Chimney had turned the TV on but none of them were paying much attention to what’s playing. They were too exhausted to speak, but they were there for each other, even without saying a word. He finally understood the energy that it takes to be a parent, so he enjoyed the quiet moments as much as she did. She had offered to take his baby girl for a night, but he was already over protective of her. Every time her best friend’s phone buzzed, Hen knew he received a picture of his daughter. Karen and Maddie were having a playdate with their daughters. They hoped that both Nia and Joy would be as tired as their parents when they go home from their shift.

Buck and Eddie were catching some well-deserved rest in the bunker. They were officially together for almost a year, and Bobby was okay with it. He was not always happy about having a relationship in his house, but they both proved to him that they made an amazing team, they have always been. He trusted them to be professional and if Buck needed Eddie to be his pillow during their nap so he could be well rested on their call, it was none of Bobby’s business. The bed was way too small for two firefighters, but Buck had his head and most of his upper body on top of Eddie’s chest, enjoying his boyfriend's hands in his hair. Eddie was too nervous to fall asleep, but Buck was so relaxed he was drowsing. He could fall asleep anywhere as long as Eddie was by his sides.

The alarm rang and everyone was on their feet in a matter of seconds. Adrenaline replacing the exhaustion. They hopped in the truck and drove toward where the dispatcher operator was leading them. Buck vaguely recognized Josh’s voice through Bobby’s radio. He loved his sister, but it was always easier for him to focus on the job with another dispatcher. He remembered how terrified she was when he called her the day of the tsunami and he never wants to cause his sister such a scare again. The fire was in a huge warehouse, so it would probably take time to put it out, but dispatch said it was abandoned, which would make it easier to put it out when without having to worry about any civilian getting hurt. Josh stayed on the line to relay the information he had on the building. Bobby divided his teams in two, telling them to be on alert for possible victims, just in case the place was not as empty as they were told. 

Eddie and Buck were the last to enter the building. They checked the east corner. Something seemed a little off about this place, but they are too focused on the fire to know what. The smoke was quite thick and they could barely see each other through it.

One of the rooms was locked and they needed to force it open to put the fire out. 

“Bobby, I think we’ve located the source of the fire, but the door is locked.” Eddie called over his radio.

“Do you need help?” 

“Buck’s on it.” Eddie replied, leaving the decision to send more men to his captain. “But whatever is behind this door it’s burning quickly, cap.” 

“Copy that. I’m sending help your way”. 

Buck got the door open and they both entered, trying to control the fire the best they could. Every box in the room was burning and it was hard to know where to start. But they quickly jumped into action. The men Bobby had sent have arrived and they all worked on controlling the fire. The fire was loud and they could barely hear each other. Eddie had his back turned on Buck for a second. He heard a small sound through the loud noise of all the boxes burning. The sound of metal pieces hitting the wall. He looked around, noticing shells flying over his head. The building was not abandoned, it was a warehouse full of ammunition. 

When Eddie understood where they were it was too late. Buck was no longer behind him; he was lying on the floor, bleeding. Eddie’s whole world began to blur. 

The man he loved when on the ground and Eddie couldn’t see the fire anymore, all he could focus on was the face of his boyfriend, in pain. He kneeled by his side and opened his turnout coat, noticing at least 3 holes in the material of the jacket. One of them didn’t get to him, but the others ripped the coat and found their way through Buck’s flesh. The injured man looked confused. 

Everything happened too fast. The boxes he tried to put out were filled with bullets, and when the fire was hot enough for the powder ignite they flew off their shell cases  and Buck was shot. The fire was not out yet, but Eddie could feel the heat anymore. All he could see through the helmet was the panic inside Buck's eyes. It hurted so much to see those gorgeous blue eyes he loved so much filling up with tears. The other firefighters tried to talk to Eddie but he didn't hear them. His hands were both on Buck's stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. He didn't even register that the flames were gone, he only noticed Chim and Hen appearing on his side and taking over and applying pressure to Buck's wound. 

He didn't want to let go. He couldn't. He followed them in the ambulance, the feeling of déjà-vu was tearing him apart. He wiped a tear away from his boyfriend's cheek, but they kept falling. They were his. He didn't know when he started crying. And he couldn't stop. 

That was the worst case scenario Buck had planned for. This is why he recorded a video three weeks before.

“I hope you’re watching this and thinking ‘Wow, he looks so young’ because that would mean you’re watching this, decades from now. Meaning that you and I grew old together, had a full life together. I want nothing more than to see you become an old grumpy grandpa who tells our grandkids about the time you and I saved someone’s life.”

The doctors took Buck away and Eddie felt like they took his heart out of his chest. He watched them disappearing with the man he loved more than life itself. The doors closed and Eddie felt his legs giving up under him. His knees met the floor before he realized what was going on. Hen and Chim held him up and guided him toward the nearest chair. He stayed silent. He knew his friends were worried about him, he could see it on their face. But he couldn’t care about anything but Buck at this moment. If they had tried to talk about it, he would have blamed the exhaustion from their shift. Buck couldn’t die. He wasn’t allowed to die before him.

“I love you, Eddie Diaz. So much that a part of me wishes you’re watching this. Because if you are, it means that I’m the one who died, in two days or 40 years I don’t know, but it also means that I've never lost you. That no matter how long my life was, I spent all of it by your side.”

They waited so long to be together, too long, probably. Eddie refused to accept that he only had one year with the man he loved so much. They were supposed to have a lifetime together to make up for the lost time. He started wringing his hands, picking the skin where blood was starting to dry. He couldn’t look at anything else but his hands.

“You're not the man in my dreams Eddie, cause I could've never dreamed of finding one person that makes me so happy, I didn't think I deserved it. You proved me wrong. You turned my life into a dream I didn't dare to have.”

Eddie had plans for the three of them, so many plans. When Buck mentioned the video, Eddie hated the idea of thinking about their death. But if he was honest, it loved the idea of Buck making plans for their future. The video was proof that they were together until the very end. Buck had no doubt that they would; it was a “til death do us part” situation. So Eddie knew that day in the kitchen when he was kissing his boyfriend, that he wouldn’t be his boyfriend for much longer. Soon he would make him his husband. 

Eddie’s fingers circled his empty ring finger, the emptiness on his hand echoing with the void he was feeling inside his chest. That wasn’t how things were supposed to go. His brain was planning now for the worst scenarios. He was a field medic. He knew how bad Buck’s condition was. Every time he saw a doctor coming toward his direction, he imagined them telling him that he lost someone he loved, again. 

“You made a dad out of me, and I love our son so much. I love you two with all my heart and I loved every second I spent with you. You and Chris didn't just show me how to be a better man, you showed me how to live, to love.”

Hours went by without any news on Buck’s condition. Chimney and Hen had to go back to the station to finish their shift. Chimney couldn’t tell Maddie over the phone, especially when they had no news on Buck, nothing any of them could do to help him. He promised Eddie he would bring Maddie to the hospital as soon as he could, but he was pretty sure Eddie didn’t listen to anything he or Hen had said after the doctors took Buck away. Except for the tears he shed in the ambulance without even realising it, Eddie hadn’t cried. He stopped responding to them. They both worried about him, but had no choice but to leave him. 

“I don't know how I lived the first 26 years of my life without you in it. I only know that I would do everything all over again if this leads me back to you.”

Their shift was officially over now and Carla was probably waiting for them to go pick Christopher up. He thought about his son and the conversation he was not ready to have with him. 

Eddie replayed every moment of the fire in his mind, trying to understand how he could have missed it. He didn’t have Buck’s back. He might lose him because he didn’t protect him like he promised to. The images of Buck, bleeding, wouldn’t leave him. The pain, the terror, the agony. He dug his nails harder against his skin, trying to get rid of these images.

“No matter what will happen, I need you to remember you are not alone.”

Bobby was the first to arrive at the hospital at the end of the shift. Eddie was in the same chair he was when Chimney and Hen left. He hasn’t moved. Bobby knelt by his side, to force Eddie to look at him. The man was still covered in Buck’s blood. He must have touched his face to dry his tears, cause they were blood under his eyes and cheeks too.

“Eddie, why don’t we go clean yourself a little?” Bobby said in his most paternal tone.

“Buck needs me to have his back.” Eddie sounded confused, like he was on the field with him all over again. His voice was more broken than he wanted to show and Bobby looked at him with pity. So Eddie cleared his voice before saying in a more confident tone that would hopefully get Bobby’s out of his back; “I’m not leaving him.”

“You’re not leaving.” His captain reassured him, he took both Eddie’s hands in his. “We’re just getting you clean, okay?”

“You’re the strongest person I know. But don’t try to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Don’t try to be a tough guy. Don’t push people away.”

Bobby tried to help Eddie’s back on his feet to guide him to the bathroom, but Eddie removed his hands from Bobby’s grip. He followed his captain to the bathroom in silence. The vision in the mirror was horrible, yet Eddie couldn’t care less. The two of them didn’t exchange a word as they watched Buck’s blood disappearing down the sink. The absence of reaction from Eddie was worrying Bobby.

“That’s it.” He said. “You don’t want Buck to see you with all the blood when he’ll wake up.”

“The patronizing tone might work on Buck, but I’m not him, Bobby. And I know what his chances are. I know how to take care of myself, I don't need a babysitter.” Eddie snapped. Bobby tried not to be offended by his tone. He knew Eddie wasn’t angry at him. “He might not wake up and we both know that.”

“I’m sure he will, Eddie” Bobby said, he knew better than to promise him anything. Hen and Chimney told him how bad the situation was and he couldn’t promise things would be okay. “Have you called Carla?

Eddie shook his head. He dried his hands with the paper towels and threw them before leaving the bathroom.

“Do you want me to do it? To ask her to bring Christopher here?”

“What am I going to tell him?”

“Tell him the truth. Tell him that Buck is fighting. He’s strong, Eddie. If someone can survive this, it’s Buck.”

“I don’t know if I can tell him that we might lose Buck. He’s been through enough already.” 

“Christopher’s gonna need you to be strong for him. You think you can do that?”

Eddie nodded. He was already doing his best not to fall apart. But it took Bobby advice. They went back to the waiting room, Bobby called Carla to let her know what was going on.

“You’re allowed to feel whatever you want to feel. It’s okay to be angry, it’s okay to cry. I know you and Chris have each other, and I know you are gonna be okay eventually cause that boy is as strong as his dad. The idea of not being with you guys is hurting me in so many ways, but I just know deep in my bones that you two can do everything as long as you are together. Be there for each other, but don’t hide your pain. I know you always have a hard time letting your guard down, but if something happens to me, I don’t want you to bury your feelings Eddie.”

Twenty minutes after Bobby’s call, Carla arrived at the hospital with Christopher. He rushed toward his dad as soon as he entered the hospital, letting his crushes fall on the floor when he saw his dad. Eddie could bottle his emotion pretty well, he has done it after Shannon’s death, but he couldn’t fool Christopher. Seeing his son made it too real and he did his best not to fall apart.

“Are you okay dad? Carla said Buck was hurt and you look sad.” The boy asked.

Eddie looked up to Bobby and thought about his advice. His boss told him to be strong for his son.

“Show Christopher that he can be sad. He needs to know that boys can cry.”

“I am sad.” He admitted to his son only, he felt uncomfortable having to say these words in front of Bobby and Carla but there was no way he could hide his feelings from his son. He didn’t want to. Thanks to his therapy with Frank and some conversations with Buck he knew better than to force himself to be strong. “Very sad. You know how much I love Buck. I know you do too.” 

“Is he going to be okay?” 

“I hope so. I really do. But I can’t promise you something I don’t know.” Eddie confessed.

“Last week you told me Buck was going to be with us forever.” Christopher said. His little voice was shaking. He already knew what losing a parent felt like. 

“I asked you if you would want for me and Buck to be together forever.”

Bobby overheard the conversation, and understood what Eddie had asked his son. He took Carla’s arm and took a few steps back to leave the Diaz have their privacy.

“And I said yes, daddy.” The kid said with so much sadness that Eddie’s tears were flooding his face again. “You said that if Buck said yes too we’ll be a family forever. I don’t want Bucky to die please.”

“I don’t want that either, baby. But that’s not in our control.”

“I hope that by the time you’re watching this, he’s a grown man. Maybe he even has a son of his own. Can you imagine the two of us, in the hospital, holding our grandson for the first time? I know I can. When it comes to us, I can picture our future, so clearly.”

Chris came on Eddie’s lap and buried his face in his father’s arm. Eddie could feel his son crying against him. 

“You're the love of my life, Eddie. You're my favorite person, my future, my… everything.”

A nurse came toward them, Eddie braced himself for the conversation he was going to have.

“You’re Mr Buckley’s family?” he asked them. 

“We are.” Eddie answered standing up to meet the nurse, Christopher stayed by his side, grabbing his dad’s coat with all his strength.

“It was a tough surgery and Mr Buckley lost a lot of blood.”

“And if I died, know that I died the happiest man on earth cause I get to be loved by you.”

Eddie felt like he was gonna pass out, but the nurse gave him a reassuring smile.

“He’s going to be okay.” the nurse said.

“It was all worth it Eddie. You were worth it."

“He is?” Eddie needed to be sure.

“He is. Your dad is very strong, little man.” The nurse told Christopher. “He’s asleep, but we’ll move him in a room so you two can see him”.

“He’s alive.” Eddie repeated. “He’s alive”. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

He’s alive, and Eddie didn’t have to listen to the video that day. He hoped he would have never to. Eddie would do anything in his power to never see the day where he’d sit in a room and listen to Buck’s last words. He wanted so many things for their family and he swore to himself that he would stop wasting their precious time.

Christopher stopped crying, but seeing Buck on a hospital bed still, made his heart clenched in his chest. Eddie wanted him to go home with Carla but he refused to go anywhere until his Buck was awake. He really was his fathers’ son. Eddie laid his son on the couch against the wall. He tucked his son with the covers the nurse brought them and kissed his son, telling him that he would wake him up when Buck would be awake. He sat in the chair near the bed and took Buck’s hand in his.

A few hours went by until the anesthesia wore off. Eddie could feel Buck’s fingers slowly moving against his hand. He used his other hand and brushed a strand of hair from Buck’s face.

“That’s it, baby. Come back to us.”

When he opened his eyes, Eddie could see they were still glassy and full of pain. He hated to see Buck that way. 

"I'm not dead...” Buck started to cheer Eddie up a little. “...yet." he added to lighten the mood.

Eddie shook his head. He was too emotionally drained to laugh and he knew that if he had any tears left he would be crying again. Buck squeezed his hand, reminding him that he was still here.

“Someone told me I wasn’t allowed to die.” 

“Never” Eddie said. He placed a kiss on Buck’s forehead. He could see that Buck was struggling to stay awake, so he didn’t wake Christopher up. Buck would be okay, and they would have all the time in the world to be together.

"You saved me.” Buck said before closing his eyes. 

"I didn't.” Eddie replied. He was sure Buck had fallen asleep already. So he sat back in his chair, never letting go of Buck’s hand.

"You and Chris did.” Buck whispered. “You gave me a reason to fight.”

"I love you so much." he said to an already asleep Buck. That's exactly what he told him one year before. Except that he was the one lying in a hospital bed last time and Buck was the one holding his hand. But one year ago, Eddie confessed his feeling back to Buck and they have been happy ever since. Because through the best or the worst, they were together. 

Yeah, one day he would make him his husband, Eddie swore to himself. But for now they just fall back to sleep, knowing they would have a future together.

[sparrowstrikewrites]

Flaming Oven Character Study Part 1

Naruto Uzumaki (age 9) and Iruka Umino (age 23)

The oven’s on fire because Naruto doesn’t know how to use it, so it’s basically a cupboard in his mind and Iruka never thought to check whether there was anything in the oven before preheating.

Little Naruto’s response: “I don’t think this is how oven’s work, but I don’t know enough about oven’s to argue.”

Iruka’s response: “I didn’t sign up for this. I’m not getting paid enough for this-- wait, I’m not at work, I’m not getting paid.” *Puts out fire and walks away* “Nope. Not fixing this. Throw the whole house out.”

Iruka first started to wonder when Naruto showed up for class in a rumpled shirt. It didn’t smell, but was the sort of rumpled that implies it was fished out of the laundry basket. Naruto was only 7 and kids that age like to dress themselves but lack any and all common sense, so he brushed it off.

Iruka started to get suspicious when Naruto showed up for class with a fever and a cough that shook his whole little body. The 8 year old staggered into class, dropped into his seat, laid his head down on the desk, and was out in seconds. Iruka had to shake him awake and send him to the nurse’s office propped up between Kiba and Shikamaru.

The nurse let Naruto sleep in her office until lunch time and then she sent him home with fever tablets and a cough suppressant. She told Iruka not to worry. Kids this age were basically germ factories.

Iruka started asking questions when the week before the annual physicals, he found Naruto eating raw carrots and broccoli. The kid was going to town like he was starving and the vegetables were some sort of delicacy, but his face said he was doing his best not to cry or puke.

“How’s lunch?” Iruka asked.

Naruto stared up at him with a fading black eye and sighed like he was weary of the world at only 9 years old. “Horrible, but I read you’ve got to eat vegetables to grow.”

Iruka snorted. Naruto was a good 2 inches shorter than the other boys in the class and like all kids his age, it was a sore point. 

“I don’t think cramming in vegetables before your physical is going to make much of a difference,” Iruka teased. “You really can’t cram for stuff like this.”

Naruto stared down at the half eaten head of broccoli in his hand. “Well, after last year, the nurse already told me she was going to check my shoes for padding, so this was kind of plan B.” He then took another sad bite of the broccoli. “Iruka-sensei, why are vegetables both expensive and disgusting?”

Iruka shrugged. “They’re not that expensive and I think they taste better cooked.”

“They’re more expensive than instant ramen and I guess some of them tast okay if you put them in the ramen, but the flavors don’t always go together.”

Iruka laughed. “You really need to eat something other than ramen.”

“I don’t know how to cook anything else. Except rice, but it always boils over and then I have to clean the stove and if I clean the stove, I don’t have time to do laundry,” Naruto lamented.

Iruka’s face fell and a dozen questions crowded his tongue. “Do you always cook and do the laundry?”

Naruto nodded. “There’s no laundry fairy.” He grinned up at Iruka like he’d said a great joke. “I also vacuum and dust and scrub the bathroom, but not as often as I should. There’s not enough hours in the day, you know?”

Iruka looked like he’d been slapped. “Yeah, I know.” There was a pile of laundry sitting in the corner of his little apartment that needed done. He’d eaten out for the last week, because there wasn’t time to go grocery shopping. The spider in the corner of his windowsill had been there long enough that Iruka had given it a name. But those were adult problems. 

Naruto wasn’t grinning anymore. He mirrored Iruka’s frown and tried to figure out what he’d said wrong.

“Hey, Naruto, would you like to learn to cook some more stuff?” Iruka asked.

Naruto’s grin returned.

---

Iruka arrived at Naruto’s apartment (he’d found the address in Naruto’s school records, because the kid was horrible at giving directions) a little after 5 that evening with an armload of groceries. 

The hairs on the back of Iruka’s neck prickled as he got close. He could feel Naruto’s chakra, the Fox’s chakra. 

Iruka shoved aside his unease and pasted on a smile. Naruto was not the Fox and Iruka refused to treat them as one and the same.

Naruto was watching the street and came jogging down the stairs to help carry everything up to the third floor where he lived.

Iruka surveyed the little loft while Naruto ransacked the bags of groceries. The only decorations on the walls were a small child’s drawings. The bed was made, a bit rumpled and crooked, but an obvious effort had been made. A few well-worn plush were neatly set up on the bed, because of course that would be a kid’s priority. The dirty clothes were mostly contained to a not quite overflowing laundry basket. A couple shirts that Iruka recognized as Naruto’s favorites were laid out on the floor to dry and a bucket of soapy water was sitting by the laundry basket, waiting for the next load.

It wasn’t a bad space, but it confirmed Iruka’s suspicions. There was only one person living here. There’d only been one person living here for a long time. 

Iruka closed his eyes. He’d been on his own for a long time, too. After he lost his parents, his Aunt and Uncle gave him a room in their house. They kept him fed and clothed until he made chuunin and he could support himself. They never tried to fill the void his parents’ left, but he was still grateful to them. Naruto didn’t even have that.

“I brought stuff to make a casserole. It’s really easy and I think you’ll ike it because all the vegetables are hidden under a bunch of cheese and potatoes,” Iruka said.

Naruto set down the green pepper he was suspiciously sniffing and nodded.

“First, we start preheating the oven…”

Iruka showed Naruto how to layer the food in a big glass dish. 

Naruto kneeled on a barstool to see the countertop and chattered the whole time.

Neither of them noticed anything amiss until the smoke alarm over the stove started to beep.

Iruka turned around to see black smoke billowing out of the oven door.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Naruto asked. “I’ve never used the oven.” He looked up at Iruka curiously, not yet concerned.

For 3 heartbeats, Iruka just stared. DO NOT PANIC! he ordered himself. DO NOT PANIC AND SCARE NARUTO!!!!

“Laundry water,” Iruka stammered at last. His voice was surprisingly level. 

Naruto cocked his head to the side and frowned.

“Take the clothes out of the washing bucket and bring me the water,” Iruka repeated. His voice was just a little higher pitched than normal and his hands twitched at his sides, unsure what exactly to do.

Naruto jumped off the stool and did as he was told.

Iruka grabbed the oven mits off the counter, turned off the oven, and, when Naruto reappeared with a bucket of soapy water, Iruka yanked the oven door open and chucked the whole bucket inside.

The mess inside steamed, sputtered, and smelled awful-- like burning plastic and garbage.

Iruka gagged and turned to Naruto. “What was in there?”

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and winced at the smouldering mess. “I don’t know. Junk I don’t use and the garbage can. I keep it there so I don’t have to look at it all the time.”

Iruka refilled the bucket from the sink and dumped it in the oven again. The fire was good and out, but the whole apartment skunk horribly and the kitchen area was covered in a fine layer of soot. 

“Let’s go to Ichiraku. I’m buying.”

Naruto whooped and bolted for the door to put on his shoes.

Iruka just stared at the ruined oven and shook his head. This is like the adult version of microwaving the instant noodles without water, only worse. The place would need scrubbed and aired out. Naruto would need a new stove and some place to stay for a few days.

“Before we go, why don’t you throw some clothes in a bag. You should probably not sleep here until I can get this cleaned up,” Iruka told Naruto. 

“Can I stay with you, Iruka-sensei?”

“Yup. And we’ll try cooking lessons again tomorrow.”

Naruto laughed and beamed. “I’ve never had a sleepover before. If I knew all it took was a flaming oven, I would have set that thing on fire a long time ago!”

Iruka laughed too then. It was either laugh or cry and he didn’t want to cry in front of Naruto.

A one night sleepover became a week. Bit by bit, Naruto’s things materialized in Iruka’s apartment. Iruka taught Naruto how to make katsudon, casserole, and ramen from scratch that they both agreed wasn’t quite as good as Ichiraku Ramen.

No one questioned the change when Naruto came to school everyday in clean clothes with a balanced lunch. Or when he suddenly was completing his homework and no longer napping during the day.

Iruka still had a pack of dust bunnies under his bed and Kuro-chan was paying rent in dead flies from the windowsill, but the laundry in the corner didn’t pile up anymore. Laundry was Naruto’s favorite chore, especially since Iruka’s apartment building had an electric washer and dryer in the basement.

Iruka did his grading from the kitchen table now. Naruto sat across from him and did his homework after dinner. 

At 10, Iruka steered the kid to the little office turned bedroom. The bed was sloppily made, but a handful of well loved plush were carefully arranged by the pillow and Naruto thought it was the best bedroom in the world.

---

Dear Esteemed Hokage-sama,

I am writing to you in regards to Uzumaki Naruto’s living situation. His apartment is currently uninhabitable. There was a small kitchen fire (absolutely not Naruto’s fault), but it was sufficient to fill the small apartment with smoke. I take full responsibility for the situation and have taken Naruto back to my apartment. He will stay there as long as need be. It could easily be a couple months at least. The oven will need replaced and the smoke probably sunk into the drywall, so all of that will need to be ripped out and replaced. I did some research, and with the age of the building, there could be asbestos in the walls, so the demolition isn’t something that can just be done willy-nilly…

Hiruzen set the letter down, it rambled on for another page and a half, and picked up a pen.

Iruka,

If you are comfortable with the arrangement, I agree it’s best that Naruto stay with you indefinitely. Please endeavour to avoid any further incidents. Children are impressionable and have enough of an affinity for fire as it.

-Hiruzen Sarutobi

[justanoutlawfic]

Coming Home: Chapt. 4

Summary: Emma isn't the only one with a box of memories. David and Mary Margaret go over it together, while making a plan for how to keep their daughter in town. Meanwhile, an unknown ally is helping them along.

Also on AO3/FF

January 6th, 1989

 Emma had been quiet ever since she moved in with them. Mary Margaret did everything she could to open the little girl up but it had been a challenge. She had it expected it. August barely said two words to them after he arrived in Storybrooke. Even so, Mary Margaret knew this could be a longer placement and she wanted to get Emma acclimated as much as possible. A few days after Emma arrived, Mary Margaret decided to take her shopping.

 “I have lots of stuff back at the house,” Emma said as they walked into the only office supply store in town.

“You do, but I got a list from your new teacher,” Mary Margaret explained. “School starts again on Monday, so you’ll need some stuff I didn’t want to get you until we met.”

“Like what?”

“Like a backpack.”

“I have one already.”

 Mary Margaret didn’t want to point out that Emma’s backpack was falling apart. It could barely hold the beautiful baby blanket that was inside of it along with the one other outfit that she had from her previous home. Instead, she steered Emma over to the section where they were lined up on the wall.

 “Well, I want to treat you to a new one.” Mary Margaret gestured to the selections. “You can pick any one you want and a lunchbox.”

Emma tilted her head and Mary Margaret had to stop herself from smiling too wide. “A lunchbox? Normally I get free lunch at school.”

“Well, you could get lunch from the cafeteria or you could have yummy stuff that David makes you.”

Emma seemed as though she was debating it for a bit. “David’s food is yummy.”

“It is, huh?” Mary Margaret held out a pink one for Emma to inspect, which got a wrinkled nose. “No pink?”

“I like yellow…and red.”

“Well, I’m sure we could find one of those.”

 She and Emma looked down the section, with Mary Margaret offering different ones to her. None really seemed to catch the little girl’s eye. Mary Margaret reached to grab some ice packs for the lunchbox when she saw Emma examining a denim backpack. It would be big enough for all her stuff and was quite stylish, if Mary Margaret was being honest.

“That one, sweets?” Emma looked up and nodded. Mary Margaret smiled. “I like it too.” She took it off the shelf and put it in the cart. “Now for the lunchbox.”

 Emma found a Rainbow Brite lunchbox she liked. It was bright yellow and had the characters on the front. Alongside of it was a matching thermos, which would be perfect for soups or pastas that David liked to make. Next, they went to look at the supplies. Mrs. Anderson had requested a huge box of crayons, some glue sticks and scissors. Emma looked nervously at the list.

 “I’ve never been to a new school before.”

Mary Margaret set the list onto her purse and knelt down to her height. “It’s a little scary, huh?” Emma nodded, her green eyes widening a bit. “Well, you know I’m a teacher, right?”

“Yeah, for bigger kids.”

“4th grade. But, I happen to be friends with a lot of the teachers and I know Mrs. Anderson is very nice. She has a fun classroom with lots of toys. You even get to take a nap halfway through the day.” Emma still didn’t look convinced. “And if anything were to happen, you know you could always come find me.”

“Really?”

“Pinky swear.” Mary Margaret held out her pinky and waited for Emma to wrap hers around it. “The best part is, the kindergarteners get their very own playground, with a twisty slide.”

Emma’s eyes seemed to light up at that. “I’ve never seen one of those.”

“Well then I’m sure Mrs. Anderson and the other kids will be happy to show it to you.”

 Emma suddenly flung her arms around Mary Margaret’s torso. Mary Margaret nearly fell over, but caught herself before wrapping her arms around Emma.

“I’m glad my new foster mom is a teacher.”

Mary Margaret stroked Emma’s golden curls. “Well, I’m happy to have you as a foster daughter, Emma.”

“Emma.”

Mary Margaret stood up with Emma in her arms and turned to face the source of the voice. It was Mr. Gold. In one hand, he balanced a cane. In the other, was a basket filled with stationary and pens.

 “Mr. Gold,” Mary Margaret said, politely. She didn’t know the man too well, outside the fact that he practically owned the whole town. Granny was always complaining about how high he made the rent. It was partially why she and David had bought, instead of rented. He also owned an antique store on Main Street, but she had never been inside. “How are you?”

“Quite fine, dearie.” He looked over at Emma, who was clinging to her foster mother. “So, Emma.”

“David and I are fostering,” Mary Margaret explained. “This is our newest placement.”

Mr. Gold nodded, though he didn’t look thoroughly convinced. Why would he think she was lying about a thing like that? “Right.” He blinked a few times, before a smile came across his face. “Well, have a lovely day, Mrs. Nolan and…Emma.”

 Mr. Gold walked away, the sound of his cane scraping against the tile floors. Emma clung a bit tighter to Mary Margaret.

 “Who was that?”

“Mr. Gold, he owns a shop in town.”

“Oh.” Emma’s eyebrows furrowed. “He kept staring at me. You’re not supposed to stare.”

“I know, sweets, but he means no harm.” Mary Margaret rubbed her back. “Come on, we need to find you some new sneakers.”

 October 26th, 2011

 Mary Margaret didn’t have much from her time with her foster daughter. The possessions stayed in a box in the back of her closet. A few toys like the Cabbage Patch doll she had gotten for Valentine’s Day or the stuffed lamb that David had selected for her. There was the sign that once hung in her room “You are my sunshine”. Finally, she had Emma’s old lunchbox. She wasn’t sure why that was the one thing she kept. Maybe because it wasn’t just a connection to Emma, but her ex-husband too. David would make both of their lunches every night before he went to bed. Normally, PB&J for Emma and some leftovers for Mary Margaret. Still, they were always appreciated.

 At the bottom of the lunchbox was a post-it note that David had put in there, just as he did every day.

 Hope you’re having a good day, Emmy. Love, Daddy.

 Daddy. Emma had started calling them by proper parental names just a few months into staying with them. They had no doubt that they would be able to adopt her. There was no reason why they shouldn’t be able to. And then, it was all taken away because of a stupid mistake that she made.

 She knew David had never forgiven her for it. Sure, he said he didn’t blame her but Mary Margaret saw the look in his eyes the days after Emma left. The way he stopped touching her. He was the one that had called Helen and told her that they didn’t want any more placements. Why would he have done all of that if he didn’t blame her?

 They had been divorced for such a long time and yet Mary Margaret could still remember everything about their divorce. Life before Emma’s arrival and after she left was fuzzy, but that was clear as day. The silence turned to fighting, but even that dissipated. Before she knew it, she was going to Gold and asking him to draw up divorce papers. The man that had once given them such hope that they were going to be a family was making it clear that they never would be.

 Neither stayed in the house. Instead, they sold it and split the profits. David started renting a house not far from where they once lived, while Mary Margaret moved to a loft in the center of town. It was small, perfect for a new divorcee. There was even the clawfoot tub that she had always dreamed of.

 She still would’ve given anything to have him back.

 The door to her loft opened and Mary Margaret looked up to find David standing there. After avoiding each other for years, Emma was the one thing to pull them back together.

 “She talking to you yet?” he asked.

Mary Margaret shook her head. “I tried to visit her room at Granny’s but she wouldn’t open the door.”

David threw himself onto the couch and let out a sigh. “I pictured this with her as a teenager, but not now.”

Mary Margaret gently rolled her eyes. “Please, you would’ve been the favorite when she was 13. All teenage girls hate their moms.”

“But their moms are the ones they go to when crap hits the fan.”

She smiled, even though she didn’t want to. “I guess that’s true.”

“Besides, I don’t know if she ever had a favorite. We both gave her what she needed in our own ways.”

Mary Margaret nodded. “I guess that’s true.”

 David’s eyes traveled to the box in front of her. He made his way down to the floor and lifted out the lamb, running his fingers through the dingy fur.

 “I nearly forgot about this,” he whispered.

“I didn’t keep a lot after we moved, but this was just the stuff I couldn’t part with.”

“Yeah, I have her old sun pillow.” He shrugged when Mary Margaret looked at him confused. “I keep it on my couch, a reminder of what could’ve been.”

Mary Margaret nodded. “I go through my closet every week, I tell myself I’m reorganizing it, but I think it’s just an excuse to look through all of this.”

 It’s weird how easy they can communicate. Mary Margaret told herself it was for Emma. She was their weight to the world.

 “You’re punishing yourself,” David said.

“I guess I took over for you.”

 David looked at her strangely. Mary Margaret closed the box and started to head back to her closet.

 “Did you have a reason for coming over?” she asked.

David bit his lip. “I know we don’t get along the way we used to Mary Margaret, but once upon a time, we did.”

“A lot has changed since then.”

“I know that. I was there.”

 And then you weren’t. But she had asked him to leave, so could she really blame him for that?

 David continued on, pulling himself up. The plush lamb was clutched tightly in his grip. “We want Emma to stay, there’s no doubt about that. So maybe we can just try to put the past behind us. If she just sees us fighting, that’s not going to remind her of the good times that this place brought her.”

Mary Margaret set the box down onto her bed. “I guess that’s true.”

“So…truce? At least for Emma?”

 He extended the lamb and she allowed her hand to go over it.

 “Truce,” she whispered. “For Emma.”

*******************************************************************************************

Not much had changed in Storybrooke in the 23 years since Emma left. Granny’s grilled cheese was no exception. The way she somehow managed to combine the three cheeses and perfectly toast the bread was a marvel. She hadn’t been able to find one like it since she left all those years ago. The onion rings were huge and never left her hungry.

 It was hard to find reasons to hate the town. As much as she wanted to only remember the bad times, ever since she ran into Mary Margaret it was nearly impossible. Memories of running around at the beach or the park. Getting ice cream after school with David. Sitting on Mary Margaret’s desk while she graded papers and occasionally let Emma put unicorn stickers on the pages.

 Why did she have to remember all of that? It was hard enough having to remember the bad, but remembering the good meant that there was something great and she was forced to leave it.

 “Miss Swan.”

 Emma nearly dropped her sandwich at the sound of Mr. Gold’s voice. She looked up in shock, but he just had that same steady smile on his face that he always had.

 “Mr. Gold,” Emma placed her sandwich down and took a swig of her root beer. “You trying to take 10 years off my life?”

He chuckled. “Just wanted to see how you were enjoying our town.”

“It’s…practically the same.” She looked around the diner. “Weird how no one’s aged.”

“Oh, they have, just not in the ways you’d expect.”

 Emma cocked an eyebrow. She remembered being scared of this man when she was 5 years old. Now, he was more of a mystery.

“I heard you’re staying with us for a bit.”

“Just until I can get my car fixed. Then I’m out of here.”

“I’m sure Ms. Blanchard and Mr. Nolan were sad to hear that.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Forgive me if I don’t care about how they feel. They’re the ones that gave me up.”

“Life is more complicated than we normally think. Sometimes, parents have to let go and regret it.”

“What would you know about it?”

 Emma reached down to take a bite of her sandwich and when she looked up, she saw a haunted gaze over him.

 “You don’t know what I know.”

She felt even more puzzled by that. “Pardon?”

Gold snapped out of it, returning to his no-nonsense stare. “Your parents didn’t want to give you up.”

“Foster parents,” Emma corrected. “And they did.”

“There are always three sides to the truth, Miss Swan. His, hers and the truth.” He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a manila envelope. “I happen to have the third.”

“How…”

“You were quite young when all of that was going on, but let me remind you that I was their attorney. Everything that happened, went through me.”

 He placed the envelope on the table, making sure to be careful of her ketchup dipping bowl.

 “If you don’t believe them or me, believe the legal documents.”

 He reached down and stole an onion ring from her plate, popping it in his mouth.

“I’ve always preferred fries,” he mused, walking away.

 Emma stared at the envelope. It was thick, with her first name on it. She wasn’t sure how much she could trust it. Mary Margaret and David could have paid him to falsify something. Then again, Mr. Gold didn’t seem like the type.

 Slowly, she picked it up and put it into her backpack. She’d read it. Not for them, but for herself. After 23 years, she deserved answers.

[theycallmebeccawrites]

Chris & Ellie Bonus: Our Little Family

With Tumblr holding my original writing blog @beccaheartschrisevans captive (aka flagged as explicit), I have made a secondary writing blog and may end up closing the other all together. In the meantime, I am reposting all of my stories on my new blog.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: PG

Warnings: n/a

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

Chris & Ellie Bonus Stories Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

December 20, 2028

Chris Evans let himself into the old barn that he and Ellie had converted into home offices for both of them in the loft and a game/media room on the main floor. He quickly reheated the soup he'd carried from the main farm house kitchen then climbed the stairs to where Ellie was working on her second novel.

"Lunch is served," he said, making his presence known.

"It smells amazing," she replied, turning away from her computer screen.

Chris set the soup on the TV tray next to her and smiled as she dug into the soup. He smiled as she moaned over the taste of his mom's famous chicken noodle soup and he was reminded of the first time he served it to her over fifteen years ago.

"Did you hear from your mom?" Ellie asked in between sips of soup.

"Yes, she called while the kids and I were eating lunch," he replied. "The presents and our winter clothes got there this morning and she's already put the winter gear in the van for when she picks us up tomorrow at the airport."

"Good," Ellie nodded. "And the kids?"

"The twins are napping," he told her. "And I told the boys to set out what they wanted to take to Boston on their beds. As soon as I get back to the house, I'll double check what they've pulled out and supervise them putting it in their suitcases."

"Send them with twice as many socks and underwear," she said. "They never seem to have enough when we're there."

"Noted," Chris nodded. He stole a glance at her computer screen. "How goes the writing today?"

"Good," Ellie replied. "I think I should be done by dinner and then I'll get it sent to my editor and I'll be done for the rest of the year."

Though she still worked as an editor, Ellie had written her first novel when she'd been pregnant with the twins, a little over three years ago. The whole process from writing to publishing it had taken nearly a year and a half and had taken its toll on her. She had put off starting her second book until this past fall and was now trying to get the final chapters to her editor before the December 31st due date so she could enjoy the last two weeks of the year with Chris and the kids.

Tomorrow, she, Chris and their five kids—Tommy, 9 ¾, Marcus, 8, and Scottie, 6 ½, Penny, 2, and Stephy, 2—were headed to Boston to spend Christmas Chris's family. After Christmas, the whole Evans family would be spending a few days down in Florida at Disney World. Chris, Ellie and the kids would spend New Year's Eve traveling back to Oregon so the boys would be ready to go back to school on January 2nd.

"How does pizza sound for dinner?" Chris suggested, wanting an easy dinner for the night before they left.

"That sounds perfect," Ellie agreed as she finished eating her soup. "Thank you for lunch, Chris."

"You're welcome," he replied. He gave her a quick kiss then gathered her dishes and left the barn. He made his way back to the old farmhouse that he and Ellie had purchased the Christmas after they'd gotten married.

It had been his idea for them to settle down in Oregon and it had been a lucky chance that they had fallen in love with a farm a few miles down the road from her parents' place. They had rented out most of their land to their surrounding neighbors, but they had kept the barn. The first couple years they'd owned the house it had been a construction zone. They had done as much as they could to conserve the charm of the 100 year old house, but they had also upgraded it with modern necessities. They had also added four small guest cabins with small kitchenettes for when his mom and siblings came to visit.

Entering the house via the mudroom door, Chris toed off his shoes and then made his way into the kitchen. He froze in the doorway when he saw his and Ellie's twin daughters, Penelope and Stephanie, sitting on the counter with the cookie jar open between them. Sitting on the ground in front of them were the family's dogs: Duchess the golden retriever and Nemo the chocolate lab.

"How did you two get downstairs?" Chris asked as he quickly crossed the kitchen. He put Ellie's dishes in the sink and then positioned himself in front of the twins.

"Cookie, dada," Steph said, holding out a slobbery cookie to him.

"You two are little cookie bandits," Chris shook his head. He grabbed a toddler with each arm and nestled them on his hips before he made his way to the stairs, the dogs following him. As the five of them climbed the stairs, he saw that the gate at the top of the stairs was wide open. "BOYS!"

It took a second, but soon all three of his sons were standing in the doorways to their rooms looking at him.

"Who left the toddler gate open?" Chris asked.

"Tommy was the last one upstairs," Scottie tattled.

"Do you three want to know where I found the twins?" Chris asked and then continued without their responses. "They were sitting on the kitchen counter eating cookies when I came back from taking mom her lunch. If the gate had been closed, they wouldn't have gotten down the stairs."

"Sorry, dad," Robert Thomas, "Tommy", muttered as he looked down at his feet.

"We were lucky neither of them got hurt," Chris said. "Just remember next time."

Tommy nodded and disappeared into his room.

"Let me clean up the girls and put them back in their room and then I'll come help you two," Chris told his younger sons.

"Ok, daddy," Scott Wilson nodded before running back into the room he shared with Marcus.

"I'll close the gate," Marcus Alexander offered.

"Thanks, buddy," Chris smiled. He carried the twins into the bathroom and set them down. "You two finished eating your cookies?"

The two blondes nodded their heads and held out their sticky fingers. Chris grabbed a washcloth and got it wet before he knelt down and cleaned up both girls. Once he was finished, he tossed the washcloth down the laundry shoot, making a mental note to do another load of laundry tonight, and then carried the girls back to their room.

"You two need to take a nap," he said, tucking them into the twin bed they shared. They had tried putting them in different toddler beds, but they hadn't liked that at all. So they had gotten a twin bed for them to share. "I love you two."

"Wuv you," Penny smiled up at him.

Chris kissed both girls on the head and then left the room, closing the door behind him. He checked the gate to make sure it was closed and then told Duchess to guard it. The five-year-old golden retriever walked over to the gate and then laid down in front of it.

"Good girl," Chris smiled.

Chris spent the next hour helping his sons pack their suitcases as well as their backpacks with things to do on the plane. Little Scottie hadn't laid out any clothes to pack as he had been more interested in choosing which toys to take to Boston. Since he didn't care about what clothes he had to wear, Chris picked out his outfits and then packed them into the suitcase. Marcus, on the other hand, had laid out too many clothes and it had taken a lot of discussion to narrow it down to what he actually needed to take. When it came to checking Tommy's suitcase, there had been a discussion about how many shoes he really needed to take to Boston where he would only be wearing snow boots outside and Florida where he was going to need a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of flip flops.

Once the boys' suitcases were packed and carried downstairs, Chris went into the girls' room and quietly packed their bags with the outfits he and Ellie had talked about earlier in the week. By the time he was finished, the twins had woken up from their nap and they slid down the stairs on their stomachs, feet first, as he carried their suitcases down.

It was a little after four in the afternoon when Ellie came into the house with a big grin on her face. "It's finished!" she announced after finding him and the kids watching a movie in the living room.

The boys gave her hugs and she sat down on the couch next to Chris and the twins. The twins quickly abandoned him and cradled themselves against her.

Chris smiled as he watched the three of them. The twins had been a surprise addition to their family at the end of October two years ago, Stephanie Marie on the 29th and Penelope Anne on the 30th. They were officially "Super Bowl Babies" as they had been born nine months after the Patriots had won the Super Bowl.

They had done a gender reveal party for the twins, but had found out what they were having in advance, which turned out to be a good thing, because Ellie hadn't been thrilled with the idea of having girls at first. She had been upset with him for a couple days, but then they'd gone to the mall to get some stuff for the boys and he'd found her in the baby girl section crying over the adorable frilly outfits. They'd left the mall with clothes for the boys and sparkly tutus for the girls.

Letting his eyes move to the floor where the boys were stretched out with their eyes glued to the TV, Chris recalled their entrances into the world.

It had taken him and Ellie nearly a year and a half, after they'd gotten married, to get pregnant with Tommy and they'd floated between Oregon, LA and Boston for the first six months of the pregnancy. For the last three months, they'd stayed in Oregon, celebrating Christmas there and planning their first Oregon Super Bowl party in February. Family and friends (including his former roommates and their wives who'd made the trip for the day) had descended on their house with the goal of watching a great game, only to have him and Ellie rush out of the party during the first quarter after her water had broken.

In typical Ellie fashion, she had insisted all morning that she was fine, despite the fact that she was having what she claimed were Braxton Hicks contractions. She had been in the middle of trying to tell her mom that she was fine when her water had broken. Then all hell had broken loose and Chris had jumped into the back seat of his in-law's car while they drove to the hospital. Their family members had come along to the hospital, while their friends had stuck around to help with the party and clean up afterwards.

Robert Thomas had made his appearance a little after nine that night and was the one of the two best things that had happened to his dad that day since his New England Patriots had won the Super Bowl. For their first family photo, Chris had put his Patriots jersey back on and they had wrapped baby Tommy in a Patriots blanket.

Eighteen months later, they'd been back in the hospital when Marcus Alexander made his grand appearance. Chris's mom had come to stay with them in the weeks leading up to Ellie's due date, so she could help with Tommy.

Ellie had woken Chris up in the middle of the night to tell him it was time to go to the hospital. They'd woken up his mom before leaving for the hospital and had asked her to tell everyone else. They were only at the hospital for a little over an hour before Marcus decided it was time to join the world. By the time the rest of the family made it to the hospital, he'd already had his first meal and all three of them were napping.

The naming of their first two boys had been easy; they'd used a family name as well as the name of their favorite quarterbacks: Tom Brady and Marcus Mariota. The hardest part had been deciding which boy would get which name, but they had settled that with a quick best out of 3 paper, scissors, rock. Surprisingly, it had been Ellie who had won, but when she had laid her eyes on her first born, she'd known he was a Tommy. And she'd had the same feeling with her second when she saw him for the first time, he'd been a Marcus.

Two years later, Scott Wilson arrived. Unlike his two older brothers, both who'd come a week or two early, Scottie stayed until he was threatened with eviction. Their middle of November baby became their Thanksgiving baby and ultimately their early December baby when he finally arrived December 1st.

He was named after his Uncle Scott, who was a supporter of Chris and Ellie's relationship even when they hadn't been. His middle name, Wilson, was Ellie's mom's maiden name and not a nod to the former Seahawks Quarterback (or so Ellie claimed). He was an easy going baby and practically started laughing in the womb. He was the perfect combination of Chris and Ellie in looks while his older brothers favored one parent over the other: Tommy more like Ellie and Marcus more like Chris.

Chris was pulled out of his thoughts when two little hands patted his cheeks. Blinking, he looked down and saw Steph sitting in his lap.

"Piza, dada, piza!" she said.

"You want pizza?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"Do the rest of you want pizza, too?" Chris asked.

"YES!" the boys shouted and the girls mimicked seconds later.

"Alright, everyone go get your shoes on," Chris instructed. "We'll take the dogs to Meme and Papa's and then we'll go to the pizza place."

"The one with laser tag?" Tommy asked.

"Sure, why not," Chris nodded.

"YES!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Should we invite everyone?" Ellie asked.

"Why not," Chris nodded. "It'll mean we get to play laser tag too."

"Yes!" Ellie exclaimed in a perfect imitation of their son.

An hour later, Chris found himself helping distribute pizza to the kids table. His boys and their cousins, both older and younger, were talking and laughing about everything from comic books to tv shows. It filled his heart with joy to see how much they enjoyed each other, especially knowing that his kids also had a special bond with their cousins in Boston.

It had been Chris's idea for him and Ellie to settle down in Oregon after all three of her sisters had announced they were moving back to the area they all grew up in. He'd known that Ellie would want to stay on the west coast, but he didn't want to live in LA permanently so Oregon was the perfect place.

For all but the summer that Ellie was pregnant with Marcus, Ellie and the kids had spent the end of June through the beginning of August in Boston with Chris's family with Chris joining them if he wasn't working. The kids got along great with their cousins and, more often than not, it was like no time had passed between their last visit.

"And Nonna said that it's gonna snow," Chris heard Marcus tell his cousin closest to him in age. "So we're gonna have a big snowball fight on Christmas for sure!"

Chris chuckled as the cousin expressed some jealousy, especially after Marcus then brought up the trip to Disney World. Both kids knew, however, that come Spring Break, this side of the family would be spending the whole week at Disneyland.

Moving to the adults table, Chris took a seat next to Ellie and nudged her with his shoulder. She turned away from her sister and smiled at him.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," she smiled.

"I love you, too, man," their brother-in-law said from Chris's other side. Chris laughed as his brother-in-law grabbed him from behind and kissed his cheek.

Chris knew that he and Ellie were lucky to have grown up so close with their siblings and parents and they knew they'd both won the in-law jackpot. As much as Chris wished he got to spend more time with his family in Boston, the Spencers' had taken him (and all three of his brothers-in-law) and had made them their own. It was better than anything he'd ever imagined.

"Get off me, you monkey," Chris said with a laugh. He playfully elbowed his brother-in-law in the side and then shook his head. "Or I'll tell mom what you bought Garrett for our brother-in-law exchange."

The family had gotten together during the past weekend to celebrate Christmas together. The adults had done a gift exchange with everyone buying for two people, but Chris and his brothers-in-law had done a special bonus exchanged. They were mostly gag gifts and what not, but they weren't allowed to do anything below the belt. Though, the first year they had included their brother-in-law Mark, he'd given Chris a month's supply of Rogaine, which had only been funny because Mark was already bald. Other previous gifts had been a year supply of condoms for Chris following Marcus's arrival and then another year supply the Christmas after the twins had come around.

As the gifts were always exchanged in their father-in-law's mancave out of sight of the women, they usually weren't things that were meant to be spoken of again. So with Chris's threat, his brother-in-law's face paled as he quickly shifted his eyes away from the glare that their mother-in-law was giving them.

"Honestly," she said shaking her head. "You boys are almost worse than raising teenage daughters!"

Her sons-in-laws let out belly laughs as her daughters let out cries of disbelief.

Chris wrapped his arms around Ellie and kissed her cheek. "I love our family," he said.

Author’s note: This story was originally written in December 2016. A paragraph regarding the winner of the 2019 Super Bowl was edited on February 3, 2019.

Want to find me off tumblr? I’m @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

My tag list is always open, just let me know if you’d like to be added!

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

More April Weather (32)

This is a gift with Adrinette for @missr99 from 500 followers give away. I hope you’ll enjoy it! (It took some time, sorry, but Adrien Appreciation Week story needed my attention.)

I’ve decided to expand “April Weather” universe in form of drabbles. If  there are some scenes or points you'd like to see explored, be let me know - best to hit my ask box.

Open Door Policy

AO3 / fanfiction

[This takes place about 1,5 year after Chapter 29 “The Wall”]

On the day of her 16th birthday Marinette woke up to a pleasant rumble vibrating in her ear. She remembered it was Sunday so she had nowhere to be and nothing to do. The rumble was lulling her to sleep; it was hard not to give in to its call. She sighed contently and snuggled closer to her warm, toned pillow, ready to drift off into slumber again.

And then quite unexpectedly the pillow snuggled back. Marinette jumped and released a startled squeak. She opened her eyes and saw her boyfriend’s face millimeters from her own. He was deep in his sleep, snoring lightly, as always when he lay on his back. The girl blinked the sleep away from her eyes. Some details about this situation didn’t add up.

First of all, yes, Adrien happened to stay the night once in a while, and for this occasion her parents brought an inflatable mattress to her room. The boy was supposed to sleep on the floor level, while Marinette used her loft bed. The bed that now was empty, because both of them were lying on Adrien’s spare bedding. Last thing Marinette remembered was binging a show a show in the evening. Apparently she didn’t make it to her bed.

Oops.

Second of all, the trapdoor to her room, that according to the open door policy was supposed to stay open when Adrien was in her room, was now closed. Neither of them would have closed it. In the two years of their dating history they complied to the request of her parents and of Monsieur Agreste. The door stayed open. Until today.

Uh-oh.

Marinette wasn’t sure how the trapdoor got closed, but she had a bad feeling that whoever had done it, took a good look at the two of them sleeping together. Suddenly the air in her room became very hot and it had nothing to do with the heat coming from the sleeping body of her boyfriend. She was about to hyperventilate, when she spotted a card resting in front of the trapdoor, next to a plate with still warm rolls, cheese bread and cookies and a jug of orange juice.

Careful not to wake Adrien up she reached out for the card.

“Happy 16th birthday, dear!” she read. “As of today the Open Door Policy is cancelled. Enjoy your Sunday! Maman & Papa.”

By this point Marinette was beet red. Now she was sure that both of her parents had seen the two of them, before they officially closed the door. Well, nothing could be done about it, but she intended to enjoy her Sunday and her newly received privilege in the best way possible.

She draped her arm around Adrien’s chest and nuzzled his neck.

‘Mmmmm, bug?’ he murmured drowsily.

‘The door is closed,’ she whispered, kissing the line of his jaw.

‘The- what?’ Adrien’s eyes shot open. ‘W-why?’

Marinette waved the card in front of his face. ‘Apparently the policy took effect only until I turned 16,’ she smirked.

Her boyfriends face stretched into a sly grin. ‘What a thoughtful gift,’ he snickered. ‘Happy birthday, Princess!’ the boy turned to her, while he reached for his bag. ‘I got you something I hope you’ll like,’ he whispered, blindly trying to find what he was looking for. Marinette made it more difficult, because she chose that moment to press her lips to his in a languid kiss.

‘Like there was even the slightest chance she won’t,’ they heard the gloomy voice of the kwami of doom. ‘Tik, there’s cheese bread and cookies. How about an early breakfast?’ Plagg called into the room.

‘Plagg,’ the kwami of creation hissed from their perch above the loft bed, ‘just shut up, will ya?’

‘What?’ he spluttered indignantly. ‘You heard your girl. The door is closed.’

‘So what?’ Tikki scolded him. ‘You’re interrupting,’ she rolled her eyes to the couple on the mattress.

‘Am I?’ the little cat raised his brows in surprise. ‘It doesn’t look like anything they’ve never done,’ he shrugged. ‘Or anything I’ve never seen,’ he added, chuckling to himself.

Adrien’s ears turned an interesting shade of red, and Marinette pretended (poorly) she didn’t hear anything. The red kwami made an “okay-lemme-handle-it” gesture to the two human occupants of the room.

‘Now that the door is closed, and they are both older, you have to give them some space,’ Tikki lectured. ‘You know, youth has its ri-’

‘Oh for the love of chocolate, Tikki, could you be more embarrassing?’ her chosen exclaimed with an exasperated huff. ‘You’re worse than Plagg. At least he only comments on food.’

‘Mwahaha,’ the black sprite guffawed. ‘See? You shut up,’ he shot back at his fellow kwami.

‘Why don’t you take some bread and cookies and eat on the balcony?’ Adrien suggested sheepishly.

‘Say no more!’ Plagg zipped to the food plate. He balanced the biggest cookie and three slices of cheese bread between his paws and, with a wink, he zoomed back to the loft bed.

‘Thank… you?’ the boy stared after him, surprised at this unexpected assistance.

Marinette giggled. ‘Don’t worry, he just wanted the bread. And possibly also get back at Tikki. Anyway,’ she scooted closer, happy to snuggle without witnesses and interruptions, ‘where were we?’ she purred, as her finger traced complex loops on his chest.

‘Ah, yes,’ Adrien’s hand finally closed over the small package. ‘Happy birthday, Purrrrrincessss,’ he drawled sinking his nose into her hair. ‘Here’s a little gift for you,’ he added passing her the present.

The girl made herself comfortable on her back, with her head resting on Adrien’s shoulder as she unwrapped the little box. An elegant logo on the cover made her wince. This was expensive.

‘Adrien, it’s too much!’ she started, but he put his hand over hers and opened the box.

‘Hush, it’s not as a big deal as the brand would suggest,’ he replied. ‘Just look inside.’

It was a charm bracelet. Delicate, modest, yet stylish, beautiful in its simplicity. Only a fancy jeweler could accomplish a feat like this. Silver chain with an intricate pattern looked as if it was weaved of pure moonlight. Seven charms dangled from it - each making Marinette smile more.

An Eiffel tower. A butterfly. A sun. A heart. A loaf of bread. A raindrop. An umbrella. Their relationship in a nutshell.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Marinette whispered in awe, grazing her fingers over the trinkets. ‘It’s perfect. Thank you,’ she murmured, shifting and placing a delicate kiss on his cheek.

‘Only the best for my Princess,’ Adrien winked, wrapping his arms around her. ‘My Duchess,’ he pressed his lips to her temple. ‘My Queen,’ he nuzzled at her hair. ‘My Lady,’ he whispered in her ear, sending goosebumps all over her skin. ‘I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t put anything connected to our other identities, but well… they are secret for a reason.’

‘Of course I don’t mind,’ she giggled. ‘This is gorgeous the way it is.’

‘I’m glad,’ Adrien took the bracelet from her hands. ‘May I?’ he asked, unclasping it.

Marinette offered her wrist and he fastened the chain over it, completing it with a brush of his lips over the inside of her forearm. She sighed contently, when he kept trailing kisses up her arm, then moving to her collarbone and neck.

‘Mmmm,’ he droned, ‘this is nice.’

The girl hummed in agreement tilting her head to give him more access. Adrien wrapped himself around her back and rubbed his cheek against her jaw.

‘Are you scent marking me, Chaton?’ she whispered.

‘And if I am?’ he replied, a flirtatious lilt to his voice.

‘Then I’d say you missed a bit here,’ Marinette turned her head to present him with her other cheek and he happily complied, causing a fit of giggles from the girl.

Soon they both drowned in small caresses and soft pets, making the most of the first Sunday morning without the open door policy.

When Plagg popped his head inside not even ten minutes later he released a scandalized snort. ‘That’s disgusting!’ he whined.

‘Plaaaaaaagg,’ Tikki whisper-yelled above him. ‘Don’t loooook!’

He turned to the red kwami, flabbergasted. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘You shouldn’t interrupt!’ she scolded, narrowing her eyes at him.

The black cat shook his head with a deep sigh. ‘Chill, Tikki,’ he huffed in exasperation. ‘The door is closed for the first time in two years. We took our butts outside,’ he complained, ‘and here they are,’ he waved his paw dramatically in the direction of the two teens, ‘sleeping!’

‘Sleeping?’ Tikki’s eyes got as big as her favorite treat.

‘Look for yourself,’ he moved away allowing her a glimpse of the floor below.

There, on the inflatable mattress, among blankets, in a morning sunspot lay a two headed octopus. Marinette’s head rested on Adrien’s chest, and their limbs were so tangled in each other it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other one begun. They were snoring peacefully, their breaths even, their faces relaxed and lips stretched in soft smiles. They looked as if they were exactly where they were supposed to be. They belonged there.

Tikki sighed contently. She doubted she would ever meet a more precious pair of cinnamon rolls. They knew they had time, they could take this morning to nap and cuddle instead of other activities that would undoubtedly come with the closed door. She turned to Plagg and was satisfied to see a tender smile on his face. He wiped it away as soon as he noticed her staring.

‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ the red kwami shrugged. ‘I’m just happy to see them like this.’

‘Me too,’ the black sprite muttered. ‘Me too. Now how about another cookie?’

‘I won’t say no to that,’ Tikki giggled, closing the skylight behind her.

Chapters: 1 | masterpost | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |

[bae-b-8-imagines]

Youth - Poe x Reader (College AU)

Author’s Note: It took me so long to get this out, but it is finally here! I hope you like it @summerlogy! Requests are open! Feel free to message me! :) Stay gold! 

Request: Hello! Could you do Poe X Reader Modern University student AU based on the song Youth, by troye sivan? Where they are best friends for life and known each-other since they’re babies and everybody knows they are best friends but suddenly Poe notices that he loves her and propose quoting the lyrics of the song. I hope this is not too much, and sorry if my english is poor. It’s not my first language btw 😭💧 And your writings are sooo amazing 💘💘

Warnings: None, Fluff

Word Count: 2100+

ALL LYRICS TO THE SONG BELONG TO THE ARTIST

Your hair was slowly falling out of the messy bun that sat atop of your head. The pencil you were holding scratched across the exam that you were writing right now. You blew air from your lips to try and blow the stray hair out of your face, but to no avail. Eventually you finished scribbling your answer on the paper and set your pencil down. The strand of hair was tucked behind your ear and you walked up to the professor to turn in your exam. He nodded his head and wished you a good summer holiday. As you walked out the door you saw your best friend of twenty years, Poe Dameron. He looked shocked to see you finished so quickly, you stuck your tongue out at him and exited the classroom.

That was your final exam before your last semester of university! You were going to graduate with a bachelors in mechanical engineering, and Poe with a bachelors in astrophysics. The two of you had been inseparable since you were about four years old. You had met at preschool and were best friends since then. You both loved and hated the same things, and there was never a dull moment when the two of you would hang out, which happened to be very often considering you were both roomates.

It had felt so normal when the two of you had moved in together. Like nothing in life could ever push you apart. It just seemed to work perfectly with you two together. One of the main things that worked great between the two of you was that each one of you were respectful about the other’s life. If there was something that Poe wanted to do with his friends, you were okay with it. Why would there be any reason not to be.

The two of you hadn’t encountered any situation with opposing significant others though. The last time you had been on a date was in high school, since then it was mostly drunken kisses that you didn’t remember the next morning. As for Poe, he had been in a long term relationship with a girl since the middle of high school till the first year at university.

As you rode your bike to the shared flat on the outskirts of the town you passed by a small ice cream shoppe that was only open in the Summer. You were happy to see that it was finally opened, and stopped by to get a scoop. The shoppe was crowded with students who had also just been released from the tightening grips of college exams, but the cold treat was worth the wait. You picked up a pint of chocolate ice cream to bring home for you and Poe to share.

When you got home you took of the bookbag that weighed down your shoulders and flung your body onto the couch that sat in the living room. You glanced at the clock that read 3:15, before closing your eyes. The slamming of a door made you open your eyes once more, slightly aggravated that you were woken from your small power nap.

“Poe, do you have to be so loud?” You groaned looking back up at the clock, only to see that you had been asleep for more than four hours.

“I wasn’t aware that you were going to be asleep. I thought you would’ve already called the take out for our celebration dinner tonight!” He exclaimed reaching for the phone.

You closed your eyes again, completely forgetting about the fact that you and Poe were supposed to order Chinese food and have a few friends over to celebrate. You could hear him speaking on the phone, but then he got really quiet and exited the room. You were confused. Poe was never the one to be quiet on the phone, especially not to the man who worked at the Chinese restaurant, the three of you had this odd relationship where you both accepted each other.

You sat up from your position on the couch and grabbed your phone from the coffee table in front of you. There were your typical instagram notifications, a few snapchats - although probably nothing more than a streak - and one or two texts from your friends who were coming over tonight. You opened Rey’s message first.

Hey Y/N, Finn and I should be there around 8:30. Do you think you could ask for extra duck sauce for us?

You laughed, whenever the two of you would go out for Chinese food and study dates she would always ask for extra duck sauce, even if she didn’t need it. Because, “It’s too precious to not use it on every bit and if you run out of duck sauce halfway through your spring roll what else is there to do in life but to die?” Sometimes she could be dramatic, but that’s just another reason why you loved her.

Glancing at the other text you saw that Hux and Ben would be here around the same time. You and Hux had shared many classes together. He wasn’t the nicest, or the coolest, dude to be around, but he had helped you so much that you figured inviting him over for some Chinese wouldn’t hurt. As for Ben, he was basically your cousin. Your godparent’s son. It was pretty much mandatory for you to invite him. Poe wasn’t the biggest fan, but he could deal with it.

After texting back Rey and glancing at your clock you realized that you only had about twenty minutes to do a little bit of cleaning and getting ready for everyone to be over. You put the little items that cluttered the room back in their places and headed to the restroom that you and Poe shared. You could hear that he was in the shower, but that was not going to stop you from using the mirror and putting on a little bit of makeup so you didn’t look like a zombie.

“Y/N? What are you doing?” Poe questioned, knowing it was you.

“What I do every time your taking a shower...duh.” You sated.

You were quickly finished and left, so that Poe would be undisturbed for the rest of the shower. You knew that he liked his privacy when it came to his hair routine. There was a knock at the door, so you closed the door to your bedroom and went to the front of the loft.

Sure enough your four friends were all standing there ready to welcome you. You hugged each of them before leading them into the living room to find a place to sit. There wasn’t much of a plan for tonight other than pigging out on Chinese food, and watching a scary movie. Immediately after you had taken your place on the couch, leaving enough room for Poe as well, the bell run. You stood up announcing that that was probably the Chinese delivery guy.

You opened the door and welcomed him in, like you normally did. Handing him the $50 bill you told him to keep the change.

“But it’s only a $32 charge, I can’t take a nearly 40% tip.” He said, cautious to take the money.

You insisted that he keep it. You were once where he was too. On the edge of 17, not knowing what you wanted to do with life, struggling to save for a college that your parents weren’t able to help pay for. Eighteen dollars wasn’t a lot, but it could help. Finally he accepted and made his way to his next delivery.

Poe came out of the restroom, hair as perfect as ever, wearing sweatpants that made him look nice. You weren’t going to lie to yourself when you said that you had the tiniest crush on Poe. It was basically impossible not to. You had always promised yourself that you wouldn’t let it get in the way of your relationship with him though. You knew that having Poe as your best friend was better than dating him and then it not working out and then not being friends at all.

Poe’s POV

Everyone was seated around the coffee table. Y/N was sitting next to me, her hair smelled so wonderful. Had she showered after she got home? That wasn’t important. I felt so nervous. Just last week I had realized the truth, that I was in love with Y/N. I had been since I broke up with Anne back in Freshman year. Y/N was the only girl I had eyes for, and I couldn’t let her slip through my fingers. Sure we would always being friends, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to share everything with her, for the rest of my life. I had went out and bought a simple ring about two days ago. Finn was the only one who knew what I had planned for tonight.

“Alrighty what does everyone want to watch tonight?” He asked picking up the remote and turning on Netflix.

“Actually Finn?” I stopped him, “I have something I’d like to say to everyone.”

Your POV

Poe stood up holding his red solo cup in the air like he was about to toast.

“I just wanted everybody to know that all of you helped to make senior year great. Tomorrow we will be opening a new chapter in our lives, and I can only hope that we all continue to stay great friends. Hux, I know we aren’t the closest, but thanks for not totally freaking out when I am sarcastic with you. Ben, we may not get along, but any family of Y/N’s is a friend of mine. Rey, thanks for always being there for Y/N and for Finn. If you didn’t keep those two in check I’m not sure they would’ve graduated. Finn, thanks for being the best friend anyone could have asked for. So here’s to new chapters!” He cheered and raised his glass.

You played along with it, and raised yours as well, but you had to admit you were a bit hurt that he didn’t even mention you in his little speech that he gave. You looked into the TV screen as you drank from your cup.

“I have one more thing to say.” His voice rang out above everyone else’s cheers, “Y/N, what if we run away? What if we left today? What if we said goodbye to safe and sound?”

What was this? What was he getting at now? You weren’t entirely sure what was happening, but for some reason it made butterflies rupture in your chest, and a light blush to dust your cheeks.

“Y/N my youth is yours, tripping on skies, sipping waterfalls. My youth is yours runaway now. And forever more my youth is yours. A truth so loud you can’t ignore that my youth is yours. Y/N, we’ve been best friends since preschool. And I’ve been in love with you since high school. Our entire childhood, I have been wrapped around your finger. My youth is yours. And the fact that I love you is something you can’t ignore. I can’t imagine living another day being just best friends, because to me you are so much more than that. I want to grow old being yours. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Y/N L/N. We may have mortal bodies, but we have timeless souls. So this is me asking you. Will you marry me Y/N L/N?”

Poe was now on one knee right in front of you as you sat on the couch, cross legged, wearing your oldest tee shirt and sweats. Yet he still was here asking you to marry him. A tear made its way down your cheek and you quickly wiped it away before wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into a bear hug.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Ace.” You choked out. That was all you could say because your throat was tight with emotion.

Poe hugged you in return, his arms clinging to your waist. You opened your eyes and could see that Finn had been recording the whole ordeal. He had to have known what was going on. Poe pulled away and placed the ring on your finger before kissing you on the lips. And while it was an unconventional proposal, you wouldn’t have had it any other way. Poe and you had spent your entire past together, so why not the entire future as well?

Tags: @heyohheyitsgabi @mrsdaamneron @o-brienwrites @summerlogy @emily-vole

[unfolded73]

A Seed of Hope (2/2)

Yeah, I couldn’t wait to post this any longer...

Summary: Two Emmas from different points in time switch places. Inspired by a classic (if unfinished) Doctor/Rose fanfic by rallalon entitled “Of Love and Waffles”.

Word Count: 10,770. Rated Teen.

Betaed by @j-philly-b​ even though I promised her fic for her birthday, and then all I sent her was an early draft of this and ended up making her work on it on top of that.

(Part 1)

Part 2

Emma eyed the Wicked Witch of the West from the other side of the living room. She couldn’t believe the way Hook just welcomed her into his house, as if none of the past had happened. As if this woman weren’t responsible for Neal’s death.

Of course, she didn’t look much like the Wicked Witch right now, she just looked like the harried mother of a rambunctious daughter. The daughter in question was currently armed with a Nerf bow and arrow and had taken cover behind the sofa after shooting Hook with several harmless Nerf darts. He took it completely in stride like it had happened many times before, and something about that fact made Emma’s heart clench.

“Sorry to be in such a rush, but I’ve got about a million errands I need to run today,” Zelena said, pushing her hair off of her face. “What did you need?”

“Have you ever heard of a spell that caused someone from the past to suddenly replace themselves in the future?”

Zelena laughed. “To suddenly what?”

Emma approached now. “I woke up this morning, and I was nine years in the future,” she said bluntly. “Sound familiar? Like something that you did to me, maybe?”

Bristling, Zelena reached out and stopped her daughter from racing through the room. “Walk, Robin,” she said automatically. “What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“You were…” Emma glanced at Robin. Even hating Zelena as much as she did, she wasn’t willing to poison the woman’s daughter against her. “In the past, where… when I came from, we were on opposite sides. And you were collecting ingredients for a time travel spell. Is that how I got here?”

Zelena finally seemed to notice Emma fully, and she took her in from head to toe before turning back to Hook. “Where’s our Emma?”

“We don’t know. Perhaps in the past?”

“So they might have switched places?” Zelena looked thoughtful at that. “That does sound familiar, but it’s not a spell I’ve ever come across, and certainly not one I ever cast.”

“Well, if you can think of where you’ve heard of it, please let us know,” Killian said, just as another Nerf dart hit him square in the chest. “Curses, I am slain!” he said with an exaggerated stagger before giving Robin a wink and flipping the dart back in her direction.

“Come on, darling, collect your projectiles and let’s get to the hardware store,” Zelena said, halfway to the door before she stopped and hit the heel of her hand against her forehead. “Oh, I know where I’ve heard of switching places in time like this before! Unfortunately, it was just a story.”

“Surely I don’t have to tell you that there can be a core of truth in stories, love.”

“Good point. Let me think,” she said, tapping her chin. “It was a legend about a ruler whose kingdom was being assailed by some kind of horrible beast. Many knights tried to defeat the beast, but they were killed to a man.”

“I am no man!” Robin shouted, letting loose with another volley of arrows; she seemed to have inserted herself into Zelena’s story.

“Would that you had been there, Robin,” she said with an indulgent smile. “The king summoned an old fortune-teller and asked for her advice. How could they possibly defeat this beast if his best knights had been slain? She told him that the problem was that no one who had faced the beast had done so with a pure heart. Well, the king knew he didn’t qualify; he was a philanderer with mistresses strewn about the kingdom, and he was filling his coffers off of the labor of slaves. She said, no problem, take this wishing stone and make a wish. Wish that you may face the beast with a pure heart.”

Hook smirked. “Don’t the villains in these stories know not to trust random soothsayers?”

“Well, this one didn’t. He descended into the cave of the beast and at the critical moment, he made the wish that he could face the beast with a pure heart. And at that moment, he found himself in his nursery in the palace, surrounded by all the toys he recognized from when he was a boy. Meanwhile, back in the beast’s lair, the six-year-old future king faced the creature, because at six, he was indeed pure of heart.”

“And the kid defeated the beast?” Emma asked.

Zelena laughed. “No no no, the beast swallowed him whole because children are terrible swordsmen.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Cool story.”

“Could this wishing stone be real?” Hook asked.

Shrugging, Zelena shouldered her purse as Robin dashed out onto the porch and down the walkway toward the street. “Not that I’ve ever heard of, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t.”

“Because what if someone in the past wished for Emma to be stronger? Wished for her magic to be stronger?”

Zelena nodded. “Her pregnancy does seem to have augmented her power; she demonstrated it for me last week. But if the source of the spell is in the past, then there’s nothing we can do about it from here. In these sorts of situations, usually only the person who made the wish can reverse it. They’ll have to figure it out themselves.”

“And what if future me with her pregnancy-induced power kills you first?” Emma asked through clenched teeth.

“She won’t,” Zelena said with a shrug. “She’s my friend.”

“Come on, Mom!” Robin shouted from where she was fidgeting next to an extremely green car parked in front of the house.

“Good luck with all this,” Zelena said to Hook, gesturing vaguely at Emma.

When he had shut the door, Emma turned on him. “How can you be friends with her after everything she did?”

“We’ve accepted her because she changed. The same way I was accepted. The same way Regina was.” He shrugged, going over and picking up some books that Robin had knocked off of the coffee table. “We forgave her.”

Emma huffed. “Okay, whatever. So what do we do, just sit on our hands and wait for someone else to figure out how to fix this? I’m not good at that.”

“Don’t I know it.” Hook faced her. “I phoned your parents, and they’ll be over as soon as they finish up some things at the farm. Perhaps they will have some insights.”

“What farm?”

Hook explained that her parents had moved out to the edge of town, and that the old loft apartment was now occupied by some girl named Violet and a roommate. He seemed to think for a second that she’d know who Violet was, but then he checked himself when he realized that she didn’t.

“It’s harder than you would think, remembering what you know about and what you don’t,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Emma glared at him. “Yeah, you’re the one this is hard for.”

“Fair point, love.”

~*~

“So what should we do while Regina’s trying to figure out what happened?” her mother asked when they returned to Granny’s. It wasn’t lunchtime yet, but Emma already felt like she was starving and she made straight for one of the diner booths, intent on ordering a second breakfast.

“Maybe we could talk to Belle?” Emma suggested. “She might have read about a spell like this.”

“Good idea, honey,” David said.

Deciding it was best to limit the number of people who saw this older Emma out in town, her parents urged her to rest while they visited Belle. She wanted to argue, but she also really wanted a nap, so Emma agreed. She wasn’t sure what had become of Killian; as soon as Snow had parked, he had been out of the car and gone. Emma had to admit that towing him along to Regina’s had probably been a bad idea. He hadn’t had anything useful to contribute, and from his perspective, it must have seemed like she was rubbing his nose in the fact that she had a happy life in the future with some other guy.

Lying on her bed, all Emma could see when she closed her eyes was his hopeless expression. He’d brooded a lot back then, she knew that, but it was one thing to know it and it was another to see it now that she was used to a much happier man, settled into his life with her.

When her parents knocked on the door of her room an hour later, she hadn’t slept a wink.

“Well, we figured it out,” her mother said as she sailed into the room, a frustrated tone to her voice.

David was pleading with her. “I told you, I had no idea what I was doing, sweetheart. I didn’t think it was magic, I thought it was just… a wish.”

“David, how can you be so naive about wishes?” Snow snapped.

“What are you guys talking about?” Emma interrupted. “You know why I’m here?”

“Your predicament reminded Belle of a legend she’d read once, about a king and a beast and… it doesn’t matter,” Snow said, blowing her bangs out of her face. “There was a wishing stone, that’s the important part of the story. And then David—”

“I remembered that after Neal’s funeral, I went over to Gold’s shop to help Belle move a couple of heavy objects — she’s been trying to organize the place. And I found this rock, but see, the inventory card said it was non-magical—”

“Your father wished you here,” Snow concluded.

Emma blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them. “You wished for… what exactly? An older version of me?”

“No, I wished that if you have to face Zelena, that your magic would be strong, that’s all.” He held up his hands in surrender.

“And my magic is stronger now than it was back… now,” Emma said, wrinkling her nose at her own phrasing. “It’s been particularly potent since I got pregnant. So what do we do to reverse it?”

“Fortunately, that part’s easy. David destroys the stone.” Snow pulled her hand out of her pocket and held it out, palm up. A nondescript gray rock rested on it.

“Oh,” Emma said, feeling a sense of anticlimax that it was that easy. “Okay, but what about the fact that you guys have information about the future after talking to me? Should we ask Regina to whip up some memory potions?”

“No need,” David said. “When I destroy the stone, it will be like none of this ever happened. The wish won’t just be undone, it will be unmade, according to Belle.”

“So no one will remember anything I’ve told them?” Emma asked.

“Nope.” David picked up the stone and weighed it in his hand. “I figure one of the dwarves’ pickaxes should do the trick.”

“Hang on,” Emma said, pulling her coat on quickly and stepping into her shoes. “Before you go unmaking your wish, I need to talk to Hook.”

Snow frowned. “Why do you need to talk to Hook?”

Emma opened the door, looked back at them, and smiled. “Because in the future, he’s my true love. And if there’s no consequence to anything I tell anyone here, I want him to know it. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.”

Before they had a chance to react, she fled the room.

Figuring she knew where he’d been headed when he left, Emma made her way toward the harbor. Sure enough, she found him there hunched on a bench like a great, dark bat, staring out at the water.

“Hey,” she said, out of breath as she approached. “Swan.” Killian stood, frowning at her. “You should be resting, love, not running around town.”

“Not you too, I get enough of that at home.” She dropped onto the bench, patting the seat next to her. “Sit with me for a minute.”

He grimaced, looking up at the sky as if for strength. “I appreciate that you must look for assistance to get back to your happy life wherever you can find it, but I’m not going to be of any use to you. This doesn’t fall within my area of expertise.”

“Oh, Belle and my parents figured it out,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “If they’re right, I’ll be back home by nightfall and none of you will remember this happened. Apparently I won’t even remember this happened.”

Killian collapsed next to her. “Well, I’m glad things will be set right, for your sake.”

Emma looked at him for a long beat. Now that she was here, she didn’t know how to tell him something so momentous, and perhaps it served no purpose to do so. “Things are gonna get better, you know,” she said softly.

He just snorted. “You don’t know what I’ve…you don’t know everything.”

“Oh, you think so?” She almost laughed. “Have you forgotten that I’m from the future? I know Zelena cursed your lips, hoping to steal my magic. I know you’re trying to figure out how to save Henry right now, and you feel like no matter which way you turn, you’re trapped.”

His face showed naked surprise, and then just as quickly it shuttered. “You must have been furious with me when you learned that.”

Shrugging, Emma put her hand on his shoulder. “At first, yeah, but I got over it.”

“I appreciate your kindness, love.” He continued to gaze out over the water.

“It never even occurred to you that it might be you, did it?” she murmured.

Killian turned to her with an arched eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“You learned that in the future, I have a husband, my true love and the father of this baby I’m carrying, and never once did it occur to you that it might be you. That you might be the man I’m so anxious to get back to.”

He squeezed his eyes closed. “Please don’t taunt me, love, I can’t bear it.”

She put her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. “I’m not taunting you, Killian. I’m telling you that in the future, we fall in love.” She felt tears welling up, and she gave him a watery laugh. “Or, I guess I fall in love, because I’m pretty sure you’re already there. And I’m not gonna lie, we go through some rough times. But we weathered it because it’s true love between us.”

He looked back and forth between her eyes, and she could see the moment that a spark of belief, of hope, ignited. “Emma…”

“You have a long road to travel, Killian Jones, but I promise you that at the end of it…” She sort of laugh-hiccuped through her tears. “Not the end of it, that sounds like you’re dying. God, I suck at these speeches; you are so much better at these speeches.” Pulling in a deep breath, she attempted to get back on track. “Our marriage is… it’s more wonderful than I could have hoped. And now we have this.” Taking his hand in hers, she brought it up under her sweater and pressed it against the swell of her belly.

This was why she was doing this, Emma thought as she looked at Killian’s shocked expression, positively brimming with awe: to give him this moment of happiness, even though it was fleeting. Although perhaps a selfish desire to experience his reaction figured in as well.

“The babe you’re carrying… it’s mine?”

She nodded, tears spilling over and running down her cheeks.

“How could I possibly be so lucky?” he asked.

Emma didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t luck, that it was work and determination and the magic of true love that had allowed them to be together. Instead she just pressed her forehead against his, breathing him in. “If your lips weren’t cursed, I’d totally kiss you right now.”

He laughed, and she could hear the tears in his voice. “You’ll just have to kiss me in the future, when you get back.”

“Oh, I’m gonna do a lot more than kiss you when I get back.”

She felt him shiver at that, and he pulled away to look at her again, a little bit of his trademark smirk showing through. “I very much look forward to that.”

“I wish you could… look forward to it, I mean. Obviously you can’t know your future, it would screw everything up. But I just wish that…” She reached up and combed her fingers through the hair at his temple, caressing the tip of his ear. Then realizing that her lips weren’t cursed, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I wish there was a way to plant a tiny seed of hope, so that a part of you knew that you and I are meant to be together.”

“Perhaps that’s exactly what you’ve done, love. Who knows what might linger in my mind after you’ve returned to your proper time?”

Emma smiled, tilting her head as she studied him. “I hope so.” Finally letting go of the hand she’d been pressing against her abdomen, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I love you,” she whispered. “Don’t give up on me.”

“How could I ever?” He clung to her in return, his hand and hook pressed against her back. “I lo—”

“Don’t,” she said, pulling away and grinning sheepishly at her own silliness. “Don’t say it yet. Don’t say it until we’ll both remember it.”

He inclined his head in agreement. “As you wish, darling.”

“Nope, no wishes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that wishes are trouble.” Emma rested her head on his shoulder, tracing her fingers over the embroidery on the cuff of his coat before she gripped his hook in her hand.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just being close to one another. “When must you break the spell?” he asked.

“I probably should go take care of it now.”

“Then, thank you for giving me this gift.” Emma lifted her head to watch him speak. “I haven’t felt joy like this in… I don’t know how long.”

“I promise there’s a lot more joy in your future.” She took his hand and kissed the back of it.

His eyes filled with tears again. “I hope that I appreciate every moment.”

“You do. You absolutely do.”

~*~

The visit from her parents — her future parents — left Emma feeling strange and out of sorts. It was odd to see them showing their age finally, and odder still to realize that the tall boy with sandy blonde hair they brought along was her brother. He begged Killian for a sword-fighting lesson for a full minute (Next time, my boy, I promise, Killian had said, before her mother finally suggested he go watch TV in a back room); it was clear he idolized the pirate. Unbelievably, her father didn’t seem to mind.

None of their brainstorming led anywhere useful, although David expressed his hunch that things would find a way to work themselves out. When her family left, promising to return the next day, Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

Left at loose ends, she wandered around the house, looking at their belongings and trying to imagine the story behind them, the collection of stories that would combine to make the picture of this marriage. Why had she and Killian chosen the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace? Which one of them had put the wedding picture into a frame and hung it on the wall? Did Killian vacuum the floors? Did he scrub the toilet?

She found a small study on the first floor of the house, a room that seemed to be more Killian’s than hers; it was devoid of any electronics, and several shelves above the desk were filled with rolled up maps. As she traced her hand over a nautical map of Maine’s coast that hung on the wall, she noticed the wedding and engagement rings on her finger again. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to her to take them off since that very first moment when she saw them in the bathroom, and it made her wonder if underneath her knee-jerk aversion to the ideas of marriage and children, perhaps she had a desire for those things.

Continuing to explore upstairs, she discovered a room that she hadn’t noticed before. The door had been closed, and she’d thought it was just a linen closet next to Henry’s old room, but when she went in, it appeared to be the beginnings of a nursery. Boxes labeled ‘Baby Things’ in her mother’s careful script were stacked in one corner, and paint sample cards with a variety of bright primary colors were taped to the wall.

When Killian found her, she was holding a stuffed bear that had been resting at the top of one of the boxes and crying.

“Emma, what’s wrong, love?” He started to move toward her like he was going to take her in his arms, and she could see the moment he reined himself in. It made her want to cry harder.

“I wasn’t planning to stay here in Storybrooke. I didn’t feel like this was my home.”

“Aye, that’s so, but you changed your mind. You made a home here after all.”

“What if we never fix this? What if you’re stuck with this broken version of me forever?” she asked.

“I’m sure we’ll fix it, and Emma, this so-called broken version of you is the woman I fell in love with, you mustn’t forget that.”

She shrugged. “It just seems like there’s this huge canyon between who I am now and who I turn out to be. With the house and the… paint swatches,” she said, gesturing at the wall.

“Both of us have grown a lot in the last nine years. Loving and being loved, it’s changed us.”

Emma didn’t know how to respond to that, and she looked despondently at the bear, setting it back down where she found it.

“You look tired,” Hook said. “Would you like to have a nap, perhaps?”

She didn’t feel particularly sleepy, but escaping into sleep did sound appealing. Emma nodded.

“If you aren’t comfortable in our bed, you can sleep in Henry’s room,” he offered.

Raising an eyebrow at him, she crossed her arms. “I bet the bed in your room is the most comfortable, though, right?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever tested Henry’s bed, but probably.”

“I’ll be fine there, then. It’s where future me sleeps every night, right?”

Hook smiled. “Aye.”

Emma started to head down the hall as Hook moved toward the stairs. On impulse, she whirled around. “Hook? Killian?”

He turned back, expectant.

“Would you…? Would it be weird if I asked you to lie down with me for a little while? Just until I fall asleep?”

Surprise flashed briefly across his face. “Not at all.”

“I just…” She blushed. “I don’t know. I could use some comforting, I guess.”

They lay on top of the quilt, fully clothed (and Emma wondered when, in all of the chaos of the day, Hook had taken the time to make the bed). She turned onto her side, inching close enough to tuck her head under his chin. Hook tentatively rested his arm across her waist and she nuzzled closer still, her hand resting on his chest. It was nice, being in his arms, but it certainly wasn’t conducive to sleeping.

“I do have feelings for you, you know,” she said after several minutes of silence.

“I know.”

“Did you know then?”

Hook paused a beat, thinking. “I hoped, sometimes. In my darker moments, I knew that it didn’t matter; that a pirate like me was never going to be worthy of your regard. But other times, I imagined that something between us could be possible.”

“I guess it was.”

“Aye.” She felt his hand come up and stroke her hair.

“It’s a nice house; I can see why future me feels at home here,” she said, inhaling and breathing the scent of him in.

“I’m glad, although I don’t think it’s really about the house. I could make a home in a cardboard box on the side of the road if that’s where you were.”

“Please, I saw your map room; you love this house.” Killian chuckled. “I suppose I do.”

Their comfortable conversation relaxed her, making her speak more freely. “I’ve gotta tell you, it’s pretty weird to think that you’ve had sex with me, like, hundreds of times probably.”

He huffed out softly through his nose. “That does make this situation rather strange.”

Emma shivered. He probably knew exactly what she liked in bed, knew every minute detail of her sexual responses, and once she thought that, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She’d had sexual fantasies about Hook before, but she’d never imagined a version of him who would already know her so intimately. She’d never allowed herself to think in terms of a long-term relationship at all.

“I want to know what it’s like, being with you,” she whispered.

She could sense him tense up. “What?”

Emma looked up at him, and she felt her cheeks warm. “I want to feel… I want to understand what makes us good together.”

Killian’s eyebrow arched. “It’s a lot more than sex that makes us good together.”

“I know, but that’s part of it, right?”

He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

Pressing in closer, she felt a throb of desire pulse through her. “Show me.”

Continuing to stroke her hair, he leaned in and pressed an almost-chaste kiss to her lips. “That’s a very tempting offer, Swan. But I don’t think it would be right.”

She pulled back far enough to bring his face into focus. “Why not?”

Killian rolled away from her and onto his back, rubbing his hand over his face. “For one, I don’t think I’d be able to shake the feeling that I was being unfaithful, even though technically I suppose I wouldn’t be. But more than that, I don’t think you’re ready.”

Emma almost laughed, even while she burned with embarrassment that Killian Jones was actually turning her down. “I can be the judge of that.”

He turned to her again, his hand returning to her waist. “Sex wasn’t something you and I rushed into. We didn’t wait inordinately long either, but we did date for a little while first, even though most of our so-called dates were spent dealing with dastardly foes. When it happened, it was…” His eyes went unfocused as he remembered. “It wasn’t perfect; we were at Granny’s in one of her uncomfortable beds, trying to be as quiet as we possibly could. But at the same time, it was perfect. We were both ready for that kind of intimacy.” He kissed her again, just a brush of his lips against hers. “Even if you won’t remember being here with me, even if you go back to your time and everything happens exactly as it did, I don’t want to do something that would muddy the memory of that wonderful night. For either of us.”

It was hard to feel rejected when he put it like that. “Okay.”

They held each other in silence for another minute.

“You’re really good at it though, right?”

Killian chuckled. “Oh, darling, trust me when I say that I leave you completely shattered on a regular basis.”

Emma closed her eyes, relaxing into his embrace. “Good.”

~*~

Emma was a heavy sleeper and woke slowly, so it took a minute for her to become aware of a knocking on the door.

She sat up, grimacing at the pain in her back from another uncomfortable night at Granny’s. Noticing that Henry’s bed was empty, she figured he must have gotten hungry and gone downstairs to the diner to eat.

Padding across the room in her X-wing pajamas, Emma opened the door to see Snow standing there, holding out a steaming cup of coffee for her.

“Oh my god, coffee, you’re a lifesaver.” She took the cup and stepped back to admit her mother into the room.

~*~

Emma stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, gasping to catch her breath. “Jesus, Killian.”

He crawled up beside her, running his hand down over his mouth and beard. “Yes, darling?” he said innocently, as if she hadn’t been so obviously reduced to a puddle by his efforts. As if he didn’t know exactly how good he was.

Killian flopped down on his back, and Emma rolled over and rested her head on his bare chest, her legs tangling with his. She combed her fingers through his chest hair, humming with contentment. They lay together, enjoying the quiet closeness, neither of them in too much of a rush to start the day. She could feel her small baby bump pressing against his side, and it made her smile.

“I had a dream about us last night,” Emma said.

“Oh?” His fingers trailed up and down her arm, raising goosebumps in their wake.

“Yeah, it was right before we got together, when Zelena had cursed your lips. And in my dream, you were running away from me, and I kept chasing you because I needed to tell you something.”

“Did you catch me?”

Emma shook her head. “I can’t remember.”

“You were hardly chasing me during that time in our lives, love. I was the one chasing you. Trying to get you to see that this could be your home if you allowed it to be.”

“Hey, I was chasing you in my heart.” She tilted her head and pressed a kiss against his chest. “And you did get me to see that this was my home. I think I knew it; I was just in denial. As soon as I admitted it to you, it was like this little voice inside my head quieted down. Like I’d finally made the right decision and it could rest.”

Silence descended again, and Emma continued to think about those times with him, just before she began to open her heart to the possibility that they could become something together.

“I was cruel to you back then. Why didn’t you give up on me?”

“Because I was in love with you.”

“Yeah, but really.”

He seemed to contemplate that for several seconds. “I don’t know, Swan. For some reason I just had hope.”

Hugging him with her whole body, Emma leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m glad you did.”

“Me too.”

END

[unkindnessofone]

Keep Up

It’s been awhile since I’ve written these little families. Just sat down and wrote what came to mind. I hope you like it. 

Even though no one was talking directly to her about it, Molly could sense things were changing. She was no longer the center of her parent's universe since she now had a sibling, a baby brother with wispy blond hairs on his head that her mother referred to exclusively as 'spun gold'. The lazy days at home in their London loft were becoming busier and the schedule had shifted from routine to packed. The afternoons where her dad would bundle her up in blue knit cardigan, Burberry as chosen by her mum, and walk with her to Regent's Park with their golden retriever had become less and less. It was something she could on happening before dinner every day and now it was a surprise, her father poking his head into her bedroom to interrupt her playing with the offer. He used to do it to give her mom a break, leave her alone with Connor or to nap, but now he was doing it for his own gain. He wanted private time with Molly, yearning for closeness, as their quiet life was headed to an end.

Fashion Week in London was a few months away and it collided with the album release for Ashton's band, the first record they had put out in years, the last one coming out right after Emmeline was born. He was going to be occupied with press before embarking on an exhausting tour while his wife was tending to her own new collection. Molly didn't know what changes were coming or what her life was supposed to be, she could just sense a shift in the apartment. The fact that many of their things were being packed up and her parents were always having their own conversations right above her frizzy head of hair was giving it away.

She was laying on her belly, legs folded in the air behind her, and playing with a container of plastic fish toys on the floor of Simone's home office. Molly had no interest in gemstones and shiny objects. She liked to create make believe worlds inside jungles and underneath seas. She always wanted to feel the texture of things whether slimy, rough, or smooth. Molly was not a pristine porcelain doll of a little girl. She was a concoction of her mother's focus and poise and her father's curiosity and edge. The only thing they both gifted her with was creativity which she had coursing through her veins constantly, even when she slept. As she played on the floor, giving the fish voices under her breath, her mother was clicking around on her laptop, deep in her work.

“Your mum's on her way.” Ashton appeared in the doorway, shaking his phone face first towards his wife. Simone's mother had texted them both, but Ashton knew that Simone would be concentrating on work too much to notice any buzzing or beeping from her phone by her side. She could tune out anything except the high pitch screams of her newborn.

“Great.” Simone said automatically before glancing at the time. “She's early. We weren't going to-” She peeled her eyes off of the e-mail she was proofreading and brought them to Ashton with alarm.

“I know.” Coyly, he admitted and then pointed out Molly on the floor between them with a cock of his head. “I wanted a little more time.” He was leaving in a few days, off to California to start press ahead of the first single's release. When he first found himself falling in love and finding more in his life that held promise outside of parties, music, and models, Ashton started to find it hard to go back to his hectic life as a rockstar. When Molly was first born, she was raised by a village of crew and band members, it was simple to stuff her in a Baby Bjorn and wander around the world. Now, he had a firm family and Simone wasn't taking any time off, Ashton felt like he was tearing in two. He was going back to his first love, music, that he had taken a needed rest from, but he was also leaving part of himself behind.

Molly was three and talking to her toy fish, unaware that feet away from her, her father was breaking in two.

Understanding, Simone nodded. She pushed herself away from the glass desk and folded her hands over her lap, watching Ashton as he gazed down at Molly with heavy and evident sadness in his eyes. He was horrible at goodbyes, something that before his daughter he had been almost too good at.

“I can  let my mum in. I'll handle Connor.” He was asleep, but nobody knew how long that would last. He had a set of lungs on him that Ashton was very proud of. The boy didn't keep quiet for very long for anyone, but Simone's parents.

Ashton nodded at Molly and then smacked his hands together, swinging his arms in front of him, for her attention.

“Do you want to go to the park with me?” He asked, trying to be casual and not give her any indication to how emotionally conflicted he currently was.

Feverishly, Molly nodded right away and then climbed up onto her feet. She was ready to go, a thin lipped smile spreading across her face like nutella over fresh toast.

“Put your toys away, okay?” Out of habit, his hand wrestled softly through his mess of hair. “I'll be at the door with your boots and jacket.” He told her without letting her go, his large hand still over the top her head.

“You, me, and dad. We're going to have a little date after, okay?” Simone informed her from her desk, rolling the chair close to the edge again. “So, after the park you'll come back, we'll brush our teeth and hair, we'll go out.” Simone and Ashton had not had isolated time with Molly since Connor was born, but it had been Ashton's idea to do something small and special with her before he left. They were just going to go have pizza together at a little hole in the wall spot Simone loved in Maida Vale where they lived, but to Molly it was as fancy and wonderful as a five-star Grammy's after-party.

With all the excitement she could muster, Molly bounced around as she collected her toys in their proper pail. She tidied up as fast as she could and met her dad at the front door. Just as promised, he was ready to go with her little Burberry coat open in both hands and her red rubber wellies right by her mother's.

“I didn't run because Connor is sleeping.” With a finger in front of her mouth, Molly proudly whispered to her dad. Her tongue slightly tripped over her words, but she spoke well for a toddler. Ashton had to credit that all to Simone who had always spoken to Molly as if she was a petite adult even when she was first born. Ashton had been the one who rubbed his nose into her belly and spoke to her like he didn't know how to pronounce the sound of the letter 'R' or as if he had been raised around Sesame Street.

“That's very nice of you. You're a nice big sister.” He assured her as she turned around and slid her arms clumsily into her coat.

Molly ran out into the hall and carelessly for the elevator doors, Ashton staying back and locking the flat door behind him. Even though Simone was home, he was protective and didn't leave anything to chance. He had cameras in certain rooms of their place that both he  and his wife could check on from their phones. It wasn't because they didn't trust one another and needed to keep tabs on their private lives, but it was out of Ashton's need to be the great protector of his family. When he was away, he hated feeling helpless. He wanted to know what was going on. It was something of a life jacket for him.

“Molly, wait!” He called at her from the door, sensing without looking that she was reaching up to stab the elevator call button. Molly was incredibly well-behaved. She had always followed the rules set out for her without any problem, but she was like any little kid when it came to elevator buttons. She just had to touch them.

Once they were leaving their guarded building, Ashton opened up his hand and Molly instinctively put hers inside of it. His own hand practically engulfed all of her fingers, but Molly didn't notice. She was too busy counting the red buses that passed them as Ashton led her down the same walk they always took. He pointed out the streets to her as they passed each block, asking her to guess. He wanted to know that if they were ever separated, Molly would be able to make her own way home. Blomfield Road came before Randolph Mews then Clarendon Gardens and then Clifton Gardens.

They arrived at the park later than usual. They didn't bring their dog to pull on them and eagerly lead the way. Ashton also paid more attention on quizzing Molly on their surroundings than he usually did on keeping her focused on walking at a regular pace. This time, they walked was as if they were both her size.

Usually, Molly charged through the gates of the park, finally allowed to let go of a parent’s hand, but this time, she squeezed Ashton's hand tighter and didn't let go. Ashton decided not to question it though and just kept strolling with her, on their way to the lake or the playground, taking in the greenery quietly.

“Daddy?” With her head tilted all the way back, Molly looked up and interrupted the soft breeze between them. She could barely feel it while it was right in Ashton's face.

“Hm?” Looking down, Ashton let her know she had his attention before looking forward down the path again.

“Why do you have to...go?” Her bottom lip made her question sound like it splattered as it came out, but Molly's eyes squinted as she asked him sincerely. Ashton thought she was sizing him up, but in reality nobody had deduced that she needed glasses yet.

Ashton was stunned silent though and let out a disappointed sigh that deflated his chest. He tightened his jaw as he wrestled with the truth. Molly was too intuitive to not pick up on what was going on. She heard all the adults around her yammering about the upcoming tour, peppering both her parents with questions about their conflicting schedules. She knew change was afoot whether or not anyone consulted with her about it.

“Well, Molls, my job involves a lot of travelling.” He decided to say, thinking it was a truth that she could comprehend. “I took a little break so I could be at home with you, and mum, and your brother, but I have to go back.”

“When do I... see... you now?” Confused, she kept interviewing.

He wanted to tell her that she could see him whenever she damn well pleased. Ashton strived to be a much better father than he had had. Even though Molly could call and Skype him whenever she wanted to, it didn't feel like enough. Ashton knew that he wasn't going to actually be there to tuck her in, answer her a hundred questions about trees, human bones, and hammerhead sharks, and he wouldn't get to see her growing like a weed right before his eyes. She wouldn't be able to crawl all over him when they were playing on the floor together and she would hear his voice only through the radio or computer now.

“Mum and I have sorted it out. You're going to come visit lots and we're going to take a trip to see Nana Anne in a little bit.” Ashton had been a nightmare for his managers, refusing to go longer than two and a half weeks without a weekend break for him and Simone to meet up, for real chunks of time to catch his breath and be more than just a drummer.

“I'll miss you.” Sounding as sad as his face looked, Molly confidently told him. She knew some things to be facts. Fish swam, birds flew, dolphins were carnivores, and she was going to miss her father.

It was a verbal nudge in the ribs for Ashton and he stopped right away. Rubbing his lips together to hold back another weighted sigh, Ashton bent down to his knees and brought Molly in with both  hands, one of his over each of hers. His fingers held her in place tightly and he gave himself a few seconds to just take her in. Each time he blinked, it was a mental snapshot of her soft features. She was never going to be this little again. He wanted to tell her that he would miss her as well, that he didn't want to leave, that he wished he could fold her like a t-shirt and take her along with him, but before Ashton could sort out his words he noticed her bottom lip begin to warble and her nose squish up. She was on the verge of tears.

With both hands, he pulled her in close and then allowed her fingers to wiggle free so she could wrap them around his neck. Once Molly had the toggles of her peacoat against his sweater clad chest, she crying into his neck. Ashton held the back of her head with a firm hand and breathed her in, her organic shampoo and skin a familiar and comforting scent. He closed his eyes and listened to her cry, feeling like a forlorn jerk.

“It's okay, baby.” He assured her with voice like velvet even if his throat was tightening and beginning to feel like linen inside. He rose from the knees and carried her, letting her sob into his shoulder as he kept them going down their usual path. Molly wasn't the temper tantrum type. He knew she would calm down eventually. When he was feeling as heartbroken as he currently was, he couldn't tell  her to not feel all her emotions. This was going to be something she had to learn to handle for the rest of her life. Some people had routine and solidarity, the Irwin family had distance.

[doc-pickles]

i won’t hesitate (for you) chapter seven

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter's world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

(this chapter is dedicated to @odd-birds-and-booksellers because every time i was stuck on a plot point she helped me out and got my brain thinking again. this chapter LITERALLY would not have been finished without her.)

There was an alarm blaring somewhere, loud and annoying and drilling into Alex’s sleep deprived mind. It took him a minute to realize that the alarm was his phone, alerting him to the fact that he needed to get up and round on his patients. He had slept in an on call room, preferring the silence it offered to Izzie yelling at him once again for something he had no control over. He reached for his phone, shutting the alarm off and staring at the screen for a moment.

June 9.

A groan left Alex as he fell back onto the bed, eyes shutting as he attempted to stop his mind from reeling. But he couldn’t, not really. Because no matter how hard he tried, she never left his mind. It had been seven long months without Jo and Alex still couldn’t stop his mind from drifting to his wife. Ex wife.

He reached for his wallet that he had tucked into his lab coat, fingers brushing the worn leather as he opened it up. Alex reached behind his credit cards and drivers license to the worn piece of paper he found himself looking at so often. 

She was smiling, that genuine no bullshit smile that he loved to see so much. And her dress, he feels as if he’s memorized the places it clings so easily to her. If he concentrates hard enough, he can almost feel her hands pressing into his shoulders as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

How in the hell did they go from that to where they are now in just two short years?

+

“I have to go back to Kansas.”

The coffee cup in Jo’s hand slips, falling ungracefully into the kitchen sink and shattering as the ceramic meets the metal with a loud thud. 

“Jesus Christ, Jo! What the hell,” Alex exclaimed as he moved to clean the mess of the shattered cup. “If you would’ve let me finish, I could’ve told you that it’s not for long and I’m coming right back home.”

Jo can feel her breathing return to normal again, her eyes looking from the sink up to Alex. He stopped what he was doing, hands settling onto Jo’s shoulders as he fixed her with an affectionate stare. 

“I have to go back and sort out a bunch of legal things. My name is still on my apartment, my car is out there, and,” Alex sighs, eyes flashing with anger momentarily. “And I’m still on all the paperwork for Izzie’s kids. Plus I kinda just… walked outta my job.”

“I know, I get it, it just makes me nauseous thinking about it,” Jo wasn’t lying, her stomach was violently churning at the thought of Alex leaving her and Harper. So much so that she had to push down the urge to vomit with a heavy gulp. “But, I get that you have to go. As long as you come back home to us then I have zero complaints.”

Leaning down to kiss Jo, Alex realized how incredibly lucky he was to have someone who was so understanding. A part of him ached at that realization, knowing that she would have understood him wanting to go to Kansas three years ago if he had explained the situation to her. 

“I’m heading out tomorrow morning and I’ll call you everyday,” Alex pulled Jo into him, one hand rubbing back slowly. “I swear Jo, I’m not leaving you two again. Now you want a parting gift or what?”

Alex raised his eyebrows, his free hand coming down to grab Jo’s ass with a chuckle. Jo leaned into him easily, lips coming up to ghost across his neck momentarily. Harper was at a sleepover with Meredith’s kids, something that her parents were eternally grateful for. 

“Mmm I do think we’ve settled into things now,” a devilish grin appeared on Jo’s face as she pulled back from Alex and tugged on the collar of his shirt. “This is our first night alone in the whole two months since you’ve been home. I think that’s a good excuse to celebrate.”

Alex swooped down, lips capturing Jo’s as her hands began to explore his chest, pulling at his shirt desperately. They had both stayed true to Jo’s request and hadn’t had sex since their elevator tryst, but the mounting sexual tension between them had grown increasingly hard to ignore the past week. Jo broke apart from Alex, hands ridding him of his shirt as she pushed him gently towards their bed.

“Oh you have no idea how hard I’m gonna celebrate this,” Alex grinned as Jo sat herself on top of him, hands roaming up his bare chest. “I forgot how much I missed this.”

+

Jo woke up the next morning to a quiet loft. Harper wasn’t home yet and Alex had left a note and a cup of coffee out for Jo before he left for the airport. She snuggled further down in the blankets of their bed, hands reaching out for Alex’s pillow. She missed him already, her anxieties already taking over her mind as she tried to close her eyes and focus on something else. 

Harper… Harper and Alex… Alex and Izzie’s kids… Alex and Izzie… Alex… Alex…  Alex… 

Jo couldn’t help it, her anxiety overwhelmed her body and she raced to the bathroom, overcome with the urge to vomit. Head leaning against the cool porcelain, Jo let last night’s dinner come up easily. 

“Oh god,” Jo groaned, picking her head up from the toilet bowl as she heard an incessant knocking at the loft door. “It’s open!”

Excited giggles and talking could be heard in the living room now, alerting Jo to the fact that Meredith had brought Harper back from her sleepover. Jo threw her head back towards the toilet bowl, groaning as she continued to vomit. A quiet knock sounded on the bathroom door, Meredith’s head peeking in a moment later.

“Wow you look like crap.” “Thank you, just what I wanted to hear,” Jo sighed, flushing the toilet and standing to brush her teeth. “I’m just a little anxious about Alex being in Kansas, that’s all.” Meredith nodded, watching silently as Jo rinsed her mouth out. She had known her friend long enough to realize that something else was going on, something that maybe even Jo didn’t see.

“Hey when you and Alex… you know defiled that elevator, did you use protection,” Meredith mused, watching carefully as Jo paused, then kept moving as if Meredith’s words didn’t affect her. “You dirty whore!” “Meredith! Jeez my kid is out there,” Jo turned to Meredith, hands resting on her hips as she rolled her eyes. “I am absolutely not pregnant if that’s what you’re implying. I think I would know if I was.”

Meredith let her line of questioning fall silent, but Jo’s mind kept reeling. Her and Alex hadn’t used protection when they had hooked up in the elevator… twice… Nevertheless, Jo was confident that she wasn’t pregnant. Her slight weight gain and her anxious vomiting were just normal everyday things she’d deal with at a different time. 

+

( Alex is italics , Jo is normal)

“Hey babe. How’ve my girls been?”

“Stress eating, mostly. And I’ve been stress vomiting too so that’s fun. The tiny human is perfectly fine though, besides standing by the door and yelling ‘Daddy’ at the top of her lungs. Can you tell we’re totally fine with you being gone?”

“Maybe you should take a break, babe. Take the day off and recharge. I don’t want you going crazy.”

“I’m fine, I just wanna make a grilled cheese and then take a three hour nap. Seriously don’t worry about me, you have enough crazy to deal with there.” 

“You’re telling me, Izzie is livid that I’m trying to take my name off of the kids' papers. You know, the kids that aren’t mine. My lawyer is not taking any of her shit though, he’s been a godsend. Should have all this wrapped up by Friday afternoon and I’ll be home with you bright and early Saturday morning.” 

“Good because I miss you. A lot. More than I probably should for only having you back for two months.”

“I am pretty missable. I was just checking in between meetings, I’ll call you tomorrow okay?”

“And I’m heading into the ER for what should be a fun day. Stay safe out there in the wild west. I love you.”

“I love you too. Give Harps kisses from me.” 

  Jo hung up with a sigh, storing her phone in her locker and moving towards the ER where she was working for the day. The distraction that the chaotic area of the hospital provided was much needed after the stress she had been under the past few days. Running to the trauma bay, Jo was immediately greeted by Owen and an awaiting ambulance. 

“32 year old passenger from a multi car MVC pileup. She’s got deep lacerations on her chest from the seat belt, hypotensive in the field but stable by the time we brought her in. She’s also 28 weeks pregnant.”

“Karev, assess her injuries but don’t do anything until we get OB down here,” Owen directed Jo, who nodded and began to work on the woman in front of her. “Stabilize her, I’m going to check on the other victims.”

“I’m Doctor Karev, I’m gonna take care of you today,” Jo stared down at the woman in front of her, the woman's blue eyes staring up at her in fear. She brushed her hand through the woman’s auburn hair, hoping to comfort her just a little. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Kacey James,” her voice was hoarse, but Kacey was doing her best to communicate with Jo. “Is my son okay? Is Landon okay?”

The woman’s voice was frantic as she looked at Jo, her eyes full of unshed tears that made Jo tear up herself. For an expecting mother, the most terrifying thought was their baby not being okay while sitting inside of them. To think about the fact that their baby might die while they are their responsibility and theirs alone… well Jo had her fair number of moments when she had worried about Harper before she was born. 

“I’m waiting for our OB to come down and tell us for sure but,” Jo pulled her stethoscope from around her neck to listen carefully for a fetal heartbeat. “I can hear a steady heartbeat. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a good sign.”

A sigh left Kacey, her uninjured hand coming up to cradle her bump. Jo watched the woman in front of her with a pang of tenderness, understanding exactly how this stranger felt. She thought, for a moment, that any mother could understand what Kacey was feeling.

A stray hand fell to Jo’s stomach, her fingers brushing across her scrub top. Maybe Meredith had some strong points, maybe the reason that Jo felt so strongly for Kacey’s situation was because she too was carrying a child within her. She quickly brushed the feeling away, knowing that if she really was pregnant some higher power within her would know and tell her. 

“Kacey, I’m going to make sure that you and Landon are perfectly okay,” Jo moved her hand back up to Kacey’s hair, stroking it with a smile as she leaned down to speak with her patient. “You’re going to be just fine.”

+

After setting her daughter down in her crib, Jo collapsed on her bed. Yesterday had been long and hard and without Alex by her side she felt helpless to her circumstances. Kacey had made it through the long surgery Jo and Carina had tag teamed to take care of a perfed bowel and some minor lacerations, comforting Jo minorly. Jackson would have to go back in to repair some of the deeper wounds, but they wanted to let Kacey and Landon rest before they put her under again. 

As her thoughts began to overwhelm her, Jo’s phone chose that moment to ring, Jo getting up and slipping out onto the balcony as she answered Alex’s phone call with a small smile.

  “Hey there stranger. How’s Kansas?” “Dry and boring and lonely. You two doing any better?”

“We’re hanging in. Harper painted a very nice picture yesterday entirely with green paint. Mom on the other hand had a car crash victim who was almost 30 weeks pregnant. That was rough.”

“Are they okay? Mom and baby made it out right?”

“Yeah they’re fine it was just a lot. I have tomorrow off though so we’re going to try and do something fun.”

“Why don’t you go down to Pike’s Place and have lunch at that place you like. You and Harps can go shopping after. You know, a girls day or whatever they call it.”

“You’re making some very good points. Everything with the apartment go okay today?”

“Yeah, the landlord was very understanding and I was able to get rid of all the junk in the apartment pretty easily. I shipped a couple things back home, but the boxes are giant so don’t you dare try and move them yourself.”

“I promise I won’t, I’m too tired to do anything anyways.”

“Yeah what's with that? You said you took a nap today. You never take naps.”

“I’m fine, I just miss you. You’d think after being just Harper and I for so long that I would be used to not having you here. But I don’t think I ever really got used to it.”

“I’ll be home in two days and then you’ll get sick of me. Go on and get in bed, you sound exhausted and I can tell your mind is working harder than it should be. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

+

“Did you find out yet?”

“Jesus Christ Link! You can’t sneak up on me like that.”

Jo turned on her heel, hand coming up to smack Link’s chest. He had been her first call after hanging up with Alex four days ago and he had been a pain in her ass ever since. 

“I’m asking sensible questions. Alex texted me today, he never does that! He’s worried! Your not-husband comes homes tomorrow morning and you still haven’t peed on a damn stick,” Link raised an eyebrow at Jo, holding his hands out as if to ask what her hold up was. “You two are finally happy, you’ve got a daughter and you’re literally looking at houses to buy. Why won’t you pee, Jo? What are you hiding?”

The reasons that Link laid out were exactly why Jo didn’t want to confirm what she had been thinking. They were the same reasons that she had waited almost two months to take a test when she was pregnant with Harper. She was scared out of her mind, worried that if she took a test now that Alex wouldn’t come home and she’d be in the same position she had been in three years ago. 

Deep down she knew, she knew without a doubt that any stick she peed on would turn blue and any blood test she took would show elevated hCG levels. And part of her wanted that, she wanted another baby with Alex so badly. 

But with him being gone for the week and her already growing anxiety, Jo’s heart didn’t have it in her to see the results of a pregnancy test. The anxious woman who spent nine months crying over the father of her baby being gone did not want to face a world where that could be a reality again. 

Because last time she had taken a pregnancy test, Jo had had to face the reality of her husband leaving her through a damn letter. 

Because when she had laid in her hospital bed, staring at her daughter, she was alone and she was scared.

Because for all she had gone through in her life, Jo didn’t think she could survive going through all of that alone again. 

“I have my reasons, Atticus ,” Jo’s voice had a bite to it as she began to walk away from her friend. “Goodbye! Give Amelia my love! And thanks for taking my kid tonight, you’re the best!”

+

Two hours after her run in with Link, Jo found herself lounging across her couch, binging reality TV and eating popcorn. She was dead on her feet, body exhausted after the stressful week she had. She was thankful for the peace and quiet without Harper, but she desperately missed her and Alex. Jo was about to call Link just so she could bring Harper home and cuddle her when her phone rang. A smile lit up Jo’s face as she realized Alex was the one calling her. 

  “Hello Doctor Karev.”

“Hello to you too Doctor Karev. How are you?”

“I’m okay, just got home. Link and Amelia offered to take Harper for the night which I am super thankful for. I need a break, you were right. But I miss her and you, it’s too quiet here.”

“I’m always right. Hey, I got some bad news. My flights got all switched around so I won’t be home tomorrow morning after all.” 

“Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re staying in Kansas, Alex.”

“Jesus Christ no, I’d sooner jump in front of a car.”

“Good good. Okay now that I don’t think I’m going to puke, are you going to tell me when you’re coming back?”

  “Right about now,” Jo turned towards the door of the loft, relief coursing through her body as she saw Alex standing in front of her. 

“Oh thank god,” Jo breathed out, launching herself up from the couch and into Alex’s arms. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

Alex wrapped his arms around Jo easily, happy to see her given the rocky week they had both had. After having Izzie yell at him, his former boss give him an earful for the way he exited, and seeing the kids he had considered his own used as pawns in his escape from Kansas, he was more than happy to be back in Seattle.

“Probably about as happy as I am to see you,” Alex leaned back and kissed Jo soundly, one hand coming up to stroke her cheek. “You look like hell. I’m only saying it because I care. Which reminds me, I got you something.” Jo watched in confusion as Alex rooted around in his suitcase, finally pulling out a brown bag and handing it to Jo. She opened it curiously, heart beginning to pound again as she looked at what was inside. 

“I could tell just from your phone calls, it’s kinda my job,” Alex shrugged, hands slipping into his pockets. “Have you already taken a test?” Looking from Alex down to the bag of pregnancy tests, Jo felt tears welling up in her eyes. The emotions she had been holding back were finally overflowing as Jo shook her head, eyes meeting Alex’s finally.

“I was so scared,” Jo cried as she let her shoulders fall, feeling her anxiety over the situation melt away now that Alex was standing in front of her. “I’m sorry, I just… I was so nervous that things would play out like they did last time and I couldn’t put myself through that this time because I really want this.”

Alex moved forward, bringing Jo back into his embrace. He hated that he was the reason she was feeling this way, that he had made her feel so helpless when he left. More than that though he was relieved to hear that she wanted this just as much as he did because it meant that maybe he hadn’t entirely screwed things up. 

“I love you, Jo. I love you so much and I’ve fucked up and I know you told me not to make any promises this time but,” Alex sighed, eyes meeting Jo with sincerity. “I am not leaving you. I’m not leaving Harper. I’m not leaving Seattle ever again unless you’re by my side, I swear on my life. And if you are pregnant, then I’ll be right by your side for the whole damn thing. You’re not getting rid of me Josephine Karev.” 

Alex’s words stopped the frantic beating of Jo’s heart and let her relax into his arms, eyes closing as she held him as close as she could. He was right, Jo had told Alex not to make her any more promises because she didn’t want to get hurt again. But after the hell they had been through, after the hell she had walked alone, Jo’s rough heart had grown soft and the words he spoke now comforted her. 

“I’m pregnant, I don’t need to take a test to tell me that,” Jo looked up to Alex, a small grin on her face. “But I’ll take one to humor you, since you didn’t get to be here last time.”

Alex pressed a long, sweet kiss on Jo’s lips, one hand gently drifting down to palm her stomach. The tender act made Jo melt, another small reassurance that things were much different than they had been three years ago. A reminder that this time, things would be okay.