#and 2 hours is me being optimistic for once

[pessimisticgh0st]

Prepare to get even more sick of me soon (I'm about to get even more annoying)

[afictionaladventure16]

A Little Unsteady (Tim Bradford x Foster!Teen!Reader)

Pt. 2

The Rookie Masterlist

Word Count: 4,162

Warnings: Mentions Sexual assault and abuse.

Authors Note: Requests for this fic and The rookie are open!

You woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and your heart leaped into your throat. 

“Oh no,” you jolted out of bed and quickly got dressed. “Fuuuck!” you muttered as you rushed to put your shoes on. Somehow the bed was too comfortable and you slept through both alarms, meaning you now only had five minutes to get to school. Five minutes to do your twenty-minute walk, which is now probably longer since you are further away. 

You ran out of the room and ran into the living room, “Whoa! Good morning to you too! Where are you going in such a rush?” Tim asked as he placed his coffee mug on the kitchen counter before walking over to you. Kojo quickly got up from his spot on his bed and began following you. 

“I’m going to be late for school!” You exclaimed. 

“Y/N” 

“Officer Bradford, I don’t have time for this, I gotta find my backpack and go to school. I have midterms com-” 

“Y/N, just hold on a minute.” Tim followed you as you walked back over to your room, Kojo trailing behind you, you looked around for your backpack. 

“I don’t have a minute,” you groaned in annoyance, “did I leave a backpack in your car?” 

Tim sighed, “Y/N, your backpack is in the car, I’m driving you to school and breakfast is ready. Now, go brush your hair and put on shoes that match and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” 

“I-I can walk.” 

“I’m not letting you walk to school, especially when it’s ten miles away. You’re going to have a proper breakfast and I’ll drive you to school afterward.” Tim began leading you to the bathroom, where you could properly get ready for the day. “But don’t take too long because classes start within an hour.” 

You rolled your eyes, “I don’t take long.” 

Tim chuckled and walked back to the kitchen. He couldn’t help but laugh at the scene you had just caused, the way Kojo followed you around like a lost puppy. He was loving it, loving the noise inside his home and the way things lit up. There was life and somehow he found himself being okay with this being a norm. 

Tim didn’t sleep much the night prior, he spent most of his time tossing and turning, weighing out his options. There was one in particular that was heavy on his mind, one that he felt like it was the best for not just you, but him as well. He wasn’t even sure where to start, but he knew that when he spoke to Sasha today he would find out more. 

His mind wondered if it could be possible to make you stay at his place for a little longer, Maybe something long-term, something safer and reliable until you went to college. 

He wasn’t sure how you would feel about the idea, but he knew he did not want to bring it up until he had spoken to Sasha. Once he was sure it would be possible then he would bring up the idea to you. For now, he had to remain quiet. 

Five minutes later you came back out to the kitchen, your hair a little more tame and your shoes now matched. “Toast?” Tim asked as he placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of you. 

“Please,” you said as you began to eat the food in front of you. 

Tim placed a piece of toast on your plate. He leaned against the counter as he drank his coffee. 

“Thanks for letting me stay the night,” you commented. 

“I’m gonna be picking you up after school, you can leave your things here while you’re at school.” You gave him a nod, “I’ll give Sasha a call and see what we can do for you, alright?” 

“Sounds like a plan,” you sighed. “She’ll just be sending me to another home and we’ll be doing the same thing over and over again.” You began, pushing around the food on your plate with your fork. 

“Who knows, maybe this time it’ll be different.” 

“Didn’t take you as an optimist,” you retorted. 

Tim rolled his eyes, “we should get going if you don’t want to be late.” 

“You’re right,” you got up from your spot and followed Tim out to the car. 

Throughout the drive to school, you rummaged through your backpack, panic was beginning to settle in when you couldn’t see the essay you had worked on the day before within your folder. “Fuck,” you whispered to yourself. 

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked. 

“I Uh-” You sighed in defeat, as you zipped your backpack up, “I lost my paper that I’m supposed to turn in today during fourth period.” 

“Where’d you last see it?” 

You remained silent, trying your best to think back on when you last saw it. You remembered placing it in your duffel before moving spots, you had been working on it when you decided on moving spots. That was when Tim saw you. “Fuck,” you groaned, “it’s back inside my duffel.” 

“Wanna go back and grab it?” Tim offered. 

“No, I can’t be late to my first period, we have a test and if I’m even late by a second I get docked by five points.” 

“It’s just five points,” Tim commented. 

“And if I miss a question it’s another five points, I can’t take those chances.” 

Tim couldn’t help but notice how you were being so hard on yourself, especially when it came to your schoolwork. On one hand, he was impressed with how serious you were on your school work given what you were going through, but on the other, it felt like you were being too hard on yourself. 

“It’s fine, I’ll have to take the L.” 

“Take the L?” 

“Take the loss?” you looked at him in disbelief, “You’ve never heard of that term?” 

“I don’t know if it’s obvious but I don’t spend my time learning all the new terms you kids make up almost every single day.” 

“The grey hairs make it a little bit obvious,” you muttered to yourself. 

“I do not have grey hairs!” Tim glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. 

You smirked, “Made you look.” 

Tim rolled his eyes, and he pulled into the school drop-off lot, “Alright, I’ll be here at three to pick you up.” 

“You know you don’t have to,” you said as you got out of the car. 

“And I said I would make sure to keep you safe. So, meet me here at three, alright?” 

You gave him a nod before closing the car door and making your way inside. Tim made sure you made it inside, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust you, it was more so that it was a habit of his. To wait until the person that he dropped off got safe inside. 

Once Tim made it home, he got ready for his daily run with Kojo. It was like clockwork, but this time he started it late since he had to drop you off. He wasn’t complaining, it was just something he had to adjust to. Today he decided to walk back home instead, but when they were almost home, Kojo decided he had enough. 

“Get up, Boot! “Quit” is a four-letter word. Do you hear me? Failure is not an option,” Tim yelled at Kojo, but the dog just stared at him. Part of Tim missed having Lucy as a boot, but he’d deny it if someone asked. Tim sighed, “Oh, come on, man. We’re almost home.” Tim felt his phone buzz, and he quickly took it out to find a message from Angela. He smirked to himself, she was just the person he was about to call. 

“Let’s go,” Kojo was quick to get up. 

Back at the house, Tim walked into the spare bedroom. “It feels wrong doing this,” he whispered to himself as he looked around. He didn’t have to look for long because the papers you had been looking for were on top of your duffle bag. He grabbed the papers and made his way out of the house. He texted Angela that he was on his way, but had to make a quick pit stop. 

He was thankful that the school was on the way to where Angela was, He walked into the front office of the school. 

“Hello, can I help you with something?” An older lady behind the counter said with a wide smile. 

“Yes, I am here to drop off something for Y/N L/N.” 

“Sure, let me just see what class she is in, right now. Give me one second, hon.” 

Tim waited as the receptionist searched through her computer. “Looks like she’s in biology right now, I’ll just call the classroom and have Mr. Gomez send her up.” 

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Tim walks over to sit down on one of the chairs nearby. He waited for a while until he heard footsteps nearing. 

“Morning, Ms. June,” He heard your voice. “I was told to come see you?” 

“Good morning, Darling. Yes, there is a handsome gentleman here to see you.” She gestured to the direction in which Tim was sitting. 

You quickly turned to the direction she had gestured at, confused to see Tim sitting there. Your heart began to race, and your mind started jumping to conclusions. Was this it? Was this the moment that someone told you that your mom was dead? “What happened?” you asked. 

“Nothing happened, I only came back here to give you this,” he handed you a few pieces of paper. 

You couldn’t help but smile, “my paper!” you exclaimed. “T-Thank you!” You looked at him in disbelief, “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” 

` “Just promise me this paper is at least B-worthy.” 

“Given that I spent 10 hours over the weekend just editing it, I’m hoping it is A worthy.” 

“10 Hours?” you shrugged, “Alright, well, get back to class, would hate to have you miss anything important, Nerd.” 

You rolled your eyes, “Thanks, Officer Bradford.” 

Tim sighed, “How many times do I have to tell you, you can call me Tim?” You rolled your eyes and walked back to class. You could recall the first time Tim had asked you to stop calling you Officer Bradford, it was one of the first times he had done a wellness check shortly after Rachel had left. If you were honest, you thought once Rachel left that he would have forgotten about you. So, you were surprised to see him at the door that evening. 

– Then –

It had been a week since Rachel left, and her goodbye was bittersweet. Part of you wanted to beg her to stay or to even take you with her, but you withheld your tongue. Thankful for all the things she had done for you and hopeful that she could do the same for other kids in New York. 

Now as you sat on the bed in your bedroom, which was also a laundry room, you began to wonder if anyone would ever care for you the way Rachel did. 

You could hear muffled voices coming from outside, you walked over to the window to get a glance outside. You could see a cop car parked on the side of the street, something within you knew that you had to go see who was outside. 

Tim walked up the steps, although his heart was still aching about Rachel leaving, he couldn’t get rid of this feeling that he needed a check-up on Y/N. He had been informed that she had been taken to a new foster home only a week ago and he hoped this home was better than the last. 

He knocked on the door only to be greeted seconds later by an older-looking man with a beer in his hand. “Can I help you?” 

“Good afternoon, I’m just doing a welfare check on Y/N.” 

“Well, She’s fine, thanks for checking,” the man began to close the door. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m gonna have to hear it from her that’s fine,” Tim insisted as he placed his foot in between the door to stop it from closing. 

The man rolled his eyes, letting out a deep sigh, “She’s not home,” he shrugged.

Tim smirked as he spotted Y/N peaking around the corner from behind the man, “Hey, Y/N, it’s me, Officer Bradford!” The man quickly turned around, glaring at the young girl behind her. Tim was quick to see the fear appear in her eyes, he knew right then and there that he had to get her out of this house. “Mind if we talk for a bit outside?” 

The man stepped aside giving Y/N the space she needed to walk outside. The door was quickly closed behind her, “How are you?” 

“Peachy,” you stated as you sat down on the steps. Tim followed your lead but decided standing would be best. 

He scanned your body, noticing newly formed bruises on your neck and arms. He knew the ones of your arms were from defending yourself. He clenched his jaw in anger, letting out a deep sigh, “How long have they been hurting you?” 

You crossed your arms, trying to hide the bruises. “At this point, I think I deserve it. Sometimes I just don’t know when to shut up.” 

“No one deserves it, especially a kid.” 

“It started yesterday,” you began, “It was just once, otherwise they’ve been really ki-” 

“Don’t defend them, especially when the man himself didn’t even want to call you to the door for a welfare check. I’m getting you out of here,” Tim stated. 

“To go where? Another home with the same result?” You shook your head, “I’m better off here.” 

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but one night in the shelter won’t be too bad.”

You scoffed, “Then I’ll have all my things taken from me.”

“If that’s what you are worried about then you can leave your things with me and take what is essential,” Tim offered. He hated that this was his only option for you, but it was better than staying another night in this home. He wanted to prevent something from happening to you again. 

You let out a defeated sigh, “you’d do that?” 

“I’ll even pick you up from the shelter in the morning and take you to school,” Tim could see that you were thinking it over. He stood there hoping that you would take the offer. 

“Fine.” Tim gave you a soft smile before ordering you to go get your things. He had called in his findings and asked for a backup. Nolan had arrived minutes later, arresting your foster dad for child abuse.

You watched as Nolan put your foster dad in the back of the shop, “is that everything?” Tim asked. 

You had felt like you were forgetting something, “Um,” you began as you quickly rummaged through your duffel. “Fuck!” you dropped the duffel and ran back inside the home. You ran inside the room you had been staying in, quickly spotting the tan-colored leg, of a stuffed animal, under the bed. You grabbed it and ran back outside, earning a raised eyebrow from Tim, “I need you to keep him safe,” you stated as you handed him to Tim. 

“A stuffed Bunny?” Tim questioned as he took the bunny from you. You gave him a pleading look and Tim quickly understood, “I’ll keep him safe.” Tim gestured for you to follow him to his truck, Tim had contacted your caseworker, while you were packing, who, in turn, asked Tim to take you to the shelter. In other circumstances, Tim would have probably said no, that he had other things to do but that wasn’t the case this time. Tim wanted to take you to the shelter. He needed to make sure you were safe and from there on, he did. 

– Now – 

“This is the kid you’ve been checking up the past couple of months, right?” Angela asked as she looked at herself in the mirror. Tim had come over to the bridal shop to help Angela pick a dress and frankly, he needed advice right now. 

“Yeah, and I’m waiting on a call from her caseworker and… I think I want to foster her. Like, is it crazy to want to foster her?” 

Angela shrugged, “Maybe, but maybe it’s because you think you should’ve had a kid by now so you’re in this mindset of wanting to be some type of father figure to something.” Tim looked at Angela dumbfounded, “or maybe it’s just crazy,” she added with a smile.

“So, should I do it?” Tim asked. 

Angela sat down beside Tim, “You want my honest opinion?” he nodded, “I think you should. I feel like this will be good for you and who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.” 

Tim smiled, “Thanks, Angela.” 

Angela smiled, “Now be honest, you sure this dress doesn’t make my belly look big?” Tim rolled his eyes and laughed. 

It didn’t take long after for Angela to find a dress she liked and once she did they were out of there. She insisted on bringing over cake samples later for him to help her decide, part of Tim thinks she used it as an excuse to just meet you and get to know you a little better. Yet, Tim didn’t say no, because the other part of him wouldn’t turn down cake if it was offered. 

Once Tim had left the Bridal shop, he decided to give your caseworker a call, tired of waiting on her. 

The phone rang a few times before she picked up, “Hello?” 

“Hey, Sasha, it’s Tim!” 

“Oh, Tim! Hey! I am so sorry, I meant to call you back right away I just got caught up on some stuff” 

“It’s alright, don’t have to explain. I understand how hectic it can be.” 

Sasha smiled through the phone, “What can I help you with?” 

“Well, like I said in the message, I found Y/N last night and she’d been living under a bridge the past week. So, I took her in for the night and now I’m wondering if I can foster her. I know there's probably a lot of paperwork that needs to be done an-” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Sasha interrupted, “I think it’s best if she stays with you, I’ll talk to a judge and see if we can get you emergency custody until I can get started on the paperwork. At this point, I have no other place for her to go.” 

Tim let out a relieved sigh, there was hope, “Anyway I can get the rest of her stuff from her previous foster parents? I know she carries around this stuffed bunny and… well it’s probably not important.” 

Sasha had never noticed the bunny, but then, she never thought to notice. “Y-yeah, I can send you the address and notify them that you’ll be there soon to pick up her things.” 

“Another thing, Um- Y/N mentioned that her foster father he um- he watched her shower a few times.” 

Sasha took in a deep breath, “that’s heavy.” 

“Yeah, look, if it were up to me this man would be behind bars.” 

“I’ll call it in, get him off the foster list, and see if we can get him convicted.” 

Tim sighed, “Alright,” if it were up to him, the man would be six feet underground by now. But it wasn’t up to him. 

“I’ll text you the address right now, and maybe it’s best if you have someone else with you when you go.” 

Tim chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’m angry but not stupid, Sasha.”  Sasha said her goodbyes. It was only a minute after when Tim got an address sent to his phone. 

It didn’t take Tim long to get to your foster parent’s home. Once he had gotten out of his truck a man waited on the porch for him, “Hey,” Tim said coldly. 

“I assume you’re Tim,” the man said in a rough voice, Tim gave him a nod. “All her shit is in this bag,” the man said as he gestured to the garbage bag that was leaning against the wall of the house. 

Tim walked over to the bag and began rummaging through it, “um, there’s this stuffed bunny-” 

“I threw it out, she’s too old to be holding on to shit like that,” he scoffed. 

Tim rolled his eyes, “Come on, man. It’s more than that to her.” 

“Well, if you’re gonna be such a bitch about it, it’s in the trash up front.” The man gestured to the pile of trash that was waiting to be picked up. Tim felt his blood boil, but he had to control his anger. The last thing he needed was to lose his cool, not only would he potentially lose his job, but he could lose the opportunity to give you a safe home. 

Tim gave the man a nod, “Thanks,” he picked up the bag, he then walked over to his truck, and placed the bag in the backseat before walking over to the trash to search for the bunny. 

“Alright, Mr. Hops,” he muttered to himself, “if you could hop on out that would save me a whole lot of time.” After pushing aside a bag or two, he spotted Mr. Hops with ease. “Ah-ha!” Tim smiled to himself as he grabbed the bunny and walked over to his truck. 

Tim drove back home to put your things in your room. Well, the guest room, which is now your room. Tim couldn’t believe it when he thought, that his guest room was no longer a guest room, but your room. Tim found himself excited for what was to come, hopeful that you would be excited too. Yet, he had this fear within him that you wouldn’t be excited.

He glanced at his watch, “fuck!” he muttered as he realized the time. Running out of the house and to his truck, he was going to be late to pick you up and he didn’t want to risk you leaving, thinking that he would never show. Tim parked in the pick-up area at the high school, watching as kids walked out of the gates. He spotted you quickly, smiling as you were already making your way to the truck. 

“Hey!” Tim exclaimed as you hopped into the truck, quickly putting on your seatbelt. “How was school?” 

You shrugged, “‘s alright, I guess.” you sighed, “Any luck with Sasha?” You had been anxious about it all day, just wanting to get it over with, were you going to spend the night at the shelter or another shitty foster home? 

Tim nodded as he drove away from the school, “I did actually. We uh- found you a foster home and they’re really excited to take you in.” 

“Same old story,” you rolled your eyes. 

“They actually requested for me to take your things straight over so you could go straight to their house right after school,” Tim stated, he couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. 

“Jesus, they sound… controlling.” 

Tim shrugged, “who knows, maybe they won’t be that bad.” 

“What about my things from my other fos-” 

“I already picked up your things from there,” Tim interrupted. 

“Oh,” you whispered. You didn’t know why you felt sad that Tim was so quick with his responses, so quick to find you a new foster home. Part of you liked staying with Tim, even if it had been one night, it had been the safest you felt in months, maybe even years. 

“Here we go,” Tim stated, you felt the truck go up a driveway, and you looked out to see where he had taken you. You quickly looked over at Tim with a confused expression. 

“W-wait, I’m confused, I thought you said you were taking me to-” 

“I did,” Tim interrupted. 

“But this is your house,” you stated. 

Tim nodded, “I spoke to Sasha and I told her that I think it’s best if you stayed with me for the time being and she agreed.” Tim couldn’t help but smile as your face lit up. 

“You’re going to foster me?” 

“Yes, if that’s okay with you, of course, if not I can call-” 

“No! I mean, yes! This is perfectly fine with me!” You smiled from ear to ear, “thank you, Tim.” 

Tim smiled, “Of course,” he cleared his throat, ”Now how about we get inside so you can unpack and I’m thinking pizza tonight?” You weren’t going to argue with his ideas, you followed him inside and went straight to your room. Staying with Tim was probably the last thing you thought would happen, but you were happy that you were, but somehow you felt like this was only the beginning of something. 

Taglist: @reignsboy19 @halsteadstyles @daffodil0darling

[mickyschumacher]

𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒  .ೃ࿐

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: you were in love with f1's beloved honey badger and you had been for almost year. but why in the world had you instead fallen for his teammate? or in which infidelity has laid it's sticky little hands on you.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: slight angst, infidelity naturally, falling out of love, steamy makeout sesh, suggestive content, pining, sad boy hours for daniel, lando being kind of a sneaky bastard, age-gap between reader and boys (8 years for dan and 2 years for lan), reader born in australia, set in 2020/2021, false or incorrect marine biology lingo and protocols lol, mention of crossiant horner, poor explanation of f1, mentions of insecurity, proof-read...ish

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: daniel ricciardo x marine biologist!female reader, lando norris x marine biologist!female reader

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 4k+

𝐀/𝐍: i felt bad for not posting so here's me digging into my reserves! written when i did more song-based fics!! i wish life wasn't so busy 🤧 i have started a few thingsssssss but it's definitely going to be a while before i post them sorry 😣

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

⋆  •°.  。  .°•  ⋆

You, honestly, were a normal girl. Mundane as mundane gets. Never once had you imagined of cameras, headlines and the need for a PR specialist in your life.

But it's what you had gotten. That's what Daniel Ricciardo came with.

You had met the Australian on pure accident. It was late 2020 and the season had just come an end. Hamilton was a six-times World Champion and Daniel had his last season with Renault. He hadn't got the result he wanted but he was optimistic about his future with McLaren. So eventually, he headed home to Australia for the Christmas holidays.

Now you would like to consider yourself a well-versed Australian. Especially considering you were born there. Robert Irwin was the most beloved Australian for years to come and Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth were your Aussie reps in America.

Somehow, however, you had never really got F1 or Formula One. That's not to say you hadn't heard of it. Honestly, for the past few years it was difficult to pass Albert Park in the summer of March without it flashing in front of your eyes. But if someone were to ask you anything about it, you would blink blankly and apologise.

Which is exactly what you did in early December. You were out having lunch with your closest friends at a local cafe, catching up on the year in the fresh yet skin-damaging Aussie sun.

You were in midst conversation when a brunette girl politely interrupted you. "Hi, sorry. This is going to sound really weird. I'm doing this on a bet. But do all three of you know that man over there? In the hat?”

You looked over to her table full of people. It seemed like she was with her family and friends. You and your friends zoned on the man in the hat, a guy who was trying to not make it obvious that he was aware of what was going on.

You scrutinised him carefully and unsurprisingly, you didn’t know him. Surprisingly, you did find that he was attractive. The curly hair, the scruff… you wondered whether he was actually Australian because no men in Australia looked like that.

Your two friends nodded while confirming with one another. “It’s Daniel, right? The driver?” One of them asked.

Your other friend hummed in agreement.

The brunette looked over at you. You blinked at her as your face slowly morphed into an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

The brunette, which you expected to be somewhat sad about it, ended up smiling while your friends’ faces dropped.

“Thank you! Oh my god. You have no idea what you’ve just done!” The brunette laughed loudly, capturing the attention of her table. She pointed at the man in the hat, clutching her stomach. “She doesn’t know who you are, Danny. Take that!”

Similarly to your friends, the male’s face dropped. He looked at you and tilted his head.

When Daniel actually saw you for the first time, he was in shock. Not the type of shock of an Aussie not knowing who he was. But rather the shock of being in the presence as someone as beautiful as you.

Your eyes were tantalising and your apologetic expression was cute.

He waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s okay. I’m just an F1 driver.”

You nodded in slow understanding. Maybe you had in fact seen his posters in Albert Park. Honestly, you couldn’t be sure. Life as a marine biologist was busy and all over the place. Recognising celebrities or athletes was kind of the last thing on your mind.

━━━━━━━━━━━

That day you went home with the expectation of a normal tomorrow. One where you were out at the ocean and exploring the waters you had loved so much.

You wish you could say it came as a shock to see that same curly haired man on the wharf, but given the current temperatures that heavily contrasted your winter, it was reasonable as any other Aussie here.

What you didn’t expect was you passing him to get to your boat and then hearing a voice enter the air. “Hey! Excuse me. Sorry. You’re the girl from yesterday, right?”

You turned to the man, hand over your eyes to protect yourself from the harsh rays and take a closer look at him. Just in case it wasn’t him.

“Uh, yeah? You’re the driver, right?”

Daniel gave a wide smile, extending out his hand. “I’m Daniel. Daniel Ricciardo.”

Oh my. What a smile he had. The type to make you feel happy just by looking at it. You couldn’t even help but smile in response. You reached out to shake his hand, not ready to feel a weird sort of spark between the two of you.

“I... I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

Daniel slowly removed his hand from yours, grabbing any last second he could. He eyed the briefcase and scuba gear in your hands. “You diving?”

You looked at your equipment. “Well, testing. I’m a marine biologist. Although, I guess I’m still diving.”

Daniel pursed his lips. Now he had to get to know you. You were beautiful and a marine biologist. An Aussie dream.

“Oh yeah? What are you testing?” He queried with a raised brow,

“Oh! Uh, currently things like the local fish populations in decline. Their habitat. Whether they’re safe or not. Algae growth. Predators. pH levels. All the fun stuff...” You sheepishly trailed off once you realised you began rambling.

You didn’t know but in that moment Daniel was in awe of you. The twinkle in your eyes that rose once you talked about your work. Like your work was your passion. That’s how he felt about F1.

You watched Daniel nod as if he were actually interested. “Do you mind if I come with? I won’t contaminate anything. Promise.”

You mended your brows together. It wasn’t uncommon for people to ask to join. But the way Daniel said it… like it was something he had to do or he would regret it for the rest of his life, you couldn’t help feel compelled. “Um, yeah. Do you not have to be on the road or something though? ‘Cause your a driver?”

“Oh F1 only goes between March and November. We’re on holiday at the moment. Well sort of.”

“Oh,” you mumbled out cluelessly. Your cheeks burned with a tinge of embarrassment. How had you managed to get through all these years of living and not known about this?

Daniel laughed lightly at the reddening of your cheeks. Just when he though he could find you any cuter. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you F1. And you can teach me the ocean.”

So the two of you went into your boat. The sun beat down onto you so harshly that for most of it, you had retreated to driving the vessel in the shade as Daniel sat next to you.

It had gone so well that this, whatever it was, became a regular occurrence after you exchanged numbers that day.

You were learning a lot about him and his job. He was actually Italian-Australian. He started this passion with go-karting. You found out F1 wasn’t just racing but it was racing to another extreme. 300 kph. God, getting your car to 100 kph for the open road was thrill enough for you.

That made Daniel wheeze with laughter and promise he would take you for a drive in a sports car to get a taste of the speed he craved for.

Apparently F1 had 10 teams, each with 2 drivers. In each of the teams, the drivers had the same car to drive, cars that were constructed originally by each team. The point of the races were for two championships. The Driver’s World Championship, the title the driver wanted to win, and the Constructors’ Championship, the title everyone from the driver to the team strategist wanted to win. They were calculated by the amount of points received by the drivers in the races.

All the races were settled through a long weekend of sorts. Fridays were for practices to see how the car was on the track as they had different conditions per track. Saturdays were for qualifying. Here, Daniel would push the car to its limits to get the fastest lap time as the drivers were ranked to then get a position for the actual race tomorrow. Sundays were where they raced for points.

All of it was slightly complex, especially with the penalties and rules that they followed. Buy you seemed to get the gist of it.

Daniel had learnt that you had grown up in Australia and like him had to travel a lot for your work. Weirdly, some times his race dates would match up with your travelling. Daniel chose to take that as a sign. You were 8 years younger than him, taking him by a slight surprise. You were 23 and he was 31. But it didn’t seem like it mattered to you. Communication between the two of you was a smooth sail.

Daniel even opened up about his time with Red Bull. A whirl of bad and annoying memories. But when you had said that you would like to see Christian Horner step on to your boat and throw him overboard into a tank of piranhas, only for thirty seconds of course, Daniel had never laughed harder.

━━━━━━━━━━━

By the billionth time you had hung out, the sun was setting in the evening, providing a refreshing cold breeze to match the heat. Christmas was close soon. And Daniel was aching to ask you out.

He had to go into this next season of driving knowing he had you by his side. Even his own family was pushing him to ask. Especially his sister, Michelle, who had dubbed herself the cupid as she was the very brunette who had technically introduced you two, or so she claimed.

The both of you had finished a dive and were heading to Daniel's car. You were supposed to have dinner with his family on this fine evening.

"You good, Danny?" You looked over to the man. Daniel, for the loud and outgoing person he was, was being rather quiet today. You couldn't really put your finger on why either. You took pride in being able to read people. But it looked like his mind was at some sort of battle.

He gave an idle hum, getting into the driver's seat.

You raised a brow, closing the door on the passenger side shut. Your hand reached out to his thigh, making him break his trance and flicker his eyes towards you.

"Listen, I don't know what it is or what's going on. But I'm all ears if you want," You smiled, patting his thigh. You went to remove your hand but Daniel placed his hand over yours, keeping you there.

Daniel's heart was in his throat. He was not normally a nervous man. He was the epitome of confidence. But you seemed to tear that down, in the nicest way, quite easily.

Daniel absorbed your curious eyes before releasing a shaky breath. "Uh," he awkwardly chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not normally like this. I can't really explain it... but these past few weeks, I... I haven't felt like this in a really long time. With you I feel free... happy... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really like you. And even if I'm ancient, I would really like to be with you. You know. Together. If that wasn't clear."

The smile on your face the moment you realised what was going on hadn't stopped growing. You watches his eyes dart around, looking for a signal of anything. A yes. A no.

You looked down at your hands. The warmth of his spread among your one. You turned your hand to intertwine them with his and squeezed his hand, looking back up at him. "I think you took the words right out my mouth. I like you too, Danny. A lot. Even as an 'old ass man.'"

An odd silence settled within the car as Daniel simply stared at you, honey brown eyes hold your own.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

Daniel's eyes turned into crescents while his infamous wide smile sprawled onto your face. "Can I kiss you?"

You stilled in the passenger seat. Your eyes flickered to his lips before meeting his eyes once again. You weren't sure if you could trust your voice at the moment so you gave a curt nod.

Daniel smiled softly at the flustered expression you sported. Instead of leaning his head in like you expected to, he reached over to your seat and lifted you out of it. You released a small yelp before landing onto his lap, straddling his crotch as you faced towards him.

Daniel's fingers played with the slightly dampened tresses that had fallen around your face and pushed them behind your ears. His fingers trailed down to your heated cheeks and to your jaw. Bringing you closer to him, he leaned his head towards you.

Daniel's lips fell into yours. His hands soon fell to your back as your arms snaked his neck. The world... your surroundings were all gone. All you could feel was each other. His fingers sneaking past the hem of your shirt and grazing your bare skin. The action sent a wave of heat within you.

You let out a small muffled moan causing Daniel to adjust himself in his seat. A bulge had formed in his pants, aching at your touch. You released yourself from him for a gasp of air, which fell into further pleasurable gasps as Daniel's swollen lips had found your neck, leaving a trail of small sloppy kisses.

Daniel rested his chin onto your shoulder before pulling back to look at you. He grinned at your dazed expression. "As much as I would like to continue this in such a fitting setting like a car, I would rather our first time in an actual bed."

You let out a small laugh, feeling yourself fluster even further while you gave him a tight hug.

And that's how your relationship had started. Since then, it had been almost a year. In that year, you had gotten impossibly closer. You had visited his races without telling him because you were scared. You were scared of distracting him and scared for him. The first F1 race you went to matched up to your meetings with other marine biologists and techs in Spain. God, you didn't know cars could even go that fast. The occasional toss of a car to the side sent fear coursing through you.

Eventually, Daniel had found out and reassured you that you being there wouldn't harm anything. In fact, the thought of it calmed him down and encouraged him. He had even introduced you to some of the team and whispered in your ear when he pointed to Red Bull's team principal.

"Oh... so that's the man going overboard. That's a shame. You didn't tell me he look like a sea otter. Sea otters are supposed look cute. I'll just pretend he's plant plankton."

Daniel had never laughed harder at something. Just when he thought he couldn't love you more. God, you were a sight to behold. He would never understand how you managed to be who you were.

You had felt the same.

Well, at least that was until when you met his new teammate in McLaren, Lando Norris.

Lando was two years younger than you and what some people called the British Ricciardo. He was constantly smiling and cracking jokes. He was the moodmaker.

The vibe he had was like an annoying little brother of a sort.

But people obviously didn't feel attracted to someone if they truly thought of them like that.

You shouldn't feel this way. It was wrong. You had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who adored you. You had tried to keep yourself occupied with your job to avoid having to attend too many races and meet the McLaren team, in fear of meeting Lando.

But of course, how were you going to refuse to celebrate Lando's 2nd podium of the year in Monaco when Daniel asked?

So here you were. In a club dressed in a cream coloured set: a long sleeved bralette and a long skirt starting from your waist, ending just before your heels with a slit in the middle.

The compliment you had received in your ear from Daniel made you wish you could say you were dressed for him in the first place. But it would be a lie to say that.

You had navigated yourself around the club to drown yourself in some alcohol. You needed a distraction and you felt that being some what drunk and out of it would've helped.

you should take it as a compliment that i got drunk and made fun of the way you talk. you should think about the consequence of your magnetic field being a little too strong. and i got a boyfriend, he's older than us he's in the club doing, i don't know what you're so cool, it makes me hate you so much.

You were out of it for sure. Because sober you did not have the guts you had right now. The guts to not only sit at the same table as Lando but next to him and make fun of his British accent with Carlos.

"No, Carlos. I'm pretty sure he sounded like 'No no no... you ruined my ice cream,'" You laughed lightly as the Spaniard refused to agree with you.

"No he has bit of a weird sound at the 'ruined' part. He sound like those kids in the UK... on the road? What are they again..."

Lando's face burst with amusement. He laughed so hard, he had to prevent his cup from falling out of his hand. "Do you mean..." He gasped for air, "Roadmen?"

Jesus. Carlos Sainz discussing roadmen was the funniest thing that had happened so far.

You weren't sure where Daniel was even. All you knew he was probably talking to some other team member of McLaren. You were rather preoccupied and entranced by the British male next to you.

You couldn't explain it but it was as if there was a magnetic field around him and you, like an element, were simply attracted to him. As if there was no other path to go. He made you laugh differently. Feel differently. He was also a looker. That boyish charm that simply pulled you in. It made you wonder how strong his magnetic field was.

The science of it was simple. You may be a marine biologist but you hadn't flunked physics. The stronger the intensity of a field, the further the magnet, Lando, will be able to attract elements, like you. All you knew was that he was strong enough to inexplicably take you attention away from your own boyfriend.

you're so gorgeous i can't say anything to your face 'cause look at your face. and i'm so furious at you for making me feel this way but what can i say? you're gorgeous.

This attraction you felt to Lando what ridiculous in itself. But you had felt it from when you first met him and you felt it now. Lando was simply gorgeous. His smile was breathtaking. His laugh felt pretty.

And it infuriated you. You wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop. These feelings, this flutter, this tingle... make it all stop, you wanted to say.

But you could never say that to his face. How could you? Those same things came back every time you looked at him.

The smile. The flutter. The tingle.

You wondered whether he had even looked at himself in the mirror. You wondered whether ever had felt insecure about the way he looked and that if he did, you wished he hadn't.

Everything thing about him was simply enticing. A delightful view... from the arms of Daniel.

you should take it as a compliment that i'm talking to everyone here but you. and you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room. if you've got a girlfriend, i'm jealous of her. but if you're single that's honestly worse. 'cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts.

This feeling... this infatuation was overwhelming for you. You were a taken girl. You had even made it was to the multiple Instagram F1 'WAGs' accounts and were met with the most glorious welcomes by fans.

You needed to get a grip on yourself for Christ's sake. Lando was also taken. Even if he was single, which if you were being honest was an insult to romance itself, you didn't have a chance let alone now. No matter how jealous you were, you had to be realistic. You paled in comparison to the fame Portuguese models that F1 drivers often found themselves with.

Of course, you had to admit they were beautiful. You had no conflict with them. They weren't your classic mean girls. They were impossibly nice and you even found yourself in some interesting conversations. But at the end of the day, you were simply a marine biologist.

So in the darkness of the club, you had managed to isolate yourself from Lando, who had gone with Pierre somewhere, and made the struggling and gruelling effort to talk to anyone else but him. You had conversed with Carlos before he had gone somewhere with his girlfriend. You had settle for Charles as a distraction.

Charles was a pleasure to talk to. As always, he was also so kind and sweet with his words. The type you were sure that when you looked at the, you knew that their mother raised them right.

Daniel had finally found his way to you, mentioning that Zak Brown had just pulled him aside for a talking to. You asked if he was okay, in which he responded with a smile and said: "Now that I'm with you, yes."

You managed to give him a soft and believable smile. Daniel was standing behind you, joining in your conversation with Charles. It wasn't until you were in the midst of a conversation about life in Monaco that you felt a hand on yours.

You smiled gently, expecting it to be Daniel's but instead it was Lando's.

ocean blue eyes looking in mine. i feel like i might sink and drown and die.

Your eyes snapped up to meet Lando's face. His blue eyes bore into yours.

Those goddamn eyes of his would be the end of you. The similarity of them to the oceans you had travelled and the beautiful creatures you had seen was uncanny.

Your heart paced furiously against your chest. He must've been drunk or tipsy to the very least to stumble onto you. There was no way he had purposely wanted you to drown in his eyes.

You sucked in a quiet sharp breath and edged to removed your hand. But as quickly as you had made that decision, the gnawing feeling at your heart had grown more intense and taunted you. Lando's hand hurried to grab yours and place it back where it was.

Your eyes shook with awe and lingered with a dangerous thrill. You could feel his fingers rub the back of your hand gently before intertwining them.

You looked blankly at the table in front of you while Lando had joined in the conversation so casually, like nothing was even going on. You had to thank your stars that the club was able to be as dark as it was.

A lot of the noise around you had turned into white noise and blurs of sound. Charles must've complimented you as you had managed to capture some mention of fish and coral reefs from your boyfriend.

you make me so happy it turns back to sad. there's nothing i hate more than what i can't have and you are so gorgeous, it makes me so mad. you make me so happy it turns back to sad. there's nothing i hate more than what i can't have and guess i'll just stumble on home to my cats alone unless, you wanna come along?

It was Daniel kissing your cheek fondly and Lando's hand grazing your knee under the table that had brought you back to reality.

The happiness and adrenaline you felt was wrong. You knew with every crevice and fibre of your body that this had to stop. This attraction and sickly sweet infatuation with Lando. God, he just made you so fuzzy. You could barely think straight.

You were stuck in between two men who had their touch on you. It wasn't right. As much as you liked Lando, he angered your entire being. He had simply waltzed into your life. He was playing along with your feelings.

Lando's damning eyes averted to you when he felt your hand slip away from him forcefully.

You hoped the guilt in your eyes shone as much as they could in this darkness.

You were going to have to break up with a man who would give you everything. You would have to leave all of... this... and get away from here.

You needed everything to return to normal. You had no idea how exactly you were going to explain a sudden return home without inflicting any suspicion.

All you knew now was that you had to make a lengthy apology to a man you had not realised you had fallen out of love with.

You supposed that was love.

Love was a bittersweet feeling. It was beautiful and fluttering but brought a lot of tragedy and strife along with it.

That was love: simply gorgeous.

© 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑

[licorice-tea]

The Bane of My Existence

Pairing:Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: some spoilers for Sabaody arc (nothing major), enemies to lovers! strawhat reader, reader and law are both stubborn and argumentative smh, reader is more optimistic though, law is awkward and not great at understanding his own feelings <3

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: part 1/2 for a little enemies to lovers fic! one of my favorite tropes but I almost never write about it... also I've been rewatching bridgerton and was very inspired by the relationship between Kate and Anthony, which is where the title comes from too! (can you guess what part 2 will be called?) anyway, enjoy and lmk your thoughts! :)

Part 2

Sabaody Archipelago is easily one of the coolest places you’ve visited so far. Not that Alabasta, Skypiea, Water 7, Thriller Bark weren’t cool too… but you’re a people person! And to get to see such a diverse mix of groups from all over the world converging here, on one island Archipelago, brings a genuine smile to your face. It truly does remind you of a theme park: from the attractions to the oversized trees and bubbles.

In fact, you’re so caught up in all the splendors of the carnival-esque grove that you don’t realize you’re being watched. Or, followed, rather.

The Heart Pirates, yet another crew from some vague corner of the world, have been tracking you for the better part of an hour now. Except, they’re only following their captain, who happens to be following you.

Hes not entirely discreet about it though, because at one point Bepo asks, “Um… Captain, why are we following them?”

Shachi responds unprompted, “Yeah, I’ve never seen their bounty poster so… what’s up?”

Law scowls, “I’m not following anyone.”

Though he is low-key following you, Law couldn’t give a good reason as to why. You walked past him and his crew on your way to meet up with the rest of your crew- the Strawhat Pirates- and he’d just sort of trailed after you once you’d gotten a safe distance ahead.

“Really? Because every time they stop for directions, we slow down. And we’ve turned at all the same spots, too… So it really does seem like we’re follo-“

“I am NOT following them.” He lies through (literally) gritted teeth.

Now, Trafalgar Law is in now way shape or form a believer in love at first sight. He’s never been in love period… but the feeling he gets from seeing you is something new and foreign. Like, he really wants to talk to you… he just doesn’t know what for. Law is still trying his best to come up with reasons to stop you and ask for your name when you overhear the brief argument between him and his friends.

With a quick glance over your shoulder, you spot a group of at least 10 on your trail. They’re in the middle of conversation, so they don’t notice you taking notice of them.

Your first instinct is to look around for your crew; but of course, they’re scattered across the groves of Sabaody Archipelago by now - as are you. “Sigh. I might just have to handle this in my own.” But, wait- who said they wanted to fight you? Maybe you should just approach them first, wouldn’t that give you the upper hand in some way? (It wouldn’t, but you can’t think of anything better than to try and charm your way out of a possible jumping with your friendliness and perfect smile.) So, you roll back your shoulders and take a breath before strolling back over the grass to your pursuers.

“Why would I be following some rand-“

“Because you have a crush on them!”

“Oh they’re cute, Captain, you should ask them to join!”

“Gasp! Yeah, then you can get to know-“

They all go silent (save for some quiet gasps) as you step toward the semi circle they’ve formed around one man- the only one not wearing a white uniform, who they call “Captain.” You tap him on the shoulder and he whips his head around.

“Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me?”

The man just stares at you for a moment with a frown. You fear that you might’ve been wrong about his intentions, until he blinks and mumbles, “Uh… Sure.”

Your smile returns- of course you weren’t wrong! Plus, he’s kind of hot, but you’d catalog that thought and come back to it on some lonely night in the future. “Great! I’m looking for grove 41, it’s where some of my friends are.”

You’d learned back in Water 7 that sometimes, it was best not to disclose who exactly you’re traveling with, nor the location of your ship. (At least, not when you’re infamous pirates.)

“Grove 41? I’m headed there too.”

The polar bear wearing who is also wearing a white uniform clears his throat.

“I thought we were heading to Grove 1, Captain?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to get in y’all’s way then-“

“Nah, I think Captain would love to show you the way.”

“Shachi!” The captain sneers. “We’ll meet back up at Grove 1 after I show them the way." Then, he looks you up and down. It's quick and analytical rather than flirtatious or intimidating. "Don’t cause me any trouble.”

You smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m y/n, by the way.”

“Trafalgar Law, and this is my crew, the Heart Pirates.” He gestures around the semi circle, then turns to face them, “You guys go take a break or something. I’ll be back shortly.”

“But Captain, we want to go with you!”

One of the men with red hair- Shachi, you’re pretty sure, elbows the polar bear.

“Hey!…” He looks down at Shachi then gasps like he suddenly had a revelation; “Ohhh. Sorry Captain, we’ll see you later!”

Law rolls his eyes. “See you soon.”

There's something about his dark hair and grey eyes that charms you, right off the bat. Or maybe it's his relaxed, confident demeanor. Possibly even his idiosyncratic style of clothing, and how he (and all of his crew) wore the same logo; so very organized and professional. But no matter the exact reason as to why, you find yourself quite happy to be in his company.

Alas, he’s not a very talkative man, so you make up most of the conversation with questions and your own introductory information. “-and that’s how I got here, to Sabaody!”

“Uh huh. And who did you say your crew was again?”

“I, ahem, I don’t travel with a crew.”

“Right.” He laughs dryly.

“What is it?”

“You’re a bad liar.”

“I- I’m not lying!”

“Look, you don’t have to tell me what crew you’re a part of,” Law explains, “but don’t lie and say you’re not a pirate at all.”

“Well… it’s generally not a good idea to tell strangers that you’re a pirate. Not even nice ones, like you."

Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach that unexpectedly appear when you call him nice, Law's burning curiosity is fed by your roundabout half-answer. “Ah, so you are one? What’s your bounty?”

“That’s not really any of your business.” Though you believe his intentions to be purely based in curiosity, you're second guessing allowing this man to lead you away on an island grove that you have never visited, nor know anything about. Still, your crew is nowhere in sight or hearing range, which worries you given just how loud they usually are.

“I’m paying you a favor by leaving my crew to escort you to where I’m assuming your ship is located- it’s the least you could do.” Law’s tone is more prickly than before.

“Well, I don’t need an escort, and you’ve already walked me halfway there and pointed me in the right direction.”

“Fine- then I’ll leave.”

His sudden change in mood from what you interpreted as shy to borderline aggressive throws you off. And so, having a similar moody temperament and stubbornness (though you’d never admit it after seeing it so clearly in him), you return the sentiment. “Fine by me.”

You continue walking forward while Law turns back, until he calls over his shoulder. “And by the way; you’ll need to find your way through the lawless zone up ahead if you want to get to Grove 41.” If condescending was a person, it would be him. You’re sure of it. “That, or I could’ve shown you a much safer shortcut.”

You pause, turn to face him, roll your eyes, and continue walking.

“What, you’re still not going to ask for my help?”

“Don’t need it!” Which, you really don’t. You’re plenty strong, but your bounty is small enough to not be worried. “I’m not scared of a law-less zone, if anything I think I’d welcome it.”

Your mocking words hurt his ego in a way he hasn't felt in years, taking him down several pegs.

You don't even stick around long enough to listen to him rebuke everything about you, from your high and mighty tone to your vain attempts at lying, ending his one sided argument with a very classy middle finger your way. So, Law grumbles all the way back to Grove 1 to find his crew, and hopes to never see you again. Meanwhile, you find your way to the other Strawhats. Your adventure with them continues, and you don’t have much time to think of your earlier encounter with a handsome pirate and possible-friend turned enemy (if you could even call him that.)

Law doesn't know if his ego (or wildly beating heart) could take another second in your presence- it just might burst if it had to endure any more of your witty comments or sly looks. It would, however, be an interesting theory to test further, should you ever meet again.

The prospect is both horrifying and thrilling to him at the same time.

[strawburry01]

Northern Attitude

Summary: The team goes out to a small Montana town facing a random string of murders pointing to a new cult forming in the woods around town. Only once they get there does Hotch realize he recognizes the assistant chief for the town force- someone from his university days.

Word Count: 3k

No smut just angsty, maybe not entirely canon compliant but nothing crazy.

Authors Note: Let me know if folks want a part 2 (you may get one anyway, but my brain hasn't decided yet), or any one offs from Hotch and the characters time in uni. I have ideas...

It was another cold morning in your room. You refused to go to bed if it wasn’t comfortably cocooned in at least three blankets, but it did mean getting out of bed in the morning was particularly dreadful. You groan as you stretch your back hearing it pop as you twist. Eventually, you push yourself out of your warm pile of blankets and pillows to take a shower to wake up and start the day.

You worked as an assistant chief in your small Montana town. Things were slow for the most part. Nobody beyond the average population, except for the summers when the tourists came in for hiking and camping, but even then, it was never too much. A few rambunctious teens some nights, the occasional robbery of the convenience store downtown, a random carjacking every other month, but this had all come to a screeching halt when a random string of murders popped up over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, based on the scenes and your analysis, it seemed cult related, bringing a lot more attention, specifically from the government, to your once quaint town. 

Shuffling back to your room after your shower you throw on your average attire, black slacks, blue button up, and boots. Being a woman in a small town police force wasn’t easy, but you’d done your time. It only took a few cases before the men started realizing you meant business, and often would run the opposite direction in the office whenever they saw you walking in with a bad mood knowing you would make their life a living hell. Graduating from university with both electrical engineering and criminology made you stand out when you entered the workforce all those years ago, but the quiet side of you still yearned for silence and a work life balance, which is something you did get all the way out here. Well, at least before this all. You’d been working overtime every night into the late hours trying to figure out what you were dealing with. All you had was your bed every couple hours at night before your brain would wake you up again with a flood of new theories and ideas. You’d be happy when this was over, for all the reasons.

You jump into your truck and quickly blow onto your mug of coffee to cool it down as you head out to the latest scene. You swear out loud as you nearly spill it onto your lap as you take a turn too sharp. You crank the volume of your radio up to help wake you up and try to put you in a good mindset. You never tried to come to work in a bad mood, in fact you tried to come in on the cusp of being annoyingly positive and cautiously optimistic. You knew this line of work was easy to get sucked down into and spiral, you’d seen it before, hell you lived it before when you were fresh out of university. It’s what got you out working in a big city, or for a bigger federal office. 

You pull into the parking lot alongside the other police vehicles that had already shown up for the day. This latest murder scene was unfortunately in an empty field behind an abandoned high school. Definitely not creepy at all, you thought to yourself as you got out and eyed the several busted windows on the second floor. You grab your backpack and mug as you make your way to the tent set up with the team’s temporary office with laptops and files from the case.

“Morning boys,” you hum as you step underneath the tent, observing the open screens. You get a few ‘good mornings’ back. Some of the guys had been working since the scene was called in and you could tell. Dammit you should have brought coffee or doughnuts for them.

“Cheers boss”, one of the officers, Carter, sighs to you as he walks into the tent, clinking his coffee with yours. Carter had always been one of your favorites, he was young, wide-eyed, but still meant business. He’d grown up in the area so he knew all the folks like they were family. You let out a small smirk as you sip your coffee, starting to map out the plan for today.

You’d have to scour the entire field. And the entire school. You didn’t want a single potential lead or clue or mistake from them to be lost. The team would hate it but it needed to be done.

“Alright team find a friend and meet back here in ten minutes. You’re going to be split between the school and the field and I need all of it thoroughly searched. Heard?” you said, leaning on the table facing the team you had. They all nodded or chirped back a complaint which you laughed at, “you got ten minutes to warm up”.

You leaned back on the front of your truck as you took out a cigarette and placed it between your lips. Lighting it up you stared out into the field. Dappled with yellows and oranges, you can’t even see the ground through the wheat and piles of ancient dirt. Why here? Any other day this would be beautiful, but knowing a murder happened right here made it such a tragic scene. There’s a crackle of gravel from an incoming car behind you. Probably the chief coming in, albeit uncharacteristically early since he usually stayed in the office until things got really hairy. You sighed as you let a cloud of smoke out of your lips, staring up at the sun. Your phone buzzes against your hip and you lazily slide it out before checking it. 

It’s a text from the chief. “Federal Bureau coming in today. Play nice.”. Your stomach flips. FBI? Well shit. Also how rude of him not to text you any earlier than right now. “Who?”, you texted back. You see the cursed three dots pop up and down a few times before the text actually sends. “BAU”. You nearly drop your cigarette out of your mouth at your jaw dropping. 

As if on some otherworldly cursed cue.

“Y/n?” a terribly familiar voice says from behind you. You take a sharp inhale, before taking out your cigarette and turning your head, trying to look charming as hell.

“Hello dear Aaron,” you say with a smile on your face, seeing the man who’d been stuck in your thoughts since the day he left your side. 

It’s his eyes that never changed. They still scrunch up as he smiles at you.

“I didn’t know this was your town,” he said as he moved beside you. You look up at him, placing your cigarette back between your lips and shrugging with a smirk plastered on the side of your face. You catch his eyes quickly flickering over you, just as you look over him. He used to be skinny, studious, almost a nerd, but the man that stood in front of you now was built, stern, and serious. 

“I got told a few seconds ago that you’d be here at all. Chief keeps me on my toes,” you remarked, internally thinking about how you actually wanted to wring his neck for not telling you sooner. 

When you woke up this morning you did not- in a thousand years-  expect Aaron Hotchner to show up at your work. At your crime scene. It was a tumultuous mix of excitement, nerves, intrigue, and still a bit of anger. You hadn’t seen him in years, let alone reached out. Ever since ending on a sour note you never tried, mostly because you knew he wouldn’t respond- not out of spite but just because he was so busy and focused on work. It was admirable, but also so annoying.

“You smoke now?” he asked, snapping you out of your mental musings. He was eyeing disapprovingly the cigarette still hanging in the corner of your mouth. 

“You wear contacts now?” you retorted, raising an eyebrow. He sharply laughed and looked back to his team as they approached.

“Have for a while” he said, turning back to you.

“Haven’t known for a while” you snipped before throwing your cigarette butt onto the ground and smashing it out with your heel to free yourself to meet his team. “We’ll talk later Aaron” you said with a nod which he nodded back to, ending this conversation, knowing more pressing things existed than-

your-

university-

situationship- 

showing up again in your life. 

Aaron’s team pops up behind him and brings you back to focus. Dammit there was a murder on your watch and you could only think of this fucking man. Grow up, you swore in your head as you forced a customer service smile onto your face. 

“Team this is y/n l/n, a friend from university,” he said as he gestured to you. He couldn’t make eye contact when he called you just a friend. You noticed two of the men on the team elbowed each other, no doubt in shock their boss actually had friends outside of work at some point in his life. 

Aaron introduced you to his team and you tried to run through their names in your head as you shook their hands. You were terrible with names. Agent Reid was the twiggy one who looked perpetually deep in thought, Agent Morgan was the one with the tight black shirt who who had an air of confidence about him, Agent Jareau was the sweet blonde who acted like the unofficial mother of the group, and Rossi who was the tired old dad of the group. I’m sure Aaron loved being bossed around by him, you thought to yourself as you shook his hand. He seemed nice, but Aaron had never been one to not be the one in charge- the little control freak. 

You brought them to your tent to introduce them to your folks, trying to get everyone on the same page with daylight burning. Later than expected due to the guests everyone was ready to actually start looking through the field and school. You felt Aaron’s eyes on you as you told everyone to pair off, but you nabbed Carter before he could object. 

The search of both areas wasn’t as successful as you had hoped. The school had some ominous latin scribbled onto the walls in red, which had been determined to be blood on the scene, although it wasn’t the latest victims. Reid had somehow been able to translate the latin- you could see in an instant why they kept him around.

“So what’s the deal with you and the FBI guy?” Carter asks when you get to the smack dab middle of the field. Your neck hurts from craning over the ground, trying to not let a speck of earth go unseen. 

“What do you mean?” you ask back, not looking up as you continue scanning the ground.

“I’ve never seen you flustered,” he quips as he pauses, “you actually like-I don’t know it was just weird” he said and half heartedly shrugged as he looked back at the group that had begun to reform by the tent. 

“It’s complicated,” you said, knowing that the young adult in him would eat the drama up. Sure enough, he perked up.

“Yeah? What is it? You got an ex?” he said, nudging you.

But that was the problem. He wasn’t an ex. He wasn’t really an anything. He was a friend, sure, but friends also didn’t make out in the corners of parties as much as you two had. And friends didn’t stay up until sunrise testing each other for the upcoming exams every single finals week. And friends didn’t invite each other to spend weekends at their family vacation cabin alone. 

“No, no, no, just-” you tried to explain to no avail, not even knowing how to justify this to yourself, “okay maybe,”. Carter let out a low whistle.

“Hey if my ex showed up to work I’d be flipping the fuck out, you’re handling this really well,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. You chuckle at the kids joke.

“Sometimes it’s just nicer to see a familiar face, you’ll get it when you’re older,” you said, knowing hated when you pulled the you’ll understand when you’re older card. He rolled his eyes and groaned. 

Once the sun started setting you made your way back to the huddle that was forming of everything theorizing and laying out the evidence. Tomorrow would be busy in the office working to get everything categorized and bagged. You leaned up against your truck again, just like you did this morning, and pulled out another cigarette, flicking the lighter onto the end. You waved your team over and told them to head home for the night. You knew a lot of them had families at home, and you tried to be respectful of it all, even if you didn’t have your own. Some of the security officers watching the spot for the night stayed and mingled with the BAU team a ways away from you, and you settled your sights on the pink hue of the clouds as the sun lowered.

A familiar body moved next to you. You didn’t have to turn to know it was Aaron. You blew a cloud of smoke out the other side of your lips and stayed quiet, waiting for him to start. He had his hands jammed in his coat pockets, his shoulder grazing against yours. People used to laugh at the height difference back in university, and it had only gotten worse it seemed, or at least Aaron walked around with much more presence these days. You were leaning up against the front grate of your truck and felt Aaron slowly move his arm behind you, holding onto the grate on the other side of your hip. Feeling his arm behind you felt so familiar. 

“There’s Latin at the other scenes too,” he said, facing straight ahead into the sun.

“Shit,” you said as you slowly nodded, realizing that the scribbles would not just be nothing. There was a moment of silence before he broke it again.

“Do you hate me?” he asked, glancing down for a second, but long enough for you to meet eyes before you looked away.

“You know I could never hate you,” you said begrudgingly, knowing it was the truth. His arm got closer to your back at that and you leaned further onto it, “it’s really annoying honestly” you halfheartedly laughed. You heard him laugh under his breath. You swallowed your pride and leaned in, resting your head on the side of his torso, letting out another cloud to try and soothe your nerves. 

“It’s nice out here,” he said, looking out at the sunset still which had only gotten deeper pink and orange. 

“ ‘S quiet,” you agreed, “I don’t know how you do it in the big leagues,”. 

“You know you could’ve too,” he said, looking down. You stayed staring straight ahead.

“I’m not doing this argument again Aaron,” you said curtly, as you eyed him back. He shrugged and turned away again. 

“You know you could have that’s all,”. 

“You ever think I’m okay with it out here? You ever think I don’t need to kill myself over every case with the fate of the world hanging on it?” you said, raising your voice a little.

“I’m just saying you were one of the best and you could do a lot in the bureau,” he said back, “in the BAU,” he tested. You let out an angry air of smoke from your cigarette.

“Dammit Aaron don’t do this again,” you said, cutting him off before he can say anything else. You throw your cigarette onto the gravel and kick some rocks over the smoldering residue, “I’m happy here, can’t you just be okay with that?”. Aaron watched you and sighed and shifted in his spot, taking the second to move his hand from the car to your waist. 

“I’m sorry Y/N,” he said, and he meant it. You sighed.

“I’m not going to be able to convince you to stay huh?” you asked, trying to joke, but inside you really did mean it earnestly. His thumb rubbed your side. It had been a while since you felt like this.

“I don’t think you’re able to,” he responded, sadness tinging his voice. The two of you stood, leaning into each other watching the sun finally dip behind the hills in the distance.

A few yards away Morgan stood on the phone, peeking around a car before ducking back. Garcia was not going to believe this shit.

[norrizzandpia]

I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Part 2) (LN4)

Summary: With time apart, will Lando and Y/n set aside the mistakes they’ve made to make room for their love or will the fights take over and, in turn, their love become a story of the past?

Warnings: basically depression, getting evicted? Is that a trigger (lmk if i missed anything as always xx)

The months following Y/n walking out on Lando were pure hell for both parties involved. His performance in races plummeted as he stopped showing up for training sessions, meetings, and everything else in between. It didn’t matter how many pep talks each driver gave him with the end goal of at least getting him out of bed, he stopped being funny, charismatic, and optimistic Lando. The 23-year-old male became a shell of a human, completely swallowed whole by the void Y/n left in her wake. No one had seen him in that kind of pain ever. Most of the time, Lando would take a day to wallow, but he always ended up picking himself back up and trying again. But, with hours spent crying alone and days spent on autopilot, no one saw an end in sight.

Y/n, on the other hand, took the louder approach at trying to rid herself of the saddened feeling. Going to parties and drinking until she couldn’t walk straight became the norm for her. She was so afraid to be left alone to her thoughts, with her phone, with herself. She didn’t want to find out how excruciating the pain of losing Lando was once the alcohol stopped flowing and the music stopped playing.

However bittersweet, what it took to get her life to catch up with her was the day she held eviction papers in her hands. She had gotten home at 2 AM only to find a neon yellow sheet taped to her door. Honestly, she had been waiting for it to happen. With being unemployed and distracting herself from thoughts of Lando and everything they could have been, she stopped paying her bills. While dangerous, she couldn’t care what happened to herself. With news of Lando not doing well after they parted ways, she blamed herself for both of their pain. So, she clutched the bolded words in her small hands as tears welled in her eyes. Sobbing, she had called Daniel that night, pleading with him to come over and help claw her way out of the biggest hole she had ever dug for herself.

“Y/n?” Daniel’s groggy voice filtered through the speakers of the phone.

“Daniel.” Her choked sobs woke him up immediately, coincidentally jolting Heidi awake as he jumped out of bed to throw some clothes on, waving goodbye to his girlfriend and letting her know he would explain later.

By the time he was out of the door, her tears had quieted and she began filling him in on everything he had missed in the few months she had gone silent, “I’ve been evicted.”

His heart stopped, “What?”

Her tears returned, “Yep! I’m homeless now. I guess this is karma. I’ve ruined Lando’s life, I’ve ruined mine. I just ruin things. I hurt people and I destroy relationships and I stop everyone around me from being happy. God, I suck, don’t I? I mean, I had it all. I had Lando, he was telling me everything I wanted to hear. Jesus, he was begging me to stay and I still left! I can’t let myself be happy!”

Daniel’s heart broke for the girl on the other side of the phone as he sped to her house, “Y/n, none of that is true. You didn’t ruin anyone’s life. Your feelings were and are valid. You don’t destroy everything around you. You never have and you never will. Everyone loves you, Y/n. Don’t forget that.” He continued to reassure her as he drove to her. Listening to her cries of anguish only reaffirmed the fact that someone, anyone, had to force the couple to make amends.

—

“Lando? You in there?” Carlos asked through the door. A quiet murmur told the Spaniard his friend was, in fact, resting within his driver’s suite. Opening the door, he was met with Lando, sitting on the floor with the contents of his backpack spilled out in front of him.

Brows furrowed, Carlos crouched down to meet the London boy’s level, “What are you doing?”

Lando’s hands flew over the pile of contents, “I’m looking for a birthday card.”

Carlos shook his head, “A birthday card?”

Lando nodded frantically, seemingly in immense panic, “Yes! A birthday card! Y/n gave it to me last year and I never take it out of my backpack because I usually want to read it over again before a race! But, I can’t find it, Carlos! I can’t fucking find it anywhere!”

His breaths picked up as his voice broke. Carlos, gently, placed his hands over his friend’s swinging arms and held them tightly as to stop their flailing.

“Lando, you need to breathe.” Carlos said pointedly as he stared at the blue eyes across from him, filled with so much pain and regret.

Lando always tried to hide his tears from other people. Knowing that he was the happy and joyful one, it always felt wrong to show feelings of sadness in front of others. However, Y/n had shown him that showing that specific feeling was okay, that it allowed others to be able to connect with him on a deeper level. So, this time, he didn’t try to hide the tears that fought to fall from his face.

Lando’s hands rubbed over his eyes as he quietly said, “It’s the last thing I have of her and it’s gone, just like she is. I can’t take this anymore. I feel like I can’t breathe anymore. The thought of never seeing her again…” Carlos squeezed his shoulders, “That couldn’t have been the end of us, right?”

Carlos shook his head, “I don’t think it is, Lando. I think you’ll find your way back to each other, whether that’s tomorrow or in 50 years.”

Lando sighed, “But, I can’t wait 50 years.”

“Then, you have to fight for her.”

—

“What happens if she walks out?” Lando asked Daniel as they made their way toward Daniel’s front door.

“Then, you follow her.” Daniel retorted as they came to a stop in front of the large slab of wood, “Listen, Lando, it’s going to be hard, but you just have to be persistent. That is until you’re sure she doesn’t want to hear from you. But, I don’t think that’s a possibility. Ever since she’s moved in with me, I’ve gotten to catch her scrolling through old photos of the two of you or text messages you used to share. Trust me, mate, she’s still head over heels for you.”

Lando blushed and nodded his head, “Thank you for everything. For helping me plan all of this and allowing me to talk to her. I know how much you want to protect her from our lives.”

Daniel sighed, “You’re right, I do. She’s like a little sister, you know? But, I do know that, without you, she’s miserable and that’s worse to watch than her going through paparazzi.”

Pushing the door open and taking a deep breath, Lando whispered a thank you to Daniel before making his way through the foyer.

“Daniel? Is that you? I’m finishing up dinner right now!” Her voice yelled throughout the house and when it met Lando’s ears, he was hit with a large feeling of comfort. After all these years, she had become his home, it wasn’t a physical place or written address, it was just her.

Stepping into the kitchen, Lando stood and observed her while she had her back to him. The way she moved about the space with a small sense of confidence. The level at which she was carrying herself didn’t match the amount of self-assurance she used to have, but he had also been informed by Daniel that her mental health had taken a hit after all this time apart, something that hurt him more than her walking out on him could ever have.

As she turned around and her eyes landed on the boy she had dreamt of for so long, she faltered.

“Wha-” Words were lost on her, “What are you doing here?”

Lando breathed deeply, “I know everything that happened between us before was messy and we thought that was it, but I refuse to let you go that easy.”

She shook her head, “I’m confused. What are you saying?”

He took a step toward her and, thankfully, this time, she didn’t take one back, “I’m saying that I love you. I always have. Since the moment we met in the McLaren building where you asked me where Zak’s office was, I’ve been in love with you. I’m so sorry for everything I said in that interview. I never wanted to tell you about my feelings that way because I’ve always known you deserve so much. If I could take it all back and redo that moment over again, I would. If I could do it again, I would’ve told you how in love with you I am when I realized it which was, like, 2 months in. I was stupid to think I could stop my feelings for you by dating around and seeing what other people were out there because, in the end, I won’t ever be able to help falling in love with you.”

At his words, she took a step closer, so did he, “Not being with you is like if someone took cheese off pizza.” The two chuckled, “See! It’s ridiculous! Absolutely, positively stupid because they go together, they always have. That’s how I am with you. Without you, I’m not the same person and, now that I know that, I’m going to keep fighting for you, for us, until it works out. I love who I am with you, so does everyone else. It’s always been written in the story of my life to be with you because it’s a necessity. You have always been written into the story of my life because I’ve never loved anyone as hard as I do you and I’m incredibly sure that will never change.”

Now, standing so close to each other, Y/n looked into the eyes of the man she had missed so much and found herself forgiving him for the mistakes he made. With glass eyes and a quivering lip, she pulled him into her arms, “Lando, I’ve missed you.”

His arms squeezed her waist as he nuzzled his head in her neck, “I’ve missed you too, my love. You’ll never understand how much.”

They stood like that for a few moments before Lando’s head tugged backward and he captured her eyes with his, “Wait, you never said it.”

Tilting her head, Y/n asked, “Said what?”

He wiggled his eyebrows, “You know!”

She was about to protest until she realized what she had failed to say back in the heat of the moment, so she smiled and kissed his lips lightly before pulling back, her breath fanning across his face as she said, “I love you too. Always have and always will.”

Finally, the words that brought the light back into Lando’s life.

So, take my hand.

Take my whole life too.

For I can’t help falling in love with you.

For I can’t help falling in love with you.

[jakexneytiri]

ohhhh love your dad! neteyam, can I request that the children fought with other children, like Lo'ak and Ao'nung, and how will we react to this?? or we'll scold them

thank you so much!!🥰

yes you can, i tried to tie it in with the other dad!neteyam ask i received, i hope this is what you had in mind, anon<3

(if it’s not, i can make a new part for you, just let me know! 💕)

forever & always (pt. 2)

⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰ ⊱✿⊰

neteyam rocks you side to side, arms wrapped around your slightly protruded stomach as his lips find their way to your neck.

“alone at last, my love. i missed you” he breathes against your skin, deeply inhaling your scent.

“i missed you more…” you ease into his embrace, resting your hands over his. you tilt your neck slightly, giving him more access to your neck as he places gentle kisses all along it.

he shifts his one arm below your shoulder blades, the other under your knees as he sweeps you up in his arms. carrying you the few feet to where you slept, he sits, gently holding you in his lap. carefully, he brings your legs together in a criss cross position, and begins to rub your feet.

you let out a sigh of relief, resting your head against his shoulder.

“that feels wonderful, ma‘teyam…but shouldn’t we be headed to this wonderful celebration you have planned for us?” you ask, guilt setting in from how much you enjoyed this time alone.

“in a bit, my muntxate (wife). were you not on your feet all day? you deserve a moment to rest.” he reassures you, kissing the top of your head.

you close your eyes, relaxing under his touch.

just as you were starting to get comfortable, a noise comes through both of your earpieces. it sounded like…

txonuk. and tsantu.

you sit up straight, pressing the headphone closer to your ear to see if you could pick up more. raising your finger to the button on your throat comm, you ask “boys? are you all right?” you look to your mate, worried now.

his mouth forms a tight line, not amused by this interruption. he pages in now, asking “lo’ak! what’s going on?”

lo’ak doesn’t answer, but jake does.

“we have a bit of a…situation here.”

you can hear lo’ak in the background of jake’s mic, yelling

“i’ll throw down with a kid, i don’t care! let me at him!”

the grip you have on your mates’ arm tightens as you listen to all this unfold.

tuk pages in then, laughing a bit herself “everything is fine, we’re handling it! see you soon byeeee!”

the fact that tuk was laughing put your mind at ease slightly, whatever happened couldn’t be that bad.

right?

neteyam growls, thumb and index finger pinched between his nose, like he was getting a headache.

“one. hour. one hour! is all i asked!” he snaps, sighing deeply.

you smile at the romantic attempt your mate made.

“it’s all right, sayrìp(handsome). once we put the children to sleep, we’ll have the night to ourselves.”

he smiles, caressing your cheek. “always so optimistic.”

“i like being optimistic. and it sets a good example for our kids.” you hurriedly say, walking over to the table where your new neck piece is laid out.

stripping quickly, you reach for your new one, and you can’t help but feel your mates’ eyes on you. you glance over, to see him absolutely mesmerized by you. his once sour mood quickly fizzled in seconds, now eyeing every inch of your body.

“nete.” you say, waving your hand in front of him.

he blinks, looking at you then. “yes, beautiful?”

“little help here.” you say, growing more irritated with your top by the second.

he chuckles, finding it amusing. “lift your arms for me, mama.”

you do as you’re instructed, watching your mate ever so gently slide your new neck piece on.

he grabs your face with one hand suddenly, squishing your cheeks, causing your lips to pucker as he places a soft kiss upon them.

“so beautiful…and all mine.”

you smile at him, resting your hand on his cheek before saying “we should go.”

he takes your hand in his, grabbing your shawl with his other, knowing you’ll get cold later.

walking hand in hand, you head to the surprise party. many clan members greeted you as soon as you entered the celebrating grounds.

as you grew closer, you spotted your family. your four children, along with kiri, lo’ak, and tuk. jake and neytiri were also present, but they were talking with unfamiliar faces…

as you finally get within feet of your children, you notice tsantu has a bloody lip, and txonuk has various scratches and cuts all over his body. you immediately kneel down, confusion plastered all over your face.

“boys, what happened?!” you hold each of their faces in your hands, inspecting one, then the other.

tsantu speaks first. “momma, the boys from the other clan were picking on se’ayl and nima…they made fun of our toruk toy because they can fly for real life and we can’t. and we told them to stop, but they kept saying it!”

“AND THEN!” txonuk starts “we did what uncle lo’ak says! talk shit, get hi-”

you cover your youngest son’s mouth, shaking your head.

part of you was so proud that they stood up for their sisters and themselves.

but the other part of you was mortified it happened in front of another clan, especially when you and neteyam weren’t present.

regardless, you needed to have a talk with lo’ak about giving advice to your children.

“please don’t say that word again, okay? it’s not nice. uncle lo’ak can say it because he’s older, but he definitely shouldn’t be saying it around you.” you say as you shoot daggers up at lo’ak, who rolls his eyes.

“can you actually keep your eye on them this time? we need to speak with the olo'eyktan.” neteyam asks lo’ak, clearly irritated with him.

he helps you to your feet then, walking over to where his parents are discussing with the tawkami clans leaders. the olo'eyktan gives you an icy glare, then looks down at your stomach, causing neteyam to pull you into his side. he rests his hand on your bump protectively, but also to avert the leader’s gaze from your body.

“this is the boys mother?” he asks, then directs his gaze back to you.

“yes.” jake confirms. “this is y/n, and my son, neteyam.”

the olo'eyktan’s glare only grew more cold and disapproving before he spoke again.

“how can you have another child on the way, when you can’t even control the ones you have!”

ice ran through your veins from his statement. was he implying you’re a bad mother?

…ARE you a bad mother?

neteyam growls, exposing his fangs as jake is quick to speak first, coming in between neteyam and the tawkami leader.

“that’s enough. last i checked, your kids started this whole thing.”

neteyam speaks next, visibly angry as he gets right in front of the tawkami leader, poking at his chest.

“she is my mate, the mother of my children, and you will respect her. if you do not, you are not welcome here.”

there is a thick tension between the two men, both of their fangs bared before the tawkami leader surrenders, bowing his head as a form of an apology. he nudges his children, who mutter quiet “sorry”s.

you didn’t really see the other children’s wounds until now, and they were much worse than your own kids. guilt started pooling in your stomach, making you nauseous. as a mother, you felt bad for them, but at the same time, for taunting your own children who also have their own wounds, you didn’t.

you grip your mate’s arm, pulling him off to the side as you whisper “nete…they must apologize. their wounds are far worse than our sons.”

neteyam silently nods, glancing over at your sons, motioning them to come to you.

“boys, you need to apologize to the olo'eyktan’s sons. now.”

“WHAT!” txonuk yells. “but they-”

“no buts.” neteyam grits his teeth. “now.”

tsantu elbows txonuk before they both speak.

“we’re sorry we hit you.” tsantu starts.

“…so many times.” txonuk mutters, earning another elbow from tsantu.

the two boys look at one another, then at tsantu and txonuk. “we’re sorry we teased you.”

tsantu holds his hand out for a peace making handshake, shaking both boys hands. txonuk hesitates, but eventually mimics his older brother.

jake and neytiri walk with the olo'eyktan and tsahìk, discussing other matters that involve both clans.

neteyam rubs your stomach gently, brushing your braids behind your shoulder.

“come, oeyä txe’lan (my heart). we have much to celebrate.”

he leads you closer to the fire, where there’s music, dancing, and plenty of food. se’ayl and nima are dancing with other clan members around the fire, spinning and laughing. tsantu and txonuk are sitting in a circle with lo’ak, and some of the other warriors from the clan, sharing stories from their battles.

neteyam brings you near the center of the fire, where he raises his hands for everyone to be quiet.

“thank you, everyone, for joining us. we are so glad we can spend tonight celebrating with you all. ten years with my mate have been the best years of my life, and i look forward to many more with her. she is the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, loving soul i have ever had the pleasure to know and love. she is a wonderful mother to our four children, and soon enough, five.”

he gently places his hand over your stomach, smiling.

“and i would be lost without her. so if i may, propose a toast. to my beautiful mate. to ten years, and many more!”

“pxay nì'ul!” (many more!) the clan chants, cheering for you both as the celebration resumes.

any insecurities you had from the tawkami leader’s words faded away with neteyam’s beautiful speech.

you take his face in your hands, placing a strong kiss to his lips. you pull away to whisper “i love you. so much.”

he smiles against your lips, pulling you in close as he says “i love you more. happy anniversary, oeyä muntxate.” (my mate)

wrapping an arm around your waist, the other holding your hand, neteyam sways with you, rocking you back and forth gently as the celebration continues.

[katerina-marie]

The Uncertainty of Domesticity

Toji Fushiguro x Female Reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 of 3

Toji Fushiguro wasn’t afraid of much, though he definitely felt so when he became a widower in the same moment he became a father. Years later, he felt it again when you came along with the same hopes and dreams for a future he never thought he would experience again.

Content: JJK universe but no canon events / strangers & neighbors to lovers / medium burn idk / female reader and referred to as such but left descriptively vague / no y/n / out of character and soft Toji / single-father Toji / SFW (for this part anyway) / Megumi-Mama/Mamaguro dies in childbirth and its mentioned once or twice / cutie pie child Megumi / fluff / slice of life / light angst from Toji's inner turmoil / discussions about having children / pregnancy and childbirth for reader in part 3 (pending) / more notes below.

WC: 6.1k

Notes: I just really wanted to see Toji "I'm doing my best at this single-dad thing" Fushiguro raise Megumi, fall in love again and get a happy ending, so here is me indulging myself. This isn't so much Toji struggling to move on from his late wife as it is him meeting you and then being scared about having a future with you taken away. But not as angsty as it sounds, very much fluff and vibes and snippets of goodness. Also, I am clearly taking liberties with JJK canon, so just go with it.

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

Toji Fushiguro wasn’t afraid of much.

He wasn’t afraid of what went bump in the night, not when he was the one who hunted it once and was maybe a part of it himself in days long gone. 

He wasn’t afraid when he tied himself to the woman he loved in law and name. Trepidation might have jolted Toji awake on a rare night, and the desire to keep her protected from the past of himself gave him the urge to flee on occasion. The balm of her touch and the promise of a new blessing that grew within her stayed his limbs.

Shock muffled all the sound around him as he held the new life she had given him while her’s slipped away in a rush of blood and the shouting of doctors. A nurse helped him collapse into a hospital chair and took the baby from his arms when the growing pool of dark red on the floor—something Toji had once been accustomed to—swallowed his whole field of vision until he saw nothing else. Desperation spread numbness over his body and allowed a high pitched whine to echo in his ears when the flurry of movement in the room came to a slow stop, and a white sheet was dragged over the face of a woman now gone. 

Pressure threatened to cave his chest and Toji curled over his knees to gape wildly at the floor as he struggled to pull in any strangled breath that he could manage. He felt hollow, devoid of anything and one wrong move away from shattering in place. Tears burned his eyes as he clenched them shut, and it was fear that suddenly set in when grief stole any hopes for an optimistic future and left in its wake a bitter vision of unwanted loneliness. 

Toji Fushiguro wasn’t afraid of much, but now he would never again doubt that he was capable of feeling so.

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

5.5 Years Later 

Toji didn’t particularly like having to stop at the grocery store on his way home from work once he picked Megumi up from school. His normally even-keeled son had a penchant for acting up when it came to ensuring that his father put into their basket every sugar heavy, grease laden, and all around unhealthy snack upon his immediate request. Toji would spend the entire time fielding incessant demands while silently praying that he would be able to grab whatever assortment of items he needed for the next couple of days before Megumi descended into an even fouler mood than normal. 

So no, Toji had no intention of going to the store after spending the day at some nondescript high school with an absurdly long name that Megumi would one day attend. His threshold for tolerating tantrums was low after hours of offering his “legal” and “non-life threatening” expertise to a bunch of teenagers with attitudes equivalent to his five year old. Specifically, there was one white-haired punk with a big mouth that somehow managed to push all of his buttons, and by the end of every work day, Toji was eager to return to the sanctuary of his home. 

At least that had been his plan until Megumi opened his mouth. 

“Dad?” he questioned. Toji hummed an answer, but didn’t let his focus wander from the lull of the road in front of him. “Why do all the other kids have moms but I don’t?” 

Megumi’s words were spoken quietly, tentatively, but they struck Toji in the heart just as painfully as he always anticipated they would, and he suddenly wished he had taken the time to read a book or something in preparation for this day—the inevitable question. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Megumi was silent, but when Toji flicked his gaze to the rearview mirror, his son’s eyes were waiting and all too perceptive. 

“I…uhm.” 

Toji had to swallow once, twice, a third time to try and wet his tongue and force his throat to work, and by the time he felt he had composed himself enough, Megumi was peering around the side of his car seat to watch out the window. 

“Can we stop and get some snacks and ice cream instead?” 

Toji was in no state to deny him, so he flicked on his blinker with a resigned sigh. “Sure, why not?”

Twenty minutes later had him remembering “why not.” 

“Can we please go get that bag of chips now?” Megumi tugged on the leg of his pants for the fifth time in the last two minutes, and the edge of his voice was turning petulant. Toji was struggling to recall the list of groceries he had left on the side of the fridge, and as he scanned the wall of meat at the back of the store, he squinted in the lackluster hope that he could remember if he had scribbled “chicken” underneath “green onions.” 

“I said to give me a few more minutes, Megumi. We’ll go in second.” Toji curled his fists around the handle bar of the cart and he felt it reverberate when Megumi kicked at the wheel. “Do you remember if we had chicken in the freezer?” 

He looked down at his son who was already looking up at him with wide eyes, and Toji grunted as he took in the suspicious stains on his buttoned up black uniform, the one untied shoelace on his left foot, and then decided that despite Megumi’s unusual habits for a child his age, maybe assuming he would remember a random hunk of meat deep in the freezer was asking too much for a kid only halfway to six. 

“Now can we go get the chips?” 

Toji had to take in a deep breath and close his eyes to count to ten before feeling calm enough to answer. “Just give me a second. Please.” 

It was Megumi’s turn to huff, and he took a step away to spin in slow circles as Toji looked back at the meat selection. He took a minute to mumble through what he could remember from his list and then weighed the options of having to come back to the store if there wasn’t chicken in the freezer, or buying another pack anyway but then losing space if there did happen to be some already in there. Ultimately, Toji decided to just get another package of chicken and threw it into the cart. 

“Alright, Kid,” he said, angling his head to look over his shoulder at his son, “now we can—Megumi?” 

Toji cut off abruptly when he realized the space his son had previously occupied was now empty. He swiftly scanned the open floor of the store for that familiar spiky black hair, but could only see a few random parents and various elderly getting their weekly groceries. Toji figured Megumi had made haste for the chip aisle, but panic still quickened his heart nonetheless, and he hurried off to find him. 

“Megumi!” he whisper-shouted, trying to keep his voice low to be mindful of other patrons, but Toji was growing more nervous every time he leaned over the front of his cart to duck his head down an aisle, only to find it empty of his son. The kid had short legs and Toji’s back was only turned for a minute, but he was struggling to believe Megumi could vanish that quickly. 

“Megumi!” he said a little louder. He looked up at the indicator signs hanging at the end of each aisle, and when he caught a glimpse of the one containing the chips just two away, he lengthened his steps and opened his mouth to call for him again. 

“Alright, Megumi.” Toji heard a voice addressing his son before he was able to round the corner. “You promised me you would tell me what your dad looked like if I got the bag of chips for you off the top shelf. Now, let’s go find him, okay? I’m sure he’s worried about you.” 

When Toji did finally swerve his cart into the aisle, he was met with the sight of you squatted down in front of Megumi as he clutched a bag of chips to his chest. He could see your side profile, acknowledged how striking it was, and took in the heels on your feet and the fine-pressed material of your business clothes, but had little other attention for you before making sure his son was alright. Megumi caught sight of him first, and when he pointed at him you followed his finger, and Toji saw your eyes widen at his approach. He paid you no mind though, grateful when you had the sense to take a step back in order to not get in between a worried father and his child, and he wrapped his arms around Megumi when he crouched down in front of him. 

“What have we talked about, Megs?” Toji stressed. He released Megumi from where he had clutched him against his chest so he could look him in the eye. His tone wasn’t harsh, but it was stern in its urgency and firmness. “You don’t walk off without telling me, you hear? Don’t do that again.” 

The little boy nodded, and his head drooped slightly in response to being scolded. The sight of his downturned lips plucked at Toji’s frayed nerves, and he lifted a hand to ruffle Megumi’s hair in an attempt to soften the moment. 

The clicking of your heels had him noticing you again, and Toji looked up to see you leaning down to grab your basket, body already half-turned away from him, and he stood to his full height at the same time you straightened. 

“Thank you,” he said, and you went still. “I’m sorry if he inconvenienced you, but I appreciate you taking the time to help him.” Toji rubbed a hand against the back of his neck when your cheeks rounded into a friendly smile. 

“He was no trouble at all,” you said, and while your tone was kindly neutral, Toji didn’t doubt the genuineness of your words. “Megumi was very polite.” 

His son shuffled his feet when you turned your attention on to him, and Toji caught the tint of pink that flushed the back of his neck and ears. 

He chuckled and patted his shoulder gently. “Well, that’s good to hear.” He hesitated a moment, using the pause to further take in the style of your hair and the way your eyes twinkled under the harsh fluorescents of the grocery store, then held his hand out as he took a step forward. “I’m Toji.” 

You met his hand halfway, shaking it twice as you gave him your name, and when the two of you separated, there wasn’t quite as much distance between you as there had been moments ago. 

“I don’t think I would have had any trouble finding you,” you giggled, and though your voice was sweet and your eyes crinkled in something that maybe could’ve been flirtatious, Toji thought you looked just a bit shy in the way you rocked gently on your toes and held your basket down in front of your legs so you could bump it off your knees absentmindedly. 

You didn’t present yourself forwards to him or tilt your head in a way that was meant to entice, and while Toji couldn’t ignore how pretty you were or the way you had let your eyes quickly take in his height and the breadth of his shoulders (he didn’t think it was his imagination when you lingered on the scar in the corner of his mouth) he was grateful you maintained an air of simple friendliness.

You motioned towards Megumi with a flutter of your hand. “The resemblance is uncanny.” 

Toji hoped his answering grin wasn’t strained. There was no denying how similar he and Megumi looked, from the shared black hair and angled jaw to how he had been told that the two of them even scowled the same. It warmed his heart to know his son looked like him, but it also brought with it a strange sense of disappointment that he had to search so hard to find his late wife’s features since they were mostly obscured by his own. Toji wasn’t sure which way he would rather have it. Each sounded equally painful, to not notice her much at all in Megumi, or to be struck in the face with the ghost of her every time he looked at his son.

“Yeah,” Toji said, “so I’ve heard.” 

When your grin faltered slightly at the corners, Toji worried that he hadn’t done as good of a job concealing the hurt in his voice. You studied him a moment longer before your eyes darted over his shoulder and then off towards another aisle as one of your legs slid backwards. 

“I’ll, uh, let the two of you get going.” You smiled again at him and offered a small wave to Megumi from where he was mostly hidden behind his father’s legs. “It was nice to meet the both of you.” 

Toji nodded in agreement and Megumi sent back his own tiny shake of a hand before you each turned to go your separate ways. A little twinge in his chest made him wonder if he was missing out on something, but the window of opportunity already seemed to have passed. Once you were gone, Toji looked down at his son and tapped the top of his head to get his attention.

“I’ll let you push the cart, but you have to promise to never run off again, you hear me?” 

Megumi immediately whipped his head up to stare awe-struck at Toji as he awaited confirmation, and after a nod from his father, he scrambled to get in between Toji and the cart, hands up and fingers just barely curling around the handle. Toji offered some guidance, but for the most part, he let his son do the work as they finished gathering the last of their items. 

All in all, the rest of the trip remained uneventful, and Toji even felt a modicum more confident in grocery store endeavors as he directed Megumi to turn towards the checkout area at the end of the last aisle. That was until, in his eagerness, Megumi yanked the cart abruptly around the corner without bothering to check if anyone was approaching and promptly rammed the opposite end into your legs when you appeared from the other side. 

Toji wanted to die a little as he watched you teeter on your heels while you flailed a hand out to regain your balance, and he was too far away to be able to close the distance in enough time to stabilize you, no matter how much he wanted to. However, in an impressive feat of gracefulness, you managed to right yourself at the last moment, grasping the edge of their cart with the hand that wasn’t holding your own basket. 

“Megumi,” Toji growled through his teeth, slowly enunciating every syllable of his name, and the little boy actually looked chagrined for once. 

“I’m alright,” you reassured him, laughter catching the tail end of your words, and Megumi scattered between his father’s legs when you grinned down at him. “It’s nice to run into you again, Megumi.” 

Toji dragged a palm down his face and embarrassment made the back of his neck feel hot. “I’m so sorry. Again.” 

“Really,” you insisted, “it’s okay.” You couldn’t lie and convince yourself that you weren’t glad to run into the cute little boy with an undeniably attractive father. But, even though there wasn’t a wedding ring on Toji’s finger, it didn’t mean there wasn’t a woman waiting for them at home, and that was enough to keep your behavior completely platonic. 

With the realization that the three of you stood in the middle of the walkway staring at one another, you glanced down at their cart and then off to the right where the checkout was before turning back to them and tossing your hand back in that general direction. 

“Are you guys ready to checkout? There’s a lane open at the end.” 

The three of you ended up in line together behind another customer who had managed to sneak in right before you got there, but it allowed for conversation to flow. You learned that Toji was an instructor at a school just outside the city and that Megumi was in his first year of kindergarten. The boy took a liking to animals, and when you asked about Toji’s hobbies while you paid for your groceries, he only shrugged, but Megumi had chosen that moment to speak up for him. 

“He likes to play with cards and money.” His voice rang loud and clear in the space of the store. Your face lit up in surprise and maybe just a hint of wariness, and Toji nearly dropped the pack of chicken he’d been loading onto the register. Even the employee in front of you three sniggered until Toji cut his eyes towards him. 

He’d have to be a lot more careful about what he joked with Shiu about on the phone when he thought Megumi wasn’t listening. 

“He means Monopoly, like board games or something,” Toji rushed out, and he didn’t think he sounded very convincing, but you didn’t ask for clarification and he caught you stifling a laugh as you turned to grab your groceries. He used the chance of your back being to them to pin Megumi with an exasperated grimace, but the boy was too proud of himself to care. 

“If you want,” Toji offered, taking note of the bags you held in both hands while you stood waiting for them at the end of the cash register, “you can put your stuff in our cart and we’ll take it out. An apology for almost running you over.” He felt a little ridiculous when you cocked your head in consideration, wondering if what he said was out of turn, but it vanished when you set your things at the front of their cart with a smile. 

“I’d appreciate it.” 

He followed out after you, just barely remembering to grab his receipt from the cashier who somehow had the gall to waggle his eyebrows at him, but Toji pointedly ignored the gesture. 

Once outside, he lifted Megumi into the cart to keep him contained while he helped you load your groceries into your car. While the two of you made light conversation, the same nagging feeling that something was about to slip through his fingers itched at the back of his mind. However, Toji had no idea what to do about it. At least, not while Megumi sat watching the two of you, and he certainly couldn’t ask you to wait until after he got his son into his car two lanes over while under the heat of July.

In the end, nothing happened, and Toji was caught off guard by the disappointment he felt when he and Megumi finally got themselves situated in the car. It stayed with him as he drove and tried to keep up with whatever Megumi was chattering about. It plagued him with the images of your smile and what your face might have looked like if he had managed to ask for your phone number. Disappointment had Toji realizing with a shake of his head that he wanted to ask for your phone number because he had wanted to see you again, and that hadn’t happened with a woman—despite the opportunities—since meeting his late wife. It sat heavy in his gut, and he figured it would ease away on its own in however much time it took him to forget about you.

At least, that’s what Toji had thought until he realized that the car that just turned in front of his onto his street was newly familiar and currently parking in front of a house across the road and two doors down from his. He quickly did the same and stepped out of his car with bated breath. You emerged out of yours a second later, and this time he raised his hand in greeting. 

“You live here,” he called as you crossed the street and came to a stop at the edge of his small driveway. If Toji hadn’t been so stupefied by the turn of events, maybe something a little more eloquent would have come out of his mouth.

“For about a week now,” you told him, glancing back at his door as if you were waiting for something. Toji realized that he’d been so busy with work the last couple days that he hadn’t really paid any attention to the comings and goings of any of his neighbors, because surely he wouldn’t have missed you otherwise. “The house was left by a distant family member, but I didn’t have any use for it until my job transferred me here last month.”

“Oh, well, this is ours,” he said, gesturing backwards to his own home. “It’s just me and Megumi.” Toji saw your eyes flash with what he thought was interest, and maybe you confirmed it when you took a couple steps closer to lean against the tail end of his car.

“I guessed that was the case when you got out. You don’t seem like the type to follow home a woman you just met.” You arched one of your eyebrows playfully. “At least not with your son in the car.” 

That got a chuckle out of him, and Toji shrugged nonchalantly. “Not anymore, no.” 

Tentative excitement skittered over his spine when a laugh popped out of your mouth unbidden, and even though you tried to hide it with your hand and turned your head towards your house to shake it in amused disbelief, Toji still spied the way you peeked at him from the corner of your eye. 

“Well,” you said, a little breathless, “I’m going home to make dinner. Have a good evening, neighbor.” The fingers of your right hand wiggled in his direction as you spun around to walk back to your house, and Toji fought to clear the grin he felt stretching the scarred skin of his lip as he opened the car door and ducked inside to grab Megumi. 

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

Over the next month or so, most of Toji’s interactions with you remained frustratingly surface level. You’d holler a greeting to him on the mornings you saw him carrying a struggling Megumi to the car, already ten minutes late and praying his son had a pair of matching shoes on. He could do nothing but shout back as you got into your own car to leave for work. Other times, he’d wave at you as he drove to the store while you stood out watering the few pots of flowers sitting by your door. Once, when you had arrived home from work a little later in the day than normal, you had walked over to say ‘hello’ when you saw him and Megumi outside tossing a baseball. You hadn’t bothered going inside to change out of your slacks and blouse, and Toji had been thoroughly impressed when you ended up being able to chase a ball around with them while still in your heels. 

Ultimately, Toji hadn’t quite decided if you’d react reciprocatively to him or not if he just showed up with a knock on your door to ask you out or get your phone number or any other romantic-adjacent task that he would surely end up making a fool out of himself with should he do it. In an effort to ensure he didn’t irreparably damage a perfectly good neighborly relationship, he refrained from doing anything more than exchanging smiles and conversation when the two of you came into contact with each other. Toji was determined to wait for a bit more interest on your end before he committed to doing anything. 

Alas, in the late morning of a Friday that just so happened to be a government holiday, meaning there wasn’t a job for the two of you to go to, Toji caught sight of you staring up at some wooden decoration that sat at the top pitch of your house’s entryway. He and Megumi had just stepped outside to play. There was a bucket of dark stain sitting next to your foot, and you had a paint brush in hand to go with the shorts and ratty t-shirt you had on. 

Never one to miss an obvious opportunity, Toji grabbed Megumi by the hand and walked him down the street to your house. Once he was close enough, he called out to grab your attention. 

“Need help with that?” 

You spun around abruptly, clearly caught unaware by him (Toji suspected that had more to do with something on his part than yours), but you smiled bashfully nonetheless as you glanced at him and then back to the spot above your door. “I didn’t think so originally, but it seems a lot higher up now that I actually look at it.” 

When you glanced back at him, your eyes were beseeching and your lip was snagged between your teeth, and Toji knew in that second you could’ve gotten away with asking him anything you wanted to. 

He smirked and gave you a nod of his head to confirm his assistance. After a quick discussion about where your ladder was—only to find out you didn’t have one—and a trip back to his house so Toji could grab the one there, he was up and brushing the stain to the wood as you and Megumi observed from below. 

“I really do appreciate it,” you told him, eyeing the way a muscle in his arm flexed with every stroke of the brush. “I think I would’ve had trouble reaching it, even after I would have had to go buy a ladder to do it.” 

His chuckle drifted down to you and the depth of it was exceedingly pleasant to your ears. Movement from behind you forced your gaze from Toji, and you looked back to check on Megumi as he wandered off to peer curiously at your potted flowers. When you decided the little boy was probably harmless to the defenseless flowers, you turned back to Toji and nearly choked on your tongue at the picture he made. 

He was up on the tips of his toes with his arm extended in order to reach the top section of wood he needed to, and the movement lifted up the hem of his black t-shirt. You couldn’t help but take in the pale strip of skin now exposed, nor could you ignore the sharp angles of Toji’s hips and the trail of black hair that ran down under his belly button and disappeared into his pants. As your study took you upwards, you noticed how sweat made the fabric cling to every dip of muscle in his chest, and for the first time in your life, you came to the realization that sometimes more clothing could be just as sensuous as the lack thereof. 

Belatedly, you became aware of how hard you were staring (ogling) him, and you wrenched your focus off his torso to somewhere safer, this time his face. However, to your absolute mortification, Toji already had his eyes on you, and based on the way the green of them gleamed in mischievousness, you knew he had caught you. With your skin suddenly flashing both hot and cold, you sputtered an excuse about getting Megumi a drink before fleeing for the sanctuary of your kitchen, but not before you snatched the little boy’s wrist on the way in to drag him with you. You ignored the way you heard Toji cackling from all the way from inside.

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

At the beginning of autumn, about three months after moving into your new home, the weather had begun to cool down enough that you could open your windows in the afternoon. You sang to yourself as you fixed a snack in your kitchen, and the neighborhood had been quiet enough that nothing had yet disturbed your relaxing Saturday. 

That remained true until a light knock at your front door echoed in your kitchen. You set down the fruit you were cutting in favor of grabbing a towel to wipe your hands on and then hurried to the front door. You paused briefly at the mirror in your hallway to ensure you looked presentable in case a certain dad with the clearest green eyes you had ever seen happened to be on the other side. When you did answer the door, it was indeed a Fushiguro, but one of a much smaller stature than his father.

You weren’t necessarily a stranger to them anymore. Since moving in, when you or them happened to be outside at the same time, you usually ended up chatting or playing ball or something equally mundane when your schedules allowed for it. Toji had spent an afternoon repairing a gaping hole in your fence a couple weeks after staining the wood above your door—you very intentionally made sure to keep your eyes neck-level and above that time around—and you had knocked on their door one Sunday to deliver a plate of homemade cookies after you had watched Megumi sprain his ankle playing outside the day prior. 

So no, it wasn’t quite out of the realm of possibility for a little boy with hair that seemed to defy gravity to appear at your door, but you couldn’t say you had been expecting it to happen either, especially not without his father in tow.

“Hi, Megumi,” you greeted, looking down at him as he scuffed his feet shyly against your welcome mat. “Is everything alright?”

He nodded, not saying anything for a moment before blurting out, “do you have any snacks?”

The question caught you off guard, and you leaned forward out your door to check and see that Toji’s car was still in the driveway. “I certainly do, but is your dad not home?” You obviously weren’t a parent yourself yet, but even you knew that five and half years old was still too young for a child to be left home alone. 

“He is,” Megumi said flatly, and his nose scrunched in disdain. “But he fell asleep on the couch and I’m hungry.” 

You muffled a snort of surprise against your palm and stepped aside to let the little boy in. “I’m happy to share a snack with you, Megumi, but we need to let your dad know where you are.” You considered what to do for a moment as you led him to your kitchen. 

“Do you know his phone number? I’ll call and let him know you’re here.”

 Megumi only shook his head.

“Okay, well…why don’t you sit at the table and eat a couple pieces of fruit, but then I’m taking you back home.” 

He seemed content with your answer and quickly made his way to the table to scramble into a chair as you brought a plate of fruit to him. You were about to ask him how his day had been when you heard a door slam through your window, followed by Toji bellowing Megumi’s name. 

The two of you shared a startled look, both of you now anticipating a possible scolding, and you spun around to dash out your front door. When you made it a couple steps outside, Toji was looking down the sidewalk in your opposite direction.

“Toji!” you called. He whipped his head in your direction and your heart broke at the franticness of his features. “He’s here! He’s okay!” 

His shoulders fell in relief, and as he started to cross the street with those long strides of his, it occurred to you that Toji wasn’t wearing anything other than a pair of grey sweats on his lower half. He was all toned muscle and smooth skin, and between his towering height and the grim set of his mouth, you weren’t sure if you were more intimidated by him or attracted to him, though perhaps those went hand in hand at times like this.

As he strode up your driveway, a small squeak left your mouth and you stumbled back a step to try and maintain the distance Toji was eating up. “I’m sorry, he got here only five minutes ago and I was going to come get—,” 

You were cut off when he lowered himself down to encircle your shoulders with his arms and brought you into his chest for a hug that seemed like it was more for his benefit than yours. You could see just a sliver of what was behind him from over the top of his shoulder and when your hands landed on his back, you were shocked at the heat that radiated off of him. He smelled faintly of some generic shampoo, but it managed to be thrilling nonetheless, and you noted how firm he felt in every point of contact between your bodies. When Toji pulled away—entirely too soon in your opinion—his face was full of gratitude. 

“Thank you,” he said, and sincerity coated every word. If the suddenness of his body against yours hadn’t spiked your heart rate, then the emotion in his voice and the way his eyes stayed locked on yours certainly did. 

“Oh, no,” you insisted, waving your hands between the two of you, “there’s nothing to thank me for! I’m sorry I didn’t let you know sooner and made you worry. I was going to call you, but Megumi didn’t know your phone number and I don’t have it—,” 

Toji’s head jerked back slightly. You flushed hot and hoped you hadn’t sounded disappointed at the fact. 

“Anyways, Megumi just wanted a snack and said you had fallen asleep on the couch, so I guess he decided to come over here.” You were out of breath by the time you finished your rushed explanation, and the only thing that brought you any relief was the fact that Toji’s cheeks blushed the faintest shade of pink as he pinched at the back of his neck. 

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he said sheepishly. “I worked late last night and must’ve drifted off while the kid was watching cartoons.” 

His words brought your attention to his face and it was then that you noticed the way the skin under his eyes bruised purple just the slightest, and Toji did indeed look like he needed a nap. 

“It’s no trouble for Megumi to hang out here if you need a break. I’m happy to help,” you offered, dipping your chin and smiling at him.

The circumstances regarding Megumi’s mother hadn’t been told to you yet, and because you didn’t feel the need to pry, you hadn’t asked about it. However, it didn’t take knowing all the details for you to surmise that Toji had been doing the single-father business for most—if not all—of Megumi’s life thus far. 

Astonishment made Toji’s eyebrows jump, but he agreed to the idea after another second and then reached deep into his pocket to fish for something. 

“Here,” he said, holding his phone out to you once he pulled it free from the fabric of his pants. “I meant to do this a while ago.” 

Your heart skipped a beat as you took Toji’s phone from his hand and typed your number into it. When you were finished, you made a call to your own phone, and when your ringtone flowed from the kitchen out the window, Toji’s mouth turned upwards in satisfaction. 

Megumi appeared a moment later to just barely peek his head around your door. Apprehension made his movements slow, and when he caught Toji’s eye, his father’s face darkened. 

“Come ‘ere,” Toji grumbled, waving his hand at his son to beckon him forward. Megumi shuffled out begrudgingly, and you yearned to give the boy a hug, but you figured it wasn’t your place to intervene. Twice now Megumi had snuck out from his father’s (not so) watchful eye, and you had a feeling Toji was about to ensure it didn’t happen again. 

Toji swooped Megumi up into his arm to carry him against his side like a football, and after wishing you their goodbyes, they made their way back across the street. A feeling of joy left by the two of them followed you back into your house, and you made sure to add to your shopping list the brand of chips Megumi had requested your help reaching the first time you had met him.

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

A/N: Luckily, 90% of this entire story is already written out, so I plan to have it all posted by the end of the week.

If you read this pile of self-indulgence, thank you very much <3

[unknowntoyou2205]

Diamonds sister pt 2

Y/n groaned as she heard her bedroom door open. After last nights events y/n had spent half the night tossing and turning, unable to get a certain blonde gentleman out of her head. Her mum and sister had thrown questions at her on the ride home and the excitement between them hadn’t gone unnoticed. The excitement the young girl herself felt was also apparent, but y/n refused to show it in fear that it may be thrown back at her.

“Good morning Miss, are you ready to get ready for the day?” Her handmaid smiled.

“Yes I am. Is everyone ready for our visitors today?”

“Yes the chef has prepared sweet treats and tea for this afternoon. They shall not be disappointed.”

“Good.” Y/n smiled, optimistic about today’s agenda.

Y/n opted for y/f/c dress with detail on the shoulder before heading down the stairs to the drawing room where her mother and sister were already sitting, working on their embroidery. Y/n never cared for embroidery, so instead opted to take out her drawing pad, deciding to draw the garden view as she waited for todays visitors. It wasn’t long before the door opened, and Anthony and Benedict arrived in the room.

“Your up early.” Violet stated to her sons with slight dismay.

“Are we the first ones here, how lovely.” Anthony stated, grabbing a biscuit before sitting beside Daphne.

“Perhaps you should make use of your time elsewhere.” Their mother stated.

“I believe y/n would like me to stay, right y/n.” Benedict stated, thinking their usual antics would start.

Y/n went to reply when the door opened once again, and y/ns handmaid opened the door. Violet stood up in anticipation when a figure came close behind her.

Violet watched in awe as her daughter allowed the prince to guide her to a seat away from prying ears. Daphne couldn’t help the smile that spread on her face, despite wanting to advance on the prince herself. Y/n only turned back briefly to smile at them before turning her attention to the prince as he accepted the lemonade from the handmaid and offered one to her. She nodded her head in thanks before taking a delicate sip.

“A visitor for Miss Bridgerton.” The woman spoke out and the figure stepped into the room.

“Price Fredrich, good afternoon.” Violet nodded, indicating for her children to stand up to greet him.

“Your highness.” Daphne stated as she curtsied and bowed her head.

“Good afternoon Lady Bridgerton, I have come to call on one of your daughters.”

“And which one may that be.” Anthony called from his position.

“Miss y/n.” The royal stated, looking at the second oldest daughter of the family.

“I believe you should like to go Benedict.” Y/n muttered to her brother.

“I believe I should most certainly like to stay,” Benedict replied quickly, not taking his eyes off the prince in front of them.

“Now Benedict.” Y/n stated to him before stepping towards the prince with her mother.

“Can I offer you some light refreshment?” Violet asked their visitor as Benedict left the room.

“I would love some. Perhaps some lemonade, and for miss Bridgerton?” Fredrich looked at y/n, expecting an answer.

“The same please.” Y/n spoke with a smile, before accepting the princes outstretched hand.

The two sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company under the watchful gaze of her family. A smile remained on each of their faces before the door opened once again and miss came through.

“So, what do you like to do, tell me more about you?” Fredrich smiled, leaning closer to the girl in front of him to listen.

“Well, I like to draw, I find you can capture anything with a pencil and page. I suppose that’s not a typical hobby of a woman but I find it so refreshing that I could just draw for hours, often with my dear brother Benedict.” Y/n stated, smiling fondly.

“I admire that. Would you be close with your siblings?” Frendrich asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“Yes I like to think that we are. I enjoy being with my youngest two, Hyacinth and Gregory, there so sweet. Do you have any siblings yourself?” Y/n asked, intrigued to learn more about her suitor.

“Unfortunately I am an only child, but I hope to have my own family someday, possibly many. Do you want children some day?” The blonde man asked the woman in front of him, not missing how her smile disappeared to sadness.

“I would love to have my own but the thoughts of having them terrify me after what my dear Mama went through with Hyacinth.” Y/n spoke sadly, remembering the screams of her mother and how she family nearly became orphans.

“I am sorry I asked.” Prince Frendrich stated, placing a hand on y/n’s in comfort.

“It’s ok. Maybe with the right guy I will have my dream, and my fear may be placed at ease.” Y/n stated, her mouth twitching with a smile.

“Perhaps, I may be that guy.” The prince dared to say, moving a hand under y/n’s chin to move her head up.

“Perhaps.” Y/n spoke, smiling at the thought.

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

“Another visitor, for Miss Bridgerton.” This time she looked at Daphne and y/n sighed, knowing the time with the prince had come to an end.

“Perhaps we shall pomegrade tomorrow.” Prince Fredrich offered, wanting to spend more time with the Bridgerton in front of her.

“I would like that.” Y/n announced, nodding her head in agreement.

“Until tomorrow.” Prince Fredrich took y/n’s hand and brought it up, kissing it delicately.

“Until tomorrow.” y/n smiled shyly, watching as the prince moved to say his goodbyes to her mother and brother.

The following days followed with y/n and Fredrich spending many hours together. Benedict had taken it upon himself  to escort his sister to these meetings, despite his sisters disagreement, and the prince was starting to grow on him. Seeing how his sister smiled around thig guy made Benedict realize that maybe his sister meeting with this guy wasn’t a bad idea. The relationship between brother and sister were remarkable, but Benedict would be willing to leave the prince be if it made y/n happy. And it would appear that he made y/n very happy.

Y/n had found herself falling for the royal she had been spending so much time with these past few weeks. Each ball lead to a new dance, and each day lead to a new Pomerado around, getting to know each other more and more. The more time spent with the prince, the more y/n thought that maybe he could be the one. Maybe he was the one she would marry and make her feel safe and secure with herself, much like her father had been for her mother. And the prince, well, he was seeing the Bridgerton girl in a new light.

Today was no different. Y/n had arrived back from a boat ride with the prince ,and was now in a carriage towards the ball of the night, one that was being held by the her sister. Since Daphnes marriage things had been a spiral of emotions for the Bridgerton family, yet the giddiness that y/n felt for tonight was something that did not go unnoticed. Violet watched her daughter with happiness as she glowed. With Daphne now engaged to the duke, Violet hoped that maybe there would be another love story for the Bridgerton family.

The carriage came to a stop and y/n allowed her mother to get out before she herself stood up and exited the carriage. Looking at the entrance in awe, she couldn’t help but smile as she seen the familiar blonde hair standing with the Queen at the back of the hall. Smiles were exchanged as the prince caught sight of the Bridgerton clan walking into the ball, and took no time to start making her way down to them. Ignoring the mothers and daughters who swarmed him, he made his way over to y/n and nodded his head in greeting as the mother daughter duo turned to face him.

Y/n smiled at the Prince as they prepared to dance. Allowing the royal to lead her around the floor, y/n couldn’t help the slight giggle that came out of her mouth. Her giggle made the prince in turn smile as he twirled his dance partner around.

“Good evening ladies, I hope you are well.” He spoke to the two.

“Good evening your highness. We are very well.” Violet spoke for the two of them as they curtsied to him.

“Would it be too much to ask for a dance with your lovely daughter.” He asked, offering his hand out out to y/n.

“Please enjoy.” Violet confirmed, watching with pride as the prince kissed her daughters hand before leading her to the floor.

“Perhaps there may be another Bridgerton wedding in the horising.” Simon spoke beside his mother in law.

“One can only hope.” Violet stated, hoping the best would come for her daughter.

The prince stepped away from her and fiddled with his pocket before bringing out a small velvet box. Y/n watched in shock as the attention of others became apparent. Violet grabbed bEnedicts arm as she watched with hope.

“I hope you are enjoying your night.” Prince Fredrich stated as they danced around the room. Her back to his chest.

“Very much.” Y/n nodded.

“Y/n, I hope I am not overstepping when I say but, I enjoy our time together.”

“I enjoy our time together too.” Y/n smiled.

“And I hope you wouldn’t be opposed to spending more time together.” The prince asked, twirling her around once more.

“I was hoping we would.” Y/n smiled, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“Perhaps you would do me the honour of spending the rest of our time on this earth together.” The prince asked, causing y/n to look at him in shock.

“Your highness, what are you saying.” Y/n asked, turning to him as the music stopped.

Unable to hold her excitement, Violet rushed towards her daughter and pulled her into a hug.

“Y/n Bridgerton, would you do me the honour of becoming my princess, my wife.” Fredrich asked, opening the box to show a ring held delicately with a small coushin.

“I would love to.” Y/n spoke happily, allowing him to pull her in a hug.

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

“You are to be married dearest.” Violet stated, and y/n smiled excitedly.

“I got it mama, I got my dream.”

“We better watch out with royalty in our house.” Benedict teased causing y/n to chock in tears.

The wedding was everything y/n could of ever dreamed off. Prince Fredrich wanted the day to be everything his bride had ever imagined, and went above and beyond to make sure her dreams became a reality. It was fit for a princess, which was what Miss y/n Bridgerton would now be called. Violet was beaming for joy as she watched her second daughter walk down the aisle with her second oldest. Benedict couldn’t help the smile on his face as he walked his sister to her new family, having cried after y/n had asked him to step in what should have been their fathers job. Daphne held her husbands arm in delight watching her twin get married. The Queen herself couldn’t help but show a slight smile, even if only for a brief second.

The night itself was magical and fit for royalty. Y/n danced with her husband under the night stars, outside in the Queens garden. United as one, y/n couldn’t wait to live her newfound life. Princess y/n of Prussia, dawning a ring that belonged to her majesty the Queen on her finger, vowed to spend entirely with her new love, the prince of Prussia.

[xxkiller-muffinxx]

THAT FLOYD ONESHOT WAS SO GOOD‼️‼️ I'd love to see a part 2 for it!^^

(If you want to btw-)

As long as we're together

Floyd x reader (Part 1) (part 2) (part 3)

Summary: after a long while of being reconnected with your favorite brozone member. You make plenty of sweet familiar memories, however a line is crossed when a familiar popstar duo enters the picture.

Words: 1475

Warnings: Implied death, angst, another semi-cliffhanger

A/N: I don't know why I wrote these so fast, but maybe it's because I stopped worrying about tiny details and just went with the flow. I don't think I got Velvet and Veneers personalities perfect but I just felt like their scene fit their dynamic as best as possible. Genuinely appreciate the support on the last part, your guy’s positive feedback gives me life. Stay golden and enjoy! Ps. Velvet and Veneer are the same color but I tried to make it clear who was talking in the writing, thank you!

✦✧✦

You remember the first week you two were together. So fondly. Back to back in your prisons and humming each other's favorite song. No matter how embarrassing.

⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱

It's been quiet for a few hours, you're both recovering from the last concert and are giving each other time to process. When suddenly Floyd begins humming quietly. You look at him and raise an eyebrow.

He returns your eye contact and smiles warmly. He then whispers. “Don't you…forget about me.” He would quietly sing. He continued mumbling the words until you would join in, but instead with one of his songs.

“Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be.” You placed a hand on the glass as your voices began to wrap around one another. Creating a symphony unlike anything else. It reminded you that sometimes just singing matters more than any perfect note.

The two of you continued until you couldn't anymore. You tried to keep humming but you threw yourself into a coughing fit. Floyd immediately stopped singing and looked at you. “Hey hey, it's okay. You don't have to.” he comforted, instinctively reaching out a hand for your shoulder but being stopped by the barrier between you two.

“I'm okay. I'm okay,” you responded, despite the deep pain in your chest. You sat up and leaned on the glass. “Can we still talk?” You asked. Then Floyd nodded.

“So mount rageous? Pretty cool huh?” he started the conversation, but you only snorted at his sad excuse for a conversation topic.

⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱

In a similar regard. You remember him telling you about his brothers. You were getting a bit too overhyped over all of them though. Even if you loved every other brother, you had to remind him who the best of them was.

⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱

“Then there's Spruce-”

“The heartthrob!”

“Yeah him. He was nice, I didn't like how much he butted heads with John though. I just wish I could see them again,” He looked at his hands, gripping the air as if it were life support. You frowned. Leaning into the glass.

You didn't know how to comfort him, at this point, you were both pretty pessimistic. So saying anything optimistic would have the opposite effect. So you decided to keep talking instead.

“Yeah, spruce was pretty cool, but did you go to the last Brozone concert?” You said, utterly messing with him at that point.

“Wait what?” He asked as he glanced back at you.

“It was so good! I mean the pyrotechnics, the colors, ugh! The music! Don't get me started on the music!” you did your best to stand up and did an excited spin. Floyd followed.

“Woah hey, slow down.” he placed both hands on the glass and his eyebrows creased with worry.

“Though there was something I could never get over. Something that always irked me.” You stumbled back into the purple surrounding you, looking into Floyd’s eyes. He frowned and looked down. Seeming to already know what you’re going to say. However, you hit him with a curveball. “There wasn’t enough of that sensitive troll…what was his name again?”

He shook his head and said your name once. “What are you talking about?”

“He had pink hair, he was almost the youngest but Bitty B was too quick.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Bitty B was the star of the show honestly.”

You laughed and leaned your forehead toward him, he did the same. Your eyes met and you grinned. “He was the cutest troll and my favorite. No other brother could beat him.”

His cheeks turned red instantaneously, causing him to turn away. you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. Which threw you into yet another coughing fit, Floyd was at your side quickly. Checking up on you to make sure you weren’t gone yet.

⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱⊰⊱

Those moments, even if short. Meant the world to you. Now the boundary was crossed. Neither of you had much strength to talk or sing together anymore. To you went with compatible silence. That is until Velvet and Veneer took matters into their own hands.

You were in your usual spot when suddenly, Velvet stormed in. She was in hysterics, absolutely appalled by her performance. “I can't believe that happened!” she shrieked, kicking a shoe into a wall. Veneer came in right behind her.

“It's fine! One voice crack never ruined anyone's career! Woah!” Veneer dodged another shoe and hid behind a mirror just in case. Velvet wasn't having any of it though, she was completely thrown off course.

She stomped to the desk and swiped up the perfume bottle you were inside. “I don't care if it was one voice crack or five! I can't mess up like that in front of the world!” she growled and was prepared to throw you across the room. Before she stopped. She looked at you and smiled. “I just need more troll. That's all.”

She grinned, pulling the bottle to her neck and beginning to spray all around her. Veneer came from behind the mirror and put out a hand. “Hey, maybe we should ration those little guys, don't know how many trolls we're going to need, you know?” He tried reasoning.

Floyd looked up at Velvet and watched in horror as she sprayed as much of the music onto her as she could. There was nothing he could do. Velvet laughed in her insanity. Glancing at Veneer she made sure she was covered head to toe. “We won't need much more Veneer! If I nail this performance we’ll be made! I promise!”

Veneer shook his head and walked closer. When Velvet suddenly sprayed him in the face. “And face it. You love the attention as much as I do.” She hissed. Then once she was calm she slammed you back down onto the desk and left you alone. “Okay, now…I'm ready!” She was going to leave but Veneer stopped her. He pointed at your bottle and gulped. Velvet turned to look at you.

You were spent, your hair all white and your skin turning an entirely different shade. You were dying, and you were dying fast. Floyd dropped to his knees and whispered your name multiple times as if it would be the last thing he uttered. “Please be okay, please hold on for a bit longer.” He begged,

Then as soon as you were down, you were up again. Velvet groaned and handed Veneer the bottle. “You handle it. I have to get ready.” She said before leaving him alone in the room. Veneer grimaced as he watched her go. Then grimaced even more when he realized his duty.

Floyd banged on the glass. Trying to break it open to no avail. Veneer looked at Floyd. “Geez, you're making this harder. If I don't do this you know what Velvet will do.” He knelt down to Floyd’s level. Veneer’s eyes pleading for understanding.

Floyd shakes his head. “you don't have to do this, Veneer just let us go! Please, I'm begging you.” Floyd pushes hard on the glass, looking up into his eyes. Veneer, on the brink of being moved, stands up and looks at your nearly lifeless form.

Before he could respond, Velvet rips the diamond out of his hand. “What are you doing? I told you to deal with it. Not stand around playing with it.” She looked around and crossed her arms. “Ugh I always have to do everything. Hope you like flying.” she says, walking to the nearest window and opening it.

Veneer cringed at the notion, sitting down and looking away from her. Floyd began panicking more trying to get out more than ever, but of course. It wasn't working. He needed the perfect family harmony.

Without much of a second thought. Velvet threw you out of the window. Watching you fall and then dusting her hands off. She looked at Veneer. “Well? We have a show to put on. We have to get ready! Come on!” She walked out, leaving Veneer with Floyd. Veneer looked down at the troll and was going to comfort him when he decided, it probably wasn't for the best.

Veneer left, leaving Floyd all alone. Floyd was looking out the window. Thinking about you, thinking about all the fun you had in your worst situation, and he realized it was false hope. Being with you for the rest of your lives. He then realized there was no platonic explanation for his feelings.

He had loved you, but he didn't know it until you were gone.

Pt 3?

[444you]

ways i maintain a cozy life 🦋

i hope you guys can find something in this post that could be helpful(:

heating blankets

provides me so much comfort & warmth. i have it on the entire day 😭 either on low or high, no inbetween

music

i personalized made my own playlist, i put the most whimsical and feminine music i could find. i recommend to listening to comforting songs as well, but not the ones that make you feel a bit sad

baking

always at my happiest when i bake

comfort shows

the shows i tend to watch are pretty little liars, girlfriends, desperate housewives, gossip girl, the vampire diaries, bad girls club, sex and the city

however sometimes the drama can get to me, if it’s too much. i forget i’m not in the show sometimes. for those moments, i’ll put shows like h2o, the summer i turned pretty, barbie life in the dreamhouse, and new girl on.

showers before sleep

i feel so relaxed in water. this includes swimming, showers, beach, pools, and etc. it provides me a great amount of comfort and sleepiness. this helps me sleep better than usual

taco bell

isn’t always the healthiest but if i need some comfort or i’m just feel down, i’ll get a cravings box from taco bell

visuals

put things in ur room that make you feel at peace especially if you’re a homebody. this is important if you spend most of your time in your room. for me, i always loved baking as i previously mentioned. so i’d get a diffuser with gourmet scents. fairy lights as well. cheetah print blankets.

rain

whenever it rains i’ll sit on the patio, put my headphones on and listen to music to recharge.

nostalgia apps

i tend to lead to games or apps that give me nostalgia. this includes wattpad, tumblr, moviestarplanet, purple place (they got in the app store 🫶🏾) , roblox, or episode. 

public places

when it comes to going to the grocery store, mall, or coffee shop. i’ll go alone especially because i spend my time in my room. when the noise is too much, i’ll put my shows or music on. however, i try to go on a movie date with my friend atleast once or twice a month.

reminders

i’m a very optimistic person but i’m also very sensitive. when i encounter negative people or situations, i tend to get discouraged easily. i solve that by watching “hopecore” or “humans are cute” videos on tiktok. i always try not to feed into my sadness by looking at videos about being mistreated or an ex. i search for videos that talk about having a big heart is a gift. how the right one will come to me. honestly for any situation you’re in.

just dance

y’all don’t come for me. just dance is my holy grail. it’s fun and its my way of doing “cardio”

naps

i try to nap after work or classes before i tend to get low energy. i don’t nap more than 2 hours, that way i feel more refreshed instead of drained.

[beah388love]

The beginning

18+ Minors DNI!!!

Full Masterlist TUA Masterlist

Pairing: Five hargreeves x Fem!reader

Summary: The beginning, your story.

Warnings: mentions of blood,Murder,reader has powers,angst,brother dies,readers family dies,fighting,death!!! (Please tell me if I missed any!!!)

It all started about 50 Years ago, well 50 years and 2 months ago to be exact. I'll never forget that day, because the day started perfectly normal.

Nobody tells you just how loud the sound of silence is. at that moment, I felt like I could hear everything and nothing at the same time.

———

Aged Eight.

It was around 2-4 in the morning judging by the colour of the dark blue sky outside and she was woken by her dad sprinting out of his room, petrified. She'd never seen him so panicked.

Her first thought was, maybe they were being robbed? maybe someone broke in?

That was until her mum sprinted out after her dad with her brother in her arms. He was limp and blue.

She felt her body stop, she ran over to her parents and reached out to her brother and she'll never forget the feeling of touching his face.

She stood there as her parents panicked and rushed calling the ambulance and once they got there she still stood watching them leave with her brother.

She still had hope though. I mean this stuff only happens in grown up movies? It definitely won't happen to us. Right?

No. Of course not.

Right?

She was taken to her grandparents house and stayed there for a couple hours with her two other brothers.

She sat there on the sofa, watching her grandad pace up and down the kitchen.

But after awhile she sat watching out the window of the front garden. Waiting. Waiting to see her parents again with her brother.

Maybe he was sick? And needed some medicine?

Maybe he needs some cheering up?

We'll make him better. He'll be fine. This is just a really vivid dream.

Not long later she saw her parents arrive without her brother.

Maybe he had to stay at the hospital cause he still needs medicine?

No. All the optimistic thoughts are gone because

she just knew.

She could feel it through the window and across to them.

She just knew.

He's not going to be okay. She felt it.

Her parents came in crying, "he's- he's" they didn't even get the word out and we all knew.

It's not going to be okay.

He's gone.

Forever.

Because that's the thing with time, nothing can buy it or get it back not even the richest or happiest.

But things didn't get much better after that.

———

Aged eight:

Around five months after her brother passed away, all her family were still mourning.

But today her parents both went out to grab some food for her and her brothers.

And once they collected all the things they needed. They left, hopped in the car and drove back home.

But on the way, a drunk driver swerved into the side of their car, killing them both.

She was devastated and it still didn't get better after that.

It actually got worse.

None of her distant relatives wanted to take care over them so her and her two younger brothers all had to go separate ways.

She never saw her brothers again.

She gave them both massive hugs, sobbing as they went different ways.

And your probably wondering 'how does this relate to five Hargreaves?'

The little girl in this story didn't go to an orphanage or a foster home or a happy place at all.

A certain man flew over to England and somehow got the social services woman to give him custody of you.

A man you had never met.

Reginald Hargreeves.

"Come with me, come on now don't hover around." He said sternly not even batting an eye to you.

You followed him still in your nightgown, trying to hide your sobs.

———

"Y/n? Are you listening to me?" Five cut you out of your thoughts as he waved a hand in front of your face.

"Huh?"

"I was saying...If my calculations are correct we can get back all we have to do is get a briefcase." Five said grinning at you near the end of his sentence.

"Oh god, what now?"  You asked tiredly

"Well..i was hoping-"

"hoping I could use my powers?" You cut him off and he nodded with a somewhat pleading grin.

"Alright..but if this time doesn't work I'm gonna kill you myself." You sighed and he nodded behind you grinning as you walked off.

———

After Reginald took you in, he helped you understand your power to great lengths.

"Reality warping".

You can change reality and quite literally defeat the laws of science. However it does come with some cons.

You can only change things you know or can imagine.

You have to be in 'the zone' is what you call it.

And one of the biggest cons is, when you use your power it drains you.

And I mean drains you.

Your energy levels - actually no, all your levels go down.

———

"Go down the left corridor and into the wooden door. And I'll meet you" five whispered and you nodded.

You did as he said and sneakily went into the wooden door, it was a meeting room and If im five was right, it would be filled with people in around two minutes.

You hid behind the door in the corner of the room and waited.

When they began walking in, you sat there and held your feet to your head.

Once you calmed down and focused, all the men began dropping dead.

Once they were all on the floor, five blinked next to you and grabbed a briefcase.

He grabbed your hand and blinked you both back to the middle of nowhere.

"Y/n?  you okay?" He asked you and you nodded tiredly.

"Do ya think it's gonna work?" You asked him breathlessly and he didn't respond.

Your guess was he probably didn't wanna get your hopes up to much.

———

This is my first series so i know It’s probably not the best!!! 🧡💛

[kbagraces]

Flip A Switch - Lando Norris

Lando Norris Mafia AU

As much as we try to suppress the stigma, strong women will continue to be perceived as intimidating until you learn to love us.

(Not proof read)

PART 2 - Bad Blood

"Morning gorgeous!" Mandi smiled as I skulked into the kitchen. Heels in hand, uncomfortable in the smart attire that i stupidly had chosen, unfortunately as a woman in this business if you wear anything slightly casual or that makes you feel slightly good about yourself then kiss away your chances to be taken seriously.

"I knew you'd come round and listen to wise old Mands." Beaming she was, beaming at the odd occurrence of her being right.

"Shut up, Mandi."

"Wearing heels won't intimidate a man who is significantly taller than you with them on." She spotted, she is correct in my intention of wearing heels, but it wasn't helping my current mental state, my eyes glaring into the back of her head as she made herself a coffee.

Glentwood. 20 minutes. The message alerted.

Great, I thought, nothing like meeting on their turf in a bar that'll be closed for another 14 hours. "If i don't message you in 2 hours, i'm dead." i smiled at her as i slipped on my heels grabbing my car keys.

"Optimistic as ever, have fun!!" She smiled, following me out and parting on her walk to work...

-Glentwood-

Glentwood was the most popular bar in the City, owned by the female members of McLaren it was the perfect place for me to become the easiest target they've ever faced. Or that's what they probably thought.

Knocking on the huge wooden doors I awaited for some tattooed hunk to answer the door instead a petite girl no taller than 5"3 in an all black suit greeted me with a smile.

"Y/n!" She smiled, much more excited than one should be when faced with someone who was once quite the enemy. "Oh Lando has told me so much about you. I'm Natalie, head bartender, if you will." Natalie was in no way what i would expect from McLaren.

"Nice to meet you." My smile quivered in confusion to why such a sweet girl worked for such monsters. Grabbing my hand, Natalie pulled me into the bar, the wooden interior radiated a rather glamorous aura about the place.

"Lando is waiting in the office. He seemed rather excited to have you on board. It would be great to have another girl around." She beams, i was going to correct her, telling her that i wasn't agreeing to anything, in all honestly, i'm not too sure why i'm here. But images of her doe eyes saddening and lips becoming tucked into a frown was not worth the guilt. So i stayed silent.

"Just run along up the first flight of stairs second door on the right" She nodded in the direction of the spiralled staircase, her hands clasped together whilst the smile never once shifted from her face. Intense.

"Thanks." I mumbled, my heels echoing along the tiled black and white flooring. My palms began to sweat slightly to which i brushed them against the side of my suit. Pull your self together.

A voice called to come in after i knocked on the door, there was Lando sat in an excessively big chair tucked under an also as excessively big wooden desk. Clad in black suit pants and black shirt pushed half way up his forearms. His veins protruded down his muscular arms. He was attractive even I couldn't deny that. How unfortunate that his pretty face was paired with his overly cocky personality.

"Morning Lando, what a glamorous lair." I mocked, the room did sort of resmble what a vampire would enhabit.

His faced remained unamused, "I dont know if you're entirley aware how fucked you are and how much you actually need my help. If i was you I'd sit down and shut up."

Now in any other scenario I would leave after being spoken to like that. However, contrary to what he believe i do know how much danger i could be in now that i am essentially on my own. So I sat.

He lent further into the desk his hands clasped together, looking deep into my eyes, "From what we've heard your brother is looking for an eye for an eye. As one of his men was killed and you're the only one he was chasing they're after your blood. More so than they were before.-"

"Now let me stop you there. So you kill the goon and i have the target on my head? I told you i was handling it and now i'm in even more danger than i needed to be?" This stupid man. These stupid men. No brains the lot of them, they're like little boys who have been given too much power.

"The target was already there. I just made it bigger."

Brilliant, i thought.

"We've been led to believe that in your fathers will, Keegan was written out and you were to inherit everything. However, he has now cleared any trace of that. Except in your fathers safe in Spain. With Keegan still around that's the only way to maintain your fathers legacy and save Keegan from fucking everything he worked for."

"So all I need to do is to go to Spain sounds like an easy task? You couldn't have just relayed this to me over text?" Wasted journey, I thought.

"Keegan will know your every move and if we found out about the copy he wont be that far behind. You may have the brains of the family but he has the man power, they'll figure it out eventually. So I propose, that you join us. An alliance if you will? You need the man power and don't let this go to your head but we could use your intelligence in the trade."

Ignoring the compliment, i stared at him in disbelief. Is he mad? His father and my father were close, Lando was even part of my fathers outer circle, Hell Lando and I had a good friendship. Until one day Lando and his family ditched my father in one of our peak hardships.

Upon their disappearance coincidentally so did secrets within our family started leaking to the world of crime. My father was furious I remember him cursing the Norris family from ours. I'd never seen him so on edge than when the Norris family was brought up. He must be mad.

"You must be mad. You think I'd work alongside you? Now I don't know what happened between our families, I do know that my father hated yours and that carries onto me. He'd be turning in his grave if I joined you!"

I'm aware that I probably need more man power, I know it'd be a risk to go at this alone. But i believe i would make a good go of it before even looking in the direction of McLaren.

"Y/n, the thing between our families was a misunderstanding, you need us. I promise you-"

"I don't want to hear it. I don't need you."

I could hear him call my name as I stormed out of his office, lair, whatever, making sure to slam the door after me.

Natalie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, to let me out I assume, "Went well then?" she giggled sarcastically.

I hummed in response, shame her boss was a rat, we probably would've gotten on quite well.

Slipping into the drivers seat, I slammed the steering wheel with my hands before resting my head on it. My chest burning from anger. My dads words ringing in my head,

Can't trust anyone but me, Pumpkin. Especially not the Norris'. Especially not men.

I knew i was unsafe on my own, but I'd risk it for now. Next stop Spain.

Masterlist

Taglist:

@barcelonaloverf1life

[shinjisdone]

𝒯𝒾𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

(A Yandere Pinocchio X fem!Reader fic from Lies of P)

Pɑɾt 1; Sluɱbeɾ

capitolo uno

capitolo due

capitolo tre

capitolo quattro

capitolo cinque

capitolo sei

capitolo sette: is here

Capitolo otto

Capitolo nove

Capitolo dieci

Pɑɾt 2; Awɑƙeƞiƞƍ

It was a privilege to share the same blood as Giuseppe Geppetto. To be his family, his niece and take part in the marvelous worlds of puppets. The privilege to learn from him as his apprentice. The privilege to care for the things he cares for and to have the things he cares for, care deeply for you.

Tag List:

@greeknerd007 , @mitsureigen , @kame11a , @thirdblogsacharm , @sarah22447 , @blueberryhitosh1 , @written1nthest4rs , @huicitawrites

TW in general: Yandere behaviour, creepy and still puppet, dubious intentions and relationships

[TW for this one specifically include: Demeaning uncle Geppetto, slight misogyny, downplaying an injury, slight uncomfortable tension, slight grief, Uncle Geppetto doing a 180° turn

Uncle Geppetto will be proven right again. By you out of all people and you can just imagine the glint he will get in his eyes. He thinks he doesn't get a kick of schadenfreude from it, but you've known your dear uncle for long enough to know that he loved being right. Always.

You go over the scenario in your head. It will be there, alongside that humph but it will be temporary - because soon he will be grinning and smiling proudly. A pat on the back and letting you do more than tinker on butlers - long forgotten by the rich families as they have probably gotten themselves replacements by the Workshop Union.

It was not like you disliked them. They were wonderful puppets and you do wanted to make them wonderful again - but perhaps your passion and nostalgia for a time long gone fired you up more than the thought of giving unwanted butlers their jobs again.

Maybe Uncle would look at you a bit differently. Let you do more.

Do more with her. Perhaps, but just perhaps but nevertheless an optimistic perhaps, Geppetto will give you permission to work on her and give you materials and tools for it. You always wanted to.

She was your ever first doll. You wanted to become a puppetmaker just like him for her, to do something with her. Turn her into the loveliest doll that she deserved to be.

The only scenario you could not figure its grande finale out were the bandages around your hand.

Walking down the stairs, you took a few breaths in front of his office's door. Holding the surprise behind your back, you knocked on the heavy wooden door, carved with many patterns. He wanted it tailored to withstand a lifetime and you do remember knocking on it a lot as a child. More times than you should have, convinced that it might be an easy and harmless prank on your part. You were even told that the door was so sturdy, your little girly knocks wouldn't resound at all but your uncle would always open it with a scowl-

"Dear?" You startled as he peeked through the opened crack. Geppetto rose a brow at seeing you so early despite your very obvious eyebags. He thought you'd sleep in again but instead you mustered a smile. "Good morning, Uncle." Finally, he fully opened the door to look at you fully dressed while he only adorned a quaint white blouse and trousers. "A good morning to you, too. What is it? What brings you so early in the morning to me?"

Once again you mustered a smile but this attempt was given up quickly. You were no foolish child anymore. He needed to hear it. "Uncle, may I come in? I have something really important to tell you." "At this hour? Surely this can wait after breakfast."

"Uncle Geppetto."

There it was once again, that scowl whenever he opened the door at a bad time. This time it was not your prank but the tone of your voice he did not like. Nevertheless, he stepped aside and let you in.

Brown eyes observed the spots of dried blood on the bandage, his finger grazing the outline of your palm as you rested your injured hand in his. The man adjusted his monocle, leaning closer before sitting upright in his working chair and letting go of your hand. You let it rest on the big mahogany working table. "And that happened yesterday?" "Yes. The ambulance came and patched me up before sending me home. I don't know what happened to the puppet afterwards."

A heavy sigh escaped him, his hand reaching for the bridge of his nose as Geppetto leaned back in his chair. "What a commotion it must have been..."

"I'm sure it will be on the newspapers soon. That's why I wanted to tell you, Uncle, something might be wrong with these models."

He sighed once again, looking up the ceiling. You waited but decided to speak when he remained quiet.

"Something like that should never happen." Swiftly, the older man snapped his narrowed gaze at you. "Of course this shouldn't happen. It was an accident, is that not what you said?"

"Yes, but-"

"Couldn't it be that your finger slipped to the spot the puppet was supposed to stamp?" A sharp inhale. You sat up straighter, your eyes wide and lips pressed as you stopped like a machine yourself. Before you spoke, you reminded yourself to take another, deeper and calmer breath. "Uncle. If it did, then it should have sensed flesh. It pierced through mine anyway." Your eyes flickered to the ground, holding in air. You began to scowl just like him. "I can't believe you are saying that." You whispered under your breath.

"It is possible," He continued calmly, "That's why I need to know the specifics. The Workshop Union cannot make a mistake, I cannot."

The office grew quiet. Retracting your hand, you placed it on your lap, gently playing with the edge of the bandage. Your glare was directed to the floor. Geppetto reclined in his chair and crossed his legs. The old grandfather clock he had for decades ticked in the corner, the dreary, soft sound filling the room and his eyes would glance at the time. His hands mimicked yours before he licked his lips and took a deep breath.

"You've been working very hard lately. It's gotten to your head." The chair creaked as he leaned forward and reached for your injured hand. He carefully made sure to brush the side of your palm with his fingers. "Look at you, your eyebags have gotten even more noticeable now, dear. You can't go running around looking like that, not even in the confines of our workshop. You need rest, especially with an injury such as this." He tilted your hand up briefly and rose his brows at you. Your grimace did not change.

"A young girl such as yourself shouldn't have to bear such scars. I am sorry that happened to you."

You remained silent as his hand slowly left yours and he got up. Putting on a coat big enough to cover his simple outfit, he searched for his melon hat next.

"Did anyone ask you who you are?"

"No." You answered tonelessly.

"Good. It would be bad if...they found out Geppetto's niece got hurt by a puppet."

At last he found it under his scarf and made sure to put it on as well. He opened the door wide and turned around with an expectant gaze for you to leave his office.

You had not moved. Sitting in the humble, lone stool your narrowed gaze was stuck on the one spot on the floor. The wonderful, expensive wine red carpet of his, the edge of it, embroided with patterns from a land far away, he once said. He got it before you were born and it still seemed so new and untouched.

Geppetto called out your name impatiently.

"Uncle." Swiftly, you slid off the stool and grabbed the sack you set aside from the floor with one hand. The man arched a brow as you walked towards him, poised and with a determined glare. Holding it with one arm, you entangled the ribbon with your good hand before letting the sack fall off and had her sit placidly in your arms.

Through the determined glint in your eyes, your heart was pounding against your chest.

Geppetto slowly closed the door. Trapped in a trance, his jaw dropped as his hands reached for the toy in your arms. He carefully approached you. Brown eyes would glimpse up and down, between you and the toy. Collecting himself, his shock slowly turned into the brightest of grins you had not seen on him in years and his eyes held a tenderness he had missed years ago as well.

The older man could barely let out his thoughts. "Oh, dear," He whsipered under his shaking breath, "That is your doll." Finally, it seemed like he could collect himself from his awe and gently touch the doll's arms. Stable but soft to the touch. His joy also brought a smile of your own. You let him take her.

"It's Aurorie."

"Aurorie!" He laughed heartily, overshadowing the ticking of the clock. "Oh, you always called her that!" Another round of chuckles left him as he spun the doll around, inspecting her. The pink dress had soft folds, each patched with patterns of dark pink roses, as to not stand out too much, and lines of leaves stitched and flowing down from the waist to the frilly ends. The wide dress flew with the motions as the doll was inspected, with the many flounces hidden beneath white as snow. Testing the fabric, Geppetto noticed a minituare, wooden cage crinoline hidden between the flounces. The majority was made out of wood but he could make out metal strips in the middle section, tightened with screws and aligning with the wooden strips above and below. It wasn't wide enough to give the illusion of an hourglass form but was slimer, triangular, he noted. One hand gently tapped the outer side of the dress. The cage crinoline was barely noticeable with the many cloth in-between.

The sleeves were short and puffy, covering her shoulders and leaving the rest of her arms bare. Dark shoes cleaned with the expensive shoe polish and white tights around her legs. A small ribbon was tied around her neck into a kink and suited her well with the frilly neck sleeve. Her long, blonde hair was styled to curls, with a headband on top and small, thin ribbons tied lovingly at each end of the band. Her bangs neatly cut to show her kind eyes and putting the doll higher up to the light, Geppetto paid attention to the bright colors that returned to her face. Each eye, brow, cheek, nose and smile was repainted.

"She looks as beautiful as the day I made her for you." He whispered as he lowered her in his arms. He couldn't really believe what he was seeing, it was like recalling a dear memory. The bright smile you wore was also one he used to see more often in the past. "I wanted to remake her the day you agreed to make me your apprentice. I always had her with me." Geppetto let out a sigh, "I never noticed she was here all this time." "Well," You glanced around before looking back at him with a bashful smile, "I hid it when coming here. Geppetto's niece and apprentice coming to Krat, the city of puppets, with a small, worn out doll?" You chuckled with a crooked smile and Geppetto joined you. "But what was most important for me was to be able to make her shine again. Aurorie is my favorite out of all the toys you've made me and I wanted her to be treated as she deserved."

The older man opened his mouth before closing it shut again with a smile. Though his sight wasn't the best even with his monocle, his eyes crinkled at the sight of you, of the little gift he made for you all those years ago now here in his arms. His throat tightened and he quickly swallowed the growing lump. Instead, his heart melted at the very sight and touch he was experiencing right now.

"And look!" Your eyes widened with the idea that had come to mind and before he knew it, you adjusted the doll to be sitting humbly on his forearm. "I made the crinoline out of soft wood and the metal strips in the middle would bend when the legs are moved. She can sit without having to lift the dress, and the crinoline won't crack."

Looking back at the toy idly sitting on his arm, Geppetto couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. "She sits as straight as a candle! Just like a real lady!" Still gazing at the doll, he let out a few chuckles before his laughter died down. Lips trembled slightly and the man looked back to you, sniffling briefly. He bent down while holding the doll gently with one arm and rested his hand on your shoulder.

"Dear..." You unwittingly shot him a confused look as your uncle began but seemed to drift off. You feared that when looking into his eyes, you might find them ever so slightly teary, a sight you only saw once on him and it was not a fond memory. However, despite the trembling he swallowed it all down and instead pulled you closer for an embrace.

"My dearest niece...I am so proud of you." He squeezed you once, his arm around your shoulders, before backing off enough to look at you with the most heartwarming grin. "You have no idea how happy it makes me that you take on the role of the next puppetmaker in our family. That you find joy in this and create such beautiful things." Your uncle was never one to indulge in his feelings so much, to carry his emotions on his sleeves as he does now. Each word that passes his lips seemed to soften his face more and more. You let him talk. "Things that will bring joy to the next person. I remember how you sulked that day before I gifted you Aurorie and the little doll that gave the little girl so much happiness," He halted for a moment and swallowed his snot, "Is now making her shine like she did in your memories. You took such great care of her...it makes me happy that you love her so much."

Finally, he stepped back and tried to discreetly wipe his tears. He returned the doll to you. "I am sure you will continue creating many great things, and taking care of them and loving them."

He seemed to stop. You hugged your doll tight and close, eyes struggling to look at his face as he kept on trying to find his composure. While his heart squeezed, yours seemed too - though it slowly felt like it was dragged down your stomach the longer you lingered. "Uncle Geppetto...are you truly okay?"

As fast as he could, he nodded with a few sniffles and spoke in a strong voice. "I am. Simply indulged myself back to the old times where you were just a wee little girl." He chuckled as he ruffled your hair. You did not believe him.

With a cough, he gestured to the door. "Your creation is wonderful, my dear. I cannot wait to see how you'll flourish into a great puppetmaker - one greater than me, perhaps!" He gave a quiet, low chuckle, "But for now...work awaits. I'll take care of the commotion. Go rest your hand and take a few days off. You must be tired and scared of what happened yesterday. Be a good girl and go to your room."

You were inclined to share your own thoughts but seeing the look in his brown eyes and the slight tilt in his stature made you bite your tongue and nod. Quietly bidding him goodbye and a successful day at work, you retrieved your things and left the room.

The soft click of the door was his cue to return to his chair. You used to barge into his office a few times as a child before learning that Geppetto was not fond of such ill-mannered behaviour. You were only brave enough to do so when your visits weren't alone but with company but he would still not tolerate because of that.

With a heavy and freeing sigh, he sat down in his chair, it squeaked as he turned to the lowest cupboard on his table. Sliding it open, he took out two baords completely and set them aside. Pressing a button hidden on the side of the open space, a click was heard and right after that, a thud. He took the thin wall out and dragged the small, metal safe closer. For its size it was quite heavy and Geppetto found himself struggling to get it out as the years pass by. He let out a groan once the buttons were in his reach and pushing the code inside, the self-made mechanism ticked and hummed, before the door sprung open.

The binders were neatly sorted one by one. He grabbed the blue one, titled "Earlier than the Birds."

Turning a few pages, he stopped at "11 years."

In the month of April, there was a picture painted on simple paper.

Geppetto carefully slid it out from the foil before putting the binder aside and admiring the doodle.

The locks were long, blonde and curly, reaching beyond the feet. A breathy chuckled was let out in the quiet room, he barely could hear the grandfather clock ticking. He told him that such length was impossible or rather, ridiculous and unnecessary. The painter pouted and insisted it would look pretty. Shaking his head, he could not keep his promise but the end result was enough to be left satisfied. Besides that, the dress was done as he invisioned, wide and frilly, the color of the fabric as blue as the crayon he used to draw with. He tried to keep the colors in the lines yet slipped one too many times but Geppetto did not mind. He also did not mind one arm being longer than the other, the limbs drawn as sticks and then redrawn to be thicker, or having no black crayon left and therefore painting the shoe with brown - Geppetto understood the artist's intentions.

A giant tiara sat on the crown of her head and again, he shook his head. Instead, a black headband was offered that he reluctantly agreed to.

Kind eyes were the last touch. A lovely smile that was later on redrawn with red crayon. He could see the black color peeking out.

Geppetto sighed as he reclined in his chair. His eyes traveled to the bottom of the childish drawing.

"For my annoying cousin, (Name)."

[stargirlfics]

The Gentleman Chapter 2: Sugar Plum

Alfred Pennyworth x Black Dancer!Reader

Summary: First dates are for getting swept off your feet

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, age gap mentions, lots of fluff, mutual pining and flirting, major protective!alfred vibes, smut: thigh/lap grinding, oral (reader receiving), praise kink, voice kink

Word Count: 6.3k

[series masterlist] [series playlist]

Time had passed agonizingly slow much of the week leading up to your date with Alfred. You were restless and eager for more time spent with him, your daydreams filled with memories of that kiss.

It was the kind of kiss that made your heart flutter, and your head dizzy, sparking a thousand little fires inside you all at once and not a single one had waned or been extinguished since.

The week had also been spent wrestling between wanting to lean into how good this connection felt already and scolding yourself for wanting to at the same time.

Getting wrapped up in your head about it all came naturally, figures, but you did your best to stay present, optimistic, indulging yourself just a little in daydreams about being his, about getting to kiss him any time you wanted.

On the surface, you’d done much better at concealing the eruption of emotions ricocheting inside you than expected, throwing yourself into work, your dancing, tending The Iceberg’s bar on the nights you weren’t on stage. It kept you busy and out of your head which was exactly what you needed.

Kiera was the only one amongst your dancer friends who knew about Alfred, her ability to just spot these things catching you off guard even after becoming so close.

You had tried to play it cool that night at The Magpie but couldn’t escape her questions about whose coat it was you were wearing, or why your eyes kept searching the tables, or who you snuck off to meet on the balcony earlier. And despite your hesitations on speaking of it too soon, it felt good to gush about it, her excitement for you putting some of your nervous tension at ease.

“This is already so romantic! Do you know where he’s gonna take you?”

“I know! He’s been so charming, it’s kinda all I can think about lately. But he’s taking me Downtown, to Tony’s,” you couldn’t help but laugh at her exaggerated jaw drop.

“Girl! Good for you! He’s so attractive and he’s right, you do deserve this.”

It was the reminder of that, his words, that made you take a proper deep breath for the first time all week as you got ready a little while before he was going to pick you up, taking your time, making the moment special.

Sifting through your collection of vinyl records, you decided on a favorite album of yours, putting it on as you went through your getting ready routine, laying out a few outfits to choose from after, going for something warm and comfortable but something you also still felt beautiful in.

The excitement and anticipation had fully set in once you finished adding the final touches to your makeup and jewelry, making sure the accent pins nestled in the tight coils of your curls were in place, not surprised but heart still beating fast at the punctual knock on your front door right on the hour.

Giving yourself one last once over you greeted Alfred with a happy sigh, a moment of slow motion hanging in the air as you took each other in.

You were acutely aware of his eyes on you, sliding down your form, his expression one of full admiration, and you, doing the same to him, resisting the urge to visibly swoon over how pristinely he was dressed, or how quietly confident he stood before you, gold handled cane in hand.

“Oh wow, darling, you look so beautiful! How are you?” the smooth gravel of his voice doing more to give you goosebumps than the chill outside.

His compliment had you beaming shyly, “I’m good, I’ve been looking forward to this all day so it’s gotten a lot better now that you’re here, and you don’t look so bad yourself.” you teased, thanking him quickly after when he moved to hold your purse as you slipped your coat on.

“I’m glad to hear it…shall we?” The gentle offering of his hand made your stomach flutter as you nodded, your hand sliding into his like a seamless fit, a warm comfort following his touch.

On the drive to the restaurant, you couldn’t help but peek at him, taking in details.

The way his hands looked on the steering wheel of the sleek Audi, how elegant his movements were without even trying, how even the mundane act of him driving made you feel things, just how unfairly handsome he looked in profile, the neat trim of hair framing his jaw perfectly, the relaxed but still perfect posture giving a broadness to his frame, to his arms and shoulders that you couldn’t stop thinking of touching.

Everything about him interested you and you were nearly helpless to the pull.

Once you arrived the feeling only deepened, Alfred giving his name for the dinner reservations he’d made, your hand tucked under his arm as you were led through the romantic and swanky restaurant to a quieter, more private section.

You let him pull your chair out for you before you got comfortable at the intimate table for two, appreciating how special and thought out this felt, the bubble of chatter from the other guests dimmed but still near, the atmosphere soft and inviting.

Slipping into conversation was easy as you browsed over the menu together and decided on what to order.

“I have to admit, I was a bit worried of what you’d think of me asking to take you out,” Alfred chuckled when you recounted your anticipation of the week leading up to this, “I know I’m a much older man and I just hope you didn’t think I was trying to take advantage.”

Your own laugh bubbled up softly as you reassured him that you didn’t think that at all, “I appreciate your concern, I know there’s a bit of an age gap but it doesn’t bother me, how we ended up meeting was a little crazy but your generosity in helping me and then running into you again…I just knew there was something there and was hoping to spend more time with you.”

“Good, I’m relieved to hear that, and I hope you haven’t had any more trouble being followed or harassed, I’ve been meaning to ask about that, I’ve been worried.”

His added concern about the incident that had thrust you into his arms, quite literally, reminded you of some information about your stalker you had learned recently that you were trying not to think about.

Telling him the truth, that you hadn’t had any more issues recently but deciding for now to leave out that your boss had ordered one of his men to follow you that morning, an intimidation tactic in response to your insolence.

You didn’t want to worry Alfred any more than he already was, because frankly it wasn’t a surprise to learn Oz was the one behind it and you didn’t want to sour the mood of tonight, determined to enjoy this.

Eventually, the conversation moved towards other things as your food arrived at the table and you both dug in, learning that Alfred oversaw business ventures and financials and a whole slew of things at Wayne Enterprises alongside Mr. Wayne who’d been out in the public eye more often lately and was helping him and Mayor Bella Reàl amend damages unintentionally caused by the Renewal Fund.

You loved hearing him talk even though he was reserved with his words, hungry to know whatever he’d tell you about himself and silently promising to care for every tidbit you acquired, wanting to earn his trust.

“But enough about me, I seem to remember you mentioning you danced in a show the other night, are you a ballerina?”

Your amused laugh made him look up from his dish, a curious flicker to his eyes as you began to explain.

“I have a ballet background for sure, it was my first introduction to dance and what made me fall in love with the art, I was a ballerina for a time growing up but I’m an exotic burlesque kind of girl now.”

“Ah, would I be embarrassingly wrong in saying, exotic burlesque as in Moulin Rouge?”

“No actually, you’re on the money! That’s the same vibe of The Iceberg Lounge. All the dancers get a solo slot in each show to perform, we make a full production out of it really, the shows have elements of tango and cabaret, ballet, and pole dancing too, I like that I get some freedom to make it my own and our costume designers are actual saints because I always feel so luxurious in their pieces on stage!”

You realized you had begun to ramble a bit, caught up in your joy about the parts of your job you adored but was happy to see he didn’t mind, he encouraged you to continue actually, answering more of his questions about it.

It felt good to be shown this kind of interest, to know he wouldn’t dismiss you, that he didn’t seem to think anything less of you because of the kind of dancer you were, tethering you further to that feeling of safety and understanding he’d given you from the moment you met.

The conversation eventually flowed back to him, unable to keep your questions at bay, listening intently as he explained how he had ended up here in Gotham, your interest piqued at how he was former British Intelligence, MI6 to be exact, though the revelation was fitting once it sank in, he was exactly the kind of man you’d think of when it came to that sort of thing.

And then the surprise softened when he recounted how he ended up in the service of The Wayne’s once he retired from the Intelligence business.

Your heart lurched when you learned he had been a bodyguard for Thomas and Martha Wayne, had been in their lives since Bruce was just a small boy, a sad fondness in his tone talking about those early days, telling you that he’d been named Bruce’s caretaker when they had passed, a proud smile creeping back onto his features as he talked about Bruce at your insistence.

It warmed your heart to hear about their bond, that it hadn’t always been easy or smooth sailing especially as Bruce had gotten older, grief and growing pains coming to the surface as he entered adulthood.

But things had gotten better in the past year, their relationship on more solid ground now, and it wasn’t hard to see the utmost pride and love pouring from the older man as he spoke about Bruce. You could tell he was like a father to him; whatever the circumstances were, he’d always care for him as his own.

The hours passed quickly much to your dismay, not realizing how long you’d spent talking even after dinner had been finished, good wine and butterflies warming your belly as you relaxed, admiring him quietly as he paid and offered his hand out to you again when it was time to leave.

You kept yourself tucked close as you walked to the car, thankful for the heat his body provided and of course just to be in his space, hands twined together, reluctant to let go as you reached his car.

Everything about tonight had been perfect and you didn’t want it to end but had a good feeling that there would be more dates to go on, the feeling made certain when Alfred walked you back to your apartment, finding yourself pressed gently against the door, his lips on yours, the first time since the kiss in his office.

God, how he managed to make you so weak kneed was a question you still didn’t have an answer to but you didn’t mind in the slightest, sighing softly as you kissed him back, your hand resting against his chest while his own cupped the side of your face, hands warm and sweet.

If you didn’t have to breathe, you were sure you’d never stop kissing but even the deprivation of oxygen was made sweet by him.

“I had a lovely time tonight, darling and I hope you did too. You’ve really been all that’s on my mind since we met and I’m glad for it, I want you to know that, and if you’d allow me, I want to see you again, whenever you’re comfortable.”

Alfred spoke carefully, but steadfast in his words, your heart fluttering for the dozenth time tonight when he leaned in again to touch his forehead to yours, then pulling back a bit, giving you space to think, to answer.

The words weren’t hard to come by, “Likewise, Alfred. I’d love to see you again too! I’ll be on stage for the next handful of nights and I know you’re busy too but I want to spend time with you again soon. Thank you for a wonderful first date, I don’t think I’ve felt this special in quite awhile.”

“You deserve to feel special, and it’s a bit selfish of me maybe but I’m happy to be the one to make you feel that way. Thank you, my dear, for such a good evening.”

That familiar reluctance to let go was back as you said goodnight upon hushed promises to be in touch soon, Alfred waiting till you’d fished out your keys and were safely inside before he made his way home too.

Everything had fallen into place just right.

-

In the days after the date, your world seemed to shift, to expand, a new space created for these new and bubbling feelings, a certain sprinkle of something magical brightening up your world now that Alfred was slowly becoming part of it.

Phone calls from him now went from once every couple days to hours spent talking nearly every night, even when he was working late, even when you were exhausted from dancing and rehearsing hours on end.

Time spent talking to each other made all the sense in the world.

It’s in one of your nightly calls that spending an evening together again came up, with Alfred admitting that he’d come calling about that second date, had already planned it out and intended it to be a bit of a surprise but just couldn’t resist when you asked.

Chuckling at your muffled squeal through the phone when he told you he had two tickets to Gotham City Ballet’s Nutcracker and would be delighted to treat you to it.

You were beaming at how thoughtful his planning had been, a direct callback to something you’d told him during your first date, that during your ballet days you had auditioned for the production of The Nutcracker your dance studio put on, finding yourself lucky enough to be chosen as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

You had adored dancing the role, telling him how this time of year always brought back fond memories, that it had been quite some time since you’d actually gone to see a ballet but your love for it never faded.

It meant a great deal that he picked up on that detail and made it something you could share with him.

Kiera nearly lost her mind when you told her about it, arriving at your door in record time soon after to help you go through outfit choices to match the elegance of a night out at the ballet.

There was one gown tucked away in your closet that you thought would do nicely, the semi-plunging neckline and low leg split of the fabric giving you a happy excuse to wear it out somewhere, to wear it for him.

It had been the perfect choice judging by the way Alfred had looked at you when he came to pick you up that night, his gaze leaving you a flustered mess.

Any and every compliment was given, each of them ones you’d remember and cherish, thinking there’s nothing else that could outdo the heady boost his words gave you, only to be met with another little surprise; a bright and beautiful bouquet of pink and red roses awaited you in the car.

This felt like such a fairytale you sometimes wondered if you should pinch yourself.

“These are so beautiful! Thank you for this, oh my gosh, and they smell amazing!”

“I was happy to, love! Although I’m sure I annoyed the florist with how long I spent choosing it. I’m a bit particular when it comes to roses and you should only have the best.”

Your heart didn’t stand a chance against him, you realized, it really didn’t and you didn’t mind in the slightest.

-

Gotham’s opera house was rife with activity, a hub of chatter and the rhythmic tap of Alfred’s cane against the floor as he moved with you, smooth in his approach as he offered to take your coat to the coat check before going off to your seats.

Once he sidled away with them in hand, you took a moment to people watch, your attention snagged upwards as you admired the high sloping, ornate ceilings when a low wolf whistle drew your attention, the content expression on your face evaporating instantly.

Out of all places, here and now was where you least expected to run into Johnny Charisma, one of the cabaret singers who often performed at The Iceberg.

Him and Oz were one in the same, big ego, sleazy behavior, the type of men who liked to poke and harass and get in your face.

Your attention shifted back to people watching in the opposite direction, hoping Alfred would be back soon when Johnny moved to be in your line of sight.

“Man, does that dress do wonders for your ass, darlin, thought Oz didn’t let his girls out of his sight, you here with him?”

“Nope. I don’t have time nor am I here for you or him, actually. I’m on a date and wanna be left alone, thanks.” you wanted to gag at his use of that pet name, repulsed by the leery edge to his tone.

You knew he wouldn’t care, knew that he relished in how uncomfortable he was making you but hoped just this once he’d take the hint.

“Aww come on, baby, I haven’t seen you in forever and that’s how you treat me?”

“Jesus Christ, I’m not your baby and yeah that’s what happens when you get kicked out of the Lounge for assaulting the dancers, if I weren’t in this dress I’d kick your ass for that again.”

He was about to retort with something but a familiar hand was at your back, sliding across to rest at your waist. Alfred had returned.

“Excuse me, is he bothering you, love?”

A tingle ran down your spine, not anticipating that Alfred would be behind you so suddenly, pressing close to you, his presence enveloping, protective.

“I’m okay, he was just leaving.” you moved your hand to his still on your waist, squeezing his fingers comfortingly.

You weren’t sure how much of that Alfred had heard but judging by the tension in his body language he’d caught the bad vibe.

Maybe you should explain, and you would later you decided but wanted to exit the current situation as quickly and easily as possible.

“I don’t think we’ve met, the name’s Johnny Charisma, maybe you’ve heard of me, and you are?” he stuck his hand out in greeting but Alfred made no moves to shake his hand.

It made you want to laugh, just how “not about it” Alfred was towards him off the bat, feeling less uncomfortable now that he was here.

Silence blanketed the moment as Alfred looked him up and down just once before speaking.

"That’s an astounding amount of confidence in your choice of a stage name for someone who lacks any shred of charisma at all. Leave the lady be, you heard her.”

Oh. Why was that so attractive to you?

Something about the clipped and stern tone in Alfred’s voice was doing things to you.

Not to mention him standing up for you. The fact that it didn’t feel patronizing spoke volumes, because yes you had stood up for yourself but you also didn’t have to, because Alfred continued to show you that he’d have your back.

Then the stifled giggle you had held in broke free at the snark in Alfred’s voice, the quip of his so tastefully done.

Johnny was visibly more than displeased and somehow that made it all the better.

“Sure thing, you just be careful with that one, she’s just a golddiggi-…” he stops short and you realize it's the quiet fury in Alfred's eyes that has him falling silent.

“Oh by all means, continue. It'd bloody well make my night if you did."

That was all the threat needed for the singer to scoff and walk away, the crease between Alfred’s brow smoothing as he finally whisked you away to take your seats.

“Hey, thank you for that,” you squeezed his arm as you walked, peeking at him shyly, a sudden wave of worry at what he might be thinking of you settling in, still learning to read his always polite and stoic face.

“And about what he said, I don’t want you to think I’m only interested in this for money or-“ but he was gently hushing you before you could finish.

“I know, darling, you don’t have to explain. I don’t want you worrying about that.”

A breath of relief left your lungs and you nodded, resigning to put the moment behind you, because he trusted you too and that’s what mattered.

His hand never parted from you as you found your seats on the upper balcony level, your breathing going shallow at how natural his hand felt resting against your thigh as you sat down.

Your entire body buzzing at the weight of his touch, the protective pressure making you want to clench your thighs together at the ache blooming in your core.

The lights in the opera house dimmed and you gave his fingers an excited squeeze as the stage curtain was pulled back, the familiar notes of the music beginning.

You don’t think the smile left your face for the entire show, unable to help but gush about how much you loved this all during intermission, exchanging your favorite parts, Alfred’s hand still warm and comforting against your thigh.

The unmistakable little gasp of anticipation you gave making him chuckle slightly next to you during the Waltz of the Snowflakes, one of your favorite dances in the ballet, just wishing you could be twirling amongst the falling snow on the stage, in love with how dreamy and romantic the scene was.

You felt so special to share this with him, to have this be one of your first dates with him, it felt right, being next to him, like it’s right where you belonged.

-

After, in the car, you felt giddy with the romance of it all. Thinking of just how great of a time you had tonight, being on his arm, feeling like you were his tonight, remembering how he had defended you, how protective and caring he’d been with you the entire night.

It left you feeling bold, wanting to try something, to reward him with a little bit of teasing.

You were watching him through your lashes as he drove you home, your attention always seeming to snag on his hands on the steering wheel, almost wanting to laugh at how turned on he made you just from doing the simplest actions.

Shifting in your seat so he’d notice, you let the slit of your dress fall open just a tad from where it had ridden up, baring the skin of your thigh, pretending to fiddle with something in your small clutch before you let your fingers subtly slide across your skin there.

His audible, deep breath in was your indication that he’d seen the gesture, leaving you even more restless when his hand left the wheel to rest against where your fingers had been, his thumb swiping across your skin gently.

Just like your first date he walked up to your door, still feeling something lingering there, something you wanted to explore, not wanting to end the night just yet.

“Hey, would you like to come in for a bit? I know it’s getting late but…”

“I’d love to, it’s not too late, I promise.”

He held your roses for you while you unlocked the door and the warmth and coziness of your apartment welcomed you.

Telling him to make himself comfortable, you shed your coat and set your clutch bag and keys aside, leaving his side to head to the kitchen, getting your bouquet situated in a proper vase.

Once you felt satisfied with the display you returned to the living room, leaning against the wall as you undid the straps of your heels, not getting very far before Alfred was at your side, coat and suit jacket off now, crouching down to help steady you as one foot met the floor, your hand gripping his shoulder as you leaned against him to remove the other.

The realization that the thigh slit of your gown was eye level with him made you pause, because if you shifted your weight, your leg would be on display through the fabric.

It took you all but two seconds to decide to make the move, holding your breath as his eyes tracked up from your discarded heels to your calf and then your knee and the bit of your thigh poking through.

It was an invitation you hoped he would accept. Letting go of your worry that you were moving in this direction too fast for his liking, focusing only on how much you wanted him.

“I don’t want you to go yet…” you admitted without shame, sighing softly when he stood up, taking a step closer to you, the wall meeting your back.

“Then I’ll stay for as long as you want me here. Is there anything else you’d like, sweetheart? Tell me...”

His voice had dropped low, an edge, a huskiness to his tone that made you dizzy with want.

All that teasing had caught up to you, now seeing how it had affected him, how much he was wanting you too.

“Can you help me with my dress?” your pulse raced, reaching out to touch his tie, your fingers moving to feel over his shoulder, eyes flicking up to his, thighs clenching on their own accord at the way he was looking at you.

“Absolutely…bedroom?”

Your eager nod was all it took and he was stepping away for a moment, giving you space to move from the wall, trailing close behind as you led him to your room.

The air seemed to evaporate the moment you shut the door, moving further into the room, sinking your toes in the plush rug near your vanity, removing some of your jewelry, the pins in your hair, mirroring him as he fished his phone and keys out of his pants pocket, setting them on your nightstand along with his cufflinks.

You were suddenly acutely aware of him inching closer then, turning to face away from him until his hand was ghosting over your back, your shoulder, finding the side zipper on your gown.

“Darling?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to do this, we can go as slow as you’d like, just as long as you know there’s no pressure from me. I only want you to be comfortable.”

His sincerity made you melt inside, appreciative that he was looking out for you, always. It’s perhaps what made your desire for him so much stronger, knowing you’d be safe in his hands.

“I know, but I want this. I want you. You’ve taken such good care of me already and I’ve been wanting you to touch me all night.”

The confession slipped from your lips easily, your walls coming down gently as he pulled the zipper down slow, humming at your words.

“Oh, me too. God, you have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to touch you.”

With the dress now loose against your body, you shimmied out of it the rest of the way, letting it pool at your feet, sighing softly when Alfred moved closer, your back pressing against his chest, his head dipping down to kiss your shoulder.

“You are so stunning you know that? Just look at you…I’m so lucky.” he cooed, voice rough and low against the shell of your ear as his hands roamed, caressing over your arms, your torso, and you, hardly able to breathe, skin hot from his praise as you watched through the mirror of your vanity.

Eventually his light touches weren’t enough, the ache between your thighs growing incessant, turning to face him, your shyness at being so exposed, in only your bra and underwear, fading, letting him see you, knowing there’d be nothing but affection for you.

Your mouths met hungrily, bodies pressing together, with you leading, moving him back until the edge of your bed was colliding with his legs, encouraging him to sit against the mattress.

His hands explore much to your delight, caressing and gripping, making their way down to cup your ass while your arms thread across his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer.

The hand still kneading the muscle of your backside eventually gripped you more firmly, pulling your leg up so your knee was on the bed in a halfway straddle of his lap.

You took the hint, doing the same with your other leg, letting him situate you against his body, your heart pounding at how sturdy he was, strong arms coming up to support your torso while his mouth moved down to kiss and nip at the column of your neck, then further down to your breasts.

It was the fact that you were nearly naked in his arms while he sat, still fully clothed, the contrast igniting your desire tenfold.

You held back from doing much, unsure how far to go but was given an answer when Alfred’s hands moved down to your hips, pushing down, moving your core against his lap, encouraging you to grind against him.

He smiled at your needy whine, swallowing it with a kiss, enjoying the feel of your hands digging into the muscle of his shoulders, and how good you felt in his arms.

It wasn’t long before the need for more came creeping in again, happy when Alfred shifted, taking you with him, laying you down on your back, pausing for a second to check in with you before you were giving him the okay, helping him push your panties down your thighs.

Your knees parted slowly for him, toes pointing as you bared yourself to him, letting him see you, pushing up onto your elbows with a smile when you heard him curse under his breath at the sight, at the way you glistened for him already.

The way he looked at you, like you were good enough to eat was everything, his hands coming up to knead your thighs, slowly working his touch inward, towards the place you want him most.

A sharp, hushed gasp left your lips and your hips jolted when his fingers finally swiped over your folds, collecting your arousal.

“Fuck. Do you always get this wet when I kiss you?”

You couldn’t form words anymore, resigning yourself to nodding in response, whimpering at the searing touch of his fingers rubbing tight circles against your clit now.

Alfred got comfortable next to you on the bed, his lips pressing kisses to your knee and the side of your thigh as he kept his fingers moving, waiting till your hips started to move against them to press kisses along your inner thigh next.

Soft moans and whimpers filled the air the more stimulation he gave you until you were whining for more and he was burying his face in your pussy, tongue flicking out to finally taste you, groaning gruffly against your core.

His tongue felt incredible, swirling against your clit a few times before moving down, hungry to taste you further, lapping at your entrance before repeating the movement.

You shuddered, watching him with heavy lidded eyes, groaning at the prickle of his beard against your skin, your body sensitive, opening up for him.

“That feels so good, Alfred…baby, oh my god.” you cry out when he focuses solely on your clit, figuring out what made your body respond the most.

Your blood felt electric, the sensation of his hands, the weight of them on your hips, broad shoulders keeping your thighs spread wide, it made you squirm in his hold, earning you an amused hum as he continued to lick at your clit.

“Just lay back, sweetheart. I have you,” his sultry voice against your core was the final push, your arms giving out underneath you, laying back against the mattress fully, letting the pleasure take hold of you.

Tilting your head to the side you caught his gaze, the building pressure in your tummy tightening, your body tensing in his arms as you felt it approaching.

“Oh, fuck…I’m so close, please,” your whimper was unbelievably needy, all sense of reservation gone from your mind as you bucked your hips up against his tongue, your hands tugging desperately at the sheets.

Alfred kept himself pressed tight against you as the pleasure reached its peak, your orgasm hitting you hard. He groaned in unison with you, watching as your eyes fluttered shut.

“That’s it, good girl.”

His praise made you clench around nothing as your moans died down, his tongue returning to give you a few more gentle licks before you were reaching down to pull him up.

After catching your breath, he pulled back, standing as you moved to sit on your knees, crawling closer to where he was at the edge of the bed in silent encouragement, gazing up at him with what must have been stars in your eyes.

“Can I?” you bit your lip, still kneeling on the bed, eyeing the strained bulge tenting his dress pants.

“Please,” came the gruff growl, your hand surging forward, palming him, nearly whining at the heaviness, at how thick you could tell he was through his pants.

You peeked up at him to see he was already looking at you, eyes molten, full of need, his hips rocking into your touch.

The heated spell of eye contact was broken by the sharp buzzing of Alfred’s phone on your bedside table.

You began to pull away, distracted by the noise but he reached out to cup your face, pulling you back, and then crushing his lips to yours, the whine in your throat releasing at the taste of yourself on his tongue.

The phone buzzed urgently again and this time Alfred pulled away with an annoyed growl, apologizing for the interruption. You told him it was okay if he needed to take a moment when he let you know it was Bruce who had called, his expression grateful.

While he was busy on the phone you got comfortable, sprawling out across the bed, being patient but teasing him just a little with cheeky movements of your legs, copying the sexy floorwork dances you’d been practicing lately.

“Love, I’m so sorry. I have to cut this short, Bruce needs my assistance tonight, things have been a little busy lately with the company, he’s been under some stress and I’m…” the words were tinged with anxiety and regret but you were stopping him short, rising to press a palm against his bearded cheek.

Because he didn’t have to finish. You understood.

I’m all he has left.

Bruce needed him and you weren’t upset by the change in things, yes it was the untimely and all you wanted right now was to feel him in and around every part of you but, you bargained that you could wait a little while more. Alfred was more than worth the wait.

The reassurance in your response seemed to remedy his worry, “Thank you for being so good to me, I promise I will be picking this up where we’ve left off as soon as there’s time.”

“That’s all I was going to ask for, and of course. You made tonight so amazing.” you leaned in to touch your forehead to his, trying to behave despite the temptation to pull him back into bed.

As dismayed as you were to not have him to yourself for longer tonight, watching him redo his tie and make himself look presentable again was a nice treat.

Any chance you’d get to admire him was welcome and you didn’t miss the way he was admiring you too as he put his cufflinks back on.

He wished you goodnight at the door, pressing a sweet little kiss to your forehead before he was off, waiting till he was pulling down the street to head back to your room, a warmth flooding your body at the glimpse of the roses he’d given you on the dining room table.

Maybe you were getting ahead of yourself, caught up in the physical attraction, your heart speaking louder than your head but there was something about this, with him that felt solid.

Feelings were messy and scary and you weren’t completely sure what you were feeling at this point but you did know you wanted to let this take you wherever it would, knowing Alfred would handle you carefully the entire way.

You were safe in his hands and you hoped he felt safe in yours too.

—————

A/N: It’s finally here! Ahh this really has been such a blast to write! Also hope all those who’ve played the Batman games liked the little nod to the Johnny Charisma character I included in the story! I just felt like he fit the vibe well! And of course Alfred has my entire heart, I hope this was as dreamy as I tried to write it!

Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think! Love y’all! 💌

some tags! @eupheme @obiknights @thaddeuscranes @flamingdisputes @allaboardthereadingrailroad @squidlywiddly87 @ozarkthedog @aislupu @kneelforloki @xnodamsel @mariahthelioness29 @saradika

[missywritesfor7]

❤️‍🩹Lifeline | MYG❤️‍🩹

Synopsis: It’s long been controversial for idols to date, but idols dating each other can be really beautiful or a complete nightmare. When Yoongi's relationship with another idol is discovered, he decides maybe it’s time to break the taboo and show people it’s ok for idols to date. Instead, they find themselves caught in the midst of one media frenzy after another and struggle to keep their relationship as strong as it had been the past 2 years. Yoongi finds a self destructive way to cope, and it causes even more problems than it solves. As they fight for their relationship and their careers, they discover that sometimes, the only way to truly be free is to let go.

Pairing: idol!Yoongi x idol!OC

Warnings: nsfw, alcoholism, cheating, depression, anxiety, Yoongi goes through a bisexy ho phase, Yoongi is also in his alcoholic phase, post-military BTS

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Ch. 25: Approval

Yoongi’s first week home came and went and before he knew it, Hyeri was heading off at 6 in the morning for her first day of work on her new drama. He woke up to see her off feeling full from her excited smile as she bounced out the door in glee. A few hours later he grabbed his things and took off for his studio.

There’s a chill that shoots through Yoongi’s body when he takes his first steps into the company building. He’s trying to remain optimistic as he steps on the elevator and gets hit with a storm of anxiety. The fear starting to cloud his mind before he even makes it to his floor has him feeling suffocated. Once he realized how truly afraid he was of being back in his old tempting environments, he couldn’t seem to shake the dark cloud creeping in telling him that he’d end up falling back into the same shit he was in before.

When he steps into his studio he’s immediately hit with the memory of the last time he was there. It’s actually a bit of a fuzzy memory, he was pretty fucked up at that time. He shudders then takes a look around. Everything in his studio has remained largely untouched. He can tell a few things were moved a little, likely from someone searching for any hidden bottles. Other than that the place is spotless.

He takes a seat in his chair and lets out a deep breath. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but just getting started takes him about 10 minutes of idly sitting there spinning slowly in his chair before he finally powers his computer on and gets to work. It’s rocky at first, keeping his focus for more than a few minutes at a time is proving difficult. But just like the glass of water in the desert that she is, he gets a text from Hyeri that gives him the boost he needs.

[Hyeri]: My first day is going great so far! I don’t have much time, I just wanted to tell you I love you and I’m proud of you 😘

Yoongi takes a deep breath and smiles. Somehow she’s always there at the right time.

[Yoongi]: You give me so much strength, my love. I’m proud of you too and I’ll never stop loving you ❤️

That’s all it took. One of seven people he has the deepest love for is cheering him on. He can do this. He cracks open his bottle of iced coffee and dives head first into his music.

Minho suggested he start easy when he returns to work. If things start to feel overwhelming then he should call it a day and allow himself time to relax and recharge. Hours fly by and Yoongi is nowhere near stopping. The anxiety he felt coming into the building has been washed away in a decaffeinated wave of confidence and determination. He’s got 2 months worth of music to go through and polish and he’s fired up getting through song after song. He’s only pulled out of his tunnel vision by a knock at his door.

“I didn’t know you were here,” Namjoon says when Yoongi opens the door for him.

“Yeah, I’ve been here since this morning,” Yoongi says inviting Namjoon to take a seat on the couch while he returns to his work chair.

“This morning?” Namjoon asks confused. “Like a few hours ago?”

“What? I mean early this morning. I got here around 9 I think.”

“Hyung,” Namjoon chuckles. “It’s 3 am, you’ve been here all day?”

“I have?” Yoongi questions looking at his phone that confirms it’s currently 3:15 am. “Shit,” he chuckles. “Yeah I guess I’ve been here all day.”

“Rainbow didn’t call you to come home yet?” Namjoon jokes.

“She usually doesn’t bother when I’m here,” Yoongi laughs. “I guess I should probably go, huh?”

“You’ve been here all day, hyung. Get some rest.”

“What about you? Why are you still here?”

“The usual. I was about to head out now though. You should come.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi swivels in his chair to start saving his work and shutting his computer down. “Need a ride?”

“You know I do,” Namjoon laughs.

Yoongi finishes gathering his things and the pair head down the quiet hall to the elevator. The building is mostly deserted at this hour aside from the two or three night owls quietly working away in their own spaces. They make it out to Yoongi’s car and take off.

“It’s good to see you back, hyung,” Namjoon says during the ride. Ever since they all got together for dinner upon Yoongi’s return Namjoon has been quite amazed at the difference. For two months the last image of Yoongi that was left in his mind was of him wreaking of alcohol while they hit him with an intervention that all of them had hoped wouldn’t have to happen. Now he looks like he’s back to his old self and smells like sweet lemon and ginger tea instead of booze.

“It’s good to be back,” Yoongi smiles. “And thank you.”

“I told you the other day you don’t have to thank me. You’re my bro.”

“I know, but I mean Hyeri. Thanks for looking out for her.”

“I always look out for her,” Namjoon chuckles. “She’s my sis.”

“I know that too,” Yoongi chuckles trying to find his way to the point he’s trying to make. “It’s just that you know I worry about her a lot and when I felt like I was so messed up that I couldn’t be there for her, I always felt better knowing you were there.”

“Of course,” Namjoon reiterates. “You’re both my family, if I can ever do anything to make sure my family doesn’t hurt, then I will.”

“That’s why you’re our leader,” Yoongi smiles. “I just know I can trust you with my life, and that includes Hyeri. She doesn’t have any siblings so you fill that space for her.”

“Hyung,” Namjoon says sensing some bit of nervousness from Yoongi. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“What do you think about…marriage?”

“Marriage?” Of all things Namjoon could have guessed, marriage isn’t one of them.

“We talked about it and I can’t get the thought out of my mind. I might just be thinking crazy, but I’m not sure. What would happen if we got married? I’m crazy right? But if we did…would you be ok with it? Would everyone else be ok with it?” Yoongi is rambling as he tends to do when he’s nervous. Beads of sweat are starting to form on his forehead and he’s trying his best to hold his breath steady.

“Slow down.” Namjoon shakes his head. He’s a little endeared by how flustered Yoongi is when trying to discuss the topic, but he also feels he may be getting ahead of himself. “You’ve only been back home a week.”

“I know, it’s crazy.”

“Hyung chill. There’s a lot you need to think about first, like how no one even knows that you two are even dating. If you two show up married out of the blue what do you think people will think? Or maybe you could stay a secret, but you’ve already expressed how upsetting it is for you having to hide now, how long can you keep hiding when you’re married?”

“You’re right,” Yoongi sighs pulling up to Namjoon’s building.

“I’m not saying you should never do it, if that’s what you really want to do. I just want you to think about it. You can’t rush into this because there are some things you won’t be able to undo, you know?” Namjoon gives Yoongi a look that tells everything. A look telling Yoongi that regardless of how he feels, he has to think about the fans who could feel betrayed if he doesn’t approach things carefully.

“Yeah,” Yoongi nods. “I understand.”

“Get some sleep.” Namjoon opens the door to exit the car. “I’ll see you later.”

Yoongi nods and watches Namjoon shut the door and enter his apartment building. He appreciates Namjoon’s input, and as the only person that knows both he and Hyeri the most, he’s happy he could get those feelings out to a knowing third party. Still, as he drives home he feels a little disappointed. He wanted Namjoon to be more on board with the idea, although his advice was absolutely correct, he just hoped to get a more solid vote of approval. Yoongi parks his car when he gets home wondering why he suddenly felt the need to get Namjoon’s approval, not as a fellow group member who would no doubt be effected by this, but as a close friend of Hyeri’s. As her family.

Yoongi isn’t surprised to see Hyeri still awake in bed when he gets home. He could hear her mumbling lines to herself as soon as he walked through the door then entered the bedroom to see her sitting up going over her script.

“You’re home?” She asks somewhat surprised.

“You didn’t think I would be?” Yoongi chuckles. He drops his things near the door where he’ll pick them back up in a few hours after he gets some sleep and heads right back to the studio.

“Usually you stay the night in your studio when you stay this late,” she says putting her script aside and rolling towards him while he removes his clothes.

“Did you want me to?” He lays next to her and wraps his arms around her.

“No,” she chuckles. “I like it better when you’re here.”

“You can thank Namjoon for that. He talked me into coming home for some rest. I didn’t even know it was this late.”

“Of course Namjoon was there too,” she jokes. “What’s he been working on?”

“I’m not sure, we didn’t even talk about music.”

“The two of you not talking about music? That’s crazy!” She jokes. “What did you guys talk about then?”

“Well…” Yoongi hesitates unsure if he should tell her he brought up getting married. Maybe now isn’t the time. Namjoon was right, he should slow down. “Just a little bit of everything.”

“Right,” she nods unconvinced.

“Why are you still up anyway?” He asks trying to change the subject. “Don’t you have an early call tomorrow…or today I guess?”

“I just wanted to run through my lines one more time.”

“At nearly 4 in the morning?”

“I didn’t get home until two,” she giggles. “Now that you’re here I can get some sleep.”She snuggles closer to him and he kisses her forehead.

Through the course of the week the routine stays the same. Hyeri leaves extra early, Yoongi leaves hours later. They both get home at incredibly late hours, usually within a couple of hours of each other. Then they wake up hours later and repeat the process. Yoongi likes the routine, it gives him a new alcohol free normal.

The following week Yoongi has his session with Minho. He’s in brighter spirits this time talking about the songs he’s been working on, the plan he and the guys are working on for their next comeback, and his excitement for the future. Of course Minho brought up marriage and going public and Yoongi told him about the talk he had with Namjoon. While Yoongi spoke about how he felt Namjoon was completely right and he should slow down and really think before doing anything drastic, Minho noticed a slight shift in his tone. Even though Yoongi doesn’t realize it, he began speaking softer and almost as if he were a child talking about how he wanted something for Christmas but his parents said he wasn’t old enough for such a thing. Yoongi quietly commented that he was a little let down that Namjoon wasn’t 100% on board, and that’s when Minho made the realization.

“Have you brought this up to the other members?” Minho asks.

“No,” Yoongi admits. “After talking to Namjoon I figured it’s not really necessary for me to bring it up to everyone.”

“Why did you decide to tell Namjoon about it?”

“He’s the one who knows me and Hyeri the most,” Yoongi shrugs. “If he thinks it’s a good or bad idea when it comes to her, then I trust him.”

“Right,” Minho nods. “Why did you feel let down though?”

“I don’t know,” Yoongi mumbles looking down at his lap.

“What would have been a less disappointing reaction from him?”

“I don’t know,” he repeats. “I just thought he’d be a little more…excited? Supportive? No, he is supportive. Everything he told me was right, but something still felt like he wasn’t sure about it.”

“Sure about what?”

“Sure about…” Yoongi pauses to think. He knows he keeps talking in circles because he’s struggling to articulate what he’s really feeling, but Minho finally helps him out.

“Would you marry Hyeri if Namjoon was not ok with it?”

Yoongi remains silent.

“Would you continue dating Hyeri if Namjoon didn’t approve of it?”

Yoongi closes his eyes with his lips pressed shut.

“It’s not about the group, because you haven’t even brought it up to the others, so why do you feel you need Namjoon’s approval over anyone else’s?”

Yoongi sighs and opens his eyes. “He’s her brother. If I were to propose to her I would want her family’s approval first. He’s her family.”

“Do you feel like he disapproves?”

“I don’t know,” Yoongi groans. “He wasn’t really clear whether he approves or not, he just told me I should slow down, which is fine I understand his point, but I was hoping he would be more…enthused.”

Minho cracks a small smile. He only wanted Yoongi to say it so that he could face it. Yoongi knows that too and as much as he grits his teeth, he knows he won’t stop feeling a bit down about it if he doesn’t acknowledge and work through it. He knows he’s done a lot of things to betray everyone’s trust, so he feels Namjoon is just cautious not wanting Hyeri to get hurt. This thought only turns into a self depreciating cycle in his mind where he has visions of every drink, every stranger, every lie he told that chipped away at everyone’s trust in him until he became nothing but a heavy burden and a liability. He did this to himself.

He thought he had worked through a lot of these feelings, but as one wound was treated, there was another that had been ignored.

Sometimes you have to hurt to heal.

All of the nights Yoongi did everything in his power to ignore those feelings only caused those wounds to go untreated and get infected. Now he’s having to feel the pain he tried to avoid as the scabs are ripped off and the wounds are treated the way they should have been in the first place.

Yoongi goes above and beyond with everything he does these days. Healing doesn’t happen overnight, so in the meantime he’s just trying to get by. Trying to get by, by overcompensating for every fault that exists in his mind. He assists in any project he can when discussing the group’s comeback plans. He gets home in the wee hours of the night and finds the energy to make Hyeri a small breakfast that she can have on her way to work in the morning. He then wakes up with her after only a few hours of sleep to see her off and give her a loving start to her day. When he’s at the studio he entertains anything the members bring him and offers whatever time he can to doing whatever they ask. He feels it’s the least he can do for times that can’t be undone.

Yoongi has been home a month now. He’s been back on his regular work schedule for three weeks, and he’s been slowly dissolving into a self deprecating yes-man. The good thing is that no one is looking to take advantage of him so he’s not being used or abused, however he’s not getting much sleep and it’s starting to show on his face. No one seems to notice though, except Minho.

Deadlines are approaching, track lists are being finalized, behind the scenes cameras are everywhere, and dance practices are starting up again. The new routine Yoongi molded into has been blown away and now he finds himself in the chaotic whirlwind of the comeback schedule. There’s no set date for the album yet, but as always there’s still a lot to be done before the public even knows a thing. Recordings, promo videos, photoshoots, endless meetings to discuss concepts, album designs, merchandise, and tour dates. The dreaded tour that Yoongi finds himself stressed out about. Thankfully there’s still quite a bit of time before he has to face that head on. For now, another of his past demons is returning to haunt him.

“Stay home? Why?” Yoongi asks his manager through the phone. He received the call at 7 am, just before he was about to leave for the studio. Suddenly being asked to stay home has his heart racing.

“The media is at the entrance,” his manager solemnly says. “It’s seems someone has caught wind of the lady who stole your Black card in LA. She was convicted and somehow a reporter here learned that you were one of her many victims. There’s….a lot of buzz right now and we just want to look out for your safety.”

“Fuck,” Yoongi groans. “It’s that bad?”

“We’ll be putting out a statement soon asking for privacy at this time, but until things calm down staying home would be best for you right now. If you need anything at all we can make sure you get it, but you should lay low.”

As if being secluded in a cabin for two months wasn’t enough laying low. How bad could the media be right now? And why? He’s a victim in this case, what do they want him to say? He sighs heavily and lays across the couch clutching his head. He had an entire day planned, what about that? With deadlines getting closer he can’t afford to lose time like this. Is it so bad that it’s worth this? He decides to check socials because he knows the trending tags will tell him.

The trending tags told him a lot.

[Yoongi]: Call me as soon as you can

[Yoongi]: Or come over

[Yoongi]: You should definitely come over