#also super relieved i got it now just before my trip to france

[torrtimandi]

YAAAAS, FINALLYY. After almost two months got my coachella shirt!

[soulmate-game]

Not related to the other two Bio!mom Harley AUs that I did. Just... similar. I wrote this instead of sleeping, as per the usual.

—*—*—*—*—*

“I need your help.”

No accent, no threats of violence, no beating around the bush (figurative or otherwise). No fighting or unconscious bodies.

Just Harley Quinn with her hair down, no makeup, and completely serious, in the center of the Bat Cave. Even though her usual exaggerated Brooklynn accent (circa 1950s) had become a pretty inseparable part of her personality over the years, every now and then she forcibly stuffed it down and used her mostly unaccented voice. The one reminiscent of days with less colors on her face, a high bun, and a pristine white lab coat.

Every single one of the Bats and Birds present, fresh from an interrupted patrol thanks to her, could count the number of times they had seen Harley like this on one hand. Bruce would have the most recollections, but everyone else would have plenty of fingers left on said hand. So they all knew, especially when Bruce willingly pulled down his cowl so he could look Harley in the eye, that this was the start of something they were not likely to forget. And maybe their chances of survival were slim too.

“Harley,” Bruce’s voice was still gruff, seeing as he was still mostly Batman at the moment, but his eyes were soft. “Maybe you should tell us what you need help with first. And sit down. You look exhausted.”

Sure enough, there were dark circles under Harley’s eyes. She let Bruce-man lead her over to one of their debriefing tables and sit her down. She let out a huge sigh, her fingers tangling in her loose blond locks.

“I have a confession, and it isn’t gonna leave this cave, capiche?” The slight return of her accent relieved a little of the tension, but not much. Taking this as their cue, the rest of the bats spread out into their usual seats at the table. Bruce stayed near Harley, keeping a hand on her shoulder in silent support. Harley didn’t continue talking until he gave her a solemn nod in agreement. She gulped— an action that immediately returned the tension.

“... fifteen years ago, back when I was still with Joker, I disappeared off the Gotham scene for a few months. I’m sure a few of you remember,” she looked up, and a couple of the older vigilantes nodded. Really, Jason has still been Robin back then. But the memory stuck out in his head now that he was thinking about it.

“Yeah, you were breaking away from him a little bit, which was weird at the time,” Red Hood mused aloud, arms crossed. “I think you helped us out a couple times and did some of your first team ups with Ivy before you vanished. Then a few months go by and you were back in action with Joker, so we mostly ignored it as you just being you.”

Harley nodded. “Ah, my Ivy’s a lifesaver, even back then. She helped cover up the timeline by keeping me in action for longer than I should’a been without putting me at too much risk.”

“Timeline…” Red Robin spoke up, eyes huge even behind his mask. “You don’t mean—“

“Harley,” Bruce breathed, having also caught on. “You were pregnant?”

The air went still. Harley sniffed, eyes watering even as she smiled.

“Oh yeah. Shouldn’t have been possible, ya know? Me ‘n Joker being dumped in that damn acid should have made us both more sterile than an operatin’ room. But I knew I couldn’t raise a kid, so after she was born—“

“You kept her?” Damian interrupted, earning a gentle cuff over the head from Dick. Harley just snorted.

“Yeah. Not gonna lie, I thought about abortion. But the baby didn’t do nothin’ wrong, and I was still in love with Joker back then so I was ecstatic that I was able to make something new with part ‘a him in it. Still, I knew a baby didn’t deserve to be raised in Gotham. Especially not my baby, not with my enemies and history. Not with who her father was. I knew he’d never want her, never let me keep her. So I spent the last five months of my pregnancy lookin’ around for the best possible family to take her in. And I found them in Paris, France. A sweet couple, both of them bakers. Sabine, she’s both adorably sweet and super kickass. Comes from a Chinese family that is crazy about teachin’ their women martial arts. But nothing shady about it, I triple checked. Just bonding through kicking people in the face. Which is perfect, I wanted my baby to know how to defend herself. I knew she’d need those skills eventually. And Tom, that’s Sabine’s wife, he’s a gentle giant. Same size as Bane, but as harmless as a puppy and makes the best croissants ever. Seriously, the best.”

“Harley,” Bruce gently prodded, but there was a tiny grin on his face. Seeing her behaving so… so normally, so proud and reminiscent, was a rare treat. Bruce would be lying if he said he wasn’t proud of how far the woman had come. How she had freed herself and become a better person, mostly on her own.

“Right, right. The point,” Harley took a breath, rubbing her forehead. “I came clean to Tom and Sabine, but apparently they knew who I was the whole time. They just didn’t care— did I mention they are perfect? Anyway, once I explained everything, they agreed immediately to adopting my baby. They’d been wanting kids, but it would’a been too risky for Sabine’s health. That’s how I found them anyway, they were in the market to adopt. We named her Marinette. She took Tom and Sabine’s last names, hyphenated. We decided Quinn would be her middle name. And after that, I came back to Gotham and told myself that she was in good hands and I needed to forget about her. Cuz I was no good for her. I knew that. I went back to my old tricks. And then…” Harley chuckled, but it was self-depreciating.

“Then a few years passed, and I started breaking away from Joker for real. Then we broke up, I blew up Ace Chemicals while you guys were outta town doing Justice League and Young Justice shit. I started dating Ivy. And—“ she smiled softly at the table, clearly seeing something the rest of them couldn’t. “Then Ivy convinced me to go see her. Visit my baby, see how she’s been. And I did. Marinette was seven years old, but damn it to hell she was gorgeous. And say whatever you want about me and Joker— most of it will even be true— but neither of us are stupid. And she inherited all of our intelligence. All of it. She got my blue eyes. But she got his hair, which meant Sabine teased me relentlessly about ‘are you sure she isn’t that Wayne’s kid?’ And don’t make that face Bruce, you’d be lucky to have a kid half as beautiful as my Mari-pie. No offense, Damian. Anyway. Anyway, this is the important part. Or part of it.

“She sat there and listened to everything I had to say. Everything. A little seven year old, who could barely understand English at the time, and she listened without interrupting once. She never threw a fit, she wasn’t angry or confused. I told her about the things I’d done in the past— well, G rated versions— and she didn’t care. She called me Momma Harley right away, said she wanted to meet Aunt Ivy sometime soon, and started telling me everything about her that I’d missed. From that day on, she became my sunshine. The light of my life, and I still call her at least once a week every week. When I disappear for a few days out of the city? I’m visiting her—“

“You’re banned from international travel, Harley,” Dick scolded, but he sounded way too amused for it to work. He knew she had her ways, anyway. Nobody could actually stop Harley damn Quinn from doing whatever she wanted.

“—Ugh, she tells me the same thing every time! Disappointed glare and everything. I don’t know how I gave birth to such a goodie goodie, but somehow I did. Not important though! The important thing is, I’m always the first to hear when something new happens in her life. And we had decided that she wouldn’t visit me in Gotham until she was at least eighteen, but apparently she disobeyed me— which I should have expected honestly— and entered you guys’ WE international scholastic competition.”

“Oh no,” Bruce pinched the bridge of her nose. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The contest winner?” He finally pulled out a chair and sat down. “The winner gets an all-expense paid trip to Gotham for them and their whole class.”

“Exactly!” Harley threw up her hands. “Mari told me last week, and I’ve been trying to talk her out of coming ever since. But she’s inherited both of our stubbornness too, and she isn’t budgin’ a bit. ‘Momma Harley, I wanna see you and Auntie Ivy though!’ And ‘Momma, Gotham’s nothing I can’t handle,’ or my favorite, ‘Maybe you’ll finally get to see me dropkick someone three times my size then, and I’ll prove it.’”

“So that’s what you meant by you need our help,” Tim said as he leaned forward over the table. “Joker just broke out of Arkham yesterday. You want us to protect her.”

“I’d prefer if one of you was with her outside of the mask too, as often as possible,” Harley confirmed. “I can’t stop her from coming here anymore, but I also don’t trust Joker for a second. As soon as he sees her, I’m afraid he’ll make the connection.”

“She looks like him?” Damian asked, scrunching up his nose at the ugly mental image of Joker as a teenage girl. Harley shook her head, solemn.

“She looks like a dark-haired mini-me,” she corrected. “She even keeps her hair in pigtails as her way of showing support for me. And I know Marinette can kick ass, Sabine’s trained her well. But Marinette inherited more than I’d like from me,” Harley ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t notice it until she was thirteen. She got a crush on a classmate, and it was almost like watching videos of me back during the early days of— well, of Harley Quinn. Just without the crime and insanity. She didn’t even realize that she was almost stalking the poor kid until I pointed it out, and luckily I was able to put my doctorate to good use and we nipped that right in the bud ASAP. She never meant it that way, anyway. As soon as I explained things to her, she was horrified and immediately asked me to help her learn how to have a healthy relationship. That was a fun discussion,” Harley grimaced. “But she still gets attached to people really, really easily. Once she grew out of her crush on that boy, she adopted him as her unofficial brother. She already calls Selina “Auntie,” even though I’ve barely mentioned her to Marinette. She gets attached fast, and deeply. And I’m afraid that even after all the warning I’ve done, all the stories I’ve told her—“

“You’re afraid she’ll get attached to Joker just like you did,” Bruce finished for her, closing his eyes. “Because she knows he’s her father.”

“Yes,” Tears were slowly dripping down her face already, her hands curled into fists so tightly that her knuckles were paper white. “You know how he is. If he finds out she’s his biological daughter, he’ll immediately try to take advantage of that. And he’s far too good with his words for people like me and Mari. I’m worried outta my mind. Please. Help keep my baby safe from him.”

“We will,” Jason no longer had his helmet on, or the domino mask that he usually wore underneath it. All of them knew masks were merely formality with Harley nowadays. And he needed to look her directly in the eye so she could see how serious he was. “I can sign up as a bodyguard for the class. It won’t be weird, seeing as they’re tourists and this is Gotham. They also have several rich kids in their group if I remember right.”

Bruce nodded, agreeing with Jason. “That’s a good idea. I can lead the class on their tours of WE personally. That’ll serve the purpose of keeping an eye on her and shutting up the investors that keep begging me to make more public appearances for the sake of the company. Marinette’s name is already released to the news as the winner of the contest, so we can’t keep her out of the spotlight long. Tim, you’ll have to keep an eye on any and all pictures of the class. Try to erase or doctor the images with her in it well enough that connections between her and Harley can’t be easily made. Dick, you and Damian will be in charge of keeping an eye out for any activity from Joker. The slightest hint, and you notify all of us. We’ll decide on a case-by-case basis who is necessary to stick with the class and who goes after the clown.”

“She’s gonna sneak out of her hotel to stay with me and Ivy,” Harley admitted, bringing the (now slightly judgemental) attention back to her. She raised her hands up in surrender. “She didn’t tell me that, and I didn’t approve or suggest it! I just know my baby too well to not realize that that’s her plan. Could ya provide an escort?”

Bruce sighed. “This is gonna be an eventful month.”

[noona-clock]

Untitled - Part 6

Genre: AU/Fluff

Pairing: Junmyeon x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: Very slight mature themes

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |  Word Count: 2,981

“A... a trip?” you responded, holding your fork in mid-air and blinking a few times as you stared at him. “Which one?”

Junmyeon had mentioned upcoming trips to both California and Chile, and you were curious to know on which one he wanted to take you.

(You were secretly hoping it was California because then you might be able to convince him to take you to Disneyland.)

A soft smile tugged at your boyfriend’s lips, and he set his fork down gently on the edge of his plate. “Neither of those,” he answered with a shake of his head. “I want to go on a real trip with you. A vacation. Not for work.”

...Well, you wouldn’t lie and say you weren’t just a bit relieved.

Except maybe about the Disneyland part.

Ever since that first morning when you’d woken up next to Junmyeon, you’d been trying to figure out how you felt about being a part of that side of his life. He had continued to post about you on his story, and you had finally broken down one night and asked Junmyeon if he got any replies about them.

“Yeah, some,” he had told you. “Mainly just people asking who you are. I’ve never officially said anything about having a girlfriend, so people are just curious.”

You had told him he could mention you if he wanted to, of course. You were just still unsure about actually putting your face out there.

(Side note: The very next day, Junmyeon had posted a picture of the meal you ordered at dinner, and he had captioned it with “My girl knows how to order the insta-worthy food.” You seriously loved how he couldn’t wait even a day to take you up on your offer of mentioning you. Junmyeon truly had one of the purest hearts you’d ever known.)

So, yeah. You were fine with him posting half-hidden pictures of you on his story and talking about you in captions or vlogs. But actually being in a vlog? 

It just made you nervous.

Hearing he wanted to take you on a trip just for fun, just the two of you, made you happier than you could probably even express in words.

“I still want to take my camera and vlog,” he told you. Your brow began to furrow with anxiety, so he quickly added, “But just for us. I won’t upload them publicly. I just like to have the memories on film.”

Okay, well, that you could understand. You actually still watched Junmyeon’s videos frequently. In fact, you had watched his series of vlogs from Japan about four times over at this point.

“But where are we going?” you asked, leaning forward just a bit in anticipation.

Junmyeon leaned forward, too, reaching over and taking your hand in his. “We can go wherever you want to go.”

...Wait, what.

“Where...ever I want to go?” you repeated, wanting to make sure he had 1. really said that, and 2. really meant it.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but he pressed them together to keep it from getting too cheesy and excited. “Wherever you want to go,” he repeated.

You were still a bit confused... and bewildered... I mean, surely, he didn’t really mean ‘wherever.’ Because, obviously, your first thought was...

“Well, I want to go to the South of France, but that’s so --”

“All right, South of France it is,” he nodded. “I figured you would say that. How about Provence?”

“Wh -- but -- Junmyeon, you -- I mean -- you’re not serious, right?” you stammered, your eyes widening and your brow furrowing even deeper than before. “I don’t know if I can afford that!”

Junmyeon’s eyes crinkled as he laughed softly. “Baby, I wouldn’t invite you to go on a trip and then make you pay for it.”

Oh, my god. Was he serious?

“What -- no, I --”

“I don’t have to pay for most of the trips I go on,” he interrupted. “I can save a lot more money than I spend. And do you know how many airline miles I’ve racked up? We could fly around the world a few times, and I’d probably still have some left.”

Had you even realized how generous your boyfriend was? He was offering to take you on the trip of your dreams!

But, because you were you, you had to ask him one more time.

“Are you sure?” you asked, the wrinkles on your forehead getting ever deeper. “I mean -- we haven’t been together that long, and --”

“We don’t have to go anytime soon if you’re uncomfortable with it,” Junmyeon assured you, squeezing your fingers. “Or we can go somewhere closer to home. I just... I want to spend more time with you. And traveling is a big part of my life, but so are you now. But if you want, I can just take a week off and we can stay home, just relax.”

Even though Junmyeon was doing his best to cover it up, you knew he would be disappointed if you said you’d rather just do that. Like he said, traveling was a big part of his life. It was his career, but it was also his hobby. His passion. There’s really not much better than sharing your passion with --

Oh, my.

You’d been about to finish that sentence with the words “someone you love.”

There’s really not much better than sharing your passion with someone you love.

Love.

Before you could let yourself think way too much about that...

“How about,” you began, gnawing briefly on your lower lip. “We go somewhere much less expensive right now and save my dream trip for later?”

Junmyeon’s lips curved into a grin, and he brought your hand up to kiss the backs of your fingers. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

Before the two of you had cleaned your plates, you had decided to go visit a picturesque countryside town a bit closer to home. Junmyeon wanted to relax, and staying in a more rural area was sure to mean less Internet and cell phone service. He would be forced to relax and not think too much about work. 

But it also wasn’t too far away from a larger city, so civilization would be there if you really needed it.

Since your job as a writer was pretty flexible, Junmyeon had convinced you to go for a full week next month, in-between his trips to California and Chile.

(You were secretly still hoping he would invite you to California but only for the Disneyland thing.)

And you had also secretly decided that a trip to the South of France could wait until a much more important reason came along.

Over the next few weeks, you managed to only think about that little slip-up frequently. Which was much better than constantly.

And by ‘that little slip-up,’ I mean that time when you’d thought about the word ‘love.’ In relation to Junmyeon.

Okay, but like. Calling it a ‘slip-up’ sounds wrong. Because that implies it was a mistake. And it wasn’t! It was just... kind of... unexpected.

But was it, really?

Your feelings for Junmyeon had developed pretty quickly, especially considering how your first date had ended. You’d thought for sure you’d never see him again, but then, two weeks later, you’d kissed him. And it had only snowballed from there.

So, was it truly unexpected that you would think of the word ‘love’ after just three months? And that you would keep thinking about it during the fourth?

...Maybe not.

But you didn’t say anything about it because Junmyeon didn’t say anything about it. 

The two of you were pretty open and very honest with each other, so if he wasn’t bringing up the L-word, then you had to assume he wasn’t there yet. Which was totally fine! You didn’t expect him to be there yet, so it’s not like you were disappointed or anything.

You were a little anxious, though.

So, really, your trip with Junmyeon came at just the right time. You were so looking forward to a whole week of relaxing and exploring the countryside. And you were more than curious to experience what it was like traveling with Junmyeon, a travel expert.

He had slept over last night since your flight was fairly early in the morning, and it would just be easier if the two of you went to the airport together instead of meeting there. And, also, you just liked sleeping in the same bed as him. He’d done it quite a few times over the past two months, and you found you slept more soundly when he was next to you.

As it turns out, you also flew in an airplane with much less anxiety when he was next to you.

You weren’t a novice traveler, but you certainly hadn’t traveled as often as Junmyeon; flying just wasn’t one of your favorite things. But the fact that your boyfriend knew his way around an airport, didn’t seem nervous in the least, and held your hand through the entire flight helped ease your worries.

(Plus... he was able to score first-class seats with his airline miles, so that definitely made things easier. And a lot more comfortable.)

As you expected, Junmyeon took a lot of pictures from the very beginning. The two of you took numerous airport and on-the-plane selfies, though he didn’t post any on Instagram. They were just for you guys.

He did post other pictures on his Instagram story since he was just that type of person. Your trip wasn’t for work, but he still wanted to document it for posterity. And he made sure to tell his followers he was going on an actual vacation -- so no vlogs. (No public vlogs, at least. He had packed his camera and told you he had every intention to film like he usually did. The two of you would be the only ones to watch them, though.)

Since you had decided to go somewhere closer to home, the flight wasn’t as long, so before you knew it the two of you were grabbing your carry-ons and heading off the plane. Junmyeon didn’t let go of your hand for even a second, not even when he was helping the taxi driver put your luggage into the trunk.

Unsurprisingly, Junmyeon started filming as the taxi drove you out to your Airbnb, and you’d watched enough of his vlogs by now to know he would do a cool scenery montage set to some chill music.

It was honestly super interesting to see what it was like behind the scenes. You’d never really thought about what it was actually like to film his vlogs, so you realized now you were a little excited to be on the other side of the camera this time. Maybe you would ask him to show you how he edits a video, too, so you could experience the entire process.

You were glad Junmyeon was filming the drive, though, because the passing scenery was absolutely beautiful. As you drove away from the airport, the buildings got fewer and farther between while the trees and greenery got more plentiful.

A soft ‘wow’ escaped from your lips when the line of trees by the highway broke to reveal deep green rolling hills dotted with cows and a bright azure blue sky with marshmallow clouds. You were so used to living near a city that you’d kind of forgotten what it was like to be away from all the hustle and bustle of urban living.

Junmyeon squeezed your hand and then handed you his camera. Your eyebrows raised slightly, but you took it and pointed the lens out the window to capture the awe-inspiring beauty.

When the taxi pulled up to a small cottage at the end of a very long dirt driveway, Junmyeon paid him and thanked him for his service. As the driver turned around and headed back into the city, your boyfriend took back his camera.

He let out a sigh before he said, “It’s going to feel awkward.”

“What is?” you asked, gripping the handle of your luggage.

“Vlogging. It’s always awkward at first, but you get used to it. And you don’t have to talk or say anything if you don’t want to.”

“Okay,” you chuckled. You watched as Junmyeon held his camera out in front of him, the screen flipped up to show the two of you in the frame.

He pressed the record button and brought up a hand to wave at the lens. But then he immediately laughed out loud, bringing that hand to cover his eyes.

“What?” you grinned, nudging him with your shoulder.

“I was about to greet my viewers like I usually do,” he explained with slightly pinkened cheeks.

“So, just greet us,” you suggested with a soft laugh.

He turned back to the camera, waving again and grinning cheesily as he said, “Junmyeon and Y/N! Hello!”

You waved, too, but you could feel your lips forming into such an embarrassed smile-smirk. Junmyeon had been right. It was awkward.

“We have just arrived at our Airbnb, and I don’t think we could’ve chosen a better place to spend a week of relaxation.” He then glanced at you over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. “What do you think, babe?”

“I think you chose it,” you pointed out quietly, still smiling bashfully. He had taken care of everything, in fact, but you had happily let him. He traveled for a living; there was no way you would even pretend to know how to plan a trip as well as he did.

“This is true,” Junmyeon chuckled. He then lifted an arm and put it around your shoulders, pulling you close to him and pressing a kiss to your temple. “Are you excited?”

Your cheeks warmed, and you avoided looking at the camera like the plague. “Yeah,” you answered, feeling the corners of your lips turning even more upward. “Very.”

“All right, let’s go look inside,” he announced. He brought his arm back from around you and grabbed a hold of his suitcase before turning the camera around so he could film the outside.

Junmyeon had found a cottage guest house on a huge farm, and you weren’t sure you had ever seen such a cute little place in your entire life. The outside was white with muted green shutters, a gray tin roof, and a pillow-laden swing on the quaint front porch. A white picket fence marked the perimeter of the yard, and the most lovely pink and purple flowers lined the cobblestone walkway leading up to the front door.

The listing had mentioned farm animals and a pool up at the main farmhouse, so you knew the outside had even more to offer... but you were anxious to see the inside.

When Junmyeon opened the door, he began walking through slowly, narrating a house tour as you followed and gazed around with your mouth agape.

The living room was cozy with the sweetest little old-fashioned fireplace and no television in sight. The kitchen cabinets were painted the same muted green as the shutters, and copper pots and pans hung from hooks on the wall next to the stove. A peek into the bedroom awarded you the sight of a white wrought iron bed frame with a pastel blue checked comforter and lots and lots and lots of pillows.

To put it simply, it was the most adorable house you’d ever seen. It was basically straight out of a magazine all about cozy cottages. 

As Junmyeon popped into the bathroom, you rolled your suitcase over to the side of the door... and you couldn’t help yourself any longer. You hurried over to the bed and flopped onto it, landing on your back on top of the huge mountain of pillows.

Your boyfriend joined you not even a minute later, crawling onto the bed next to you and holding the camera up above the two of you. “You like it?” he asked, resting his head right next to yours.

You sighed happily before turning to look at him. And instead of answering, you simply peppered his cheek with kisses.

Junmyeon laughed, and you heard the soft beep of the camera turning off before he moved to pepper your cheek with kisses. A squeal escaped your lips, and Junmyeon began to transfer his kisses from your cheek to all over your face, eventually moving to hover over you.

He kissed your lips then, the atmosphere shifting from playful to tender as you moved to cradle his cheek in your palm. His lips pulled at yours slowly, and you savored the taste of his kiss, the feel of him on top of you.

Just when you were feeling the beginnings of butterflies in your stomach, Junmyeon pulled away. He went right back in for a few more quick kisses, though, and when he actually pulled away, he reached up to tuck some hair behind your ear.

“Thank you for bringing me on this trip,” you whispered. 

“You’re welcome,” Junmyeon whispered back, smiling softly down at you. “Thank you for... being you. For being mine.”

“You are very welcome,” you chuckled. You pursed your lips for another kiss, and as Junmyeon obliged, you couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of anticipation brewing inside you.

You couldn’t wait to spend a whole week here with him. You couldn’t wait to relax and spend time with him and kiss some more.

A whole week.

It doesn’t seem like a long time, but remember what happened in less than a week about three months ago?

You and Junmyeon met, had a very awkward first date... and then five days later...

I’m just saying. A lot can happen in a week.

Part 7

[sunkissis]

We landed back from Nice to Paris with only 48 hours to sleep, do some laundry and re-pack our suitcases, we hopped on a train at 5 am to the small town of Torino, northern Italy.

Why did I choose to visit Turin? (Torino in Italian) Well, I was planning a summer trip to Rome but I discovered most of the trains were sold out of first class seats and it only was a five and half hour ride to Turin versus a grueling eleven hour ride to Rome. Then I found the cutest Airbnb rental for less than €100 for two nights!  I knew it was worth spending a few days in a smaller town before our week in Rome.

This is my favorite meme

We took an Uber to Gare de Lyon at 5 am because it was too early to take the bus or Metro. Our train was scheduled to leave at 6:25 am so I may have overestimated our departure time. Spending an hour waiting, I never paid attention to how beautiful Gare Lyon is.

We had a long wait with no cafes open yet to get breakfast. Lucky for us, there was a piano in the station and a talented guy treated us to a rendition of Dr. Dre and Amelie medleys.

We traversed this gorgeous lake somewhere in southeastern France for ages. I need to find out the name of this lake but I am guessing it could be lac d’Annecy. I want to go to there.

We arrived at the Torino Porta Susa train station before noon. Let me say how much I appreciate a clean, not too crowded, easy to navigate train station like this one. We couldn’t use Uber so we walked to our Airbnb. It was unbearably hot so after 20 minutes, I was drenched and feeling grumpy. However, my mood lightened as we passed the beautiful buildings and quiet streets.

The city is so classic Italian and charming but also terribly hot. I was so relieved when we made it to our Airbnb and found an elevator in the lobby. It’s such a luxury in European buildings.

That stained glass window was bellissimo! The street we stayed on was quiet in comparison to our lively street in Paris. I am sure Italians take siesta hour very seriously.

Wow, we actually had to use an old skeleton key, so delightful! Our apartment was small but perfect. There was the perfect mix of modern and old-world. I adore the stain glass windows and wood beam ceiling.

I loved the balcony (although it was too hot to hang out there) but lovely breezes.

The bedroom had this ancient arched ceiling.

It’s always weird to me that most homes in Italy have a bidet. I honestly never used one. Someone is going to have to show me a tutorial, I have so many questions!

Our Airbnb host was super cool, he gave Antz an ice cold beer upon our arrival.

We needed lunch and gelato right away so we walked to the tram and headed to Old Town.

I love the curtains for shade on the balconies. Torino is so lovely, all I was missing was a convertible Fiat 500 like this beauty.

I really need to learn how to drive a manual transmission! I would drive this adorable car in a heartbeat if I fit inside.

Did I walk into the 1950s? Look how cute the street lamps are!

Balcony goals!

Prego Antz!

I can’t believe how incredibly beautiful this pharmacy is. I saw it on Pinterest and had no idea what the address was but it was easy to find.

Italy has my heart with this Accidentally Wes Anderson signage.

Liv got peach, Antz got chocolate chip and I tried cantaloup. I can’t get enough Italian gelato. Ice cream is mandatory several times per day in the Italian summer heat.

So of course we arrived during the awkward afternoon time of 3 pm – 7 pm when most restaurants were closed. We walked for hours looking for anything open but we ending up having to wait hours before 7pm. I don’t know how to time our travels so that we don’t end up starving in the middle of the day but it always seems to happen. We stocked up on some water and fruit from a convenience store and went back to our Airbnb for a nap before dinner.

Guess who overslept?! We slept right through dinner so we were starving the next morning.

Believe it or not, this was the first time the three of us brushed our teeth together at the same time. We all can’t fit together in our teeny bathroom in our apartment in Paris.

Thank goodness we found a cafe that was open but it wasn’t the bacon and pancakes breakfast we were hoping for. We settled for orange juice and pastries.

We left on a Sunday so most places were closed and it was brutally hot so we took the bus downtown to take some photos of Turin before our afternoon train to Rome. I was playing with the settings on my Nikon but as always, I ended up with blurry shots. D’oh!

Even Lulu was sweating.

I wish we could have figured out how to rent a bike but we proceeded on foot.

There’s something alluring about telephone booths, I suppose it’s the same appeal as a photobooth. It brings back nostalgia and I love the 1960s vibes. Also, how rad is that green mailbox. I love a good mailbox.

We loved these adorable tram cars. However, they weren’t going in our direction.

We saw this roof in the distance so we walked towards it. This building is the Mole Antonelliana which is now a museum of cinema. It’s believed to be the tallest museum in the world however the access to the roof was closed so we just browsed the gift shop.

The store selling these paletas saved our lives. It was deathly hot!

We took the bus back to our Airbnb and walked to the train station. We had a couple of hours to kill before our train so we hung out in a tiny shop with a little fan.

Turin was charming, very quiet, less tourists and slower paced. I wish we were able to try some food but we never seem to time it right. So 48 hours later, we were off to Roma.

Arrivederci Torino!

Off to Torino, Italy We landed back from Nice to Paris with only 48 hours to sleep, do some laundry and re-pack our suitcases, we hopped on a train at 5 am to the small town of…

[assbuttyourlife]

When We Were Young - Chapter Nine

Pairing : Misha/OFC

Warnings : Fire, trauma, PTSD, family members’ death (including child), therapy, flashbacks (not in every chapter), injuries, cheating. Long fic. Angst, fluff, Smut (yes, it’s finally here, I’m nervous)

Words : 4265

Summary : After her grandmother’s funeral, Lily must return to the place she lived in when she was young and has to confront the ghosts of her past. She will run into an old friend that she thought was lost forever.

WWWY Masterlist

AO3 link

CHAPTER NINE - BACK TO FRANCE

Lily and Katie were ready to fly to France. Katie was so excited to see her family again that she could have cried. She planned to stay with them the whole weekend while Lily would join Misha in Rome on Saturday, and they'd both be back on Tuesday for work.

“Do we have I direct flight?” Lily asked nervously. “Yes ma’am.” “I hate flying...” She whined, fidgeting on her seat while waiting for the plane to start moving. “Poor baby. Brace yourself, it's gonna be a long trip!”

And it was indeed a very long flight. It lasted almost fifteen hours, but Lily had been smart enough to take sleeping pills with her so she was all fresh when they arrived in Nice on Friday morning.

In the taxi driving them to Katie's place, Lily turned her phone back on and was startled to hear it buzzing constantly. She had tons of Twitter notifications and was suddenly very suspicious. When she opened her Twitter app, she turned to look at her best friend with a furious look on her face. If looks could kill, Katie would be dead by now.

“What the hell did you do?” She sneaked at her phone innocently. “What? I was bored and couldn't sleep.”

Of course she had to take a picture of her while she was sleeping in the plane, looking totally ridiculous and gross with her mouth wide open, and post it online, tagging Misha who retweeted and replied back!

@mishacollins What a stunning piece of art! Isn't she cutest when she drools? @lilyhagen

“People are freaking out now! They wanna know who I am!” “Relax! He'll probably explain. They won't bother you… maybe. Can we please enjoy this weekend?” A spark of mischief appeared on Katie's face when she thought deeper. “Orrrrr.... You could reply something super embarrassing about him so he will have to explain that to his fans in Rome and you’ll be fine!”

Lily rolled her eyes but considered it for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No, no, I... actually I have a revenge to take but... no, no I can't do that. You're a bad influence Katie, shut up now!”

Katie giggled happily but didn’t protest, knowing it was completely true. If Lily had to compare her to someone else, she would probably say that she was the female version of Darius, always getting her in trouble for something she usually didn’t do or wasn’t responsible for. She hadn’t thought about Darius for something like twenty years, he was her and Misha’s friend when they were young, but she sadly never kept in touch with him after she moved to Europe, and she suddenly wondered where he was or what he was doing at this moment.

“Alright, so let’s embrace my bad influence on you… What would you actually say if you had to find an embarrassing story about Misha?” “Are you trying to extort some dirty gossip from me or something?” “Nooo! I would never do that... You didn't answer the question though... I mean you probably have some stories about him that he wouldn't be proud of... considering you were young I assume he was your first... you know... and the first time is often... well...”

Lily's eyes widened when she understood what Katie was suggesting. “Who do you think I am? We were fifteen; of course he was the first!”

Katie shifted a little closer to her friend, very interested in this conversation. “How was it?” she whispered, winked and nudged at her with a dirty smirk on her face.

Lily had to roll her eyes at that typical demonstration of Katie's boldness, always putting her nose in others life, especially when it came to the naughty details. Lily tried to remember and pictured the scene in her mind though, and Katie didn’t miss the smile appearing on her face when she did. “It was... not as bad as I expected.” “What? That’s it? Oh, come on, Lily, you gotta give me something, it's me! You know I won't tell anyone! At least... where?” Lily sighed deeply but complied, trying not to give too much away. “In the barn you saw at the farm.”

Katie clapped her hands, almost bouncing on the car seat. “Oooh, not even in a bed, that's dangerous for a first time! I like! So... How fast was it? Did you... enjoy?” “Holy shit, Katie! That's personal, I won't say more, you know too much already, you perv.”

Katie leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms and pouted.

Good. Now she'll be quiet.

Lily leaned her head on the cab window, remembering that day while looking out absentmindedly.

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

October 1989 – Northfield.

Misha offered his hand to help her climbing up the ladder.

It was already late that day, and the sun was gone, so it was quite dark inside the car barn. Only a few weak bulbs were lit, giving the place a nice warm and cozy atmosphere, which was perfect for the occasion.

He wanted to give something to Lily, but he didn't want to be disturbed by his or her family. He originally planned to give it to her up on their willow tree, but as it was raining and a little chilly outside, he decided climbing inside the barn would be alright too. It was the end of the day, so he knew nobody would come here.

She sat on the hay and winced. “Oh, damn! It stings!” Misha laughed. “That's why I planned everything!” He showed her the patchwork blanket that she always had on her bed. He took it with him, knowing he would have to use it because it was a bit cold, but he actually laid it on the hay so Lily could sit comfortably.

“So... I needed some privacy, because I made something a while ago with your grandfather and now I want you to have it.” “Oh... That's sweet. What is it?”

Misha searched his pocket and got out a braided wooden ring from it. Lily's eyes widened. “You're giving me a ring? What's the occasion?” “Well, we've known each other for years and I never gave you anything while you and your family gave us everything... It's almost ridiculous compared to what you did for us, but I thought it would also... I don't know... symbolize our relationship or something.”

When she didn’t move or say anything, he thought maybe he would need to explain a little bit more. “Don’t worry, I’m not proposing or anything. I just wanted to thank you and that’s all I can give you. I just thought maybe you’d like it.”

She gave him a tender smile, touched by the fact that he was always so nice with her. He had this particular way of showing people how much he cared, just with small attentions like those, and she actually felt special.

She extended her right hand. “Does it fit?” Misha smiled back, relieved to see she was accepting the gift. “I don't even know.”

He slid it on her right middle finger but it was too large. He did it again on her index finger, then on her thumb, but it wouldn’t fit, it was definitely too big for her long and thin fingers. She saw a glimpse of disappointment in Misha's eyes.

“It's fine, I'll wear it as a necklace. I love it!” She leaned forward and placed a quick but tender kiss on his lips. “I love you.” She whispered.

When she realized what she’d just said, she looked down at her new ring, a little embarrassed. They had been dating for a few months now, but they hadn't said that to each other yet. She didn’t even know why she said it, she just didn’t think about it, it just slipped through her mouth like it was natural, but she suddenly wondered if she’d scared him.

She couldn’t even look at him anymore, which was a shame, because if she did, she would’ve seen Misha's smile couldn't be wider. He placed his index finger under her chin and raised it up a little bit, so he could look at her in the eyes. “Do you really mean that?”

Good question… Did she? She never really thought about it before, they knew each other for so long, it felt so good every time they were together, and it was so natural that she never had to deeply think about those things. It was just normal for her, he was here, and she felt good, happy and complete.  When he was away, she felt sad and empty, like some part of her was missing.

Was it love? Was it supposed to feel that way? To be honest, it probably was. She didn’t know a lot about this, but she couldn’t think about something stronger. She could easily imagine him being by her side for the rest of her life, and it was probably how true love was defined.

She sank into his blue eyes. “Yes… I mean it.”

Misha’s face lit up again with a huge smile that reached his eyes. “I love you too, Lily Hagen.” She didn't even have the time to smile back before he crashed his lips on hers.

That kiss was different. They had kissed a million times before, but this one was full of passion, and now she knew, full of love. Misha licked her lower lip, silently asking her to open her mouth, which she gladly did, and they explored each other's tongue eagerly.

Lily wrapped her arms around his neck while she laid back on the blanket, bringing him down on the floor with her, and they soon found each other lying down, still kissing hungrily.

Misha's hand traveled down her side, and he didn't even realize his hand had slid under her shirt, but he heard her moan softly in his mouth when he caressed her rib cage.

He broke the kiss, his hand not moving, and he observed her for a few seconds, not doing anything.

“I'm the luckiest guy in the world.” He stated, still eating her with his sparkling eyes. “Kiss me again.” She whispered. She couldn't get enough of his touch; she wanted him to touch her everywhere while kissing her.

He hesitated a second but finally leaned his head down and brushed his lips on hers. One of his hands was gripping her hair at the top of her head, the other still under her shirt, first caressing her stomach, then he slowly moved it up to play with her clothed breast.

They were used to that, it was not the first time they were that intimate, but something changed that day, and Lily wanted more now that she knew he loved her back. She needed to feel him closer to her. She wondered if he felt the same, so she tried something new, boldly placing her hand on his waistband and playing with his jean's button to open it.

Misha's body reacted instantly and he broke the kiss to grab her wrist. “What... what are you doing?” She stared back at him with a hungry look but blushed a little, thinking maybe she had been too harsh. “I... I want you, Misha... Please.”

Again, Misha's whole body reacted and she saw him twitch a little, definitely turned on by the fact she just begged him. They’d never been shy around each other, but she had never been that bold before and he sure liked it a lot. He was a little nervous though, not wanting to mess this up, he knew she wanted more than the usual touching.

The hand that was in her hair caressed her forehead tenderly as he leaned down to kiss her passionately. His mouth traveled to her jawline this time, leaving open wet kisses as he moved on top of her, trying not to crush her under his weight.

Instinctively, she slowly spread her legs and wrapped them around his waist, moaning loudly when she felt his clothed erection against her. She couldn't help herself, she ground her hips against his crotch, feeling the need for pressure growing, and it was Misha's time to moan, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Lily felt her breath quickening. Her head fell back and she grabbed a hand full of his hair and pushed his face deeper on her neck. She needed to feel his heat and his kisses all over her.

Misha sucked on her neck, right under her right ear, and she gasped, loving the sensation. It would definitely leave a mark, but she didn't care. She laid a hand on his back and gently stroked down to grab the edge of his shirt and lift it. Misha understood and helped her, taking his shirt off.

She laid her hands on his bare chest and caressed down to his stomach, then reached behind to stroke on his back, gently pushing so he would lay down and resume kissing her, but he didn't. He grabbed her shirt and lifted it too. She raised her arms above her head and helped him taking it off.

Misha slowly leaned down and left an open kiss right above her right breast. When she shivered and moaned, he understood she liked that a lot, so he did the same with the left breast, and she moaned once more. God, how he loved the noises she made!

Misha ground his hips and stroked his still clothed erection between her legs, and the whimper that escaped her mouth was so loud that she slapped a hand on it. He wanted to hear it again though, so he grabbed her wrist and pinned it above her head. The dark look he gave her when he saw her pinned like that under his own body was full of lust.

Lily put her free arm around his waist and slid her hand to cup his ass, pushing down for him to do it again. He bent down to bite on her earlobe, and pushed his hips forward one more time, moaning in her ear.

When she whimpered again, he almost lost it. He moved back up and knelt between her legs, then reached out for her jean to unzip it. He pushed down delicately, staring at her in the process to check if she was okay with it. When her pants reached her knees, she helped him and took it off completely.

“Your turn.” she whispered as she reached for his waistband once again. Misha was done wasting time, eager to feel her soft and warm skin against his, so he took his pants off quickly, placed his hands on her knees, slowly spread her legs and gently kissed her inner thigh, then her lower stomach. She breathed heavily as he kissed his way up to her rib cage, clothed breasts and finally reached for her neck, licking and sucking on it. When he pressed his body down on hers again, he gasped when he felt her warm wetness through her underwear.

She took his face in both her hands and pressed a wet open kiss on his lips. He kissed her back desperately, and she ground her hips again and again, unable to stop as the feeling of his hard bulge on her sensitive spot was too good.

“Oh God, Lily...” Misha placed his hands on the side of her hips, forcing her to stop moving. “If you keep doing this I will... Ugh!�� he didn't have the time to finish his sentence as Lily's hand grabbed his boxer's waistband and pushed down to free his huge erection. “I need you now, Misha.”

It was not the first time she saw him naked, but she knew this time would be different. She oddly felt relaxed though, and she couldn't wait any longer. Every cell of her body wanted him. “I don't have any con-” “I don't care.” She interrupted, placing a finger on his lips.

Now that wasn't very safe... He knew she was a virgin so she was clean, and he was too, but still, he wasn't ready to eventually be a father! “Lily, that's not very-” “Misha, I don't care, don't worry, it's fine. We're safe. You trust me, right?” She almost pleaded and he just couldn't resist her any longer. “Of course I do.” He left a quick kiss on her lips and pushed her black panties down before settling clumsily between her legs, his cock right at her entrance, but he didn't push forward, waiting for her instructions. “Are you really sure about that?” He softly asked her, staring into her green eyes, gently stroking her hair. It was torture not to move, he could feel her wetness on the tip of his now bare cock and that sensation alone was maddening.

“Yes. I'm sure. Just... go slow, okay?” “Of course.” He stroked her hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You're so beautiful, Lily.” He whispered. She smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips, then slid her hand between their bodies to reach for his cock. She nodded and guided him, realizing he probably didn’t know exactly how to do it without hurting her. To be honest, she wasn't very confident at this moment either, and she didn't know what to expect, but she tried to act like it.

Misha slowly pushed to enter her just a bit, and her head fell back instantly, both of her hands clinging to his shoulders. A loud moan escaped both their mouths at the same time when they finally felt their bodies connected to each other. Their hearts were racing, and Misha wanted nothing more than to push deeper and move, but he held back for her sake.

He observed her carefully, she was panting, still gripping his shoulders, and her eyes were closed tightly. “Are you okay?” He breathed, a little worried. She opened her eyes and smiled. “Very...” “Just… tell me if I need to stop.”

She relaxed a bit and nodded, so Misha kissed her one more time, pushing deeper inside of her, still very slowly, afraid to hurt her. He grunted in her mouth, not knowing how long he could keep it soft and slow, his whole body was shaking already. The tightness of her walls around his cock and the sounds that escaped her mouth were enough to make him come right away, so it took everything in him to hold back longer as he knew she needed to adjust to his size.

“God! Misha!” She was shaking too now. He was huge! Or she was too tight, she didn't know... It was a very weird and uncomfortable sensation at first. It didn't really hurt like she thought it would, but she could feel a stinging sensation inside of her lower belly.

As he wasn't moving anymore, she took the time to think about what they were actually doing, and her eyes watered. She had the man she loved inside of her, they were one, he was hers and she was so happy!

Misha froze when he saw she was about to cry. “Oh my God, Lily, what's wrong?” She shook her head slightly and smiled. “Nothing... I'm happy...” The relief was obvious on Misha's face. He exhaled and closed his eyes. Lily laid a hand on his lower back, the other on his shoulder. “Keep going, Misha. I'm ready.” She whispered.

He nodded and slowly started to move out of her, not completely though, and the sensation he felt when he fully thrust back inside her was so overwhelming that he started to shake again. He knew he wouldn't last long, but he really wanted her to enjoy it. He was smart enough to know she couldn't enjoy it as much as he was on their first time, but he certainly didn't want to disappoint her.

She surprisingly enjoyed it though. It was not the best sensation at first but she was getting used to it, and she even moaned again when it started to actually feel really good. She could feel his body pressing and moving against her clit while he was thrusting faster and faster inside of her, and that was absolutely delightful.

Misha shut his eyes and buried his face on the crook of her neck, holding her tight. “Oh God... Lily, I... I need...” She could feel his hot breath against her neck, and she heard the urge in his voice. “It's okay, Misha.” She panted and stroked the hair at the back of his head.

He sped up his pace, unable to hold back any longer, whimpering every time he pounded inside her, losing his steady rhythm. Lily suddenly screamed as she felt a shockwave of pure pleasure taking control of her whole body, making her dizzy. “Please, don't stop!” She pleaded in a high voice, afraid he would think she had screamed from pain. The second Misha heard her begging, he came inside of her, biting on her neck to not be too loud, his body shaking even more.

They were both out of breath when it faded away, and Misha collapsed on top of her. She gently pushed him so he could roll over and stop crushing her down. She almost regretted it the moment he got out of her, feeling empty and cold, but she laid next to him and put her head on his chest.

They stayed like that a few minutes, exhausted and catching their breath, and then Lily looked up at him. He was staring at the barn's ceiling light bulb with a weak smile on his face. “Thank you.” She whispered and kissed his chest. “For what? I feel like I'm the one who should thank you.” She smiled. “For making it perfect.”

He put a golden hair lock behind her ear. “Again... I should be the one saying that.”

He kissed her so tenderly she almost melted on the floor. When he broke the kiss, he looked at her with awe and was quiet for a while, gently rubbing his thumb on her cheek. “What is it?” Lily frowned and she almost thought he was sad, as deep and shiny as his eyes were. “I can't believe you're mine.”

She softly scoffed and shut her eyes. “How can you say things like that to a girl and expect her to not fall for you?”

They cuddled a little more and left the barn a few minutes later, as they started to be really cold. They were very careful to get dressed and clean in case they would run into someone. That night, Misha didn't sleep in the cottage. He sneaked inside Lily's house and they spent the night together, in the warmth and coziness of her bedroom. It soon became a secret routine that they never broke, until the night they were woken up by the smell of smoke.

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

Present day – Nice, France.

They arrived at Katie's parents' place on Friday morning. It was surprisingly good to be back in France. It almost felt like home for Lily who had spent twelve years here.

After some long minutes of hugging and crying to welcome their daughter back home, they greeted Lily, and they all had lunch near the beach in a small French restaurant. They went for a walk along the “Promenade des Anglais” right after. It was still very quiet and soothing as the summer season had not started yet.

They talked a lot, Katie's parents being as chatty as their daughter. She felt a wave of warmth hearing them talk about her grandmother, mostly to remember their best moments together.

It was hard to speak French after so many years not practicing though, but she eventually got used to it after a little while and it all came back easily.

They spent the rest of the day shopping in the old city, and after they had dinner at their house, it was already time for Lily to go to the airport to fly to Rome.

Katie gave her a tight hug before she got in the plane. “You lucky thing! You better take tons of pics and tell me every single detail.”

Lily laughed nervously. It was an awkward situation: Katie wanted to go to the convention really bad but she couldn’t, and Lily was super nervous to go and she had to because she promised Misha. “Yay me! I'm going to a thing I don't know anything about with total strangers!” “You could've watched at least one episode of Supernatural before this weekend, you know!” “Ehhh... See ya on Monday Kat. Be nice!” She winked and walked away.

She indeed was totally clueless about what to expect in Rome. She even felt ashamed to be unable to remember Misha's Character name...

Nobody will notice. I'll fit in perfectly. I’m doing this for Misha.

She didn't sleep on the plane this time, she was too nervous, but also happy and curious to spend a weekend with Misha and his friends in such a beautiful city.