#also i have a thing where all my blankets and towels have to ve the right way up

[autobahnmp3]

im keeping a list of my rigid habits and routines in my notes app now. and actually there is a lot. they all have a purpose to me and i don't even think abt them honestly. most of them have to do with hygiene and sleep

[smol-and-grumpy]

EUPHORIA - Chapter 6

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: He’s Dean Winchester, owner of a shady night club. She’s a journalist who has been asked to write an article to expose the indecency and debauchery that’s going on behind closed doors. But he’s also Dean Winchester, the boy who sat next to her in class. The boy who was too cocky for his own good.

Chapter Warning: Fluff, only a tad of angst if you squint

WC: 2500

A/N: Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​ <3

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Dean tried to sleep on the couch but it wasn’t as comfortable as the bed, that much was given. It’s just that he doesn’t want to overstep boundaries. And he most probably would do if he slipped in next to her, so he’d rather not.

He gets woken up by her whining though. She probably has fever dreams. He stays rigid, listens to her, kind of hoping that it’d go away but the whining only picks up, so he gets up and walks over, sits himself on the bed next to her and strokes at her head. She’s still so unbearably hot. 

Pouring water into the glass that he placed next to her bed, he wakes her up to drink from it.

She looks at him, her eyes see her surroundings but she doesn’t really register, “‘ve to pee,” She mumbles, “Can you help me up?”

Dean frowns a little. So she does know where she is, clearly sees that someone takes care of her, and she’s okay with it. It baffles him a little, but he’s glad that she let him. Let him take care of her without asking any further questions.

“Sure,” He says and helps her up.

It took them an awfully long time until she was standing, “Should I carry you?”

“I can walk,” 

“Okay,” He knows that she probably can’t make the long way to the bathroom, but he’s not going to be a wise-ass about it. However, he steadies her and helps her take one step after another. 

After the fourth step, she turns to him with pouting lips, “Can you carry me?”

He lets out a soft chuckle, “Yeah,” 

Picking her up, he carries her to the bathroom and lets her down right in front of the toilet, “Do you need me t—”

“—No.”

“Okay, I’ll be right outside,”

“‘K,” 

She takes her time and Dean’s sweating because he already paints the most absurd scenarios in his head. What if she falls asleep on the toilet and leans too close to the sink? He abandons the thoughts, because there were just too many ways on how she could hurt herself in there.

He breathes again when he hears the flush of the toilet and when he hears her washing her hands, he opens up the door again. 

She turns around, her eyes are still foggy, “I don’t wear panties.”

“Yeah,” Dean huffs out a breath, “They, uh, I bathed you, I have new ones if you want to wear them.”

“Nuh-uh.” She shakes her head.

Dean grins, “Nuh-uh?”

“Too much work.”

Well, yeah, that’s fair. It would be too much work for him either to get them on her. He’s trying to be good and she should not test his patience. 

She reaches her arms up, touches his neck. It’s cold from the water and Dean senses that she’s trying to tell him something but he’s distracted by her cuteness, until he realizes that she probably wants him to help her back to bed. 

“You want me to carry you back to bed, Y/N?”

Her face rubs against his chest and he can’t see but he guesses that she's back in her trance because she didn’t give him an answer. He picks her up, and carries her to the bed, and he’s right, she already has her eyes closed. 

Dean covers her with the sheet and pushes himself off the bed when she taps him on his thigh, “Stay?”

“Yeah,” He smiles, “Of course.” He walks around and gets in and again, she curls up next to him.

  *

For the next twenty-four hours, she was mostly in and out of consciousness. Dean occasionally woke her up to get soup and water into her. He carried her to the bathroom when she had to pee and he drew her another bath when he felt like she’s hot again. 

He had to leave her for an hour to go down and brief his employees. If they noticed how he was dressed (in his sweats and a simple shirt), they knew not to say a word. He returned to his loft after telling them that he’s here but he’s not really here. None of them asked any questions and he knows that the club is in good hands with Cas taking care of it. He somehow also sees it as an opportunity for Cas to prove himself. Maybe he’ll take more days off, test Cas to see if he would be a good fit when Dean would open up another club, and let Cas manage there. Who knows. 

It’s almost 5am when she wakes up again and she turns around to see him sitting in bed with his back against the headboard. He was going through the emails of his private investigators for people who signed up for the waiting list when he heard her speak.

“Dean?” 

He looks over to her, sees her blinking before she sits up. He tries not to laugh, because her hair’s all messy, like really messy, and greasy from all the sweating that she’s done. 

“Yeah?” He grins simply.

“Why am I here?”

Well, Dean can’t lie. It hurts a little that she doesn’t remember their interaction. He closes the laptop, sets it aside, “You wanna hear the short version or the long version?”

Y/N rubs at her eyes and yawns, “Something in between?”

Dean raises an eyebrow before he chuckles, “Well, we were supposed to meet, you still remember that?”

He thinks it’s cute how he can literally see the penny drop. 

“Oh, shit!”

“Yeah,” He huffs out a breath, “I didn’t know what happened and I brushed it off as you maybe having changed your mind, but then your boss called—”

“—Rufus? Oh, no!”

“The very one. Just, how many bosses do you have?” He pulls his eyebrows up his forehead. She doesn’t answer so he takes it that he can go on, “Mr. Turner said that he tried to reach you and even sent someone over to check but you didn’t answer the door. “

Her gaze is trained on her lap, and she tries to tuck strands of greasy hair behind her ear. She’s really so cute it almost hurts for him to watch her.

“I remember feeling hot and then I thought if I went to bed I’d feel better by the morning,” She mumbles and he has the feeling that she’s trying to explain, which she really didn’t have to. She stares at her hand for way too long before she speaks again, “How did you find me?”

Dean shrugs with an easy grin on his face, “I climbed the fire escape.”

“You didn’t,”

“I sure did,” He laughs and she has to smile at that. 

He’s glad to see her smile. She has to do way more of that. 

“What time is it?” She asks with her next breath.

“Almost 5am.”

She frowns at him, “Why are you up?”

“You trashed around in your sleep and I had to come and hold you, so that you didn’t hurt yourself.” He says, which is true. She whined and grunted and he was seriously afraid that she’ll fall out of bed.

Y/N lifts up the blanket to get up and Dean almost can’t get out of bed fast enough to help her. 

She looks at him standing next to her before she looks down at herself, her hands rubbing at her ass, probably noticing again that she’s not wearing any panties, “We didn’t, did we?”

“What? You were barely conscious. I would never,” 

Her face is unfazed as she looks up at him, her eyebrows rising, as if she urges him to tell her the truth, as if she doesn’t really believe him. That kind of hurt. 

Dean sighs and rolls his eyes, “Fine. I did put you in a bath to get your temperature down and then I put another shirt on you because your clothes were full of sweat. Wait,” He walks over to his couch and she sits back on the bed, waits for him to return with the big bags of clothes. She’s sitting down again, probably still too weak to stand for a longer period of time, “Claire went out and bought you stuff. I hope it’s not all crop tops and mini skirts. I didn’t check, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Can I take a shower? I feel filthy.” She asks him and they are sitting so close, her naked thighs touch his sweats. 

“Of course,” He says, smirks and adds, “Let me check your temperature first.” Dean reaches his hand up to place his palm on her forehead, then he switches to the back of his hand. After that, he cradles her face in between his hands, and she frowns when she watches him place a kiss on her forehead. He lingers there longer than necessary. 

She has to chuckle, “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking your temperature.” He whispers against her skin. 

“That’s not how you do it, Dean!” She’s laughing and he thinks it sounds great. He would love to hear it more often.

He presses his lips into a thin line but he can’t hide the smirk, “Are you saying that every time I checked Sammy’s temperature, I did it all wrong?” 

She’s full on laughing when he fake gasps and Dean can’t help but thinks that it’s easy with her. She gets his humor. If he knew that back then, he wouldn’t have wanted to wait so long to meet her again. 

Dean showed her the way to the bathroom, carrying the bags with him so she can get dressed afterwards. 

  She made a brave face in front of him but she was screaming on the inside. 

Like, seriously?

Oh my god.

He found her and he took her home to take care of her. 

Who knew that Dean Winchester would do that? Well, she knew that he took great care of Sammy. It’s always Sammy did this , Sammy did that , when he sat next to her in class. She could feel that Sammy was — or still is — very important to him. She just never thought that he would care for her when she was sick with a stupid bug. 

She peels herself from Dean’s shirt and steps into the shower. He had shown her how it works because it’s way too fancy for her liking. He also gave her a fresh towel and showed her which one of the toothbrushes was hers. It’s weird staring at the brushes in their holder. Weird to share a holder with anyone, that wasn’t her roommate or family member, no? She’s probably overthinking things.

The shower is really great. It’s big and it has the right water pressure. She doesn’t know why, but her mind goes straight to the gutter when she thinks of things one could do in this shower. She shakes the thought out of her head and continues to soap herself up, continues to wash the grease from her hair and somehow, she wishes that she had a razor with her because the hairs are starting to grow back in all the places where they are not welcome.

After the shower, she gets dressed and almost screams out of frustration at the clothes Claire apparently bought for her. She wonders if it’s a stupid joke but she has no other option, so she walks out of the shower with a towel still wrapped around her wet hair. 

Dean’s changing his bedding, when he notices her and turns around to face her but immediately, he throws his whole body back, his mouth open wide in a big hearty laugh. 

“What?”

“Fries Before Guys?” Dean says when he finally composes himself. 

“Hey, that’s the best shirt, alright? Or at least it probably was a shirt until they cut off the lower half. The others have sayings like ‘Yes, Daddy?’ , ‘No pants are the best pants’ and many more. I won’t name them all. At least the jeans fit.” 

They really fit. Just, a little less holes would have maybe been better. Her whole legs had holes in them.

Dean’s still chuckling, “Nah, fries before guys. I like that. Do you prefer fries before guys?” He looks at her with a playful smile and one raised eyebrow.

“I would never,” She says and walks up to him with a grin on her face. Dean watches her. His smile disappears. She places one hand on his shoulder and stands on her tiptoes, places a kiss on his cheek and grins when she parts, “Share my fries.” 

He clears his throat before he speaks, and she can see the blush in his cheeks, “Here’s your phone,” He hands it to her, “Mr. Turner would like you to call him when you’re feeling better again.”

“Thanks,” She says and Dean’s already shaking his head, mouth opening probably to tell her that she shouldn’t worry about it. But she does, alright? It doesn’t happen everyday that an old classmate takes care of her when she’s sick. She cuts him off, “No, seriously, Dean. Thank you. You didn’t have to, but you did.”

Dean nods, “It’s really no big deal. I like being around you,”

It’s her turn to blush. 

*

He makes her breakfast and watches her eat while he smiles like an idiot.

“What?” She asks him with one brow raised.

“Nothing,” He shakes his head, and takes a bite himself, “It’s just… it’s good to see you’re eating again.”

She tugs at her shirt while eating. She’s not made for crop tops, doesn’t really feel confident enough and Dean must have noticed because he starts to chuckle, “Do you want one of my shirts?”

“Yes, please,” She groans out and Dean abandons his food to go get her a shirt. 

Later he drives her home, although she thinks that he might have wanted her to stay longer but she really feels like she should go back, and rest, now that she’s walking and talking coherently again. 

However, Dean stops at a store and they go in to buy foodstuff for her fridge. She cringes that he has looked in there, because last she checked it was empty. 

He helps her carry it up to her apartment but turns around to leave right after. 

“Dean?” She says before he disappears out the door.

“Yeah?”

She walks towards him, leans herself against the door frame, “Can you show me more when I’m feeling better?”

The frown on his face makes way for a smile, and it grows wide and bright. The crinkles carved deep on the side of his eyes, “Yeah, I’d love to.” Dean leans down, kisses her cheek, “But you get better first, alright?”

“I will.”

He leaves another kiss on her forehead and shrugs when he parts, “Just checking the temperature.” 

She laughs. Dean has already made his way down. He waves at her one last time before he rounds the corner of the stairwell.

Chapter 7

[raphaelshusband]

[i] am [l]ucky t[o] ha[ve] [you] | saphael one shot

Raphael Santiago stretched out on the king's bed. He waited a moment for the heaviness to disappear from his eyelids and stood up, sliding his feet into the fluffy slippers. He picked up a cozy scarlet robe from the ground and threw it over him. He walked over to the heavy red curtains and then opened them. A winter landscape greeted him. Each smallest plant was covered with a layer of cold white fluff. He left his room and headed to the kitchen. He descended the red and gold carpeted stairs, running his hand along the cool silver railing.

Raphael started the coffeemaker and placed a mug under it. After that he found a pack of cigarettes, he opened the window to let in some fresh, cool air. Brunet leaned against the windowsill and puffed out gray puffs of smoke as he looked at the snow-covered spruce trees in his garden.

As the cigarette was nearing its end, he put it out in the ashtray and went with the coffee to the living room. He sat down on a gilded couch and a Siamese cat jumped on his lap. Santiago smiled and scratched Amor behind the ear. After a while he heard the doorbell.

Por que demonios?

Ignoring his appearance, he entered the hall and opened the door. His friend was standing on the stone steps. The boy was wearing only a hoodie. He was all red in his face and his hands were slowly turning a bluish color.

"Simon? Por el amor de Dios, what are you doing here? Come in!" He schouted and pushed his friend inside.

"R.. Raphael.. I promise that I won't stay here for long.." He stammered out, teeth chattering.

"You're not going anywhere, come on." Raphael pushed him onto the couch. "Dios, Simon, you have frostbites. Wait, here" he ran upstairs. Raphael returned with a blanket over his shoulder and a bowl of cold water. He stood in front of Simon and wrapped him in a cozy, dark blanket. "I'll make you tea."

"R..Raphael.. no.. don't be silly.." he whispered.

"Simon, you're definitely hypothermic, you need to keep warm," he ignored the boy's protests as he put the kettle on. He realized his appearance and, embarrassed, quickly knotted his robe. Amor, not understanding the situation, rubbed his head against Lewis's knee and began to walk on his lap. "Amor, get off" Raphael ordered, handing the mug to the brown-eyed man in one hand. He took the other one gently in his hands and gradually began soaking in cold water. "I know it's cold, but if I put it in hot, you'd be in pain.. now tell me what happened."

Simon started to cry.

"I'm a Jew, right?"

"Of course."

"My.. my mother is very religious, but also homophobic. I know.. she doesn't show it, but she is.." He sniffed, took a deep breath. Santiago took care of his other hand. "I admitted to her that I am gay," the Mexican looked up quickly. "She t.. threw me out. I don't even know if I can come back for.. for my things.."

"Oh, Simon.." the dark-eyed man stopped and wrapped his arms around the boy. Simon hid his head in the hollow of Raphael's neck and sobbed softly. "Shh.." he placed a gentle kiss on his friend's hair. Simon pulled away from him and stood up.

"I'll go now.. I won't disturb you .."

"Are you kidding? It's cold as fuck outside! Did you eat anything at all?"

"I ate yesterday.. but I found ten dollars in my hoodie so I can go to..

"No." He interrupted him. "You're staying here" Santiago grabbed hm by shoulders and draped in the blanket again. "You'll warm up, I'll give you a clothes to change, and you'll go take a shower. I'll make you something to eat."

"Raphael, stop.."

"I insist" he cut short. I look after the people I love. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"I was wandering the streets.."

"Eres un estupido! You should have come to me right away, not in the morning with frostbites! Drink tea. I'm going to change" he said and returned to his room. When he changed in the dressing room, he take warm pajamas and a fluffy towel from the wardrobe. Then he went back to Simon. "Go take a shower, mi sol. I'll make you breakfast and you'll sleep. Okay?"

"Sure.." he grabbed things and started climbing the stairs.

"First floor, you go to the end of the hall and turn left. First door."

"Thanks" Simon smiled weakly. Raphael went back to the kitchen and filled forgotten cat bowls in the process.

Thirty minutes later Simon was in the kitchen. Santiago offered him a plate of croissants. Brunet sat down in front of the boy.

"What about school?"

"I can't go back. Mom is a lecturer there. Probably everyone knows about it by now."

"Have you thought about changing direction? From what you told me, your mother chose accounting for you. Simon, you love music. You should go this way."

"I have no money .." he replied softly. 

"I could hire you. In my coffee shop," he leaned forward. "You'd show your customers your musical talent every Friday or.. I'd just teach you the role of a barista."

"What? N.. no, no. I can't accept this offer," he shook his head. "I have enough of your help today.. I really appreciate it, but.. it's too much.."

"Think about it, Simon. It might be a good solution."

"Alright.. let me think it over .."

"Come on, I'll show you where you'll sleep" and began leading him to the second floor. When Lewis lay wrapped in sheets, he really wanted to grab Santiago by the wrist and tell him what he felt. He wanted to tell him I love you. But instead he muttered softly:

"I'm lucky to have you."

end of the part one.

[carrietrekkie]

“But you stay?”

Hey!

Some words before I leave you this here. I´ve not much written some like the scene at the end of this part, certainly not in english, I´m more the “tease it on and leave the rest to the imagination of the reader” person but for those both I got the feeling I want to write some “more” and so...here it is.

Warnings: Sexual content along with romance, fluff,...

The evening starts here: You know, I was right.

@bold-brave-courageous @allthetrek @reeselivesforeverinmyheart

"Oh, thank you, my love." I put another load of dirty dishes into Mama Pike's hand and she let it disappear in the replicator. "But you really don´t need to do that." She smiled brightly at me, that certain note in it that only a mother could get. That look she gave me since Chris introduced me to her. "I would like to do it." "Unnecessary. Go, Chris is outside. " "I know, but I don´t want to bother there."

I glanced through the wide-open French doors. Outside, Chris was sitting with his brother, two other Starfleet Captains, his father, and a friend he had known since childhood. They laughed and I was sure the bottle of whiskey was not the first one they emptied. By now it was almost midnight and most of the guests had said goodbye. The evening had been wonderful, I had met many crew members and their families. Many had stopped by for a short while, others stayed longer. Chris's sister Stephanie had left very early to bring her children to bed, Una had thrown the towel half an hour ago. She had introduced me to her husband, an incredibly charming man and at least as well-endowed. Boyd's husband had tried to pull everything out of my nose and we had talked so well that an hour had passed in flight. "He likes you." A coffee cup was placed in front of me. "He likes you very much." I squinted in the direction of Mrs. Pike, she smiled at me, again that look in her eyes and I didn´t know what to say. "You don´t need to say anything about it." She put a hand on my forearm. "He wrote to me and from time to time had a video call with me and even though he tried to hide it, I've noticed a change in him in the recent years that I didn´t like. He was closed, introverted, something had changed in his eyes and he couldn´t hide it, even if he tried." I knew what she meant, but I also knew it was confidential.

"I've had enough to do with Starfleet to know I'm right. Something terrible had happened." She raised her eyebrows, then looked at me. "And then I saw him looking at you." I tried my best not to show what was going through my mind. "Mrs. Pike." "Mary." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Kick his ass a bit." She winked at me and I laughed. "You've always had to nuzzle him with some things." Mary tilted her head slightly to the side. "And I think that's the way it is with you, right?" "Maybe." I closed my hands around the cup. The warmth was good, the dress I wore was not necessarily warm and in the future it was still cold in the desert at night. "I still have something to do here, but I'm afraid of it."

"Unfinished things?" "I don´t know if I would call it like that." How much I wanted to talk to her about it, but I was not allowed to. "I'm not from here but still there's something here that keeps me from starting a new life." "Can you change it?" "I intend to find out tomorrow." I pinched my lips. "And then?" "Yes and then." I took a sip. "Find out. Let me know how it goes out." She smiled at me again. "I would like it if we meet again." "Yes, me too." I nodded slightly in Chris's direction. "Do I need to know something?"

"About Chris?" Mary laughed a little. "He is the one you see. He was never interested in pretending, exaggerating, or fooling anyone. Least of all if he was in love. " She surprised me by hugging me, then said goodbye and gathered her husband. Now left behind Chris and Mike, his childhood friend, in fact, there was no one else out there and after it was already so cold outside that you felt it inside the house, I grabbed two blankets and went to the men.

 "Oh hey, we get company." Mike grinned at me, then Chris turned and smiled as well. "Well, you two." I looked at them. "Either you need some blankets or you should go in." "We should quit." Mike came clumsily to his feet. "Angela rips off my head if I don´t get up with the kids tomorrow." He clapped Chris on the shoulder, a heavy blow, but the two just laughed. "And if I remember rightly, you have to be on such a crazy dance party tomorrow." He swayed a bit and I pushed him back to an upright position when he threatened to topple over.

"Thank you Cathrin. Where did I stop?" "Party." Chris chuckled slightly. "By the way, you are cordially invited." "Are you crazy? That would mean I would have to squeeze myself into the suit, which I certainly will not fit in anymore. " "Angela would love it." "She would not stop joking about me." He patted his little stomach. "Not everyone looks as good in a suit as you do." "You're going to wear a suit?" I looked at him. "I thought uniform was dress code?" "Well, I mean this uniform suit thing." "Gala uniform." Chris raised a finger to emphasize that. That he was quite taciturn, I took the indication that he had more than enough. "I mean that. So, in any case, I think it is expected that you to look like you're being pee-peeled, and you cannot do that if you're not asleep. " "You have to know it." Chris smiled at Mike, he returned, then swung out of his chair and the two hugged each other. "Do not make yourself so rare again." Mike patted Chris on the back, he returned it. "I try it." "Of course." Then he looked at me. "Cathrin, it was a great pleasure." "For me too, Mike." I smiled at him, then he turned around and left the garden on foot. "He's walking?" I turned around as I heard Chris plump back into his chair. "Will he be okay?" "Mike?" Chris made a strange noise. "He finds his way home blindfolded. In the dark, if it needed. " "That's nonsense." I laughed as he grabbed my arm and pulled me onto his lap. I swung my arms over his shoulders and wrapped my hands around his neck. His hand was on my thigh, his thumb lightly stroking the fabric. "Chris." I leaned against him, close enough that my nose touched his. "Yeah." The word had an unusual length that made me grin even wider. "You're drunk." "I know." He smiled widely, started to speak, but he did not get very far. "And you should go to sleep."

 His eyes wandered from mine to the house, his head following. He sighed. "My bed is so damn far away." I slipped off his lap. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'll bring you to bed." I grabbed his arm and pulled it without much effect. "You cannot sleep in the garden, when the fire goes out, it gets freezing cold." "Could be." "Come on." I pulled again and finally he let himself be pulled out of the chair onto his shaky legs. "How much did you drink?" Heartily I pulled him with me, up the steps to the porch and into the house. The doors closed behind us and immediately it got warmer.

"I'm afraid it was a bit more than I intended." He stopped, pulled my arm and I fell back into his arms. "And I left you a little bit alone." "I was not alone." I grinned at him. "I had 300 close friends as a company and talked a little bit with your mother." "Ohh." He looked at me. "Do I want to know that?" "It wouldn´t matter if I told you now, you forgot it tomorrow anyway." I pulled him to the stairs and pointed to the steps. "Do you remember how to use them?" "It's been a while, but I think I can handle it." He grinned and then actually came up the stairs accident-free. I still held him by the hand and pulled him to his bedroom. "I planned that a bit differently." He rolled his eyes a bit. "I thought you were not planning." I grinned at him. "Well, maybe a little bit." He held his thumb and index finger slightly above each other. "About that much."

"You are so drunk." I laughed. "Hey that's mean." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. "I didn´t laugh at you then and you were done after two glasses." "I know." I felt his forehead against mine. "And that was very cute of you." "Mmh, I'm cute." He blew a kiss on my lips. "But not as sweet as you." His lips continued to move to my ear. "But sweet is not necessarily the word I'm thinking of." I closed my eyes, my hands wandering through his hair.

"Chris." I bit my lip as his fingers sneaked under the straps of my dress and he slowly began to stroke it off my shoulder. His answer was a small growl that didn´t make the following easier. Neither did he just start dragging me to the bed. "Okay." I pushed him a little from me and looked at him. "You're drunk." There was a glimmer of desire in his eyes and exactly what I wanted, except that I lacked the foggy veil. "And I hate myself for saying that now."

"Then don´t say it." He kissed me again and I couldn´t help but return the kiss and for a moment I allowed myself to lose control. I wrapped my leg around him, he grabbed it and pulled me even closer to him. His hand on my skin, his fingers slowly moving up my thigh, made me forget more and more that I really wanted to stop him. I put my hand against his cheek and pulled away from his lips. Breathing heavily, we looked at each other, then he blinked very slowly and I pushed my face so close to his that my lips brushed against his skin as I spoke again.

"I really want to sleep with you." I looked up into his eyes. He still looked at me with a passion that blew over me and I knew that every spark in it was about me. "You don´t believe how much I want that." Again he opened his mouth slightly to kiss me, but before he could do it, I recoiled a moment. "But not today. Not when you're so drunk that you may not remember it tomorrow."

"I don´t think I could forget that." He stroked his cheek over mine. "But I know what you mean." He put a kiss on my cheek, near the end of my lip. "But you stay?" "I'll stay." I hugged him again. "For nothing in the world would I leave this room."

 With a smile, he pushed me to his bed and when I bumped against it, I dropped back and we tipped on the mattress. Chris kissed me, I took the opportunity, pushed me out from under him and turned him on his back. I put my head on his chest and looked at him. Even though he had been up to something completely different, he suddenly now had to struggle to keep his eyes open.

"Did I mention that I had planned it differently?" He made a strange noise and I frowned. "I should have said no when Mike opened that weird bottle." "Yes, you should have." I smiled at him, then gently stroked his nose with my finger, he slowly closing his eyes. "God, I could kick my butt." He grabbed my hand and breathed a kiss on my fingers. "I don´t think so." I closed my fingers around his. "You're just hurting yourself." He chuckled a little. “Mmh, I deserve that." "Do you need anything else? Water, aspirin, bucket? "I let him pull me closer into his arms. Somehow he managed to open his eyes a bit to look at me.

"I have everything I need."

I smiled, then leaned over and kissed him. He replied softly and when I looked at him again, I had to smile even wider. He had fallen asleep. If he didn´t look so cute, I would have been mad at him. So I just looked at him and enjoyed the feeling of being here with him. Even though I couldn´t quite turn off the soft voice, telling me I still had something to do before I could get involved completely. But there was still time tomorrow. I cuddled closer to him, took a few deep breaths, then closed my eyes.

*****

The next morning, I was awakened by a draft that drew through the open windows of Chris bedroom. Reluctantly, I let myself out of the pleasant comforting feeling that I still pull around and found that it was raining. Quiet but steady, the raindrops pounded against the roof and onto the balcony, in the distance I could hear quiet thunder. I felt like a trembling shivered through me. The last storm had changed everything in my life. I quickly opened my eyes and rolled over. The bed next to me was empty. I curled my nose and looked around, but I was alone. His bedroom had the same decor as the rest of the house. Opposite the big bed, there were two double doors leading to the balcony. In the corner stood a chair, a dresser on the wall and a few pictures. Missing only the owner.

"Chris?" "Yes." I saw his head appear in the door. He seemed to be in a bathroom because his hair was wet and a towel was everything he wore. He smiled brightly at me. "Slept well?" "Yes." I pulled my legs up and rested my head on my knees. "How are you?" "One of the benefits of the 23rd century is that there are actually one or two effective hangover killers." His smile widened. "If you stick to the rules." "Which of us hardly came up the stairs yesterday?" "Touché." He disappeared briefly, something clattered and he appeared again. Unfortunately, I found that he had swapped the towel for boxer shorts and shirts.

"Who said you could get dressed?" I tilted my head slightly to one side. "I didn´t know that I had to ask for permission?" To my chagrin, he passed the bed and closed the windows. "Some plans?" "Not really." A fat lie, but right now I didn´t want to think about it, I looked at him, then I got up and went to him "You?" "I actually intended to show you something of the area here." He grabbed my hand, turned me over and closed his arms around me from behind. "Then we could have had a picnic." I felt him breathe a kiss on my shoulder. "Or we could have gone for a ride." Slowly his lips moved up my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned against him.

"No." "No?" He stopped, leaning forward so he could face me. I opened my eyes slightly and squinted at him. "You will not get me on a horse in this life." I grinned at him, he returned it. "I like to see you but."

I didn´t get any further. He put his hand to my cheek, leaned against me and kissed me. Without hesitating, I returned it, turned around so I could put my arms around him and let him pull me tightly into his arms. I let my fingers prance through his slightly damp hair. I closed my free hand around his, whereupon he broke away from me so far that he could look at me. He glared at me passionately.

"Do you remember the advice you once gave me?" He pressed a kiss to my earlobe. "Mmh, which one?" I leaned my cheek against his. "That I should make the next few years to the best of my life." He ran his nose along my chin line, then put his forehead against mine. "Yeah, I remember that." I nudged his with my nose. "I think I should not lose time anymore, right?" "No, you shouldn´t."

He pulled me closer to him. I smiled at him, then slid my fingers over his stomach, grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, then slapped my arms around him and we sank in another kiss, more violent and more passionate than before. I felt his hands brush against my shoulders, toward the zipper of my dress. Slowly he pulled it up. His hand slid under the fabric, stroking the skin on my back, and he began gently stroking it with his fingertips. Goose bumps hit my body, making me sigh softly, and before I knew it, he picked me up and carried me to his bed.

I don´t remember how we got there, but I remember being nervous when he started to undress me, that every touch made me wish he would never stop kissing me again. My hands wandered over his skin, his scars, felt the firm muscles and his breath brushing over the thin skin on my neck as he sighed softly into my ear. Each kiss carried us on and I wanted to get lost in the here and now and I wanted to do everything that he felt the same way.   I groaned as he slid his fingers into my panties and pulled the last bit of fabric that was between us from my body. It almost drove me mad as his lips slowly tormented their way up my leg. I reared up as his finger slid briefly into me, his tongue following, and I whimpered softly as he withdrew from me. When he kissed me again, I wrapped my legs around him, feeling him press against me. Before we merged our lips again, we looked each other in the eye.

The desire of the other was read in it and I knew that he could not wait any longer, just like me. We sank into that kiss that took us away, and when I felt him penetrate me, I threw back my head and gasped. His tongue gently brushed against my neck before I heard him softly whispering my name. This totally freaked me out and I let myself fall, merging in a rhythm that carried us further, feeling the heat swelling between my legs, spreading across my body as I neared my climax. I slipped my hand into his hair, clawing at it, pulling him closer to me.

I whispered his name as I came and felt seconds later how he followed me. His hand found my free and our fingers merged, as we, into each other. Breathing heavily, he buried his head in my neck and blew a series of kisses on it before he put his forehead against mine and looked at me. Still overwhelmed, I slowly opened my eyes, kissed him, then smiled at him.

He returned it, then lay down next to me, pulled me to him and I snuggled up to him as closely as possible. He kissed my neck again, my eyes closed. I wanted to include every second, every moment in my heart. I grabbed his hand and pulled his arm around me. I leaned my head back so I could look at him. I loved the look on his face as he looked at me, his fingers gently brushing my upper arm. It flashed outside and shortly thereafter, followed by a violent thunderclap. Involuntarily I winced, then turned around and he pulled me back against him.

"Fear of thunderstorms?" "Not really." I took a deep breath. "But the last storm I experienced was a very unusual one." Chris grinned. "This only prevents us from leaving the bed." "Mmh." I also had to grin. "I think I can live with that." And that's exactly what we did. The rest of the day we spent in bed, interrupted only by a trip to the bathroom, where we found out that his bathtub was not just suitable for relaxing in it. At some point in the late afternoon, I did something that you didn´t actually do. Chris had just fallen asleep. I gave him a kiss on his lips, then I got up, got dressed and went through the next door. There was my ball gown and everything else I needed for tonight. There was one more thing in front of me, something that I had to get through before I could fully say yes to my life here.

I opened my communicator, asked for a transport to the Enterprise and with a heavy heart, for the time now, let me carry out my dream.

Masterlist

[momopeachchild]

@against-stars speculated on something and here I am. On my shit again, writing it. From Anders’ perspective. Again.  I’m not sorry.

Aveline once asked him if the Underground had come about once he’d settled in Kirkwall. Hawke had also looked interested in the answer, and while Anders was tempted to lie to them, and tell them yes; he was the linchpin to the whole operation, take him down and the whole thing would fall. It would have been a convenient lie, in case something were to go horribly wrong. Hawke could be captured and tortured for information. Aveline could decide she had had enough of this bullshit. Anders didn’t quite trust her, after all she had married a templar.

But it hurt his heart to lie to Marian. So he merely gave a noncommittal hum, and pulled off his apron before turning to grab his cloak. Maker knew where they were going today, and Anders didn’t want to get caught in the rain unprepared again. And as they walked out of his clinic, he saw the quick look Marian had thrown him, and he knew that it would all come out eventually.

Late that night, so late it was nearly morning, they stumbled back to Hawke’s estate. They’d gone through six cave systems, and wound up covered in more darkspawn and spider guts and undead dust than Anders ever remembered being covered in when he traveled with Cosette. Ah, Cosette, he missed the brat sometimes. As he cleaned himself off the best he could, he found his mind wandering to the bratty seven year old child who’d worked her way into his heart, and more what he knew about her family. More than she might have at the time.

Too exhausted to try for anything flirty as he wandered into his and Marian’s room in naught but a towel, he smiled as she pulled the blanket back for him, and he found it was blessedly warm. Curling up against her, he hummed happily as her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. It was a cozy, domestic scene. Until Marian asked. She knew he had avoided the question, and she wanted to know so she could help.

“I’m one stop, darling. One of many. The woman who organizes everything, funds everything in secret. She’s. I’ve never met her, it’s not safe to know more than one or two faces at a time. Most of the time when I go, or when people are brought to me, those who are helping, I”ve never seen before, and I’ll never see again. 

“But it’s a well known secret in the Underground who our benefactor is. Hell, I still hear nobles whispering about her sometimes in the street. Especially, when they past by here. I know your mother doesn’t always like speaking of her. Whether it’s too painful, or to pitiful to her, I’m not sure. Though I think now she knows how Revka felt.”

The dark head that had rested on his shoulder shot up, Marian lifting herself onto one elbow and frowned down at him. “Revka? Revka Amell?”

“Yes, your mother’s cousin. Her daughter, Cosette was the reason she started to help. Now she’s..I think she’s just hoping one day she’ll pass through. One contact told me how she used to go on runs herself, hoping to see someone. It wasn’t hard for me to connect the dots after that. I hope she knows what her daughter’s doing now.”

Nodding, his lover settled back down, and he could see gears slowly turning in her head. He wanted to warn her, tell her not to get involved more than she had. It wasn’t safe, and if they were to bring Revka into the public light with this.

But it didn’t matter, because his beloved had a plan, for once. And Leandra apparently was willing to go along with it. They dressed him up in nicer clothes than he’d ever thought to own, and set out as a family to go calling. Leandra had been doing a lot of that, but she’d avoided her cousin for fear of causing her more grief. 

And Anders had to say when they were received, she put on a good show of still being utterly bereft, lost in her grief. He could see the true lines of it carved around her eyes, and what was once a smooth and beautiful heart shaped face had grown a little weathered with age and a pain Anders knew intimately. Still her eyes were sharp behind her act, and when their eyes met, she gave him the slightest of nods.

Lunch went well, and honestly Anders had forgotten the lad’s name, Revka’s son had offered to show Leandra the gardens at his mother’s encouraging. The furball went with, and it was just Revka, Marian and himself. The servants were dismissed and the door was locked quickly. Once assured they were alone, her face changed.

It was a bit more stoic, calculating as she looked over the two before her and tilted her head.

“Well what do you want?”

“To come calling with my moth--”

“I’m not a fool, Serah Hawke. I know who it is that sits next to you. What do you want?”

Anders cleared his throat softly, and shifted slightly.

“Cosette was well last I saw her. She was saving Fereldan, again.” he offered, and there was a slight crack in the stoic look the woman before them had. “She’s doing so much good, my lady.”

“I know what my daughter gets up to, Serah Anders. It’s hard to not notice when your daughter is named the Hero of Fereldan. What do you want?”

He bowed his head a little, and just told her he merely wished to meet the woman who gave birth to the woman so dear to him. Nodding, she stood and indicated that their conversation was over. She led them out into the gardens where they reunited with Leandra, and they were soon on their way. Anders didn’t think much else would come from the meeting.

Until, a month later, a crate full of supplies was sitting in front of his clinic. Unmarked, no letter, but a small bird crest was found at the bottom, under the elf root and bandages, and tied to some poles to set up some new cots. Grinning widely, he turned around and went back to get Marian to help him move the box into his clinic and get started.

[psychospeak-blog]

I’ll Crawl Home to Her (Part 3)

PART 1 // PART 2

 This series is one of my favourites, and I’ve gotten a couple of requests for a part 3.  I wasn’t quite intending this, because I didn’t know where I wanted to take it, but I can up with this.  It’s hella long, but I kind of like it like that.  Let’s have a baby, guys!

Warnings: Pregnancy & Birth

Month 1: Baby is the size of a poppy seed. Cells are beginning to separate, from which your baby's skin and organs will begin to develop.

You didn't even know it yet, but the biggest thing about to happen in your life, had already started growing from the tiniest little thing.  Looking back now, you wondering if part of you had felt different, or if you somehow knew, but you couldn't be positive.

Month 2: Baby is the size of a raspberry.   His hands and feet have webbed fingers and toes. The creation of the brain, spinal cord, heart, and blood vessels is already well under way.

That day happened.  Not the day where you took all of those tests, but the day you'd both gone to the hospital.  When you realized what your worst fear was, and the relief you felt when you realized it wasn't coming true.  The comfort you'd felt knowing that both you and Will wanted the same thing.

Yet, strangely, it still didn't seem quite real, even though you'd seen the heartbeat, the little bundle of cells.  The words "I'm pregnant" kept echoing in your head like they had before. Only, this time, they served as a reassurance, rather than a source of anxiety.  Well, there was still anxiety there, if you were being honest.  But it was that type of anxiety that held just as much excitement as nerves. 

One evening, just a week after your trip to the hospital, you and Will had just gone out for dinner, trying to settle into your off-season routine, and you were walking back to the car when you found yourself looking at a baby store.  A little boutique one, where you'd likely go to buy gifts for family members having babies, not to get everything you'd need.  But, Will noticed you looking and asked softly if you'd like to go inside.  So you both did, holding hands as you looked around, mostly silent, but taking in the adorable little baby shoes, feeling the soft blankets, looking at the decor, and imagining just what the baby's room might look like. You left having purchased a (probably overpriced but super soft) little onesie, that had little sheep all over it.  It ended up laying across the dresser in the bedroom, a constant reminder.

Month 3: Baby is the size of a meyer lemon.   Her eyes and eyelids are more developed and her eyebrows are beginning to grow. vocal cords are beginning to develop.

Though you'd pretty much been staying at Will's ever since you found out and he had asked you to move in with him, you (and Luna) were now officially moved in.  And, yet, you still hadn't even told your parents yet that you were now living with your boyfriend.

Who also happened to be the father of your unborn child. No biggie.

You'd always imagined telling your parents you were pregnant in one of those cute little reveals.  Like, maybe you'd get them a card that said 'grandma' and 'grandpa' on it. Or a cake that had 'You're going to be grandparents!' written on it.

But you'd also expected to be at least a year or two into to marriage.  And you definately expected to have graduated and been into your career.

You KNEW you needed to tell them.  But you couldn't yet figure out how to.  And you were so damn tired all the time, that by the time you got home from school, you wanted to do nothing more than sleep.  So you really just did what you did best: avoid.

And, so, your roommate (well, ex-roommate) was the only one who knew.  And, since your parents had been helping you with rent while going through school, you were still paying rent, helping out your roommate through the last couple of months until the end of the school year. It was all going pretty well, until your Mom called and told you she was going to be in town for work, and wanted to drop by and visit.

And you panicked.  Like, seriously panicked.  To the point where you briefly contemplated moving most of your stuff back into your old place and pretending that you still lived there.

But you were an adult.  And you were going to be a Mom. You could do this. So you took a deep breath.  "I'd love to see you,  Mom," you said, "But I'm not living there anymore."

"Oh?" she questioned, and you knew, even without seeing her, that she was frowning.  And she probably had various scenarios running through her mind, thinking you'd dropped out of college or had a huge fight with your roommate. "I moved in with Will," you said.

"Oh," she said again, this time in a surprised tone, "That's....that's a big step." "It is," you confirmed, and both of you were silent for just a moment, until you both spoke at the same time, you asking if she'd like to come by his (your...you were still getting used to that) place, and her asking you how Luna was settling in.  You both laughed, and she said that of course she'd want to come by, and that she'd love to see Will, too, if he was around.

And when you got home from class on that day your Mom was coming to visit, the apartment was spotless.  Like, you'd never seen it that clean, let alone everything so perfectly placed.  It was a little creepy, honestly, the way the pillows were fluffed like no one had even sat on the couch ever.  Will came out of the bathroom while you were still looking around the room in awe, hair soaking yet and a towel wrapped around his waist.  Which, one would think would be really, really distracting.  But it actually felt quite domestic.  And just a little distracting.

"Hey," he said, pressing a quite kiss to your lips. "You....cleaned," you said. "Yeah," he smiled at you, reaching softly for your hand, "C'mon, I need to get dressed before your Mom gets here."

You sat on the side of the bed, watching him put on a pair of shorts which you were pretty sure were golf shorts, but were nicer than the athletic shorts he usually wore.

"Are you going to tell her?" he asked. "I....I don't know," you frowned.  He walked over to you, placing a kiss on your forehead, and you startled when you heard a knock at the door, your heartbeat picking up immediately.  

"Just do what feels right," he said, "We`ve got months.  There's no rush." Yet, as you went to answer the door, you thought that there was a rush. 

 Because already you'd had to move onto pants that were elasticized, because you had a little pooch.  Especially at the end of the day.  And while Will assured you it wasn't noticeable, you weren't sure how much longer than would hold true. You set a smile on your face as you opened the door, your Mom's smiling face on the other side.  She said hello to Luna first, likely because she seemed the most keen, and then pulled you into a hug.  Suddenly, your belly between your body's felt huge, and you were certain she could feel it.  She pulled back, looking you over in the certain ways that Moms do, and you wondered if she could just tell from looking at you.  Maybe your skin looked different, or maybe your face had a different shape, or maybe she just felt that something was different. And then Will emerged from the bedroom, completely dressed with a shirt, and you watched as they hugged hello, both echoing how good it was to see each other.

"I'm pregnant," you blurted. They both turned to look at you, surprised looks on both of their faces, which turned to confusion on your Mom's face.  "Pardon me?" she asked. And you just stood there, certain she'd heard you, widening your eyes as if that'd somehow get the point across.  By now, Will had moved so he was standing

 next to you, both of you facing her, and he hooked his pinky finger with yours. "Sorry, Y/N, I didn't hear you," your Mom said, "What did you say?"

You opened your mouth and then shut it, once more, looking at Will, because you were pretty sure that you could only say it once, and you'd just wasted it. He kind of looked at you, and then back to your Mom, and then back to you again, and then he finally said, "We're expecting a baby," as his transferred his gaze back to your Mom again, the smile getting wider on his face with every word.

Your Mom looked shocked, just for a moment, before she settled on the hopeful smile on your face.  And, bless her heart, she said "Congratulations," brightly, wrapping you both in a big hug.

You finally got your moment that weekend, when you and Will went home to your childhood home, presenting a card to your Dad that said something like Happy Birthday, Grandpa on it.  He was super confused at first, because it wasn't his birthday, until your Mom subtlety kept repeated the word "grandpa".   And he finally got it, and burst into tears.  At first your heart sunk, but then he just pulled you into a hug, not being able to speak, and then he tried to shake Will's hand, but just pulled him into a hug too. 

You had a little more fun telling Will's family, only because he had such a big family that you could literally video call everyone separately.  You couldn't decide whether you loved when you both just started casually having a conversation and then both started drinking from mugs that said "Mom" or "Dad" and waited for them to notice, or when you surprised his siblings by showing them Luna wearing her new bandanna which said "Big sister" on it.   There was a lot of  excited screaming. Month 4:  Baby is  the size of a sweet potato—and her tiny fingers now have unique fingerprints! She can make a fist and even suck her thumb.

You were lucky enough that you hadn't had many of the horrible pregnancy symptoms that you'd heard others talk about.  But you were exhausted.  You'd essentially just come home from school to fall asleep on the bed - or on the couch if you were feeling particularly adventurous.  You'd usually only wake up to have dinner, and sometimes a snack.  Or two.  

Luna had gotten noticeably more protective of you, typically lying down with ever time you'd slept.  She'd even growled at Will a couple of times when he'd come into the dark room where you'd been sleeping until he spoke to her and she was able to realize who he was.  

You'd begun to feel guilty because you weren't doing anything around the house.  At all.  And you felt like the time you got to spend with Will, you were usually sleeping.  But he just kept reassuring you constantly that your job right now was to grow a baby.  And that you were doing an awesome job. Month 5:  Baby is the size of a banana.   He's started to sprout hair on her head. His skin now responds to touch. If you put pressure on your belly, he'll move away or push back.

The first couple of times you thought you felt the baby move, you couldn't quite be sure that's what it was, not knowing what to expect.  But, eventually, you came to recognize that it was the sensation of your baby moving inside you.  And it made you smile every single time.

You'd decided to find out what you having. Both of you didn't have a preference either way (you adamant that you just wanted a healthy baby, while Will seemed to change him mind at least once per day about whether he wanted a little boy or a little girl).  But you both wanted to start thinking about names and thinking about what you wanted to baby's room to look like, just because you thought it would be fun.  

Will also really wanted you to go shopping with him to pick out things for your home.  And you didn't get it, because the home was already beautifully furnished and decorated.  But  he kept saying he wanted to make it "our home".  It already felt like home to you, but you picked out a new bedspread, and some new pillows for the couch, because it really seemed to be important to him.

Finally, the day came when you had the ultrasound to reveal the gender.  And, both of your families were crazy excited.  You, on the other hand, seemed strangely nervous.  And not the traditional nerves like something wasn't quite right.  More so that this made it all just a little more real.   Just the two of you went to the ultrasound.  You weren't planning a crazy gender reveal party or anything, you just had the ultrasound tech tell you, as you held hands, both your eyes fixed on the screen.

It's a girl.

Will went misty eyed immediately, while you just smiled widely.  You knew that everyone was anticipating the news just as much as you were, but you set your phones aside for awhile (though both of you texted each of your mothers to let them know the baby was healthy, because you didn't want them to worry).  And you went for ice cream, which was awesome because you were all about the sweets.  Will order strawberry while you opted for a cheesecake concoction (the more desserts you could cram into one, the better), but you got pink sprinkles on top.  And the two of you just sat there, eating your ice cream at a table in the corner, smiling like idiots the whole time.

Month 6: Baby is the size of an  acorn squash. Her brain and hearing are more developed this week, and she's beginning to recognize your voice.  She can also stick out her tongue!

You belly had officially popped.  There was no hiding it now: you were clearly pregnant.  You'd had to buy maternity clothes, though, to be honest, Will's clothes were really your favourite.  He'd also finally got to feel the baby kick, and you watched his face light up.  Since that moment, he seemed to love touching your belly even more, even offering to rub coconut oil on it every night to help with stretch marks.  

Now that school had finished for you, you were also realizing that you'd have to make a decision about next year.  The baby would be due right at the end of exam season, and you were nervous about making it all that way through.  And then you started having doubts about contributing to the household.  It wasn't even that you weren't working, but more so that you didn't have something that you were working towards.  And you talked about this, with Will, a lot, and he constantly reassured you that you didn't have to do anything.  

But you couldn't seem to let it go.  A few days later, he presented you with a file of options about online courses.  He stressed that this wasn't something that you had to do, but that if you wanted to, there were options.

He also started talking about a nanny, which seemed just plain ridiculous.  You were going to be a full-time mom, what the hell did you need a nanny for?  But Will stressed that the nanny would be more for him than for you.  Because there were going to be weeks where he couldn't be there, and HE needed to help you in some way.  And you deserved time to not be on-call 24/7. It turned out he meant more like a babysitter than a live-in nanny like you'd been picturing. 

 Neither of you even knew where to start, so Will asked some of the older guys who had kids, and you got a barrage of recommendation, with everyone's wives stressing that you get help when the baby came, because you needed to get take care of yourself so you could look after you little one.

Month 7:  Your baby is the size of a butternut squash. She is able to distinguish between your voice and your husband's or partner's voice.

You'd decided to go to Sweden for a month to spend time with his family while you could still fly.  You'd been once before, last summer, though only for a week, but this time the mood was completely different.  His sisters were especially psyched, constantly  referring to themselves as aunts, and wanting to feel your belly (which you really didn't mind one bit, and thought that it was cute.) You, on the other hand, had started slowing down a bit, and really took this month away to relax.  You favourite thing was going for a sunset walk every evening, enjoying the night air. You also made it a point to try to stop by a bakery every night on this walk, to pick up some pastries because they were freaking incredible.  And you were trying to figure out how you could smuggle some on the plane ride home.  The baby really, really liked Swedish pastries.  And pancakes. And waffles.

You were also completed showered with gifts from his family, to the point where you'd actually had to purchase another suitcase.  It was super sweet stuff too - his grandmother had knit a beautiful blanket, and his parents had given you some old baby toys. Since you knew his family wouldn't be able to come to your baby shower, you tried to soak up at much of the love as you could. Month 8:  Baby is the size of a cantaloupe. She's turning her head, pirouetting, and moving her body from side to side.

You'd pretty much narrowed in down to two baby names, and were constantly speaking them out loud, trying to get the sound for the complete name. At first, Will was smiling at you as you were chopping ingredients for dinner, but then he tilted his head at you, squinting, "The baby's last name is going to be Nylander?"

"Yeah," you ground out the word, "What did you think it was going to be?" He ignored your question, "That's not your last name."

"I know, it's yours," you laughed lightly, turning to reach for something in the cabinet, but he caught your wrist, turning you to face him, and you finally saw the serious look in his eye.

"I thought you said when we get married, you want to keep your name," he said.  You hadn't said quite that - not exactly.  Just that you were considering it.  Maybe hyphenating it.  But that wasn't a decision you had to make right now.

You'd talked about getting married before the baby came.  Rather extensively, in fact.   Both you had both agreed that you didn't want to get married just because you were having a baby - because marriage was thought in the distance future until you'd found out that you were pregnant. You also wanted time to focus on being a family and this new adjustment.  You'd talked about having a long engagement too, and you were even 90% sure that he was already looking at rings, but you knew he wasn't going to propose until the baby was at least a few months old. 

"Do you not want her to have your name?" you asked tentatively.

He sighed heavily, resting his forehead against yours, getting as close to you as he could with your belly in the way.  "I want her to have your name," he said, "Nylander-Y/L/N, or Y/L/N-Nylander.  Whatever you're going to do one day."

"Actually?" you asked, "You don't think that's too long?" "Actually," he agreed, and shrugged, "I don't know what she's going to when she gets married.  But you don't have any brothers or sisters.   At least this way your name will be in the running."

You hadn't even thought that far yet, only thinking that thinking about your name ending with you, not even considering your unborn child getting married. "Yeah?" you asked, looking up at him. "Yeah," he smiled, rocking back and forth with you.

Month 9:  Baby is now the size of a small pumpkin. Because she's running out of room in your uterus, she mostly stretches and wiggles, instead of delivering big kicks.

The moment you walked into your baby shower, you were instantly transported to a bakery back in Sweden.  The smell of warm  Rulltårta med hallon, the raspberry-jam filled pastry you'd fallen in love with was unmistakable. And then Will's mom emerged from the kitchen with his sisters in tow, and you immediately started bawling.  Followed by wanting to hit everyone because apparently everyone knew but you, and your weren't sure if it was cool to surprise a pregnant woman.  You had a second baby shower too, but this time the whole thing was a surprise to you, set up by the wives and girlfriends on the team.

The initial surprise seemed to have released the last bit of control you had over your body, because since then, your emotions went crazy.  You started crying over the strangest things; commercials seemed to get you every time.  At first, Will was super concerned and soft every time you started crying, but, as the reasons got stranger and stranger, he would just start laughing under his breath, even as he pulled you into a hug and he told you everything was going to be okay.   You couldn't even handle watching hockey anymore.  You cried when they lost because the other team looked so happy, and even though Will was a little bummed, couldn't he see how much it meant to the other team?  But, you also cried when they won, because you were proud, but you were also really sad because the other team looked so sad, and it just wasn't fair that one team had to win and the other had to lose.  Another incident in particular was the time when, at the beginning of December, you'd gone to pick out a Christmas tree, and there was a very Charlie Brown-esque option. You'd wanted to get the thing, but Will didn't because he argued that there were so many barren holes, there wouldn't be enough places to put all your ornaments (he may have had a point).

  But it was breaking your heart knowing that the poor tree would just die in that Christmas tree lot.

You got two Christmas trees that year.

Month 10: Baby's head alone is roughly the size of a bowling ball, and feels like it might just fall out of you at any moment.  Baby does nothing but press on your bladder and flip herself into your ribs so you can't breathe.

"Did you drink the tea?" Will asked when he got home from practice.

You nodded, making a face as you remembered the taste.  It was red raspberry leaf tea, which was supposed to help induce labour apparently.  You had six days left to get this baby out before was supposed to leave for a two-game road trip, and tonight's plans consisted of trying all the ways to get her out: a long walk, follow by sex (with nipple stimulation because efficiency), followed by Thai for dinner (spicy food). And that would probably be the plan every single day until she decided to make her appearance.

"Are you ready?" Will asked."Ugh, yeah," you sighed, grabbing Luna's leash, "I can't tie my shoes though, so I don't think I can go."

He held up his hand, wiggling his fingers at you, "Luckily I have working hands." You let him held you with your shoes, and then help you to stand up again, holding the leash out to him, "Can you take her, please?"

"Mhmm," he said, taking the leash from you as you stepped outside, "Can you take her?" he asked, smiling at you and giving your belly a little rub.

You smiled, and Will switched the leash to his other hand so he could take yours in his, only to proceed to basically drag you through the neighborhood. "Geez, Will, could you slow down?" You said, cupping a hand under your belly, "I'm 39 weeks pregnant here."

" Sorry," he looked back at you sheepishly, slowing down to match your pace, "I thought if we went faster, things would move along faster." "I don't think it works like that," you said, and then sighed.  "I don't think any of this is going to work anyways.  I'll probably go into labour when you're gone. Or have to get induced."

He ran his thumb over your palm, "I told you I'm not going if the doctor thinks you're close.  And if you have her closer to Christmas break, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"But I want her out," you whined, not even caring how pathetic you sounded, "I want to see her face.  And hold her.  And I want to stop waddling everywhere." He laughed under his breath at the last part, "Well, we'll just keep trying, okay?" "But it didn't work yesterday," you shuffled your feet along as you walked, "I kind of think it's a waste of time."

"You make it sound like a chore," he laughed, "You like going for walks.  You like Thai food.  You like sex."

"Fine," you grumbled, trudging along. You took Luna to a dog park, knowing that she needed more a little more than your slow pace to get her energy out, settling yourself on a bench to rest your feet, trying to breath in the cool air.  Once it started to get too cold, you headed back to your place, Will stopping at the bottom of the steps and holding his elbow out to you like he was escorting you to the prom or something.

"The steps are icy," he explained, "I don't want you to slip."

You smiled, even as you took his arm, because your Dad had made the same comment last time your parents had come to visit, even running out the hardware store to buy you a bag of de-icer.  Which, you used, but apparently you missed a spot.

"Can you put some more of that salt stuff out for me, please?"

"Mhmm," he said, unlocking the door and unclasping Luna from her leash, where she immediately went off to the kitchen, and you could hear her drinking water from her dish.  "Sit," he instructed, pointing at the chair, and pulling off your boots.  He ran his hands up and over your thighs, giving you a tilted smiled, and then leaning in to kiss you.  

"Can you..?" you gestured towards the doorstep. "I will before we eat," he promised, and tried to lean back in to kiss you again.   "Can we eat first, please?" you asked, "I'm so hungry."

He laughed, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah, sure." He frowned at you as you stood up, "Is your back sore?"

You realized that you had your knuckles pressed into your lower back, your other hand bracing it.  "I guess. Kind of?" "Want me to rub it for you?"

"Maybe, yeah," you said, but frowned again, "Can you do the salt stuff first though?"  Suddenly you were extremely concerned about that, and it was imperative that it get done.

"Sure," he drug out the word playfully, and you followed behind him, hands on your hips, watching as picked up the bag, setting it down on the stoop.  Your crossed your arms, rubbing your hands up and down trying to stay warm with the sudden chill of the winter air.  You shivered, and then suddenly became aware of the fact that you felt wet between your legs, not just cold, and a small sound escaped your mouth.

"Babe?" Will asked, looking up at you from where he was crouched down on the stoop. "I...I think my water just broke."

Will's eyes went wide, and he stood up so suddenly that he knocked over the bag of de-icer, sending granules of salt all over the entranceway. He swore and righted the bag, stepping towards you and patting you on the arm.  "Okay, okay," he had his phone pulled out and was dialing before you could even say anything, holding it between his shoulder and charging off deeper into the apartment.  You stood there for a moment, and then he returned, phone still pressed held to his ear, handing you a folded towel and a clean pair of pants, and then he took off again.  It occurred to you that you should change, so you disappeared into the bathroom.  But, it turned out it wasn't quite like the movies, where there was a huge gush of water; instead, it was more like a steady leak, so you just sort of wrapped the towel between your legs.

Will poked his head in the bathroom, this time his phone was gone, but he had your hospital bag, along with the baby bag, in one hand.  "Okay, so I called your Mom and she's gonna head down and meet us there," he said, looking at your towel situation, "You need help?"

You shook your head, "Can you call my Mom back?" "Uh, yeah, sure," he reached into his pocket, searching for his phone, "What do you need?"

"Can you tell her not to leave?"

Will frowned, looking up from his phone to you, "I thought you wanted her there." "I do," you said, "But it's not happening right now."

He set the bags down, but kept his phone in his hand, "Did your water not break?" "No, I'm pretty sure it did." He picked up the bags again.  "The doctor said we have to go to the hospital if your water breaks."

"Well, she's wrong," you said, trying to walk, but another trickle of fluid went down your leg and you stopped, swiping at it with the towel, "The baby's not coming yet.  We're not ready for her yet."

"Yeah, we are," Will said, "The car seat's in the car, we've got everything we need, her room's even all set up.  And we're going to be in the hospital for a couple days anyways, so it's not even like we need all that stuff right now.  We're more than prepared."

"It's not, we're not..." you said, gesturing with your hands as you tried to get your words together, "She's not coming right now, okay?  She just needs to stay in there a little while longer. I just need, like another month. I'll just...cross my legs."

Will laughed, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that," he said, "You just said you wanted her out."

"Well, I changed my mind," you snapped.  "We'll just try again in a month, okay?" Will was biting his lip, trying not to laugh as you wiped at your legs again. "Love, it's going to be okay."

"Easy for you to say, I'm the one who has to push a baby's head out of my vagina!"

"I'm gonna be right there," he tried to reassure you, "you're so ready.  This is the easy part.  You've already done all the hard work."

"This is easy?!!" you exclaimed. "Okay, I didn't mean it was easy," he said, running a hand through his hair, "I meant that you've already done so much these past nine months.  And I KNOW that you can do this, too."

"I don't...." you started. "I do," he interrupted you confidentially, bending down to get your pants, "We're just going to do this one step at a time, okay? We're gonna get you dressed.  And then we're going to get in the car, and listen to some relaxing music and drive to the hospital." 

"But I don't even know how to do this." "That's okay, you don't have to" he said, "there's going to be doctors and nurses there who are gonna take care of all that.  And your mom's going to be right there, too."

He kissed you again, and then looked at you softly, brushing your hair out of your face, "You ready to head to the car?"   You nodded, getting yourself dressed, heading back into the hallway.   "I'm just gonna throw the bags in the car," Will said, "you wait here, okay?"

You nodded, waiting inside, sitting down to pet Luna and trying to calm your body and mind.  You looked up when Will bounded back up the steps, stepping right on the icy patch, his legs stretching right out until he was nearly in the splits, landing on the ground.  He jumped right back up, but you were already laughing.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said tersely, holding out his hand to you, "C'mon, let's go." "I think I'll just walk by myself, thanks," you said, "I don't want you pulling me down with you." "Y/N...." he said, trying to be serious. "I'm not going to let you fall."

"You're a professional ice hockey player, and you just slipped on ice," you said, you were laughing so hard now you were pretty sure tears were going to be running down your cheeks.  

"I did it on purpose just to make you laugh," he said, but you could tell from the way he was looking at you and giggled at the end that he didn't.  "You're going to tell everyone about this, aren't you?"

"Yep," you said cheerfully, bending down to give Luna one last pet goodbye.   "We're going to go bring you home a sister," Will said, repeating your action, and you were smiling when you went outside, actually feeling quite a lot more relaxed.

You were turned sideways in your seat, watching Will as he drove a wide smile on your face and he glanced at you momentarily, before turning his attention back to the road, "What?" "You're gonna be a Dad," you said, and he smiled, rubbing your hand briefly before putting his back on the wheel, and you made a noise of disapproval.

"Sorry, I need to focus.  I promise I'll hold your hand for forever once we get there," he said, like his only mission in life was to get you to the hospital as smoothly as possible.  His eyes darted towards you again. "You okay?  Feel anything yet?" You shook your head.  "Just hunger."

He laughed, and yet, an hour later, you were still sitting in the waiting room in Labor and Delivery, because apparently every other pregnant woman in the vicinity decided to have a baby tonight.

"I guess we should have made a reservation," Will joked, but you just sighed. "No, we should have gone for dinner first," you said, making a small face and placing your hand on your belly, and causing Will to stand up suddenly, "Are you okay? Did you have a contraction?"

"I think," you said, shifting in your seat, "It doesn't really hurt.  It just feels tight." His eyes were searching the waiting room, and he finally spotted what he was looking for, instructed you to wait there, and then took off.  He came back a minute later and bent over, searching through one of the bags and pulling out his watch, holding it in his hand, looking back up and you, and then back at the watch, his leg bouncing slightly up and down.

"What are you doing?" you asked with a laugh. "Timing your contractions," he answered, going back to shifting his gaze between you and the watch again. You set your hand on his bouncing leg, trying to settle it, "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry," he said, setting the watch down and running his hand through his hair, looking back at the nurse he had been talking to before, "I just wish someone would tell me what to do." "I think we just gotta wait," you said, and he looked slightly keyed up at that answer, looking like he had enough energy to run a marathon. "You could text your family," you suggested, because it really seemed like he needed something to do, and you were pretty sure, in the next five minutes that you spend scrolling through your Instagram feed, that he had texted every single contact he had in his phone, with the way his fingers were tapping away.

When your parents finally walked in the entrance to the wing of the hospital, Will jumped up immediately, practically running over to your mom like she had all the answers. "Hey honey," they both greeted you, with your mom asking how you were feeling. "You guys haven't gotten a room yet?" your dad asked, and you shook your head, explaining that they were really busy, "What, the Toronto Maple Leaf over here hasn't got any pull?"

"Uh...." Will's eyes were darting back and forth in his head as if he didn't know if he actually supposed to have done something, and your Dad just started laughing, patting him on the back and explaining that he was only kidding.  

You got a room shortly thereafter and got checked, only to find that you were barely even dialated.  The next several hours consisted of walking laps throughout the hospital, bouncing on a labour ball, and watching some movie that happened to be on T.V.  Eventually, your Dad left to go check on Luna, and Will had managed to get the nurse to smuggle you in a Popsicle.  Not because he'd asked, but because he kept telling her that you were hungry in a cute, shy way.

Finally, you were deep in the throws of labor, and restricted to only ice chips, laying on your side in bed because it seemed to be the most comfortable, while Will fed you the ice chips from his seat beside the bed.  

"Mmm..." you mumbled, crunching away on the ice, "Sushi."  The only thing getting your through right now was pretending the ice was everything you wanted to eat.  You shut your eyes, breathing deeply, as another contraction rolled through your body.  Once it passed, Will took the wet cloth from the table, dabbing it across your forehead, and then smoothing your hair back.

"Once we're done here, I am going to buy you so much food," he promised, and you smiled weakly. "You're doing so good, love."

The pain was broken up when your Dad came back and showed you a video he'd taken of Luna, and then Will was Facetiming with his family, although he had to do most of the talking, mostly just bragging about how strong you were being.

"Ugghh," you scrunched up again. You were at the point where the pain was practically non-stop, and you'd barely get a moment to catch your breath, "Oh my god, my back hurts so bad."

You could see Will frowning in your peripheral vision, but really you were mostly staring at the corner of the room, the light bright in your eyes.  He was going to move around the bed, but your Mom got there first, pressing into your low back.  You were still moaning, your hands clasping the air, trying to move your hands towards him, because you couldn't talk.  He slipped his hands into yours, sliding even closer to you so his forehead was almost pressed against yours.  "Hey, look at me," he said softly, and you forced yourself to open your eyes, locking your gaze with his soft eyes.  He was breathing deeply, exaggerating each breath, and you tried to follow him as best as you could.  

"Oh my god," you cried when it was over, "Will, I'm so, so tired."

His face broke a little bit, and you could see him exchange a glance with your Mom over your head.  You were shivering, even though you weren't particularly warm or cold, your body covered with a thin sheet of sweat.  You'd made him eat earlier, but you hadn't had a real meal for probably 20 hours now. "I know," he said, "You're doing so, so good, love. I'm so proud of you.  You're almost there."

Your mom was soothingly rubbing your back, even as thoughts were running through your mind that that you couldn't do this anymore, and the nurse came back in to check you, sliding between your legs like she'd been doing every hour or so.  You were so used to it, you felt like you could be giving birth in the middle of the street, and you wouldn't even care who saw you naked.

This time, however, she seemed to be taking longer, and it felt like she was shoved all the way up in there.  You briefly worried if something was wrong, especially because there had been talk about giving you something to help speed things along if you didn't progress, but when she pulled away, she was smiling, "You're right there.  You can start pushing on the next contraction."

"Really?" you asked in disbelief, and she nodded. You glanced at Will, smiling.  

"Someone better order that pizza," he said, throwing his arm in the air.  All you wanted was a pepperoni pizza, and the nurses had promised that you'd have a slice in one hand as soon as you had a baby in the other arm.  

From there, the room was pretty much a flurry of activity, various people holding your legs, and your hand going from Will's back to your own legs, your Mom on the other side of the bed, constant encouragement surrounding you, and instructions from the doctor and nurses.  But all you could focus on was the pushing.  

"Her head's right there," the doctor said, "she's got a ton of hair."

Will leaned over and looked.  You weren't really sure if you even wanted him to, but he was so unbothered by that type of thing.  And you really didn't care, in that moment.  When he stood back up, he was beaming, which made you focus all your remaining energy into another strong push.  

You felt her slide out of you but heard nothing, and the doctor turned held her up, patting on her back, panting as you leaned forward expectantly, "Is she okay?" "Perfect," the doctor responded, patting her once more.  The baby made a little coughing noise, and then erupted into cries.  She was placed on your chest. and you were surrounded, people wiping her body off. 

"Oh my god," you cried, trying to bend your head to see her.  You could feel Will's hand cradling your head, and turned to look at him, where he was wiping his eyes with his sleeve, looking at the baby, and then back to you.  

He kissed you on the forehead quickly, looked at the baby once more, and then back at you again, "That was amazing," he said, "God, you DID that."

 He looked pumped, honestly, like he was on a high, and you could hear him laughing with joy and  sniffling, and you were pretty sure you looked just as high as he did.  He tucked around you, as you got to hold the baby properly, all of your faces inches from each other.  And even though there were so many people in the room moving around you, it felt like just the three of you.  And it was home.

[ukaia]

Spreading the Magic

Here’s the fourth chapter from the idea I got from the Youtube Video. [MMD X Jacksepticeye]Novocaine-Marvin the Magnificent & Dr. Schneeplestein “ it was created by Sky_Dragon_Queen. I encourage you to look at the video if you’re curious! Marvin has found a way to give each one of his family members a version of their own magic. It’s special for them, and each one is individual. today’s going to be Chase’s day, he made up his mind the night before, and won’t let anyone deter him from his decision!! No Matter what! Feel  free to create art if it inspires you. I mess up stick figures so I’m trying to do the art i see in my head with my words. As always please enjoy!!

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Chase Brody

It was afternoon when Chase approached Marvin. The Magician had been reluctant to perform the spell again. The ones left were himself, Robbie and Henrik. With the way things were looking, it would be possibly fairly dangerous for himself and Henrik. But today Chase was determined. Waking up with Jameson curled up against his chest, his lips parted as he slept and a happy little smile twitching at the corners was enough to make up his mind. Any pain he went though was fine, as long as he could protect his family. He knew he was the weakest out of all of them. Nothing but a sharp shooter, at his best, and a failed father who drank at his worst.

“Marvin” Chase said, his shoulders squared with determination. Marvin looked up from the spell book he’d been looking over curious what Chase would want... dreading the words he didn’t want to hear.

“I want you to do the spell to me. “ he said to him. His voice was firm and held no room for argument.

“Chase.. I can’t.. not after the others” He said shaking his head rapidly, his cat mask wriggled on his face, and he lifted a hand settling it back in place. He needed to replace the string that was holding it in place. It was starting to get loose, though that thought was a little distant note at the back of his mind, in the face of the determined father before him. He had to change his mind, make him see that this was just too dangerous. 

“I’ll find.. something else, some other spell that will--”He got cut off as Chase slammed his hands down on the table making the other ego jump, startled from the impact.

“I said.. you’re going to do the spell on me. “ he repeated firmly, leaning forward making Marvin shrink back slightly in shock. He’d never seen Chase quite like this before.He blinked rapidly under the others gaze.

“You realize it’ll be painful...and dangerous.. and.. well .. you could... could..” He stammered. Chase stared into his eyes, nothing but absolute will to do this was reflected at the other ego. He’d made up his mind, and nothing Marvin or the others could say would deter him from this.

“I don’t care. You’re going to do it. “ he said to him and leaned back. He crossed his arms staring at him

“You’re going to do it today. “ he said then turned and headed out of the room, leaving a stunned Marvin in his wake. 

Not even Schneeplestein threatening to not save his life deterred Chase from his decision. After a good deal of yelling, an arguing and threatening... that lead them to now.It was early evening, the golden light filtered into the training room from the high windows cast the entire room in an odd glow.

Marvin, looking anxious, was standing across form Chase who seemed nothing more then determined. Jakieboy and Schneeplestein were off to the side, the gurney and the medical bag at the ready. He knew he’d need them both. Henrik was still muttering curses under his breath about the stupidity of his brother, flicking between English and German. Jakieboy was there to help, he could probably keep from being thrown by the magic if things went in a direction they hadn’t expected.

“Are you.. are you sure about this?” Marvin asked as he looked at Chase’s blue eyes and the other ego nodded. He took in a deep breath, there was no going back from this, he flat out refused.

“I’m not backing down. I can take it. “ he said, borrowing one of Jakieboy’s phrases for when he was helping them sometimes. He clenched his fists and grinned at Henrik as another rather loud German cursing. It really was kind of cute how angry Henrik was right now. Though he’d not given the other ego much of a choice. He’d told him he could be there and save his ass, or he could wait and they could hope for the best. Jackieboy was shaking his head a bit, he was sure this was going to go better then they expected, at least that was what he was trying to convince himself. He gave Chase a thumbs up, and he grinned back.

“ lets get this show on the road Marvin. The faster you start the faster I can let Schneep get his tender lovin hands on me “ he said. Schneep raised his head scowling darkly at Chase.

“Ich werde dir "zärtliche liebende Hände" dir über eifrige, dämliche, sture ... Idioten zeigen!” He snapped at him looking angry. Chase just grinned at him, eyes sparkling.

“I’m gunna take that as an agreement that I’ll get nothing but the best from ya Doc!“ he said sticking out his tongue and Henrik just threw his arms up in frustration as Jakie tried not to snicker, covering his mouth with his hand, looking away as Henrik shot him a dark look as well. Marvin was feeling a little more relaxed now and he took in a breath.

“On with the show then... “ he muttered and raised his hands. He began to speak. The spell obediently went out seeking his target. Chase winced as the spell wrapped it’s self around him. Oooh yeah.. that was unpleasant. Still he grit his teeth, JJ had done it, Jakieboy had done it, he could do this. He stood, his shoulders trembling as he felt the magic wriggling it’s way into his body. It burned.. like being sliced open by a thousand knives frozen with liquid nitrogen. It burned and froze at the same time, he felt it flooding into his veins as it got past his skin. He trembled, his breathing coming rapidly as he felt the magic twining around inside himself, seeking out the channels it needed. Gods he was cold.. so cold.. it hurt like hell.. He realized when he gasped for air, he’d fallen to his knees at some point his hands clutching at his chest as he struggled for breath, struggled to focus, gods it was cold! He found his teeth chattering, and his entire body shivering with the ice that seemed to flow into and though him and burn at the same time. He wouldn’t let go, he wouldn't let them stop. He forced himself to try and welcome even more of the magic, and it responded by filling him, head to toe.. eagerly seeking out what it wanted. And then it found it, the place it needed to be and Chase screamed out as they wrenched at the closed channel. It wasn’t cold anymore,well, no he was, but it was so cold he was burning, agony soared though every fiber of his being, he was on his side on the ground, curled in a tight ball, struggling for every breath that went in, and went out. He wasn’t aware of anything but the unending pain as the magic forced the channel open wider and wider. He wasn’t even sure where the pain was emanating from, he couldn't place it, he didn’t want to. He just wanted it to stop.. he wanted the pain to end! He couldn’t breath, see, hear, speak..there was nothing but cold fire that burned him from the inside out, it consumed him whole. There would be nothing left of himself when the flames would burn out. Finally, blissfully he lost consciousness.  

The spell ended and Chase stopped his agonized screaming. His form that had been thrashing on the ground of the training room went completely limp and still. Marvin fell to his hands and knees his own breathing labored, and his vision swimming. He blinked as he tried to remain focused, and sit back up. It felt like that spell had drained most his energy, apparently with the harder it was for the one getting the magic, the more it pulled from his own supplies. He felt like a weak kitten, but he didn’t care.. he wanted to know how Chase was.

Henrik was already moving the moment he saw the magic end. The screaming from Chase had been... well he was sure that would be part of some of his nightmares soon enough. He dropped beside the still ego and touched him then jerked his hand back in shock, Chase felt like a block of ice. His skin was cold to the touch! He scowled as he leaned back closer, studying him, his skin was a bright pink red, but on his lips, the tips of his ears and nose, and the start of his fingers was a bluish color. He grit his teeth as he recognized the symptoms.

“Hypothermia” He hissed out, this magic was never ending bag of miserable surprises wasn't it? He was going to have to warm him up, and very carefully or he could damage him even worse. Jakie was already there with the gurney and reached down to pick Chase up.

“GENTLE!” he snapped at him. Jakie stopped short, eyes wide and unsure as Henrik snapped at him. Jakie didn’t mind the snapping, he just needed instructions as to not hurt his brother. 

“Very very gentle, ve can’t jostle him too much. It could cause damage. “ he said to him firmly. Jakie nodded, and very carefully lifted Chase from the ground, before Henrik let him lay Chase down on the gurney he put the blanket down over it, to keep him from touching any of the cool metal.

“Varm blankets, a lot of zem, I’m also going to need heating packs, and ze electric blanket” He said as he began to wheel Chase out of the training room. Marvin pushed himself to his feet, staggering to the side a bit before he began to follow the other two out of the room. Dammit.. he knew he shouldn’t have let him do this!!!

Henrik worked on Chase, warming compresses from his emergency kit  were placed at his neck, around his chest and between his legs, each one wrapped in a cloth to keep the plastic from directly touching his skin.. just in-case.. A blanket separated him from the electric blanket, that rest over his chest and stomach area, set to a low setting. He even had a set of towels, wrapped around another set of warming compresses around Chases’s head, careful not to let the items touch his skin directly. Henrik then got a IV going with warmed saline fluid, plus an oxygen mask with warmed, humidified air for him to breath. He made sure to monitored Chase’s temperature, breathing and heart rate very closely. When they had gotten into his clinic it was initially hovering around 85 for the core temperature, and his pulse was thready at best. Henrik had cursed quite a bit more, this was severely dangerous.

Over the next dozen or more hours, slowly his core temperature went up, and the signs of hypothermia began to fade from Chases’ skin. Henrik didn’t breath a sigh of relief until he saw  that the temperature had gone up to around 96. He was still in hypothermia mode, but now it was not as much in the danger zone as when he’d first arrived in the clinic. He collapsed back in the chair and rubbed his temples. His family was trying to kill him with stress over them... he was sure of it.. there was no other answer as to why in the hell they kept doing things like this to themselves and him. He looked at Chase’s sleeping form, the heart rate was steady, the breathing normal, everything seemed stable. Still, he was reluctant to let himself rest too much. Things could change quickly with an aliment like this, even in the “Mild” zone as he was right now. 

“Come on..” Jakie said, pulling Henrik up out of the seat and guiding him over to the cot on the other side of the lab. Henrik’s blurry mind took a few moments to catch up and he protested.

“No.. I am.. I am ze ok. I vill stay there.. he needs.. needs to be vatched.. “ He muttered in tired protest as Jakie kept a firm grip on him, not letting him go back to the uncomfortable chair he’d been in.

“You’re going to lay down, and get some rest now. I’m going to keep watch. If anything at all so much as twitches I’ll tell you. “ he said firmly pushing Henrik down on the cot, and taking his shoes off.  Henrik blinked bleary eyes up at Jakie and then he sighed slightly. He was.. exhausted. He’d stayed up over .. what was it.. 30 or more hours now, changing the IV fluids to make sure they didn’t get cool, adding more water to the humidifier attached to the breathing mask, and making sure the temperatures were adjusted to be warm but not hot or cool, changing out the warming packs. Henrik gave Jakie a glare, that Jakie met with gentle a smirk. Finally Henrik gave in with a huff. 

“Vy is evervone in zis family so.. so..  stubborn “ he muttered to him as he finally allowed Jakie to push him down onto the cot, and pull a warm blanket up over his chilled form.

“What can I say Henrik? Seems to run in our blood. Yours included. “ he smirked lightly. Henrik snorted and muttered something under his breath, but moments later his breathing evened out and he was dead to the world asleep. Jakie sighed and smoothed Herik’s hair for a moment from the pale tired face, before turning back to sit down in the chair next to Chase.

Once Chase had been initially stabilized he’d gone to check on Marvin,since the Magician hadn’t made it to the lab, and he knew that wasn’t a good sign. The Magician had been slumped in the hall, blinking groggily, and looking fairly out of it, small tremors ran though his body. Jakie had frowned and shaken his head, he’d seen Marvin like that before. Magic overuse.. the first time he’d seen him like this had been quite a long time ago. Seemed like this spell was doing havoc to not just it’s subjects, but the caster as well. Though, this really did strike him as odd. Marvin had been at full power when the spell had been cast..for him to be this drained, was.. well.. just odd.. 

Carefully he’d gathered Marvin up off the floor and carried him to his room.

“Bu.. bu.. chase.. “ he’d slurred out as Jakie had carried him down the halls. Jakie arched a brow slightly. 

“Gott ache.. “ He muttered

“He’s stable Marvin. You need to get some rest. You’re displaying all the symptoms of using  your magic too much. “ he said to him gently and firmly. Marvin muttered something else as Jakie reached his room, and pushed open the door. It didn’t take long for him to settle the protesting Magician in the bed and tuck him in.

“Rest, Then you can help Chase” he said firmly. Marvin had finally given in and fallen asleep.

Jakie leaned back in the chair watching the steady beep beep beep of the heart monitor. Something about how the spell was draining Marvin bothered him. He didn’t like how exhausted he was after this one. He tapped his fingers on his knees as he tried to puzzle it out.  When Marvin recovered enough to be fully coherent he’d have to ask him about it. Something just felt... off.

For now though, he’d sit and watch Chase, waiting for him to wake up. Hernik had said it might be a couple days before he did. But all signs were good that things were alright. Jakie sighed running fingers though his hair. It was frustrating.. being the one waiting.